Hard Rock Unrehearsed (13 page)

“Stop making those damned puppy dog eyes at me Princess.  You know I hate it when you do that!  You look like those soppy damned big eyed greeting cards and it makes me want to hurl!”  Adam covered her eyes with his big hand and pushed her towards Diego.  “I have to warn you Delgado the Princess here is a devious and underhanded fighter when she wants something.  Are you sure you want to get involved with a woman who is that dangerous?”

“She’s everything I have always wanted, deviousness included.”  Diego grinned as he manoeuvred her into a seat and strapped her in.

“Huh.  No accounting for taste now is there?”  Adam muttered then grinned at Jade’s outraged face.  “Let’s get this baby in the air now that we’re all here and accounted for.”

Adam moved to the cockpit as black clad men streamed into the cabin and took their places at the back of the plane.  The tannoy crackled and then Adam’s voice filled the cabin.

“This is your captain speaking.  We welcome you aboard Galloway Air for your flight to Seattle.  Please fasten your seatbelts and remain in your seats until we reach cruising altitude.  We hope you have a pleasant flight with us.  Unfortunately on this trip we could not supply you with stewardesses but we promise to rectify the omission on future flights to enable you to join a certain club.  Should you know of any likely candidates please supply the names to your captain who will endeavour to check their suitability.”  There was a soft snigger.  “Thoroughly.”

“You are a dog Adam!”  Jade shouted towards the front and male laughter filled the cabin as the engines whined and they started moving forward.

The smile disappeared off Adam Galloway’s face as soon as he turned off the system and concentrated on getting them into the air.  They were at cruising altitude when he called his Dad.

“I’ve got her Dad.”

“Good.  Mike and I will be getting into Seattle about an hour after you so we’ll see you at the penthouse.  How does she look?”

Adam smiled and shook his head.  “She looks good Dad.  I don’t know if you’re going to like it seeing as she looks like a rock star and not your little princess but I think she looks good.”  Taking a deep breath he dropped the bomb.  “She’s in love with him Dad and he’s in as deep as what she is.”

His Dad was quiet for a long time and when he spoke Adam made big eyes at his co-pilot.

“As long as he loves her the way she deserves to be loved, treats her with respect and keeps his dick out of other women we’ll be good.  He deviates from that path then there will be consequences.”  His father’s voice was like ice and Adam knew this was the ruthless man who had built up a business empire speaking.  “I warned his brother and I will warn him when the time comes.”

Holy shit!  “Dad!  Jade will have your nuts if you interfere!”

“She won’t know, just like she didn’t know before.”  He was still using the iceman voice.

“She was twenty years old then Dad, she’s no longer that young kid we all wanted to protect and wrap in cotton wool.  And I have to say that Diego Delgado is a whole different kettle of fish than his brother was, he will tell her because he will want to be honest with her.  Val was a good guy, don’t get me wrong, I liked him with Jade and I liked him as a person but I always felt as if there was something missing with him.”

“I know what you mean Adam.”

Adam continued before his Dad could say anything more.  “Diego now, with Diego you get what you see and you see what you get.  He doesn’t hide who and what he is and he doesn’t hide the fact that he loves my sister and I like that for her.  She deserves happiness Dad.”

Adam went silent and waited for his Dad’s response.  “Okay Adam I’ll give it time before I do anything.”

Adam closed his eyes and sent up a little prayer of thanks.  Shit storm avoided!

“Great Dad, we’ll see you in Seattle then, over and out.”  He signed off and turned to his co-pilot.

“You need to speak to him and get him to back off.”

Rick sighed as he unclipped his seatbelt and pushed himself out of the co-pilot’s chair.  “Yeah, yeah!  As if it’s that easy to get him to listen to me!”  He griped as he made his way out of the cockpit.

Looking at his woman Diego had to hide his smile as she whooped and waved her cards in front of Trace’s nose.  They were playing poker and she was beating the pants off the guys.  They should have known with her coming from a household filled with men she would have card skills.  Hell, her brother Michael played poker tournaments for fun!  It only stood to reason that he would have taught his little sister how to hold her own.  He had learned over the years that Jade was fiercely competitive, whether it was a game of tennis or a game of cards she committed herself to it fully.   The tannoy crackled as she scooped the chips on the table into a heap in front of her.

“Attention Galloway shoppers!  We are approaching Seattle and we ask that you desist in fleecing your fellow passengers, sit your asses down and strap in for landing.  You will stay seated until the men in black have exited the plane and ascertained that the area is clear of nasty bugs of the media persuasion.  Then and only then will you be allowed to exit the aircraft.  We thank you for your patience and for using Galloway Air.”  The tannoy clicked off only to almost immediately come on again.  “This is your captain again, Rick Galloway get your ass up here!  You are the co-pilot not the damn entertainment co-ordinator!  Sheez!  Just can’t get good help these days!”  There was a snigger and then the tannoy clicked off again.

“Fuck you Adam!”  Rick shouted as he made his way from the back of the plane where he had been chatting to a few of the black clad guys.

Adam’s head appeared around the open door of the cockpit with a shit eating grin.  “Thanks for the offer Rick but I prefer women, you could try one of the other guys though, you might get lucky.”  His head disappeared and they heard his cackle of laughter.

“Fuckin’ git!  I’ll get you for this you little shit!”  Rick swore as he stomped to the front.

Diego frowned as he remembered the uncomfortable way Rick had acted the other night when he came to say goodnight to Jade.  Was he gay?  He was still contemplating it when Jade sank down into the seat next to him and snapped her seat belt closed.  Leaning over he ran his lips over her jaw then rubbed his lips softly over hers.  She sighed against his mouth and he only barely held himself in check as he sat back and smiled down into her warm eyes.  Leaning down again he whispered in her ear.

“Is Rick gay?”

Jade jerked away and looked around before looking up into his eyes and shaking her head vigorously from side to side.  He raised his eyebrows at her and she shook her head again, very insistently.  She took another quick look around to see if anyone was watching and then mouthed a word that suddenly made some things clear.  Rick Gaines played both sides of the fence and then he remembered another thing Jade had said, it meant that her brother Michael did as well.  Fuckin’ déjà vu!

“Does your Dad know?”

“Yes and it’s not a problem at all.”

Diego looked in her eyes and knew that sooner or later he was going to have to ask the question that was now burning a hole in his gut.  Never mind his fuckin’ gut!  It was burning a hole in his soul because if his girl wanted what his brother had most probably given her there was no way in hell he could do it!  He wouldn’t even try.  He still had fuckin’ nightmares of the one night he’d .........fuck no!  He wasn’t going to open that can of worms!

“You stay close to Tag and I when we land and you listen to us baby, don’t move unless one of us is with you.  Put your hoodie on and keep the hood up around your face, sunglasses on your nose, hands in pockets.  We’ll stay around you until we have you in the helicopter and safe.  At the penthouse the team will get out first, set up a perimeter and then we’ll get you out and into the building.  Don’t worry about anything as we have it under control.”

She was confused.  Diego had been fine when they got onto the plane, he was fine all the way until they were almost in Seattle and then he had changed.  He was subtly distant, oh he still fussed around her but it wasn’t the same.  She could tell there was something troubling him and it had started right after she confirmed that Rick and Michael were both bi-sexual.  Did he have a problem with their sexual orientation?  It couldn’t be because he had been a bodyguard for Killing Fields and Max, who he had been guarding at the time, was gay.  So what was it then?  She didn’t have more time to ponder the question as right then they touched down and the atmosphere in the plane went electric.  They had scarcely rolled to a stop when the black clad men were in motion, opening the hatch and making their way outside.  After shutting the aircraft down Adam followed them out.

She sat frozen in her seat trying desperately to hear what was going on outside the plane.  A piercing whistle sounded and Diego, Tag and Hanson were suddenly in motion herding the band and Luis out of the plane.  Then it was only Jade left.  Diego’s hand under her elbow lifted her out of her seat and shifted to the small of her back, pushing her gently toward the exit.  Jade followed Hanson and Tag and pulled the hood of her hoody over her head as she made it to the doorway.  With Diego’s hand still in the small of her back she followed behind Tag and stepped out of the plane.  She was quick marched over to a big assed helicopter that sat with whirling blades at some distance from the plane.  There were no steps and Diego and Tag grabbed her arms and lifted her up and into the open door.  The driver of the Hummer, who she found out was called Steele, took her from them seated her facing forward then strapped her in.  It took less than fifteen minutes to get them all loaded and then they were flying over Seattle.  She couldn’t see a damn thing because she was nowhere near a window!

When they landed on top of the building they went through the same procedure.  She was glad when the doors closed behind them and they were finally in the penthouse.  It seemed as if the whole damn thing was one huge glass box set on top of a building!  They had stunning almost three hundred and sixty degree views of Seattle.  Adam walked towards the glass wall and tapped it.

“The glass throughout the apartment is tinted, so we can see out but no one can see in, even when the lights are on inside.  It is bulletproof, bombproof, hell every sort of proof my Dad could think of.  Access to the penthouse is by private elevator and card access only.  The guys have the option of doubling up in the bedrooms or they can take one of the bedrooms on the lower floor.  The two lower floors are part of the penthouse apartment and we usually use it for security teams and such.  There is a private staircase that connects those floors with this one so you don’t have to use the elevator at all.  I put Jade and Diego in the master suite because it’s soundproof and as I understand it we are going to need that.”  He laughed as Jade charged him and he ran around the couch to get away from her.  “You will thank me later when Dad gets here Princess.  He’s staying here as well.”

Jade groaned, sank down on the huge squashy couch threw her head back against the cushions and closed her eyes.  When she opened them Luis had sat down across from her and had a folder open on his lap.

“We’re having a band meeting.  I want no interruptions therefore I suggest the rest of you sort the sleeping and guarding arrangements out while we are busy.”

The room went silent and then they were all just gone!  Everyone!  Even Tag and Diego.  Jade looked at Giv and raised her eyebrows.  ‘Ninja’s’ he mouthed at her with a grin and she grinned right back at him.

“We have quite a bit to go through so let’s get to it.”  Luis said and they all fell silent.

“Firstly I have heard from the label and they have their legal team on the allegations made by Ms. Rutherford.  The label is not happy about the adverse publicity the band is receiving right now but they are not blaming Jade for the way it’s being played in the media.  Having said that they are not happy and being not happy they tried to force us into accepting extra dates in LA and doing a special show in Vegas to placate the fans according to them but it’s just them trying to ride the money train on the publicity you are receiving.  I told them we would discuss it and that I would get back to them.  They are pushing hard but I’m not going to let them run rough shod over us.”  He looked around at all of them and no one said a word.  “If you take the dates it would mean that your break before leaving for Europe will be cut by one week which would leave you with two weeks to rest and prepare.  Not doable as far as I’m concerned.

Secondly your contract with the label is up for renewal early next month.  This is a big one.  I've had two offers from other labels who would like to sign you to their stable.  The one offer is one I feel we should seriously look at while the other I think is a fishing expedition to ascertain if you would leave your current label.  The serious offer comes from Regional Records which you all know has Sweet Sacrifice and Killing Fields in their stable.  I think we should seriously consider this offer”.  He looked around the quiet group.  “Regional has a good reputation and I know for a fact that they treat their artists well so think on it over the next couple of days.

Thirdly the label wants to release a Best Of album and a live concert album early in the New Year, they are very insistent about it.  Releasing a best of album at this stage of your career I feel is a mistake.  Yes you have made it, yes you have had a series of number one hits that your fans love but they would love a new album more.  You are a young band and have some way to go before you can think about an album of your best songs.  We need to give them a couple more albums before we go that route.  As I’ve said before releasing a live album was on the cards anyway so that’s not a problem.”