Jem...Chapter 182

*Before…

I look out at everyone and we’re a little over the time actually and I stay there but start playing along with nodding to Brook and she starts too.

“Thanks for coming out tonight everyone; I hope you had a good time. I’m sorry we didn’t get out to talk and sign stuff earlier tonight but sometimes stuff catches up to us all.”

I stop and we play ourselves out to *One for the money, Two for the show.* By Trooper.

Yeah normally I go out and go down but with the meeting with Adam and Carmen it was playing it safe and after a few more notes i get up and head down and off to stage with the girls playing us out.

I’m going to not let Adam keep me from my end of show stuff no matter how big his entourage is.

I take a breath and walk to everyone in the crowd heading to our merchandise table.

*And Now…

I can say that I’m actually fairly aware of who’s out there and I’m not letting that keep me from going into the crowds of folks and fans as they’re leaving and getting last minute orders from the tapas and from other merchandise from here at The Pine Tree Café and from our table as well.

I am still happy that there are old faces here and I talk to some of them remembering as many names as I can with the faces and then I’m talking with some of the newcomers here as I’m heading to the table where Josie is selling our stuff.

It’s still a draw and I think the band is still getting good press from some of the reviews and things going on online plus the press from the shelter is still likely holding pretty good.

I’m actually impressed at how many people that are from pretty far away come here to see us.

One couple with two friends said. “We’re on our way to Sudbury and it’s a bit of a drive for us so we thought that we’d come here since we follow the band online and we’d crash here at a motel tonight so we could catch one of your shows.”

I blush. “That’s awesome, actually that’s more than awesome it’s pretty kick booty.”

We talk a little more and they end up buying some of our band merchandise and we’re really low on things here which was great actually.

Apparently our tote bags with the bag logos are that popular that they’re all gone. Not like they’re an expensive thing either they’re like those cloth shopping bags you get for a couple of bucks at the grocery store that are like two or three dollars ours are pink with the purple starscape nebula butterfly or black with the pink starscape nebula butterfly.

I grab a seat with Josie and her two assistants and start signing things as people are doing all of the last minute stuff that actually takes a lot longer than a few minutes.

Josie looks over at me as she cracks herself a can of coconut-vitamin water. “So that was Adam Marshall the third huh?”

“Yeah he’s here or was here, you’ve never seen him before?”

“Not since he was a little kid, I had the pleasure of waiting tables at Crystal’s.”

“Oh I liked the food there.”

“Me too but when things went south with jobs it was too far out of the way for most folks and the shining beacon of all the fast food up by the malls did enough damage that they cut back on staff.”

“Are they still open?”

She nods. “Mostly they get business from the locals and the seniors.”

I nod thinking some. Crystal’s was this old restaurant right down by the lake like it had the whole raised deck and was beside one of the beaches but it’s over on the east side of town where things got really rough and was one of those places that did great off of the railways and the boat traffic. Ontario was like really different way back in the seventies and eighties and by the time I was a kid it was struggling most likely as things moved up closer to the highway and then all the new malls went in and like Josie said the whole flow of traffic went away from that part of town so it was just the locals and the loyal folks that stayed coming in.

I look at her. “I think maybe that’ll be lunch tomorrow then.”

She grins. “Yeah now that you mention it I think that I could spring for take-out for the shop from there too.”

Then I hear Adam’s voice. “I think I could do that with the studio as well, pizza is getting old.”

I look up and he has a decent amount of things for me to sign.

It took a lot not to get startled…well show it.

I take a breath. “That would be great actually I’m sure that every little bit would help.”

He looks at me. “You do sound like you’re drumming up local business for the chamber of commerce.”

I start signing things. “The town does good we all do good.”

He’s looking at me, staring at me. “You sound like my grandfather.”

“Really well with as many good paying jobs as your family keeps going in town I would have to say you’re all aware of the domino effect.”

He chews his lip. “I’m learning…could you sign some of those posters to Blackjack records I’d like to have them framed in the offices so folks coming in will see local talent.”

I look at him and slowly nod. “And that we work together?”

“Ah yes Halloween at The Cat I was meaning to call you about that.”

“I was too; I’d like to give you a list of covers that we can confirm on for K&T not using.”

He actually smiles at me and he’s looking at me again but it’s a mix of stare and checking me out kind of like he checked me out and then decided to look me in the eyes.

I hold his stare with my own but not a hard stare…I’m not giving him the satisfaction of thinking he’s under my skin that much so it’s an I’m paying attention look and a bit of a smile but not that much of a smile…friendly and neutral.

“I’ll have to talk with Summer and Hannah. I’m surprised that you recommended us.”

“I recommended them actually but you are their manager.”

“And label, I’m actually going to sink some money into that whole event even if I’m not going to be there.”

“Oh why?”

“I’ve two other people lined up to play there but it’s a large bit of my family’s legacy. Apparently dear old dad back in the day tried to shut the Brewers down because they were lesbians and he doesn’t like that sort of thing.”

“And you don’t have a problem with it?”

“Gay money spends as well as straight money.” He shrugs.

Josie says. “Better actually, they find a place that’s LGBT plus supportive and they’ll spend extra.”

He actually nods. “Good to know…so how much?”

She quotes him a figure and he takes out cash and pays leaving a really big tip. “For the extra time spent talking to me.” He takes the things and gives us a nod. “Ladies.” And then he’s walking away going and joining his entourage and the Helena girl gives me this long lingering look as she passes several Pine Tree Café take out bags for Adam to Carry and they all head out together.

Josie lets out a sigh and so do I as they exit the building. “That was frigging tense.”

I nod. “Yeah Adam’s not good people.”

She nods. “He was an utter little shit when his father would bring him in. His dad wasn’t any better but the kid had zero brakes and treated people like things.”

“Really that’s not shocking.”

She gives me this look and even does a quick look at the door. “I seen him at like six slap a waitress across the face and she couldn’t do a damned thing because his dad was there.’

One of her kids looks over Rory I think his name is. “Really I’d have tossed them both.”

Josie shakes her head. “And she might not have gotten fired for it but odds would be she had a mortgage or was paying rent to a place and he’d have had it messed with or the rent would go up.”

I nod. “Or drop her car insurance because all of the local insurance companies are all owned by The Marshall’s and then have the cops who are all pretty much owned by The Marshall’s come and pull her over so it’s driving without insurance at least and then there’s be other stuff too.”

Rory’s looking to where Adam just left with his entourage. “Wow…like fuck I heard he owned stuff, they owned stuff but shit this is like.”

Josie takes a drink of her coconut thingy. “Welcome to living in Roadhouse kid.”

I don’t get it and neither does Rory or Jackie but Billy’s there and he nods.

“Someone needs to Dalton his ass.”

Josie looks at me. “Look it up hon, it’s worth it plus it’s like a Swayze movie.”

“I knew he was an actor but I haven’t seen anything he was in I don’t think.”

Billy huffs. “With Adam watch it and then watch Walking Tall.”

I’m like. “Okay….”

I finish as the last person has things signed and we pretty much have no stock to take out and I walk with the last of them to the door meeting up with Mr. Walker who’s doing the same and he’s looking at me.

“Is everything alright? I seen you in talks with Adam Junior-Junior and I understand that it’s not just bad feeling between you and Kisses and Thorns but with his family and yours with your cousin.”

I look at him. “It went peaceful enough, though yes we’re not on good terms really. He’s playing nice but I just know too much about him and his family from my own family.”

He looks thoughtful as he locks up.

I look at him. “He was good for business tonight wasn’t he?”

He looks at me and he nods. “His group spent a lot of money a very large sum of money here and even future money.”

“Future money?”

“Two of the young ladies with the group ordered catering services for this weekend one for Friday night and the other for a delivered Sunday brunch.”

“That’s good though right?”

He looks at me. “You’re not upset?”

I shake my head. “No, they’re not Adam and I know you sir you’d never do anything they asked that would hurt anyone no matter how connected they are…you’re good people sir.”

He looks at me and he smiles as he blushes a little and rubs the back of his neck a little sheepishly. I smile because that’s rare and he’s usually so together and chill.

“I try, it means a lot that you think that well of me Angel.”

“You make that easy, there’s an awful lot to respect about you sir and to learn from.”

He does it again and leads me to our usual table with a platter to nibble at and fresh coffee and the stuff from the counts with Rayne and Josie joining us and we start getting to work doing the end of night counts and the tips as the others are cleaning up and packing up and it’s actually pretty cool having Josie’s two there working with us since it’s extra hands.

Mr. Walker does surprise us with. “Miss McKinnon if you wouldn’t mind could you play for the staff while we are closing tonight?”

Brooklyn looks definitely surprised and her and Mike unpack her amp and she plugs in and she smiles at everyone and she starts to play as we’re doing things blushing as Mike has one of our cameras out and she starts to jam.

She starts by playing and whistling the intro and then singing *Brand New Day.* By Sting.

And then she goes from that into some Eagles playing the guitar for *Tequila Sunrise.*

We’re adding things up and there’s a lot of slips and there’s a lot of figuring out the totals and the tips totals on the debit and the credit aspects of those and then there’s our stuff which Molly actually print’s out for us from the whole phone-plug in reader thing and it’s app.

Wow…we did really well with our sales of the band merchandise.

We go through all of that and Mr. Walker and I place our orders for the next batch of things and she’s taking notes happily as he orders a fair amount of bags.

The server and bar tips were heavy tonight too and I see that for a Wednesday the bar sales for drinks were really high tonight. Adam’s entourage maybe? And our own band tips were really decent too.

We’re two coffees getting it all sorted and Brook played a whole lot of good tunes while we were doing all of that playing things like. Mark Knopfler’s style of playing as she jammed out *Sultans of Swing* and Bonnie Raitt’s *I’m in the Mood.*

By the time we figure it all in and then divide the tips we’re looking at sixty seven dollars each…for all of us from those of us playing in the band to the bar staff, hostess, servers and the cooks.

Everyone is like really, really happy.

We pay it all out into envelopes and for the band we all take the seven dollars and pool it together to add to our fan appreciation event that we’ll do one of these days and then we get our cheques from Mr. Walker and we get ready and after some staff hugs and goodnights we head out.

I talk to Josie for a few minutes asking her about some other design ideas that I have and ordering signs for us and a banner for Fall Fair.

Dad’s talking to Mr. Walker with Billy and Davey too but before too long we’re out and we’re heading out.

First to the bank to deposit some money and our cheques and again Mike and I are together putting some of our tip cash into the accounts for the girls and stuff for school.

I have another deposit from “Uncle Bobby” too and that goes in there and into some of the other accounts too.

Then it’s us headed for home in convoy style and not bothering to stop at the stores for anything this time and we unpack and unload and I hug Dad and Billy and Davey.

I look at Billy. “You and Davey were gone for a while should I ask?”

Billy shrugs. “Club stuff, following some of the stuff going on and our own leads?”

“Own leads?”

“Yeah…Davey had to look into some stuff, it’s stuff that you don’t really want to know about yet.”

“That bad?”

Billy shrugs again. “Don’t know yet but it likely won’t be good.”

I take a breath. “It’s those missing girls isn’t it?”

He just sighs and he hugs me again. “You’re a good kid Angel you don’t want to know.”

I tighten my hug. “You’re good guys, not law-biding but you’re good guys.”

He chuckles and shakes his head and he gets on his bike and he pulls out.

Rayne comes up to me and slips her arms around me. “What’s up?”

“I think the boys are looking into the missing girls.”

She hugs me tighter. “Sounds bad.”
“I think it is, we’re talking sex trafficking but who knows what else?”

Rayne pulls me towards the house. “And as much as we’re involved Angel let’s leave this to the boys, sometimes we’re not supposed to know some of this stuff.”

I go with her but look at her. “You’re saying that we shouldn’t know about this?”

She bites her lip and starts walking backwards. “Bikers and gangs get into stuff that are like the stuff from nightmares sometimes Angel. Look I’m all for girls being equal and all of that stuff and I’m also smart enough to know when something might be way too bad for me and that I should listen to the guys.”

I nod and look at everyone in the house as we’re coming inside. “I just want us safe.”

She leans down kissing me and pushing me into the front door to close and lock it as we kiss. “I know…I know and we will be…just a little more honey and we’ll be out from under them…Mike will be safe and Adam will get what’s coming to him.”

We walk in and Mike’s in the archway for the kitchen and looking at us and there’s this smile in his eyes and a feral grin on his face.

“Oh he definitely will, I can guarantee that.”

We’re all looking at him and Brooklyn looks at him. “What did you do?”