Haunted (20 page)

He smiled wide and that evil glint in his eye had me even more turned on.

“If I can’t have my prize, that’s a perfectly acceptable consolation.” He handed me back my gun and swapped me for the night vision. “Follow me, chère. I know just where he is.”

We crept out the door and heard Mage yelling, “You can’t hide forever, Lambert!”  

Just then I saw Devon’s head swing to the left and I followed his line of sight. Marcus was over by my doorway, directly across from us. Devon crept up to the railing and knelt down soundlessly. He took aim and let three paintballs fly. All three hit Marcus in the chest.

“Damn you, Boudreaux! You were always a better shot than me! Very well, I surrender!”  

With that, the lights came back on and we could hear Daryl laughing. The other three guys were staring up at us in awe. Marcus was pulling off his night vision and laughing, looking down at his shots.

Jade looked up at me with a completely befuddled expression. “Jaylene? You were in on this, too?”  

I smiled wickedly. “Hey, you guys needed some fun and what better way to blow off some steam than a little paintball action?” I tried for an innocent look but they started grumbling.

“How come no one hit her? Girls don’t get special treatment in this game!” Mage had his hands on his hips and Star was laughing.

“That’s why she hit you first ha ha ha!”  

Everyone was grasping their midsections with laughter and Jade had the hiccups.

I raised my hands in surrender. “Hey, Devon caught me and disarmed me. Technically, that makes him the winner.”

They all smiled knowingly. Shit. Walked right into that one, I did!

“Oh, I bet he disarmed you,” snickered Star to the guys downstairs.

Marcus and I shared a wink across the room and he mouthed, “Thank you.”

I nodded back to him.

Devon leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Don’t think you’re off the hook, chère. I still get to claim my prize.” He swatted my behind as he walked by me and I was sure my cheeks were five shades of crimson.

The guys were all taking off their coveralls and putting them in a big pile. Daryl opened the windows upstairs to air out the smoke and Jade opened the back door. We dropped our equipment on top of the pile and the guys were still looking at me in disbelief.

“Wherever did you learn how to shoot like that, Jaylene?” Mage seemed a little irked still to have been bested by a girl.

“My old shop mates back home and I used to go paintballing at least once a month. It was serious business. I was the only girl so if I wanted to keep up I had to learn to be better than them. Story of my life.” I shrugged and looked innocent. They weren’t buying it.

“Just you wait ‘til we take you back to Houma to our old stomping grounds. There’s no way you can beat us there.” Jade hi-fived Mage and they started plotting in whisper voices.

Star came over and fist bumped me. “Nicely played, Tattoo Girl.”

I winked at him and he went upstairs to wash off. Some paint had splattered him in the face. I was glad no one had gotten hit in an uncomfortable place.

“So what now?” Marcus asked the guys.

They looked around at each other. He was trying to give them an option, as hard as it was for him to give up control he was making an effort.

Devon jumped on it. “Let’s try something. Hey Mage? Remember that bass line you used on ‘Feeling your Pain? ’ Hit that for me, would ya?”  

Mage hurried over and plugged in his bass. The other guys followed and picked up their instruments.

Marcus came up behind me and held up a hand for a sly hi-five. I nonchalantly hit him up and he leaned in, whispering, “I like the way your mind works, girl. Let’s see what happens now.” Let’s see indeed!

Mage had a strong rhythm going and Devon played a riff that was completely hot. It was one of those songs that just grabbed you by your spleen and yanked you in. Star started his drumming simple and then added in complex drumbeats. Jade managed to harmonize with what Devon was laying down. Marcus’ face lit up and he watched them like a proud papa.

They played on for what seemed like an hour, changing it up, adding parts and it grew and grew into a monster of a jam. Marcus was furiously writing notes on his pad. When they stopped and huddled, I grabbed for my sketchbook and did my own form of creation. None of my drawings made any sense tonight. They were just random images. I felt like their energy was feeding me.

They worked for another hour on the song. Marcus even added some pretty crazy lyrics, obviously inspired by tonight’s fun.

There is no light, there’s only sound

The noises screaming, boots they pound

I hear your breath

I feel your panic

This time I’ll win, you’ll hit the ground

You are the Hunted

There will be no tomorrow

You are the Hunted

No days to follow

You are the Hunted

All your pride you swallow

You are the Hunted

And when tomorrow comes

You will surrender

You will be mine

Mine alone forever...

“Those are rough, guys, but I think this whole thing sounds pretty badass. Jaylene, what do you think?”

I was absorbed in my drawing and didn’t hear the question. The bullhorn, unfortunately, had been left behind when Daryl packed up. “JAYLENE CHARLES, YOU HAVE BEEN QUESTIONED. HOW DO YOU ANSWER???”  

Mage’s voice scared the shit out of me and I dropped my sketchbook on the floor, nearly falling on my ass out of the chair I had reclined onto two legs with my feet on the table.

“Thanks for that. Um, what do I think? I agree. Badass territory. I’ll just have it be known that a girl bested nearly all of you. Maybe you should be the ‘Hunted.’” I laughed at my own joke and the other guys were bent over with laughter. Except Devon, he shared a particularly sinful smile with me that turned my cheeks hot.

“I could turn it around, sure. Let me think about that. Not a bad idea to let the ladies have control from time to time, don’t you guys agree?”  

I rolled my eyes. Lothario Lambert was back.

“Seriously, Marcus? Does that shit work in real life with women who have no idea you’re a rock star? I’d love to think it doesn’t.” I was still scribbling when he walked over.

“I certainly haven’t had any complaints.”

The guys all pulled up chairs and decided to take a break. Devon passed out water bottles and Jade brought out some cheese and cracker platters Marie must have put together and left in cold storage. Hmmm, I kind of liked that place.

“Do you give them any time to complain?” I really didn’t want to have this conversation with him. I was enjoying Marcus on a Mission earlier tonight. I’d say mission accomplished!

Thankfully Star changed the subject. “So what time is Sherry coming in tomorrow?”  

Marcus frowned. “You know, I don’t remember what she said. I’d have to check my texts. But we’ve got at least three or four solid tunes to play for her, you think?”  

They all nodded and murmured their agreement. “So we’ve made progress,” Marcus continued.” It might tide them over, but it means we’ve got to really get on it this week. What do you guys think?”

Mage spoke up. “I’m all for the hard work. I think we can do it. The question is are we going for a focus on this album? Or are we just throwing together random songs that sound ok? Because I feel like we have a really solid concept coming. I mean, so far the songs are kind of about us, right? D’s song, this one tonight is about our journey. Well, that and Jaylene kicking our asses.”

There were some grumbles of reluctant appreciation. Who were they kidding? They’d had a blast. But Mage was on a tangent.

“The other two, well, they reflect Marcus’ insatiable side.” This prompted giggles. “But if we want to make this about us, what if we really get into it, man? What if we all spill here, get our shit out there? About Maggie? About the shit we were doing in LA before things got bad? About where we want to be? I think we can really do something big here.”

There was some shuffling of feet and some clearing of throats. What he was proposing was going to be painful for all of them.

“What do you think, guys? We’ve been through some shit, for real. Let’s just fucking get it out and put it out there.” The others remained quiet but pensive. I could feel their minds churning.

“If we do that, we need to be willing to take it if the critics and fans hate it. If we’re getting that personal, can we take it if they slam us?” Marcus brought up a valid point.

“I’m so beyond that right now.” Star was doing that thing with his hair, making it stand up all over. “So what if they criticize us? It’s not like they’ve never experienced pain and loss. Hell, a bunch of our fans have either been through rehab or need to go. I for one think if my story would help one person not have to feel like this it would be worth it. Who gives a shit about the charts or the label?”  

I meant to stay quiet during this conversation. “Star, that’s really brave.” I said it just above a whisper and his grateful smile told me he needed to hear it. “You guys have all been haunted by what happened, as well as other things. Putting it out there will be tough, but might feel extremely rewarding.”

Five sets of eyes were boring into me, and I felt myself shrinking back into my chair a little. Did I just blow it? I only wanted to encourage them.

“Anyone else just completely in love with this woman right now?” Jade’s emotional voice nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Star was sitting next to me and leaned over to give me a hug and kiss me on the cheek.

“Absofuckinglutely. Haunted! That’s brilliant.”

Mage looked at me knowingly and mouthed, “Told you!”  

Devon’s deep blues were on me, but this time sadness wasn’t pouring out. It felt more like determination. I smiled at him and he sent a hopeful smile right back, wordlessly letting me know that loving me was pretty on the mark for him. The realization hit me like a gentle wave working its way through me. I’m sure I was blushing again.

Marcus remained quiet and slowly the focus moved from me to him. He was still staring at me, contemplating in a business-like manner, whether this would be a good deal.

Devon kicked his chair. “You’re awful quiet over there, Marcus. What do you think?”  

Marcus’ eyes didn’t waver from me. “The question, Jaylene, is what do you think? Are you willing to go there with us?”  

My heart felt heavy in my chest. Was he testing me? Was he thinking I wasn’t up to this?

“I’m willing to go wherever you guys need to go. I want to listen to your stories. All of them. I’ll hold your hand. I’ll let you cry on my shoulder. I’ll even let you yell and scream at me. But I can’t fix anything. Only you guys can fix things. And there’s no guarantees you’ll get an album out of it, although it seems to me like you’ve all got something really beautiful to say.” My voice sounded calm but I was panicking inside. Could I really do this and not let them down? Gods, give me the strength because I wanted them to do this.

“I trust you, chère.” Devon’s words shattered me. Spoken in such a husky voice, his feelings were there right on the surface.

Star grabbed my hand and said, “Me too, Jaylene. I trust you. You’ve been so good to us.”

Star was fast becoming one of my favorite people. His belief in me did a lot to make me feel a little more able to do this with them.

Jade swallowed hard and said, “Count me in, too. Maybe if we do this then we can quit being so mad at each other all the time.”

It struck me how childlike Jade sounded when he was stressed. So vulnerable.

Marcus looked at Mage who was standing with his arms crossed. “No brainer for me, man. I already told y’all she’s got some of the Gift in her. I don’t ever question that.”

I wish I knew what the hell he could see that I couldn’t.

“Well, then it’s settled. Who’s going first?” They all looked at each other wide-eyed. When no one spoke I offered a solution.

“It might not work for you guys to just jump in there and start talking. But I have another idea. How about you guys each take a photo album and pick out your favorite picture of Maggie? Pull it out. Here you can use these sticky notes to mark the spot.” I handed each of them a small pack of stickies I’d found in the back office along with a pen. “When you find one, think about what was happening in the picture or your favorite memory of her. I’ll hang up some poster board on the wall and you guys put the picture up on the board with a few notes beneath it with the memory. That will give you guys a place to start and it will give me some more information about her. Because see, you’ve shared a few pieces with me, so has Marie. But I don’t see her yet. I want to see her. I may have tattooed her once, but I didn’t at all get to know her like you did.”

The guys all grabbed albums, chatting and laughing with each other. Except Devon.

“Jaylene, would you come outside with me, please?” He held up his cigarettes.

Aha. I nodded, grabbed my water, and followed him down the hall. Star looked up, concerned when he saw the pace Devon had set. I waved at him and he went back to his photo album.

Devon pushed open the door hard and the dark, night sky greeted us. It dawned on me that I hadn’t been outside much the past few days. I was kind of missing the sun. I made a mental note to find a way to spend time outside every day, no matter what was going on. Vitamin D, kind of important.

When Devon turned to face me, his face was a mask of anger and hurt. “What did you mean when you said you tattooed her? What are you talking about?” He was really agitated. His hands shook when he lit his smoke. He took a long drag and then blew it out with his eyes closed. When he turned those intense blues on me this time I felt like I was at the cop shop being interrogated. I squirmed a little.

“I forgot you weren’t in the room when I realized that yesterday. Back in December, Daryl asked me to come to his place to tattoo someone for him. He wasn’t there, just her. And she told me her name was Meg Stone.”