“Tales?” He laughs. “Sorry, but—”

“Would you just shut up and come with me!”

“Nickie, get Memphis. His little lady seems to have drunk the crazy Kool-Aid.”

“Screw you,” I growl. “Don’t get him,” I snap at Nickie as Sonya walks toward the door. “Bitch, you better stop right there,” I call out to her.

“Oh, damn, a girl fight.” Xavier laughs.

I let go of his hand and run at her as she grabs the door handle. I grab a fistful of her hair and pull her back, then grab her bag as she turns to hit me. I have her bag, and Nickie now has her. Adrenaline kicks in, and I start to run toward the gravel parking lot in six-inch, thigh-high, leather boots.

I look back to see everyone is running at me. Xavier Steel is looking at me like I’m crazy. Then I run into the brick wall that is Finn Beckett.

“Tales, you stealing purses now?” Finn looks at me like I’m a lunatic and then laughs. “Or selling your body?”

“Fuck you,” I say, stepping back, and the damn heel breaks on the boot.

I am just about ready to fall on my ass when I’m swooped up into the arms of a very angry looking Memphis Black.

“I hate you!” I spit at him.

“Is that so?” he snaps at me.

“Put me down, you asshole.” I start to kick and scream.

“My purse!” Sonya comes at me.

“Bring it on, bitch!” I scream, kick, flail, and the purse slips out of my hand.

I look up at Finn who has grabbed it, telling me, “You better hope there is something in this.”

Billy has Sonya now, and River is laughing while Nickie opens the door to the stretch Hummer.

“Get them inside!”

“Put me down, or I’ll scream!”

“You are fucking screaming, you loon!” Memphis pushes me into the vehicle and to the far bench before he and everyone else follows. “Now explain what the fuck is going on, Tales, before I bend you over my knee and beat the literal shit out of POW!”

“You’ll never touch my ass again, you, you—”

“Enough!” I look up to see Xavier glaring at me. “Now what the hell—”

“She has a sex tape!” I point at Sonya, “of you and your little rocker whore, Memphis.”

I can’t take it. I hit Memphis in the chest. It feels good, so I do it again.

“Now the whole world can see what you are! How the hell did I believe a word you said to me?! I hate—”

He grabs my hands and holds them so I can’t hit him anymore. “Shut the fuck up, Tales! Just shut the—” He stops when Finn dumps her purse on the floor.

Sonya quickly snatches up something on a chain, a necklace of some sort, and Finn grabs the flash drive.

“You wanna tell me what the fuck is on this?” he asks Sonya.

“None of your business. Now give me back my belongings and let me out, or I call the cops,” she says in an oddly calm voice.

Finn doesn’t respond; he just looks at her. “What’s your name?”

“Sonya. Sonya none-of-your-damn-business,” she says as she picks up her wallet, a pocket-sized photo album, and her phone.

“Okay, let’s just calm the hell down and sort this all out,” Xavier Steel says in an authoritative, take charge, but don’t mess with me voice. “Sonya, what’s on that drive?” She looks out the window. “Sonya …”

“It’s not mine, haven’t seen it, don’t know, and really don’t give a damn.”

Nickie opens his laptop and pops it in. “Fuck me, Memphis. Oh, yeah, baby, fuck me just like that.” It’s Stevie’s voice.

“I’m gonna fuck you my way. You just lie back,” He groans. “And enjoy the show.”

I’ve had enough. I pull my hands away from Memphis and cover my face while my tears run freely.

“You sure that’s me?” Memphis says.

“If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, then fuck, it’s a duck,” River says, sitting back. “But we already knew this. Well, not all of us.”

“She knew! She saw me the next morning, all marked up.” I feel him grab my wrist. “Tales, you fucking knew.”

I pull my arm away then slap the tears off my face. “Let me out.”

“Tales, seriously?”

“You should have told me. You should have—”

“You should have told me! Here I think you are practicing for a dance tour, and you’re working for her! Yet, you won’t even consider traveling with me!”

“Let me out. You have your tape. I overheard the conversation; it was the only copy. Now let me out. And, Memphis, don’t ever talk to me again.”

“You’re fucking insane! Don’t talk to you again? You fucking lied to me. I didn’t lie to you.”

“I know you fucked her after I left Florida, and for the past two days, you’ve been with her and too busy to see me!”

“Doing press shit, Tales, not banging her. And, fuck no, I didn’t fuck her after you left without so much as a goodbye. I was fucking healing, Tales!”

“Yeah, well, it’s your story.” I get on my feet and bend as I make my way through everyone to the door. “Good luck tonight, and you’re welcome for stopping that from going viral.” I need to get away from him. Far away, so I do.

I get out and see Madison.

“Tales, what’s going on?”

I unzip my boots and hand them to her. “Can you give these to Stevie? Tell her I quit.”

“Tales, wait.” Madison grabs my hand.

“Madison, I need some time, okay?”

“Sure, but—”

“Please. I just need—”

“To listen to me for a fucking minute,” Memphis says from behind me.

When she doesn’t respond, I take her hand. “I didn’t fuck her again.” She looks away. “Come on! You know damn well—”

“I don’t know!” She sobs, her hand trembling. “I don’t know anything.” I pick her up, and she grabs my neck and cries against my chest. “I am so mad at you.”

“Well, then you do know something,” I say, and then her scent hits me.

“Hey!” I look up to see Stevie. “I need you onstage.”

“She’s done,” I spit out. Why the fuck did she take a job with this bitch and not me?!

“She’s under contract!”

“It’s been broken. I’m breaking it!” I tell the bitch as Tales pulls away. “Tales, you don’t—”

“That’s right,” Stevie bites out. “She knows she needs this. What else does she have? A couple classes—”

“You can fucking leave. You’re done, too.” I flip shit.

“Says who!” Stevie spits at me.

“Memphis, let go of my hand,” Tally whispers. “I signed a contract.” She pulls her hand away.

“That’s right; let’s get this show on the road,” Stevie taunts.

“No, fuck that.”

“It’s not your decision, Memphis.” Tales shakes her head.

“I didn’t have sex with her after that one night.” I grab her shoulder and shake her. “You hear me.”

“I hear you,” she says as she walks away, broken, and all I can do is watch her.

“Fuck!” I scream as I fist my hair. “Tell her the fucking truth, Stevie. Tales, you know me better than that. You. Know. Me.!”

“Not going after her?” I look behind me to see Stevie’s drummer, Kellie, throw down a cigarette and stomp it out.

“It’s none of your damn business.”

“Right.” She shakes her head and walks away. Then she turns back. “Grow a set.”

I am shocked at her audacity, but I don’t respond.

My phone rings, and I fish it out of my pocket. “Sup?”

“All handled man,” Finn says.

“No, it is not,” I hear in the background.

“Who’s that?” I ask.

“Sonya. She’s a pain in the ass, but she’ll conform.” He forces a laugh, and I know he’s being tried right now. Finn doesn’t do confrontation well.

“You good?” I ask.

“You?” He laughs uncomfortably.

“We have a show tonight. Get your ass here.”

“On my way,” he says then, “Bitch, are you trying to bite me!”

“Where’s Billy?”

“Billy! Come take this little shit off my hands!” he yells.

“You good?” I ask as I walk toward the back door of Bader.

“Stop fucking asking me shit like that!” With that, he hangs up.