'That'll Be The Day' (Chapter 6)
Serialized Crime Fiction: A Power Pop Heist
CHAPTER 1 • CHAPTER 2 • CHAPTER 3 • CHAPTER 4 • CHAPTER 5 • CHAPTER 6 • CHAPTER 7 • CHAPTER 8 • CHAPTER 9 • CHAPTER 10 • CHAPTER 11 • CHAPTER 12 • CHAPTER 13 (THE END)
That’ll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist
by S.W. Lauden
Chapter 6
The promoter greeted them at the door. He had gray hair down to his shoulders and wore a black Replacements Pleased To Meet Me T-shirt a couple of sizes too small. All of his energy was focused on Jamie.
“I was starting to worry you’d miss your set.”
“Drive always takes longer than you want it to. I brought that box of records I mentioned on the phone.”
Jamie nodded to his brother. Jack handed the loot to the promoter without a word.
“Excellent. Let’s get inside since you’re on next. We can talk about these goodies right after your set.”
A young bouncer stepped aside to let the three of them into the dark club. The middle-aged quartet up on stage was doing a passable version of The Flamin’ Groovies’ “Shake Some Action.” Jack noticed every table was full, but the dance floor was practically empty.
“Crowd afraid these guys might bite?”
The promoter rolled his eyes as they headed to the bar. “Who’s your funny friend, Jamie?”
“Don’t mind him. That’s just my brother.”
The promoter whirled around. Jack took a step back, waiting for the bastard to throw the first punch. He couldn’t wait to snap the old hippie in half.
“Holy shit! You’re Jack Sharp? You have no idea what a huge fan I was—I am—of your band. Just ask your brother. I’ve been begging him to put a reunion show together for the last couple of years.”
Jamie read Jack’s reaction, quickly stepping between them.
“It’s true. This guy probably knows more about our band than either of us cares to remember. You got those drink tickets?”
The promoter pulled a folded white envelope from the back pocket of his jeans. He carefully tore two tickets off, handing them over like they were made of pure gold.
“Here you go. Cheers!”
The promoter turned back to Jack.
“So, how about it? You gonna jump up on stage tonight and give the crowd a thrill they’ll never forget?”
Jack felt like he’d been punched after all. He snatched the tickets from his brother’s hand without a word. Jamie called after him, but Jack didn’t look back as he headed for the bar.
The mustachioed bartender tossed a napkin down in front of him.
“What’s your poison?”
“Beam and Coke. And a Shiner Bock.”
Jack tossed the tickets onto the bar and turned to check out the action. The crowd was mostly guys, but toward the back of the room a group of women were bopping their heads and shaking their asses. He had his eye on a cute cocktail waitress, but that was a long shot since she was half his age. Hell, they were all long shots with no money in his pocket to buy a few drinks.
He shifted his attention to the stage. The band kicked into an original song that sounded like a cross between The Beat’s “Rock n Roll Girl” and Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” with a little of The Knack’s “Good Girls Don’t” sprinkled on top. At least to Jack’s rusty ears.
The bartender dropped the drinks off. Jack grabbed the cocktail first, swallowing half in a single gulp. There was way more bourbon than Coke, which was how he liked it. Too bad he didn’t have a couple of bucks to leave a tip.
The band finished the song and said their goodbyes. They thanked the promoter for having them on the bill and told everybody to “stick around for Jamie Sharp of Jamie & The Jaxx!” Hearing the band’s name spoken through a microphone sent shivers down Jack’s spine. He polished off his cocktail and started on the beer.
The promoter slid in next to Jack at the bar. “What do you think?”
“About the show? It’s okay. Not sure about this next act though.”
The promoter flashed a car salesman’s smile. You’d think Jack’s comeback was the funniest thing anybody had ever said.
“No. I meant about jumping up on stage with Jamie tonight. An unannounced reunion like that would really help put this club on the map.”
“Sorry, buddy. No chance.”
The promoter shrugged. “It’s your call. You want another beer? On me.”
Jack glanced down at his half-empty bottle. He knew better than to accept a gift from a somebody trying to sell him something, but he was broke and bored.
“Sure.”
The promoter waved the bartender over. Jack chugged his first beer, accepting the refill with a nod. Now he just had to wait for the follow-up pitch. Lucky for him, Jamie started playing his first song. It was just his little brother and an electric guitar plugged into a Fender amp. The unused backline loomed behind him as he swayed in the spotlight, strumming the intro to a mid-tempo ballad. This was the first time Jack had ever watched his brother play from out in the crowd. It left him feeling a little twitchy.
The promoter slapped him on the shoulder. “There’s another guitar behind that second amp. All plugged in and ready to go. Jump up there with him for a song or two and I’ll toss you a hundred bucks.”
Jack gripped his bottle tight. It took everything in him not to smash it over the weasel’s head.
“You deaf or something? I said no.”
“Two hundred. Final offer.”
Jack drained the beer, letting the empty bottle drop to the floor. It bounced twice before it finally broke. He looked the promoter dead in the eye.
“I’m going outside to have a smoke. Steer clear of me when I come back in.”
Jack waited in the parking lot for the rest of Jamie’s set. All the pacing and smoking did little to ease his anger. None of this was part of his plan—not the heist in Memphis, and definitely not this detour to Austin. He just wanted to get the job over with as soon as possible so he could go find his father. It didn’t matter what happened after that.
Jack was lighting his fifth consecutive cigarette when Jamie peeked his head out the front door.
“There you are. He’s looking at the records now. Come on.”
Jack took a couple of quick drags, grinding the butt out on the pavement. They went back into the club, skirting along the wall and into the backstage area. The promoter sat at a small wooden table surrounded by four chairs. Jamie’s most valuable vinyl was spread out before him.
“You’ve got a few gems here. Sure you want to part with them?”
The car salesman smile was back. Jack wanted to slap it off his face, but Jamie beat him to it.
“You’ve had a hard-on for my collection for years. Stop playing games and make me a real offer.”
The promoter pursed his lips, making a show of doing the math. Jack slid a hand into his jacket pocket just in case the number was low. He might be tough on his little brother, but he’d always have Jamie’s back in a fight.
The promoter was about to find out the hard way.
“I’ll give you five thousand for all of it.”
Jamie almost hit the roof. “Five thousand? You know it’s worth twice as much.”
“I won’t argue there, but I know a fire sale when I see one. You two get some quick cash, no questions asked, and I get the records. Seems fair all the way around.”
Jamie muttered “God damn it” under his breath and kicked a chair. The promoter seemed unfazed. He swung his gaze to Jack.
“Or maybe we can work out some other kind of deal.”
“Like what?”
“You two agree to go back out on stage, together, and play a few Jamie & The Jaxx songs and I’ll up my offer to six thousand. That’s the best I can do.”
Jack had enough. He pulled the gun nice and slow.
“Here’s my counteroffer. Give us the six thousand. We take our records and leave. And you don’t tell a single fucking person about what happened here tonight, or I’ll come back to finish you off.”
That'll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist
CHAPTER 1 • CHAPTER 2 • CHAPTER 3 • CHAPTER 4 • CHAPTER 5 • CHAPTER 6 • CHAPTER 7 • CHAPTER 8 • CHAPTER 9 • CHAPTER 10 • CHAPTER 11 • CHAPTER 12 • CHAPTER 13 (THE END)
Spread The Word—Leave A Review!
LIKING THE BOOK? PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! Amazon, Goodreads—wherever you buy books. Even ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a few words would help A LOT.
Both That’ll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist and the sequel, Good Girls Don’t: A Second Power Pop Heist, are available in print and ebook formats on Amazon.
