Wild Chase Read Free

and looked to see my supportive sidekick.
    “It’s about damn time that someone other than me gets to hear your beautiful voice. Now, don’t you let any of these damn redneck fools make you nervous. Get that cute butt out there and kick some ass!”
    She wrapped her arms around my neck and, just like that, helped to wash away all of my jitters. Moments like this reminded me of how much I loved that crazy girl.
    Victoria moved behind me and out the door, making her way to the front of the stage like she promised me she would. She also promised me it was okay to picture her naked. I smiled and laughed at the thought, shaking my head. I heard Baird’s voice over the speakers. As the crowd began to cheer, my heart began to pound.
    I don’t remember telling my feet to move, but before I knew it, I was behind the heavy black curtain, listening to the muffled sounds going on around me. Instead of performing acoustically, Baird talked me into performing with a band. Some of the guys from the headlining act surprisingly agreed to play my backup. They all smiled at me, giving me thumbs up as I took my spot behind the microphone.
    I grabbed onto it with both hands and closed my eyes, concentrating on anything other than the thudding of my heart against my chest. I could feel the sweat rolling down the side of my forehead, but I didn’t dare move my hands to wipe it away. I vaguely heard my name being introduced, and some light applause as I felt a gentle gust of wind against my face from the curtain being moved. I kept my eyes firmly shut as the beat of my first song started. I took a deep breath and let it out infinitely slow, counting down until my first lyric came up and then it felt like my whole body was on fire as the words flowed effortlessly from my tongue.
    I started my short set with “Smooth Criminal.” Even in this Texas crowd, I knew the tune would be appreciated, and everyone seemed to be instantly impressed with my selection. It had taken me a while, but I had changed the arrangement around. I upped the tempo so that the song was a little more rock and roll and paired nicely with my fiery alto voice. I finally opened my eyes about halfway through the song and instead of scanning the room for fear of lighting my nerves up again, I looked straight down to find Vic. She was dancing like a mad woman, and I couldn’t help but smile.
    By the time the last note rang out, I felt incredible. I would always remember the way it felt to be in that moment. Completely alive with no one to hold me back or hide me away. The yelling and applause brought me back to the now, and as I scanned the crowd, I couldn’t believe how many people were smiling and clapping for me!
    I smiled and did a little bow as the notes of the next song started up.
    I began singing one of my all-time favorite songs by Heart. My mother would kill me if she knew that I listened to them, let alone sang every single word to “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You.” It was a no brainer when I picked my set list because I knew I could pull it off. Vic had always told me that I sounded like a mash-up of Joan Jett, Amy Lee, and Carrie Underwood, whatever that meant. I just hoped the audience was agreeing with her while I rolled into the chorus.
    I felt a little braver as I scanned the crowd while singing my heart out, with every pair of eyes glued to me until I came upon those stormy gray eyes. The static in the air around me crackled, and my brain seemed to short out. Avery was making his way up front without taking his eyes off me. Luckily, I knew the words by heart and didn’t miss a beat, but the way his eyes pierced right through me distracted me from everything else going on in the room. His body moved through the sea of people just to get closer to me, and that gave me a whole other reason to feel nervous. I heard Vic’s catcall as her favorite part of the number approached, and I thanked my lucky stars for it as I closed my eyes and sang the next part