Maybe I should have intervened but I didn’t. Dixon Jones had to know what he was getting himself into.

He did.

Pong, Buzz and Leo had al opened their mouths to speak but Dixon got there before them.

“‘Ghostriders’,” he said decisively and his eyes cut to me. “And we’l talk to Joel’s people, get permission for Stel a to do ‘And So It Goes’.”

“Righteous,” Al y breathed.

“You bring papers?” Hector asked Dixon and he nodded.

“In the car. I’l give them to you but you get someone who knows what they’re doin’ to look at them.” For a second, I felt relief. It wasn’t unusual for hungry new artists to get f**ked in the signing process but it didn’t seem that was Dixon’s gig.

My relief disintegrated when I got a look at the scorching hot glare Hector was directing at Dixon. His glare said he wasn’t used to anyone taking him for a fool and he didn’t like it much.

Dixon caught it too and took a smal step back. He decided (wisely) to change the subject.

“How soon can you get them into the studio?” he asked Hector.

“What studio we talkin’ ‘bout?” Shirleen asked Dixon.

“Our set up in LA,” Dixon answered. “Black Fat’l pick up al expenses. They’l have rooms at the Chateau Marmont while they’re workin’.”

Effing hel but he wasn’t messing around.

Al expense paid trip to LA staying at the Chateau Effing Marmont?

Jim Morrison stayed at the Chateau Marmont, dangled from a drain-pipe there, hurt his back.

And Led Zeppelin rode their motorcycles through the effing lobby.

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of Pong, Hugo and Leo at the Chateau Marmont. The only thing that made me feel better was that I heard somewhere the hotel was supposed to be earthquake proof which meant The Gypsies couldn’t destroy it.

And if Zeppelin could ride their motorcycles through the lobby, the staff probably wouldn’t blink at the shenanigans of The Gypsies.

“Kick f**kin’ ass!” Pong shouted, hands up in the air in a devil’s horns “rock on” gesture.

Hector delivered the buzz kil . “Stel a doesn’t step foot out of Denver until she’s safe.”

“Dude, you guys could provide security for Springsteen and the entire f**kin’ E Street Band,” Leo whined. “You could get us to LA.”

“You’re not goin’ anywhere until Stel a’s safe,” Hector said in a tone that made Leo snap his mouth shut.

“Agreed,” Dixon put in readily.

Hector nodded to Dixon, turned and pointed to me.

“Backstage f**kin’ passes.” Then he looked back to Dixon and said, “Let’s go to your car.”

Then they were gone.

Everyone stared at the door.

“What just happened?” Chloe asked Lana quietly.

“I’m not sure,” Lana replied.

“Nothin’ much,” Daisy declared nonchalantly and then turned to Chloe and Lana and screeched. “Just that our girl and her band are about to get signed by a red-hot record label!” She threw her hands in the air and shouted, “Yee ha! ”

“Holy crap, now I real y think I’m gonna cry. God damn it!” Indy yel ed, back to fanning her face.

“I’m already crying!” Roxie wailed and it was true.

Lana smiled at me. “Oh sweetie, that’s great!”

“It’s not great, it’s righteous!” Al y screamed.

“Rock ‘n’ rol !” Ava shouted, hands up, doing her own devil’s horns.

Everybody started jumping up and down, screaming, shouting and hugging.

“Champagne, we need champagne!” Daisy squealed right before the door opened.

Mace and Lee stood there.

The room went stil .

Effing hell.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it), I was standing next to Lana, my arm around her shoulders, hers was around my waist.

The minute she saw Mace, her body went solid and her fingers dug in.

Everyone was silent.

Mace’s eyes were locked on his Mom.

I held my breath.

His gaze unlocked and sliced to Chloe.

I heard Chloe suck in breath.

Then his eyes cut to me.

Oh dear.

I gave Lana a squeeze.

“Babe?” I cal ed to Mace. “We got some special guests tonight otherwise known as Bogey One.”

I saw his jaw grow tight and then I watched as his tongue traced his teeth behind closed lips.

For your information, I did not take this as a good sign.

I saw Vance and Luke behind Lee. Luke entered the room. Vance leaned in, grabbed the doorknob and shut the door, him behind it. Lee and Luke positioned themselves in front of it.

My eyes moved back to Mace and he’d twisted his torso to watch this. Lee put his hands to his hips. Luke crossed his arms on his chest. Both men’s eyes were leveled on Mace.

Wel , one thing was certain, the Rock Chicks took their assignments seriously. They’d done everything I asked to the letter.

Mace turned back toward me.

“Kai? Sweetie?” Lana cal ed in her soft voice.

Mace closed his eyes but, even so, you could see the pain slash through his face at hearing his mother’s voice.

“Maybe we should give them privacy,” Jules whispered.

Mace’s eyes opened and cut to her, pain gone, fury in its place.

Shit!

“Don’t you f**kin’ move,” he growled.

Jules went stil and so did everyone else.

“Mace,” Lee spoke low behind him.

Mace looked over his shoulder at Lee. His voice was dangerous when he said, “You wanted a show? You’l get a show.”

Lana tried to take a step back but my arm went tight around her.

“Mace look at me,” I demanded.

He didn’t delay. His eyes cut to me and I thought I might melt under the heat of his glare.

“You arrange this?” he clipped.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Why the f**k would you do that?”

I looked toward Duke. He pressed his lips together and nodded his head.

My gaze returned to Mace. “Because Caitlin would have wanted it.”

The air in the room went so thick it was like we were breathing soup. Chunky soup, with bits of carrot and celery in it, enough to make you choke.

It took everything I had but I ignored the chunky air.

“You did what you had to do for her,” I said quickly. “Now I’m doing what she’d do if she was here. She wouldn’t want you tortured by those demons in your head. She’d want to chase them away. She’s not around to do that so I figure, since you said she’d like me with you then she’d give that job to me. I took it. I’m going to chase them away.” I let go of Lana and moved toward Mace. He stood frozen, scary frozen. Not like he was in shock, like he was holding his body stil so he wouldn’t hurt someone.