Rock Chick 06 Reckoning (31 page)

Al y’s face fil ed my vision.

“You with us, Stel a?” she asked.

“No,” I replied.

“Okay, maybe we should quit talking about The Rock.” I heard Shirleen give in.

My eyes moved to Al y. She was on her hands, leaning over me.

“What was in the paper?” I asked.

Her head came up and she looked over her shoulder.

There was a weird noise made by one of the Rock Chicks, which one I didn’t know.

Al y moved out of my eyesight but sat down beside me as I lifted up to sitting position.

Everyone was again silent.

Oh dear.

Final y, Daisy answered, “Wel , the whole thing is out.

Indy and Lee, Jet and Eddie, Roxie and Hank, Jules and Vance, Luke and Ava. Someone talked. I don’t know how they flew under the radar this long but it’s out now. The whole thing. There’s a three-piece exposé about the whole Rock Chick on Hot Bunch experience. Today’s piece was the first one; they did Indy and Lee, Jet and Eddie. They’re gonna fol ow you and Mace as it goes along.” I stared at her.

She caught my stare and went on, trying to make me feel better (but failing). “If it’s any comfort, sugar, they got a great picture of Mace carrying you out of the club last night.

You can’t see much of you but your ass but Mace sure looks good.”

That’s when I said, “You… are… fucking…
shitting
…

me.”

“I stil wanna know who spil ed,” Ava noted, clearly not recognizing my immense freak out.

“I’m guessing Tex,” Al y said.

“Uncle Tex wouldn’t talk. I’m thinking Duke. Duke can have a big mouth,” Roxie replied.

“No way it’s Duke,” Indy put in.

“Tod?” Jet asked hesitantly.

“Tod’s a definite possibility,” Indy said, crossing her arms.

I was looking from one to the other, thinking that they were focusing on the wrong thing.

“How about May, do you think May might say something?ght say Al y asked Jules.

Jules sighed then nodded.

I’d had enough. “Who cares who did it! We have enough to worry about, someone wants us al dead. And Mace and I just had a very unhappy conversation,
very
unhappy, where he was about to let me in and instead of getting a piece of him, I threw it in his face. And he told me that was the only chance I was going to get. And, I repeat, I threw it in his face! I don’t want a chance but I do! I don’t want to care that I might have hurt him by not listening to what he had to say but I think I did, and furthermore, I think I care. Effing bloody hel , my life’s a shambles. I don’t know what to think!

What the hel do I do now?”

“He was going to let you in?” Jet asked softly, her eyes on me were intense and they scared me a little bit.

I nodded.

“And you didn’t let him?” Roxie went on.

I tore my eyes away from Jet’s scary-intense ones and nodded again at Roxie.

“Sugar, why’d you do a fool thing like that?” Daisy demanded to know, hands back to hips.

“I don’t know! People are shooting at me. Mace is effing with my head. Linnie’s dead. I’m on the front page of the paper. A journalist I don’t even know because I stil haven’t seen a paper is going to fol ow this fucked up shit between Mace and me. And a scout from a very good label told me he’s been coming to my shows. I’m not thinking straight,” I replied.

“Oh, speakin’ of that scout, he’s comin’ to the gig this afternoon,” Shirleen put in, I felt my heart seize as my eyes cut to her.

“What?” I asked.

“Yeah. He’s into you.
Way
into you. We’re talking deal,” Daisy informed me.

Deal?

Daisy and Shirleen were talking
deal?

With
my
band?

They couldn’t talk deal.

Only I could talk deal.

Effing hel .

My eyes moved to Daisy and my breath moved to Idaho.

“What?” I repeated a word that I beginning to hate.

“Deal,” Shirleen took over. “Hector knows someone who knows someone who knows what he’s talkin’ about in the music business. Hector talked to him and he’s got the lingo.

This Dixon Jones guy thinks Hector’s the shit, because, wel , he
is
the shit. You shoulda seen him. It was like he did it for a living.”

I opened my mouth then closed it then opened it again and said, “I met Hector a few days ago.”

“Wel , Dixon Jones thinks we’re your managers with Hector being Top Dog,” Daisy explained.

My brain thought about the idea that an A&R man from Black Fat Records would think The Blue Moon Gypsies needed
three
managers with two of them being Shirleen and Daisy and swiftly rejected that idea as seriously unpalatable and spit it right back out.

“Hector’s a private detective,” I said stupidly, going for denial.

“We know that and you know that but Dixon Jones thinks he’s a shit-hot music biz type. We’re lookin’ at studio time,” Shirleen replied.

Oh.

My.

God.

“Studio,” I whispered.

“Yeah, recordin’ studio,” Shirleen told me, like I didn’t know.

“That is fuckin’
phat!
” Annette shouted.

I turned to Al y. “Do you think, if I walk outside, someone wil shoot me?”

“It’s a possibility,” Al y told me.

“Then that’s my next move,” I replied and stood up.

“
You can’t get shot!
Dixon is meeting with you and the band after your gig at The Little Bear,” Daisy screeched.

It was then my brain thought about the idea of any scout It was then my brain thought about the idea of any scout having a meeting with my band, who were likely to do something immensely stupid and it regurgitated that thought too. Fast.

“He’s not meeting the band,” I said.

“He is and you are too,” Shirleen returned.

“Okay, you think maybe I can have a moment to process al that is fucked up with my life before it gets fucked up even more?” I snapped at Shirleen.

“Ain’t no time to process, girl. This is life. Rol with the changes,” Shirleen retorted.

“Don’t quote REO Speedwagon at me!” I yel ed.

“This page is done, sugar, you got to turn the page,” Daisy got close.

“Okay, now you’re quoting Bob Seger,” I clipped. “And you’re not al owed to do that either.”

Daisy turned confused eyes to Indy. “I thought I was stil quoting REO.”

“Maybe we should stop talking in Rock Speak and help Stel a to deal with this issue with Mace,” Jet cut in.

“Ain’t no time for that, we got a gig to get to,” Shirleen said, as if she’d been going to gigs with me for years rather than a few days. “And anyway, Vance and Matt are waitin’

outside and Vance ain’t gonna be happy if we hang out forever. He was doin’ Jules a favor, bringing us over here, he said he’s got shit to do.”

“No, Shirleen, real y, we should deal with –” Jet pushed but I interrupted her.

I did this by shouting, so loudly I didn’t hear the door opening and Mace coming in. “Oh shit! The gig! The opening and Mace coming in. “Oh shit! The gig! The equipment’s stil at the Pal adium, Mace has to set up the security detail, effing hel !”

“It’s covered,” Mace’s deep voice announced, I jumped in surprise and everyone turned their eyes to him.

He unhooked the leash from Juno’s col ar and Juno moved to me slowly, giving head butts and sniffs to Rock Chicks as she passed.

I looked at Mace and knew with a glance he was stil pissed.

“What’s covered?” I asked cautiously.

His eyes came to mine. “Everything. Shirleen’s got Roam and Sniff helpin’ the band move the equipment.

Luke’s in charge of the security detail and he’s already arranged it with The Little Bear. You’re good,” he told me, I took a moment to wonder who the ef Roam and Sniff were then he finished. “Now, I’m takin’ a shower.” Shirleen got a huge grin on her face at the idea of Mace taking a shower. The rest of The Rock Chicks shuffled uncomfortably because they knew they shouldn’t be there but in a one room apartment, there was nowhere else to be.

I moved toward Mace as he came at me to get to the bathroom.

I put out my hand, caught his forearm and said, “Mace, we need to talk.”

He stopped, looked at my hand then at me, face hard, voice low and vibrating with anger. “Done talkin’, babe.” Sharp, hard gut kick.

Effing hel .

My hand dropped, he kept moving, entered the My hand dropped, he kept moving, entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

I stared at the door.

The Rock Chicks stared at the door.

We heard the shower go on.

“Oowee,” Shirleen whispered reverently.

“Time to go,” Jules announced.

“Stel a –” Jet said.

“Time to go,” Indy was staring pointedly at Jet.

Jet stared back.

Indy jerked her head once toward the door.

Jet jerked hers back but this looked like it was to communicate a negative.

I got the feeling they were having a conversation without words but I didn’t want to know what they were saying.

What I wanted to know was what Mace was thinking.

Shitsofuckit!

He was screwing with my head without even
trying
to screw with my head.

Or maybe I was screwing with my own head.

Juno shoved her nose in my bel y, a hard to miss doggie cry for breakfast.

“Okay, baby, breakfast,” I told her, giving her a behind the ears scratch.

Her tongue lol ed out happily.

On that, Al y gave me an arm squeeze. “Later Stel a.”

“See you at the gig,” Ava cal ed on a wave.

“We didn’t get any coffee,” Annette noted then, at a look from Roxie, she gave up on coffee, smiled at me and gave me a peace sign.

“We’l talk later,” Jet promised on her own wave.

“Knock ‘em dead,” Jules said.

“Don’t forget the meeting,” Shirleen warned.

“Bring the band,” Daisy reminded me.

“Hang in there,” Roxie cal ed before blowing me a kiss.

Only Indy got close and gave me a hug.

“You’l be al right and he’l be al right. I promise. No bul shit. Everything wil be al right,” she whispered in my ear then pul ed away and looked in my eyes. “Yeah?” she finished softly.

“Yeah,” I replied, even though I didn’t believe her, I wanted to.

She touched her cheek to mine and whispered, “Later, girl.”

Then al the Rock Chicks were gone.

I made my dog breakfast and poured myself a coffee but al the while I did it, my head was in the shower.

Therefore, when Mace got out of the shower, I was standing in the kitchen, a half-drunk cup of coffee in my hand, Juno’s heavy body lying on my feet and my eyes were on the door.

I watched as he moved toward his bags, pul ed out some fresh clothes and then yanked off the towel. I held my breath at the sight of him but I didn’t get a very long look. He dressed in record time and walked back to the bathroom.

I stayed where I was, a feeling of dread stealing over me.

Something was not right and it was more than its usual under-threat-of-being-murdered not right.

Mace came back out, tossed his boots by the platform, shoved his clothes in his bag, pul ed out a pair of socks and then zipped the bag closed.

Oh yes.

Something was not right.

That feeling of dread grew.

He sat on the platform again to put on his socks and boots.

“Mace –” I started, what I was going to say, I didn’t know but I didn’t get the chance.

“The boys’l cover you today,” he told me, not looking up from what he was doing.

“Mace –”

“I’l have my shit outta here by the time you get back.” I felt my mouth fil with saliva, that feeling of dread building and spreading so fast I was paralyzed.

I fought the paralysis and whispered, “Mace –” yet again.

“I’l cal Turner and tel him he’s up.”

My hand not holding the coffee cup came down and gripped the counter.

“Eric?” I asked.

Mace stood and looked at me. “You know another Turner?”

I shook my head even though I probably did. I knew a lot of people.

Mace put his tongue to his teeth and gave a sharp whistle.

Juno shot up, trotted to him and Mace bent over and gave her a ful doggie rubdown.

A final,
farewell
ful doggie rubdown.

This isn’t right,
my brain sounded panicked and confused.

“Mace –” I started again.

Mace stopped rubbing Juno down and headed toward his bag.

“Stay wel , Stel a,” he said, not looking at me, bending to his bag and lifting up, throwing the strap over his shoulder and turning to the door.

Oh my God, this isn’t right!
My brain screamed.

I had to do something. Anything. And I had to do it quick.

“I broke my arm when I was twelve. Fel off my bike,” I blurted.

Mace stopped on his way to the door. His side to me, he only turned his head when he looked at me.

I swal owed. “When I got home, my Mom was gone, I don’t know where. My Dad was the only one there.” Mace didn’t move and didn’t speak.

My breath wasn’t taking a hike, it was coming fast and scared. Al thoughts of wanting Mace out of my life were gone.

Poof.

Vanished.

“Dad didn’t –” I began but Mace interrupted me by shaking his head.

“Too late,” he told me and my stomach clenched.

“Let me finish,” I whispered, Mace shook his head but I kept talking. “My arm was hanging funny, it hurt so much I thought I’d pass out from the pain. You’d think that’s al I thought I’d pass out from the pain. You’d think that’s al I would remember –”