CHAPTER THREE
Jacine
My email came straight from my father’s account. I wanted no pussyfooting on this issue. The media circled like hungry sharks for any new tidbit of the “feud” between the three key members of the three hottest rock bands on the planet. So I summoned Cole Kane of Arcane, Jersey Dys of Obsidian and Rory Holmes of Clash, and sent limos to their houses to bring them in.
Tobias offered the previous night to sit in on the meeting, and I thought it was a good idea. He arrived a few minutes before noon and fixed a drink with the familiarity of family. Tobias settled onto one of the black leather sofas that graced my father’s enormous office high above LA’s skyline.
My father’s best friend fits here, on that black leather sofa and amongthe dark brown wood paneling streaked with tan. He leaned his head back a minute and took a deep breath. It was an old realization habit of his though I had no idea why he would be nervous. It was me who had the reputation of Alexander and Wells on my shoulders.
I spent the morning with my dad’s best teams, all of whom needed no prompting on staying up all night to come up with a damage control plan. Their assistants were on the phone or the internet working on the scheme. I should bring Tobias up to speed before the Terrible Three showed their overhung faces. With rock stars sense of time, we were in no danger of them interrupting us.
“I met with the creative team this morning. They had some great ideas. One of them was that the scuffle was a publicity stunt that got out of hand.”
Tobias stared into his whiskey.
“You guys know best,” he said. “I don’t know how you do it anyway. This is a freaking mess with court cases hanging over their heads and the public—”
“The thing is, Uncle Tobias—”
He frowned and then tossed back the finger left of his whiskey. “Please, Jacy. We’re both adults. Stop calling me Uncle Tobias. You make me feel like an old man.”
“Wow,” I said in surprise. I had no idea Tobias felt that way. “If that’s what you want.”
“I do,” he affirmed with a nod of his head.
“Then that’s what you get. Us Alexanders aim to please.”
He closed his eyes then for a second and took another breath. What was wrong with him?
“You okay?”
“Yes. It was a late night for me.”
He dropped me off at eleven, so it wasn’t that late. Well, it was for me because my body was still on New York time. It felt like two in the morning to my jet-lagged self, but with my schedule, that’s almost normal.
“Up late?” I asked and a blush came to his cheeks. Now I was getting worried. I marched over to the couch and laid my hand on his forehead.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
“Checking to see if you have a fever.”
He waved me off. “I’m fine.”
When did Tobias get so touchy?
“Have it your way,” I said. Tobias’s refusal annoyed me. It’s not like I’ve never touched the man. But then again I never wanted to lay my hands on him as I do right now.
But maybe he’s picking up on your feelings for him.
I brush the ridiculous stray thought out of mind. I’ve only ever shown Tobias familialaffection.
“Anyway, members of the team think and I agree that we should spin this incident as a publicity stunt gone wrong for an upcoming Battle of the Bands concert between Arcane, Obsidian, and Clash.”
Tobias raised an eyebrow.
“And just who is going to back this concert?”
“The team is on it.”
