Strings (31 page)

             
‘Tess, I’m fine – you must go home, darling.’

             
‘No.’

             
‘Please, Tess, for me.’

             
Tess begged to know about Luke, her tone a little demanding, and Beth glared at her. Melissa was fragile and didn’t need any more stress. Beth’s look made that very clear.

             
‘Luke is…missing,’ Melissa said, her voice low and weak. The colour drained from her face and her vision blurred then everything went black. Mick caught his daughter before her head hit the floor, cradling her as he carried her back inside, yelling for help. Beth followed, shouting at Tess to tell the fans to go home. To the waiting pack of reporters, her message was loud, clear, and full of venom.

‘Drop dead you heartless bastards
!’

*****

‘Luke Missing! Melissa hospitalised, collapsed ...’
was the headline next morning.

             
Mick watched his daughter sleep. Her breathing was steady and calm, and he wished she could stay that way until all this was over. Her doctor had said there were to be no more questions until the next day on medical grounds, and definitely no more excursions out of her room. She was suffering from exhaustion and needed nothing but rest. Mick rested his head against the wall, feeling sleep start to take over, but it only lasted a second.

             
‘Mick,’ Jean’s voice cracked under the strain as she returned from calling Luke’s parents to see if there was anything to report. The news wasn’t good. Jean was pale and her eyes looked empty. Mick stood up and led her out of the room and into the corridor, where Jean burst into tears.

‘Oh, Mick,’ she sobbed as she struggled to get the words out. Mick’s
hands flew to his face in shock.

‘Please, god, no.’

*****

‘Luke, no!’
The scream from Melissa sent chills down her parents’ spines. They saw what bit of strength she had left drain from their daughter as the words registered. The devastating news tore her heart out and crushed it.

             
A body had been found floating in the Thames.

It couldn’t be Luke, she told herself over and over
.

Luke’s parents had been asked to go and identify the body
. Her confused face searched her father’s for answers. Everyone knew Luke, so it couldn’t be him if they needed his parents to identify him. She cried, lashing out at her dad, the messenger, who had just torn away what tiny bit of hope she had been clinging on to.

             
Mick gripped his daughter’s shoulders to steady her, as the words stuck in his throat.

‘Princess, I’m
so sorry.’ Mick had to explain to her that although the young man fitted Luke’s description – age, hair, build and even tattoos, he had been very badly beaten. The injuries to his face were so severe it was difficult to tell. Melissa went deathly white and the sound that came from within her made her parents jump; it was like an animal being tortured. She was hysterical, and had to be restrained as she threw herself on the floor screaming for Luke. Her parents struggled with her, begging her to calm down but she had snapped. Everything she had been subjected to rushed to the surface and boiled over. She was unable to control herself any more.

             
Her medical team rushed in and quickly assessed the situation. Due to her state of mind, they decided that sedation was the only way to calm her down and prevent her from causing herself harm.

             
‘Do it, doctor – now!’ Jean yelled as she struggled to hold her broken daughter.

Sirens

October 2014

‘Any news?’ Megan asked as she arrived, out of breath, at Luke and Melissa’s.

              ‘No nothing yet ... I just can’t believe this is happening!’ Jo-Jo whispered. Her cherry brown hair fell loosely around her shoulders and her eyes looked sad and scared.

             
Tom came in from the balcony, where he’d been having a smoke with Toby, still trying to take in the news. Megan noticed he didn’t have a hat on, and his hair hung messily around his face in untidy curls. He nodded in Megan’s direction as Jo-Jo went straight to him, took his hand, and guided him to the sofa to sit and wait.

             
‘Toby’s outside, babe,’ Tom said quietly as he put his head on Jo-Jo’s lap and closed his eyes. She ran her hand through his hair, and sighed.

             
Megan gasped at how beautifully the living area had been decorated, assuming that it must have had Melissa’s work. The colour theme was of course black and white. The walls were white, with a black leather sofa and chairs, state of the art TV and surround sound. The room needed nothing else. The main feature was a picture that covered half of one wall. It was Luke's acoustic guitar, with a blonde girl. She had her back against it and was holding the neck of the guitar. Her nails were beautifully painted with black and silver swirls, and her face was turned ever so slightly showing just enough of her face to know it was Melissa. The only item of clothing was a black silk lingerie set. Her blonde hair rained down and pooled around the bottom of the guitar. It was so beautifully done, it could have been an album cover. But this was definitely a personal thing. The two things Luke cherished most captured in one frame – sheer perfection. 

             
Megan headed for the balcony, seeing and smelling the smoke that rose above Toby’s head as he leaned over the balcony railing, in his own little bubble, watching the world go by.

‘I’m sorry,’ Megan said as she rested her hand on his arm. She felt his muscles tense just for a second then relax when he heard her voice.

              He turned and pulled her into one of his warm bear hugs, but this time it was more for his benefit than Megan’s. He brushed his lips against her neck.

‘Thanks for getting here so quick
ly. Jay-Den didn’t give you any trouble, did he?’ Toby had called Megan as soon as he heard the news, wanting her to be there with him while they waited for Luke’s parents to call with news, dreading it but at the same time desperate to know.

             
‘Even Jay-Den has a heart. He’s just as shocked as everyone else,’ Megan assured him. ‘Everyone’s in shock, and they send their love and support.’

             
Toby smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly. ‘Good, because I need you.’

             
With a little help from Melissa, Toby had eventually won Megan over, and things were going well. They were taking it very slowly - Toby was fully aware that Megan was shy and rather insecure. He asked about her day, just to pass the time. Her eyes were sad as she explained that it had been a hard day, cancelling all their scheduled work. She missed Luke too, and she was feeling their pain.

             
Toby noticed her expression change. ‘You’re hurting too.’

             
‘Of course. Luke has always been good to me. You all have, and I don’t always work with such nice people.’ Toby noticed a slight change in her tone as she looked away and her cheeks flushed. He asked her what she meant.

             
‘It’s nothing,’ Megan answered, dismissing it. He had enough to be dealing with without her whining about non important stuff. But Toby knew that something was wrong.               ‘Honestly Toby, it doesn't matter. Don't worry about it,’ she insisted, but he wouldn't leave it. He was already very protective of her, and she wasn't used to it.

             
‘If someone has upset you, then you need to tell me, or I’ll have to punch everyone I see in case it was them.’ He wasn't joking.

             
‘You’re a freaking nightmare. If I tell you, promise me you won't start a band war,’ she begged.

             
‘Nope, can't promise that. Look, as long as it isn't Aiden Bailey from that bunch of dickheads Death Wishes, then it won't be all-out war,’ he laughed.

             
Megan’s face fell and her hands went to her face as she tried to stop the tears. But it was too late. There had been several rumours about Bailey and his band and how they would lure girls to their hotels by pretending they liked them, only to be cruel to them when they arrived, and Toby suddenly had a bad feeling about what he was about to hear.

             
Toby never believed everything he heard as he knew full well what the media were like. But was this story about Death Wishes true? Was his girlfriend one of these girls?

‘What
the fuck did he do?’ She could hear the anger already building in his voice as he assured her that they already hated that band, so she wouldn't be causing a war because Aiden and his merry band of idiots had already started one.

             
‘How?’ This was something she didn't know about.

             
Toby told her about Amplified and how he’d been rough with Melissa. She felt a bit better knowing that she would already have their backing. She turned and rushed back inside, wiping away her tears. She still didn't want to tell him because it had been a horrible experience, and she still felt so stupid.

             
‘Hey, what's the problem?’ Jo-Jo asked looking up from the sofa where she was sitting with Tom. Toby followed her inside, looking very angry.

             
‘It really doesn't matter. I don't want to cause any trouble. Toby, please don't push it. You’re stressed out and this won't help you.’

             
But he was not going to let it go. ‘Tell me. Now!’ he yelled, making her jump and immediately hating himself for doing it. It was not going to make her feel better.

             
‘Toby, don't shout at her. What the hell is going on?’ Jo-Jo asked as she hugged the shaking girl and asked again what was going on.

             
‘It really doesn't matter, Jo. It really isn't all that important.’

             
‘It clearly is. Come on, it can't be that bad,’ Jo-Jo said softly.

             
Megan knew it was best to get it over with. Maybe if she finally spoke about it she could move on. Toby crossed the room, picked her up and sat her on the sofa. ‘I'm sorry I yelled at you. Come on, just talk to me,’ he said.

             
Megan took a deep breath. ‘Aiden Bailey is the reason I took so long to say yes to you,’ she whispered. She noticed him tense a little just at the mention of Bailey’s name.

             
Tom turned round and sat up. ‘Toby, deep breaths.’ Tom knew this wouldn’t make the two bands any closer to sorting out their issues.

             
‘He told me to meet him outside his hotel…ohhh, I feel so stupid, I can't tell you,’ she sighed and looked at her boyfriend.

             
‘You have to tell me,’ he pushed. He really wanted a reason to smash Bailey’s arrogant face in. Megan went on to explain that after Death Wishes had also signed to Sky Storm, Aidan would come in every week to see Jay-Den. He would stop and talk to her, and he seemed nice. One afternoon he asked if Megan wanted to go for a drink. He told her he liked her and wanted to take her out. She agreed because she was flattered and it had been a long time since a man had shown an interest in her. He told her which hotel he was staying in and to meet him there that night. She’d arrived at the hotel and went to reception as instructed and was met by one of his hangers-on and taken to his room. Aiden was there but so were the rest of the band. They were all drunk and Aiden had a brunette on his lap. The door was locked as she entered. There must have been about twenty people in the room.

             
‘Look, guys, she came just as I told her to. She thinks I like her,’ Aiden had said. The girls laughed loudly and pointed at her then he whispered something in the brunette’s ear. ‘Ah, Megan, you silly cow, nobody wants you. Have you seen yourself?’ Aiden laughed and pointed his finger at her moving it up and down.

             
Megan had asked why he had done this to her and his response had been ‘Because I can, and because you’re stupid enough to fall for it’.

             
They made her stand there for fifteen minutes while they made horrible jokes and generally humiliated her, before finally letting her out.

             
‘So there you have it. That night destroyed any confidence I had, and there wasn't much to start with. I didn't really like him, but is it so wrong to be wanted?’ she whispered.

             
Toby scooped her up. ‘Evil son of a bitch. I will kill him’ he said, angrily.

             
‘No, you won't. I don't want you getting into trouble. Promise me, Toby?’ She begged him. He didn't answer her, because that was another promise he couldn’t keep.

      
‘I know I’m not pret—’

             
Toby cut her off before she could finish her sentence. ‘Shh, don't you dare say that. You are beautiful.’ He was frustrated with her for always putting herself down. OK, she wasn't stunning like Melissa, who barely had to try, or like Beth who was attractive in a scary kind of way. Or like Jo-Jo, who was the ultimate rock chick. But she was pretty in a shy, quiet way. There was a personality in there desperate to jump out, but her fear of rejection held it back. ‘I want you,’ he whispered in her ear and promised her that nobody would ever treat her like that again.

             
Jo-Jo hugged her and told her that Aiden Bailey would shit himself when he found out who she was dating.

             
‘Really?’ Megan asked, starting to feel better.

             
Jo-Jo explained that Death Wishes were scared of the Eagles. Luke had practically ripped Aiden’s head off at Amplified. And Toby was, well, Toby. One look was all it took to make people back off. Even Beth had her own weapon of mass destruction – her mouth.

             
‘You don't mess with our women, or our friends,’ Tom said suddenly. He walked over and put his hands on Jo-Jo’s shoulders. They made a great couple, even if they did have a somewhat competitive element to their relationship. Jo-Jo was the bass player for Echo and they liked to outdo each other. But they were good together and kept each other grounded. Jo-Jo took Tom’s hand and they went onto the balcony to smoke, shutting the door behind them.

             
Toby kissed Megan and from the way he did so, she was left in no doubt that he wanted her. For a few minutes, they forgot about the sad situation. She made him feel like the world wasn't such a bad place after all.

             
‘He will be found. I just know it,’ she whispered, taking her turn to comfort him.

*****

‘Mr and Mrs Black, are you ready?’ The young policeman asked the distressed couple.

             
‘No ... not really,’ Debbie replied. Her heart raced and her whole body was shaking. She gripped her husband's hand as they were led down the grey corridor towards the viewing room.

             
They stopped outside a door and the policeman turned to them and explained that they didn't need to rush. They could take as long as they liked.

‘When you’re ready
, they will lift the sheet. I must warn you the young man in there is in a bad way. I know this is terribly difficult, but you must be sure before you answer.’

             
Debbie asked for a minute, and he left them alone as requested. They were just seconds away from knowing for sure that their son was dead. Debbie wanted to run and hide, but she couldn't. She had to be brave. If it was Luke, then she had to claim him and say goodbye.

‘What if it is our baby?’
She cried. She was shaking so much she thought she might have to be carried in.

             
‘Shh, don't say that. It's not him.’              

             
‘I can't carry on if it's our Luke...I feel sick, Stu.’ 

             
‘Come on, Luke needs us to do this,’ Stuart said, trying to give his wife hope, but inside he was also fearing the worst. ‘Debs, come on. Let's not be here any longer than we have to.’

             
As the door was opened for them, Debbie felt her heart beating so fast and loud she thought everyone in the room could hear it. The room had grey walls and no windows. A single bed stood in the middle of the room, with a white sheet covering the body. A man waited for them, and greeted them solemnly.