Page 12 of Naughty Dreams
“He’s saying everyone has to be cleared by him,” Tal said. “Even though I told his guard dogs that Nessa is fine.”
Roy stepped into the live room and moved to DJ’s side, giving DJ a not unwelcome sense of support. Roy met Tal’s angry gaze. “A dealer is a weak link. A criminal’s loyalty can be bought by anyone who wants access to Mr. James.”
A silence settled over the room. Steve and Pete gave one another anoh shitlook. Tal’s fists clenched, and DJ tensed.
“I wouldn’t advise it.” Though steel entered Roy’s gaze, his posture remained relaxed. “I assume you care about your bandmate, and understand how serious the threat is against him. These measures protect him.”
It checked Tal’s anger, but he still had excess to spill. He spun back toward DJ, a more vulnerable target, and poked a finger into his chest. “Mr. James,” he mimicked. “You think you’re better than us, DJ. Is that it? Gotta have your own special bodyguard to make the rest of us bow and scrape?”
DJ closed his hand on his wrist with gentle firmness. “Tal. Take a breath, man. We love you. Nobody is trying to hurt you here, or take something from you.”
“Yeah, stand down, man. It’s okay.”
In several strides, Pete and Steve closed in, putting hands on Tal’s shoulders, linking them together, the drummer at their center.
Roy had been evaluating the need to intervene when Lolly drew his attention with a furtive motion. Seeing the band members had Tal in hand, he returned to the control room.
“It’s okay,” she told him. “They’re like rowdy brothers. It wouldn’t be the first time Tal has left a bruise on DJ’s pretty face. He avoids his hands and throat. He’s not an idiot.”
Not acceptable, was Roy’s thought. And though the sound engineer was calm, she was unhappy about the strife. An addict tended to escalate over time, and Roy didn’t doubt he’d entered the band’s life when Tal was about to hit a critical mass point. He saw it in DJ’s tight mouth and sad eyes, and that of his bandmates.
DJ had about five inches on Tal, and his expression was stern, but caring. More than a brother. Almost fatherly, despite Tal being older than DJ.
Their conversation had fallen to a murmur, and then Steve gently punched Tal in the arm, an affectionate gesture. Lolly gave Roy atold you solook.
The Asian woman wore purple eye shadow, and had nose and ear piercings. Her dark tank was loose over her jeans, molding a trim waist and swell of hip. Her purple sneakers had silver laces. The tablet she was using showed a screen of complicated instructions. Ray also noted silver writing along the border of the tablet’s cover.
Gods of music, please keep our connection strong. Should it break, help us fix it before everything goes horrifically wrong. Rock on.
When she noted his attention, her dark eyes twinkled. “That’s for when we’re on tour. Most everything depends on wireless band tech these days, so sound techs pray it doesn’t cut out on the mic or instruments during a show.”
Tal bolted from the circle of his bandmates, drawing Roy and Lolly’s attention back to the live room. He left, disappearing down the hallway. DJ’s expression became shuttered and unreadable.
Nessa had probably texted Tal her current location, which wouldn’t be outside or near the building. Earlier, when Jim had given him a heads up on her presence, Roy had his people cover DJ while he went to handle her.
He’d met her just outside the lobby doors. Mid-level dealer was his assessment, on the rise in her distasteful profession. Sexy but tasteful clothes, and her healthy hair, nails and teeth said she wasn’t hooked on her own junk. Her curvy figure added to the cover she’d been using, a fan girl invited to the studio by Tal.
She’d eyed Roy as he introduced himself with cool professionalism. Her wariness would have been evident with any authority figure, but her survival instincts picked up on his desire to toss her into a six-foot deep pool of wet concrete before it hardened.
“If you want to peddle your shit to Tal Goodman, you’ll do it on premises where DJ James isn’t present. That includes a hotel, performance venue, restaurant, night club…you get the gist. I already have your face on camera, and I’ll know your life story before I eat dinner tonight. So if anything attached to you causes us problems, the cops will be up your ass. Do we have an understanding?”
Her face had gone blank while he spoke. “Yes, sir,” she said. “Sorry to have caused a disruption.”
As she shouldered a Louis Vuitton purse and pivoted, he couldn’t stop himself, pointless as he knew it was. “Why not be a legitimate businesswoman? You look like you have the savvy for it.”
The derisive curl of her lip was her only answer, the typical, ‘you’re an entitled asshole who couldn’t understand my story’ look that so many of them used as a bullshit excuse for ruining other people’s lives. She headed down the city street, the swing of her hips and her glossy hair catching the attention of every male she passed.
DJ nodded to Pete and Steve. “Let’s get started. Tal’ll be back to join us before long. He’s pretty good about that.”
“Yeah,” Steve muttered. “But getting less good about it.”
“DJ, what are we going to do? He’s spiraling, man.”
“We’ve got a bunch of shows and weeks of travel left. We hold him together, and then figure out what to do.”
It didn’t feel like the right decision, but there was no time to find a stand-in of Tal’s caliber, and ticket holders expected to see an in-person drummer.
“We’ll keep a closer eye on him,” Pete said, though the words lacked conviction. Tal was a grown man. No way to take his candy away from him, or keep him from it.
