Haunted Read Free Page B

me, confident he was going to get his way. He might have also noticed my gaze following the men out. They looked as good leaving as they did coming in. Well, shit. More than my artist was intrigued.
    “So what do you think of my boys, eh? Their music is a bit screamy for my tastes, but their hearts are good. They’ve had some heartache, them. You can help them heal, Jaylene. You know you can. Working with them might send your business into the big time, these rock stars they all be comin’ to you then.” I smiled at his assurance. Daryl somehow sensed I had daddy issues and did his best to subtly play the part for me. “What other reservations you got there?”
    “And who’s got the Master’s degree here? Geesh, I think you make a better therapist than I ever would have.”
    He laughed deeply. “Dahlin’, what do you think my job is? All I deal with is head cases!”  
    He was right. Daryl’s club was full of men and women who were all damaged and derelict but they paid complete allegiance to him. During their time with him, they all worked toward becoming upstanding members of society. He didn’t get to be their president by shying away from a challenge.
    Not like me. I’d graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University, Hayward, with a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, ready to begin my career. Life had other plans for me, and now my place was here. I knew I’d made the right choice for me, but echoes of others’ expectations made me question my decision regularly. Not Daryl, though. He believed the best work was done on the front lines and he considered my chosen profession as reputable as they come. Gods bless this man. Again I was faced with the dilemma of how I could get out of this situation without damaging my relationship with him, a relationship that went beyond professional to more like family.
    “Daryl I can’t just walk away from my business for weeks! I’m booked almost solid and I need the money to get through the summer. Not to mention some of my appointments are friends of yours!” He nodded, a smug look on his burly face.
    “You just be sure to read that contract. I think those boys will take care of everything. And if anyone gets upset, you just tell them to come and see me, y’hear?”  
    Sigh. Daryl could just snap his fingers and things were taken care of? He probably could, but I didn’t like being beholden to anyone and as much as I trusted him, I could never ask anyone to bail me out. And it wasn’t just me that was a part of this decision.
    “What about Mackenzie? I can’t just leave her!”  
    Mackenzie put her arm around me. “For that, Jay? You better leave me! I will never forgive you if you don’t leave me for them. You must go stay with that fine looking bundle of male specimen!”
    Leave it to her to be ruled by her hormones. I shrugged her arm off. “Kenzie! I can’t base my business decisions on a bunch of hot guys!”  
    She looked at me like I was a slower younger sister. “Um, duh! Yes you can, and you better!”  
    I glanced at the contract, it read like legalese blah blah. I peered up at the Metallica clock over my station, 7:30. I still needed to clean my flat and do laundry before I could even get to bed, not to mention I needed to clean myself up. Shit! I needed a haircut, I probably still had yesterday’s eyeliner on and my nails were a mess, and don’t even mention my feet! I pulled back my long blonde and black streaked hair and blew my bangs out of my face. I made my excuses and told Daryl I’d see him soon. He reminded me to read the contract and he stepped out the door. Mackenzie locked it behind him and then turned on me with a challenging stare.
    “You’re thinking up reasons why you shouldn’t do this. Well, unthink them! Do you even know who they are? Maggie’s Bones are HUGE! They toured with Avenged Sevenfold! Remember when I went to that show? They totally rock!”  
    Mackenzie and I shared a love of rock