Lead (Stage Dive, #3)(3)

I matched it.

“Why, you two are getting along like a house on fire already! It’s like you’ve known each other for years. I think she’ll make you a wonderful live-in assistant,” said Mal. “Tell him, Lena.”

“A live-in assistant?” I parroted, clueless.

“Since when did I need an assistant?” Jimmy looked me over from top to toe, lips tight with obvious disapproval.

“Since you can’t seem to keep a sobriety companion.” His brother returned calmly, a little coldly even. “But it’s your call. If you don’t want to give her a go, the record company’ll find you another companion. Someone suitable.”

Jimmy cringed and the broad shoulders filling his suit curved inward. I almost felt bad for him. The guy might not have the sunniest of dispositions, but it wouldn’t hurt his brother to show a little support. Siblings. What could you do?

“They gotta luck out and get someone you can stand being around eventually, right?” asked David. “You’re doing great, but we can’t afford for you to get off track now.”

“I’m not going to get off track.”

“We go on the road soon and your routine’ll be shot to shit. Sort of situation where you could fall back into old habits easily. You heard what that latest therapist said.”

“All right, Dave. All right. Christ.” Despite his brother talking, Jimmy’s ice-cold gaze never left me.

I stared back, unperturbed. It wasn’t my style to back down from a challenge.

“I’ll hire her,” he said.

I laughed. “Um, Mr. Ferris, I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”

“But there are conditions,” Jimmy continued.

Beside me, Mal thrust his fists in the air, making muted crowd-type noises. My comment seemed to have been overlooked entirely.

“I don’t want you getting in my face all the time,” said Jimmy, staring me down.

“One moment, please. So, you’re offering me a job as your live-in assistant?” I asked, just to be sure.

“No, I’m offering you a trial period as my live-in assistant. Let’s say a month … if you last that long.”

I could make it a month with him. Probably. The money would need to be good, however. “What does the position involve and what does it pay?”

“It involves you not getting in my face and it pays double what you make here.”

“Double?” My brows crept skyward.

“You don’t report back to anyone about what goes on with me unless I go into meltdown,” he said. “Then you only talk to one of the guys in the band or our head of security. Got it?”

“What sort of meltdown, exactly, are we talking about?”

“Trust me, if it happens, you’ll recognize it. What was your name again?”

“Lena.”

“Tina?”

“No. Lena. L.E.N.A.”

Adrian made a faint gargling noise like someone was choking him. But it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was the way Jimmy Ferris’s forehead smoothed out. The anger or tension or whatever it was disappeared from his face and he gave me a thoughtful look. He didn’t smile. Didn’t even come close to it. But for just a moment, I wondered what it would take to make him.

Curiosity was a killer.

“Le-na,” he rolled my name off his tongue like he was trying it on for size. “Okay. Stay the f*ck out of my way and we’ll see what happens.”





CHAPTER ONE


Jimmy was losing it.

The hotel room door shuddered, something smashing loud against the other side. Inside, voices were raised, but the words were indistinct. Maybe I’d just hang out in the hallway for a while. It was tempting. All of this was my own damn fault, I should have been dust weeks ago. The facts were, despite the great money, me and this job didn’t mesh. Every time I opened my mouth to tell him I quit, however, the words disappeared.

I couldn’t explain it.

“Hey.” Ev wandered toward me in a simple black dress, her fingers twining nervously. Her blonde hair had been pulled back into an elegant chignon.

“Hi.”

“David’s in talking to him.”

“Right.” I probably should have worn a dress too, gone traditional. The last thing I wanted was to publicly embarrass Jimmy on a day like today. Only November in North Idaho could be butt-chapping cold. For a native of warmer climates, they didn’t make tights thick enough to combat this sort of weather.

The band and their entourage had been in Coeur d’Alene for just over a week and Jimmy’s mood had been black since our arrival. Worse even than normal. Mal’s mom had passed four days ago, losing her battle with cancer. From what I could gather, Lori had been like a surrogate mom to the Ferris brothers. Their own had apparently been little more than an oxygen bandit, abandoning them early. I’d only met Lori a couple of times. No one could dispute she’d been a beautiful soul.

More muted shouting. Another thump.

“Guess I shouldn’t have gone out for breakfast.” Coffee, French toast, and far more maple syrup than one woman needed, churned inside my stomach. Comfort eating sucked. “Thought I’d beat him back from the gym.”

“You can’t watch him all the time.”