Gone Forever (Adam Gontier #2)

Chapter 17

Unknown POV

"Shut up, Alexa!" I shout out into her ear, pushing past the people in front of me to get to the front of the crowd, a huge grin on my face spreading ear to ear at the music pounding in my ears and filling the huge room. She grips my hand tightly and I drag her behind me as I push people out of the way, who sway to the side, screaming maniacally. I don't get why they're being so loud; the band hasn't even come on stage yet.

"You shut up!" she shouts back at me. "You're the worst brother ever, I can't believe Mom let you drag me off here. My ears are killing me."

"Then put your fucking blockers on," I tell her, rolling my eyes and finally reaching the front. I grab hold of her and push her to stand just in front of me so I can keep an eye on her. "There's a reason I bought them for you."

"Yeah but then I look like a weirdo."

"No you don't," says a tiny little girl, walking just in front of the stage, holding hands with a red-faced security guard. "I get them and I think they pretty. You pretty too." Alexa makes a whining sound at the sight of the tiny child, wearing a wide-hemmed pink dress, the skirt made of net. She has a thin line of smudged eyeliner on her eyelids and her curly hair hangs messily around her ears, some trapped by the bright pink blockers on her head.

"You're so cute. I'm Alexa; what's your name?" Alexa asks the little girl, smiling widely as she shoves on her blockers on her ears, flinching as she catches one of the million pieces of metal shoved into them.

"Mommy says I don't give strangers my name," she says back, looking up at the security guard. Why has he got her? And how did she even get in here; you have to be 12 for this show.

"That's okay. Where is your mommy?" Alexa looks around as she says it, looking for some sign of a woman looking for a lost child. Maybe that's why he's got her.

"Back there with Daddy. She said I go to the toilet cuz I really needed it even though I went on the bus before." I frown. On the bus? No buses travel this close to the set, and she doesn't even look tired. How on Earth did she walk all that way? She's tiny!

Suddenly, the security guard pulls out a small beeping device and holds it to his ear. It stops beeping and he listens to what I guess is someone talking on the other end. "Yes, ma'am, I'm very sorry. She wandered off when I was talking to Henry and I caught her in time. She interrupted someone's conversation. What?" He listens again, biting his lip and rolling his eyes and glancing down at the child. "Yeah, whatever. Please don't tell Adam, he'd murder me. Okay, I'm getting her back now. You what? Yeah, sure. Come out and get her then, so I don't have to leave my station."

He puts the device back in his pocket and glances behind him at the stage door, which isn't actually behind him. It's far back. A young woman exits that door to come on stage. The entire crowd erupts at the sight of her and she grins. Does anyone actually know who she is?

Then I realise something. She's walking towards us. Oh shit, why? Is that who the guard was talking to? "Hey, Brett. Rhi! Why'd you run off? You know Brett was trying to look after you!"

"Sorry, Mommy." Whoa, wait, what? Mommy? That beautiful, young, angel of a woman is that kids mom? Holy shit. "I was just talking to Lexy." Alexa makes the whining noise again and flaps her arms before raising her hands to her mouth.

"She's so fucking cute," she mutters close to my ear and I grin. She is pretty cute for a kid. And I don't even like kids.

"Hey, do I know you?" the woman says, and for a minute I don't realise she's talking to me.

"Sorry?" I reply, raising my voice so she can hear me. She jumps down from the stage and the noise in the hall begins to die down.

"Have we met before? I recognise you." I frown, shaking my head; although she does look familiar for some reason. "No, I swear I know you."