Page 12 of The Bridges I've Burned

I let out a snort as I tried not to glean too much joy in his discomfort. Hendrix wasn’t exactly known for being a saint.

“I’m okay,” I tried to assure him. “I boarded the ferry like a good little rock star, and I’m headed into town as we speak.”

“Aww, listen to you calling yourself a rock star. So cute.”

I rolled my eyes. “I did that for your benefit. I just wanted to prepare you for the imminent brush-off.”

He laughed. “Gotcha. Good plan.” Silence settled before he spoke up once more. “So, you’ve made up your mind then? About Manic?”

I let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Yeah, I have. I signed the papers and everything.”

My agent was ecstatic, to say the least.

“Jesus. It’s about fucking time. Do you know how big of a deal this is?”

Yes. Yes, I did.

It wasn’t every day a band like this had an opening. Their lead guitarist had fucked up. Badly. And they wanted to distance themselves from the scandal as quickly as possible and move on. When I came aboard to fill his spot at the beginning of the US leg of their tour, I thought I was just another hired gun, as usual.

But something had just clicked.

Working with those guys was like filling a missing part of my soul. If it was just about the music, I would have said yes before the question even left my agent’s lips.

But it wasn’t. It was so much more.

It was press tours and photo shoots. Groupies and paparazzi. All the shit I’d avoided since I’d started this job.

All the shit I hated.

“This is great news, Z. It’s gonna be epic, I promise.”

“You sound like Saul.” My agent.

“Yeah, well he’s a smart dude. It’s why my dad set you up with him.”

The sign for Ocracoke loomed ahead of me.

“Speaking of your dad, can you tell him?”

There was a pregnant pause.

“You don’t want to do that yourself? Isn’t this, like, a special moment or some shit?”

Lance Creed was more than just an adopted sort of father figure to me.

He was also my manager, my mentor, and the man who’d molded me into the musician I was today.

“Yes, but you’re his assistant.” I grinned.

“Oh, fuck off.” He tried to sound irritated, but I could hear the amusement in his tone. “You know I’m only helping him out until I figure things out. Besides, it has one perk.”

Like insider information on potential deals. It was nice, not having to keep this from my best friend.

“You headed straight to your brother’s house, or are you checking in somewhere?”

The thought of seeing Macon tonight made my stomach lurch. “I think I’m gonna find some food, and then I’ll figure it out from there.”

I didn’t mention I didn’t actually have anywhere to go. Accommodations in Ocracoke came mostly in the form of private rentals. Hotels were few and far between and booked months in advance.

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