Everybody’s got an ego.

Use yours for good.

[Shakes head again]

Wasted opportunity.

Anyway, we’re done and backstage and we’d all tagged our girls, right? Security knew who to pull from the audience. We had that signal down, sister, let me tell you.

[Smiles]

First thing most of us learned how to do on the tour.

So, Tom’s back in our dressing room with us, and I’m close, ’cause, see, I still have that girl in Indy who I think’s the one and Chicago is close to Indy and she’s with me so I’m bein’ good.

[Grins]

Preach is sitting, holding court, girls all over him, he’s close too.

We both hear a security guy come up to Tom and say the name “Lyla.”

Now my throat kinda constricts. I remember that because it was a weird feeling.

But Preacher…

Preacher’s face goes stone-cold.

Tom looks to Preach, and Preacher shakes his head.

Then Tommy takes off with the security guard and you know, at that time, I’m not her biggest fan. Right?

So, do I give a fuck?

No.

I don’t.

But I forgot, yeah?

I forgot, you do not wrong Preacher McCade, be it through someone he cares about, or we were all about to learn, just doing it to Preacher McCade.

I don’t know how, maybe it was the tequila and dexies, but I also forgot half the songs on the album I just played for twenty thousand people and what the words to those songs said.

About Lyla.

Yeah.

Fuck.

I forgot that too.

We’re heading out to our bus, which is not that shitty camper or the shitty RV that took its place, it’s huge and it’s pimp, the guys, the groupies, some roadies, and the path from venue to bus is lined with security holding back screaming girls.

I saw her.

Standing there.

That hair.

Those eyes.

Lyla.

Wearing a black trench coat because it was cold and rainy and Chicago. Only girl out there wearing a coat.

I saw her standing without moving surrounded by all those screaming girls, watching Preacher walk with a groupie under each arm to the bus.

I also saw Preach take Tommy aside before he got on the bus and Tommy peeled off.

That wasn’t unusual.

Ask and ye shall receive from Tommy.

I thought Preacher had seen a girl in the crowd he wanted.

At that point, I had no fuckin’ idea Preach could be that motherfucking sinister.

No fucking clue.

By now you know Tom was pretty regimented.

And he didn’t miss a trick.

Our songs on the charts, it’s their tour and the Mustangs are getting booed after our set.

And with our roadwork, we already owned the Midwest.

He had things worked out with the label.

We did not stay in the same hotel as the Mustangs because the Mustangs hated our guts.