Harmony, p.1
Harmony, page 1
Harmony
Steel Brothers: Book Twenty-Nine
HELEN HARDT
This book is an original publication of Waterhouse Press.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
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Copyright © 2024 Waterhouse Press, LLC
Cover Design by Waterhouse Press, LLC
Cover Photographs: Shutterstock
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All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic format without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
To all Steel fans…
Thank you for hanging in there with me through Book 29!
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Continue reading the Steel Brothers Saga with
Message from Helen Hardt
Also By Helen Hardt
Acknowledgments
About Helen Hardt
Prologue
Brianna
“It’s Dragon,” Jesse says, his voice low, slightly shaking.
“What happened?” Maddie asks.
“I don’t know. He may have OD’d on something. I’ll keep you all posted as well as I can.”
I reach out to touch Jesse’s arm, but he yanks it away.
I’m hurt, but we had this chat.
No distractions.
And this—whatever just happened to Dragon—is a major distraction. Jesse doesn’t need me on top of that.
The elevator doors close, and Maddie clasps her hand to her mouth. “Is Dragon going to make it?”
“God, I hope so.” My heart is racing.
“What are they going to do for a drummer?”
“I don’t know. Brock used to play the drums. He and David and a couple other guys had a garage band.”
“Were they any good?”
“Hell no. They sucked.”
“Then how is that going to do us any good?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know, Mads. But Brock may be all we have.”
“Maybe Dragon’s okay. Maybe he’s just drunk or something.”
“God, I hope so,” I say again.
I stand against the wall, trying not to hyperventilate. I don’t know Dragon well. No one does, really.
Except Jesse. I’ve spotted him and Dragon alone and talking many times—mainly because I’m always watching Jesse. The two of them seem to be close friends.
This must be killing Jesse.
“It’s eight thirty,” Maddie says. “We’re supposed to meet Brock, Callie, and Donny for sightseeing in half an hour.”
“Right. I guess I forgot to set my alarm.”
“Me too. I was so angry after Jesse broke up that date—or whatever it was—with Zane that I came up here and pouted. None of that seems important now.”
“No, it’s not important. In fact, it never was. We should be thanking your brother, Maddie, and we’ve got to fix this for him.”
“How are we supposed to fix this? We can’t go back in time and make sure Dragon stays away from whatever he took.”
“No. But we can find a drummer. What floor is Emerald Phoenix on?”
“What are you suggesting?”
“We have no choice. We have to see if their drummer can fill in for Dragon.”
“Emerald Phoenix’s drummer is not going to fill in for Dragon,” Maddie says. “He has his own band.”
I sigh. Maddie’s right. “Then Brock is their only choice.”
“If they have to cancel this tour… Jesse and Rory are going to be so disappointed. This tour could have meant their careers, and it meant so much to our family.”
“I understand more than you know. I’m going to fix this, Maddie. If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to fix this for your brother.”
Chapter One
Jesse
Emergency rooms in the UK apparently aren’t called emergency rooms. They’re called A&E, or the accident and emergency department, part of the National Health Service hospitals. They also don’t require any up-front payment.
Still, someone—I’m so hazy I couldn’t pick him or her out of a lineup—hands me a clipboard of paperwork to fill out for Dragon.
And it hits me—how very little I know about him. I know his age but not his date of birth. I know his first name and his last name. I’m not even sure of his address. I know where he lives, but I never think about the number on the house where he rents a room.
But one thing I can state as fact.
He’s had a drug problem in the past, and he’s been through rehab at least once.
I fill in as much information as I can, and then I take the clipboard back to the clerk on duty. “I’m sorry. This is all I have. We’re from the United States.”
“Good enough, then.” She takes it from me and wrinkles her brow. “Dragon?”
“That’s his name. He claims it’s on his birth certificate, though I have to admit I’ve never seen it.”
“Do you have his passport, dear?”
His passport. That would help. “It’s probably back in the hotel room. I wasn’t exactly thinking about grabbing it when he was passed out cold.”
“Not a problem.” She flips through the papers on the clipboard. “We’ll get all the information eventually. Go ahead and have a seat. The doctors will keep you updated.”
“Thank you.”
I turn, but her voice interrupts me once more.
“Sorry. What’s your relationship to the patient?”
I shrug. “Friend. Roommate.”
She cocks her head, and for the first time I notice she’s gray-haired with blue eyes. “He’s your roommate, and you don’t know his address?”
“Sorry.” My vision blurs for a second, and I blink to refocus. “I meant roommate here, in London. Not at home. I wrote the name of our hotel on the form, but again, I don’t know the address. I could look it up for you.”
“You don’t need to do that. Very good, then.” She removes the papers from the clipboard and begins tapping on her computer.
Apparently that means I’m done this time.
I’m not even sure what time it is.
I pull out my phone and check. Still morning. I haven’t had any breakfast, but I can’t eat.
I have two texts—one from Maddie and one from Brianna, both asking how Dragon is.
Another text pops up, this one from Cage asking the same thing.
I don’t know what to say.
I start a group text with all of them. I don’t want to have to be typing shit five different times.
My group text includes Maddie, Brianna, Cage, Jake, Rory, and Callie. I don’t know Brock’s and Donny’s phone numbers, and I only know Brianna’s because she texted me.
No news yet. He’s in the back with the doctors.
Then I text Cage only.
We need a drummer for tonight. Get on that. Please.
I shove my phone back in my pocket and glance at the display of magazines on the table next to my chair. Nothing looks the least bit interesting, and it’s not like I could focus on anything other than Dragon. I take one anyway—Time Out London. To my surprise, the cover story is on the current Emerald Phoenix tour through the UK. I shuffle through the pages and find the article. Dragonlock isn’t mentioned. Why would we be? First, we’re nobodies compared to Emerald Phoenix, and second, we were a last-minute replacement when the previous opener dropped out.
Great. Like I need a reminder of this tour and everything that’s at stake.
I shove the magazine back onto the table. This is all my fault. I should’ve stayed with Dragon last night. I should’ve given those women the boot.
I know Dragon. He’s worked so hard at his sobriety. He wouldn’t have taken anything hard on his own.
He may have smoked a little weed—but only if the women brought it. Recreational marijuana is still illegal in the UK. He probably drank a few beers. He tends to stay away from the hard stuff.
But no matter how horny or drunk he got, he would not have
Not with this tour at stake.
Those two girls…
What were their names again? Jenny and Andrea? They were both brunettes, but other than that, I can’t remember anything unique about either of them. I have no last names, no other identifying characteristics. At this point, Dragon probably won’t be able to remember anything about them either.
I’m almost positive they slipped him something. Some narcotic, maybe. Heroine or fentanyl. Or maybe something to produce amnesia like roofies or ketamine.
No, probably not one of those. Neither of those would have knocked him out. They just would have caused amnesia. Oh hell, I don’t even know. I know nothing about drugs. I could take out my phone, do a quick search of all the illicit drugs that have the possibility of rendering a person unconscious, but frankly, I don’t want to know. Besides, for everything you find on the internet, there’s another source that will tell you it’s wrong.
I just have to wait. When Dragon’s toxicology report comes back, I’ll know for sure what’s in his system.
I don’t even care what it is at this point. I just want them to save his life.
Even if they do, he won’t be in any condition to perform tonight. We’ll have to find another drummer. I’ve got Cage on that now. Between him, Jake, and Rory… I hope they can come up with something.
I’m in a foreign country, and I don’t know anyone. I certainly don’t know any drummers, though I’m sure they’re plentiful.
Still, Dragon is a freaking genius on percussion. No one will be able to fill his shoes.
We’re fucked.
We can’t perform without a drummer.
Which means we can’t perform.
My phone buzzes. Rory.
“Hey, Ror.”
“No news yet?”
“Not yet.” I glance at the door they dragged Dragon through. “It hasn’t been that long.”
“Look. I’ve been talking to the guys. We all hate what happened, but we think we may have a solution.”
“Oh?” I know better than to let myself feel hopeful…yet a spark of hope surges into me.
“You know Jake plays drums.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I forgot about that.”
“So he could take over for Dragon, but that means…”
I draw in a breath. “That means I have to go back on lead guitar.”
“Yeah.”
“And taking me off guitar to concentrate on vocals is what drew Emerald Phoenix to us,” I say, more to myself than to Rory.
“Yes, but surely they’d understand—”
“They won’t understand, Rory. They’re not going to understand that one of our band members OD’d, and we’re screwed.”
“Jess, this tour means everything.”
I scoff. “You think you have to tell me that?”
“I’m just saying that it is a solution. Is it the perfect solution? No, of course not. The perfect solution would be for Dragon to be playing the drums. But that isn’t going to happen.” Her voice starts to break. “This is all my fault.”
“Your fault?” I can’t help another scoff. “Rory, for God’s sake. How the hell is this your fault?”
“I got you your own room, Jesse. If I hadn’t…”
I see where her mind is going. If she hadn’t, I would have been in the room last night with Dragon, and I would’ve kept this from happening.
She’s right.
And that is where I should’ve been.
But it’s not Rory’s fault. It’s mine.
Mine. I let myself get distracted.
Distracted by Brianna Steel.
I can’t tell Rory that, though. But I can’t let her blame herself either.
“You were thinking of the band when you got me that room, Ror. You knew I needed to sleep. And I did.”
“I know. But if you had been with Dragon—”
“Stop right there. Dragon is a grown man. You think I could’ve stopped him from doing something he had his mind set on?”
I don’t expect her to answer because we both know that the answer is yes. I could have stopped Dragon from taking drugs. I also think Dragon could have stopped himself from taking drugs.
“Rory,” I say. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m almost positive that Dragon was drugged against his will. He knows how important this tour is. He wouldn’t have risked it for anything.”
“So you think it was one of those two little skanks, then?”
Rory’s use of the word skanks surprises me. She’s always the first to yell at anyone for slut shaming, and usually I agree with her. Right now, though? I hate those two for doing this to Dragon. If I could pick them out of a lineup, I’d have the cops after their firm little asses.
“I’d put money on it.” I rise, pace across the waiting room. “Damn. I should’ve been there.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have gotten you that room.”
I tug at my hair. “No, Rory. No, no, no. That’s not what I’m saying. That’s not what I’m saying at all.”
“I know it’s not, but I feel responsible.” Rory lets out a soft sob. “What was I thinking?”
“You were thinking I needed to sleep. You made sure I did, and I thank you for that. I’m the one who should’ve been taking care of Dragon. This band is my responsibility.”
“I won’t let you do that to yourself, Jess. We are all responsible for this band, including Dragon.”
“I know. I know. I just don’t think he did this, Rory. I guess we won’t know until he wakes up.” I run my fingers through my hair. “If he fucking wakes up.”
“Come on, Jesse. You can’t think like that. He’s going to be okay.”
My heartbeat begins to accelerate, and it’s already racing. I can’t keep talking about this. I need to focus. “I’ve got to go.”
“All right. Keep us posted. In the meantime, I think Jake is our only chance.”
“I’ll think about it.”
I end the call. So we have Jake on drums, me on guitar. Cage on keyboard, and Rory singing. We’d still have four people onstage, and I could still sing. But Jett Draconis was right. When I’m focusing solely on singing with Rory, I’m better. Sure, I can still rock the place when I’m playing guitar and singing, but Rory and I together on vocals and nothing else… We make magic.
And we need that magic to make this tour a success.
We also need Dragon.
Dragon…
Man, he’s had a rough life. He’s conquered so much, overcome so many demons.
He can’t go out like this. He just can’t.
How long has it been?
Time seems to have suspended itself. Sometimes it seems like hours and hours have passed, and sometimes it seems like the ambulance pulled up to this hospital only seconds ago.
My heart is still pounding, and my stomach is churning. Nausea is creeping up my throat. Eating something would probably help, but the thought of putting anything in my mouth makes me want to upchuck.
Because I know the truth.
This isn’t Rory’s fault.
Hell, I don’t even think it’s Dragon’s fault. I think he was probably drugged by those two little shitheads.
No. Only one person is at fault here.
The person who should’ve been taking care of the band instead of screwing Brianna Steel last night.
I had one big shot.
And I fucking blew it.
Chapter Two
