Page 272 of Fame & Chaos

“Why not?”

“Because she’d kill me.”

He laughs.

“And if she didn’t kill me, I’d have to kill all of you for finding out.”

Chad smirks. “Fair enough.”

I grin. “Besides, replacing a drummer is hard work.”

“Especially one with talents like these.” He twirls a drumstick between his fingers before lifting one side of his ass and letting out an impressively loud fart.

I burst out laughing.

“Yep, that was epic, right?” Chad grins mischievously.

I shake my head. “That’s exactly the kind of talent I was talking about.”

He bows dramatically. “Thank you.” Then his expression softens. “I’m happy for you, mate.”

“So am I.”

“I hope we get to meet her one day.”

I smile to myself. “I think you will.”

Tamara secures the cabin door, and moments later the engines roar to life.

Stockholm…

Here we come.

***

Indi messaged me before I went on stage to say she’d be watching the livestream of our concert in Stockholm. Just knowing she’s out there watching has me buzzing.

As we come back on stage for the encore, I sing the lyrics to our new song about love conquering all. I rub my thumb over my bottom lip as I look into the camera, hoping she catches it because I am performing for her.

Seeing Annie and Aston leaning into each other, Ella rocking out like she owns the stage, and Chad hammering the drums like there’s no tomorrow, Staked is performing better than we ever have. Right now, I couldn’t be prouder of my band or my family.

The music surges through me, every hair on my body standing on end as though I’ve been plugged straight into the amps. The melody floods my veins while I hit the strongest notes I’ve ever sung, and my voice carries over the crowd in a wave of raw emotion, and they throw it right back at us. The energy in the arena is electric, pulsing through every person in the room until it feels like we’re all connected by the same heartbeat.

The crowd is fired up, and so are we. I live for this. I live to perform, and I live to love Indi. Knowing she’s watching from the other side of the world only magnifies the rush. Every note, every lyric, every glance into that camera is for her, and the exhilaration racing through me is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. Absolutely nothing could top this moment.

I finish the last line of the song, and Annie launches into the closing guitar solo. The roar of the crowd is deafening. Pure elation stretches across my face as I wipe the sweat from my brow and throw my hands into the air, celebrating the best performance of my life. I set the microphone on its stand and glance over at Aston, who’s grinning just as broadly as I am.

“Stockholm, thanks for a fucking great night! You have been Staked!”

The crowd erupts, cheering and stomping their feet as I head off stage, sliding down the side rail before jumping to the floor. I bounce on the balls of my feet, still riding the adrenaline, when Danger comes over and slaps me on the arm.

“Holy shit, dude, you were on fire tonight!”

“I know! This crowd is amazing!”

He turns as Ella walks off stage, then rushes over, scoops her into a bear hug, and spins her around.

I was wary when Ella suggested Recoil be our support band for this tour, but they’re solid musicians, and we’ve known them long enough that everyone eventually agreed. Well… almost everyone. Chad never said much about it, but what’s done is done.