Page 4 of The Roadie
Done with the short break, she turned her attention back to the tracks she recorded on her phone at the studio today and finished her work. A while later, Jimmy and Audra arrived with a much-needed bottle of wine and a six-pack. Damian Diamond, the band’s bassist, showed up right after them, his gravity-defying bright blue Mohawk bouncing with each step. A man of few words, Damien simply nodded at Audra and Kira in greeting and fist bumped Jimmy while offering a short “S’up?” He plopped down in one of the chairs and crossed one booted ankle over his knee.
“Where’s Alyssa?” Kira asked, inquiring about Damien’s spitfire of a wife.
“With Jessi. They took the kids for ice cream.”
A few minutes later, in walked Tommy Blade, Immortal Angel’s guitar player, and the room got a whole lot sexier. Holding hands with his husband, Angel Garcia, Tommy flashed a white smile and brightened the place with his big blue eyes. Angel, ever the gentleman, kissed both Kira and Audra on the cheek and gave Jimmy and Damien a bear hug before sitting next to his husband.
Tommy was more laid back and gave everyone a quick wave and a, “Hey. What’s up?” That’s all the man needed to melt panties across the nation. Sometimes, Kira imagined what it would be like to be Jessi Blade, married to Tommy since the beginning of time and then to Angel in a three-way commitment ceremony. Just thinking about it made a smile spread across her cheeks. Jessi was a lucky girl.
“So, tell us, Kira,” Angel inquired, impatiently. “What did you think of the songs we recorded today?”
“I’ve been listening to the four tracks nonstop. Three of them are still in my head. They’re catchy and perfect compositions, filled with energy. But that last one . . .” She trailed off and shook her head. “It needs work. Tommy, we know what you can do on the guitar. You need to bring it more on that last track.”
“Really?” He wasn’t pissed off, just surprised.
“Yes. And Angel,” Kira continued. “You were holding back. Your voice was restrained.”
Angel took his critique to heart and contemplated her remark with a furrowed brow and nod of his head. “You’re right. I kept thinking about it over dinner. I should have put more passion into it. More grit. More swagger.” He was his own worst critic.
“Don’t beat yourself up, A.” Tommy placed a reassuring arm around Angel and gave him a little hug.
“No. She’s right,” Angel replied, lips pressed together in a thin straight line. “I didn’t give it my all.”
Kira continued with her critique. “Jimmy, you were your usual whirlwind on the drums. A wildfire of beats. No complaints.”
Lastly, she turned to Damien. His jaw stiffened and his brows pinched together when he realized that he was being scrutinized next. The hard-as-nails exterior didn’t faze Kira. Most people would have cringed or backed down, but she knew that, on the inside, Damien was a pussycat with a heart of gold. “It was a little one-note. The bass needs to be a little more grungy. Other than that,” she lifted her shoulders, “we’re good. Just think about stepping it up and we’ll be back in the studio next—”
The ringing of Audra’s cell phone interrupted Kira’s commentary. “It’s Felix Osbourne.” Audra looked up with surprise and walked a few feet away to take the call in private.
“Felix Osbourne?” Tommy sat up straighter in his seat. “Why is Bulletproof’s manager calling Audra?”
There had been some conversations back and forth about a collaboration between Immortal Angel and members of heavy metal sensation Bulletproof doing a re-release ofSex & Greed, one of Immortal Angel’s biggest hits. They had performed the song together at the Get Rocked Festival in Vegas a few months ago and had blown away a crowd of a hundred-thousand people, including professionals in the industry. The idea that this fusion of talent might finally come to life and record together made Kira buzz with attention.
She watched her sister speaking into the phone with a professional demeanor, but saw the excitement emanating from Audra’s facial expression and in the way she paced back and forth. Audra made eye contact with Kira as she spoke, and the sisters beamed at one another as they shared a broad smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Osbourne. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Audra ended the call and rejoined the group, who were all waiting to hear what transpired on the call. “It looks like we’ll be in Chicago a little longer. Kira, can you change your flight? You need to be here for this.”
Spur-of-the-moment changes in plans weren’t out of the ordinary in Kira’s line of work. There was always new talent popping up that needed to be scouted before the competition swooped in and procured a record contract, and she prided herself on signing the most sought-after bands before anyone else. She checked her calendar and saw no conflicting appointments that would prevent her from returning to New York in a few days instead of tomorrow. “I can do that. What’s going on?”
“Bulletproof is in town. They finally have a break in their tour and can get into the studio. We’re recordingSex & Greedtomorrow at nine a.m., featuring Brandon Bullet on guest vocals and Derek MacAlister on guitar.”
Everyone arrived at the studio early, anxious and excited about working with members of the nation’s top heavy metal band. True to his reputation, Felix Osbourne, renowned as a stickler for punctuality, showed up at five minutes to nine with the members of Bulletproof and an entourage of bodyguards in tow.
Kira was used to seeing Immortal Angel with security, but it was nothing compared to the flurry of commotion that Bulletproof brought with them. She had assumed it would only be Derek MacAlister, Brandon Bullet and their ever-present manager arriving at the studio. Instead, all four bandmembers arrived with four bodyguards.
Even though they met in Vegas a few months ago, Audra re-introduced the men to Kira. “You remember Bulletproof’s lead singer, Brandon.”
Brandon Bullet was as iconic as Tommy Blade. With his long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, the two were basically mirror images of each other. Kira eyed their combined good looks and determined that it should be illegal for this much sexiness to be in one room. “Of course.” Kira shook Brandon’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Audra went down the line and introduced the other members of Bulletproof, as if they needed an introduction. “Jeremy Kagan, bass player. Derek MacAlister, joining us today on lead guitar. And Alan Delgado.”
“Master of the double bass,” Alan proclaimed, with a smile, offering his own accreditation.
“I’m very excited that this juncture has finally come together,” Kira said. “This is going to be a phenomenal collaboration, and I look forward to future endeavors between the two bands. I think we can all agree that the re-release ofSex & Greedis going to be a huge success.”
While the two bands got reacquainted with one another, Kira joined the audio engineer to go over a few things. They barely had a five-minute conversation before Audra pulled her away.
“You need to see this,” Audra whispered. “Bulletproof is bringing in their own equipment instead of using the house amps.”
