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“Am I sure?” Knox asks with a dry laugh. “Sky, Damned Embers’ lead guitarist was murdered![2]Of course, I’m fucking sure you can take two people with you. I won’t risk losing you.”
“Yeah, I didn’t exactly need that reminder, Knox.” I shiver. The news article said the guy was murdered, and they had a viable suspect in custody. Too bad I knew the person they had was innocent. With such a high-profile murder, the news companies and tabloids had been all over it. Evidence had gotten out. There was a note found on the body—a note that wouldn’t make sense to anyone except my men and me. It had the symbols that represented each of us, together, on it. It was something only we knew, or that’s what the men would think. We used it with one another to remind us of the love shared between us. There was a pair of drumsticks, an electric guitar, a rose, and a crown. The person who killed their new guitarist was the same person who ruined my life.
“Sorry, Sky. I just needed to make sure you knew how important you are to all of us here,” Knox said, shrugging his large shoulders. “I’ll let them know they are going with you.” He pauses, his eyes softening as he looks at me before his expression hardens again. “Sky, I mean it.” He makes and holds eye contact with me. “You need to watch your back while you’re out there. That message was for you, and we both know it. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Thanks, Knox; I won’t.” I sigh, frustrated with the whole situation.
Of course the damn message was left for me. It was the same calling card that was used to force me to leave. They were close to all of us and knew just how important those men were to me, and how important they still are. They used my affection for them against me and got me to do things I, otherwise, never would have done for the sake of keeping them safe. I don’t know what changed to force their hand and go back on their word, but whatever it was, I would get to the bottom of it. Going back to playing music alongside the loves of my life was going to destroy me, but I would take the pain that came with doing what I loved as long as it kept them safe. I would never allow the three of them to learn my secrets.
They could have come after me, tried to track me down. Sebastian had the same computer skills I did, though he wasn’t as good. He could have found me but never tried. I had bots in place to flag if he did. None of them ever, not once, tried to even search for my name after I left. To them, it was like I was dead. It was better that way I guess. They had a chance to move on and find their happiness.
I can’t help but wonder what they will think when I show up to take back my place in the band. I’m sure there will be hell to pay when they realize I’m who the label called in to be the replacement. I’ve kept my skills up as best as I could. I know a majority of their songs still and the ones I don’t, I can easily pick up. Let’s just hope that it won’t be too terrible. The label agreed to postpone the next couple of dates to allow the band to mourn and determine their next move. I was to meet them back in Coventry, where our story first began. From there, the label would give me all the information I needed.
“Sky,” Knox calls out, pulling me from my thoughts. “You know that wasn’t the first symbol that had been received.”
I freeze at his words. I had no idea more than one had been sent. I guess they didn’t get what they wanted from the first one, so they ended up escalating the situation. This means they will be volatile, and there’s nothing I can do but hope for the best.
“How many?” I whisper, almost afraid of the answer.
“Five,” he answers.
My heart drops at the word. How long had they known about this and not told me? I would have gone back sooner.
“Don’t give me that look, Sky,” he pleads, standing from his seat and moving to lean against the desk. “We didn’t tell you to protect you. This wasn’t your fight, not anymore, not since you got out. We had received the request for you to return sooner from the team working on security, but then everything happened with Emma, and we couldn’t lose you just yet. This isn’t on you.”
“Isn’t it?” I snarl, rising to my feet as well. “He shouldn’t have died! Their guitarist shouldn’t have died because of me. If you had told me I would have returned and dealt with it!”
“Dealt with it?!” Knox raises his voice. “Dealt with what? None of us have any idea who this person is! You would have gone in blind!”
“Going in blind is better than someone dying because of me, especially when I could have prevented it, but I wasn’t told, and now it’s too late!” My chest heaves with my words. I already feel on edge, furious that someone died for me—because of me—terrified of what going back is going to mean for me and scared over whether or not I’m strong enough to face this alone.
“No, Sky,” he says with a sigh. “It’s not better. Any life taken is unacceptable, but losing you because we weren’t cautious? We would never forgive ourselves, and you know it. To us, it wasn’t worth the risk. We know whoever this person is won’t harm Creed, Gunner, and Sebastian. The three of them are safe. For whatever reason, this stalker wants you.”
“Then let them have me if it means everyone is safe!” I shout. “I’m no one. Giving me up to avoid risking the lives of so many more would be worth it.”
“That’s not true.” Knox’s voice comes through, softening as he moves around my desk. “Everyone thinks they’re nothing to the rest of the world, but to someone, you’re their entire world. You came to us a scared young woman, terrified of your own shadow. You only came out of your shell for Steel, Trevor, and me. None of us would risk you like this if there was another way. Besides, we trust that your men will rip you a new one and force you to tell them everything you told us anyway.”
“They won’t,” I chuckle darkly, trying to hold back the tears. “I can promise you those boys don’t care a lick about me after leaving them the way I did.”
“Think what you want, Sky,” Knox says as he pulls me against his chest for a hug. “You have a week to make some progress. If you don’t, Steel or myself will be on a plane to help.”
“One week,” I mumble into his chest, returning his hug. With a deep breath, I let his strength flow into me and then pull away.
I can do this—I think.
Chapter Two
The last few days have been chaotic. The press has been breathing down our necks to do a press release about Ezra’s death. None of us wanted to talk. The shock of finding our bandmate, our brother, dead. That’s something that doesn’t just wear off overnight. None of us had seen this event coming. When we first found him in his hotel room, face down, we had assumed he either had too much to drink or got a bad batch of drugs. It wasn’t until after the police showed up we learned the truth.
Ezra had been murdered.
Our brother was killed in cold blood, and there were no leads as to who did it. Immediately, all of us were placed in lockdown and spirited away to a secure location until someone had some answers. We had a show to play tomorrow night, but it was postponed, hell all of our upcoming shows were postponed until the label could figure out what to do next and who to replace Ezra with.
Like that was possible.
Sighing, I pinch the bridge of my nose before raising the glass of whiskey to my lips. Each of us had our vice. I was never one for drugs, preferring to let alcohol drown the thoughts in my mind. Only this time it’s not working. I’m on my fourth glass, and still, my thoughts are running rampant in my mind. How could someone do this? Sure, we were famous and had some crazy followers, but no one had ever gotten this close to us. Even our groupies were vetted through security before they were allowed near us.
Once again, we were left to find a lead guitarist. Ezra was a blessing in disguise for all of us aftersheleft us high and dry in the middle of the night without a word, betraying all the love and trust between us all. After that fateful night, we all agreed to never let another female in the band. The guys and I barely survived. Creed went down a spiraling path I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to save him from. Honestly, I don’t think we ever did. He was just good at masking his pain, and who were Gunner and I to question him on it?
