Chapter 23 Villain #2
Hawkins elbowed her. “She was a little nervous about playing with a cellist.”
“Who’d slept her way to Heaven. I get it.
” I still hated it, though. I dug into the lobster and ate enough that I was sluggish afterwards.
It didn’t matter. We ran through all the songs, and it wasn’t difficult to find the melody and pick out a few harmonies.
It wasn’t going to impress anyone, though.
I had to make this something, to prove that there was something that I could sell other than my body.
At six, I went to retrieve the cello while a host of waiters and dancers came in wearing costumes as impractical as they were ridiculous. Gold arrow tip bras, anyone?
When I got to the garage, I had my stamped ticket, so I didn’t have to pay twenty bucks to leave. On my way out, I almost hit a pink hybrid.
My phone rang as I pulled out behind him.
“Hey, Pink. Fancy you running into me here.”
“I wish. Should I talk and drive? It seems distinctly uncivil.”
“Follow me to my place.”
“I have to figure out my music.”
“You need a break.”
“I need to figure out how to make generic metal hits into something worthy of my skills.”
“Ouch. You didn’t tell the other musicians that, did you?”
“Yes, but I covered with cleverness and false humility. I’m serious. I have things to take care of, serious things.”
“Come to my house. I’ll order dinner, and you can drool over your instrument while watching Scooby.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. Janice has inspired me to work extra hard for the gig.”
He laughed. “Sounds like villainy. What’s the plan?”
“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
“I’m always up for that.”
I shook my head and hung up, but I was smiling as I watched the back of his head get further and further ahead of me. I wanted to go to his house, see what his villainous lair looked like. Maybe he had tech gadgetry lying around that I could boost.
I’d do it later, after I knocked him out with my brilliance, at least figuratively.
When I got to Jezebel’s house, I found her in the kitchen, staring at a salad with an empty expression on her face.
“Could I get your friend Felicia's number? She’s the hacker, right?”
She blinked and refocused on me. “She’s retired, or has never been a hacker. Right. Sometimes I forget the small details.” She took a vicious bite of salad, as if they were at war.
I sat down on the other side of the table and scooted the chair next to her. “Janice wants me to perform on a revolving stage, as the star of this musical travesty, and the music will be prerecorded. You understand what must be done in this kind of situation.”
“Do I?” She frowned for a second before she shook her head and took another bite.
“I need to get the musicians together outside of regular rehearsal and come up with something brilliant, so brilliant that no one else sees it coming.”
She chewed and swallowed, then pointed her fork at me. “And you can come up with a plan that elaborate? including written notation, or whatever you fancy musicians call it for each piece in three days? You can’t rush a good plan; it takes time to develop a really good flavor.”
I leaned closer to her. “I have an idea. I’ll need a really good costumer who is part chemist, and a hacker who could hijack the sound system, but I think that it could be really, really good.”
She licked her lips and sat back, then studied me with her arms crossed. “All right. I’ll invite the girls over for a late-night snack. If they are in the mood to steal Horse’s show, I’ll allow them to assist you. But…” She held up a finger and gave me a very serious look.
“What?”
“You have to handle the pressure, the gazes, the expectations. The spotlight is a lot for anyone. Can you take it?”
I raised my chin and nodded. “I want to do it. It’s terrifying, but it’s something I have to master. I don’t know if I can, because I’ve never tried before, but I want to try.”
She grinned and cupped my chin. “In that case, take a nap, because those girls are going to keep you up all night.” She winked and kept working on her salad.
I didn’t nap; I stayed in the music room scribbling notation until I had an outline of what I wanted. Dante’s Inferno belonged in Providence, and it was going to be amazing.
When Felicia and Minx came over, it was after midnight. I looked up from the sheets of music scattered around me while Minx and Felicia lingered in the doorway.
“Hi,” Minx said with a little wave. She was wearing a lot of makeup and a black leather outfit.
I stood up and went over to her with arms outstretched. “You’re here! Did Jezebel say what I wanted?”
Felicia laughed. “Chica, you don’t want to know what she said. Still, we’re intrigued. You’re going to steal Horse’s show? Tell us more.”
I explained everything, and between waving the sheets of music around to tugging on the halter neck of Minx’s shirt, may have expressed myself too passionately.
Minx smiled kind of shyly at first, then leaned forward while she listened and nodded encouragingly as I described the theatrical effects.
“Jordan will do it, don’t you think, Lish? He’d take it on as a challenge. His crew could do it that quickly, and you could easily take on Janice. You’ve been wanting to, admit it,” Minx teased gently.
Felicia tapped her dark-red pout with her fingers. “Okay, yes, but not because of Janice, even if she never tips.”
“She’s hired your hacking skills? That might be a problem,” I said, frowning.
Felicia laughed and nudged me. “No, Rosa, she is a different kind of client. We are dancers at the Dove’s Rest. Janice is the worst kind of patron, since she mostly comes to poach talent.
She heckles, all passive-aggressive like a loca.
No, I wouldn’t ever work for her. My boyfriend, he can help when he sets up the lights, while I help out in the background.
It sounds like a lot of fun, but you’ll have to convince Jordan. What funds do you have?”
I wanted the two million to go to a women’s shelter. It would make a difference to somebody. “Is there any way to redirect the funds Horse is already spending? I have money, but I wanted to donate it to a women’s shelter.”
Minx grabbed Felicia’s shoulder. “That is so sweet. Of course we can redirect funds, but you’ll have to ask Trix, so she can deal with the fallout when Horse finds out.”
I nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll ask Trix to help.”
“Also, get her to talk to Jordan for you. Jordan loves her,” Felicia put in. “She’ll have to order a few extra leather corsets or something, but she’ll do it if you can be convincing enough. Mention the women’s shelter.”
“I thought that Jezebel would talk to her about this. She’s one of the girls, isn’t she?”
Minx and Felicia exchanged looks before Minx said, “Well, the thing with Trix is that she’s honest. She doesn’t really know how to lie.
She’ll fly copters, and be a getaway driver for Girl’s Night, but she doesn’t get involved in the morally complicated stuff.
You’ll have to be really careful how you sell it to her, maybe bring up the costumes Horse is putting you in.
” She smiled a mega-wat smile. “I know! You’ll have to run into her in the lobby before work tomorrow and then tell her that you’re playing for Horse’s party and ask if it’s right that the women have to dress like prostitutes.
Don’t ask her to interfere. Her sense of justice will compel her. ”
“One of the musicians wants to wear a three-piece suit instead of a G-string.”
“Perfect!” Minx beamed at me. “She’ll take it as her duty to minimize Horse’s excessive sexualization of women. That’s where she lives, in the Providence.”
I frowned at her. “If she doesn’t deal with lies, isn’t it wrong to lie to her about who owns the hotel?”
Felicia ribbed Minx. “Jezebel is right; she really is adorable. Don’t lie. You can put as many of your cards on the table as you want, but you’ll have to get things started first thing or Jordan won’t have time to get costumes ready. He’s good, but no one’s that magical.”
After that, they left with waves and encouragement, leaving me to catch a few hours of sleep that I spent with music crashing in my head and anticipation warming my fingertips. And Dirk. His words, his touch, his kiss, stayed with me like bruises imprinted on my skin.