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“Mr. Carter, I’m from the Daily World News, and I’d like you to confirm the rumor that you are, in fact, Shadow Walker.”
Jalen scowled. “No comment.” He hung up the phone. Two seconds later, another call came in. He put his phone on silent and tossed it on his bed.
He stared at the back of his hand, still wet from when Riley touched him. Still tingling from the contact. He wasn’t sure how he resisted pulling her into his arms. His body ached to have her. To hold her. He needed her.
But she wasn’t who he had thought. The woman he loved was an illusion.
His phone vibrated with another call. This wasn’t going to stop. He was revealed to the world, and now he had to figure out how he was going to handle the concert tonight. He’d signed a contract. He couldn’t back out of it, even though he felt like someone took a knife to his gut.
He tore off his mask and tossed it. Maybe the rain would continue. Maybe they would call off the concert, and he could leave. He didn’t want to have to face anyone right now. He wanted to curl up and die.
* * *
Riley stoodat the back of the massive crowd. The rain had stopped, and a light breeze made her wish she’d brought a jacket. The sun was setting, and the last concert of the event was starting soon. She should have left the island on the afternoon plane, but her heart wouldn’t let her. Not when she was so worried about Jalen.
He was supposed to be the first act tonight. As the seconds ticked by, with no one coming out on the stage, she was concerned he might back out of it. What if he’d packed his things and left on the plane? What if he went into hiding now that his identity was revealed?
She’d heard snippets of people talking about her article. Everyone had read it. Now they were waiting to see who would come out on stage. The noise from the audience rose as the time to start the concert came and went. Riley nervously shifted from one foot to the other. He couldn’t back out. Everyone was waiting for him.
The crowd hushed as someone stepped onto the stage. Riley almost cried with relief. It was Jalen in his full Shadow outfit. He walked to the microphone at the center of the stage. “Good evening everyone.”
“Take off your mask, Jalen!” someone shouted. “Yeah, stop lying to us!” someone else called.
The audience came to life, screaming and shouting different things that blended together into one massive noise. Some called him a liar. Others shouted to have him leave the stage, while thers booed. Several people held up cell phones to record what was happening.
Jalen held up his hand, but the crowd didn’t settle down. He waited for a moment, but when it didn’t look like the shouting would stop he began talking. “I know by now everyone has read the article that came out this morning.” The crowd hushed to hear what he was saying.
“And Iwilltake off my mask tonight,” he said, pointing in the direction that the comment had come from.
Riley’s chest constricted as angry shouts and screams filled the air. He was going to reveal himself. She’d forced him into this. This was all her fault.
“But first, I want to tell you about myself.” Jalen unhooked the microphone and began walking the stage. “When I was ten years old I was badly burned in a house fire.” Everyone quieted down, the crowd going still. More people held up their cell phones.
“I lost my parents in that fire.” His voice cracked, and emotion choked Riley, her eyes filling with tears.
“Music was my lifeline. No matter what, I could turn to music, and it would be there for me. Whenever I was sad, I would sing, and I would feel better. I went into the foster care system and was eventually adopted by a wonderful family who taught me that my scars didn’t matter. They loved me, regardless.
“But as soon as I went out into the real world, I was taught a much different lesson. It didn’t matter how talented I was. I was rejected, repeatedly. I was told by a top music executive, who shall remain nameless, that I had massive talent, but I would never make it in the industry because of my face.”
The crowd sucked in a collective breath, and murmurs broke out. “You can imagine how devastated I was. I thought that was it. I would never be able to do what I was born to do, because of the tragic accident so many years ago that left my face marred and my parents dead.”
“I love you, Jalen,” a woman shouted, and the crowd grew noisy again.
He held up a hand in response to her. “And I love you too, random person in the audience.”
Laughter broke out. Riley couldn’t help but smile through her tears. Jalen paused and the crowd silenced again. The mood turned serious.
“I want you to know that I didn’t put on a mask to fool anyone. I put on my mask because I desperately wanted to be able to sing. I took a chance when I entered the American Superstar contest. I never wanted to hurt you, my fans. I wanted to be free to share my songs. That’s all I ever wanted. And now, it’s time for my journey to come to an end. I will sing for you tonight, but not as Shadow Walker, masked ninja. I’m going to sing for you as plain old Jalen Carter.”
Riley held her breath as Jalen slowly removed his mask and skullcap. The crowd was so quiet, she could hear his footsteps on the stage as he walked to the side and tossed his disguise away. Then he put the microphone back into the stand and picked up his guitar, his blonde hair flopping down over his scarred forehead.
He began playing. Riley wiped at her tears, noticing a few others in the throng of people who were crying as well. Was this really his last concert? Was that what he meant by his journey coming to an end?
Riley slipped away from the mass of people. She didn’t want to hear Jalen sing his last few songs. It was too heartbreaking, knowing he was giving up his career because of her. She couldn’t stand to be there, watching him saying good-bye. Yet she couldn’t force herself to go too far. She turned around at the edge of the beach and watched him perform.
He seemed tentative at first, but as the song progressed, he got into it and fed off the energy from everyone. He was right. He was born to be a singer. You could tell he loved everything about music and performing. And the booing stopped. The audience clapped and cheered. Only once in a while did someone call out that he was a liar. Jalen ignored those.
He sang three of his hit songs. When the last one was finished, he picked up the microphone. “I hope you’ve enjoyed my last performance. Next we’ll get to hear from the talented Colby King.”
