Insider (Exodus End #1)(95)
Author: Olivia Cunning

The band reached the end of the line, lifted hands of farewell to the enthusiastic crowd, and dove into the limo like a synchronized swim team. Toni scrambled in after them, followed by Butch. The rest of their security team got into a minivan and they all headed off to sound check.

When they arrived, crew members were putting the final touches on the stage assembly. So much was happening all at once that Toni didn’t know where to start with her data gathering, so she mostly gawked.

“Close your mouth or you’ll attract flies,” Steve said.

Her jaws snapped shut, and she shoved him.

“Where did Logan go?” Steve asked. “Didn’t get to see much of him yesterday. I have to tell him about the twins I meet at the bar Monday night.”

“Female twins?” She was teasing, but Steve scowled.

“Yes, female twins. I thought I made it clear that I’m one hundred percent heterosexual.”

“I didn’t mean to insinuate . . .” She cut off her apology and slapped him on the arm. “Don’t be so sensitive. I was just joking.”

“Oh.” His gorgeous face lit up with a smile. “Good one, Toni.” He returned her slap on the arm.

“What time do they start setting up the stage?” Toni asked. It was an amazing work of engineering. Assembling the hydraulics must take hours. Disassembling must take just as long. And then they had to load it, drive it to the next destination, and assemble it again. Toni suspected the road crew needed those days off even more than the band did.

“Hell if I care,” Steve said. “Why don’t you talk to Colby? She’s the head engineer.”

Toni’s eyes widened. “You have engineers?” She wondered just how many hands it took to put this tour together.

“I wouldn’t step onto that moving drum platform without them. So where’s Logan?”

“I don’t know. He said something about going to the dressing room.”

“Thanks.”

He turned to go, but Toni called after him. “When you find him, give him a kiss for me.”

Steve stopped in his tracks and turned to scowl at her. It must have occurred to him that she was teasing again as a grin soon replaced his frown. “With extra tongue,” he promised and strode toward the backstage area.

Toni went off in search of Colby the engineer. After asking around, she was directed under the partially assembled stage. She located the woman cussing up a storm under Logan’s platform.

“These things aren’t designed to carry that much extra weight.” Bang! Bang! Bang! A hammer ricocheted off a metal bar. “Next time one of them wants to bring a guest up on their goddamned platform, they’d better fucking ask me first.” Bang! Bang! Bang! Colby shifted the hammer to her other hand and wiped the first hand on her grease-smeared coveralls. “Fucking thing!” Bang!

Toni cringed, realizing she was the extra weight the engineer was cursing about. Toni started to back away. She probably shouldn’t bother the woman. Especially when she was busy repairing Logan’s hydraulic lift.

“Did you need something?” Colby asked, apparently catching Toni’s movement when she attempted to slink off.

“You’re busy. I don’t want to bother you.”

“Bother away.” Bang!

“Um, well, I’m writing an interactive biography on the band.”

“So you’re the one who bent the support bar.” Bang! Bang!

Toni placed a hand on her belly. “I have been meaning to go on a diet.”

Colby laughed. “It’s already too late for that.” Bang! Something snapped into place. “Got it!” She slid out from under the platform and wiped her face on her sleeve.

Toni gaped at her. Not only was the band’s head stage engineer a woman, but she was ancient. Perhaps if Colby didn’t curse like a drunken rock star, Toni wouldn’t have been so stunned to find herself face to face with a woman old enough to be her grandmother.

“So you’re writing about the band and . . . ?” Colby twirled one hand at Toni to encourage her to get on with it.

“And I want to include a chapter on stage setup.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s interesting and not many people get to see all the work that goes into the show before it even starts.”

“Colby, are you ready to test it?” someone called under the stage.

“Give it a go!” she shouted. To Toni she asked, “So what do you want from me?”

“When you’re not busy, I’d like to ask you some questions and record some footage of the stage being erected and torn down. Maybe do a time-lapse video.” Toni nibbled on her lip, trying to come up with something that hadn’t been done a thousand times before. “Maybe one of the crew could wear a head camera as he goes about his work. That would pick up some really neat footage.”

Colby tilted her head and assessed her for a moment before shrugging. “Okay, I’ll talk to the crew and see if any of them are willing to be your guinea pig, and then I’ll let you know which day would work best for filming. They’re going to want to put on their makeup.”

Toni smiled. That had been easier than she’d anticipated. “Great!”

Metal groaned as Logan’s lift shuddered and rose several inches. “No good!” Colby yelled, and the grinding sound stopped. “Stupid fucking thing.”

“I won’t take any more of your time,” Toni said. “I hope you get the lift fixed.” Mostly because the man she loved had to ride that thing to the stage later that night.

“Oh, I’ll get it fixed.” Colby dropped down to slide under the metal platform again. Bang! Bang! Bang!

Toni emerged from beneath the stage and blinked in the sudden bright light. Crew members were testing the functioning platforms by riding them up and lowering them back down. Or maybe they were just goofing off since they seemed to be having a lot of fun taking turns launching each other onto the stage.

“There you are,” Logan said.

“Did Steve find you?”

“To brag about banging a pair of twins?” He grinned and nodded. “Yeah, he found me. What were you doing under the stage?”

“Talking to Colby about capturing footage of the crew at work.”

Logan nodded toward the stage, where one crew member had just catapulted off Dare’s lift with a loud yeehaw! “Are you sure that’s work?”

“Just because work is fun doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong,” she repeated what he’d told her a few days before.