by RH Tucker
After his haircut yesterday, I could tell he was nervous. It’s a look I haven’t seen on my brother in a very long time, but he was excited about the meeting today.
“He wasn’t even there,” Maddox tells us. “It was an executive VP or something like that, and her two assistants, I guess.”
“You don’t know who you were talking to?” EJ asks, laughing.
“Not really,” Maddox replies, lifting his shoulders. “Peter did most of the talking. I just sat there, looking pretty in my new haircut and sunglasses.”
I let out a scoffing chuckle. “You wore the sunglasses in the meeting? Seriously?”
He shrugs again. “Hey, I still gotta be the rock star. They have to know what they’re getting.”
We all start laughing, exchanging another round of toasts from our cups of soda, alcohol, and my bottled water. It’s been over a week since Austin showed up at the studio, and it honestly feels good to finally be able to laugh.
I’ve been so caught up in all of the drama and betrayal, the guys have continued to tell me to not worry about it or that Bret, Austin, and Jimmy are all dirtbags who don’t deserve a second thought. They’re right, but the hurt has still lingered. Tonight, hearing Maddox’s good news, I finally feel like things are getting back on track.
Unfortunately, the old feeling doesn’t last, as EJ taps my shoulder. “Don’t look now, but Scum Bag Number One just walked in.”
Unsure who exactly he’s talking about, I look over my shoulder to see Bret walk into the cub with his bandmate, Mitch. “Great,” I hiss under my breath.
“I’ll get rid of them,” Maddox says, getting up from the booth.
“No.” I grab his arm. “Please, don’t worry about it.”
“Easier said than done.” He gives me a weighty stare.
I nod, getting up from the table. “I know, but, please. There’s nothing to deal with.” Looking back over, I see Bret and his friends waiting at the bar. “I’ll be right back.”
“What are you doing?” Lily asks.
“It’s over between us.” Giving Maddox a hard stare, I lift a brow. “For good. You’re not gonna fight or argue with him anymore over me. But … I need to get something off of my chest with him. Once and for all.”
Maddox nods in agreement, and they all watch as I make my way out of the VIP section, heading toward the bar. Mitch is the first person to spot me, tapping Bret on his shoulder. As he turns around, he’s smiling at first, but it disappears when he sees me.
Mitch is over twenty-one, so I know he’s the one ordering drinks for them. They wouldn’t be able to get them otherwise. I should take a little comfort just in that. Knowing all of us are underage but can do or go wherever we want. But that feels petty. I never wanted to, nor do I think I ever flaunted my fame or power in front of Bret. He’s the one who craved it so much.
“Hey,” Bret calls out to me.
It’s so nonchalant, it actually forces an eye roll out of me. “Yeah. Hey. Just like that,” I spit back. “Like nothing happened between us.”
“Jade, come on. I told you already, you know how bad I wanted this. How bad we wanted this. You can’t blame me for staying there that day.” Before I can reply, his next word delivers a gut punch. “Besides, it’s not like you weren’t hooking up behind my back. That’s why you broke up with me, right?”
He stands in front of me, Mitch handing him his drink, waiting. Apathy drips from his face, like he’s in the right and I should be ashamed for breaking up with him.
“You know what?” I finally say, finding the courage and fire inside. “I wasn’t hooking up with anyone behind your back, Bret. I kissed someone when I could’ve done a helluva lot more, but I didn’t. I thought I owed you at least that much respect to break up with you first. And you know what? You didn’t. You don’t deserve anything from me, and you never did. I liked you, jackass. In the beginning, I liked you. Not that you were in a band or in the business or anything of that. You.
“And all you ever did was try to loaf off of my band and me because you’re so desperate for fame. You want the spotlight so much that you didn’t realize I wanted to be in an actual relationship with you. I didn’t want to be your way into the business, I just wanted to be your girlfriend.
“So fine, blame me all you want, but I should’ve broken up with you a long time ago. You made your bed now, so I hope you know what you got into with Jimmy Richards. Because if he was willing to use his own son as a pawn to try and steal my music, what do you think he’s willing to do to an unknown punk band who’s desperate for attention? Have a nice life.”
They both wear slightly confused and concerned faces, but I spin around, heading back to my friends and family. I should be happy I just told him off and finally set the story straight with him. And even though I’m glad I won’t have to deal with him anymore, I still feel the hurt from mentioning and remembering what Austin did.
30
Austin
Things have fallen back into a regular routine. I’ve given up trying to contact Jade, but I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact that she’ll forever believe I deliberately tried to play her and that I was working with my father.
Walking into Rich Records, I find Shawn sitting at attention, much more rigid than usual. He doesn’t even greet me. Instead of a humorous shot or acting like a fool, he simply raises his eyes and types my name into the computer at the front desk—a log sheet he’s supposed to always keep up to date but hardly ever does. Usually, he’ll try to remember the few people who came in and write their names down quickly before he clocks out.
I chuckle to myself. “You okay?”
Giving me a quick nod, he glances over his shoulder. I follow his line of sight, only to see the double doors leading toward the hallways to other offices in the building. “Your dad is here.”
I jerk my head back, shocked. “What? He’s supposed to be out of the country.”
“I guess he was, but he came in earlier with Landry Johnson.”
“Whoa,” I reply, truly surprised. Landry Johnson is one of the most sought-after producers in the industry. “I’ve seen the books; we don’t have any high-profile talent coming in for at least a month.” Shawn shrugs. “What studio are they in?”
He opens up a window on the computer. “Studio Four.”
Nodding, I head through the double doors and make my way toward the studio. The curiosity begins to build, unsure what they could be working on. My father rarely goes into the studios anymore, he leaves that for the producers and managers. It makes me wonder if something has piqued my dad’s interest in music for the first time in years. It’d be amazing to see him take an interest in the creation aspect after all of this time.
Walking into the mixing room of Studio Four, I find Landry sitting behind the desk, and I hear a snappy snare drumbeat playing over the speakers. My father stands to his side, and when he sees me come in, he smiles. Waving me over, Landry eyes me for a moment, then returns his attention back to the mixing board.
“I like this,” my dad tells him. Landry lowers the music. “Landry, this is my son, Austin.”
Offering him my hand, he shakes it, smiling. “Nice to meet you. Your dad speaks highly of you.”
“Oh … thank you.” My gaze returns to my father. “What’s going on?”
“Austin, listen to this,” my dad tells me, smiling wider. It really is a bit startling. He looks like he’s enjoying this.
“Okay?”
He nods to Landry, who puts the volume back up. The snare drums continue to play, then they lower, and a soft guitar starts playing. “Wow,” I respond, impressed. “That sounds great.”
“I was speaking to Landry yesterday, and he was able to squeeze today in. He’s been working with us on a few songs and really thinks we can capitalize on this.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, cocking my head to the side, confused. Then I hear the lyrics.
My head snaps over toward the small, empty recording studi
o. No one is in there singing, but I hear the words. The voice. It’s one of Jade’s songs. Looking back at my dad, his smile stays in place. “What are you doing?”
“I thought none of this would be useable. I figured we might be able to release some kind of demo sessions album in the future before the Kings’ hype has died down a bit, but I figured it wouldn’t make much. None of the vocals are very clean.”
“I know that,” I respond, almost indignant. “She wasn’t recording this stuff to release it. Dad, you can’t put this out as a record.”
He gazes at me like he doesn’t recognize me. “Of course I can. And I will.”
“It’s really not a problem,” Landry chimes in. “I’ve worked with a ton of artists and partially recorded songs, or stuff they were just toying around with. After lacing in some drum tracks, and bringing in backup singers, we can make it sound perfect. I’ve already been in contact with—”
“No. No, you guys, we can’t do this.” My dad continues to look at me, unsure, and now Landry gives me a blank stare. “This is her music. We can’t put this out.”
A moment passes in silence, and then my father erupts in a laugh. “Austin, what are you talking about? She recorded this with our company. We own the rights. We can do whatever we want with it.”
“No,” I snap at him. “She didn’t even know she was giving you the rights to her music. You played her.”
His mood instantly shifts. Landry eyes me for a second, before turning back to my father. “Can you give us a minute, Landry?” my dad says, never taking his eyes off of me.
When he leaves us alone in the room, my father stands up straighter. The jovial mood he had only moments ago is gone, replaced with his usual businesslike demeanor.
“Dad, you can’t do this,” I implore again.
Stepping closer, his dark eyes lock on mine. “Austin, this business is cutthroat. You’re the hot new act one day, and a washed-up has-been the next. If you don’t capitalize on every opportunity you get, then you’re not only stupid but a hack. I haven’t asked, nor do I really care what kind of relationship you had with her.”
“This has nothing to do with that.”
“Of course it does, but this is business. All emotion has to be removed.”
Staring down at the mixing board, I take a deep breath. For once in all of the callus and emotionally void advice he’s given me over the years, I’m trying to do that. Even if I hate that he’s trying to do this to Jade, there is an underlying layer that I can’t shake, and it has nothing to do with my feelings for her.
“This is wrong. It doesn’t matter what way you slice it. This has nothing to do with feelings.” My eyes finally lift, meeting his. “This isn’t your music. You tricked an artist into thinking they were using the studio, and you stole this music, Dad. You stole it.”
“I own it. You can’t steal what you already own.”
I can’t believe it. There’s nothing, absolutely nothing, I can do to change his mind. Turning back to the mixing board, I can’t even stomach to look at him anymore, much less be in this room. But I stay where I’m at, wishing I could think of something that would change his mind.
He steps closer, slapping my shoulder. “I’ll give you a minute to compose yourself. I offered to take Landry to lunch anyway. I do hope you’ll be a part of this process. I think it’ll be a great learning experience for you.”
“I’m pretty sure I learned everything I need to know from you in this conversation. I’ll never do business like you.”
“You’re young. Once you see how the world works, you’ll change.”
Slapping my shoulder again, he leaves me in the studio. My eyes jump everywhere, from the mixing board to the empty recording studio, and then scan the room. I can’t believe this is happening. Jade already hates me, and after this happens, I shudder to think how she’ll feel—believing that not only did I scam her out of the rights to her music, but that this was the plan all along.
I can’t let this happen.
Heading out of the studio, I hurry to the small office my father has set up for me that I never use. I grab a portable hard drive, make my way back to the studio, and plug the hard drive into a computer linked to the mixing board. Searching through the files, I find any and everything that Jade worked on. I scour different files and folders, looking for everything associated with her name. Everything was digitally recorded, so I know there aren’t any hard copies in the building. After everything is downloaded to the hard drive, I unplug it and make sure nothing of hers is left anywhere on Rich Records’ file system.
Turning the hard drive over in my fingers, I stare at it. If I do this, I know it’s the end. I don’t know what my dad will do, but I know it won’t be good. He’ll be beyond angry. He’ll cut me off for good. He may even sue me.
Taking a deep breath, I nod to myself. I don’t care what happens. I have to do this.
Cementing my resolve, I wait in the studio for them to return. The nerves finally start to calm down, only to jump to new heights when Landry walks through the door first.
“Austin,” my dad says, smiling again. “I’m glad you came to your senses and are sticking around. I really believe—”
“No,” I cut him off.
“What?”
“No, I’m not helping. What you’re doing is wrong and pathetic. I won’t be a part of it.”
A scowl crosses his face. “You stuck around to tell me that? You shouldn’t have wasted your time.”
Taking another deep breath, I tap the hard drive that rests in my pocket. “You’re right. But I thought I’d tell you face-to-face. I quit.”
My dad’s brows furrow. “Excuse me?”
“I won’t have any part of what you’re doing. She signed that contract without even reading it.”
“Austin, listen to me—”
“No, you listen to me, Dad. The way you do business is pathetic. The way you treat people is even worse. I quit. And good luck using her music to try and enhance your bankroll because I deleted it all.”
“You what?” he screams, then turns to the computer, frantically searching for her files. “What did you do?”
“I told you, it’s gone.”
“You little shit. Do you know how much money we could’ve made from that? You just cost us hundreds of thousands. Possibly millions.”
“You,” I correct him. “I just cost you.”
“You’re damn right you did. I can’t believe you.”
“And another thing. This first semester of college you’ve been bankrolling? I lied to you. I’m not taking business classes. I’m gonna be a teacher. Like Mom. Screw you and everything you stand for.”
Seething, his eyes burn a hole through me. “Well, I hope you enjoyed it because that’s over. Everything is over for you. No more allowance, no more passes, no more anything. This … you crossed the line, Austin. I can’t believe you did this.”
“You crossed the line, Dad.” I step to him, finally feeling some confidence surface. “You crossed the line years ago when you decided to be a mogul instead of a father.”
“It’s over! Do you hear me? Everything you have and everything I gave you. You think your mom can afford any part of the life you live? That’s because of me.”
“I don’t care. I’d rather be homeless but have a conscience than rich and no heart whatsoever. You can keep your money and life and everything that comes with it. I never want anything to do with it ever again.”
Turning around, I reach for the handle.
“Austin,” he yells my name, forcing me to stop. I don’t turn around, though. I keep my eyes straight ahead, staring at the door. “You do this, and there’s no turning back. Do you hear me? If you walk out that door, don’t ever bother trying to come back to me.”
I know he’s serious. There’s no fatherly emotion, and even if there was, I wouldn’t even know what that would sound like. Once I leave this room—this building—I’ll effectively be cut off from him forever.
Taking another deep breath, I open the door. “Good riddance.”
31
Jade
Derrik sings a lyric that I wrote down while I sit behind the mixing board. In the last couple of days, I’ve been re-recording some of the songs I liked that Jimmy Richards stole. Being back in my home-away-from-home studio, I’ve wanted the guys around a lot more. EJ recorded a couple of fantastic sessions on his guitar that inspired a few new lyrics. I still don’t know if I’ll ever release this stuff, but it feels great to be getting some of my own ideas out of my system again. And, surprisingly, it’s even better that my brother and the boys are around me. I thought I needed a clean slate to record this stuff, but it turns out, I’ve been bubbling over with new songs and rhythms since they’ve been around.
“That’s amazing, Derrik,” I tell him over the speaker. He gives me a thumbs-up.
“Dude, no way!” Maddox says, entering the room with EJ. He’s carrying two brown paper bags, and EJ holds a tray of soft drinks. “How can you even say that?”
EJ laughs, shutting the door with his foot. “Because she’s hotter, that’s how.”
“The guys are back with the burgers,” I tell Derrik in the studio. “Want to take a break?” Nodding, he takes off his headset and comes out to us. “Who’s hotter?” I ask them.
Maddox scoffs. “This guy thinks Charlize Theron is hotter than Scarlett Johansson.”
Derrik laughs, entering the room and hearing them. “He has a point.” He sides with EJ. “Have you seen those perfume commercials Theron is in?”
Maddox shakes his head. “Two words: Black Widow. Not the Avengers movies, though, no. I’m talking Iron Man 2 Black Widow. RDJ said it best; ‘I want one.’”
All of us burst into laughter, and Derrik starts dispensing the burgers and fries out. Taking a French fry, I bite a piece then point it at EJ. “How would Skye feel about this conversation, EJ?”
Derrik and Maddox both glance over, their interest piqued. Surprisingly, EJ doesn’t even hesitate. “We have our lists already picked out.”