by J J Cobban
Ｐｒｏｌｏｇｕｅ
Ｓｃｏｕｔ
“We need to stop the bleeding!” a woman was shaking my arm as she looked at the body beneath us, “Scout? Can you hear me?”
A tremor shot through me as I looked down at my blood-soaked hands.
What was happening? Why couldn’t I move? My brain was struggling to keep up with the commotion surrounding me.
“Scout!” A male voice suddenly jolted me from my panic fuelled daze. I looked up to see Jace shaking me and trying to get me to focus on what was happening around me.
“Scout, you need to press down here, if we don’t stop the bleeding he’s going to die,”
That was all it took to shock me back to reality and get me focused on the horrific task ahead of me. All it took to remind me that I had to be on top of my game.
“Okay.” I croaked, pressing my hands onto the blood-soaked body beneath me just as Jace had shown me. I was a tour manager, not a nurse, I had no idea what in the hell I was supposed to be doing so I followed the bassist’s lead.
“Where is everyone else?”
Jace shook his head as he checked for a pulse on the man we were trying to stabilise, “I have no idea. You two were the first people I reached. The whole venue is in chaos.”
It was only then I managed to look around the packed stadium and see the true extent of the carnage surrounding us. People were screaming and running towards the exits in a blind panic. While others were making it out of the stadium in a semi-safe, albeit still extremely panicked, manner there were many others being knocked over and trampled. A bitter taste filled my mouth as I witnessed the devastation all around us. My eyes flitted down to the man lying sprawled over the stage. Jace had removed his own shirt and was currently ripping it into strips that he could use as bandages for the man’s wounds. It seemed to be useless though. We weren’t doctors. We had no idea how to deal with a casualty like this.
I looked down once more and tried to remind myself that at that current moment in time, the man was a stranger to me. I had never laughed with him before, never shared a meal with him before and I’d sure as hell never gone out drinking and dancing with him.
I had to keep telling myself that.
If I forgot any of those things for even a second, I was liable to break.
“Jace!” The woman’s voice was back and it was only then that I realised it was Lacey. She dropped down beside the man’s head.
“I found the others, security is trying to get a handle on this but they want us out of here in case anything else happens.” Her voice was strained as she ran a hand through the man’s sweat soaked hair. A tear slipped down her cheek before she looked away.
“Go then.” Jace growled, tying one of the strips around the man’s waist, slowing another wound “I’m not leaving him here.”
“Jace-” Lacey croaked.
“I said go!” he snapped “I’m staying until the ambulance gets here. I’m not fucking leaving him in case that asshole comes back.” Lacey looked over to me, my hands were saturated in blood as I pressed onto the man’s shoulder. I shook my head at her.
“Go, Lace.” It felt like there was something lodged in my throat as I lost what little control I had over my emotions “Get yourself out of here, catch up to the others.”
Lacey nodded, more tears slipping down her cheeks, smearing the heavy eye-make-up I’d helped her put on earlier.
“Asshole? Now, now, that isn’t very nice,” My head snapped up as a voice that could only belong to the Devil interrupted us. Jace’s eyes widened as Lacey took an involuntary step backwards. Reality hit me like a sledge hammer as I took in the man’s dark blue eyes and thinning grey hair. I’d seen him before. I’d seen him before and hadn’t known who he was. No, not who. What he was.
He was pure evil.
“Maybe I should teach you some more manners.” The Devil laughed viciously as Jace got to his feet. Words lodged in my throat as my grip faltered on the body beneath me.
“Back off, fucker.” Jace threatened moving towards him.
“Make me, you jumped up little shit!” the Devil yelled pulling a gun from inside the pocket of his filthy jacket. Jace stopped in his tracks, holding his hands up. Lacey gasped and remained rooted to the spot and I sat silently praying that the ambulance would be here at any moment. I didn’t think we could hold on much longer.
“Put it down man.” Jace tried to reason, sensing the urgency of the situation.
“Oh, I’m gonna put it down alright,”
Then with no warning, no parting words, he swivelled the gun into the direction of the ground in front of me and pulled the trigger.
A scream I didn’t recognise as my own flew from my mouth as I threw myself down onto the bleeding, wound riddled man beneath me. After that it was like everything slowed down.
Lacey was pulling me over, searching for bullet holes as hot tears blurred my vision.
Was I shot? I didn’t feel like I was in any more pain than I had been moments before. I tried to move my hands and felt the panic surge when nothing happened. I tried again, ignoring whatever Lacey was trying to say to me. A small triumph ripped through me when my fingers twitched. I titled my head and watched in desperation as my hand slipped over to the body beside me. My fingers slipped over his palm, holding onto him with everything I had as sirens filled the stadium, lighting up the night sky with flashing blue lights.
“Scout?” Jace was suddenly beside me with tears glistening in his eyes, leaning over me with Lacey by his side “Scout?”
“I’m-” the words escaped me as a warmth seemed to slip up my body, starting from my toes and rising up my legs. My head fell to the side, taking in the person lying beside me.
Then just like falling asleep, everything disappeared into a sweet, never-ending nothingness.
Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｏｎｅ
Ｓｃｏｕｔ
Several Days Earlier
“I mean it, Scout,” My father repeated “Don’t take shit from any of them.”
I rolled my eyes at my father’s over protectiveness.
“Dad, this is not the first band I’ve manged on tour, remember? Granted I haven’t had as much experience as others but I’ve done well so far,” I sat myself down on the chair beside him and switched my phone to silent for the meeting we were about to have, “I can control a bunch of hormonal rockers without breaking a sweat.”
This didn’t seem to put him anymore at ease. Ritchie Tarrino was one of the most sought-after band managers in the industry and had worked with some of the biggest names in rock. He was nothing short of a wizard when it came to dealing with band crisis’ and media outbreaks. It was because of him that I’d chosen to become a tour manager. Watching him do the job he loved as I grew up was intoxicating. The enthusiasm and determination he put into his work was also brought over into his fathering abilities.
Despite his drive to take over the music industry my father had never missed a single milestone in my life. He was there for every school recital, he never missed a parent’s evening and he’d stood proudly at my college graduation. He’d been my rock throughout my entire life.
My mother had left us when I was still a baby. Motherhood had not been her thing and she’d told my father that. She’d been set on furthering her career, not taking care of a baby. They’d parted on semi-decent terms with the understanding that my father wouldn’t spew hateful shit about her to me and she wouldn’t interfere in our lives whenever she pleased. They’d kept both sides of the deal and I’d never suffered from their decision. So it was a win-win. There had been times growing up I wished I’d had a mother but those were fleeting moments that only lasted for a short time. I’d told my father about them a couple of times and he’
d offered to try and reach out to her but I’d never taken him up on the offer. My mother had owned up to the fact that being someone’s parent terrified her and she’d done what she thought was best. Who was I to question that? At least she’d had the decency to face up to her decision.
Now as I looked at my father, pacing the room quietly, I realised that unlike a lot of people, I’d never really suffered the absence of not having a mother. Sure, it had still hurt on occasion at special events. My graduation, Christmas and birthdays, for example. Then there was Mother’s Day which always brought with it a strange weighted feeling in my chest. It never lasted though. My mother had never been in the picture so it was hard to miss someone you’d never really known.
“Dad?” he stopped pacing and looked at me “you raised me to strive for the next milestone and that’s what I’m doing. Managing Ultimate Corruption and Rayne of Glory on tour is a big step in my career.”
My father stopped and rolled his eyes, “It’s not fair when you play the ‘you raised me right’ card, Scout.”
“Actually I said you raised me to be an ambitious motherfucker but whatever.”
That earned me a smile.
“Fine, okay, let me give you a run down on the guy’s then,” he stated, getting into business mode “They’re all immature but genuine guys. Jace is the bass player, he’s a husband and father now but that hasn’t helped him grow up any. He’s lazy when he can get away it. Then there’s the rhythm guitarist Seth. He will sleep with anything female that offers herself to him. Asher is the drummer, a total control freak. I don’t foresee any problems with him. The lead singer, Mikey, is Seth’s right hand man. Those two idiots together mean trouble. Mikey is an act first and think later kind of guy. Seth and him together are like catnip for the media and tabloids.”
“So watch them closely and keep them separated?” I laughed, trying to wrap my head around all of the information. I had a dossier on the two bands that gave me some of their details but I’d never met them in person. I’d seen them at label parties and my father spoke of them fondly but I’d never met them. A sliver of me always wondered if that was deliberate on my father’s part. He may have been their band manager but he was still a father. I couldn’t imagine he liked the idea of his little girl brushing elbows with notorious man-sluts.
“Yeah, good luck with that, kiddo,” My father laughed “Nico is the lead guitarist and the only thing scary about him is his fiancé. He has a fierce temper but for the most part he’s all bark. Just remind him if he bites he gets a boot to the teeth.”
I laughed and made a mental note of that.
“So Nico is engaged to the lead singer of Rayne of Glory, right? Jo Yancy?” I’d read some tabloid headlines around the time of the engagement but wasn’t sure whether there was truth in it. I got the impression they kept their private lives exactly that. Private.
“Yeah, he and Jo are thick as thieves. Jo is a sweetheart but don’t cross her. She has a mean streak. Lacey is the guitarist for Rayne of Glory and is much and such the same as Jo. She's more likely to team up with Asher if any trouble is caused but I can’t see that being an issue. I’ve got my suspicions her interests aren’t exactly platonic but that’s just my take.” My father dropped himself into the chair at the head of the table and sighed “Then there are the boys. The bassist, Travis, is a cocky little shit. Add him into the Seth and Mikey mix and you have complete and utter carnage waiting to happen. Watch him like you watch Seth.”
“Okay, this is sounding an awful lot like babysitting,” I joked “What about the last guy?”
“Drake is the drummer. He’s got a little bit of an attitude and I’ve been told he has a temper that I’ve yet to see. For the most part he keeps Jo from killing the other men in frustration. He shouldn’t be anything to worry about. You’ll also meet Jez. She’s a quiet little thing that just mucks in with whatever she can help with. Jez is like a sister to Drake so I’d imagine she’ll be on tour as well.”
“Perfect,” I sighed “So they’re all on their way here?”
My father nodded “Should be here any time now.”
I nodded my head silently and puffed my chest out “So basically rule with an iron fist and take no prisoners and I should be fine. Got it.”
“That’s my girl,” He grinned back at me. A ruckus outside had him rolling his eyes and getting to his feet “Sounds like they’re here.”
I straightened in my chair and waited for him to open the door.
Before Dad had a chance to open the door it was practically blown open. He was thankfully far enough away that the door didn’t touch him but he still looked pissed nonetheless. Dad crossed his arms and waited with eyebrows raised.
The board room filled quickly until every seat was taken around the long table.
I’d done my research so I knew who was who to look at but I waited to speak until everybody was comfortable.
A chorus of greetings echoed around the room as a variety of conversations slowed to a stop. I sat up straight in my chair, taking in the faces surrounding me. Asher and Seth were joking about something while Mikey and Travis were playing with their phones. Further down the table Nico was sitting with Jo and Lacey on either side of him. He smiled at his fiancé adoringly, draping his arm across the back of her chair. Lacey elbowed him and from the unimpressed look on his face she had followed the action up with a verbal jab as well. Jo laughed alongside her bandmate and said something to Jace, who was sitting across the table glued to his phone. Unlike the others, he had an air of sadness around him. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was struggling with the idea of leaving his wife and child behind for months on end. It couldn’t have been an easy pill to swallow. My eyes landed on the last body at the table. He was sitting on the other side of Jo with a small smirk twisting his lips. Drake Jackson was a beast of a man. He was over six foot of solid muscle with a face that could make angels weep.
I’d spent an embarrassing amount of time looking up images of him while doing my recon on the bands. There was something about those haunting icy blue eyes that drew me in. Drake didn’t seem to be a big smiler from the pictures I’d seen but when he did smile? Dear God, it was enough to make my knees shake.
And guess who’s going to be sharing a tour bus with him?
I snapped my eyes away from his profile. I had to get myself under control. Nothing could ever happen between myself and the sinfully sexy drummer. The last thing I needed was some sort of romantic entanglement turning messy and leaking over into my professional life.
“Alright, alright, settle down,” My father seated himself at the head of the table, jumping straight into business “You all know why you’re here.”
“Monica really isn’t coming back?” Lacey questioned, flipping her platinum blonde hair out of her eyes.
Monica had been another manager on the same label as my father. Whereas he had been more focused on Ultimate Corruption she had been solely invested in Rayne of Glory. After spending a year on the label she had been offered a better deal elsewhere. That would have been fine and well if she hadn’t decided to just up and leave the month before the bands left on tour. My father loved his job but he had no interest roughing it with the bands like he had done in the good old days. He didn’t have to say it but I knew he loved being able to go home at the end of the work day. Since Monica handled the tour details her leaving had very nearly forced his hand.
That was where I came in.
I’d offered to run the show on the road while my father took care of things back on the home front. He’d been nothing short of thrilled at the offer. It was a pretty big deal for me as well. I was young for the field I was in and I had a lot to prove with who my father was. I wanted people to see that I was capable of my job, not just sailing through because I was the sole daughter of Ritchie Tarrino.
“Unfortunately, Monica decided to take an offer from another record label. She didn’t divulge where she was going or why she wanted to leave but needless to say sh
e’s gone.” My father’s tone was nothing but professional, despite the small betrayal he had felt at the time of Monica’s leaving.
“I do, however, have a much better fit,” He shot me a small, proud smirk “This is Scout Tarrino, she’ll be joining you on tour to play babysitter and zookeeper.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Nearly everyone at the table sat up straighter but it was Seth who spoke.
“This is your daughter?” he gaped at me “no fucking way, look at her, she’s stunning.”
I snorted at his boldness. My father rolled his eyes, clasping his hands on the desk in front of him. He eyed Seth drolly, clearly used to his smart mouth.
“I mean, you know we love you, old man,” Seth sat back in his chair with a teasing smile on his face “but how did you make someone that looks that good! Damn!”
My father sighed heavily, not so much as flinching at Seth’s ‘old man’ remark before he looked over at me and shook his head “Do you see what you signed up for now?”
I looked around the table, deliberately missing out Drake before looking back at my father with a confident smile pasted onto my face “I can handle them.”
“Look, Doll-face,” Seth leaned forward “We are fully grown men. Ain’t no handling needed.”
“Unless you’re offering to handle us, that is.” Travis winked in my direction.
My eyes turned to slits as Mikey and Asher snickered along with the two men that had spoken. This was it. This was where I put my foot down and let them know exactly who they were dealing with.
“Let’s get this straight,” I got to my feet, pressing my palms flat against the table “I may be similar in age to you all but that does not make me your Doll-Face. My name is Scout or Miss Tarrino. Either of those names is fine so pick one. I’m not going on this tour as a piece of eye candy that you can jeer at and hit on, nor am I coming along as some doe-eyed waif that bows to your every beck and call.” I looked down the table at everybody, mainly the men “I’m going as your boss. If I tell you that you need to be somewhere at a certain time, I expect you there ten minutes early. If I tell you to quit making a spectacle of yourself for the media, then you grow the fuck up. Anybody that fucks with my rules will get a nasty surprise. Are we clear?”