“How did you know about the tour starting?”
“Ax,” Kaden answered, finishing his coffee and then getting up to put his cup in the sink.
“I can’t say I’m surprised he’s the only one you kept in contact with, but it would’ve been nice him telling me a week ago, instead of letting me go to three different states looking for you.” R.J. didn’t try to hide his frustration.
“That’s why I kept in touch with him; he was the only one in the band who knew how to keep his mouth shut.” Kaden’s harsh voice had R.J. wincing as his words rang home.
When R.J. would have spoken again, Kaden cut him off. “Get to the point. What do you want, R.J.?”
“I need you to take over for Jesse. You’re the only one who could bring in the revenue that Jesse would have.”
Kaden couldn’t help himself from laughing in his former tour manager’s face.
“Prop Jesse up on a stool if you have to, but there is no way in hell I’m stepping back on a stage.”
“Jesse already spent his advance on concert sales, so unless he can pay back the advance, he’s going to lose his home. Ax isn’t in much better shape; his child support payments have been taking a large chunk of his money. If he has to pay back the advance, then that new recording studio he’s so proud of, is going to close before a record could even be produced. D-mon can’t —”
“Stop, R.J. I can see where this is headed. You should know by now that I haven’t got a sympathetic bone left in my body. If that’s the best you’ve got, I have things to do.”
“I didn’t want to do this, Kaden, but I will if I have to. I won’t let the band suffer because you’ve buried yourself in grief.”
“Shut up, R.J., and get out. We’re done talking.”
“I’ll send the press the tapes,” R.J. threatened.
Kaden lost it. Taking a step forward, he jerked R.J. to his feet and then slung him toward the door.
R.J. managed to right himself before turning back to face an intimidating, furious Kaden. “I mean it, Kaden. Do the tour and they’re yours. I’ll hand them over and you’ll never see me again,” R.J. promised.
Kaden picked up R.J.’s empty cup and threw it against the kitchen wall. Taking a deep breath, he then released it, while getting himself back under control, before he killed R.J. with his bare hands.
“I have no choice it seems, R.J.; if you don’t give me the tapes,I’ll—”
“You do the concert, and they’re yours.” R.J. didn’t look away.
Kaden had no choice other than to believe him.
“When’s the first concert?” Kaden wanted those tapes back. If he had to tour the next year to get them back, then he would do it. Raking his hand through his long hair, he waited for R.J. to answer his question.
“In three weeks. I booked them pretty heavily.”
“You always did,” Kaden said sarcastically. “Get out, R.J.; you’ve accomplished what you wanted.”
“Kaden, if I had a choice, I would have left you alone. I let you leave without trying to stop you, didn’t I? I can’t let everyone down; there are too many people who are depending on me. I’m sorry.” R.J. went to the door and opened it. Kaden watched his former manager go out the door, closing it behind him.
He had sworn when he had walked away that he would never sing again. For five years, he had kept that promise, and now he was going to have to return. Kaden already knew what was ahead of him; months of no sleep, no personal space and miles and miles of road. Once, a tour of this magnitude would have been worth celebrating; now, it was only a reminder of how fucked up he had been.
Cleaning up the mess he had made, Kaden went into the back bedroom, which was empty except for the bed and dresser. Going to the closet, he packed his bag with what few items he possessed. He then sat down on the bed, staring at the picture he had taped to the wall by his bed. Reaching out, he carefully removed the worn picture, and then held it in his hand as he stared at it for several moments, before placing it in his bag. Afterward, he got up, took a quick shower, and then went to bed. Lying naked on the bed, he listened to the quiet night, feeling his body finally relax for the first time since R.J. had left.
Tomorrow, he would close the cabin then catch a plane to Dallas. For five years, he had dodged the fame of his career; now, he was going to have to face the publicity of his return and the circumstances that had caused his departure. They would all be waiting and watching for him to resume his wild lifestyle.
The women, drugs and money had all been the rewards of the career that he had used and exploited. This time around, none of it held any appeal. Instead, he would save Mouth2Mouth from financial disaster and get the tapes that had been held over his head for five years. The man who had left was not the one returning this time; this man had nothing left to lose.
Chapter Two
“Did you get the pictures I sent?” Grace asked.
“Not yet, my mail hasn’t caught up with me,” Kaden answered as he made four small lines of coke with his platinum card.
“Oh.” Disappointment filled his sister’s voice. “That’s okay; I have more of them trick or treating. They looked so cute.I dressed them up as—”
Kaden laid the phone down, doing two lines before picking his cell phone back up.
“—Adam made himself sick eating too much candy, of course.”
Kaden could tell this was going to go on for a while. “Grace, R.J. is calling on another line, I have to go. Tell Mom, I said hi.”
“But don’t you want to talk to her?”
“Next time; I have to go.” Kaden disconnected the call, already bending over to do the remaining two lines of white powder.
Kaden’s fingers moved over the guitar as the conversation played in his mind, bringing the end to the concert that had filled the arena to capacity. With a wave, he exited the stage as each of the band members followed his cue.
“Kaden, that was great! I thought you would have trouble learning all the new material, but you didn’t miss a fucking note.” D-mon slapped him on the back as they waited in the VIP room for their car to be brought to the back exit. They had a two-day layover in San Antonio before they would leave for their next gig, so they were staying at a hotel tonight.
R.J. stuck his head in the door. “The car is here.”
Four security guards were waiting outside the door as they exited the arena. The huge crowd waiting outside screamed their names when they saw the band.
“Kaden!” a young blonde girl that barely looked legal, pulled her top down, exposing her breasts. He kept on walking.
Ax tried to make his way to the woman, but R.J. held him back. “I already have entertainment for you back at the hotel. Get in the car, Ax.”
“You’re taking all the fun out of getting laid.” Kaden heard Ax complain as he slid into the car next to him.
“I’m trying to save you another DNA test for child support,” R.J. snapped, closing the door.
Kaden ignored the conversation as the car pulled out into the heavy traffic, leaving the arena. The drive back to the hotel took fifteen minutes in the car with the others hyped up from the show.
“It’s good to have you back.”
Kaden looked across the seat at Sin. “You’re still the master with the drums, Sin.”
Sin stared back at him with a reserved smile. He could be the most laid back of the band members or the wildest, depending on the mood he was in and what he was doing. Alcohol made him everyone’s best buddy; drugs made him a mean son of a bitch, wanting to fight everyone he came into contact with. Kaden thought both sides of him were an asshole, and he had the least to do with him, compared to the other band members.