Black Falcon: Complete Series Collection (32 page)

She was right. A lot of people were counting on us. The roadies and production people didn’t get paid if we didn’t play. I couldn’t be selfish in this situation, even though I really,
really
wanted to.

“Okay, fine. But can I spend every off day I have with you?”

“I can’t let you spend all that money flying back to see me every spare moment you get.”

“Money isn’t a problem for me, Lane. You know that. All that matters to me is being with you every second I can.”

She sighed and reached her dainty fingers up to touch my face. “Sometimes you seem too good to be real.”

I stared into her green eyes and threaded my fingers into her dark hair.

“Now you know exactly how I feel about you.”

T
he bus felt cold without her. I stretched out on the bed and rested my hand on the pillow where her head typically lay. Even though it was still early, and I wasn’t tired, I didn’t feel much like being social. It’d only been a couple hours and I was already losing my shit.

I picked up my cell and checked the time. In about ten minutes her plane would land and I could call to make sure she’d arrived safely. Traveling alone wasn’t something I liked her doing because there were too many crazies out there. Plus, I wouldn’t be there to shield her from them.

A knock on the door startled me from my thoughts.

“Come in.”

Riff pushed the door open and stood in the doorway. “We’re about to start a Halo campaign. You in?”

This felt like old times—the bus rolling down a lonely stretch of highway while we kicked each other’s asses at a war video game. It was the best way, other than sleeping, that we’d found to pass the hours when we were cooped up inside Big Bertha.

But right now I wanted to wallow in my sadness at being without Lane.

“Nah, I’m pretty tired.”

Riff folded his arms across his chest, his crazy Mohawk standing high on the top of his head. “Dude, I know you miss her, but you can’t mope around in this room the entire time she’s gone. It’s not healthy.”

I sighed. “I know, but it’s hard to be without her.”

He nodded. “I know what you mean, but still you have to live, man. She won’t be gone forever.”

That was true. I would see her again in a week when I got a three-day break between shows, but until then, I didn’t see anything wrong with a little depression.

“I get it, but I’m really just tired. It’s been a long day.”

A sarcastic laugh tumbled from his mouth. “Kyle took you shopping all day, how stressful could that be?”

Since he was my best friend, I needed to share with him the real reason the day hadn’t gone as planned, so I fished the ring box from my pocket. “It was kind of a big deal.”

I held it between my thumb and index finger for Riff’s inspection. His eyes widened. “Holy shit! Does she know you have that?”

I shook my head. “Nope. She left before I got a chance to ask her.”

“That’s a huge deal. You sure about this? Don’t you think you should wait a while?”

“No. It’s the right time. It’s something I’ve thought about doing since high school. Plus, that douchebag Striker keeps sniffing around her. What better way to show him she’s off the market?”

Riff took the box and opened it up and let out a low whistle. “Well, don’t rush in because you feel threatened by Striker. She loves you. Any idiot can see that.”

That was what I thought too. Apparently Striker was the only still blind to that fact. “Like I said, it’s not just for his benefit. This is something I want. I want her to know I’m committed to her.”

He handed me back the box. “If you’re sure, then I’m happy for you. Now, get your ass up, and come help me whoop Trip’s ass. I’m not taking no for an answer. I need my wingman.”

A little less heavyhearted, I sat up, tucked the box back in my pocket, and readied myself for some guy time.

A
n hour and a half into the game my cell rang. I checked the ID and felt a little silly for the sheer amount giddiness that rolled inside me just from seeing Lane’s name. I hoped the guys hadn’t noticed. I’d never hear the end of it.

“Hey.”

“God, I miss you.” It was awesome to hear she was feeling the exact same way I was. “A week is so long.”

“Too long,” I agreed.

“Well, maybe I’ll actually get some work done this week without you here to distract me all the time.”

I laughed. “So glad you’re looking forward to being without me.”

“You know what I mean,” she chided. “It’ll be nice to have my proposal done for Striker this week.”

The name Striker coming from those beautiful lips was just plain wrong.

“Let’s not talk about him.”

“Noel...” The tone of her voice held a warning.

“I’m not jealous or anything. I just don’t like him.” Honesty was the best policy if we were going to talk about any thoughts that revolved around him.

Normally I would never have believed Lane would go for a guy like that, but after that night in the bar, I knew different. It was hard to get the vision of how he’d touched her that night when they’d danced out of my head. I’d snapped when I’d seen that he was about to kiss her. Not only that but she was going to let him. Something in me went crazy, and so I’d attacked him to keep it from happening.

Lane sighed into the phone. “Okay, no more talk about him.”

“Thank you.” I paused. “Have you made it to the hospital yet?”

“I just pulled into the parking lot and wanted to call you before I went inside to tell you that I love you, and I miss you already.”

My heart swelled. “I love you too. Tell your mom I hope she gets back on her feet soon. I want to show her my mad pancake flipping skills.”

She laughed. “Will do.”

After the call ended, somehow I felt better about missing her. It gave me comfort to know I’d be with her soon, and that I could call her anytime I wanted.

T
he next show was in Orlando, and it was an outdoors. Singing to a sold out crowd of over twenty thousand people always got me amped. It was still surreal at times to think that we had the amount of fans we did. And man, some of them were dedicated.

Backstage I watched as Embrace the Darkness ended their set. It was really starting to get under my skin that Striker and his band were becoming well-known. He seemed to really enjoy muscling in on things that were mine—things that meant the most to me. He sauntered off the stage flashing that cocky grin he wore half the time I saw him.

“Try not to chase the fans off too,” he said as he walked past me.

I narrowed my eyes. “What the fuck is that suppose to mean?”

He spun on his heel to face me. “It means you’re really good at driving things away. Careful, mate, or you’ll drive more than your fans straight to me.”

I closed the gap between us. “Try something with her, fucker. Give me one more reason to beat your ass.”

He laughed. “You don’t scare me, Falcon. I’m just waiting for you to fuck up before I make my move on Lane. She’s too good for you.”

Every muscle in my body shook, and spots clouded my vision. Instinctively my fist drew back, ready to blast Striker in his smug face.

My arm snapped forward, stopping inches from my target. I jerked my arm hard, so caught up in my anger that I hadn’t noticed that Riff had my arm hooked in his.

He dragged me back. “He’s not worth it.”

My nostrils flared and my brain failed to absorb his words. “He needs to stop trying to fuck my girl.”

Striker laughed as he stalked off. My heart hammered hard as every piece of me fought not to tackle him with full force.

Riff shoved me back. “Noel, dude, calm the fuck down. He’s just trying to get to you and you’re letting him. This is exactly what he wants—you to doubt Lane, and drive her straight to him. Don’t let that happen. Lane loves
you
.”

My chest heaved, my body still in fight mode.

“You’re right.”

I scrubbed my hands down my face and took a deep breath. Striker had found my weakness, and hadn’t wasted any time in taking full advantage of it. Trusting Lane wasn’t the issue, but knowing Striker was set on taking her from me ramped me up even more. Now more than ever, I needed to stake my claim for the world to see.

A
fter two weeks of being without Lane, I still missed her like crazy. Life just wasn’t the same without her.

I rolled over and picked up my cell before searching out her number. Hearing her voice first thing in the mornings was my new routine, and it was one of the only things that kept me going.

It rang a couple times before Lane’s groggy voice answered. “Hey.”

“Hey, baby. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Oh, no. I was awake.”

My brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m feeling a little sick again,” she answered.

“Are you having the same symptoms as before?” I questioned again.

“I wish.” She sighed. “I’ve been sick to my stomach all morning.”

I rubbed some sleep from my eye. “You’ve been throwing up?”

“Yeah, but thank God I was able to bring Mom home after surgery last night. It would’ve been hell to feel like this at the hospital.”

I sat up in bed and then tossed my legs over the edge. “I’m coming down there.”

“Noel, you have shows to do.”

Even though she couldn’t see me, I shook my head and hopped out of bed. “To hell with the shows, Lane. You need me, I’m coming down.”

My suitcase was out on the bed before I even finished my last sentence.

“I’m fine, really.” She was trying to convince me, but I knew she needed me. Kathy needed help getting around after her surgery, and Lane wouldn’t be much help to her if she wasn’t a hundred percent herself.

“I’m taking the next flight from what ever city we’re closest to.”

“Noel—”

“No more arguing about this, Lane. I want to come. Please don’t fight me.” I threw some clothes in the bag and zipped it up.

“Okay.”

The reluctance in her voice was heavy but I pumped my fist anyway.

“I love you, and I’ll see you soon,” I told her before I ended our call.

I carried my luggage to the front of the bus and dropped it near the steps. Riff and Tyke sat at the table eating breakfast, while Trip stood at the island finishing up a bowl of cereal.

Riff eyeballed it before he turned his gaze on me. “What the fuck is that?”

I shrugged and knew this wasn’t going to go over well with the guys. “I have to go, man.”

“Go where?” Trip asked, wiping milk from his lip after slurping down what was left in his bowl.

“He’s going to Texas to be with Lane,” Riff answered.

“What about the rest of our shows?” Tyke asked with a frown on his face.

“We’ll have to cancel or postpone them, I suppose.” All three of my band mates stared at me like I’d grown a third eye. “Guys, I’m sorry, but she needs me for a week or so. Her mom broke her leg, but now Lane is sick. I have to go help her.”

Riff flexed his jaw muscle, clearly pissed at my decision.

“Fine. If you want to disappoint all the fans because you’re being selfish—”

“Selfish? This is the first time in my life I’m thinking of others.” I met each one of their stares individually. “I love her, guys. I have to be there when she needs me. I would really appreciate a little understanding on this.”

After a couple tense moments of silence, Riff rubbed his chin. “I guess pushing back the dates a couple weeks wouldn’t kill anybody.” Trip and Tyke nodded in agreement. “I’ll work on having them change the dates. It won’t be easy, and will be a total pain in my ass, but I’ll do it. Go take care of things.”

A grin crept up on my face. “Thanks, guys, I owe you one.”

I told our driver to turn off at the next exit before I went back to wake Kyle, who was still fast asleep in his foxhole, to tell him I needed a ride. In just a few short hours, I would see Lane again. The thrill of it excited me more than playing live music to thousands of screaming fans.

Four hours later, I landed in Houston and picked up my rental car. The solitary drive was a nice change. It was very rare nowadays to be completely alone and the silence was welcomed.