Page 61 of Rock Chick Bonus Tracks

“Later, Kitten.”

He ended the call and stared at the phone.

He then swiveled in his chair and looked left to right, taking in the overabundance of framed photos on his credenza his wife and daughter added to regularly.

Mace in jeans and a white linen shirt, Stella in a white bikini that had lace applique around the hips and on the top, just under where the straps started. She was wearing a sheer duster with more lace dotted on it that fell to her thighs in the back. A single strand of flowers crowned her loose hair, and she had a long string of freshwater pearls hanging on her neck, the end of which was an oblong peridot.

They were on a beach in Hawaii. It was their wedding.

A shot of Mace and Stella and the whole crew in the back room at My Brother’s Bar. Everyone was smiling, though Tex looked like he’d just completed a murder spree.

Mace leaning over Stella who was on her back in a hospital bed, tendrils of her hair plastered to her face, her cheeks red with the effort she’d just expended, a gunked-up bundle resting on her chest with a scrunched-up face and dark hair on her head.

Chole and Ben, his mom and Tom, and Tally and Stella in front of the Christmas tree.

Tally and Mace at the foot of a run in Aspen, boards under their arms, goggles up on their helmets, smiling at the camera because Stella was behind it.

Stella and the girls in their bridesmaid dresses at Luke and Ava’s wedding, Jet’s large baby bump proudly displayed.

Stella and her guitar onstage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when BMG did the tribute at the induction of the Pissed-Off Hippies.

Mace and Stella on the way into the Grammy’s, Stella in a slim, white tuxedo with a shimmery pink top that dipped way low, Mace in a black tuxedo, white shirt, collar open. Pong, wearing more makeup and having more hairspray in his hair than Stella, was photobombing them.

Lee and Tally on the beach when Tally was five. She was pointing at something in the ocean, Lee was crouched by her, one hand to her back, his head turned, looking in that direction.

And in the middle, next to their wedding picture, not hidden, pride of place, was a photo of Caitlin on stage wearing a pink leotard and matching sheer skirt tied at her waist and drifting to her knees. She was up on point, caught in motion.

Her arms were above her head, her beautiful hands held with natural grace and delicacy.

Mace looked from that picture to the one of Lee and Tally on the beach, to Stella’s beaming smile in her bridesmaid dress, to the photo of them caught up in good times at Brother’s. Good times that happened for no reason, just because they’d all found their family and they were smart enough to appreciate it.

Then he went back to Tiny.

“Hope I did you proud, sweetheart,” he whispered, drew in breath and turned back to his desk.

As he sorted shit to get ready to go home, it didn’t take long for him to finish making up his mind about a thought he’d had a while ago.

So he re-engaged his phone, went to contacts and found Lee.

“Hey, brother,” Lee answered.

“Yo, Lee. Got a second to talk something through?”

There was a beat of silence and then, before Mace could lay out the plan, he knew Lee knew what he was about when he said, “Christ, man, I thought you’d never ask.”

Mace felt a smile spread on his face.

Then he sat back in the chair in his office and hammered out a deal with his friend.

Track 7

Rock Chick Regret

One One

Hector

Hector sat next to Sadie at the table in the visitation room.

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