The only time he felt high on life was, ironically, on stage or if he and Syd were spending quality time together.
He hated himself for what he’d been forced to do in Munich. She didn’t know anything about the club and he would never tell her. Hell, no one really knew much about what was going on at the club, least of all him and Jaden.
Kaz’s uncle, always vague, hadn’t said much and just complained about Dizzy being less than pleased his daughter was pregnant and had ran off to be on tour with her brothers.
“It wasn’t Jaden’s decision,” he’d told the middle-aged man with a shock of reddish-brown hair and piercing sky blue eyes. “Misty wanted to come and now that she’s here, she keeps to herself and all she wants to do is have a healthy baby. What were we supposed to do? Turn her away?”
“That might not have been a bad idea,” Ciarán replied as he’d lit a cigarette and dragged deeply from it. “The problem is Dizzy has never given Maeve boundaries. He let her get away with too much and that is why he is having issues with her right now. This isn’t you and Jaden’s mess to clean up, Kaz.”
He agreed with his uncle; Misty wasn’t his mess to clean up but she was his half-sister and there was no way he would send her back to their father in her condition. She couldn’t travel by plane anymore, at least not long distance, and would miss the Asian leg all together.
Keren had contacted her aunt in Belfast and they planned to lay low there until the band came back to Europe and then they would go back with them in the private plane. By that time, she would have had her baby and they would face the rest when they returned back to L.A. He didn’t want to think about what was going to happen when they finally returned.
The band arrived late afternoon in the enchanting Scandinavian city blanketed by snow, and it was already dark. They would be playing the Forum in Copenhagen; the smallest venue in Europe. It only seated three thousand people and the tickets for their concert had sold out in less than a minute once they were announced.
Dominic was completely against them playing such a small venue but after the mega-stadiums, it was actually nice to have that kind of intimacy with the crowd. Plus he wouldn’t be too tired after the show to make love to Syd so that was a definite positive as far as he was concerned.
They walked into their hotel, the five star Hotel D'Angleterre Copenhagen, and were immediately ushered to their suites and rooms with Scandinavian efficiency.
The suites were done in a mix of white and gold with heavy wood furniture. Syd dropped her leather hobo bag in the bedroom after she gave the place a quick perusal and then joined Kaz on the sofa in the luxurious sitting room.
A complimentary bottle of Dom Perignon sat in a bucket full of ice. She arranged two fluted glasses before she popped the bottle and poured them each a glass.
“Another beautiful city and another concert tour,” she began as her steel blue eyes studied his. “We’re one more step closer to being finished with this fucking tour and I seriously can’t wait to get back to L.A. Other than that, to us.”
Their glasses touched swiftly before Kaz downed his champagne and stood. “I need a shower. I’ll be back. Why don’t you order us some food? I don’t care as long as it’s red meat, white meat or seafood and edible. Try to order something that comes with a variety of vegetables.”
“Okay,” she replied before she picked up the menu written in Danish though they had also provided an English-language one as well.
“Can you read that?”
Syd stared into his eyes with a clear look of bemusement. “Of course. Norwegian and Danish aren’t that different of languages. I’m fluent in both actually. I will speak it to the natives but they probably had me pegged as one of them when we got here. Remember, my mother is one hundred percent Norwegian while my father is a German-Irish scoundrel. The Norwegians, Swedes and Danes like to kid how we are all ‘cousins’.”
“What about the Finns?”
She sipped from her champagne. “Finns and Icelandics are, technically, considered Scandinavians but they really aren’t part of the core group if that makes sense. Suomen kieli, the language the Finns speak, is part of the Uralic family of languages. Remember, that Swedish, Danish and Norwegian are like English in that they are Germanic-based languages. In terms of the Icelandics, they have been isolated so long, the country is beautiful and the people are friendly enough but they aren’t like the three core groups I just mentioned. Their country has a population of roughly two hundred thousand individuals, and virtually no immigration though their language is also Germanic-based.”
Kaz leaned against the wall. “I’m surprised you know so much about your family history and the history of this region.”
She looked up from the menu. “You do remember my grandfather played a huge part in my upbringing. He used to tell me about the old country instead of reading me bed time stories and when the time came…he also taught me fluent Danish.”
Kaz let out a whistle of appreciation. “That is incredible…and just to think when we first met, I thought you were some airheaded little girl who only wanted to get in my pants. You are really a beautiful and intelligent woman who has many talents, Syd. Don’t ever let anyone tell you different. It’s one of the reasons why I love you so much.”
Syd smiled and blushed a deep shade of crimson. “Thank you. That means a lot…especially coming from the man I love with all my heart.”
He couldn’t help himself as he walked over to her and slid his arms around her waist before he pulled her in for a deep and passionate kiss. She accepted his embrace and her mouth opened in time for his tongue to slip inside and the kiss turned deep and bruising as he felt himself go hard as a proverbial rock.
Reluctantly, Kaz pulled away and sighed. “I have to take a shower. I stink and I can’t make love to my woman smelling like I have been slaughtering pigs all day. You stay right there and make yourself comfortable.”
She pulled him close to her again by the hem of his black tee shirt. “I like the way you smell right now.”
“Nice, babe, but it isn’t gonna work.”
He stood to his full height as she let go of his shirt and walked into the bedroom where he stripped his clothes in a neat pile before he strolled into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
The water was perfect, the pressure exquisite and it allowed him to shower and wash his hair before he rinsed the suds off his body. He’d just applied conditioner and leaned against the wall as the jet-sprays continued to hit him when Syd walked into the bathroom. She still had her clothes on so this was far from a seduction scene.
“What’s the matter, sweetie?” Kaz inquired over the noise of the water.
“Just hurry up and finish your shower. I will tell you when you get out,” she replied rather loudly before she walked out.
Oh Christ, what could be wrong now?
Kaz finished his shower in record timing, rinsing the conditioner from his hair before he turned it off, stepped out and dried off. Syd had closed the bedroom doors; they were alone and had seen each other naked plenty of times before so something was definitely not right with this situation.
He fished out a pair of black jeans that hung somewhat loose and allowed him to go commando without his dick or balls being squished in the process and a navy blue cashmere sweater. The room was on the cool side because regardless how cold it was, he found it hard to sleep if the temperature was too warm.
As he approached the door, he could hear the soft sobbing of someone—a woman’s voice—and once he opened the double doors, he fully understood why Sydney had closed them.
Everyone was there: Jaden, Will, Grant, Linx, Niko and Kris along with Talia who Syd held in her arms. She cried openly, her mascara running while she dabbed at her nose and eyes with several used pieces of Kleenex.
“It’s all my fault, Syd. I pushed him to do this. I can’t blame anyone but myself and I hate it. Now the tour is all fucked up and Introspect Records is going to fire him for sure…if he
survives.”
“What’s going on?” Kaz wondered out loud as he walked over and took a seat on the other side of Syd.
The love of his life turned toward him and the look on her face said it all. What ever it was, it sure as hell wasn’t good news.
“He said he was going to take a shower,” Talia began quietly before she sniffled and her pale green eyes finally met Kaz’s aquamarine irises. “I should have known something was wrong because he looked at me so strangely and he’d already caught Jaden and I fucking in Munich. It isn’t something I’m proud of but at the time, I just wanted to hurt him as much as he’d hurt me this whole fucking tour and I was sick of his bullshit.”
She paused as Syd grabbed her used Kleenex and handed her several fresh ones which she used to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.
“Anyway, after twenty minutes or so, I went to check on him and that’s when I found him next to the toilet. He wasn’t in the shower at all. He had a needle sticking out of his arm which I promptly got rid of and he…he was blue. I managed to revive him because I know CPR and I called the reception desk shortly afterwards and demanded an ambulance. By tomorrow, everyone is going to know the sickening truth. Seth overdosed and there isn’t a way to spin this story at all.”
KAZ KNEW TALIA was wrong of course because there was always a way to spin a story. He called Dominic and Paul immediately. They worked directly with Sasha to whip up a story about a severe allergic reaction to shell fish which caused Seth to stop breathing. He was taken to the hospital and although initially it was touch and go, the lead singer of Winter’s Regret would be fine.
However he would be missing several concert dates though that did not mean Winter’s Regret wouldn’t perform. Talia Viaro-Stewart, the keyboardist and main back-up singer, would be taking over and leading the band until Seth was on the mend.
This was all bullshit of course. Dominic had shredded Seth’s contract and only with begging and pleading from Talia, had he re-wrote it. Seth Delvecchio had lost his gig as lead singer for Winter’s Regret and would officially be replaced by Talia. It would be announced on January 2nd, 2014, while they were still on tour. He had been relegated to co-lead guitarist though he played second string to Kris Nieminen. He was now the lowest ranking and lowest paid member of Winter’s Regret—highly ironic since he’d founded the group in the first place.
Hours before the concert at the Forum in Copenhagen, a meeting was held via Skype video conference with Dominic Stenfeldt and the remaining band members of Winter’s Regret. Though Talia had been promoted, it didn’t stop her from being pissed off. Neither Kaz nor Sasha enjoyed their jobs as “interference” in this case but what could they do?
“Mr. Stenfeldt, I don’t understand—how does Seth simply lose his position and I take over? What if the audience hates me?” Talia said out loud as she paced from one side of the room to the other.
Although Kaz knew she was secretly pleased with how the situation had worked out—not including Seth’s suicide attempt because she honestly never thought he would try to kill himself over someone like her—she was a Vassar graduate and a consummate actress. She played the role of concerned girlfriend to the hilt.
“It’s quite simple. When Mr. Delvecchio started using illegal substances, he null and voided his contract right then and there. Usually, we are willing to overlook such…indiscretions but we live in the media age of TMZ and the twenty-four hour news cycle. No matter how much we spout off about food poisoning, someone is talking and they are telling TMZ it was a drug overdose. Hell, Rock Starz is going to have Seth on the cover for January and talk about his ‘troubled’ life and they are digging up every piece of dirt and every old girlfriend they can find. They even know about the abortion, Talia. I managed to obtain a copy of the magazine and I can’t stop it from running—I don’t have that kind of power.”
“Shit.” Talia stared at Kaz and he raised an eyebrow towards her.
It was her show and he wasn’t there to give her advice; he was merely there to protect her from the other members of Winter’s Regret, specifically Niko and Linx who couldn’t stand her and pegged her for a manipulative bitch who’d finally gotten what she wanted. They would never be able to understand how much someone like Talia had struggled in the industry, producing pop hits for talentless stars who were flash in the pans and really didn’t have the star power for longevity. Yes, she was sent a royalty check but her name would never be known and she would watch people with far less talent than her reap in all the benefits of her hard work.
“As for you guys,” Dominic finally said as he pointed fingers at the rest of Winter’s Regret, “you are to treat your new lead singer with respect or I will dispatch you too and it won’t be a pay cut. We own the name, Winter’s Regret, the copyright and the patent for the clothing designs. Dumb ass was too poor to pay for his own band name so we did it and therefore own the copyright for Winter’s Regret,” Dominic explained in a business-like tone.
“Listen, the guys have been nothing but good to me,” Talia interrupted before she smiled at Dominic Stenfeldt. “We all just want Seth to get cleaned up and for him to be safe. That’s all.”
“Oh he’ll be cleaned up all right. He’s catching a plane to LAX after he gets out of the hospital and his limo will be taking him straight to Promises in Malibu. The money will come out of his cut. We don’t pay for treatment of drug or alcohol dependency—the artist does. His insurance premium was high enough as it was but this is going to send it through the stratosphere. That’s his problem, not mine.”
Dominic was a shrewd man and Kaz already knew that. Hence the reason why he’d always watched his reputation. He made Introspect Records a lot of money; so did Scarlet Fever but they weren’t the only star act and it was one of the major reasons why he was glad Jaden knew his limits and how to cover up his drug use. Of course his lead guitarist was more frightened about Dizzy finding out than the record executive. He would put a bullet in his son’s head and bury him before the record company knew what had occurred.
“Listen, this has all been very enlightening but I have to go. Another meeting with another artist. Have a good concert, lady and gentlemen. I don’t want any more shit coming out of this tour or you will all be in serious trouble when you get back to the States. Introspect Records doesn’t need this kind of negative publicity and every incident like this leaves a sour taste in everyone’s mouth.”
Before any of them could respond, Dominic ended the Skype call.
Talia turned to face Kris, Linx and Niko. “I know this pisses you all off but believe me, I had nothing to do with this. I didn’t even call Dominic to let him know Seth was using so how did he find out?”
Kaz was about to open his mouth when Kris said, “I called Dom. Listen, I know you all believe in loyalty and all that shit but this is my career and I can’t afford for it to be prematurely destroyed because our ex-lead singer had an issue staying sober. If you hadn’t found him in time, he would have been another Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley or Bradley Nowell—”
“Was he that bad off?” Kaz interrupted. “I mean, I knew he was usin’—we all did but after that disaster at Madison Square Garden, he hasn’t had a concert nearly that bad.”
Linx laughed ironically. “That’s because he didn’t use much before a show, just enough to get by and he would get high afterwards. How many times had you found him passed out in his room? Plus he was using more and more Oxy while using coke to prop him up for shows. That shit is worse than heroin and the withdrawal is going to be a physical hell for him. He was too chicken shit to admit he was hooked.”
“Listen, I know how bad off Seth was because I lived with him but…him being demoted in the group he founded? He’s gonna hate that and I am the one who is going to receive the majority of his frustration!” Talia exclaimed as she paced back and forth.
“Then fucking dump him and give us all some goddamn peace because we are sick of your bitchin’ and complainin’,” Niko replied in a pissed off t
one. “You don’t love him that much if you’re bonin’ Jaden and rubbin’ it in Seth’s face. If the guy already had a problem with drugs then does it seem very smart to you to goad him by fuckin’ another guy? What kind of stupid bitch are you? Didn’t you graduate from Vassar? They obviously don’t excel in common fucking sense.”
Kaz held up his hands in defeat as he stood. “We aren’t getting anywhere with trading insults. You are all going to get along and we are going to finish this fucking tour and go the fuck home. I’m sick of the bickering. The decision has been made from someone who is way above our fucking pay grade and there will be no more snipes about it. Just get along or else.”
“Or else what?” Linx wondered in a surly voice.
“Or I will make you sorry you were ever delivered from your mother’s womb.”
He walked out of the conference room and took the stairs up to his suite.
Syd paced as she spoke on the phone with her mother and looked surprisingly calm yet there was also a nervousness in her actions. “Mom, I have to go but I will call you in the next couple days. I love you and give Grandpa my love as well.”
Falling Into Love Page 12