Hidden Sin: When the past comes back to haunt you. Julie Shaw

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ without consulting Matt, not to mention Dan first. It was Matt who’d given her a start, after all.

      ‘Can we get back to you?’ she said, causing Joey to look at her like she was mad. ‘Only we do need to speak with the rest of the band before making a decision like that. How about you give us your number and we ring you after the weekend?’

      Mo nodded, his expression cool. Then pulled out a business card from his wallet. She slid a thumb over its surface as she took it. Embossed. Expensive-looking. ‘Suit yourself,’ he said. ‘But I’m willing to pay well, as I say. Say, £225 per gig? So don’t leave it too long making your minds up, will you?’

      Paula tried not to gape. That was more than double they were currently getting paid by The Sun. She tried not to let her surprise show on her face.

      ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘We’ll be rehearsing tomorrow anyway. Will Monday morning be okay?’

      ‘I don’t do mornings, sweetheart,’ the man said. ‘Bit of a creature of the night, me. Monday afternoon would be better.’ He nodded towards the stage, where Matt and Dan, presumably returned from sharing a joint out the back, were getting ready for the second set. ‘Anyway, looks like you’re on again.’ He winked at her. ‘And we’ll be here watching.’

      And there was something about the way he said it – something she couldn’t put her finger on – that made a flicker of uneasiness edge into her brain. She pushed it aside. Just force of habit, she told herself. Bound to be hard to break.

      Their second set, if anything, was even wilder than the first. They even got thunderous applause when they performed a couple of their own numbers, which she knew would make Matt, who’d composed them, ecstatic. Perhaps the chance to play in a nightclub really could launch them to another level. But Matt was so naturally cautious – it was in his nature – and she wasn’t sure how he’d react to the idea of dumping The Sun, who could get another band in just like that, on the strength of an offer from a complete stranger, to play in a shut-down nightclub that hadn’t actually re-opened yet. Not least because she knew Matt really didn’t share her ambitions. He’d been gigging a few years now and though he loved writing music, she suspected he liked his life just as it was. Couple of gigs a week, plenty of downtime and a healthy weed habit. For which he had more than enough in his pockets, because he also played with a showband, doing weddings and birthdays, where he banged out the usual staples for a decent wodge of cash. He was a pragmatist. There were definitely no stars in his eyes.

      And as it turned out, there was little opportunity to sit down and discuss things anyway, by the time they’d finished. The mysterious Mo and his cronies had slipped away before they’d done, and Matt was anxious to pack up and get his gear home as he and Dan were off to a party. Perhaps, on balance, they should wait till rehearsal tomorrow anyway. Discuss it properly then.

      ‘Not that I’m sure what there is to discuss,’ Joey observed, once he’d loaded his kit onto Matt’s van – he was taking it back to his place ready to take to the rehearsal – and he and Paula were in the mini and about to head off to his. ‘I mean, it’s miles more money, a bigger venue, and a chance to be heard by thousands. What’s the problem?’

      To be fair, Paula thought, Joey didn’t know Matt and Dan like she did. Didn’t really know them at all yet. And he had that irrepressible way about him – that eagerness, that puppyish enthusiasm that so appealed to her. Was that why she liked him so much? Because he reminded her so much of her father? Though wrapped up in a package that was a million miles from her father. Tall, dark and … well, it was a heady combination.

      ‘It’s not a problem, exactly,’ she told him now, as she fiddled about looking for the headlamp switch. Joey leaned across her and turned it. He smelled appealingly of fresh sweat and some kind of woody aftershave. ‘It’s just that I think we should maybe proceed with caution – as my old driving instructor used to say. Just that we should make sure it’s the right thing for all of us before committing. I mean, what if this Mo is a fly-by-night? He might be talking bollocks about owning Silks, mightn’t he? I mean, you’ve seen the size of that place. Well, I suppose you might not have,’ she corrected herself, remembering his age. ‘But it’s huge. Only someone seriously rich – or seriously stupid – could afford to take on a place like that. I mean, the rent on it must be massive.’

      ‘But to what end? I mean, why would he do that? Why would he say he was looking for a band if he wasn’t?’

      ‘I know, but if we pull out of The Sun we might lose it permanently, mightn’t we? In fact, I’d say that was probably a cert. And, don’t forget, it’s the only regular slot we have.’

      ‘Well, it’s not for me to say anyway,’ Joey said. ‘I’ve only been in the band five bloody minutes. So whatever you reckon, I’m cool with that. It’s your call, completely, Paula. I’m just so bloody happy to be part of it – be it in The Sun or anywhere else. Anyway, we don’t have to say now, do we? Whatever this Mo says. In fact, why don’t we tell the lads that we’re going to check the place out for ourselves first? And if it all seems genuine – and everyone’s happy – we give it a go. Proceed with caution, like you said.’

      Paula reached to switch on the engine. ‘I reckon that’s best,’ she said. Though despite her concerns, her automatic need to analyse, she was still buzzing from the response to their final set, the adrenaline still pumping. Whatever else was true, the world suddenly felt full of possibilities. New car, new recognition for the band, new boyfriend … She smiled at him coyly. ‘Still, however it pans out, exciting times, or what?’

      She then blinked as two passing cars flashed their lights at them, one after another. ‘Whoah! Am I on full beam or something?’ she said, rootling around again in the darkness to try and find how to dip the lights. ‘I really need to sit down properly with the manual for this, don’t I? Anyway, how come you know where everything is anyway?’

      Joey tapped his nose. ‘Comprehensive education, me.’ He didn’t elaborate. Instead he leaned across her and this time he doused the lights completely.

      ‘What you doing?’ she asked.

      He grinned and snaked his other arm around her, twisting round, pulling her against him. She could feel the hardness of his bicep against her shoulder. His hair tickling her cheek. ‘Just proceeding with caution,’ he said.

       Chapter 6

      Paula woke up and couldn’t work out where she was. She looked around her; lemon walls, a pile of boxes and bin bags full of clothing, a small window, where a net hung, flowers dancing along its border and the scent of a lavender air freshener strong in her nose.

      The Parkers’ box room. It filtered through then. And in the smallest of single beds. If she stretched out – she did now, her bent legs protesting – she could touch the far wall with her toes. No wonder Joey’s uncle preferred to kip on the sofa downstairs.

      It was cosy, though, and she lay still with her eyes closed for a minute, realising it must still be quite early. She wondered if Joey was up yet, or still stretched out, lean and sleepy, on the other side of the wall. She felt good in a way that she hadn’t in a long time. Though she’d resisted the urge to take things where she might have last night – admittedly with some difficulty – the feelings he’d stirred in her were unfamiliar and rather thrilling. Was this how falling in love felt? She was hesitant to even think it. They’d only been together five bloody minutes. And she was as far from a swooning heroine as it was possible to be, after СКАЧАТЬ