Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 129207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
It sure beats living out of my car and having to sleep with a knife to make sure I don’t get raped in the middle of the night. It’s a no-brainer. And on the plus side, if I’m careful with my paycheck, by the end of the tour, I might even have enough saved for a place of my own. You know, assuming Lenny meant it when he said they take care of their own. I mean, I sure as hell don’t feel like family to Louder Records, but if he insists, who am I to say no?
Assuming all goes well, this is an opportunity that could open doors. If the label likes my work and we have a successful tour, there’s every chance they could offer me another tour, maybe regular work in a proper office where I get to do what I love every day of the week, not just during tour.
The warm LA sun shines down on me, already beginning to thaw my cold heart, and without even trying, I sense peace pulsing through my veins. Maybe this is why Axel loved LA so much and made this place his home. I never had a chance to visit him here, never got to see his home or the world he’d built for himself, but I can only assume it was everything he ever wanted.
A driver waits for me, and I try not to get giddy at the sight of the limo. “Miss Stone,” he says, opening the back door and waving me in.
“Thank you,” I say, but the second my ass hits the expensive leather seat, I can’t hold on to the giddiness for another moment. A stupid grin rips across my face, and within seconds, I have my phone against my ear.
It rings twice before Madds whispers into the phone. “Girl, you know I’m working.” I hear the sound of her heels clicking down a hallway, probably after making some excuse about needing to pee so she could take the call. “Is everything okay?”
“Break out the fucking candles, Madds. You’ll never believe where I am right now.”
“I’m assuming your ass is at work where it’s supposed to be.”
“Nope,” I say, popping the p. “That call I had this morning, it was Lenny Davidson from Louder Records.”
“Wait. What?” she breathes. “That’s the label Demon’s Curse is under, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit,” she says with a heavy sigh. “Are you okay? Did he want to talk with you about Axel? I know it’s been two years, but I know how that shit tears you to pieces.”
“I mean, yeah. He brought up Axel a few too many times for comfort, but he was actually calling to offer me a job.”
“What?”
“That’s what I said, but apparently Ax was already putting things in motion before he died and had mentioned me enough that when they started to put a team together for a new band, my name was at the top of his list.”
“Holy fucking shit.”
“Yeah,” I say with disbelief. “That’s pretty much how I responded too.”
“So, it’s a marketing gig, then?”
“As far as I’m aware,” I say. “I have a meeting with him today to discuss all the ins and outs of the contract and hopefully have a chance to meet the band to see if I mesh well with them. Then assuming everything is as good as I think it will be, I’ll be going on tour with this band.”
There’s stunned silence on the other end of the phone, and by the time a slow smirk finally spreads across my face, Madds pulls herself together enough to respond. “That’s incredible,” she breathes. “Holy fuck. I’m struggling to wrap my head around everything. Okay, ummm . . . What about your current job?”
“It’s a piece of shit entry-level job that I’ll never really find growth in considering my lack of degree,” I lie, immediately feeling like a piece of shit for it. “It’s a no-brainer. And besides, if this doesn’t work out how I’m hoping, I’ll just head back home, claim I needed the day for a stomach virus, and be back at work first thing tomorrow.”
“Wait. Hold up,” she says. “What do you mean head back home? Where the hell are you?”
“Oh, haven’t I told you that part yet?” I ask with a laugh as the excitement begins to infect me, but hell, it’s the first time I’ve felt any kind of excitement in two long years. After college, Madds took a job in LA, and she’s been killing it ever since, so of course I’m going to find her while I’m here. But even if this job doesn’t work out for me, I needed this excitement more than I realized. I’ve only ever been in LA one time before, and that was for Axel’s show-stopping funeral, but this time, it’s for me. Maybe I could even visit his home and delve into the life he had here. Hell, I know Madds wouldn’t say no to accompanying me to the former home of Axel Stone. Hopefully it was left just as he always had it. Actually, I wonder what happened to all of his things. His home, cars, and expensive guitar collection. He had so many things he was so proud of, and now, they’re probably just sitting in some shitty Demon’s Curse memorial hall collecting dust.