Chapter Twenty-Five
~Kellen~
I didn’t want to be here.
The Inferno were down three games since I left Michigan and according to the internet if they lost again on Saturday they’d be out of the playoffs. Zak had to be freaking out. Not that he’d bothered to reach out to me about it.
And since I didn’t want to distract him, we’d been radio silent with each other for a week.
Again .
Now I was sitting in a conference room next to the lawyer that Rye had insisted I bring to the meeting with me, so we could talk to the label about plans for the next HSF album.
Or, as they were about to discover, the lack thereof.
“Kellen, good to see you!”
“Mr. Munsey.” I stood up and offered my hand to the president of the label, then to the six other men who trailed behind him as they walked past and made their way to sit across the table from us .
“Where is the rest of the band? And Mr. Casper?”
“They won’t be joining us. I’m Adrian Docket, Mr. Fox’s lawyer.”
“Lawyer?” Mr. Munsey sat a little straighter and a few of the men around him started mumbling softly amongst themselves. “Kellen, what’s going on? We’re here to talk about your album. What need is there for a lawyer?”
“You brought four of your own,” I said calmly. “I regret to inform you, Mr. Munsey, that there won’t be another HSF album. In fact, there will be no more HSF.”
“So, you brought your lawyer to break our contract?” Munsey said, his gaze narrowing.
“There’s no need to break the contract,” Adrian said. “Mr. Fox owns the band. He owns the name, he owns the media copyrights, and as of April twenty-fourth at eleven p.m., he has fulfilled the terms of his obligations to your label.”
I clasped my hands in my lap and forced myself to keep my expression neutral. But my heart was hammering in my chest, despite the double dose of Xanax I’d taken prior to this meeting. I knew that it would be difficult, and that there was every chance that my lawyer had missed something in drawing up the original contracts, but I had to believe that everything was in order. That I could be done with no legal recourse on the part of my label.
The lawyers were talking in hushed tones with Munsey, and while they were distracted Adrian reached over and thumped me on the leg. When I looked at him he gave me a small smile and an almost imperceptible nod of his head.
It was going to be okay. I trusted him because Rye trusted him.
When we’d been picked up by the label and put on tour with Whiskey & Rye, Rye Vixon had set himself up as a sort of big brother. Telling me to stay away from their guitarist Brandon, keeping me away from drugs and booze, and when the time came to settle into a real contract, he’d set his own lawyer to the task of protecting me as much as possible .
Clearly, Tim and Ford hadn’t been so lucky with their legal representation. Because they either didn’t read the contract or didn’t understand it. And it was going to be ugly when they realized that everything we’d built together was really mine.
Then again, there hadn’t been much together . I’d written every note and lyric of every song, I’d designed the merch, made the connections and carried the band on my back for almost seven years. And I’d done it all with anxiety and ADHD, while they’d coasted along beside me .
They’d been paid handsomely for their parts, though. And I had no doubt both of them would land on their feet. They could start their own band, they could join up with someone else, or they could kick rocks.
“That is all true,” Munsey said after a few minutes. “This tour was his final obligation to the label. However, we do have the option to renegotiate and extend.”
“If both parties are willing,” Adrian said. “Which Mr. Fox is not. ”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Munsey said. “You do understand, that if HSF is not going to continue under our label, we may not be willing to entertain the option to sign any future projects you may wish to bring to us, Mr. Fox.”
“I understand,” I assured him. “At that moment I have no future projects planned, and were I to create something on my own, I believe I would prefer to do it…on my own. The music industry is changing, Mr. Munsey. And while I am grateful for everything you and the label have done for me over the years, I believe it ’s time that I stood on my own two feet for a while.”
“Kellen, I honestly do wish you the best,” Munsey said. “You’re still very young and I fear that any advice you’ve received may not have your best interests at heart.”
I couldn’t hold back the laugh that bubbled out of me at his words. This company had taken millions of dollars from me over the course of my contract. They’d dictated how I behaved, the music I could create, and even the relationships I could have .
“You’ve had your best interests at heart,” I told him. “Which is what you’re supposed to do. But now, it’s time to follow my own heart.” My phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket, smiling when I saw Zak’s name on the screen. “I’m sorry, I have to take this. Please excuse me.” I stood up and headed toward the door.
“Mr. Fox, we aren’t finished here.”
“Yes, Mr. Munsey…we are.” I gave Adrian a small smile then stepped out into the hallway. “Hey. ”
“Hey,” Zak said. “Are you busy?”
“Not anymore,” I answered honestly. “How are you?”
“Now you pay attention to my games,” he said, chuckling softly. “Actually, that’s why I’m calling. The team asked me to invite you to the game Saturday.”
“The team?”
“Yeah. They, uh, figured out that we’re dating and also that we tend to win when you’re around, so we were all hoping that you might be able to make it to Michigan. ”
“They figured it out?” I asked. “How did it go?”
“It went better than I ever could have hoped,” he admitted. “Like I said, they asked me to invite you.”
“Do you want me there?”
“I really, really do.” He sighed. “This isn’t working for me anymore.”
“Which part?” I asked, my heart starting to thunder in my chest again.
“This secrecy thing,” he clarified. “I don’t want to hide anymore. When the championship is over, if you’re ready, I’ll be ready. ”
“This is a lot of bravery for one day.” I slid down the wall and sat on the floor, taking a few deep breaths to try to calm myself back down. “I just walked out on my label and now I have to tell the band we’re finished.”
“Holy shit,” he hissed. “Are you okay? What can I do?”
“You’re doing it,” I promised him. I looked up as the door opened and climbed to my feet when Adrian approached me. “Listen, I’ve got to go. But I’ll call you later and figure out when I can get back to Michigan for the game. ”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I hung up and met Adrian’s gaze. “What’s up?”
“Well, Munsey is pissed that he didn’t know the extent of your contract, but his lawyers have assured him that he has no recourse. So all that really remains is how you want to tell the guys. I’m happy to take that bullet for you. Especially with Craig.”
I laughed as I reached out to shake his hand. “I appreciate that. But I’ve got it. I was actually thinking about keeping Craig around. ”
“Well, if you change your mind, Rye said to tell you he’s happy to give you Cherry to act as your new manager.”
“He’s a good friend,” I explained, rolling my eyes. “But I think it’s time I stop letting him take care of my business for me. I hope I can count on you, though.”
“I am at your service,” he promised me. “Good luck, Kellen.”
The conference room door opened again and Adrian and I walked quickly down the hall and toward the exit, not wanting to get trapped in an elevator conversation with the men whose worlds I’d just rocked.
Especially since I still had one more hammer to drop.