Page 116 of Reverb
“But they don’t need me anymore.”
“Oh god, Mish. They need you more than you know. Those men would walk through fire for you.”
“Family,” Mish said. “I thought David—” Her throat seized up.
“Yeah, we all did.” Marcella poked at the books Mish had left on her coffee table. “Zavier’s beside himself—well, as much as he ever is.”
That teased a smile from Mish. “He hates being wrong. But not, like, hate hate. It frustrates him when he doesn’t understand people.”
“Yeah, I noticed. People aren’t always understandable, though.”
Wasn’t that the truth. “I loved him. Love him. David, I mean. Love Zav, too, but...”
“Not like that.”
They sat in silence for a while. “I guess I should also be upset about the stalker, but honestly, I’m glad we finally got him. That he showed himself. And punching his smug face was so fuckingsatisfyingI can’t even put it into words. Like, that was enough.”
“Well, there’s still a ton of stuff you need to do there. Speak to our lawyer. Probably talk to the cops again. We’re going to have to issue a press release about the whole incident. It’s not going to be over for a while yet.” Marcella made a face. “Plus, there’s your hand.”
“It’s not broken. Not even sprained this time. Just swollen and cut.”
“I doubt you’re picking up your bass tomorrow.”
“Okay, yeah. I’ll be out of commission for a bit. But we have a break anyway. I don’t think we’re gonna have to cancel shows.”
“Ray said the same.” Marcella pushed at the books again. “But I have to think of all the angles, you know?”
“It’s what a good manager does.”
Marcella got a strange look, both sadness and joy mixed. “I’m glad I can be there for you all. I’m still pissed that you’ve had to go through so much.” She chewed her lip. “David was stabbed. There’s gonna be fallout from that.”
“And our breakup, too, I guess.”
Marcella shook her head. “We’re not going to comment on that. I don’t think the sites will pursue that angle for a while, since he was injured. There’s recovery time for both of you. You guys can...disappear for a while.”
“He’s gonna be all right?”
“Yeah. Apparently he’s had worse injuries while in the army. Take a couple of months before he can go back to work, but...”
“He can go back to work. Hewillgo back to work.” Mish pressed Marly against her chin. “That’s what we fought about.”
“Because if he’s working a job, he’s not going to be here with you—wherever here is.”
“I suppose it’s not fair to expect him to follow me around—”
“—but there’s space for him. In the crew. In your—”
“Our. You’re a part of this. Our family.”
Marcella froze for a moment. “Oh.”
Mish put Marly down and opened her arms. “I know you’re not the biggest on hugs, but...”
Marcella wrapped her arms around Mish’s neck. “You have no fucking clue how much both of you scared the shit out of me tonight,” she murmured.
“Pfft. You’ll get used to it.” Mish pulled back.
Marcella laughed. “God, I hope not.” She sobered. “Maybe David needs some time.”
