Free Buried Notes (Brothers of Rock #4) by Karolyn James, K James

thousand tickets sold.”
    The band celebrated and as Peter
turned, Chris jumped up and hurried to Peter.
    “Peter, hold up,” Chris said.
    Peter stepped off the bus and
turned. Richie lingered in the parking lot, smoking his one cigarette before
he’d scale the driver’s seat and get Chasing Cross to their next location.
    “What’s going on, Chris?” Peter
asked.
    “I need a ticket or two,” Chris
said.
    “Sold out.”
    “I don’t care,” Chris said. “I have
a name, just in case.”
    “A name?” Peter smiled.
    “Just do me a favor, okay? Tell the
guys to be on the lookout in case someone says something about me. She’ll know
what to say and they’ll know.”
    Chris tried to subtly describe
Becky without getting too lost in her beauty, but by the time he was done,
Peter gawked at him.
    “How long have you known this
woman?” Peter asked.
    “Twelve hours,” Chris said. “Give
or take.”
    “I’ll see what I can do,” Peter
said. “You think she’d drive from Houston to Reno or Vegas for you?”
    Chris smiled but the comment kind
of hurt. It brought a sense of reality to everything. He pointed at Peter but
didn’t say a thing. When he turned to walk down the aisle of the bus again,
Johnnie stood, smiling.
    “Fall in love, my man?” Johnnie
whispered.
    “Just doing a favor for a friend,”
Chris said. “That’s all. She gave me a bed to sleep in so I offered her to come
to the next couple shows.”
    “Sure,” Johnnie said. “Sure.”
    He started laughing and Chris gave
him the finger. Richie got on the bus next and a few minutes later, the road
began to take Chasing Cross out of Houston.
    And with each passing mile, Chris
felt more lonely.
    What
the hell had Becky done to him?
    It took about two hours before
everything started to settle for Chris. He played guitar for a little bit,
trying to keep up with Danny and Davey. Apparently the new album writing
session had begun. When Danny and Davey started to get too technical for him -
arguing over scales, arpeggios, and sweep picking techniques - Chris retreated
to his bunk for a little rest.
    He was on his back, staring at the
bed above him. He had a small light for his bed, along with some books,
magazines, and a couple notebooks. It was Johnnie who suggested everyone in the
band have a notebook. To jot down thoughts, ideas, lyrics, anything that would
either help the band write more music or would capture the days on the road.
Chris and the rest of the band - with the exception of Johnnie - couldn’t
imagine aging. Couldn’t imagine not touring. But Johnnie had understanding that
went beyond his years. He explained many times - more so when drunk - how it
wouldn’t last forever. How in the blink of an eye they’d all be old men,
sitting around, thinking about the days like these. And how amazing would it be
to read about it?
    Chris grabbed his notebook and
flipped through some of the pages. Some of the notes and ideas for songs.
Scribbled notes he couldn’t even read. Cities with stories. From New York City
down to Tampa, Florida, cut up through Tennessee, and then down to Texas. It
all seemed larger than life when Chris looked at it that way.
    He began to write, thinking about
Becky. The lines were cheap and cheesy, but they’d work for now. They’d capture
the moment. When he heard Danny and Davey start strumming a slow song, one that
would eventually become one of the biggest Chasing Cross hits of all time,
Chris got out of his bed and went to the front of the bus with the band. He
started - well, tried - to sing along with Danny and Davey.
    They’d have the new ballad finished
by the time they got to Reno.
    It gave them all a little bit of
high. Creating something new was the hardest thing for the band. The pressure
to keep writing new material was scariest part about being in the band. They
had to keep the old fans happy and try to make new ones. But on a whim they’d
done it on the bus. With Danny and Davey messing around with