Brandilyn Collins - Always Watching

always
watching

For the real Brittany

ZONDERVAN

always watching
Copyright 2009 by Brandilyn Collins

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

Mobi Edition June 2009 ISBN: 0-310-57841-8

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Collins, Brandilyn.
Always watching / by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins.
p. cm. (Rayne Tour series ; bk. 1)
Summary: When a frightening murder occurs after one of her famous mothers rock concerts, sixteen-year-old Shayley tries to help the police find the killer and to determine whether her long-lost father has some connection to the crime.
ISBN 978-0-310-71539-9
[1. MurderFiction. 2. Single-parent familiesFiction. 3. Rock groupsFiction.
4. FameFiction. 5. Mystery and detective stories.] I. Collins, Amberly. II. Title.
PZ7.C692Al 2009
[Fic]dc22

2008039515

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible , New International Version . NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80920, www.alivecommunications.com.

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Contents

Dear Reader,

When Zondervan asked if wed like to collaborate as mother and daughter on a suspense series, we jumped at the chance. Before long our idea for the Rayne Tour Series was born. We both love music. And what better way to use our real-life experiences in at-tending concerts together than to write about a rock group?

We have pictures of us attending concerts going way back to when Amberly was in junior high. We always try to buy seats close to the front. We leap to our feet and scream and clap along with everyone else. We know what that crowd experience is like. The excitement, the energy. What would it be like, we wondered, to be backstage? To be a teenage girl with a rock star for a mom? All the money and fame and traveling. Is that kind of life pure fun and adventure or does it bring challenges the rest of us never even think about?

And then what if you threw a murder into the mix?

Our research for this first book in the series took us backstage at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. On that private tour we saw what the crowd doesnt see the stage entrance, the dressing rooms, the special building exit for the performers. We heard stories about specific foods and furniture that musicians have requested in their contracts. We learned about security something Shaley OConnor is about to need more than ever...

As you read this story, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our shoutlife page at www.shoutlife.com/theraynetour.

~Brandilyn and Amberly Collins

I ts not my fault I have to kill.

Hed been watching since the tour began. Eyes straight ahead, keeping cool, like he wasnt even paying attention. But he noticed everything. Even got a sense for what was happening be-hind his back. His past life had taught him how to do that out of necessity. When it was something bad, he felt a vibration in the air, pulling up the hair on his arms. And hed know. Hed just know .

Sometimes he acted behind the scenes. Nothing that would be noticed. Just ended up in a certain place at a certain time a presence that kept the wrong thing from happening. Other times hed say what needed to be heard. Real casual, not sounding like a threat at all. No, he was just talking, shooting the breeze about some previous experience. But beneath the words thered be a point: dont cross me or mine .

Sometimes people were too dumb to get it. Hed give them every chance, trying to be the nice guy. Trying to do it the easy way. But no. Those kinds of people had stubborn minds and black hearts. Couldnt be trusted. They were headed for a fall and about to take some good people with them. His people.

Thats what it had come to now.

Hey, can I see you a sec before you go? He motioned, and the one who must die came, humming.

Humming .

Like a lamb to slaughter.

T he screams of twenty thousand people sizzled in my ears.

Rayne, you reign! Rayne, you reign! Rayne, you reign! At the sold-out HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, the crowd chanted and clapped and stomped for my moms group, Rayne named after her to do one more song before they left the stage. As usual I stood backstage with Tom Hutchens, my moms twenty-five-year-old hairdresser and makeup artist and my closest friend on tour. Tom was short and slim, with thick black hair and an intense-looking face that didnt match his crazy personality at all.

Tom feigned the pucker of a hip-hop artist and splayed his fingers in front of his red T-shirt. Yo, she reign, they go insane! He had to shout at me, his Vans-clad feet dancing. Tom always wore these wild-looking sneakers with blue, white, and red checks and a red racing stripe on the sides. Aint nothin plain about rockin Rayne!

I punched him in the arm, laughing. His silly rap rhymes were getting worse by the day.

With her blonde hair bouncing, Mom came flying down the steps on the way to her private dressing room for the two-minute break. Sweat shone on her forehead as she passed by. She flashed her red-lipped grin at me and raised a palm. We high-fived as she sped past.

They love us, Shaley!

Course, Mom, they always do!

The rest of the rock group Kim, Morrey, Rich, and Stan descended more slowly, their faces showing fatigue. None of them had the energy of my mother after a concert. Tom and I gave them a quick thumbs-up before scurrying after Mom.

As we hit the dressing room with Rayne OConnors name on the door, I checked my watch. 10:45. Yay! Almost time to head to the airport and pick up my best friend, Brittany. I hadnt seen her since Rayne started touring three months ago, and I couldnt wait to be with her again. This was Raynes third tour, and I always found it hard to leave all my school friends behind.

Without Tom to keep me laughing, touring would be terribly lonely.

I walked in and closed the dressing room door, shutting out some of the noise.