Fully Automatic (Bullet) (24 page)

Her mother giggled, but her dad’s face didn’t even crack.  He seemed to relax a little, though
, so that was something.  He had a stern look on his face when he said, “Just so we’re on the same page, there will be no hanky-panky, and one of you so much as
touches
my daughter without her consent, I will gladly go to prison for the rest of my life for murder.”  Yeah…Brad had no intentions of pissing off her dad.  He might have been a confident young man, but this guy was pretty intimidating.  No wonder Val was still a virgin.  Any potential suitors were likely still trying to coax their balls back out of hiding.

Brad had no words.  He’d already assured her father that he’d keep his hands off.  He looked over at Val and could see she was getting ready to say something.  When she did, her voice was quiet. 
“So you’re saying I can do this, dad?”

Her dad said,
“You’re an adult, Valerie.  I can’t really tell you what to do anymore.  All I can do is give you my advice.  I know you’ve already made up your mind, but I need to tell you that I don’t think this is a good idea.  Now is the time for you to work on getting a degree and figuring out what you want to do with your life.  You said that much yourself.  And I don’t know that traipsing around the state singing your loud metal music is going to help in that department.”

She smiled. 
“So you’re saying I can go?”

Her father smiled back at her, and that was the first time that day he seemed human. 
“Yes, Valerie, you can go.  But know you always have a place to come home to.”

The remainder of the meal was light-hearted and fun.  Not only did her brother have lots of questions for the band and their plans, but even her mother and father relaxed and seemed to be happy for their daughter.  Val promised to take care of withdrawing from school so there would be no more charges to her parents, and then the conversation moved to deciding what they would all do next—as a band.

Chapter Twenty-seven

BRAD’S LIFE CHANGED
completely in a matter of two short weeks.  He gave his notice at work, because he was ready to start his new life—the one he’d been waiting for since graduation over a year ago.  They weren’t going to make it, weren’t going to get anywhere in this little town out in the middle of nowhere.  Yeah, he loved his mom, loved his dad, and some of the friends he’d leave behind.  He’d miss his town too, but his future wasn’t here, and it certainly wasn’t going to be changing oil in cars for forty hours a week.

His future was out there—and he was gonna grab it.

His band was sounding professional, and that was partly due to all the playing together they’d done over the past three months.  And he knew that you could sound fine in your garage, but put yourself under some pressure—under the lights and the scrutiny of a crowd.  You’d learn to play well fast—or you’d give up.  They’d survived in that crucible, and now it was time to take it up a notch.

His boss offered to give him a couple of extra days off when Brad said he had things he needed to do.
  He texted Valerie and asked if she wanted to go with him to Denver to check for places to rent.  She asked who else was coming. 
Just me.
  He hoped she didn’t ask more.  He knew the guys wouldn’t give two shits about where they lived.  He had to keep Val happy.  The guys didn’t much want to go look either, but the three of them managed to pledge several hundred dollars for deposits.

Brad had a lot of money he’d set aside too, but he’d try to keep it even and fair.  They found a couple of dives and Valerie was thoroughly unimpressed, so he planned to come back the next week.  The first time was probably good, because then Valerie
would understand that places there were expensive.  They couldn’t afford to be too choosy.  He let her know how much money all the guys had, and he said he could pitch in more if he needed to.  She had money too and was happy to pitch in.

The second time, she settled for one of the places they’d looked at the week before.  Really, it could have been much worse.  It was a two-bedroom place, but if they went bigger, Brad was afraid they wouldn’t be able to afford monthly rent.  Valerie agreed.
  Fortunately, the place was furnished, so they wouldn’t have to buy beds, a couch, or a kitchen table.  They signed the lease and paid the deposit, with the agreement that the apartment would be available in a week.  Brad sent a text to the guys letting them know they got a two-bedroom place, and they’d figure out a way to make it work.  The good news, and Brad said as much to Val, was that he didn’t plan on them being there much—the place was central to most of the places where they’d be playing, and he hoped to keep them working so much that they would only sleep and eat at their apartment.

They took care of utility deposits too, and that’s when Brad and Val had to rely exclusively on their own money.

On the way back, they talked about all the things they thought they’d need.  Val took notes on her phone.  Brad thought of either sleeping bags or cots, since there were only two beds and a couch.  Brad could see the worry etched in Val’s face and hoped he was able to alleviate it.  When he dropped her off, he told her the next time he showed up would be with all the guys, and they’d be ready to begin their big adventure.  She promised to be packed and ready to go.

Brad and the guys actually moved their stuff up the day before, and Brad texted her, letting her know with four guys there, the place seemed smaller. 
Bring only necessities, Val
, he texted her.

The hardest thing he had to do was agree to let Ethan pick Val up when his friend asked to.  That meant Ethan was showing interest in her again, and he’d likely break her heart…
again
.  But Brad had to stop worrying about it.  Val was a big girl and she seemed unable to let Ethan go for whatever reason.  He couldn’t let it bother him anymore.  He had to let it go.  His band was most important…and maybe that meant he needed to let Val and Ethan do whatever it was they were gonna do—and he had to just step back and stay out of the way.

That didn’t mean it felt good, though.  When Ethan left late the next morning to pick her up, Brad decided he needed to stay busy—and get the ball rolling.  He had a list of things they needed as a group of people living on their own for the first time—stupid things like waste baskets, towels, sheets, a broom and dustpan, a vacuum, cleaning supplies.  And food and dishes.  They’d need to eat.  God.  He was tearing through his money, even when he was doing a lot of shopping at thrift stores.  It wasn’t going to last much longer.

He kept reminding himself they had three gigs that week alone, and now that the music was his sole focus, he could make sure they worked even harder, got more exposure.  But they picked up everything they needed and got things put away before Ethan and Val arrived.  At that point, Brad pulled out his laptop and reviewed the gigs coming up for the next several months.  It was concerning.  As much as he hated it, he was going to have to get a job here.  There was no way they’d make it on gigs alone, and there was no fuckin’ way he was going to give up now.  They hadn’t had a chance to even try.

He was sitting at the kitchen table
, and Nick and Zane were in the living room talking when Ethan and Val arrived.  Both had their arms full and set her things just inside the door.  “One more trip—Bradley, you want to help?”  Brad nodded.  Ethan looked at Val.  “We got this.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Brad followed him out into the hall.  No, it hadn’t escaped his notice that Val was flushed when she came in, and it wasn’t just because the ride had been hot—the day had been mostly cloudy and cool.  Ethan, on the other hand, was as
smooth as usual.  God, he wanted to ask.  He did.  But part of him didn’t want to know.  At first, he thought maybe that’s why Ethan asked him to help; instead, it was just that Brad was right there.

They got to the truck
, and Ethan handed Brad a box and he grabbed the other.  Brad wanted to tell him he could have gotten it all by himself, but he didn’t want to be a dick.  “How was the trip?”

Ethan shrugged, leading the way back to the apartment.  “Fine.  Traffic was thick here and there, but no big deal.  Drove through a little rain.”

God, Brad ached to ask about Val, but he was going to keep his mouth shut.

When they got back to the apartment, he expected to see Val talking with Zane and Nick, but instead she was looking around the apartment, a disheartened look on her face. 
Oh, shit.
  She was already regretting the move, and she hadn’t been there five minutes.  What the fuck had Ethan said to her on the drive?

“First things first—we need to put Val’s stuff in the small bedroom.”  Brad grabbed one of the suitcases along with the box he was already carrying and placed them in the corner of the bedroom.  Ethan and Val were right behind him with the rest of her things.  As they walked back out of the room, he felt compelled to put his arm around her shoulders
to comfort her—but he wasn’t going to.  No…he could sense that something huge had happened between her and Ethan that day, and he wasn’t going to interfere, as much as his protective side wanted to hold her close.

Once in the kitchen, Brad said, “We need to get our living arrangements sorted out.”  He started walking to the living room, because Nick and Zane were already there.  There was only a couch and a chair, though, so he grabbed a couple of chairs from the kitchen.

He saw Val’s sad visage again as he walked back to the living room, and he couldn’t ignore it anymore. 

“What’s wrong, Val?”

She sighed.  “I know we checked out this place before, and it was all we could afford, but am I the only one who thinks it’s depressing here?”

He smiled.  Yeah, he’d read her right—partially.  He still wanted to know what had happened with her and Ethan, but he was just gonna have to wonder.  He wasn’t going to ask. 
Back to the matter at hand—yes, the place was small and it was dingy, but it was the nicest they could afford and he hoped they would make the best of it.  “Yeah…it’s not the greatest.  But it’ll be what we make it, right?  Besides, we don’t want to spend much time here anyway.  We want to be out playing gigs all the time.  Am I right?”

She smiled back and nodded.  “Yeah, I know.  I’ll get over it.”

Brad addressed the group at that point.  “I don’t know how much practice we’ll be able to get in, guys, at least plugged in.  We’ll have to check with our neighbors…”

“We don’t have to crank it.”

“It just gonna be harder to write new stuff, but we’ll manage.  The big bedroom’s on the corner of the building, so if we’re gonna plug in and practice, I think that’s where we need to.”  Everyone nodded in agreement.  “Now…living arrangements.  I really think Val should have the little bedroom, the one with the twin bed.”  He felt the need to say it explicitly, even though he’d already put all her belongings in there.

“That doesn’t seem fair, Brad.  There’s one of me and four of you.  I can sleep on the couch, and you guys can share the rooms.”

“Bullshit.  I promised your dad we’d keep our hands off.”

“That doesn’t mean I need my own bedroom.”

“It does in
my
mind.  You need a place where you can feel safe, where you can have some privacy.  You won’t have to worry about one of us walking in while you’re changing clothes or staring at you while you’re sleeping.”

She giggled.  “Should I have had to worry about that before?”

He was serious, though, and even though he smiled, he hoped his message got through to all the guys...especially Ethan.  If Val consented to the guy’s advances, that was one thing, but she needed to have her own space, and he was going to assure it. “Now…as to the other bedroom, we’re not gonna fight over it.  Us guys are gonna share.  We bought two cots today at an army surplus store for cheap, and when we’re not using them, we can store them in the closet over there.  Not the best plan, but it works.”

Ethan asked, “So we’re just gonna use the big bedroom for our gear?”

“No.  One of us will sleep on that bed, one on the couch, two on the cots in the living room.  We’re gonna get a calendar, and each one of us will get the bedroom the same amount of days every month on a rotating basis.”

Nick said, “I don’t give a shit where I sleep, man.”

Zane elbowed him.  “Yeah, but if you have a girl wants to get friendly with you…”

Nick was deadpan when he replied.  “I don’t give a shit where I fuck, man.”

Zane started laughing.  “No, but
she
might.”

God, these guys were going to make Val regret the move.  Back to business.  “We’ll arrange the details tomorrow, and I think we need to schedule chores too.  Don’t give me that look, Ethan.  You know goddamned well that if we don’t map out who has to take out the trash
, we’ll live like pigs, and Val will get stuck cleaning up, just because she actually gives a shit.  Right?”

She smiled at him.  Okay, so that made it all worth it.  Ethan was pissed, but he had to know Brad was right. “Fine.  Whatever.  But don’t expect me to wash dishes every day.”

“No one’s gonna expect that.  So…there’s a dresser and a closet in each room.  Let’s figure out who needs what.  Val, if you have extra space in your room for clothes, would you mind sharing?”

“No problem.  I’ll unpack my clothes first.”

“Okay, so guys…whoever winds up using the extra space in Val’s room—make sure you only put shit in there you can live without for an hour or two.”

So…they’d tackled several problems that day, some big ones
even, and they had other issues to work through.  For now, though, they had lots of setting up to do, and Val insisted that they clean the place before calling it a night.  They’d have lots more time to take care of other items on Brad’s list—including getting another fucking job.

The rest of the night, though, he was going to get them pumped about their future, and then he was gonna have a couple of beers—because he had no idea when he’d be able to find someone around here to buy alcohol for them like the people he’d known back home.