“They want a rock band?” Bex asked. “For a children’s hospital?” We weren’t hearts and flowers.
“You guys were asked for specifically,” Natalie said, her voice giddy.
“Why?” Bex was skeptical, and I could understand why.
While we were well known now, it was still hard for us to believe we were wanted for things like this. Hell, over the last two years, we’d had to hire security, which was way beyond our wildest dreams. Bex and Johnny had a full-time bodyguard named Heath. He made Johnny appear small, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. The two of them were widely recognized everywhere they went. Heath stood outside our studio right now, his beefy arms crossed in a “don’t fuck with me” kind of way. If I covered my signature tattoos and wore a hat, I could still get away without being recognized sometimes. I didn’t like security and only took it when I had to.
“I guess the doctor heading up this hospital has a daughter who’s a huge fan. She’s the one that contacted Allan.”
“I still don’t get it,” Bex said.
Natalie smiled again. “His daughter knows you are a huge advocate of children in foster care, Bex. She’s done her homework on your contributions over the last few years. She’s a social worker with the state, and she’s using this benefit not only as a huge fundraiser for her dad’s children’s hospital, but also to raise awareness about the number of kids in foster care.”
I glanced over at Bex, watching as her throat worked. Johnny pulled her closer and whispered something in her ear. It wasn’t often Bex showed emotion, but I could read it all over her face. My gut clenched at the thought of the countless kids in the foster care system, just like we had been, wishing for families. My sister and I had been lucky in comparison to Bex and many others. While we hadn’t gotten families out of the deal, at least we hadn’t been abused while in the system. Hell, Nat and I had been more abused by our own family. I couldn’t say the same for Bex, however.
“Allan wants us to do it?” Bex finally said.
Natalie nodded. “It’s great PR.”
Bex narrowed her eyes at Natalie. “I don’t give a fuck about PR. Allan can shove it up his lily white ass. If we do this, we do it because Jaded Regret can play a small part in helping these children find homes with people who love them, because the kids need a good hospital, or both.”
Natalie’s eyes widened at Bex’s outburst, but this wasn’t unusual. Bex hated when Allan, or anyone else, tried to say we should do something for PR and not just to help a cause. “I know, Bex. But you know Allan is all about building our name.”
“Our name is just fine. If we do this, it isn’t about us. It’s about those kids.” Bex turned to us. “What do you guys think?”
“It sounds great,” Johnny agreed.
“I’m in,” Tanner said. “Maybe I need to meet this doctor’s daughter. I can give her the backstage tour of Jaded Regret.”
We all groaned, and I watched as Natalie’s eyes glanced away before fixing them back on him. “The only type of tour you’ll be giving her will be supervised.”
He laughed, and we all knew it didn’t matter what Natalie told him. That man’s brain was run by his dick. “Oh yeah? Do you want to ‘supervise,’ Nat? Ooh, that sounds like a good time.”
My blood pressure skyrocketed as Natalie blushed. I tampered down the urge to beat his head in for insinuating that about my sister, choosing instead to tap my drumsticks against my legs, the rhythm immediately soothing me.
When I lifted my gaze, they were all staring at me. I shrugged. “You know whatever you guys want is fine with me.” I didn’t like to rock the boat. Plus, they were my band. Where they went, I went.
“Go ahead and let him book it,” Bex said to Natalie. “It’s next month? Isn’t that short notice?”
Natalie nodded. “Yeah. He told me they are at a critical point in their fundraising and need something rather quickly to get people motivated to give. April came up with this idea, and they were trying to make it happen with us. I guess it’s good we aren’t planning to schedule our tour quite yet.”
“Well, then we need to get to work on our new stuff,” Bex said, turning back and picking up her guitar. “If they want a show, we’re going to give them one. We’ll make it exclusive, so make sure they know we will play songs never before heard. That should help with their ticket price and crowd. Make sure Allan pays the big bucks for advertising and help them out. You know he’s a cheapskate on that shit.”