Page 32 of Midnight Stage

“You’re not wrong. Louder Records isn’t searching for some college dropout to run the launch of this band’s tour, but Axel had faith in you,” he tells me. “Your brother believed that you were born to do this. He even had me write it into a contract before he passed. He was an incredible musician but an even better man who was a great judge of character. He knew what he wanted and how to get it, and he knew when something was right, and you Raleigh, he knew you would be right for this. So, I’m choosing to have faith in him again. If Axel Stone believed that you would be the right fit for this, then who the hell am I to question it?”

I let out a breath, my knee bouncing as I consider it. It’s not as though I have much to lose. “What exactly does this position entail?” I question, realizing that working for Louder Records puts me right in the Ezra Knight danger zone.

“There are too many components of this position to list over the phone. However, it will be expected that you travel with the band on tour.”

My brows rise, starting to get a little intrigued. “And what band is it, exactly?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t disclose that information until an NDA is signed and secured. However, I must stress that this is not an opportunity that is going to wait around. If you don’t scoop it up, someone else will.”

“Even without my degree?”

“That’s correct, Raleigh.”

“Shit. It’s a lot to think about.”

“Indeed it is,” he agrees. “Listen, why don’t you fly out to LA? I can have a private jet waiting for you at any airport of your desire within the hour. Come check out the studio, meet the band, hear them play, and we’ll go from there. If you’re feeling it, we’ll sit down and talk terms, and you can give me a decision then. Otherwise, I’ll leave you to get on with your life.”

“Fly to LA?” I ask. “Just drop everything and get on a jet.”

“I will be sure to make this worth your while,” Lenny says. “Any sister of Axel’s is considered family to Louder Records, and we take care of our own. You will be more than fairly compensated for your work and time.”

“Shit.”

“What have you got to lose, Raleigh?” he questions like a sleazy car salesman, and he’s right, what the hell do I have to lose? Not a damn thing.

“Okay,” I finally tell him. “I can be at O’Hare International Airport in forty minutes.”

“Is that Chicago?”

“Yes.”

“Alright,” he says slowly, as though writing something down. “You should be touching down in LA a little after lunch. We’ll put you up in a hotel, give you a chance to get yourself together, and then we can arrange to meet in the studio . . . say, around three. Does that work for you?”

“Three is fine,” I tell him as my head begins to spin. Am I seriously considering this? Surely this is insane, right? Or perhaps this is Axel’s way of looking out for me.

“Perfect. I look forward to it, Raleigh.” And with that, he ends the call, and not a moment later, I’m scrambling through my shitty motel room, collecting all my things, and getting my ass out the door. Apparently, I have one hell of a flight to catch.

12

Raleigh

The private jet touches down in LA, and as I step onto the tarmac, I have to remind myself to breathe. This is insane. Is this really how Axel was living for those last six years of his life? Getting the royal treatment everywhere he went?

The jet was mind-blowing. It’s luxury on a new scale, not to mention, it’s the only plane I’ve ever been on that’s offered free Wi-Fi and champagne just for existing.

If Lenny’s plan is to dazzle me with the good life so I have to accept his offer, it’s already working. Sure, I’d be on tour with a band I don’t know, but I’d be doing the work I spent all those years cramming for, and while I never completed college and officially got my degree, it would be a shame to waste all of that knowledge. Besides, I’d be put up in fancy hotels night after night with security and a constant paycheck at the end of every week. I could eat like a normal person and actually enjoy life.

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?”

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