by T. J. Kline
“Too late?” Tucker repeated.
Franklin held up a hand and signaled for JD to have a seat. “By all means, Mr. Allen, please explain.”
“Bailey was supposed to be down here some time ago and never showed up. After continuous efforts to reach her, the band was forced to find another lead singer.”
Tucker jumped up from his chair. “We did not!”
JD shrugged and held a hand out toward her. “I warned you this was going to happen if you didn’t come down.”
“You can’t do that! She put this band together,” Grady argued.
“I assure you, we can and have.”
Franklin didn’t seem worried and leaned back in his chair with a smile. “You keep saying ‘we.’ Who do you mean? Because it seems Tucker and Grady didn’t have any idea this was happening. If I’m not mistaken, all decisions of this nature must be agreed upon by all members of the band, not unilaterally.”
“I have a contract signed by all members of the band stating they would be ready to record when I deemed appropriate. Bailey didn’t comply, therefore, we are able to replace her.”
Franklin held up several papers. “Is this the contract you mean?” He passed a copy of the contract Bailey had brought with her to JD. He took a moment to look over the document before nodding. “And where is the clause that states members can be replaced at will?”
“Here.” He pointed halfway down the third page. “Bailey was notified and didn’t show for rehearsal this week.”
“What practice?” Grady frowned and looked at Davis. “We had practice?”
“Yeah, I missed it, too,” Davis muttered, leaning back in his chair as if he was fighting sleep.
“Shut up,” Josh said through clenched teeth.
“You notified her of a rehearsal?” Franklin folded his hands on his desk and leaned forward. “In writing?”
“I called.”
“This contract says ‘written notice.’ And have you also replaced Davis since, by his own admission, he missed rehearsal?”
Tucker’s smile broadened. “I wasn’t there either, and I never received a phone call about it.”
“Ah, I think I’m beginning to see this a bit more clearly.” Franklin slid a document from a file folder under his hands. “Please take a look at this. Ms. Hart has hired me to protect the interests of the band and its members. That includes Tucker, Grady, Josh, and Davis.”
“What?” Davis asked, as if waking from his doze.
“Go back to sleep, Davis. It’s not like you have anything to add,” Josh spat before turning on Bailey. “This is ridiculous. JD and I are down here, busting our asses while you do whatever it is you were doing at home, and you think you can start criticizing. If you can afford this guy, you can afford to pitch in for the other expenses we’ve had.” He flung his hand in Franklin’s direction.
Franklin narrowed his eyes. “What expenses? Do you have a breakdown?”
“Regular things like advertising, marketing materials, studio costs, equipment rentals,” Josh answered.
“Interesting,” Franklin said with a nod at JD before turning back to Josh. “How much has each of you paid Mr. Allen so far?”
JD’s eyes widened in panic. “That’s an inappropriate question!”
“Is it, Mr. Allen? I would think they should have all paid equal amounts and that your fees would be documented.” He tapped a finger against his chin. “Bailey?”
“I’ve paid JD three payments of five hundred dollars apiece over the past year.”
“What about you, Grady?”
“A thousand.”
“I’ve paid fifteen hundred like Bailey,” Tucker complained. “What the hell, JD?”
“Grady isn’t mentioning that he was short so I cut him some slack,” JD pointed out.
“Let’s cut to the chase,” Franklin said. “I’ve worked with several of your past clients over the years, Allen, and I know how you operate. I have proof that you’re cheating clients. You said you have concerts scheduled for these guys? Where?” JD hemmed but refused to answer. “And how much are you currently billing them for you to set up these concerts?”
Franklin didn’t wait for JD to answer. “You don’t have any concerts scheduled and we both know it.” He pressed a button on his phone, alerting his secretary to come into the office. “I’ve taken the liberty to draw up a legal and binding contract that actually benefits the band. You can either sign it and return their money or release them completely.” Franklin stood and pressed his fingertips into his desk, leaning forward. “And, if you refuse, we’re going to take you to court for fraud.”
“Who says I want out?” Josh complained. “JD, don’t lump me in with these guys.”
JD looked around the room at each of the band members before narrowing his gaze on Bailey. “Like I said, Bailey, you’re already out.”
“And her money?” Franklin pressed on.
“Spent on studio time and advertising.” He rose from his chair, prepared to leave. “Sorry, it’s already gone.”
“Then we’ll see you in small claims court.”
JD looked at Tucker, Davis, and Grady. “What about you three? Are you going to let this girl do your talking, too?”
Tucker laughed. “Who do you think called her? If Bailey’s out, so am I.”
“Wait a second,” Josh whined as he rose and reached for JD’s arm as the manager shrugged him off.
“Without the rest of them, you’re just another guitarist. A dime a dozen.”
Franklin arched a brow. “My secretary has the papers officially releasing them and will notarize them after you sign.”
“Fuck you, Monroe.”
Franklin’s smile split his face. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Allen. You can return their money care of my office and we will take care of getting it back to each person. Oh, and, Allen? I’ve taken the liberty of adding a mutual nondisparagement clause, so if I so much as hear any of my clients’ names whispered in conjunction with yours, you’ll have a lawsuit against you faster than you can blink. Got it?”
JD’s only answer was slamming the door as he stormed out of the office.
Bailey stood and accepted a hug from Tucker. “That was amazing, Franklin.”
“Yeah, thanks a lot.” Josh’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on anyone else. Even Davis eyed him skeptically.
“Dude, take it easy. Obviously that guy was a crook and Bailey just saved your ass.”
“Shut up, Davis.” Josh got up and paced the office. “Don’t you realize this means we’re back to square one? With no manager, no concerts, and no record deal. We might as well still be playing dive bars back home.” He threw his hands into the air. “Son of a bitch.”
“Not exactly.” Franklin slid back into his seat. “I have a reputable agent who said he’d take you guys on. He has a manager he trusts and can put you in contact with.”
Bailey bit her lower lip. Now was the only opportunity she was going to have to back out, to let these guys know that, as much as she adored them and loved singing with them, she couldn’t live this life. Not now, not when Chase was waiting for her. She cleared her throat, trying to gather the courage to break the hearts of two of the men who’d just stood up for her.
“Screw you and screw the rest of you, too.” Josh pointed at Franklin then at each one of them in turn, ending with Bailey. “And you can rot in hell. I hope you’re happy. Now you can be in charge of this misfit crew. I’m out. I’m better than all of this, and I’ll prove it.”
Tucker laughed as Josh followed JD’s lead and stalked out of the office. They heard the secretary stop him and ask for his signature.
“Guess this means it’s the end of Midnight Highway, huh?” Tucker shook his head but didn’t look remorseful. “Now what?”
“Well, I’m going home,” Davis said, standing and running his hands down his thighs. “I never wanted to leave. I hate it here. So,” he asked Franklin with more excitement than he’d shown the entire time he’d been at the meeti
ng, “where do I sign?”
Tucker looked over at Bailey. “Sorry, sweetheart, I know you wanted this, but I can’t do it. I’m with Davis. This just isn’t me. I like the bars and the small-time crowd.”
Bailey could barely contain herself. “Why didn’t you guys say something sooner?”
“We didn’t realize it until we were here.” Tucker jerked a thumb at the door Josh had exited. “It might have been different if you were here, but with him, it was easier to stay and watch him implode.” He glanced at her sheepishly. “Or call in a woman who gets shit done.”
Her brow furrowed. “Are you saying you used me to force Josh’s hand, Tucker?”
“Chill out.” He draped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her close. “It was bound to happen eventually. I knew you had our backs and would take charge if something wasn’t right. You’d make sure it would be. I had no idea where to start.”
Franklin laughed. “I think, in his own backward way, he’s trying to thank you.”
Tucker pointed at Franklin. “Exactly. What he said.”
“So, the band is broken up and we’re all heading home?” Davis asked, still looking confused.
“With our money back, thanks to these two. So, no harm, no foul.” Tucker looked around the room. “Do we need to sign something? I’d like to get back to our place to pack and head home this weekend.”
“Janine has the paperwork at her desk. Just sign it and we’ll forward the copies and a check to you when we get it from JD. Trust me, I’ll be pressuring him for those, but it will likely be at least a month or two before I get them.” Franklin stood and opened the door. “Janine, can you show these gentlemen where to sign, please?” He shut the door and turned back toward Bailey. “Congratulations, Ms. Hart. You are once again a free agent. What are you going to do now?”
Relief flooded her. She was on her way to having everything she’d always wanted and, while that nearly scared her to death, she couldn’t wait to get back home and see what this new chapter of life would look like. For the first time, she was excited about what the future might bring because she wasn’t trying to prove anything to anyone. Bailey was looking forward to being loved by someone for who she was, not who she was trying to somehow become.
Chapter Twenty-Five
ELECTRIC JOLTS OF pain shot through Chase’s back. The agony continued to radiate into his hip and around to the front of his chest, but he was almost to his first destination and he didn’t want to stop now. The last thing he should be doing was driving a car for eight hours with broken ribs, but ever since Bailey mentioned the prospect of closure for Lance’s death, he realized how much he wanted it, how much he needed it. By never knowing how Rachel and Mason were faring, never knowing if they needed his help, he was never able to move past the guilt he felt. He wasn’t only shouldering the shame for Lance’s death, but he was bearing the guilt for destroying the lives of his wife and son as well. Even if she wouldn’t see him, even if what he saw made him even more ashamed, he needed to know if they were okay.
Finding Rachel hadn’t been difficult. After dropping Gracie with Julia, a quick Internet search had resulted in three addresses for her, all pretty far south near Carlsbad. Bailey hadn’t answered his calls this morning, so he decided to make the trip and try to catch her in LA on his return. He wasn’t about to let her run away again. Even if meant giving up everything he had. If Bailey chose to move to LA, then he would follow her and join the police force again.
Chase slowed the car as he approached the quiet neighborhood. It was filled with older homes, clearly upscale in the seventies, but there was still plenty of money in the area and he wondered how she managed on Lance’s pension. Maybe this was why she wasn’t cashing his checks. He parked his truck across the street from the address he had and waited, watching the house. He saw a woman with long dark hair push a stroller out the door before turning to lock the door behind her. She wore running pants and a tank top. From this angle he couldn’t see her face, but he could see the toddler. There was no mistaking that it was Mason. The boy twisted in his seat to watch, clapping his hands as the woman turned.
If he hadn’t been sitting, Chase would have fallen. The woman was definitely Rachel but when she turned, the first thing he saw was her very pregnant belly. Anger flared up in him. For his friend, for himself, for the regret he’d been holding on to when she hadn’t.
Rachel pushed the stroller, laughing with her son and handing him a cup with a lid. Chase turned off the truck and slid out the driver’s seat. She didn’t even notice his presence as she turned left at the end of the street, toward the park he’d passed on his way down the road.
“Rachel,” he called, hobbling toward her as quickly as he was able. She spun around, a friendly smile on her face. Chase knew the moment she recognized him. Panic filled her eyes and she froze in place.
Chase was suddenly uncomfortable. Maybe he shouldn’t have come, should have left her alone. Obviously, she’d moved on and, from the look of things, she was doing well. Maybe he was being selfish to think he deserved any sort of forgiveness or end to his remorse. Tears filled her eyes and she looked unsure what to do.
“Chase? What are you doing here? How did you know where to find us?”
He tucked his hands into his pockets, trying to ignore the throbbing in his side. “I’m a cop. It’s not that hard. Mason’s grown a lot.” She ran a hand over the side of her stomach, protectively. “You’ve changed, too.”
A tender smile curved her lips upward and she brushed her hair back from her forehead. The sun glinted off the massive diamond on her hand. She must have noticed him staring at the ring. “A lot of things have changed. I got remarried, for one.”
“I see that. When are you due?” He tried unsuccessfully to hide the bitterness he was feeling.
“Chase, I didn’t stop loving Lance. I miss him every day, but he wouldn’t have wanted me to be alone forever. He would have wanted Mason to grow up with a good man for his father.”
“He had a good man for a father.”
“He did,” she agreed, tears brimming in her dark eyes. “But Lance is gone. Eric has been wonderful, and Mason adores him. He’s a major stationed at Camp Pendleton.” Mason tossed his cup out of the stroller and she started to squat down to reach for it. Chase beat her to it and handed the cup back. “Chase, I said a lot of things to you that I shouldn’t have and I should have called you at some point to apologize.” She looked away from him, absently rubbing her hand over the baby she carried. “I guess I didn’t because I was afraid you’d look at me the way you are now, like I should be ashamed of falling in love again.”
“Are you happy, Rachel?”
“I am. Lance would have liked Eric, and I know he wouldn’t have wanted me to hang on to him at the expense of finding love again, of finding someone to love Mason.”
Chase kicked the toe of his boot at the ground. He knew Lance better than anyone else had, with the exception of Rachel. They had actually talked about it while on patrol, what they wanted if things went bad, and Lance had made Chase promise to take care of Rachel and Mason, to make sure she was happy.
“He wouldn’t have wanted you to hang on to this guilt either. That’s why I sent the letters and money back. After the horrible things I said to you, I didn’t deserve your apologies and I didn’t want you to feel obligated to take care of us. Every time I got one, it made me relive the pain and loss again. Of Lance and of you. Lance loved you. You were the brother he never had. I just couldn’t keep going through that.”
Chase couldn’t look at her. Instead of making him feel better, her declaration only made the anguish more unbearable. His throat closed around a lump of pain and regret, the guilt choking him with nowhere to go. Clenching his jaw, he tried to still the agony working its way out, and tears burned his eyes. When he realized he couldn’t stop them from falling, he looked away, quickly swiping a hand over his face.
“Chase, it wasn’t your fault. That woman said she n
eeded help, that he’d left. There was no way for you to know he was still there.” She closed the distance between them and pulled him into an embrace.
It was more than he deserved. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I wish it had been me instead.”
Rachel took a step back. “Don’t ever say that again, do you hear me? What happened was terrible. It changed all of our futures, but it doesn’t have to be a death sentence for us all.” She ran her hand over her stomach. “Chase, you have to forgive yourself.”
“Have you forgiven me?” He shook his head, denying her justification. “I never will.”
Rachel slid her palm over his unshaven cheek. “There was nothing to forgive, Chase. You were doing a dangerous job in a deadly city. Lance knew that. If it had been the other way around, would you have wanted him to blame himself?”
Chase clenched his jaw so tightly he worried it might snap. She was right. He’d known other officers who had lost partners. It was a risk of the job, especially in a city where the crime rate was one of the highest in the nation, but that didn’t make the reality of the situation any easier to face.
“Chase, you see this house? Lance knew that if he stayed in Oakland, he would never retire. He made preparations for the two of us to be taken care of. Mason never has to worry about college, or money.” She wiped away a tear. “He asked you to take care of us, didn’t he?” He nodded, once quickly. “He asked me to do the same for you. But I failed you, Chase. I was so blinded by my own grief that I didn’t see yours.” She reached for his hand. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
“BAILEY, RELAX.” FRANKLIN scanned the list of outgoing flights again. Bailey sighed, realizing she wasn’t going anywhere until tomorrow morning. “We’ll get you another flight out tomorrow. Just stay tonight and have a good time.”
Bailey dialed Chase’s number again but disconnected the call when it went to voice mail again. It wasn’t like Chase not to answer his cell phone. She’d tried texting him several times as well with no answer and was beginning to doubt that he’d seen her letter. Wouldn’t he have called if he had? Worry set in at what he would have thought to wake with no explanation for her disappearance.