Page 103 of Syncopation
“Fucker is slimier than pond scum.” Zavier hated the burning in his gut,his need to lash out. Dom was right, they had all the cards, but the thought of Carl harming Ray...
That set Zavier off completely.
“Pond scum at least serves a purpose. That man?” Dom shook his head.
The green room was full of fruit and yogurt, donuts, and coffee. Zavier made a beeline for the table and snagged a chocolate donut. Maybe if he stuffed his face, he’d feel better.
Ray met his gaze and gave him a little smile. “It’s okay.”
It wasn’t, but Zavier nodded.
They hashed out a stellar set list, building on their experiences from the past shows, then got ready for sound check. Right before they headed onstage for that, Carl arrived again, looking all kinds of worried, angry, and unhappy. But he was trailing a man in an expensive suit who was smiling likea used car salesman.
He introduced himself to Ray and the “rest of the band” as Anthony Vea, a vice president from the label. “I have some fantastic news for you.” He paused, his grin widening. “Your latest album has officially gone platinum.”
Holy shit. Now thatwasgood news. Ray seemed startled, then ecstatic. He pumped the bigwig’s hand, then grabbed Dom and hugged Mish.
When Rayturned his way, Zavier shrugged. “I wasn’t on the album.”
That earned him a punch in the arm. “Shut up. If it weren’t for this tour—”
“Ray is quite right,” Mr. Vea said. “Sales have shot up tremendously since you joined the band. We expect we’ll be seeing more sales milestones from Twisted Wishes in the future.” He cleared his throat. “The band has some time off here in Los Angeles andwe’re hosting a party to celebrate.”
Ray nodded. “Yeah. I mean, that’s fantastic.” He was beaming.
Here was proof that Carl’s actions hadn’t entirely fucked Ray over, so he wouldn’t have to murder the bastard after all. For now. Something still needed to be done about the man, but there wasn’t any time to pull the exec aside to talk about him, mostly because Carl never left his side. Typical.Still, Zavier had one question to ask. “What’s going on with the photos of me and Ray?”
The VP’s smile evaporated. “There’s no conclusive proof that they are of Mr. Van Zeller, as blurry as they are.” He paused. “But I suppose you’ve just confirmed that to us.”
“I supposed I have,” Zavier said. “Carl was sure they were of Ray, though.”
The exec glanced at Carl, whose face was rapidlyturning red.
“There was also some rather litigious insinuations in the article I read.” Zavier shrugged. “Seems like something you’d be on top of, you know?”
“Zav.” Ray’s voice was soft. “If they can’t prove it’s us...”
“They can’t.” The exec shifted uncomfortably, focus sliding between the two of them. “However, I’ll double-check that the legal department is working on it.”
Atouch on Zavier’s arm. “Let’s celebrate our successes and let them handle it?” Ray’s look was a pleading one, and the band was being called for sound checks anyway.
When they stepped out to run through a few of the songs, Zavier shuddered. The sheer amount of energy in the air—the historic view from the Bowl. It was too much to put into words.
Gregor from Five Asylum gave them a wave fromthe side of the stage while they played, and called Ray over when they finished, probably about the platinum record thing. Ray shook Gregor’s hand and slipped what looked like a business card into his pocket.
Connections. Good. Ray needed support outside the label, too.
After they retreated to the dressing rooms, Ray collapsed into Zavier’s arms. “We’re going to shatter this place tonight.”
He held Ray—vibrating, ecstatic, lovely Ray—and kissed his forehead. “Yeah. You earned that right. You deserve to be here.”
Ray pulled back. “So do you.”
He couldn’t help grinning—Ray’s joy was always infectious. “Should I wear the leather pants?”
“You better.” Ray’s eyes were as glowing as his smile.
Zavier did just that, and as predicted, they completely shredded the audiencewith their performance. Even before they got back to the hotel, the reviews online were calling it a show of a lifetime. The photos? Those were gone, as was the article. All-around good news.
