Zenith's Promise (The Zenith Series Book 7) Page 7

  That mattered. He stared up at the sky. Calling his bluff proved one thing to him: he didn’t sign up for Zenith’s Promises on a lark, despite what he claimed even to himself. When Jody threatened to kick him to the curb, he realized how much he wanted to meet Rob and play for him. This was the chance of a lifetime.

  Who knew? Not he. He kicked a rock at his feet. He would soon be meeting half of the famous duo of Zenith. Damn.

  He set his phone to wake him, and he showered and showed up, if not bright-eyed and cheery, at least he was there. At five minutes until eight. Right on time.

  He waited outside and she walked from her office before she noticed him and nodded. They were on the downstairs floor and the door opened onto the sidewalk of a side street.

  Her face was completely neutral as she walked out the door. Seeing he was ready, she nodded and said, “You can learn. That’s encouraging.”

  She flipped around and set off walking towards the end of the block. He followed, smiling at her back so she was unaware that she amused him. Or perhaps she irritated him. Yeah. He could learn. But that didn’t often change his behavior.

  She entered the door to a parking garage with a key card and went up two flights of stairs. She walked towards the car he recognized from the airport. Unlocking it, she tossed her things in back and situated herself in the driver’s seat. He sat and stared forward. His eyes felt gritty. It was too early for his brain to function at full capacity. As a late-night worker, he’d slept until noon most days. He usually didn’t eat very early either, so his empty, caffeine-free stomach churned. But… no, it wasn’t due to his nerves.

  Pulling out of the parking garage, she maneuvered the city streets with ease and confidence, clearly familiar with them. Soon, they were speeding on the freeway north.

  New landscapes flashed before him. Trees. Lots of evergreen trees. Interspersed through all the miles of housing, buildings and humanity were brief views of blue water and beyond, the mountains as the morning sun filled a mostly clear sky. It was mild and cool, but the sun made the entire landscape shine with a warm glow.

  She didn’t bother with chit-chat, not after her first attempt with him. He didn’t expect her to so easily give up on him. Most people lasted a little longer. But Jody Lassiter was very unlike anyone he’d ever met. Although his list of acquaintances was not long, Jody Lassiter stood out.

  The radio was playing, and she thumbed her finger over the buttons until she found a morning talk show. The landscape switched from big city to sprawling suburbs that continued for miles and miles. There were intermittent spots that seemed to let the land breathe before a series of more housing tracts, buildings, and trees replaced them. So many trees.

  After awhile, the trees and open pastures outnumbered the houses they saw along the freeway. Finally, she exited the freeway without a word to him.

  They drove another fifteen minutes past farm land mostly, with businesses and houses interspersed. Another small town appeared in the rearview mirror and out on the highway they went. Pretty. But again, another wall of trees surrounded him, and only the tips of the blue mountains were visible above the tops of all the trees.

  “This isn’t what I expected.”

  “They live in the middle of nowhere. Karlee grew up here.”

  “Karlee?”

  She sighed and rolled her eyes without a glance his way. “Remember? Karlee? My cousin? I talked about her. Karlee is Rob’s stepdaughter and my cousin and she’s also my partner in running Zenith’s Promise. She’s engaged to Xavier Moon.”

  “Oh? That’s a lot of musicians.”

  “Yes. Oddly enough. Karlee must have a thing for them, being raised by one.”

  She shuddered.

  “You don’t approve?”

  “I love Rob and Xavier has become tolerable to me, although I detested him initially. He was a conniving, stereotypical worm who used and abused people to get what he thought he deserved. I never wanted the burden of a musician’s ego. Anyway, Zenith has a private recording studio on their land. It’s a freaking compound. Guards and security, cameras and razor wire fencing. So you’d better behave.”

  He almost smiled. She had his number.

  They pulled off onto a side road with crunchy gravel, then turned again, and stopped before a heavy, elaborate gate that swung open. She stopped the car and parked when they reached a separate, one-story, impressive building.

  He followed her silently. His mind went numb. He did not care. Whatever. This would simply be a good story he could tell when he inevitably returned to serving up beer and nuts to the local auto workers back home. Yep. Just a good story. No real worries. He didn’t aspire to any of this. Or them. No, hell no. Fuck no. He didn’t need this shit. He just lived and was.

  Then something fluttered in his stomach and acid burnt his tongue.

  They entered a building and voices could be heard. The small alcove was tasteful, lit with hidden lights and dark maroon paint. Soothing, yet dramatic. They came into a large, open room with huge windows, a tall, slanted ceiling, and a big, open space with hardwood floors. Couches lined one side, and musical instruments took up another, while a control board with a two-way window enclosed the recording part. The set of drums was elevated and damn. They were a brand Ross never even touched before but often drooled over. He couldn’t own a set like that, but he knew his stuff.

  Rob Williams. Spencer Mattox. There they both were in the flesh.

  And Xavier Moon? His stage name was Moon, but his real name was Montgomery.

  They all looked up when they heard Jody calling out casually, easily and loudly, “Hello?”

  “Oh, hey, Jody. Glad you made it. Come in,” Rob replied. Spencer was off to his left and he lifted his dark gaze towards them.

  “Hey, Uncle Rob, Spencer… Xavier.” She stepped right up to them. “Your fiancée wasn’t feeling well this morning. You might give her a call.”

  He nodded. “I already talked to her. She thinks she’s getting a cold.”

  “Sucks.” Jody turned, clearing her throat, lifting her shoulders and stretching her neck. She was getting down to business and Ross stood back. Putting his hands into his jean pockets, he wanted to appear uninterested, but his hands sweated and his eye twitched.

  They were super famous.

  He didn’t expect to be affected by their fame. But here he was. In his entire life, he never met anyone even close to famous. Not even a reporter for the local newspaper for crap’s sake. Yet now he stood before three famous musicians. Famous for doing the very thing he might consider doing if he could.

  Jody turned halfway towards him. Waving her hand, she said, “Everyone, this is Ross Karahan, and he’s a drummer. Newest arrival to Zenith’s Promise. Ross, you might have heard of them, but allow me to introduce you to Rob, Spencer and Xavier.”

  They all nodded and exchanged the usual pleasantries. Jody stood back. “Well, should we get started?”

  Only then did his stomach fully bottom out and Ross was rendered speechless. He wondered why the fuck he opened up this can of worms? Jody’s cue meant it was time for him to play in front of these giants in the industry. Why didn’t he just stay home and remain apathetic like he usually was?

  Jody didn’t really know anything specific about music. She only cared if she liked the sound or not. Having hung around enough musicians she was familiar with the words that floated through their conversations. From Rob she learned that rhythm was everything and the drums and the bass guitar were the backbone of rhythm. Rob always said of all the instrumentalists to have in a band, the drums and bass came first, then the keyboards. To go from a muddy amateur to a cool, clear professional, you had to lock in the rhythm and play in the pocket.

  She knew words like chord charts and lead sheets, and how to use metronomes. She heard the arguments when someone failed to practice and missed the notes or was competing with the band instead of playing harmoniously with the others and being part of a team.

  Would and could R
oss do any of that? Lots of people practice all alone. But what about playing with others? That was an entirely different beast.

  Ross sat down on the stool and took the two drumsticks in one hand. The other hand gently ran a fingertip along the snare drum before he slid his hand along the edge of the cymbals. His reverence was established. The man was fondling the drum set with total respect and adoration.

  Finally. Jody saw something real and genuine, an emotion emerged from him. She wasn’t sure he had any. Perhaps he was some kind of sociopath, without conscience or real emotions. Maybe not violent yet, but manipulative and hurtful toward others with his words and behavior. It might not change or prove anything but maybe something real existed inside him.

  His hands were large with big knuckles and he had lots of hair on his forearms. She detested it when her attraction to someone physically didn’t jive with the real person she got to know. It usually mattered to her and being pretty could never compensate for being an asshole before. But this time? Jody could not shake her fascination with his physical appearance and overbearing presence, even though he proved himself to be such a freaking jerk. Never would she try to be anyone’s savior either. If a guy was a jerk, she believed it and stayed away. She might put him in his place before moving on from him, but she definitely always moved on.

  Guys who needed to lash out at others because they endured a crappy childhood or fought with their inner demons got the same response: bye, boy. She refused to be a doormat or a verbal punching bag because a big, hot boy couldn’t handle his own emotions. Those who liked to yell or scream uncontrollably? She always avoided such a person.

  She had no desire to coddle any asshole’s angry temper when it clearly involved his inner problems, and was not owing to anything she did. Nah. No way. Her energy could not be wasted on making some asshole feel better. She was not willing to mother anyone who needed nurturing or offer a kind hand to anyone. Fuck that. Figure out your shit before you come to her and come as an equal, seeking reciprocal treatment and concern. Be her friend first before you try to be her partner.

  If he saw her as a soft place to land or a mother or sister figure, or whatever else the needy asshole required, Ross had a lot to learn.

  Although men like Ross never did anything for her before and always killed any initial attraction, against all odds, Ross unreasonably never lost it.

  Fine. She was honest with herself. She gave credence to it, but damn it. She fully intended to fight it.

  Then he did some magic by running the drumsticks over the drums and instantly, like a pitchfork stuck her in the ass, she sat up straight and a series of shivers jolted up her spine. Oh, damn. He had it. Whatever it was.

  For once, his smirk was absent. She saw the concentration and focus in his face. He freaking did care about this. Fuck his juvenile attitude. Whatever else was brewing inside him, this mattered. Jody had to smirk at her sudden realization that she did wield some power over him. She could make it all disappear with a snap of her fingers. Without any explanation. He would definitely care. So yeah, a whole different and new perspective.

  Watching the reactions of Xavier, Rob and Spencer, she knew they heard something even more profound than she did. Rob and Spencer exchanged a nod that signified something big was going on between the two of them. They were as close as brothers and had always been so as long as she could remember. Spencer’s wife, Erica was her mom’s best friend and also friends with Rob’s wife, Rebecca, her aunt. She loved the endless get-togethers they all shared growing up. Spencer and Erica had four kids, the oldest only three years her junior. Despite being family friends, they felt more like her cousins and siblings the way they fought and annoyed each other.

  Rob walked forward. “Can you read music?”

  “Sure.”

  Rob nodded. “Good. Do you mind if we play with you?”

  Obviously startled by his suggestion, Ross shrugged but Jody spotted a discreet look of shock and utter fascination in his eyes. They huddled together and seemed to be discussing what to play while flipping through what she assumed were lead sheets for some of Zenith’s songs.

  Stepping away, Xavier said goodbye before Spencer tugged on the strap to play the bass guitar. She was always fascinated by her tall and mysterious Uncle Spencer. He was very quiet. But when he spoke, he usually made some funny, dry observation that always got a laugh from her. He could be bitingly ironic and spot on. His brain worked in unusual ways that Jody never witnessed in others, which was partly why she found him so fascinating. The lyrics he wrote were always original and he vacillated between playing the bass guitar and the keyboards. A three-person band for many of their years was unusual and also made it harder for them to draw the crowds in large venues. But their consistently good playing and Rob’s vocals carried their sound and the world did not fail to notice. Later on, they auditioned several bass players but no one stayed very long. Their current drummer had been playing with them for a few years after the last one moved on to start his own band.

  Spencer could play the bass guitar, rhythm guitar and keyboards. Even the freaking accordion and the harmonica. Whatever they needed was enough motivation for Spencer to summon the talent and learn how to play without much effort. He was infinitely gifted with all kinds of instruments and seemed to need to switch them often, so Jody never knew what he’d play in any song.

  “All right, ‘Tides Turned,’ an oldie but a goody,” Rob announced with a smile. “You got it then.”

  Ross nodded before clinking the cymbals and the pair of sticks in his hands started tapping on the different drums as he pumped the bass drum with the foot pedal. Soon, Spencer joined in and finally, Rob and the song took off. Jody rarely watched anyone play the drums. With a front row seat there at the recording studio, she observed new musicians playing with Rob and Spencer many times before. She loved listening to them and watching them create new music from thin air. The magic sounds they made started to blend and complement each other until it became a fully incorporated symphony. Rob’s singing always captivated her. Watching how deftly their fingers plucked the guitar strings or pummeled the keyboards provided endless fascination to her. But she honestly never watched the drummer for very long.

  Now her eyes were glued on him. Ross didn’t smile or seem to enjoy it. As sharply as pain, anger, and rage, he seemed to be trying to exorcise all those negative emotions by hitting, thumping, tapping and clanging the drum set. The song was hard to play, and rather loud. Rob’s voice, screeching the high notes and his rock star quality took her far beyond the fact that they were well into their fifties now and fast becoming old uncles. For a moment, it seemed like thirty years melted away and the blend of talented voices and rock and roll literally vibrated throughout her body, the room, and the entire building.

  The song ended. She did not miss the sweat dripping down Ross’s face.

  Rob nodded, grinning at Ross. “You’re a beast. Damn. But can you tone it down? Do something slower maybe? Can you tame that beast inside you? It takes a different kind of talent.”

  “I can. What do you want to play?”

  “’Train Station.’” That was another old hit.

  Ross nodded with a small smile, and started to tap on the high hat and then the snare drum. Setting a slow, easy rhythm, Spencer played first and then came Rob’s guitar. Jody tapped her foot to the slower, simple notes that replayed in the song over and over. The arrangement was so continuous that critics often commented how it was both simple and extraordinary. The drummer was contained and soft. You almost didn’t hear the percussion, but it was the foundation for the entire song. Rob leaned in and began slow talking although it was not really a ballad. His voice didn’t range much, and the resonance of the song was the monotony of it.

  But Ross was careful to be subtle in his performance and never once overpowered the much softer song. The guitar overlay was what dominated it. The stark difference in his playing from the first song to this was like comparing an airplane to a hang-g
lider. Ross managed both songs expertly.

  “Yeah,” Rob merely said with obvious pleasure in his tone. “You like to play other artists?”

  “Always.”

  They set off on a medley for the next hour that included bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. Jody appreciated the sense of ease and fun she felt; the kind of energy she never imagined that surly, stupid Ross could participate in. But now his facial expression was different. He looked much better. And his behavior was much more tolerable.

  Okay, he was hot too. It annoyed Jody when she realized how much he turned her on when he played. She instantly forgave his cocky arrogance and asshole behavior. Like any groupie, she forgot about the demeanor that wasn’t okay, in favor of an image that ignored the essence of who they were. Many a rocker took advantage of that with various women or men although they had no reason to. Lacking any redeeming qualities or intelligence or personality, their only asset was their ability to play music. Or to sing. Lines of groupies as long as a classroom were inevitably following them. Jody witnessed it plenty of times. But she never succumbed to the illusion herself.

  Not until this guy showed up. Why? She wished she knew so she could vanquish it.

  Ugh. Luckily, her self-esteem was far too deeply engrained for her to fall for it beyond what she knew inside her head. She was aware of it, she voiced it to herself, and she acknowledged it. Now there was no reason for her to act on it. Right?

  Definitely.

  But damn. Was he hot playing those drums.

  She could not help imagining that determination and focus, that concentration, that hot sweaty face above her. Maybe he made love as vigorously, angrily, and focused as he made music on those drums?

  She was annoyed for allowing her mind to wander there. Ooh. Gross. Not the best image.

  But Ross was that talented. Intellectually speaking, she heard what Rob and Spencer heard from his lousy demo tape. His raw power and control clearly came through to them.

  They played on for several more hours. Jody got hungry and she wandered down to the main house. Her aunt answered the door and she ate lunch with her.