“What’s your name?”
“Janie, actually Janice Radford.”
“Okay, Janie. Do you need medical attention?”
I watched her, she looked from me to Joe and back again. I’m sure she was trying to decide how far to take this.
“I’m not sure.”
“How about this? I’ll give you three hundred dollars so you can visit your own doctor tomorrow if you need to. Will that cover it, do you think?”
“Oh brilliant. For sure, it should. Thank you.”
“Great,” Joe said as he pulled money out of his wallet. “I’ll call you a taxi, but before you go I need you to sign this agreement.”
“What is it for?”
“That you’re fine and will take no further action on this or any other matter.”
I couldn’t believe he was going to pay her off, but I guess it was better than the alternative.
“Do I have to sign it to get the money?”
“I’m afraid so.”
We all waited while she thought about it. It was like the world stopped for a few minutes while this con artist decided if she could get more out of us. Finally she agreed and grabbed the money and shoved it down the front of her dress. She had so much cleavage showing I don’t know how it didn’t fall right down. She signed her namewithout even reading the document. Now who was brilliant?
I must have said it out loud because it earned me an elbow in the side from Chaos.
Joe must have sent a text to Terrance, our head of security, because after a low knock he walked through the door.
“The cab is here. Want me to take her out?”
“Please,” Joe replied. “Janie, go with Terrance and he’ll make sure you get into the taxi and get home. I am sorry about tonight.”
“It’s okay, you’ve been sweetie, but he’s a bloody wanker that one is.”
Chaos choked beside me while trying not to laugh. Asshole. I’d get him back later.
After Terrance closed the door behind him and Janie, Joe turned towards me. I didn’t like the look on his face, kind of like Jack when we’d broken a rule and were about to be sent to work at the Soup Kitchen for a week.
“I swear I didn’t…”
“I don’t want to hear it. It’s going to be all over the papers and media tomorrow. Not good, and especially after our last concert. Way to go. Is this how you want England to remember Raining Chaos?”
“No. But I swear…I didn’t.”
Joe ran his hands over his bald head, like he expected there to be hair or something. “Don’t you understand? It doesn’t matter what you did or thought, it’s what they saw. The girl lying against the wall seconds after she was draped all over you. They’ll put two and two together and come up with three.”
“Fuck me running.”
“Pretty much. And I’d bet if it’s all over social media here it will be back home too. You’re going to have to do your own damage control with Michelle. If you’re lucky she didn’t see the news tonight.”
Shit, things were getting better and better. Wrath and I wanted to surprise Michelle and Blue by showing up at the apartment. I never figured we’d be on the TV. One of these days I guess it would sink in we were famous, and nothing was a secret.
“What time is it?”
“About midnight,” Chaos answered.
