“Anything. What did you like the most about it?”
Stone was silent, seeming to give her question a lot of thought. After a bit, he said, “My favorite part was visiting new places. I’d never left Colorado until I went on tour. My parents were too poor to be able to afford trips. Okay, no, that’s not true. Well, the poor part was, but my grandparents took me to the Grand Canyon once, before I started school. That was the only time I’d left the state. My parents were way too into drinking. That’s where all their money went. Doesn’t matter, though. At first, it was just us guys, a dinky little nobody band who wanted to be heard, so we traveled here, there, and everywhere, but settled for a while in California, because there was no lack of places to play there, but J.C. and Riley had already sent demos to labels, and those people started arranging to see us live. It was no time before we got signed. I knew right away how lucky I was to be part of it, but I felt like a fraud. I hadn’t been part of the demo-making process. I hadn’t gotten those folks to listen to the music, and, speaking of, I hadn’t written any of the songs. I just played the drums for those guys, and I got damn lucky that the old drummer had known me and put in a good word for me. It wasn’t until we recorded the actual album that I felt like I had anything to do with it, and even then, I felt like a shyster. I wasn’t throwing in my own stuff—I was just playing it the way it had already been written.”
Kory was getting drowsy, but she still had a question. “What about for other albums? You know, once you guys worked on other stuff?”
“Yeah, then I felt less like a fraud. Still…I was no dummy. I just kept the beat.”
“Shut up.” Kory started laughing. “Now you sound like a lot of fangirls. What they don’t seem to know is that the songs would totally suck if there wasn’t some bad ass drummer at the back keeping the beat. I know this. The band knows this. So shut your mouth.”
Stone laughed too. “Goddamn. I think you’re a keeper.” He kissed her on top of her head. “But, like I told you, that was just my job. It didn’t feel like a lot of work, though. Sure, I didn’t want to drum for the rest of my life, but I loved seeing new places. Everyday felt like a new adventure. And then our first European tour. Holy shit, was that cool. And I was too young to be pissed off that three band members were missing it all because they were too stoned to appreciate anything.”
Kory was getting sleepier, but she couldn’t help asking. “What was your favorite place in Europe?”
“I don’t know if I can name just one thing.” He grew quiet and Kory felt her hold on consciousness fading. “The Coliseum was incredible.” She faded in and out as she heard him talking about castles and the Eiffel Tower, Barcelona, and rolling hills, but it all jumbled in her mind, and Europe was heavy on her brain as it gave it all up for the land of dreams.
Blood. White knuckles. Blind fury.
A wailing beyond her reach.
The glint of a blade. Pure and utter helplessness.
Kory awoke with a scream. She might have drifted off into a peaceful sleep, but it didn’t take long for her mind to torment her once more.
She felt Stone’s arms around her. He too was sitting up in bed, comforting her in the cool darkness, asking her if she was all right.
No, she wasn’t. She leaned into his chest, feeling warm and secure, grateful for his comfort. He asked, “Are you going to be okay, Kory? You’re really starting to worry me.”
She let out a soft, inaudible sigh. “I think maybe I need to talk about it.”
“That’s cool. Go ahead. I’m a good listener.”
She couldn’t help the wry smile that spread across her face, even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “Better than me, anyway.”
He chuckled. “No worries. I was surprised you stayed awake as long as you did.”
After a few moments, she said, “I just…I’ve never talked about this to anyone.”
“What? About what that Art guy did to you?”
“No. Natalie’s heard that story. So have the cops.” She was quiet, trying to find a reserve of courage deep in her belly. “I’ve never been able to talk about the rest of the story…and no one’s ever forced me to. They were able to piece it all together based on the evidence. I just—” She choked, her words sticking in her throat, as she forced air into her lungs. “I feel like it’s time, like he won if I don’t talk about it, if I can’t find a way to just let it out.”
“You’re safe with me.” She knew he meant more than just physically. She knew she could tell him anything. “If you want to talk, I can listen.”