Page 118 of Sycopation
Made sense. “Okay. I’ll ask him to call you when he’s back.”
A few more scribbling noises. “Good.”
They wrapped up a few more items, including drafting several simple social media statements for Dom to post, which he did.
“Hey, is that stuff about Carl in a police report?” Dom asked.
“Yes,” Ms. Gonfaus said.
“I want to see it,” Ray said. “As soon as possible.”
Dom made a sour face. “Bet they’ll be on some website, soon.”
“That’ll be a media field day.” Mish poured herself the remaining coffee.
So they drafted a statement about that, too, so Dom could post it later.
When they finished the call, Ray didn’t really want to think about Carl, but he couldn’t stop doing exactly that. “Fuck. That asshole.”
“Fuck the label to hell.” Mish stood. “And they smiled at us and praised us and got on our case for stepping one foot out of line.”
Yeah, that was the short and long of it. Ray scratched his head and dropped his gaze to his ankle, to that little strip of leather. He took a breath and straightened. “Doesn’t matter anymore. I mean, itdoes—but we gotta look forward. This is an opportunity.”
To decide their own fate. To be wiser about partnering with labels.
Mish chuckled, came over, and wrapped her arms around him. “Hey, hon, when did you get to be the levelheaded one?”
He laughed. “I had help.”
Over Mish’s shoulder, Ray caught Dom rolling his eyes. “Hey, he’s a good man!”
Dom held up his hands. “No argument with me. He’s good for you, but you’re way the hell sappy for him.”
Mish pressed a kiss to Ray’s forehead. “Let him be. Zavier knocked some sense into him. I’ll take that with sappy any day.”
Heat rose to Ray’s cheeks. “I’m standing in the room with you guys.”
“But drummer boy isn’t.” She stepped back. “Where is he, anyway?”
There was a tightness in Ray’s chest, half from the unknown, and half from anticipation. “I don’t know. I think his walk turned into a drive.”
“He was pretty strung out about the whole hospitalization thing.” Dom picked up the book he’d been reading and flopped onto the bed. “You really need to add him to all the power of attorney stuff, I mean, if you two are gonna keep...” Color touched Dom’s face.
“Fucking.” Mish’s smile was wide. “If you and that boy are gonna keep fucking so damn hard as to wake the neighbors, and if you’re gonna run through life together like nothing in the world can stop the two of you...you really should look into the paperwork.”
Like nothing could stop...Ray laughed. “Sorry if we kept you up.”
Dom was more than red-cheeked now. “Anyway, I’m gonna read.”
Mish’s turn to roll her eyes. “What I really want to do is lounge by the pool, but I guess here is still the safest place to be.”
After reading and talking and getting annoyed with each other, they eventually ended up playing gin rummy on the bed until Ray’s phone buzzed. This time it was a text from Zavier:
I’m 30 minutes out.
Ray read the text out loud for Dom and Mish, and Mish tapped Dom’s arm. “Come on. That’s our cue to get out before we get run over by Zavier’s libido.”
“Jesus,” Dom muttered, and his blush sprang back, but his smile was warm. “Enjoy.”
