17

  I barely slept after my encounter with Shane. At least I finally knew his name. I was plagued with dreams of him exorcising Mel and sealing her away in limbo, sucked into a door that was bound by chains until all that was left of her were screams. I cursed when my alarm went off, battling internally with myself over whether I should shut it off and roll back over to sleep.

  A furry paw gave my head a vigorous tap. “Get up. It’s imperative you attend class so as not to alert your councillor that anything is wrong. You have to blend in.”

  I groaned. “Gimme a break ,would you? Between juggling the investigation and college classes I’ve barely had a moment to rest.”

  A muffled voice called out from underneath Kimmy’s blankets. “Ugh, is it morning already?”

  She tossed her blanket to the floor as I slipped out of bed to get dressed. A flutter of envy washed over me when we finally left for class, leaving Smokey snoring away in bed. I shuffled out of the dorms and across the courtyard towards class, rubbing at my eyes as I went, Kimmy dragging behind me. The first class of the morning was drama. Classes had been cancelled since the show, but now that the gossip had calmed down and Audrina was out of hospital, Lionel had sent us all an email saying he expected us back this morning.

  I scanned the hall when we arrived, nodding as Ben gave a little wave in our direction. It looked like the whole class was in attendance, except one person.

  “Audrina isn’t here,” I mumbled to Kimmy as we took a couple of empty seats.

  Kimmy shrugged. “I’m surprised, I thought she’d be revelling in the attention.”

  “Is everybody accounted for?” Lionel’s voice bounced off the walls as he marched into the hall and stood in front of us all, doing a quick head count. “Someone is missing. Ah!”

  The door behind him slowly swung open and a sheepish Audrina peeked her head around the door before entering the hall. She wasn’t made up like usual and her hair was drawn back into a loose bun. She bowed her head as she made her way to an empty chair as the class whispered and mumbled to each other. I caught her gaze as she sat and gave an encouraging smile. She gave a feeble smile back.

  Lionel rubbed his hands together as he spoke. “Right, now we’re all here! Let’s put the previous week’s events behind us, and focus all the backstage drama into our performances, shall we? Let’s split up for a bit of improv.”

  I almost flew out of my chair to make a beeline toward Audrina, pulling Kimmy with me.

  “Want to pair up?” I asked.

  She nodded and leaned forward, speaking in a hushed voice, “Did you have any luck with my PhotoPal account?”

  Kimmy whipped out her phone and sat down next to her. “I did, indeed. Do you know who this guy is?”

  Audrina leaned against Kimmy to watch her scroll through pictures on her phone. If someone had told me a few weeks ago that these two would ever have sat this close without clawing one another’s eyes out, I would have called them crazy. Audrina studied the photo, her eyes lighting up.

  “I do know that guy,” she said. “Don’t you remember Jack’s cousin was in town? He was in a band. I heard they’re doing alright for themselves actually.”

  I almost leapt out of my chair in excitement. “Volatile!” But then my heart sank again. “But I looked at all the band members and none of them looked like him.”

  Audrina shook her head. “He’s changed, lost a lot of weight and his style but it’s definitely him.”

  We compared photos and although he had changed, a lot, it was the same guy. Just slimmer, with shorter hair, and a bunch of eyeliner on. I couldn’t help but give a yelp of glee that echoed around the room. Ben’s group glanced over at us, and I apologised before lowering my voice and explaining to Audrina everything I’d found out about Volatile and their biggest fan.

  Audrina looked like she was going to be sick. “He always was a creep, that Murray. I remember him following Mel around like a lost puppy when we were young. Maybe he never got over it and his obsession grew?”

  “That’s what we were thinking.”

  Lionel shouted over at us, “Girls, I hope there’s some improvisation going on over there and not just idle gossiping.”

  I stood up and began gesturing wildly with my hands, pretending to act out a scene as we spoke.

  Audrina turned to face Kimmy, who was half-heartedly pretending to react to my gestures. “So, why are you so involved with this?”

  Kimmy tilted her head toward me. “She helped me find out what happened to Hannah. And besides, that’s what friends do, isn’t it?”

  Audrina nodded, jumping into a dance move as Lionel glared over at us once more.

  “In that case,” she said, shaking her hips. “I think I might be able to help.”

  I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at the thought of what we must look like. What conceivable scene could we be acting out? “Oh? Help how?”

  She continued pretending to dance. “You heard of those secret pop-up gigs that are invitation only? I received one for a Volatile gig tonight. It’s not really my thing, so you guys can take my tickets.”

  My heart skipped. Oh, my God. I could have kissed her. Before I could thank her, however, we were interrupted by a mock scream across the hall. I spun around to see another group of improvisers howling with laughter as one of them clutched at their throat, pretending to choke while shouting, “Sophia! How could you?”

  Audrina’s face was unreadable, paling as she watched on. My cheeks flushed with rage and I opened my mouth to shout at them to stop, but Kimmy had beaten me to it. Fist clenched, she marched towards the group, only inches away from the girl pretending to be Audrina when Lionel stepped in.

  “That’s enough!” he shouted, pointing to the group of assholes. “You three, stay. Everyone else, class is done for today.”

  I turned to comfort Audrina, blood raging through my veins, but she was already gone.

  I tried calling and texting Audrina, but she replied saying she wanted to be alone. Still, she emailed us the tickets for the secret Volatile gig, and Kimmy and I were now standing in line to get in to a basement bar down a cobbled alley in town. None of my clothes were particularly suited for an indie punk gig so Kimmy had leant me a leather skirt and one of her many band t-shirts for the night. I had ditched the hairbands and straight hair for the night and backcombed my locks to within an inch of their life.

  “You look great!” said Kimmy, noticing me checking my reflection in the window as we waited to get in.

  I wobbled in Kimmy’s boots that were a size too big. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  We followed the queue of people down the stone steps and through the entrance to the bar. The smell of sweaty feet and stale beer assaulted my nostrils as soon as we entered the dark, crowded venue. Music boomed from the speakers, drowning out the conversation of the patrons around us. I scanned the sea of fishnets, bright hair colours, and spiked garments for any sign of Ramsay but so far, no dice.

  Kimmy shouted in my ear, “Shall we get a drink?”

  I nodded. Something to calm my nerves could only be a good thing. We dodged our way through the crowd towards the bar, shoes sticking to the floor as we did so. Kimmy shouted her order over the bar, I didn’t hear what, as I continued to study the faces of the people around us. There was no sign of Ramsay.

  Kimmy handed me a bottle of alcopops and we edged our way through the crowd to find a space to stand and wait for the show. Suddenly, the back lights went out and smoke began to spew across the spot lit stage. As the darkness fell, a firm hand tapped me on the shoulder.

  I spun around. Noel was standing there.

  “What are you doing here?” I shouted over the excited screams of the crowd.

  His face was a mask of concern. “I got your message saying you were coming here to find Ramsay. How could you do something so dangerous without me?”

  Kimmy rested her arm on my shoulder. “Aw, he’s worried about us!”

  Noel frowned. “If you really think this guy is a killer, do you think it’s safe confronting him on your own? You think he’s just going to confess here and now?”

  I was knocked off balance as drums erupted on stage, followed by an electric guitar. The audience started bouncing up and down.

  “Obviously I don’t expect that, “I shouted. “I just…”

  My words were drowned out by the music and screaming. He was right. What was I planning to do? I had gotten so excited about the prospect of Ramsay being here that I hadn’t even thought ahead to what I would do or say if I saw him.

  I opened my eyes to admit defeat when the steamy, humid room suddenly fell cold. Nobody else around seemed to notice as they jumped and cheered. Kimmy and Noel were having a conversation that I couldn’t hear. The crowd parted slightly, and a familiar blue glow drew my attention.

  Mel was amongst the crowd, mouthing along to the song the band was playing.

  “Round and around, don’t make a sound…”

  Her arm was raised, pointing toward the stage. I followed her finger, my gaze locking on a shaggy haired, grey eyed man who was leering at a girl who was dancing beside him. He was focused on her cleavage.

  My stomach lurched.

  Had he looked at Mel the same way before he had wrapped his hands around her throat and took her from the world? In an instant, I was practically sprinting across the dancefloor towards him. His gaze met mine and his lips curled into a smirk, probably realising who I was.

  He ran his tongue over his lips. “Well, if it isn’t crazy Cassie!”

  I bit down on my lip before answering. “Hi, Ramsay. I spotted you in the crowd and thought I would come and say hello.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Why? You’ve barely said five words to me my whole life.”

  I shrugged. “People change.”

  He scanned me up and down, his attention settling a little too low for my liking.

  His grey, dead eyes widened. “You certainly have changed.” He placed a hand on my arm, and it took everything within me not to immediately shake him off. “Can I buy you a drink?”

  I swallowed, my hand tightening around the almost empty bottle I was holding. I had to play along to sweeten him up. “Why not?”

  Before I could question what I was doing, he grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the stage and towards the bar. I caught Noel and Kimmy’s concerned look as I passed them and gave a reassuring nod. I’ve got this. I could still sense their concern and disapproval when I was out of eyesight.

  Ramsay rested his arm on the bar when we got there, finally letting go of my hand. He gestured towards the stage. “I love this band. You know the lead singer is actually related to Jack Henderson?”

  I swirled my finger around the top of my bottle. “I did, actually. That’s why I came. Mel liked this band too. I wanted to honour her memory.”

  I studied his face for the slightest twitch or frown, but he remained unfazed.

  He fished in his pocket for some change. “That’s sweet.”

  Sweet? I didn’t know he even knew the meaning of the word.

  I cleared my throat. “So, what have you been doing since school?”

  He shrugged. “Laying low, I guess. Got out of that shithole.”

  I raised my bottle in a fake cheers. That was one thing we had in common. Both of us were running from our pasts in Newtown. I took a swig to finish off my drink as he handed over his money and passed me a new one. I slammed my bottle down on the bar and wiped my face with the back of my free hand.

  He went to take hold of me again, but this time I shook him off. He frowned but didn’t say anything. Instead he beckoned to me and mouthed, “follow me.”

  My heart thundered in my ears, drowning out the song Volatile was playing. I had to hand it to them. Their songs were catchy, if a little morbid. I reluctantly followed, glancing over my shoulder to see Noel edging his way out of the crowd toward me. My panic settled a little, knowing that he was watching me. I followed Ramsay to a less crowded part of the bar, near the cloakrooms and he clinked his bottle against mine and smiled. Well, his lips curled into a smile, but his eyes still had that expressionless gaze that unsettled me.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, looking away.

  He leaned in and whispered into my ear. “I never thought I’d be in a bar sharing a drink with you, Cassie.”

  I took a step back. “That makes two of us. I guess the last time I saw you would have been the night of the party.”

  He ran a nonchalant hand through his hair. “Probably. Glad they finally locked that bastard behind bars. Never liked him. Cocky little twat.”

  I winced. Glad he took the fall for you, more like.

  I clicked my tongue against my teeth, holding back a few choice words. “So, you think he did it, then?”

  He shrugged. “Probably. Mel was always flirting with other guys. I wouldn’t like my woman doing that either.”

  He slurped on his beer before turning back to me. “I used to think she was beautiful too.”

  “She was,” I mumbled.

  He leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing my neck. His breath stank of beer and ash. “So, do I get a thanks for the drink?”

  I swerved my body to avoid being so close. “What do you mean?”

  He stared me down, moving closer again. “Come on, give me a kiss.” He eyed me up and down once more. “You’re obviously gagging for it.”

  Before I knew what was happening, my arm was raised and my palm met his cheek, the slapping sound lost in the roar of the crowd. He dropped his drink, glass smashing and beer splashing at our feet.

  His grey eyes weren’t so dead now. They flared with rage as he dived forward and grabbed both my forearms and hissed,, “You stupid bitch!”

  My drink fell in the struggle, and I almost tripped as I thrashed to get him off me. His grip tightened and I looked around for someone, anyone to help. The crowd hadn’t noticed, too hypnotised by the band, or too intoxicated to care.

  He slammed me against the wall. I closed my eyes and braced myself for whatever was about to come. But it didn’t come.

  Before Ramsay could do anything else. I opened my eyes after a few seconds right as a shadow fell across us. Noel towered behind Ramsay. He grabbed him by the back of his t-shirt and yanked him away from me.

  Ramsay twisted around and shouted, “What the fuck are you doing here? Get your filthy hands off me!”

  The crowd behind us were beginning to notice the kerfuffle. They stepped back and craned their necks to get a look. Noel stared down at Ramsay, stony faced, and pulled back a hand. In an instant, he ploughed his fist into Ramsay’s face. If the room wasn’t so loud, I was sure the crunch from Ramsay’s nose breaking would have made the entire room cringe.

  Noel loosened his grip and Ramsay staggered back, clutching at his face. Blood poured between his fingers and dripped to the floor. He glared, feral eyed, his gaze darting between Noel and I..

  Pinching his nose, he screamed, “I’ll kill you. I’ll fucking end you both”

  18

  In all the panic I hadn’t realised the music had stopped. I looked around, cheeks flushing, when I realised all eyes in the crowd were on us. Mumbles spread throughout the room and the crowd began to part like the sea in that bible story I couldn’t remember the details of. A bouncer with four shadows behind him appeared. Noel raised his hands in surrender as he turned to face them.

  I pressed my hands to my chest. “Sir! I’m sorry, this guy- “

  He raised a hand to stop me. “No need.” He stormed right past me and Noel to grab Ramsay by his collar. “I told you last time – you’re banned from Volatile gigs!”

  Kimmy’s hand slipped into mine. “Are you alright?”

  I nodded. “I think so.”

  Someone else placed their hand on my shoulder and I spun around to find the four shadows that had followed the bouncer into the crowd were, in fact, the members of Volatile themselves. The audience looked on in awe, as if they were about to have an audience with the Royal Family.

  The lead singer, the boy from the photo, smiled at me as he ran a hand through his heavily gelled hair. “Sorry about that idiot. You know him?”

  I nodded and laughed bitterly. “You could say that.”

  Kimmy squeezed my arm and I turned to face her. Her eyes were wide, staring at the female drummer of the band as if she was starstruck.

  The singer gestured toward the door Murray had been dragged out of. “He’s been hanging around all of our gigs – practically stalking us. Claims to be our number one fan. I’m really sorry he bothered you. You’re not his first victim.”

  I shivered as I muttered, “I know.”

  The female drummer, whose hair was shaved at the sides, stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Kimmy. “To say sorry, how would you guys like to join us backstage after we finish the set? We can have drinks.”

  Kimmy’s voice shook and was about two notes higher than I’d ever heard it. “Oh, we’d love to!”

  The singer caught my eye and winked. “Great, I’ll have our security take you through and get you comfortable. I’m Miles, by the way.”

  I turned to Noel to ask if he wanted to join us. His eyes were brimming with tears, his lip trembling in shame. I slipped out of Kimmy’s grasp and ran to him.

  He wouldn’t meet my eye. “I lost control.” He cleared his throat. “I saw him hurting you, and in that moment, I imagined what he did to Mel, and my son taking the blame and I – I just lost it.”

  I threw my arms around him (well, as much as I could fit them around his large frame) and squeezed. “You saved me. I can only thank you. Kimmy and I are going to go have some drinks. Do you want to join us?”

  He shook his head, laughing, though his face was still solemn. “I don’t think an old fart like me would be welcome. I need to be alone.” He shook me off, and before I could say another word, was gone.

 

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