Free Kodiak Sky (Red Cell Trilogy Book 3) by Stephen W. Frey

muttered through the raindrops bouncing off the stones around his face.
    Troy stood up, releasing Jack completely. He held his hand out to help his older brother up as Jack rolled onto his back.
    But Jack refused.
    Troy shook his head as he turned to go inside. “What a prick you are sometimes. But I guess I still love you.”

CHAPTER 9

    L EIGH- A NN G OODYEAR belted out the last few lines of “This Kiss” as the crowd packed inside the Nashville nightclub went wild.
    “Thank you, thank you!” she shouted in her Southern accent as the music from the band faded and the cheering intensified another notch to fill the void. “I love y’all. We’re gonna take a little break, and then we’ll be right back for the second set.” As she headed toward the edge of the stage she took off her black Stetson, waved, and gave them another one of her light-up-the-world smiles. “Don’t go away, y’all.”
    When she was out of sight of the still-roaring fans, she headed to an outside door and down a narrow set of steps to the alley, followed into the cool of the night by her backup singers, Paige and Betty. The fresh air felt good. It was blistering hot beneath the bright lights onstage.
    “That was an awesome set, Leigh-Ann,” Paige called as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Betty before lighting up herself. She didn’t bother offering one to Leigh-Ann, who never smoked. “You’re rocking the place, girl.”
    “No doubt,” Betty agreed. “You look great, too. That little jean skirt and the rattlesnake boots have all the guys going crazy. And the wild thing is their dates don’t mind.” Betty shook her head. “You can steal the boys for a few hours, and their girlfriends don’t care. Even the girl who’s with that guy you pulled up onstage. I watched her. She thought it was great. They all love your voice so much. It’s amazing.”
    Leigh-Ann glanced at her reflection in the window of a tricked-out Plymouth. She was a tall, wispy blond who was blessed with a powerful singing voice that belied the slim frame in the glass. She still couldn’t figure out where all the volume came from onstage, because in normal conversation her tone was quiet and her manner measured. But when the lights came up and the mike turned on, it was like she became another person.
    “Thanks, Betty.” Leigh-Ann had known the girls for a year, since her first week in Nashville when she’d moved here knowing no one. Now it seemed like she knew everyone in town—or they knew her. “You’re nice to say that.”
    “Tips are gonna be good,” Paige spoke up happily. “The bucket’s already been dumped twice. And there were lots of fives and tens in there, not just ones. I checked. Good thing, too. I’m late on rent.”
    “You could really go places, Leigh-Ann.” Betty dragged hard on her cigarette, and then exhaled a thick plume of smoke. “I’m serious.”
    Leigh-Ann took a quick sniff of the smoke. She’d never been into cigarettes. She was too smart for that. But she didn’t mind a little secondhand smoke once in a while. And now and then, she’d take a puff from a good cigar—when no one was looking.
    “Well, I don’t know about—”
    “Especially with all that money your family has,” Paige chimed in. “Your daddy must own half of Savannah. With that kind of dough, he could bankroll you right to the top.”
    Leigh-Ann looked away, down the dark alley. Maybe it was time to set the girls straight. It wasn’t like she’d ever actually claimed to be from Savannah—or money. But she hadn’t denied what her manager had rumored, either. And she didn’t like being slick. There were times when you had to be, especially in Nashville, and especially in this business. Still, it never squared with her when she did it.
    And then there was that other secret she couldn’t tell anyone, because no one would believe her if she did. They’d think she was crazy.
    “You know, I—” Headlights down the alley