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My anger was burning off, and I suddenly felt exhausted and defeated. The last thing I wanted to do was to cry in front of these people. “I just want to go home. I didn’t mean to ruin the show for you. Just point me to an exit and I’ll call a cab to pick me up.”
We came to an open space that looked like a lounge area. Tables lined the back of the wall and were covered with chafing dishes of catered food. A beat-up bar stood in the back corner with bottles of all shapes and sizes lined up behind it. A few catering personnel bustled in and out of the room carrying trays of food. The center of the room was mostly empty, but a few couches of dubious quality were scattered about.
Talia led me over to a couch and I sank down upon it.
A moment later, Lacey burst into the room. “I got your S.O.S. What’s wrong?” She saw me sitting on the couch, and I must have looked like shit because she immediately turned her attention to me. “Summer! What’s wrong?”
I dropped my head into my hands. I didn’t want to face any of this.
Talia spoke up. “Summer is Knox’s girlfriend. For some reason, he didn’t tell her that he was in the band. She thought he was a roadie.”
“Knox?” My voice croaked. I lifted my head. “Knox?” This time it came out loud and seething with fury. “What the fuck? Who the fuck is Knox?”
“Uh, Scotty is Knox,” Talia said tentatively.
Lacey sat down next to me. “Talia, get her a shot of something!” She turned to me. “Shit, I didn’t put it together earlier when you said Scotty. Yeah, the guys in the band call him Scotty sometimes. It’s his nickname.”
I groaned. “Fuck me. That’s not his real name? Is he really from Scotland or was the accent bullshit, too?”
“No, he’s really from Scotland.”
I shook my head bitterly. “God, I even thought to myself that Scotty from Scotland was pretty odd when I was trying to find him on social media. How could I be so stupid? He and his stupid band must have been laughing at me the whole time.”
Talia walked over with a shot glass full of clear liquid. I downed it without hesitating. It burned the back of my throat, but I hardly registered it.
Lacey rubbed my arm. “Look, I don’t know why he did it, but he must have a reason. He’s a very nice guy. I don’t think he was trying to hurt you in any way.”
“He’s been lying to me this whole time,” I muttered. Just like I’d been lying to my parents. We made a great team.
Talia sat down on the couch on my other side. “I don’t know why he didn’t tell you he was in the band, but he gave you the tickets to the show tonight. Maybe this was his way of telling you the truth?”
“It’s a horrible way to find out.” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “I spent hours with him Thursday night. He should have told me then.”
“Right!” Lacey jumped in. “He wanted you to know. I wonder why he didn’t tell you in person?”
I grunted. “Probably because I would have dumped him. I’m not looking for a guy like him. I seem to attract guys who are trouble and now that I know that Scotty is in a rock band, it’s my cue to steer clear.”
“Summer, I hate to keep running out on you, but I’ve got to get back to Kaylie. We’re overseeing the entire fundraiser for Cyber Angels tonight.” Lacey stood up. “But I don’t think you should run off. The band will be busy after the show with a meet and greet, but then we’re all heading to the after-party. You don’t even have to see Knox until then. We’ll take care of you. Then you can talk to him privately and hear his side of the story. He’s not a bad guy.”
“Sorry I disturbed your night.” I gave her a little wave of goodbye.
She left, and then Talia turned to me. “Let’s do another shot. Then you can decide what to do.”
A couple of hours later, I was sitting in the back of a limousine with Talia, Lacey, and Kaylie. We were sipping champagne while they filled me in on the basics of Ghost Parker since I knew next to nothing about the band and how they tied into the band members. Kaylie was engaged to the bassist, but she was also the drummer’s brother. Talia was about to marry Ryder, the other guitarist. Lacey was friends with everyone and was a bigwig at a rival record label.
We were startled when someone banged on the door window. The driver rolled down the partition. “Is this guy bothering you? Should I drive away ladies?”
Talia giggled. “Oh, it’s Ryder. You can let him in.”
The locks clicked and then Ryder was stepping into the limo and sliding into the seat next to Talia.
Kaylie frowned. “Hey, no boys allowed in this limo! Didn’t you get the memo?”
“The other limo is too crowded.” He stretched out his legs. “It’s packed over there with the band and the security guys and some women that Ghost and Bash invited to the after-party.”
The limo started moving. Ryder chuckled. “I snuck out. Sid is going to be pissed when he finds out that he’s stuck over there.”
Lacey topped off our glasses with more champagne. “Yeah, but now you ruined our girl talk. We were hatching plans.”
