Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

MINA

"The 'don't touch anything' rule applies here too," Damon said to the twins.

They grinned and headed over to the drums in the corner of the music shop.

I looked at the drums wistfully. If Asher was here, he'd be right there with them, trying them out.

"I figured this would be a good time to get that guitar you talked about," Gianni said. He gestured towards a selection of instruments that hung on the wall.

In spite of the growing feeling that Kurt was going to pop out of thin air right in front of me, I let myself walk over and take a better look.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Damon appraising the saxophones. I had no trouble imagining him playing one. Which led to me remembering Gianni miming Reuben playing the bass guitar. A small smile crept onto my face.

"See any you like?" Gianni asked.

I returned my attention to the guitars before reaching for a black Fender Jazzmaster, and holding it carefully in my arms.

"I used to have one just like this." Where was it now? Had my siblings kept it after I left, and my parents died? Rose hadn't mentioned one, but it wasn't something we discussed when we stepped aside from everyone else. For all I knew, they'd thrown it away or sold it. If Dane went through our parents' things, it was definitely gone. He wasn't known for being sentimental.

I plucked at the strings a couple of times before automatically tuning the instrument and plucking again. It felt so natural, like I'd never stopped. My ear was probably off, after all these years, but it sounded better than it had.

I played a couple of bars of Good Day Sunshine , one of the first songs I learned to play. Ironic now, but that was the song that came to me first.

"You're good," Gianni said once he finished giving me a clap. "Musical talent must run in the family."

"Unlike some." Damon grimaced in the direction of the twins, who were tapping at the drums with dubious rhythm.

I suspected they were doing it on purpose to get a rise out of him. If they weren't careful, he'd shoot them for being too annoying.

"We're very talented, thank you very much," Hunter called out. "Remind me later to give you a pack of Kink Or Drink cards. They might help you to lighten up." He punctuated his sentence by hitting a drumstick on a cymbal, making it ring out.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I don't need your help to be kinky."

Gianni's eyebrows shot up.

Damon's lowered. "We're not having that conversation here."

Gianni raised his hands in surrender. "I can wait until later." His intention was clear. As long as they had that conversation, he was content to be patient.

I couldn't help being curious. I'd barely started to explore my sexuality, but I wondered how far they'd be willing to take it. Apart from being tongue fucked, sucking Reuben off and letting him and Gianni lick my fingers, I didn't know what I was into. I knew for certain I didn't want to be tied up in any way. Anything else, I had no idea.

Damon pressed his lips together and rolled them a couple of times. A sure sign of his annoyance. "Will you be buying that?" He nodded toward the guitar I was still holding.

I glanced at the price. That was another thing that changed a lot while I was away. The price of everything had gone up so much I couldn't get my head around it. The idea of paying that much for a bottle of milk or a bag of apples seemed crazy, but Reuben didn't blink when time came to pay for them. Of course, he could afford to, but still.

"I don't know," I said slowly. "It seems like an indulgence."

"That's a yes then," he said firmly. "You should have some indulgences. Hell, buy three of them. And a few picks, songbooks, a stand and a good quality amp."

"This quick shopping trip to get a guitar just got real," I said, half-joking. I hadn't even thought beyond the instrument himself. Yes, all of my guitars were a he. I didn't know why, they just were.

The sides of his mouth twitched upward ever so slightly. "If you're going to do it, you might as well do it properly. Why bother doing anything half-assed? Life is too fucking short for that."

All of them had said that to me at some point during the last few weeks. That life was short. They certainly seemed to believe in living each day to the fullest. That was understandable when we could step back out onto the street and get shot, or run over.

Hell, we might get struck by lightning, even though it was sunny outside.

"I'm going to buy it," I said definitely. "And all the other things too. The best of everything."

"That's my girl," he said softly. "Get some of those headphones so only you can hear yourself play. When Reuben is in a mood, you'll need them." He seemed to be speaking from experience.

I nodded and placed the guitar on the counter before walking through the shop to gather up all the other things.

I finished paying for all of my new purchases when I heard an excited rumble from the street outside. While we'd been in the shop, a crowd gathered. I'd kept half an eye on them, but now they had my full attention.

"What's going on?" Damon snapped to the shop assistant.

She was standing behind the counter, bouncing on her toes. "Wolf Venom is in town to do some promotion. They usually drop in here for a meet and greet with fans."

It was my heart that dropped. Asher was coming here?

"We need to go," I said quickly. I grabbed my guitar and the bag with the smaller items, while Gianni picked up the amp.

"We'll never get out the front," Damon said.

The assistant looked as though she might try to stop us from going through the back, but she thought better of it. With wide eyes, she stepped aside and let us pass.

"What's the hurry?" Hunter drawled. "Their music isn't that bad."

I shot him a look and stepped over boxes and packaging material that was spread all through the stock area at the rear of the shop. Past him, I caught a glimpse of the door opening.

I recognised the dark-haired man who stepped through first. Zeke Brantley, lead singer and brother of Reuben and the twins. He grinned and usherd fans to come inside too. He'd changed a lot since I saw him last. Matured.

My gaze only lingered on him for a few moments before a blonde haired man stepped into the shop behind him.

Asher was also grinning, joking around with his bandmate who followed him in.

Judging by the expression on his face, his bandmate didn't appreciate his humour. That seemed to amuse Asher even more. His grin was so broad he lit up the room.

My heart raced. Part of me wanted to drop everything I was carrying and run over to him. Instead, I was frozen on the spot for a minute or two, watching my brother interact with adoring fans and the other guys in the band, completely oblivious to my presence and scrutiny.

Like Zeke, Asher changed and matured. He kept his hair short, but his chin was covered in a couple of days' worth of stubble. His eyes were still the same brilliant blue, but he had crinkles around them. He wasn't a gangly boy any more. He was tall and muscular, his biceps thick from hours of drumming.

He wore a black T-shirt, tight over what was clearly a fit body. No wonder women were drooling over him. My brother had grown into the perfect rock god he'd always wanted to be.

I could hardly reconcile the man I glimpsed through the crowds was still the same person I used to share finger paint with, and make plans in whispers to annoy the shit out of Dane. He could have been a completely different person. Why wouldn't he be, I was. A

"Mina?" Gianni said in my ear. "We can stay if you want."

I blinked away the moisture in my eyes and shook my head. "Not today. This is his moment."

He looked so happy, so content. I wouldn't be selfish and steal that from him. I couldn't steal his time from his fans either. They were hanging on every word he said, taking photos and videos while he signed everything they put in front of him.

He leaned in to whisper something in the ear of a cute brunette, who giggled and tugged down the front of her dress so he could sign her breast.

His scowling bandmate scowled even deeper, but didn't hesitate to sign her other breast when it was offered.

"Then we should go," Damon said. He placed his hands on my shoulders and guided me towards the door and out to the street.

Apparently word of the band's presence had got out. People were coming from all directions, going around to the front of the shop, chatting with excitement. Some were even singing what I assumed were their songs. Some stopped to look at me, as if I might be someone famous, being quietly bundled out the back door.

They hurried on when they realised I was no one. Not one of their favourite rock star idols. Just a regular woman out shopping for a guitar on a Wednesday afternoon, who just happened to get caught in a throng of adoring groupies.

Lucky for them, they realised that before they took any photos of me, otherwise things might have gotten ugly.

"I'll bring the car around here," Damon said. "Stay here and stay out of trouble." He strode away, hands in his pockets. He tried to pretend he wasn't hurrying, but his steps were quick and short.

Gianni adjusted the amp he was carrying. The expression on his face was pensive. I hadn't seen him look uncertain before. It took me a while to realise what the cause of that was. It wasn't that he thought my brother would follow us out at any moment, there was more to it.

"You knew, didn't you?" I asked. Not accusing, just wanting him to be honest with me.

"I had an inkling," he admitted. "I didn't realise they'd come inside, but I thought maybe you could catch a glimpse. You weren't in any danger. I made sure of that. We had a lot of security in that crowd."

How should I feel about him going behind my back like that? I didn't like surprises at the best of times, but he meant well and obviously took precautions to ensure my safety. There was absolutely no malice behind his planning.

That didn't automatically make it all right. If Kurt found out, he would have taken full advantage. He could have killed me and my brother. He still might.

"It was nice to see he's living his best life, but never do anything like that again," I said, struggling to keep my voice even.

His face fell. "Of course not. It was dumb."

We didn't say another word until we got back to the house and the gates clanged shut behind us.