“I love you, Angel. I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you. You are the reason Dark Wing exists. The inspiration behind ‘Fallen Angel.’ You are my Fallen Angel. Nothing is more important to me than you are. Come back to me, Eva. Please.”
One hand grasped the phone in a death grip; the other flew up to my mouth as I sank down onto my bed.
Jace cleared his throat and continued, “I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all of the love and support you’ve given us over the years. Kurt, Dave, Chaz, and I will always be grateful for the wild ride. It’s been an absolute pleasure. But we’ve all agreed that it’s time for Dark Wing to think about what comes next. Our newest album—recently retitled Redemption—will likely be our last. Thanks, and God bless.”
Chapter 21
Dear Ida,
I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. The woman I love is out there somewhere, and I’m losing my mind. I can’t see my future without her in it and I’m desperate, so I’m reaching out to you in the hopes that she sees this.
Eva, angel, if you read this... I love you. Come back to me. Please. — Desperate Rocker
* * *
Dear Readers,
Who doesn’t love a great love story? Let’s help Desperate and make sure this goes viral, shall we?
~ * ~
Jace
The demand for Dark Wing merchandise rose dramatically in the days following the video. No less than ten of our songs were listed on the Most Downloaded lists of both major online music retailers. Venues from all over the world were calling the record company, offering top dollar to be among those selected for Dark Wing’s final farewell tour.
None of it mattered to me. While the Dark Wing website had received millions of hits and the number of posts on social media now surpassed the hundred thousand mark, my private number remained frustratingly silent.
I packed up and left New York the day after the big announcement, taking a long, lonely flight back to LA. We still needed to put the finishing touches on the new album and wrap things up. My heart wasn’t in it, but we had a contract. Plus, it was the last time we were doing this.
I’d thought the guys would be more resistant to the idea of calling it quits, but they were oddly at peace with it. Chaz and Dave were stoked about getting to spend more time with their families, and Kurt was easygoing enough to roll with it. We’d had a great run and made a shit-ton of money doing it. We’d become like brothers, and nothing was going to change that. Music would always be a part of our lives, just not on the same grand public scale.
Truth be told, it was something we’d all been thinking about for a while. What had happened with Eva was just the final push I’d needed to bring it up and put it out there for discussion. I hoped it helped Eva see that there was more to me than being the front man for Dark Wing, but if it didn’t, my decision would have been the same. I wasn’t a kid anymore, and I wanted more out of life than the next tour or show. It was time.
I didn’t see Eva at the recording studio, but then, I hadn’t expected to. I showed up every day and went through the motions until we perfected every track. Every track, except one, the one we’d been struggling with. The sad thing was, I now knew what it was missing. I’d subconsciously written that song with Eva’s voice in my head, harmonizing with mine. It was meant to be a duet. A song telling of a love so pure that it could withstand anything.
Even errant assumptions and misplaced, selfless nobility.
Eva doubted me, but I wasn’t ready to give up on her. That was exactly what she expected me to do. To come to the realization that I’d somehow be happier without her by my side.
That wasn’t going to happen.
I walked into Ross’s office, ignoring the repeated chirpings of their shared admin, Cassie, the moment I heard rumblings that he was back in town. Apparently, Black Raven’s tour had been cut short.
“Jace, come in,” Ross said, waving off his flustered PA.
She shot me an annoyed look and closed the door behind me on her way out.
Ross must have come directly from the airport. He was looking a little worse for wear. His hair was longer than it had been the last time I saw him, and it wasn’t slicked back with his usual pomade. Rather than his trademark impeccable, custom-tailored designer suit, he had on jeans, a black T-shirt, and a well-worn leather jacket. I wasn’t sure I would have recognized him in passing.
“Ross. Tough break on the tour.”
Ross gave me a small smile. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as if he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks. “It was inevitable. Past time really.”
He went over to his well-stocked private bar and held up a bottle in invitation. I nodded.
“So, is it true? Dark Wing is calling it quits?”
“Yes.”
Ross handed me a glass and then went back behind his desk. He dropped down into his leather chair without his characteristic grace and propped his feet up on the surface, the fine detailing of his Italian shoes visible, even from halfway across the spacious office.
“Maybe if I bend over, you can all just fuck me at once and get it over with.”
“It’s not about you, Ross,” I said irritably.
“I know,” he said on a heavy exhale. “In a matter of weeks, that woman has cost me my two highest-grossing clients.” Before I could say something in Eva’s defense, Ross held up his hand. “Don’t say it. Please.”
I clamped my lips shut while Ross downed half his glass and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.
“She doesn’t do it on purpose,” Ross said finally, eyes remaining closed, his voice losing its authoritative tone. “Doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.” He laughed. “Fuck, she doesn’t even believe it’s possible. But that woman has a way of making people love her.”
Amen to that, brother. I poured us each another drink, sensing he wasn’t finished.
“First, it was Ian. I think he really did love her, in his own fucked up way. In the beginning, Eva was the very air he breathed. He was talented, but it was Eva’s voice that got them noticed. It was Eva who fed his spirit and his soul, her belief and trust in him so absolute that he couldn’t help but believe in himself and in the band. But then she got pregnant, and the idea of a wife and kids didn’t quite fit the dream. He was so young, so caught up in the fame and adoration, that he convinced himself he didn’t need her anymore.”
Ross drained his glass and gave me a wry smile. “Ian was blessed with talent, but God overlooked him when it came to brains. Backstage Pass was just getting off the ground, and I needed Black Raven, but when I found out why she’d left, I nearly killed my brother.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“Short version: Eva took him aside one night after a show and told him she was pregnant. Ian accused her of getting pregnant on purpose, saying she was jealous of him and his talent and that it was her attempt to hold him back. When she went back to the bus, crying, Ian grabbed a couple of groupies, took them back to the bus, and then fucked them right there in front of her for spite. I wasn’t there, but the others told me about it later. They said he spoke words of love and promise to the girls as he screwed them, the same ones that he’d spoken to Eva, to prove they meant nothing.”