Their manager seemed a bit surprised at their decision to shift everyone around to make a spot for Tori in the position of guitarist. Since he had not been present to hear her play at her one and only public performance, he could be heard noisily chattering while Cody patiently listened.
Hanging up his cell, Cody informed them, “Suffice it to say, he’s not pleased with the choice being made without his input, and he suggested he be allowed to hear her play before any final verdicts are made.”
Tori laughed at the way the singer mocked the man and his attitude, scoffing his lack of faith in her band mates’ judgment.
“Regardless,” Cody went on, “He lives in Manhattan, and will be over shortly to hear what you can do.”
Looking at each of the men in turn, Tori considered the possibilities, the wheels inside turning. Silently, she planned how she would make the man feel like the jerk he was being, and headed off to the small studio to get to work.
Tori looked over the selection of guitars that her brother had. Her black and white one still at the house in Texas, she thought about insisting they would have to retrieve it before she made any real music. However, for today, she would use a couple of his to complete her prank on the man who doubted her ability and would be arriving shortly to hear for himself.
Taking two of them, she tuned one perfectly and set it on the stand ready to go. Lifting the second one, she made sure none of the strings held the right tone, and she would sound perfectly horrid when she strummed them.
Watching her curiously, Brian finally asked, “Why are you doing that?”
Giving him an evil grin, she barked an odd laugh, “Well, I can’t stab him, but I’m sure I can inflict at least a little bit of pain before I show him what I can really do.”
He only shook his head, not really understanding his sister’s sick sense of humor.
A short time later, Mark arrived at the house. Meeting him at the front door, Brian tried not to spoil her surprise as he led their manager to the studio, where everyone else had gathered, playing around on their instruments and brainstorming ideas. Seeing him enter the room, Tori traded her guitar for her special surprise.
Adjusting the strap, she took on a nervous stance and darted her eyes around from person to person, waiting for the cue to begin her assault.
Mark didn’t even smile at her, not believing her to be anything more than an interloper. “Ok,” he commanded with a loud, exasperated sigh, “Let’s hear the cover title.”
Giving her brother a slow grin, Tori ran through the cords, which, in fact, did sound pretty horrid. Adding insult to injury, she further butchered the riffs by failing to mute strings and periodically held her fingers out of position so that they were not compressed properly.
Hearing her fiasco, her new band mates began to snicker. Collin covered his mouth trying to stifle his, and then snorted out his nose, which sent all three of them into hysterics.
Indignation covering his face, Mark demanded sharply, “What’s so fucking funny? She’s terrible!” he stammered in a shocked tone, “How could you guys even consider this?”
Tori’s turn to smile, she sat down the instrument, and traded it for the better quality one that had been waiting patiently on the little wire rack. Coolly, she adjusted the new instrument into position, and in a condescending tone replied for them, “Maybe because they don’t need you telling them what’s good.”
Not waiting for him to respond, she opened up with the introduction, her fingers prancing across the strings perfectly. His mouth slightly open, he listened as she produced incredible sounds, her hair falling forward as she shifted during her performance, riff after riff coming to life.
Nodding as she played, the guys appeared entirely pleased at her ability and were grateful she had come around to do her part in the end. Finishing the piece, Tori reached up, catching her hair by running her fingers up her forehead and pushing it back while tossing it behind her.
Brian remembered seeing the move back in LA, when they first surprised her, and had discovered her hidden talent. She even has a signature move, the thought made him grin.
Giving her an angry glare, Mark stated in a brackish tone, “I guess you think you’re cute, don’t you.” Glancing at Collin, he considered that she might actually be more arrogant than the drummer, and understood that this could make for some interesting times in the future. “Ok,” he then relented, “I guess she’ll do.”
Eager to finalize the plans for the album and the tour, the group spent the rest of the evening discussing their current agenda and any changes that would need to be made. Right away, Tori pointed out that she wasn’t doing any of it if she had to leave Michael behind, giving her mate a hungry stare as she spoke. They decided there would actually be room for him on their bus if the couple didn’t mind riding with the rest of the guys.
Not wanting to make things too difficult, she agreed that would be acceptable. Keeping her fears under cover, she actually felt quite nervous about the whole affair, and not because she thought they would be in danger.
Tori had never been one to stand out in a crowd. She had learned early on that quiet and meek went far on the road, and she wasn’t sure how well she would do up against the three men and their purely dominant personalities.
Running her fingers through her hair, she also voiced her concern about alcohol consumption. At hearing this, the group fell silent, waiting for her to elaborate on exactly what she thought.
Inhaling deeply, Tori quickly decided to get to the point, and stated flatly, “I’m an alcoholic. I really have no desire to return to it, either. I got lucky when I went after the Scorpions, consuming a great deal during that time, but being able to put it away when I returned home, largely because there was no further temptation in my life.”
Giving them a moment to process what she was getting at, she continued, “I know you guys are going to want to party on as you always have, but I really don’t want to dive head first into that lifestyle.” Stopping there, she hoped that her intent had been made clear as the group buzzed for several minutes, tossing around ideas while Michael beamed with pride at his wife’s forethought.
“I think we need a different bus,” Brian finally offered. “Maybe one that has a sub-compartment in the back, like a regular bedroom. That way they can be alone and away from the rest of us when we are doing our thing.”
Nodding their agreement, Cody and Collin thought that would be a valid suggestion for allowing Tori to have more privacy and maintain a certain distance from the things that concerned her.
Having that settled, the group also addressed the issue of publicity. Their newest member might also raise some eyebrows out in their fan base, and they needed a way to show that she wasn’t just some girl, or that she actually could play and had earned her spot. They then decided they wanted to appear on a late night television show as a way of announcing she would be joining the group.
“Hey, you know,” Cody piped up, “She could also do like a cover shoot or something. Like, have photographs made of her and of us together, for like promotional stuff.”
Tori made a face, and glancing around the group, she informed them that she wasn’t very accustomed to being photographed and wasn’t sure she wanted to start now.
Mark had been making notes of the suggestions and putting his two cents in where appropriate. At her comment, he looked up from his scribbles to stare at her. Working with the girl would definitely be a challenge, especially if she always needed persuading to do things.
Stretching in a dramatic fashion, she chose that point to announce she felt ready to call it a night. Michael followed her up the stairs, leaving the remaining four men to discuss what had transpired and make further plans. Catching up to her as she entered their bedroom, he closed the door behind them and gave her a broad smile.
“I think you’re making a good choice,” he spoke softly as he reached for her, “I have a really good feeling about this.”
Tori ran her hands
up his spine, suddenly not the least bit interested in anything other than getting naked and partaking in her favorite pastime with her lover.
Out in the Open
Eli clutched a folder as he strutted down the hall. Man, if it weren’t for bad breaks, this case wouldn’t be getting any breaks at all. Arriving at the conference room, he pushed the door open and made his way inside.
“Ah, there he is,” Special Agent James Godfry spoke in his clear, resonating tone. “You have the file?”
“Yes, sir; right here,” he approached the set of tables, handing the folder across to his superior while taking note that La Buff and some new guy were both present at the briefing. Agent Founder felt his entire body grow tense, seeing the map Tori had used to guide the group along her journey of murder and mayhem spread across the tables. And the hits just keep on coming.
Noticing his keen eye, Jim lay the newest file next to the few others lying on the table with the map. “We are refreshing ourselves on the details that she gave us, assessing our progress on the situation. Notice the new red markings across the black? Those are confirmed locations. We have put together files on each.”
Eli nodded, “Yes, so we essentially are only a few spots away from having this locked down. With what I have there in my contribution, we should be all set.”
“Good,” the newcomer boomed with a deep voice, “It’s about time we made some real headway here.” He moved up next to the table, giving Eli a disapproving glare.
“Special Agent Founder, this is Special Agent Mason Hunt. He’s joining our group, since we seem to be growing a little short on members,” Jim did not smile as he spoke.
“Yes, sir; I heard. What happened, exactly?” Eli’s frustration peeking through his façade, “I thought things were going smoothly.”
“They were going smoothly,” the newest member chimed in, “Until all hell broke loose!” Jim gave him a sideways look, which he ignored. “Acquiring this girl is likely to get us all killed if we aren’t careful. Now, I am prepared to go get her. This latest incident just goes to show, we aren’t handling this situation correctly - ”
“That’s enough!” Godfry cut him off. “You may be on the team, but I’m still in charge here, and we aren’t going to do anything. This latest incident only goes to show that forces are in motion. Forces that cannot always be seen or predicted.”
Eli looked at his feet, I wish to God I knew what was going on. Reaching over, he flipped open the file folder bearing Doug Seeming’s name, exposing a small stack of photographs; the top image knocked the wind out of him and he emitted a sharp cry as if in pain, holy shit!
Slowly, Jim’s hand closed the folder, “Yes, it’s pretty gruesome. The funeral will be tomorrow. And of course, it’s pretty safe to assume that whatever he knew is out in the open.”
Eli’s head popped up, eyes wide with concern, “Oh my God, what about Tori? He knew where she was. Is. He knew everything. We have to do something! We have to -”
“Calm down, son,” Jim raised a hand to cut him off, “We’re working on details, putting a plan together. However, I can assure you, we aren’t going to interfere here any longer.” He gave Mason a sideways glance.
“You two will go, shadow her. You will NOT make contact, nor will you interfere should anyone make a move against her. From now on, we are response only, as far as the girl is concerned. Let this run its course, follow the snakes home when they slither away.”
“You mean use her as bait!?!” Eli’s eyes flashed in anger.
“She made her choice. We offered to let her in, make her part of the team… she chose to walk away. So be it. Like I said, you two can shadow her but don’t interfere. And keep me posted.” Jim’s face looked grave. She did save Tommy after all, so he wasn’t any happier about it than Eli was.
Intrepid
Book 6 of A New Life Series
Samantha Jacobey
Lavish Publishing, LLC ~ Houston
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
INTREPID. Copyright 2014 ©
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Lavish Publishing, LLC.
First Edition
2015 Lavish Publishing, LLC
Book 6 of A New Life Series
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States by Lavish Publishing, LLC, Houston
Cover Design by: Nicolene Lorette Design
Cover Images: SHUTTERSTOCK
Paperback ISBN
ISBN: 069231993X
ISBN-13: 978-0692319932
www.LavishPublishing.com
.
Table of Contents
Prologue
The Band Played On
Piles of Money
Whatever Happens
Like Old Times
Jingle Bells
Nobody’s Angel
Like It or Lump It
Safe and Secure
Gifts Galore
See and Be Seen
I Spy
Man to Man
Dark Places
The Lion’s Den
Secret Lives
Locked Up
Happy New Year
Get with the Program
Make the Effort
How the Other Half Died
Memory Lane
Angry All the Time
Crazy Lifestyle
Kiss and Make Up
Return of the Fury
Fated
Rocky Road
Prologue
Enrique ran his fingers around the outside of his mouth, considering the other man’s words. “Alright, let’s head south. But we gotta be sure we can leave quick, in case she needs us.”
“Agreed,” Brett grabbed his gear off the table and stood. “Riding in snow is jus’ plain stupid, ya know. Ya got your gloves?”
“Yeah, I gots ‘em. Hate wearing ‘em. They don’t feels right.”
Brett grinned, “Like frostbite’s gonna feel any better.”
Enrique followed the older man to the front of the shop, pulling out his protective wear. He stopped to lean on the counter, “At least the wind’s died down. We gos straight south from here I guess.”
“Yup,” Brett swung around, his gaze sliding over the wide expanse of colorful magazine covers next to him. Immediately he did a double take, what the fuck? Retracing the path his eyes had traveled, he muttered to himself, guess I must miss ‘er more than I thought… seeing ‘er on the front of the tabloids.
His heart began to pound as he caught the image again. “Hey! We got trouble!” he slapped the other man on the arm to get his attention.
“Man, we always gots trouble. What’re you talkin’ about?” Enrique chuckled while shaking his head, following the leader’s finger as it pointed. Taking in the photograph of the four figures, he gasped aloud, “No fucking way. No way in hells she’d be that stupid.” His hand reaching to grasp the issue, Brett fumbled in his pocket to give the clerk another twenty.
Moving off to the side, he flipped the slick pages with his anxious fingers, finding an article about the group. “Oh my God, this’s real,” Enrique read aloud, “Tori Anderson, sister of Brian Madson, is joining the band, but can she fill the void?”
“Well, there goes our plans for some place warm,” Brett shook his red curls violently, “Come on, we gotta roll.” Swinging aroun
d, he headed for the door, “We’ll start with that place o’ theirs in Jersey.”
“Wait! You mean we’re going now? Before she even calls us?” Enrique’s voice squeaked slightly.
“Yeah, we go now. If anything actually happens, she won’ get a chance t’ call.”
The Band Played On
Tori clenched her fingers, feeling her tenseness ease slightly as they pressed against her mate’s. Deep breath, baby girl. You’re gonna be fine. Smiling at the man next to her, he returned her grin, and she leaned over to give him a small kiss.
“You nervous?” he prodded gently in German, unable to tell by her placid expression.
“Little bit,” she replied in kind, “But I think it’s going to be ok.”
“Sure it is,” he gave her hand a shake, “You’ve got nothing to worry about.” He could feel Peter Farside’s disgruntled glare upon him as he spoke.
The couple sat in the back of the limo, with the rest of the band in the center, surrounding the bar and enjoying the ride with their typical, boyish banter. Having reached the first week of December, the group has a small gig that will air on a late night program to announce the change in the line-up. The band’s newest head of security languished on the far end of the car, only there because Michael had insisted that he come.
Brian took note of her flat calm, nodding his approval, “No sweat, sis. This’s a piece of cake,” he called out, flashing his teeth for effect.
Everything had been kept hush-hush up to that point, but they knew if they delayed for long, the story would get out somehow. Taking Cody’s suggestion to heart, the group had hired a photojournalist, who had taken a spread of pictures for them the previous morning in preparation for the media blitz that would follow the broadcast.
A New Life Series - Finisher Set Page 33
