Page 58 of Rock Chick Bonus Tracks

The man’s head jerked, he finally took in Mace’s vibe, and that was when he also finally got smart.

He took off.

Mace caught the door before it closed on him and looked at the two guys outside. “You let anyone in here who isn’t legal again, you won’t get another assignment. Anywhere. Except maybe at a mall. Am I heard?”

“Right,” one grunted.

“Yup,” the other one also grunted.

Clearly, those two were less dumb, or maybe they were just less assholes.

He went back to the room, letting the door close behind him.

Stella was there, handing him an open beer.

“You were the shit out there tonight, baby,” he told her.

“You always say that,” she replied before she put the bottle to her lips and took a tug.

“I never lie.”

She blasted him with a smile, it was lit with the afterglow of a great gig, which was also a promise of off-the-hook sex when they got back to the hotel room. She did this before she strutted to the couch and threw herself on it for a much-needed rest. As always, she put everything into the show. So much, Mace was wondering how she was still conscious, much less how she’d pull out even more when she did what he knew she was going to do in about an hour, that being fucking him stupid.

She was beside Leo, who had a gurgling bong to his mouth, taking a hit.

He felt Floyd at his side.

“They’d demand people sort through the M&Ms for us if we asked,” Floyd started. “They go all out. Red carpet. Five star. Top of the line. But their security is for shit. Our rise has been stratospheric, as you know, but I think you and I both also know, it’s only just beginning. So the bigger she gets,theyget, the worse that particular problem is gonna get. They don’t tighten their safety procedures and the people who enforce them, I don’t see good things.”

This was Mace’s same thought.

“You have a word?” Mace asked.

Floyd nodded.

“Three times,” Floyd answered.

“Right, then I’ll have a word.”

Floyd smiled.

A knock came at the door and Mace twisted that way.

One of the guards had his head stuck in.

He looked right at Mace and said, “Guests.” Then he jutted his chin, an indication the band would be okay with who was on the other side of the door.

Mace returned the gesture.

The door opened, and the hip-hop megastar Dee-Amond strolled in, followed by a more than impressive entourage.

“Damn, my motherfuckers,” he said by way of greeting. “I heard you were planting new roots in rock ’n’ roll, but hell if they didn’t get that shit right.”

“Holy fuck,” Leo breathed, pot smoke still drifting out of his mouth, bleary eyes glued to Dee-Amond.

Hugo smiled slow.

Buzz stared.

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