Chapter 3

Mike was the center of more urban legends than Ozzy.

He was older now and retired from managing bands, but that hadn't mellowed him much. The thing that pissed him off the most? If anyone let it be known that he was actually the nicest guy they'd ever met. There was a local father and daughter duo that played charity gigs around the area. The girl played the violin, the father played pretty much anything else; guitar, another violin, bass, etc. Big Mike was visiting his mom at a senior center they played at when he saw them playing for the residents. They sold CDs after the shows and donated the money to homes for homeless vets.

The quality was crap. Mike had to fix that. So that day, he had them in a studio and they were playing as we went over the books. Gratis. He also paid for the engineer and the artist who worked on the cover. His only condition was that they never, ever mention his involvement. He'd disappeared from the studio a number of times over the years for up to two weeks at a time. No word, no notice; just gone. I was the only one who knew it was to take a musician to rehab and stay by their side until they got over the initial hump.

How did I know? I saw the books. Our studio paid for most of it and I was fine with that. I'd be a hypocrite not to be, as Big Mike was the person that picked me up from the gutter and had been my sponsor ever since.

Glasses on the end of his nose, one hand rubbing his greying beard, Mike spoke up. "Black Soul Records is paying for last week's cleaning. All of it. Aroldis Gomez thought it would be a good idea to try to get some chick's vocals while she was cumming and was banging her on the floor next to the mic. Fucking degenerate. That shit was overplayed when Guns and Roses did it." He paused without looking up. "Don't. I'm telling ya, Alex, don't fucking touch it."

My finger had been headed towards his little hula-girl statue that he kept on his desk. If you flicked her hips she moved back and forth, grass skirt swaying. He hadn't even glanced my way.

"What?"

"Seriously, don't 'What?' me. Just don't touch her."

Smiling, I went back to my laptop. He preferred using a print-out. We spent another hour going over end-of-month reports and when we were done, he hit a button on a console and the recording session from the father and daughter came on.

"Think you can play something?"

"For them? No, why? The father's got it."

"Yeah, but his name won't sell copies."

I stared at him before speaking. "You know I'm not into that. I don't want my name out there. Just let all that shit die."

"It's been, what, twenty-five years? Get over it and grow a fucking pair. The money goes to vets, you fucking commie."

My neck and ears were growing hot and I was sure I was turning red. "Look, just make a donation. I'll cover it. It... You don't know..."

Mike interrupted me, speaking softly, voice laced with anger. "I don't know? Me? I was there, Alex. Every day and every night. Out of rehab, back in rehab, meeting after meeting after meeting since then. Don't tell me I don't know. It wasn't my family and I respect that, but you don't get to say I wasn't there. You paid your debts. She wouldn't want you to keep hiding. You know that."

Standing, I clenched my fists. "I said no."

**

Em POV

"Listen, Ms..."

"Em. Just Em is fine."

"Ms. M, unless you have an appointment—"

"No, Em. E-M. No Ms. Just Em."

Mike's beard almost twitched with a surly annoyance and whatever modicum of politeness he'd managed to muster fell.

"Listen, lady. I know you were here yesterday, but people don't walk in here and demand to see Alex without some sort of..."

I waited for the rest of the sentence, but his eyes had left my face and were staring somewhat behind me. I followed his gaze to see Leia had finally walked up with her case of Girl Scout cookies.

"Isn't that a little heavy for you?" he asked.

"She insisted," I muttered. Leia could be as stubborn as they came sometimes and had insisted on hauling the case of cookies by herself from the trunk of the car.

"It won't be if you buy some Girl Scout cookies from me, Mister."

Mike's beard twitched again. His lips pursed slightly. Then he smiled, noticed that I saw him smiling, and the surly annoyance returned to his face.

"Why'd you need to see Alex again?"

"When we were here yesterday, he was... teaching her. And you said he gave her the guitar."

He nodded, then shook his head.

"That means this is Reilly's niece. He's been banned."

"So her uncle was a dick and that means we're banned, too?"

"I wanna be in a band!" Leia said brightly. "Mom, can I be in a band?"

"No, banned as in not welcome here," he said.

I watched the moment Leia wrapped him around her little finger. Her shoulders drooped just slightly, her lower lip curled beneath her teeth, and she made the tiniest sniffling sound before he caved completely.

"Of course you're welcome here," he grumbled. "C'mon in. Let me grab that case, kid."

I tried not to laugh. Leia's reaction had been completely genuine. She had no idea that most people would do anything just to see her smile. One glance of her big, innocent eyes could melt even the coldest of hearts. My life was going to be hell the day she figured out how easily she could manipulate people.

We followed Mike through the studio. When we got to the office area, he pounded on a closed door.

"Alex. You got a drop-in."

He looked at Leia and jerked his head to the other door.

"Got your money in here, kid. Let's see how many boxes I can afford."

"...the fuck you talking about, a drop-in?" floated through the door as it opened. Alex was frowning, but it changed to an expression of confusion as he saw me.

"Uh..."

"Hi. We met yesterday, sort of."

"Yeah." He stared at me. "The kid I was teaching."

"That's my daughter. Leia. She, um... well, I wanted to say thank you, you know, for showing her how to play, and more importantly giving her the guitar. I've never heard 'Happy Birthday' so many times in my life."

Alex laughed, his face brightening as a smile spread across it. That trace of something familiar, something tempting, was there. A small glint in his eye, maybe. I couldn't quite put a finger on that or on the way it made me feel before it faded away again.

"I, um, also wanted to apologize. My brother's an asshole. He has that rock star syndrome and it's... something."

He shrugged, waving it off. Alex didn't seem to be much for words, so I continued.

"Anyway, I wanted to thank you, apologize to you, and then ask a favor."

"What's that?"

"It's when you ask someone for their help with something, but that's not important right now."

The quip was out of my mouth before I could stop it. I cringed, but Alex started laughing again.

"Yeah, all right. So kind of—what'd'ja call it, fay-vurr—are you looking for?"

I couldn't stop myself from smiling, but I did shake my head.

"Her uncle said he'd teach her but... well. I'd rather he didn't. So I thought, maybe it wouldn't be too expensive to just... I mean... do you have any recommendations? People who might be willing to take Leia on as a student?"

Alex rubbed the back of his neck. The sleeve of his golf shirt fell back slightly, revealing even more of the tattoo on his bicep. I tried very hard not to stare, and even harder not to wonder if he had more tattoos hiding under that clean-cut look of his.

"I'm sure I can think of someone. Let me think on it a bit."

"Sure. No problem. I mean, it's not the—"

I was interrupted by a squeal of delight coming from the other office. Alex raised an eyebrow and stepped past me, going to the other door. I followed him and poked my head in.

Leia was watching a dancing hula girl sway her hips back and forth, giggling madly. Mike was sitting behind a desk, elbow resting against it and hand covering his mouth. It did nothing to hide the smile in his eyes as she played with the hula girl.

Alex, on the other hand, looked completely flabbergasted.

"What are you doing, sweetie?" I asked.

"Mom!" She hustled away from the hula girl on the desk, eyes sparkling. "Mister Mike bought all the Thin Mints!"

"Yeah, well..." Mike coughed gruffly.

"She touched the doll," murmured Alex, slightly awed.

"What?"

As if she had just noticed him, Leia turned to Alex. She grinned wildly, a dark splotch between her white teeth gaping through. She'd lost a tooth just last week, and the change in her smile tugged at my heart the same way she tugged at everyone else's.

"Hi, Alex!"

He almost fell over when she rushed up and hugged him. Leia was slight so I doubted it was from the force of her hug, and more from the shock that washed across his face.

"Thank you so much for the guitar, thankyou-thankyou-thankyou!"

He patted her shoulder almost uncomfortably before smiling as Leia let go of him. There was almost a sadness in his eyes as he looked at her, hidden just so, replaced by the usual look of reluctant adoration that people got when they looked at Leia.

"No problem, kid."

Leia managed to sell the rest of the case of cookies to staff around the studio, though true to his word, Mike had bought all the Thin Mints she had. Alex walked us out after she shoved a handful of money into my purse, telling me sternly that she knew exactly how much was there and it had to go into her envelope at home.

"Can I leave you my number?" I asked Alex.

He smirked. "That's pretty forward of you."

I laughed in spite of myself. "I meant for the recommendation."

"Oof. There goes the ego boost."

He grinned, that smile brightening his entire face again, and I noticed again just how good-looking he was; not just for a guy who was years older than me, but actually really good-looking.

"Maybe I was just trying to be subtle about it."

Alex's eyes met mine for the briefest of moments and I knew, right then, there was an unmistakable spark. I knew he must have realized it too, and for a moment I thought he was going to continue flirting with me.

Instead, he cleared his throat and chuckled before taking his phone from his pocket. "What's the number? Oh, and... your name, I guess. I never did get it from you."

"It's Em."

"Next letter?"

"No, just Em. E-M."

He looked up. "What's it short for? Emma?"

"Don't push your luck," I laughed. "Just Em."

"Last name?"

"Reilly."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's..."

He started laughing and I realized he was joking.

"Give me a couple days. I'll see if there's anyone good in town."