Chapter 4

Sing to Me

Stef was always so excited when there was a concert. It was hard to explain since she had been to many by now. Maybe the excitement lasted because it was Lu who would be singing. She felt like he personally sang every song to her. She had made her peace knowing that the fan girls would always love him, and some would always throw themselves at him. Deep inside, she knew that she was the one he loved. They had developed a lot of hobbies that they shared, and the sex, well, it just kept getting better.

Gloria was a close friend of hers, and she wanted her to have that kind of relationship, too. That's what Abe wanted to give her, but Stef didn't know how to convince her that she needed to go for it. If she did, she would never regret it.

"Hey, girlfriend. How's it going now?"

They had arrived at the amphitheater, and no one was pleased. Nothing they expected was available, and the places they had to prepare for the concert were subpar. Someone probably should have checked into things better, and maybe that someone should have been Gloria. Some places weren't suited for concerts. Yet they would make the best of it and put one on anyway. This concert would knock their socks off regardless of what they had to do to make it so.

"I have everything I need, but my area is small and uncomfortable. I'll manage somehow. I'm about to start. Hopefully, the guys won't be too hard to work with," Gloria replied.

"I'm sure Abe won't be," Stef giggled.

"Don't be teasing me like that. You know I'm trying to give the poor guy a break and not drag him into my situation."

"What if he wants to be in your situation? Maybe he doesn't consider it as bad as you do."

"It's just hard to believe that he wouldn't mind. I know Kiki's been good lately, but that could change on a dime. You know what I mean, and I'm at the point where I even think it's better for her not to be with our parents. I hate to say this, but they've done a shitty job with her. There's no other way to look at it. Kiki has improved so much since we've been with the demons that it's amazing. It's worth seeing how she's coming out of her shell and learning a little responsibility without it totally killing her teenage years. The guys are great, every one of them. It's not just that they're helping her but also treating her like the teenager she is," Gloria admitted.

"They are great, and Abe is just what you need. Don't wait too long and lose him. No one will wait forever."

She could see that Gloria was seriously considering what she said. They were such a cool couple, and she hated to see them break up over something as silly as this. Gloria had to get to the band members who would be on stage and get things done. Her friend hurried away. She watched as she headed into the back area to apply makeup and costumes.

"Did you get anywhere?" Lu asked.

"Hard to say, but I hope I did. It would be a shame to see them split up. I know Gloria doesn't consider them as anything more than friends, but Abe sure does. If this doesn't work out, I think it would just about kill him."

"Maybe if we keep Kiki awhile, and Gloria doesn't feel the responsibility weighing on her as heavily, she will start to look at the obvious. You know that Kiki would make a good babysitter."

"I agree, and she would do especially well at first if we were in the house with her, even if we were busy doing other things. I'm not sure where the problems came from, but I don't see them when she's here. She's just a regular teenager trying to find her way in life, and I think she may have finally found it. I'm impressed that she's interested in going into medicine, where she will be helping other people. It's not the job for everyone because it is a lot of work," Stef observed.

"I agree. I never saw that side of Kiki. She's been an angel since coming here as far as teenagers go. Maybe something changed when she got here and saw all these great guys willing to help her. I don't know much about kids since I was never around them, not even growing up."

Stef knew that Lu was isolated growing up. She felt for him and hoped they could help him by making his life the best it could be. They had a daughter, but maybe a son next time would help him have someone to share things with that he might not be able to share with the daughter. Her hand went to her stomach, and she thought she might have something to share with him soon. For now, she wasn't sure. So, she didn't want to tell him and be wrong.

Lu had to go so Gloria could turn him into a mythical creature. It was exciting to see what she did with the guys and the things they let her do now that they would never have allowed in the beginning. Some of the songs they sang stretched into fantasyland. It should be easy to figure out what Gloria would do, but she didn't do the same thing twice. There was no way to know what was coming next. She'd recently done vampires and pirates, so she was unlikely to do them this time. The fans always went wild over the new look that the band had every time they went to a concert.

It was ready to start, the concert, that is. The band had a sellout crowd, and some people were even standing, and she didn't think any tickets covered that. Maybe they snuck in, and she couldn't blame them. In this area, they would call it the concert of the decade. Stef couldn't wait to see the guys. There was a new song about flying free. She wondered if that would be the one Gloria initially focused on. Stef immediately saw that she was right because the guys and Risa were dressed like bikers.

How cool was that? Gloria had translated flying free to riding free on their bikes across the highway. That girl was so creative it was unbelievable, and these guys looked amazing in black leather. Chains on the biker boots just added to the incredible look, and the crowd went wild. The song was especially beautiful, and the flute that Win played added even more to it. When Lu sang, it made you want to be out there riding with him on the bike. She had never thought about doing that before because of the dangers. She'd known a guy who had gotten knocked off his bike and had even been wearing a helmet, and his skull got crushed anyway.

Lu would say you only live once, and if you really wanted to do something, you should do it anyway. Maybe he was right, but she might only live once. She still wanted that once to be a long time. They showed a video on the big screen that she had forgotten they'd done with the guys all riding on bikes and looking tough. Hell, they were tough and could probably take on anyone who wanted to fight them. The fan girls were going nuts. Didn't their throats get dry? How could they keep screaming through the whole song? Whatever. She knew she would always have to put up with that because she couldn't imagine a time in the future when the band wouldn't be playing.

Maybe in a few years, they won't be playing as much. Usually, they did three or four songs, and another band gave them a break. They did that this time, too, and The Wild Ones took over. They were also getting popular with the young girls, and all those guys were single. If they were playing close to where they were staying and didn't have a mission tomorrow, some of those fan girls might get lucky. Unfortunately, there was a mission for them, and it was all hands on deck as far as trained personnel went.

Stef couldn't believe that after seeing so many concerts and watching them play so much at home, she still could get so lost in their music. It was a sign that they were true artists and that their music was the kind that was last the test of time. Every time they put out an album, there was a huge influx of cash that Lu immediately began putting where he wanted it to go. He had not been trained. Yet, he mastered investing and building the island into a tourist's dream. They also built everything they needed to provide for any kind of emergency that might occur.

That wasn't all he was dealing with because he was putting in a college with a large Medical Center. Life for the demons was going to be pretty darn sweet. She went to the back, where the band was taking a break. She could hear the music from the other group, and they were good, too. Those younger fans appreciated them, and even the older ones didn't mind them playing a bit. They also had an album coming out, and it would be soon. With the fan information coming in in preparation for the release, she felt it would be nearly as big as the original band put out.

"Hey guys, how is it going so far?" She asked.

"Come here. I need a little sugar." There was a time Lu felt uncomfortable about asking like that.

She hurried over to him, wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a big kiss. He always told her she had made his life perfect, but he had done the same for her. She looked up and caught Abe watching. Anyone could see the envy on his face. Stef hoped that would no longer be the case soon. There was something strong and deep between him and Gloria if she would only allow it to grow. Gloria had softened recently, and maybe it would just take one more push to get her to see what was right in front of her.

"The boys are doing a great job." Abe offered. "Maybe we'll be able to retire soon."

"Don't even be thinking about that. There's a lot of places that need some money on the island." Lu explained.

"You will let us retire at some point, right?" Win asked.

"Sure, I will." Lu agreed.

Stef wondered if they were just teasing or if they really wanted to step back. They would see that in time, but she hoped they wanted to continue just a little bit longer. The boys, as the older demons called them, needed a little more time before they could take over.

Everyone sat and talked and enjoyed a drink or a snack, but soon, it was time to return for their next set. Stef watched as they hurried back to a side entrance of the stage. Gloria had done her work. They were bikers no more. Now, they were dressed in some kind of military uniform. It was a collage of several different types, but she associated it with the Air Force. That was really flying, wasn't it? That seemed to appeal more to some older ladies, who went wild. Stef had to admit that the guys were gorgeous, and the best eye candy any female would find.

The concert went on through four sets with other groups playing in between, and then finally, it was over. That is, the singing part was over. The albums, T-shirts, hats, and other banned items were now for sale, and the band was down in front of the stage for a limited time to sign those items. They also gave a prize pack to the person who sat at the seat number drawn. Stef loved giving things away, and the girl who had won was practically in tears as she came to the front to show her ticket and get the item she had won. While the whole band already signed those items, she bought a T-shirt to get something signed in person while her friend took pictures.

Once that was over, the crowd rushed down because everyone wanted to get their autographs before the allotted time was up. In truth, they often took a little time to give everyone a chance. Still, with so many people and those who didn't want to wait in line, they didn't bother to try. There were usually some that left unhappy. It was not surprising that The Wild Ones were swamped for autographs. Everyone was tired when they loaded the buses and headed back to the hotel.

They would go on the mission tomorrow, and that would be most of the demons. A small number would stay behind and load the plane to return the bus. Organization was the key to get everything done. The small crew unloading the bus and reloading the plane would probably require all day to finish the job. Those on the mission would also be tied up for most of the day, even after returning. The experience taught them that some prisoners would always need medical and other assistance. She considered them human, which was in line with man's inhumanity to man. It could still hurt her soul when she saw some of the prisoners after they were freed.