Between a Rock and a Hard Place (44 page)

“I know it’s only funny now because we made amends, but he was so easy to rile up.  It was so easy to push his buttons.”  She looked off to the side in thought.  “He surprised me, though, with his quick retorts.  I may have won most of the sexual games we played, but I don’t think I won any of our verbal arguments.”

It was more of a shock to Tommy than a surprise.  Jessi was hard to outsmart or outtalk.  She was articulate and made her opinions clear.  She knew how to argue a point.  She was a fast talker and quick on the rebuttal.  Tommy always knew Angel was smart, but he never thought he was a match for Jessi’s quick wit.

Jessi tossed the strap-on aside and snuggled back down on the rug in Tommy’s arms.  They quietly stared at the ceiling together.  The bright light above could have easily been the blaring sun and the soft, furry rug mimicked a lush grassy field.  They didn’t need to be lying in a sunlit meadow, paradise was right here on the floor of Jessi’s closet.

Chapter Forty-One

A week later they were on a plane to Vienna.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Angel saw Damien’s discernable figure lingering outside the door to their hotel room.  Damien turned in their direction and made quick strides down the hallway to meet them.

It was rare that you saw a light, a genuine glow, behind Damien’s pensive eyes, accompanied by the even more elusive smile.  Damien stopped and stared at Angel and Tommy, hesitant about initiating physical affection.  “It’s good to have my brothers back again, where they belong.”

It was Angel who reached out for the hug, which Damien returned with surprising strength.  Out of everyone who would be hurt from the band’s demise, it was Damien who stood to lose the most.  The band was his salvation.  It was his safe place, and it’s what kept him centered while he was struggling with sobriety.

Tommy slapped Damien’s hand, pulled him in for a one-shoulder hug, and gave him a healthy pat on the back.

Damien turned to Jessi and his eyes hardened a bit.  “Don’t leave without sayin’ goodbye.”  She flinched when Damien grabbed her chin and placed an unexpected quick, but forceful, kiss on her cheek.  “C’mon.  Everyone’s waiting in the room.”

Angel didn’t expect a welcoming committee, wearing smiles as big as a child’s on Christmas morning.  Although, not everyone was there to greet them.  Angus was missing, and so was Jimmy.

Alyssa was the first to approach them and she went straight to Jessi.  “Next time tell your best friend that you’re leaving.  I woke up and you were gone.  You wouldn’t answer your phone and left me cryptic one and two word texts.”  She stuck her thumb towards Tommy and Angel.  “I almost got on the plane with these two to find out what was going on.”

“I’m sorry.  I had to leave before I changed my mind.  There was so much I needed to take care of at home, and I needed to be there in person to do it.  I’ll tell you all about it later.”

Audra’s reception was much more pleasant.  She hugged Angel so tight he thought he broke a rib.  “Thank God you’re here!” she exclaimed.  “I finally get my dream job of working with Immortal Angel and you desert me.  This band is too good, Angel.  Don’t throw it all away.”

Audra hugged Jessi next.  “I knew you could never stay away from this band any more than I could.  We’re going to have fun on the rest of this tour.  I just wish Kira would hurry up and get here.  She’s going to join us later in the tour for a few days.  It’s going to be like old times in Brooklyn.”

“Welcome back.”  Marissa eyed them with a mixture of relief and annoyance.  “I’m very happy to see that you worked out your personal problems, so we can move forward with this band and the tour.  Let me give you a piece of advice.  Don’t let the pressures of fame interfere with you private life.  Neither one is worth losing, so try to find the balancing point.”  She picked up her briefcase, placed it on the table and pulled out a stack of papers.  “Let’s go over your story.  It’s complicated, so pay attention.”

There was a story?  Angel’s stomach tightened.  He hated lying, especially to someone as unforgiving as Mr. Abelman.

Marissa handed them each a sheet of paper.  It was their revised tour schedule.  “Mr.  Abelman is unaware that you walked out in the middle of the tour.  He’d have your contract if he did, so we needed to come up with a reason why you two were in New York.  Since the venue here in Vienna had a fire code infraction, and coincidentally, both venues in Switzerland had an unforeseen conflict and needed to reschedule, you two decided to go home for a few days.”

Marissa threw the rest of the papers back into her briefcase.  “I’ve continually put my ass on the line for this band.  I’ve been doing this job for over ten years and I’ve never worked with such a bunch of self-destructive artists before.  I’d swear you want to hang yourselves.  I can’t keep covering for you, so you’d better get your act together.”  She returned her attention to her briefcase and started shuffling through its contents.  “This band is going to give me gray hair.”

Angel listened to Audra read off the list of the band’s new tour dates.  He wondered about her involvement in the ploy about their whereabouts and the mysterious show cancellations.  Conspiring with their publicist to deceive executives at the label was bad enough, but implicating the boss’ daughter was the kiss of death and highly unethical.  Angel put his hand up to interrupt her.  “Wait.  What exactly did you do? Why did those venues really reschedule?”

Audra slowly blinked.  “I know a lot of people in this business, Angel.  Kira and I spent our summers in Europe when we were in college.  My last name enables me to do quite a few favors for people who need them, and those people are very grateful.”  She folded her arms across her chest.  “I used up a lot of those return favors this week.”

This was bad.  If Mr. Abelman found out he was being deceived, he would crucify all of them.  “I don’t like this, Audra.  You could get into a lot of trouble.  And what about Angus?  How do you know he’s not going to confess and sell everybody out for his own benefit?”

“My father isn’t going to find out.  Those people who partook of the favors have much more to lose than we do.  And don’t worry about Angus.  I can handle him.”

“How?  I don’t trust him.  He could use this information as leverage to get in good with your father.”

“Why do you think Angus is riding your ass so hard?  He wants the vice president position at Falcon Records UK.  My father assigned him to Immortal Angel because he thinks you’re unmanageable.  If Angus pulls off this tour successfully, he’s guaranteed that job.  My recommendation can very easily sway that decision one way or the other, and I made that very clear to Angus. Besides, how do you think my father would react if one of the potentially biggest moneymakers in the history of Falcon Records disbanded because Angus pushed you too hard? Angus would be out of a job.  He won’t give you any more trouble.”

Audra’s transformation to hardcore business executive was astounding.  It was still a risky move with the potential for severe consequences, and it made Angel very nervous.  Mr.  Abelman would, no doubt, forgive his daughter, but Marissa was involved and it could ruin her career.  “It’s too complex.”

She shrugged.  “It’s already done.”

“Wait a minute.”  Tommy interrupted them.  “Where the hell is Jimmy?”

Marissa held up the folded newspaper that she retrieved from her briefcase.  “That’s problem number 365.  Jimmy Wilder.  He’s been going off the deep end since you’ve been gone.  The paparazzi have been calling him ‘Wild Child’ referencing a Jim Morrison connection.”

Tommy took the paper from her hand and Angel and Jessi leaned in to read it.  There was a photo of Jimmy with a Jack Daniel’s bottle in one hand and a gorgeous blonde in the other.

The caption read,
Immortal Angel Drummer And Notorious Playboy, Jimmy “Wild Child” Wilder, Parties In Prague While Garcia And Blade Return To America To Put Finishing Touches On New Album.

Angel didn’t know which was more upsetting, Jimmy’s philandering or the paparazzi already announcing their new, unfinished album.

“I tried to talk to him about his drinking when we started the tour,” Damien said.  “He was out of control in Hong Kong.  It seemed to level off when we got to Europe, but he’s barely been sober since you left.”

“Where the fuck is he?” Angel asked.

Damien shook his head and shrugged.  “I told him this morning what time to be here, and he was already hittin’ the sauce.”

As if on cue, Jimmy’s rat-a-tat on the door signaled his arrival.  He stunk of alcohol and a curl from his pompadour hung down on his forehead.  “Sorry I’m late.”  He flashed his dazzling smile.  “I had a beautiful redhead to take care of.”  He straightened up as soon as he saw Audra.  “I mean, I just had some business to take care of.  I’m here and I’m ready.”

Jimmy gave Angel and Tommy a pungent bear hug.  “I knew you’d be back.”  He kissed Jessi on the cheek.  “Missed ya, Jess.  You did a great job takin’ care of us.”  He strolled over to Audra, wearing the famous charismatic Jimmy smile that made the girls fawn over him, and slid his arm around her shoulder.  “You gonna have to keep a close eye on me.  I tend to misplace little things, like my passport.”  He winked at her.  “Stay close, babe.”

Jimmy’s playful innuendo with Audra didn’t sit well with Angel, and he pulled him away from her.  “Let’s get you caught up with the itinerary, and Goddammit Jimmy, lay off the fucking alcohol.”

Jimmy spread his hands out to the side.  “The bottle’s down, man.  Whenever you want to get back to work on the album, I’m ready.”

Chapter Forty-Two

Milan was rich with culture and a fashion empire.  Jessi was in love with the city as soon as she set foot on the pavement.  She strolled toward Piazza del Duomo with Tommy and Angel, trying to absorb everything around her.  Up ahead, the cathedral, Duomo de Milano, proudly boasted its impressive steeples high into the sky.  It was magnificent.