by T Gephart
Twisted Views: Fate’s Companion
T Gephart
Published by T Gephart at Smashwords
Copyright 2013 T Gephart
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This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and scenarios are products of the writers’ imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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Preface
When I started writing A Twist of Fate I had all these wild and wonderful characters swirling around in my head. I wanted them to each be unique and bring “something” to the story regardless of how little or big their impact was. To me this was just as important as the story itself and I wanted readers to identify with these characters, connect with them and fall in love with them, like I had. There was so much more I wanted to explore in the first book but I didn’t have the opportunity for a number of reasons. Firstly, I wanted the story to be solely from Lexi’s point of view so it didn’t allow me the vehicle to delve into the other characters with the depth I wanted and secondly, I didn’t want the story to lose its pacing by breaking off into divergent story lines. It was only after the second part of the Lexi series, A Leap of Faith, had been published and I was writing the third and final instalment, A Time for Hope, that I felt I needed to go back and revisit the first book again and let some of the facets of the other characters come to light.
Maybe I’m a control freak (Ok, so anyone who knows me will know this is NOT a hypothetical!) but I wanted to write through the eyes of Alex (ummm Hello, who wouldn’t?!), Taylah (Everyone needs a Taylah in their lives), and Dan (I honestly LOVE him and I probably laughed the hardest while constructing his dialogue). I also wanted to give you all a little insight - a peek if you will, into my inner workings so you can see how the story came together in my head (trust me, it’s a crazy place in there so you don’t want to stay too long). Out of this need (or that of my vanity) Twisted Views: Fate’s Companion was born. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it and that it gives “a little bit more” to those of you who aren’t ready to let go when the Lexi and Alex’s journey finally ends. (This is not a spoiler alert!!! I just mean the third and final instalment. Do not send hate mail, I’m not killing them off... or am I?! **Insert maniacal laugh**).
So settle in, get comfortable and lets go back in time, back to where it all started and back to where I fell in love with these guys for the first time.
T xxx
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 - Matt
Chapter 2 - Jackson
Chapter 3 - Dan
Chapter 4 - Dan
Chapter 5 - Alex
Chapter 6 - Taylah
Chapter 7 - Alex
Chapter 8 - Sydney
Chapter 9 - Matt
Chapter 10 - Troy
Chapter 11 - Troy
Chapter 12 - Taylah
Chapter 13 - Hannah
Interviews with your favourite characters
About the Author
Connect with T
Books by this Author
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Twisted Views is a series of vignettes written from different characters’ points of view, which appear in the same order as the events of A Twist of Fate. Each chapter will have a short note that explains what part of A Twist of Fate the scene relates to. This book should not be read as a stand-alone book, as it fills in some of the missing pieces from A Twist of Fate and should be read as such.
Chapter 1 – Matt
Author’s Note: This chapter takes place in Houston, Texas. The events of this chapter occur before Matt leaves for Australia to take up his exchange with Cole. Matt has not yet met Lexi but he has heard a lot about her and his boss is putting the hard word on him to get Lexi to defect and work for his company.
“I’m telling you Burns, I need her on my team. You have a real opportunity here and I need you to be a team player.” Jerry was giving me the same speech he had given me all week.
“Jerry, I’m not entirely sure what you are asking me to do? I mean, by all accounts you said she is loyal to Cole. How am I going to be able to convince her to jump ship?” Seriously, no one could be that good. He was making this Lexi out to be like some mythical unicorn.
“I’m not sure you heard me, Burns.” Jerry closed the door behind him, “You didn’t see this filly; she had men twice her size pissing down their legs. She is smart as a whip and has no fear - zero. Well shoot, I watched her negotiate a deal with JS Holdings and not even work up a sweat. That tough son of a bitch doesn’t cave for anyone and yet he did, for her. She signed him as a client and he thanked her for the privilege. Now, maybe it’s cause she was packing an impressive set of legs or maybe she is a genius - either way I want her.”
“Ok, I’ll talk to her. See if I can’t convince her to give us a shot.” I hoped that my agreeing to talk to her put this conversation to bed. I had a lot of work to get through. Tomorrow I would be jetting off to Australia where I would be doing a six-month exchange and getting some much needed international experience. I had edged out Brett Hardiman for the opportunity and the bastard was still pissed.
“You need to do more than talk, Burns.” Jerry leaned up against my desk, his coffee breath polluting the air, “I’m backing you for department head. Show me you got what it takes. Give her that smile that makes girls cream their panties. Let her look into those baby blues you have and convince her she needs to sign. Don’t underestimate yourself Burns, she is still a girl.”
“You aren’t suggesting I whore myself out for the company are you?” This was extreme, even for Jerry. I knew he liked to skate close to the lines of ethical boundaries and he was a misogynist, but was he really suggesting I seduce someone for a job?
“Pull your tampon out Burns. She’s a knock out and you should be so lucky. You go over and you lay it on thick. Give her some of that smooth Texan charm you throw around, make her go gaga over you like the rest of the girls in the office and well, if you end up with a roll in the hay, then you just got the bonus plan. Well Burns, I want her fucking signed. Now I have this pain in my ass client I need to deal with so get y’er shit together and I’ll talk to you when you land.” Jerry gave me his typical wink and strolled out of my office. I couldn’t believe he was serious. Of all the bullshit Jerry had asked me to do, this was by far the lowest.
I leaned back into my worn leather chair. I wanted that promotion but I was not willing to use someone to get it. Maybe Jerry was right? I needed to be aggressive if I was ever going to get further in this industry. Maybe I could “suggest” an opportunity? Ask her out and discuss some options over a relaxed dinner? If she said no, well at least I wouldn’t feel like complete dick. I sure as hell wasn’t going to sleep with her. After all, we were going to have to work together for the next six months and interoffice romances were nothing but bad news.
I grabbed some files off my desk and threw them into my briefcase. It was close enough to clocking out time and I needed to get shit squared away before my flight tomorrow. I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair as
I strode to the door of my office. I paused on the threshold before hitting the lights. This was the last I was going to see of this place for a while. Despite its retro feel, I’d grown accustomed to the familiar yellowed walls and dark wooden office furniture. Tomorrow I was off into the unknown. The excitement buzzed through my body, the only thing I wasn’t looking forward to was the long-ass flight. I flicked the light switch and I closed the door. I was ready.
Chapter 2 - Jackson
Author’s Note: This chapter takes place in Melbourne, Australia, prior to the accident that brings Lexi into the world of Power Station. Jackson and Mike are negotiating a night off from the hectic schedule of Power Station’s Australian tour.
“We’re in my home town Mike, we need to go out.” I reached across the table and tugged Mike’s sleeve. “It needs to happen. Me. You. OUT!”
Mike sat across from me as we enjoyed a perfectly cooked steak in his Crown Towers hotel suite dining room. Mike wasn’t hard to convince, we had been cooped up inside for the better part of the day and had been on the road for over a week. Not that I was complaining, ‘cause I still had to pinch myself that we were actually on this tour.
The support slot for the Power Station gig was a gift, literally a freaking gift. SALT was a decent band, having self-produced and self-released our first album that was holding its own on the indie charts, but we were by no means seasoned musos. We were used to playing bars and pubs. For us, hitting the big time was getting on a smaller stage at the Big Day Out so to be doing this, playing STADIUM shows with Power Station, was beyond our biggest wet dreams!
A stadium! No matter how many times I said it, it never got old. Sound check, as always, had been surreal. Etihad was where I’d seen most of my favourite bands play. To be on that stage and hearing our stuff coming out of those speakers was a dream come true. Sure we wanted to hit the big time - have our songs on the radio and be headlining our own big show, but for now, for these four guys from Melbourne, this was as big as it got.
“Are you going to introduce me to some local ladies?” Mike smiled as he tucked into his sirloin steak, “’Cause I have to tell you, I’ve heard some stories about Australian girls being crazy and I think I need to experience that first hand!”
“Mate, I guarantee you! You are going to have to fight them off with a stick.” I took a bite of my own steak as my mind explored the possibilities of where I could take him.
Mike and I had gotten tight in the short time we’d known each other. We just clicked. He was someone I would have been mates with even if we had met under different circumstances. Sure, we had had completely different upbringings and his older brother James was a big time rock star, but Mike was still down to earth and humble. He was an extremely hard worker too, busting his ass on tour. He would help with everything, from set ups and pack downs to distributing run sheets and front of house liaising. There was none of this, “I’m James Bowden’s brother” bullshit, he got his hands dirty and I had an enormous amount of respect for the guy. Of course he liked to play hard too, which was more than OK with me. When the shows were done and dusted we would head back to the hotel and party until the early hours of the morning. Nothing shady, nothing illegal, just a hell of a good time. The lads were happy to have him around and the ladies loved him, he was one of us.
“I say we head to South Yarra, get out of the City,” I suggested as I took a swig of my beer.
“Dude. Your town, your rules. But be warned when you eventually make it out to my ‘hood, all bets are off!” Mike laughed.
“Ladies,” Dan smirked as he entered from an adjoining room and sat down uninvited at our table. Dan Evans was Power Station’s bassist and like the rest of the band he was an all over nice bloke. He also seemed to have no filter between his mind and his mouth and was by far the biggest ladies man of the band. “When you two get done painting each other’s nails, why don’t you head up to Troy’s suite and get in on the poker game tonight?”
“Thanks Dan, but we’ve got plans.” Mike politely declined as he nodded toward me. While a Poker game with the boys was guaranteed to be an eventful night, it was also a costly exercise. They played for cash and to deal in was $500, small chips for them but for us, it was over two weeks rent. They were good too, so you could pretty much kiss those five big ones goodbye when you sat down at the table.
“What kind of plans?” James asked as he took the chair opposite Dan. It was Flinders Street Station in Mike’s suite but he didn’t seem to mind. When it came to the band or James he had an open door policy. “Mike, I’d really like you to sit tight tonight. We have a show tomorrow and I need you firing on all cylinders.” He gave Mike a cautious look.
“Relax, James! We’re just going to see the sights.” Mike rolled his eyes as he continued with his dinner.
“Little Mikey is looking to get laid,” Dan snorted as slapped Mike across the back, “Kid, just make sure you wrap it. Herpes is for LIFE!”
“Dan, thanks for the advice but I’m good,” mumbled Mike as his face flushed red. I’m sure he didn’t really want to be having a conversation about safe sex at dinner with anyone, least of all Dan.
“I would still rather you hang around here. There’s clubs and the casino here in the complex, maybe you can check one of those out?” James offered, levelling Mike with a stare. His eyes spelled out clearly, “you need to stay put and stop arguing with me!”
Mike wasn’t buying it and argued, “The place is crawling with fans James, we won’t make it two feet without someone recognising us and then asking to us to meet you. Besides Jacks has his car, we’re keeping it low key.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, the last thing I wanted to do was to start shit between the two brothers, but I get where Mike was coming from. It’s hard working for family, being in the constant shadow of an older brother. Neither of them was to blame, James was looking out for his younger brother, and Mike just needed to spread his wings a little. Dan was obviously initiated to their sibling spats and showed neither discomfort nor interest.
“Mike, it’s pissing down rain out there. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Be reasonable.” James was starting to grow impatient and while he didn’t raise his voice you could tell he was getting pissed. I was beginning to rethink the little excursion myself, except that I knew Mike wouldn’t back down.
“James, I’m not a kid. Have I ever let you down? When have I ever not given you one hundred and ten percent on the job? I’m going out tonight and I’m not asking for permission.” Mike pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. “Let’s go Jacks, grab your keys!”
I slowly rose out of my seat, torn between not wanting to disappoint my friend and also not wanting to bite the hand that feeds me. Last thing I need was to be thrown off the tour cause I pissed off the guy who was making it all happen.
“James… errrr…” I struggled with what to say, “We’re just going to hit a couple of clubs and come back to the hotel.” I hoped my lame explanation smoothed over some of the disappointment I saw in his face.
“Drive carefully. Either of you gets into trouble, you call for a pick up - no arguments. I expect you both to show up for breakfast in the morning, bright eyed and freaking bushy tailed and I better not hear any complaints of being tired.” James might not be rubber-stamping our little outing, but at least he was making it so I felt like less of a dick.
“I’ll be at breakfast,” boasted Mike. “I can function on no sleep, it’s all good!”
“Don’t get cocky Mike, you’re not invincible,” warned James as he pushed back his chair.
“Dan, let’s go over the set list now so you and the boys can get your game started. I want to call Hannah.” James walked over to the door of the adjoining suite.
“Sure thing, brother!” Dan leapt out of his seat. “You going to join us or you got a hot date with your hand?”
“Fuck you Dan,” James smirked, flipping him off as they walked out of the room. James gave Mike one last cautionary
glance before closing the door behind them.
“Ok, so are we doing this?” Mike grinned, “’Cause I got to tell you, I’m itching for some action tonight.”
“Get your jacket, Bowden. We’re out of here!” I smiled as I jingled my keys. We were both ready for one wild night and there was no way I was disappointing either of us, not here in my town.
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We jumped in my CRV and ended up travelling down to Chapel Street. It was raining, but not heavily. The rainfall was actually more annoying than anything as I couldn’t seem to gauge the intervals on the wipers correctly. It was either too fast or too slow. I wasn’t in the mood for pretentious clubs tonight so I decided Revolver was the place to be. We could shoot some pool, hear a band or kick back with the DJ - either way I knew the guy on the door so we wouldn’t have to be wasting time or money in line. Sure enough we hadn’t even made it to the door when my buddy Tom flagged us over.
“Jack-o!” Tom hollered, “Didn’t think they let your kind in here!” The burst of his mighty laugh carried over the noise from the club.
“My kind? You mean drummers who can play with a click track? I hear you still struggle to count past four?” I grinned as I punched him in the arm.
“Yeah, yeah. I play by feel mate, not this fancy in-ear monitor shite!” Tom grumbled as he rubbed his arm. “How’s your big break going? Heard you were supporting Power Station! Whose dick did you have to suck to land that gig?!” Tom’s voice boomed.
