Page 42 of A Crazy Kind of Love
As generous as Micah had been with his time in the visitor room, he barely acknowledged the fans waiting outside the venue. A handshake here and a flash of a smile there. But he didn’t stop moving until we reached an idling car. He opened the door and waited for Zion and me to climb in. He slid in next to me and shut the door on the clamoring horde.
There was no possible way I wouldn’t end up in tomorrow’s paper.
Chapter 14
The car took us only a few blocks and pulled up in front of a trendy bar. I groaned. There was little I hated more than going out with people who would order round after round of drinks and proceed to get tanked while I remained on a different plane of sobriety. I resolved to hang out for the first round but abandon Zion if I had to when the party switched gears.
The doors opened onto a crush of people, fighting to get into the bar. Micah caught the eye of the hostess, and she motioned with her fingers. “Follow me.”
We pushed through packed bodies as the black-clad blonde wended her way toward the back. Moving through the crowd, I heard Micah’s name pop up in conversations nearby, but like a wave trailing always behind us. Micah moved too quickly for anyone to stop him. If he’d hesitated half a second, he would have been down there all night fending off requests for photos. Or knowing him, he’d be stuck down there granting everyone’s requests. It didn’t seem to make a difference to him either way.
At the bottom of a set of stairs, the hostess paused and pointed up the dark wooden steps. “Go on up. Martin will take care of you.”
Micah laid his hand across my back and waited until I’d taken the first steps before he climbed away from the curiosity seekers with Zion following. We sandwiched Micah like a pair of shadows nobody would ever take note of.
The upstairs room had its own door, further separation from prying eyes. It was a testament to New Yorkers that nobody had climbed the stairs after us, hoping to crash the party. And evidence nobody downstairs worked for Andy Dickson.
Micah’s bandmates had already made it to the bar and were engaged in an intense conversation. I scanned the room for Kendall, but she hadn’t made the cut. There were a couple of girls, but none of them looked as eager to please as Kendall had. For all I knew, these were their sisters or wives. Or groupies of long standing.
Micah planted himself at the end of a table, and I took a seat facing him. Zion sat beside me.
A waiter approached. “Can I bring you a drink, miss?”
The others were nursing beers or mixed drinks. I always felt like such a freak. “Could I get a club soda with lime?”
He nodded. “Sir?” he said to Zion.
“Uh.” Zion scratched his head. “Could I get a mojito?” When I rolled my eyes, he said, “What? It’s still technically summer.”
The waiter nodded and turned to Micah. “The usual, sir?”
Micah looked at me for a beat. “No, thanks, Martin. I’ll have a club soda with lime. And could you bring us an assortment of appetizers? Boneless wings? Chips and dip?”
“Certainly, sir. Right away.”
When the waiter left, I asked, “What’s the usual?”
Micah wrinkled his nose. “Would you believe seltzer water with lemon?”
“Not likely.”
“It’s not important.”
“You don’t have to forgo your appletini or whatever on my account.”
He smirked. “You think I drink appletinis? For your information, I drink nothing but boilermakers with a side of Jäger-meister.”
I snickered. “Is that so?”
“Seriously. I usually grab a beer or two after a show. That’s all. It’s Eden you want to watch out for. She and Adam have their fridge so full of beer, there’s no room left for actual food. Which is fine since they seem to live off pancakes.”
I laughed at that image. “They’re so lucky. I haven’t had pancakes withrealmaple syrup in fifteen years.” He lifted an eyebrow, and I realized I’d opened up a subject I didn’t want to pursue. And since I didn’t want to spoil his night, I waved my hand at the mugs of beer on the other table. “Again, don’t let me stop you.”
He raised his voice loud enough for the room to hear him say, “I only drink because this company here is intolerable without a pint or two.”
Instantly, the insults hurled back his way.
“Micah gets his talent from a bottle, you know.”
