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“Where are you?” she asked.
I looked up, trying to find the name of the cafe. “Bruce’s. It’s a cafe near the club.”
“Cool. See you there in fifteen minutes.”
She hung up before I could tell her it wasn’t so urgent. I picked up the menu and gave the breakfasts a read. I’d kill for some French toast but I’d been a slack on the workouts lately. Instead, I ordered a Quinoa porridge and another shot of espresso.
I’d just finished eating when Sally arrived.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I said.
She’d definitely just woken up when I’d called but she’d had time to swing by the club and get the details, as well as put on a full face of makeup.
“It’s fine, Alex. Anything to help.”
She smiled at me like a beam of sunshine — and it was far too early in the morning for that shit. She wriggled into the booth seat opposite me and sat a slip of paper on the table.
I gave her a salute and picked up the paper with Pete’s number.
“Wait. Aren’t you sticking around for another coffee?”
“I’ve had two already, and I need to sleep before rehearsal.” I threw some money on the table. “But get yourself one.”
I had no time to waste on Sally.
Dee
“What the hell did you say?”
Pete looked shamefaced, as well he should. I’d beat him to a pulp just as soon as I stopped shaking. The rage in me was so strong that I thought I’d burst like a faulty boiler, the pressure building up until I splattered all over the walls of my dodgy room.
“He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Do you have any idea who this guy is? Have you forgotten? Did he blind you with the sparkle of his shiny money? Pete, you total douchebag.”
Since I was too overwhelmed to actually beat him up, I sat down on the bed. It creaked and strained. I picked up the lumpy pillow and beat that instead. Pete leant against the crappy old sink in the corner.
“You started this. You wanted to come to this town and you wanted to get close to Alex so you could get your revenge on him, then one little setback and you want to retreat. Don’t be an idiot, Dee. The guy is clearing the path to your vengeance as though he wants you to bring it on.”
I had been fuming ever since the night we’d played. The absolute jerkiness of him pulling the plug on us, literally. Then wanting us to come back to play again. What was even going on in that man’s head? And what was going on in mine? My revenge plan was not exactly genius. I’d been relying on having a brainwave for part two of it after we’d played but so far, nothing seemed to make sense.
“So exactly how much did you sell us out for?”
“Four gigs, one a week starting next week. And he has the option to extend. He’s paying us a decent fee for playing, setting us up with a proper rehearsal space. And, best of all, he’s getting us an apartment. Rent free for the month or longer. A three-bedroom place.”
“I’m happy here,” I said.
“You’ve heard them, right? At night, in the walls.”
“A few cute little mice don’t worry me.”
“Mice? They aren’t mice, Dee. They aren’t cute and they aren’t little. They are big, fat, dirty —”
“Sweet Jesus. Don’t say the ‘r’ word.” I folded my legs and hugged them to my chest. For all my words, the thought of one of those r-critters coming out to nibble my toes freaked me out. I had to pretend they were just mice; cute, furry mice that wouldn’t harm anyone. That was the only way I could sleep at night and, to be honest, I didn’t think mice were that harmless either.
“It’s up to you, of course. I mean, it’s got to be all of us in it together but I’ve talked it over with Ferdie and either we take this offer or we pack up and go home. Both of us are almost out of savings and there’s little point us being here just sulking in our rooms. You were the one putting the ultimatum on me to play the club in the first place, now you’ve completely changed sides. Either we play or we leave.”
I didn’t want Pete and Ferdie to leave me. We were a band, together. If they went home, I’d just be a nothing, floating around this city. I did not want to go home. There was nothing there for me. I didn’t want to be here alone either. We didn’t have to play Alex’s bar. There were other rock clubs in this city. Heaps of them. We did not have to rely on Alex. Before I could formulate a better plan though, Pete gave me a lot of pure determination. He’d not budge on this.
