The club started to fill up around nine and by the time the band was getting ready to play, it was packed. I didn’t go to a lot of rock concerts because I generally preferred to chill out away from crowds on my nights off from hockey, so I’d almost forgotten how crowded and loud it could get.
It wasn’t a huge club, so people were stuffed onto the floor like sardines, and I glanced across the floor to where Zaan had already taken his position just to the right of center stage. I recognized Lennox and she gave me a wink before turning her back to me. Her eyes never stopped moving and she seemed to take in the whole room at once. Though her posture was relaxed, there was an intensity in her gaze I’d never seen before and I wondered if I was capable of that same focus. I had it with hockey but this was different.
“You doin’ all right?” Grim came up behind me and clapped me on the back.
“I’m good.”
“When the music starts, the lights will go down, so my advice is to trust your gut. You’ve already acclimated to your surroundings, so when the lights go out, don’t let that momentary darkness throw you. Your eyes will adjust and you’ll be good to go.”
“I’ll remember. Thanks.”
Grim moved off to his position and moments later, the lights went out as someone came on stage to introduce the band.
This was a really big deal for Lexi, and bodyguard experience aside, I was excited to be present at her new band’s first official gig. The fact that a legendary guitarist like Casey Hart would be joining them on stage was a bonus, so pretty much everything about tonight rocked. In more ways than one.
My thoughts briefly strayed to Isla. She’d sounded a little down this morning, wishing she could be here, but I hadn’t known what to say to that. All she had to do was say the word and I’d move her here. I wanted her with me, no matter where I went or what I did, but it was harder for her. She had her own career, her own life, and they were completely separate from what we had together.
Lexi came bounding out on stage and I pushed all thoughts of Isla to the back of my mind. It was kind of a trip to see my buddy’s wife up there in skintight leather pants, a lace-up leather vest that left very little to the imagination, and studded, high-heeled black combat boots. She had long blond hair that swung around her head as she spoke to the crowd.
“How the hell are ya, Hollywood?” she asked. “Are you ready to rock?”
The crowd screamed and fists immediately started pumping in the air as Bash, the band’s drummer, counted off the first song.
People were rowdy, but they seemed intent on nothing but the music, and I found myself getting caught up in it too. Nobody’s Fool was amazing. Bash and the bass player, Tyler, had been part of Casey’s multiplatinum-selling band Pretty Harts. After she and King Erik got together, she’d had to leave the band, but she’d somehow put them together with Lexi. I wasn’t sure what the connection was, but Lexi had clicked with Tyler and Bash, they’d added two guitar players, and they’d put out an album of covers called Pretty Harts and Friends. It had taken off and now they were breaking away from Pretty Harts and had formed Nobody’s Fool.
Tonight was their first official performance as the new band, which was why Casey was here as a guest performer, and they were so damn good I momentarily regretted my decision to work tonight. I really wanted to be right up front, partying with the rest of my teammates, but there would be plenty of opportunities for that. My time to work with Chains was limited now that hockey season was starting, so I took another look around, making sure everything was kosher. Most people were focused on the stage, either singing along or bobbing their heads in time to the music, which was exactly how it should be.
I spotted Lennox’s dark ponytail and she was still checking her surroundings, giving me a quick nod when our eyes met. I felt a little like a fish out of water now, because although I probably wouldn’t have to do anything, I wasn’t sure exactly what to do if something did happen. Chains had told me to hang back, observe and learn, since there were not just one, but three security teams here, if you included the Whiskey’s staff. So that’s what I was doing, but I wasn’t the kind of guy who liked to lurk in the shadows. I wasn’t like that on the ice and I didn’t want to be like that here. If I was serious about this bodyguard gig, I needed to be willing to literally guard someone’s body.
The band was on their fifth song now, which meant it was almost time for Lexi to crowd-surf, and I looked around at the people closest to me. There were a handful of women, but most were men. I didn’t see anyone that looked suspicious or out of place, but I also didn’t know exactly what I was supposed to look for.
The sixth song in the set was “Raging Inferno” and it was a good one. There was a hard rock melody, grinding guitars, and super-sexy lyrics. Lexi’s voice was rich and full, but she could get throaty and deep when it was called for, and it definitely was with some of these lyrics. When she sang about “riding him to
