Prologue
Cologne, Germany
Two years ago
Luke rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the aggravation
and exhaustion from his head simultaneously. His mind raced with
flashes and images of the previous six months, compiling a staggering
montage of lights, music, chicks, booze, fights, landmarks, more
booze, plane flights, brawls, interviews, parties and even more
booze.
“This isn't how it's supposed to happen.” He
realized his words were probably a waste in the quiet hospital room.
It didn't matter. He had some things he needed to get off his chest
and Mike was the only one he told things to. Ever.
“We were gonna become mega rock stars and see the
world, remember that? We had a deal. We promised we wouldn't do all
the stereotypical bull crap that so many who'd gone before us did.
We were smarter than that.”
He sighed heavily and ground his teeth together at the
lack of argument that came from the still figure in the bed. Luke
would prefer a straight out brawl to the steady sound of the
ventilator and gentle beeping of the bedside monitor.
He wished Mike would defend himself. Shout and yell,
give him an excuse or explanation. But the soft hum of the machines
keeping him alive was the only response.
The past twenty-fours had been the worst kind of wake-up
call Luke had ever received. He'd been at a bar with Blake, ignoring
Carl's incessant cellphone harassment. All while his best friend and
drummer had been rushed to a local hospital for a drug overdose. By
the time Carl got through to them, Mike was already in a coma.
No one knew what Mike had taken, but Luke suspected it
was heroin. The toxicologist would know soon enough. The real
question, the one that had Luke's stomach tied into a thousand and
one knots, was whether or not Mike had done it on purpose.
“You can't die.” Luke said sternly, his hands
raking back his dirty blonde hair. “I need you to wake up so I can
kick your ass.”
He should have seen this coming. He knew Mike was
upset. He had been for most of the tour but Luke was too busy
having...a good time. He didn't want to get weighed down by Mike's
sour disposition. So he had started avoiding him. Ignoring him.
“I'm sorry,” his voice cracked as emotion filled his
throat. “I should have been there. I would've stopped you.”
But that was a lie. Luke had spent the majority of the
tour completely wasted, he wouldn't have known what to do at all. It
was a miracle that Carl, their ever-loyal tour manager, had checked
on Mike on a hunch. And it still might not have been in time.
“Seriously, wake up.” Luke said again, swallowing
hard. “I don't know what happened with Ilsa and I don't know where
we go after all of this but I promise...I promise you won't go
through it alone. And I promise I'll be the brother to you that you
always were for me.”
Hot tears dripped down Luke's face. “But you can't
die...You just can't.”
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