A Filthy Friend (Filthy Line #5) - Jaxson Kidman Page 0,2

asked.

I jumped up and went after Nash.

I grabbed his shirt. “Don’t even say that about him. Got it?”

“Get the fuck off me,” Nash said.

He broke my hold and pushed me back.

I hit the drum throne and we went ass first into my own drum kit.

I lunged forward again at Nash and tackled him off the stage.

We ended up on a table.

It didn’t break like they show in professional wrestling.

Instead, the table fell over and we both hit the floor.

“He was a junkie,” Nash growled at me.

“Fuck you, Nash,” I yelled.

We both landed a few cheap punches to each other’s ribs.

That’s when Dex and Reed broke up the weak fight.

Dex hooked my arms and walked me back to the stage.

“I know you’re hurting, brother,” Nash said. “We all are.”

“Then why say that about him?” I asked.

I felt my throat tightening.

“Sab, it’s the fucking truth,” Jay said. “He’s been a mess for years.”

“Like we’re any better?” I asked.

“We know how to control ourselves,” Reed said. “He could never stop. We tried, Sab. We all tried.”

I shook Dex away and walked back to the stage.

I rubbed my jaw.

“He sent me a letter.”

“What kind of letter?” Jay asked.

“I haven’t opened it. I got it the day we found out. The letter was waiting for me at home. I was alone, then in the backstage room with a couple women. Just doing my thing.”

“I was there,” Nash said. “I was the one who told you.”

“I know, Nash.” I looked back at him. “Sorry about swinging.”

“No worries,” he said. “We have to figure this out together. We have to say something. Soon. He was a mess. He could never kick the habit. It just beat him down. I don’t want to talk about that part of his life. What Mitchy was…”

“A great musician,” Jay said. “He helped pave the way for us.”

“He could write a riff like nobody else,” Dex said.

“His lyrics were solid,” Reed said.

“And he always got the hottest women,” I said with a grin.

“It was always that fake, good-boy look he had,” Nash said. “Everyone thought he was innocent or something. That fucker.”

We started to laugh.

“I hate to bring it up,” Jay said. “But where was he when he was found?”

“A motel, just outside Reno,” Nash said. “He was alone. Him and his guitar. With tons of junk around him. He went out the way he wanted to go out.”

“You really think that?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Nash said.

“Maybe that’s the only comfort we can take,” Reed said. “Maybe he was happy.”

“I doubt it,” Jay said. “He just wanted to be part of the band again. Writing songs at my place…”

“You saw what he was doing to your place,” Dex said.

“I know,” Jay said. He stood up and kicked his foot back, tipping his amp over. “I fucking know.”

“We should call Toby,” I said. “Get him here. Get something written up. We write it up though. Not that corporate PR bullshit stuff. We tell Mitchy’s story. The real story.”

“I agree,” Nash said.

“What about a show?” Jay asked. “We should do some kind of small acoustic set or something. For Mitchy. We’ll play the songs he helped write. Tell a few stories.”

“I like that,” I said.

“I need a drink,” Dex said.

“We all do,” Reed said.

“That’s kind of fucked up, isn’t it?” I asked. “Mitchy’s demons catch up to him and we’re over here flirting with our own…”

“Flirting and fucking are two different things,” Nash said. He grinned. “Remember that conversation?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Got it.”

Nash got a bottle of whiskey.

He took the cap off and flicked it across the room.

He picked up the table he and I knocked over and put the bottle in the center of it.

Then came the notebook.

He flipped it open.

“We write something about Mitchy and then take a drink,” he said.

“I’ll call Toby quick,” I said. “Before we forget.”

“The ladies are going to get pissed at us,” Jay said with a grin.

“Invite them over too,” I said. “We can all drink. I kind of want to see Wren and Candice kiss.”

“I will cut your…” Jay paused. “Hmm. Now that I’m thinking about it…”

“Let me give Candice a call,” Dex said.

I laughed.

It was the first time in a few days I laughed.

I still missed Mitchy.

And I missed Bree more than ever.

2

BREE

My alarm went off at five and I snoozed my phone like I always did.

I had a dream of a life where I’d wake up at five, climb out of bed with a smile on my face and dance around my apartment