Rock Chick 06 Reckoning (52 page)

Lana’s eyes came to me.

She smiled and said, “Yeah, she is.”

Wow.

This was good.

Way good.

Happy shiver good.

I smiled back at Lana.

“Oh crap. I’m gonna cry,” Indy blurted, her hands coming up and she started fanning her face.

Duke slid his arm along Indy’s shoulders and I moved toward Lana. As I did, she stepped toward me, her hands coming up in front of her. I took them and she held on tight.

coming up in front of her. I took them and she held on tight.

“I’m scared to death,” she told me.

I squeezed her hands and admitted, “Me too.” She started laughing, it was just as melodic as her voice and it washed over me like soothing water.

Chloe approached and I smel ed her perfume, it was a sophisticated floral scent that was like smel ing heaven.

One of Lana and my hands unlocked and both of us reached out to Chloe and she grabbed on tight.

Holding their hands and taking them in, I thought that maybe Preston Mason wasn’t the Supreme Asshole of Al Time. Instead, he had to be the Stupidest Man on the Face of This Earth.

“Thank you for asking me to come,” Chloe said, her face stil wet with tears.

“Thank you for coming,” I said back.

“I’d do anything for Kai,” she told me softly.

I swal owed the tears that climbed up my throat and squeezed her hand too.

The door flew open, Lana, Chloe and my hands detached and we al jerked toward the door. Pong was pushing in, behind him was Leo and I could see Buzz and Hugo pul ing up the rear.

“Oh shit. Double, double, toil and trouble. Mace is fucked,” Pong announced, eyes on Lana, Chloe and I.

Hugo pushed in and slapped Pong up the backside of his head. “Shut up, Pong.”

“Dude, you total y agree with me,” Pong replied.

“We’re here to give you moral support,” Leo said, eyes on me.

Moral support from The Gypsies.

That I did not need.

“Why don’t you give me moral support in the form of finding out what’s taking Tex so long with that tequila?” I suggested.

“Don’t need tequila. I got a doobie in my guitar case,” Leo replied.

“Leo!” Buzz snapped. “Maybe these fine ladies don’t smoke dope.”

“Ever a time to start, this is it,” Hugo muttered.

I looked at the ceiling then I looked at Lana and Chloe.

“This is my band, The Blue Moon Gypsies, Buzz, Leo, Pong and Hugo. I think you’ve already met Floyd.” I indicated each as I said their names. “Except for Floyd, they’re lunatics. Take no notice of them.”

“Bitch, your tee is the shit,” Pong informed Lana, proving me right.

“Thank you. I like it,” Lana said, her lips forming her son’s beautiful smile which she directed at Pong.

“Don’t cal Mace’s Mom a bitch,” Buzz snapped and came forward, hand up, smiling the smile that made a thousand groupies cream their pants. “Ladies, nice to meet you.”

Pong, Hugo and Leo learned to mind their manners for just long enough to greet Mace’s Moms.

While they did so, Floyd got close to me.

“You okay Stel a Bel a?” he asked softly in my ear.

“No,” I replied.

His arm slid around my waist and he said, “Proud of you.”

I closed my eyes.

When they opened them again, I was a lot more okay than I’d been for days.

I leaned into him, put my arm around his waist and my head on his shoulder.

My eyes moved to Buzz and I whispered, “How’s Buzz?”

“We had a talk on the drive home. This may sound funny but I think the funeral was good, closure. Her folks are good people and they knew Buzz tried to take care of her. You could tel they were grateful.” I nodded and sighed and Floyd went on, “Stil , he’s a little lost without Linnie but I think he’s gonna be okay.”

I gave his waist a squeeze right before the door opened again and everyone in the room jumped and turned toward it.

Hector and Shirleen were walking in with Dixon Jones.

Shitsofuckit.

This is just your life, your career, your world,
my brain said to me.
No reason for you to be nervous.

Why are you such a pain in the ass?
I asked.

It’s the job of every neurotic artist to have a brain that
tortures them,
my brain answered.

Well, fuck off,
I demanded

Then to Dixon I said, “Hey.”

I moved forward, my eyes going from Dixon to Hector who gave me a nod then to Shirleen who was watching me closely and back to Dixon. “Glad you could make it,” I finished.

We shook hands.

“Would you like to meet the band?” I asked.

Shirleen shouldered close. “No time for that. Who knows what’s gonna happen? Could be snipers. Could be time bombs. We gotta get down to business.” She turned to Dixon. “Let’s go, times wastin’. What you got to say to my girl?”

Dixon looked at Shirleen then me. From what he said it appeared he, too, didn’t want to waste any time. “Feel like headin’ to the studio?”

I got that freaky thril that was half terror, half elation, bit my lip and looked at Floyd. Then I looked at Hugo then Pong then Leo and final y Buzz.

Then my eyes went back to Dixon and I said, “Yeah.” Dixon looked at Leo and Buzz. “You boys got enough new material to fil a CD?”

“Sure,” Buzz said. “But we’re The Gypsies. We gotta do a couple covers.”

“No covers. We do new shit,” Hugo put in.

“Dude, we so have to lay down ‘Ghostriders’ at least. I’m thinkin’ ‘Sister Golden Hair’ too,” Pong decided.

“Not ‘Sister Golden Hair’, ‘La Grange’, we kick ‘La Grange’ in the ass,” Leo demanded.

“’La Grange’! We do covers, we ain’t recordin’ ‘La Grange’ before we record ‘Ain’t No Easy Way’,” Hugo snapped.

Maybe I should have intervened but I didn’t. Dixon Jones had to know what he was getting himself into.

He did.

Pong, Buzz and Leo had al opened their mouths to speak but Dixon got there before them.

“‘Ghostriders’,” he said decisively and his eyes cut to me. “And we’l talk to Joel’s people, get permission for Stel a to do ‘And So It Goes’.”

“Righteous,” Al y breathed.

“You bring papers?” Hector asked Dixon and he nodded.

“In the car. I’l give them to you but you get someone who knows what they’re doin’ to look at them.” For a second, I felt relief. It wasn’t unusual for hungry new artists to get fucked in the signing process but it didn’t seem that was Dixon’s gig.

My relief disintegrated when I got a look at the scorching hot glare Hector was directing at Dixon. His glare said he wasn’t used to anyone taking him for a fool and he didn’t like it much.

Dixon caught it too and took a smal step back. He decided (wisely) to change the subject.

“How soon can you get them into the studio?” he asked Hector.

“What studio we talkin’ ‘bout?” Shirleen asked Dixon.

“Our set up in LA,” Dixon answered. “Black Fat’l pick up al expenses. They’l have rooms at the Chateau Marmont while they’re workin’.”

Effing hel but he wasn’t messing around.

Al expense paid trip to LA staying at the Chateau Effing Marmont?

Jim Morrison stayed at the Chateau Marmont, dangled from a drain-pipe there, hurt his back.

And Led Zeppelin rode their motorcycles through the effing lobby.

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of Pong, Hugo and Leo at the Chateau Marmont. The only thing that made me feel better was that I heard somewhere the hotel was supposed to be earthquake proof which meant The Gypsies couldn’t destroy it.

And if Zeppelin could ride their motorcycles through the lobby, the staff probably wouldn’t blink at the shenanigans of The Gypsies.

“Kick fuckin’ ass!” Pong shouted, hands up in the air in a devil’s horns “rock on” gesture.

Hector delivered the buzz kil . “Stel a doesn’t step foot out of Denver until she’s safe.”

“Dude, you guys could provide security for Springsteen and the entire fuckin’ E Street Band,” Leo whined. “You could get us to LA.”

“You’re not goin’ anywhere until Stel a’s safe,” Hector said in a tone that made Leo snap his mouth shut.

“Agreed,” Dixon put in readily.

Hector nodded to Dixon, turned and pointed to me.

“Backstage fuckin’ passes.” Then he looked back to Dixon and said, “Let’s go to your car.”

Then they were gone.

Everyone stared at the door.

“What just happened?” Chloe asked Lana quietly.

“I’m not sure,” Lana replied.

“Nothin’ much,” Daisy declared nonchalantly and then turned to Chloe and Lana and screeched. “Just that our girl and her band are about to get signed by a red-hot record label!” She threw her hands in the air and shouted, “
Yee
ha!
”

“Holy crap, now I real y think I’m gonna cry. God damn it!” Indy yel ed, back to fanning her face.

“I’m already crying!” Roxie wailed and it was true.

Lana smiled at me. “Oh sweetie, that’s great!”

“It’s not great, it’s righteous!” Al y screamed.

“Rock ‘n’ rol !” Ava shouted, hands up, doing her own devil’s horns.

Everybody started jumping up and down, screaming, shouting and hugging.

“Champagne, we need champagne!” Daisy squealed right before the door opened.

Mace and Lee stood there.

The room went stil .

Effing
hell
.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it), I was standing next to Lana, my arm around her shoulders, hers was around my waist.

The minute she saw Mace, her body went solid and her fingers dug in.

Everyone was silent.

Mace’s eyes were locked on his Mom.

I held my breath.

His gaze unlocked and sliced to Chloe.

I heard Chloe suck in breath.

Then his eyes cut to me.

Oh dear.

I gave Lana a squeeze.

“Babe?” I cal ed to Mace. “We got some special guests tonight otherwise known as Bogey One.”

I saw his jaw grow tight and then I watched as his tongue traced his teeth behind closed lips.

For your information, I did not take this as a good sign.

I saw Vance and Luke behind Lee. Luke entered the room. Vance leaned in, grabbed the doorknob and shut the door, him behind it. Lee and Luke positioned themselves in front of it.

My eyes moved back to Mace and he’d twisted his torso to watch this. Lee put his hands to his hips. Luke crossed his arms on his chest. Both men’s eyes were leveled on Mace.

Wel , one thing was certain, the Rock Chicks took their assignments seriously. They’d done everything I asked to the letter.

Mace turned back toward me.

“Kai? Sweetie?” Lana cal ed in her soft voice.

Mace closed his eyes but, even so, you could see the pain slash through his face at hearing his mother’s voice.

“Maybe we should give them privacy,” Jules whispered.

Mace’s eyes opened and cut to her, pain gone, fury in its place.

Shit!

“Don’t you fuckin’ move,” he growled.

Jules went stil and so did everyone else.

“Mace,” Lee spoke low behind him.

Mace looked over his shoulder at Lee. His voice was dangerous when he said, “You wanted a show? You’l get a show.”

Lana tried to take a step back but my arm went tight around her.

“Mace look at me,” I demanded.

He didn’t delay. His eyes cut to me and I thought I might melt under the heat of his glare.

“You arrange this?” he clipped.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Why the fuck would you do that?”

I looked toward Duke. He pressed his lips together and nodded his head.

My gaze returned to Mace. “Because Caitlin would have wanted it.”

The air in the room went so thick it was like we were breathing soup. Chunky soup, with bits of carrot and celery in it, enough to make you choke.

It took everything I had but I ignored the chunky air.

“You did what you had to do for her,” I said quickly. “Now I’m doing what she’d do if she was here. She wouldn’t want you tortured by those demons in your head. She’d want to chase them away. She’s not around to do that so I figure, since you said she’d like me with you then she’d give that job to me. I took it. I’m going to chase them away.” I let go of Lana and moved toward Mace. He stood frozen, scary frozen. Not like he was in shock, like he was holding his body stil so he wouldn’t hurt someone.

I didn’t let that faze me as I moved toward him until we were toe-to-toe.

I tilted my head back to look at him and rested my hands lightly on his chest. I felt his heart beating hard and fast under my hand.

This frightened me but I pushed on. “And don’t tel me I don’t know what I’m talking about. I know you didn’t want me to but I’ve seen the papers, Mace. I saw the photos of her. I saw the photo of her with you. She loved her brother.

She’d want you to be happy. You need your family.

Everyone in this room is your family. Everyone’s here because they care about you.” I hesitated, smiled and then said, “Wel , except maybe Pong and Hugo. They’re here because there’s usual y free beer in The Rose’s dressing room.”

I was trying to be funny, cut the tension.

It didn’t work.

Mace stared at me. I stared back.

Mace’s stare got scarier. So much scarier it scared me but I took it and stared back.

There was movement at our side. Mace and my heads turned and Chloe was there.

She lifted her hand as if she was going to touch Mace.

His eyes moved to her hand and they narrowed so she dropped it.

She took in a breath and held it, on the exhale she said,