Tainted

Chapter One

“How’s everything going on the road?” Grace asked.

“Couldn’t be better,” Kaden answered, absently stroking the back of one of the women in bed with him. After the concert, he had picked two from the mass of followers, who trailed after them from concert to concert, hoping for the chance to come into contact with the band members.

Silence met his response. Kaden rolled to his back as the other fan crawled between his legs, stroking his dick. His hand went to her hair as his hips lifted, putting his cock into her experienced mouth.

“Kaden, I’m staying with Mom while James looks for a job in Nashville. Why don’t you sneak away for a few days between concerts? It’s been awhile since you’ve seen Abby and Adam; they’re getting older. I want them to get to know you better. You haven’t seen them for six months. Mom misses you…” As usual, when his sister talked, she didn’t pause for breath.

“Can’t right now. Too busy. Maybe in a few months. I have a week off for Thanksgiving; me and Tatiana will come for a visit.” Kaden let his hands go to the other woman’s breast as the other one sucked his dick.

“Oh, okay.”

He ignored the disappointment in her voice.

“I have to go, Grace, someone’s calling my name. Tell Mom I said, hi.” Kaden hung up the phone before his sister was even able to say goodbye.

The axe swung down, breaking the log cleanly as the two pieces fell to the side of the stump. Kaden bent down, picking up another log and placing it on the stump. Lifting the axe, he swung down, using all his strength. Again, the log split into pieces. Over and over, Kaden repeated the process until there were only a few pieces left to split. As he chopped, he heard the steps approach from behind him and then paused as a familiar, sardonic voice rang out in the silence of the yard. “I think you have enough wood, Kaden.”

Kaden stiffened, but didn’t stop chopping the wood until he had finished the remaining logs. Breathing heavily, sweat dripped off him and soaked the thin t-shirt he was wearing.

“What do you want, R.J.?”

R.J. moved to pick up a few of the logs that Kaden had split, carrying them to the woodpile against the cabin.

“We need to talk,” R.J. said, bending down to pick up more wood.

“You’re going to ruin that expensive suit.”

R.J. shrugged as he stacked the wood neatly. Together they worked in silence, stacking the wood. When they finished, Kaden went inside the cabin without a word. R.J. followed behind, taking a seat at the table after washing his hands at the sink.

Kaden ignored him as he picked up the coffee cup he had left sitting on the counter. He took another from the cabinet, pouring both cups to the brim with coffee and then carried them to the table. He sat one down in front of R.J. before taking a seat for himself.

“What do you want, R.J.?”

“Jesse’s been hurt in a car accident.” R.J. winced at the first taste of the strong coffee.

“How bad?”

“Two broken ribs, fractured arm and a broken leg.”

“That sucks for you, doesn’t it, with the new tour starting?”

“How did you know about the tour starting?”

“Ax,” Kaden answered, finishing his coffee and then getting up to put his cup in the sink.

“I can’t say I’m surprised he’s the only one you kept in contact with, but it would’ve been nice him telling me a week ago, instead of letting me go to three different states looking for you.” R.J. didn’t try to hide his frustration.

“That’s why I kept in touch with him; he was the only one in the band who knew how to keep his mouth shut.” Kaden’s harsh voice had R.J. wincing as his words rang home.

When R.J. would have spoken again, Kaden cut him off. “Get to the point. What do you want, R.J.?”

“I need you to take over for Jesse. You’re the only one who could bring in the revenue that Jesse would have.”

Kaden couldn’t help himself from laughing in his former tour manager’s face.

“Prop Jesse up on a stool if you have to, but there is no way in hell I’m stepping back on a stage.”

“Jesse already spent his advance on concert sales, so unless he can pay back the advance, he’s going to lose his home. Ax isn’t in much better shape; his child support payments have been taking a large chunk of his money. If he has to pay back the advance, then that new recording studio he’s so proud of, is going to close before a record could even be produced. D-mon can’t —”

“Stop, R.J. I can see where this is headed. You should know by now that I haven’t got a sympathetic bone left in my body. If that’s the best you’ve got, I have things to do.”

“I didn’t want to do this, Kaden, but I will if I have to. I won’t let the band suffer because you’ve buried yourself in grief.”

“Shut up, R.J., and get out. We’re done talking.”

“I’ll send the press the tapes,” R.J. threatened.

Kaden lost it. Taking a step forward, he jerked R.J. to his feet and then slung him toward the door.

R.J. managed to right himself before turning back to face an intimidating, furious Kaden. “I mean it, Kaden. Do the tour and they’re yours. I’ll hand them over and you’ll never see me again,” R.J. promised.

Kaden picked up R.J.’s empty cup and threw it against the kitchen wall. Taking a deep breath, he then released it, while getting himself back under control, before he killed R.J. with his bare hands.

“I have no choice it seems, R.J.; if you don’t give me the tapes,I’ll—”

“You do the concert, and they’re yours.” R.J. didn’t look away.

Kaden had no choice other than to believe him.

“When’s the first concert?” Kaden wanted those tapes back. If he had to tour the next year to get them back, then he would do it. Raking his hand through his long hair, he waited for R.J. to answer his question.

“In three weeks. I booked them pretty heavily.”

“You always did,” Kaden said sarcastically. “Get out, R.J.; you’ve accomplished what you wanted.”

“Kaden, if I had a choice, I would have left you alone. I let you leave without trying to stop you, didn’t I? I can’t let everyone down; there are too many people who are depending on me. I’m sorry.” R.J. went to the door and opened it. Kaden watched his former manager go out the door, closing it behind him.

He had sworn when he had walked away that he would never sing again. For five years, he had kept that promise, and now he was going to have to return. Kaden already knew what was ahead of him; months of no sleep, no personal space and miles and miles of road. Once, a tour of this magnitude would have been worth celebrating; now, it was only a reminder of how fucked up he had been.

Cleaning up the mess he had made, Kaden went into the back bedroom, which was empty except for the bed and dresser. Going to the closet, he packed his bag with what few items he possessed. He then sat down on the bed, staring at the picture he had taped to the wall by his bed. Reaching out, he carefully removed the worn picture, and then held it in his hand as he stared at it for several moments, before placing it in his bag. Afterward, he got up, took a quick shower, and then went to bed. Lying naked on the bed, he listened to the quiet night, feeling his body finally relax for the first time since R.J. had left.

Tomorrow, he would close the cabin then catch a plane to Dallas. For five years, he had dodged the fame of his career; now, he was going to have to face the publicity of his return and the circumstances that had caused his departure. They would all be waiting and watching for him to resume his wild lifestyle.

The women, drugs and money had all been the rewards of the career that he had used and exploited. This time around, none of it held any appeal. Instead, he would save Mouth2Mouth from financial disaster and get the tapes that had been held over his head for five years. The man who had left was not the one returning this time; this man had nothing left to lose.