They’d spent a week rehearsingDrivenfor Prodigy’s debut performance at Madison Square Garden, and Sindy had more confidence in her performance than ever before. She even managed to keep her cool during the ten-minute rehearsal she and Lucas had with Tommy Blade. But now that the moment was here, Sindy was terrified and her hands were trembling.
“Calm down.” Tessa rubbed Sindy’s arm. “There’s nothing to be nervous about.”
“Of course there is. I’m going to be playing on stage in front of 20,000 people. With Tommy Blade. Do you know how intimidating that is?”
“He’s my dad. Just think about him like that.”
Tommy Blade was far fromjustTessa’s dad – he was the Prince of Punk Rock! Sindy paced and shook out her hands to relieve some nervous tension.
Angel knocked and poked his head in the dressing room. “I just came to wish you luck, princess. Although I know you don’t need it.” He beamed at Tessa, proudly, as he crossed the room to give her a hug. Tommy and Jessi Blade followed and joined them in a three-on-one hug.
After gushing over her daughter, Jessi went into designer mode and adjusted bits of Tessa’s wardrobe. “These pants fit you like a glove. Are they comfortable?”
“Very.” Tessa demonstrated by kicking one of her legs like a Rockette and stretching her arms to the ceiling.
“Good. Because the last thing we need is a ripped seam.” Jessi caught Angel’s gaze and they shared a laugh, obviously remembering a past experience.
Sindy received an unexpected hug from Jessi. She stiffened slightly, still unused to the open displays of affection in this family.
“Good luck, sweetie.” Jessi stood back and inspected Sindy’s outfit. “Sex-saay!”
Tommy Blade came over and smiled at Sindy. She stood eye to eye with an icon that she never thought she’d meet face to face, and tonight she would play on stage with him.
“See you in a few. We’re gonna slay that audience tonight.” Tommy also gave her a quick hug, then Angel Garcia did the same thing and also wished her luck. Then they exited the dressing room that Sindy and Tessa shared. The interaction with Tommy and Angel amped up Sindy’s adrenaline, and settled her nerves about the performance. She was still a little rattled, but in a good way.
“Knock, knock, knock.” It was Mason, who entered the room ahead of Lucas.
“Oh my God. Don’t we get any privacy?” Tessa joked. “It’s like Grand Central Station in here.”
Mason chuckled. “More like Penn Station.”
“I figured we’d hang out together until it was time to hit the stage,” Lucas said. “We weren’t doing anything in our dressing room.” He looked Sindy up and down and let out a whistle. “You look great.”
“Thank you.” She glanced down at her outfit – a leather corset and tight black leggings with see-through cutouts. “I hope it doesn’t look like I’m trying too hard.”
“You look like a rock star.” He leaned closer and looked into her eyes. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yeah. But it’s unfounded. The people out there are already fans. They know me. They know Tessa. And they know Mason.” He gave a mocking eye roll toward the ceiling. “Everyone knows Mason. They’re diehard Immortal Angel fans. Even if we just went out there and waved at the audience, they’d stand up and cheer. They’ve been waiting for Prodigy to go mainstream for a very long time. We’re a guaranteed success. This is our crowd.”
“But I’ve never played in front of an audience. This is fucking Madison Square Garden. There are 20,000 people out there! I thought we were going to play some small venue, not the world’s most famous arena.”
“It’s no different than playing on the street in Times Square. You’ve done that, right?”
“Yeah, but people are walking back and forth. Half of them don’t even look at me. It’s not 20,000 people staring at me.”
“It doesn’t matter. You can’t see past the first few rows anyway. Everything after that is just blackness with a few dots of light here and there.” He cupped her face in his hands, and his touch soothed her and spiked her heart rate at the same time. “Stay by me if your nerves start to act up. It’s just a couple of chords with Immortal Angel, and then one of our songs. You play it like a champ. If you get flustered, just keep playing. That’s all you gotta do. Just play. Don’t look at anyone but me. You don’t need to do anything but play that guitar. It’s you and me up there. That’s all. Block everyone else out if you have to.” He winked at her. “I gotcha, hon.”
It was the first time he’d called her “hon” in a while. The word was an act of affection, like he’d said the first time he’d used the endearment, and it calmed her. “Thank You.” She took in everything he said, absorbing the advice from someone who had been on the stage since he was two. Less anxious than before, she smiled at him grateful for his words of advice. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and place a soft kiss on his lips. Not with sexual intent, but because she truly had feelings for this beautiful man.
Nerves had Sindy’s heart racing. Watching Immortal Angel from the side of the stage, alongside the Immortal Angel wives, left Sindy awestruck. She’d seen the legendary punk rock band live only once before. It was about four years ago at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, only back then she’d sat one level up from the floor. She hadn’t dared to venture into the mosh pit of wild punk rockers thrashing around violently. That show had been phenomenal, but it was like watching a different concert at this close proximity. The electricity that filled the air around her practically had her hair standing on end. She couldn’t take her eyes off Angel. The man owned the stage and strutted across it like it was his own personal catwalk. He jumped onto the amp and swiveled his hips in the tightest leather pants she’d ever seen. They were like black liquid painted over his lower half, accentuating a body that belonged to someone half his age. His vocals projected through the arena with power and staunch. Tommy climbed on top of the amp with Angel. The two barely fit in the small space they shared and were forced to stand smashed against one another. With their backs pressed together, they grinded into each other, sharing an intimate connection in front of 20,000 people. They suddenly turned toward one another, their faces an inch apart. They fed off each other’s talent, both filled with unstoppable energy. Angel sang with a growl that was more intense than it was a minute ago, and Tommy wailed on his Les Paul like a maniac.
A crash from the cymbal diverted Sindy’s attention to Jimmy Wilder behind the drums. Mason’s father was practically aerodynamic as he swiveled on his stool, arms flying to hit the side toms on his left and then his right. His shirtless upper half displayed colorful tattoos and the well-muscled arms and chest of a drummer. Without warning, he kicked the stool out from underneath him, sending it scurrying backwards, and played standing up behind his kit. There was so much power behind his beats it was a wonder he hadn’t broken a dozen sticks by now. Realistically, he’d split three in half so far, but Sindy wasn’t really counting.
Her attention was pulled back to the front of the stage by an insane guitar solo delivered by Tommy Blade. The man was on his knees at the apron, causing a near riot from female fans of all ages as they pressed against the railing. His long blond hair continually whipped the stage as he rocked his head back and forth, lost in the spellbinding sounds he produced on his iconic Les Paul. The fusion of hard rock into the fast-paced punk rock song was mind blowing, proving why Tommy Blade was still unsurpassed in the industry.
Angel suddenly came running toward the side of the stage, directly at Sindy, causing her heart to quicken. At first, she wasn’t sure what was going on, but then she saw Jessi holding a studded leather harness. Angel stripped off the leather jacket he wore and dropped it to the floor to reveal his naked torso. Sindy’s jaw dropped. These middle-aged men were gorgeous! She watched, mouth still agape, as Jessi fastened the studded harness around Angel’s magnificent chest and attached a rhinestone cod piece to Angel’s crotch.
