Chapter 4

We broke down the equipment as quickly as we could to make way for the DJ. My sweat cooled as I packed up my stuff and carried it out the back door to the trunk of my car. There was a chill in the air, typical fall weather, but it felt good.

I waved to the other guys in the band as they left, one by one. Before I could get into my car, however, Joey walked up and slapped me on the back.

“Goddamn, dude! We brought the house down. Thanks again for stepping in at the last minute.”

He handed over my share of the earnings for the night. I’d totally forgotten about getting paid. Joey stood there for a second, scratching the back of his neck.

“I still haven’t heard from Grady,” he said. “No texts, nothing.” A sheepish expression settled on his face.

Uh-oh, there’s more to this story.

I pocketed the money and leaned against my car. “The truth, Joey. What didn’t you tell me?”