Page 31 of A Way Out (Rock Star #2)

Friday, at the sold-out show in Phoenix

M aria had managed to get a stockpile of shirts and hoodies with the band’s logo on them expedited so that they had merch to sell at the Phoenix show.

And it was selling like gangbusters.

The payoff of the second mortgage on Oz’s mom’s house was in process even as Maria stood behind the merch table, taking people’s cash and running their cards through the little processor she’d hooked up to her iPad.

Both she and Bridgette had met with the rep from the label to make sure everyone was on the same page about promo for the band. Maria had tossed out a few ideas that had impressed people who had been in the industry for decades.

Talk about an ego boost.

Holly and Sam were flying back from their honeymoon on Sunday.

They were heading to Missouri instead of LA.

They planned to take the next few weeks to look at houses.

Their intention was to build a recording studio as well, and open it up to indie bands who couldn’t afford to record or couldn’t catch a break in LA.

Panic Station had officially hired Maria as their publicist.

And then Holly had suggested they rent their LA house to Oz and his family instead of put it on the market.

Well, Oz and his family and Maria, since she’d officially moved in with them.

Maria told Oz about the offer. He scoffed at the ridiculously low rent, but after much kissing and whispered dirty words that led to a round of very dirty sex, he agreed.

He told Maria he doubted he would be able to talk the kids into leaving that pool, anyway.

“Hi!”

A bubbly, curvy blonde who looked young enough to be carded for a drink stepped up to the merch table, her entire focus on Maria instead of the various items for sale.

“What can I do for you?” Maria asked with a polite smile.

“Is there going to be a meet ’n greet after the show?”

“There is.” The band’s new label was sponsoring their first-ever meet and greet with fans. The rest of them had been grilling Travis all day—he’d previously been in a band that had been big enough to do these sort of planned fan interactions, and they all wanted to know what to do, how to act.

“Can I get in?” the blonde asked. “Please? Please? I loved Travis so much when he was in Dog Daze, and then he just disappeared off the face of the earth. I couldn’t find him anywhere.

It was so horrible. And now he’s back, and he’s playing in my hometown, and it’s obviously kismet. I have to meet him. Please !”

This chick was over the top, but that was to be expected, according to the label. It was a sign the band was going to be huge.

“Sure,” Maria said, pulling a pass out of her pocket and holding it at eye level. “This is your golden ticket. Do not lose it.”

The girl took it and stared at it reverently. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Are you gonna buy something or what?” the person behind the girl demanded. “I’d like to get in there before the show ends.”

“Is there anything with Travis’s face on it?” the blonde asked Maria, sounding hopeful.

“Er, no. Sorry. Just the band’s logo.” Maria waved at the options laid out on the table.

The blonde shrugged and moved on, and Maria smiled at the next person in line, who was there with five of her friends. Every single one of them wanted a hoodie.

Oh yes, Demigoddess Revival was definitely on the way up.

Maria and Oz both had been looking for a way out, and what they’d found was a way to each other. And they would be together, every step of the way to this band’s success.

THE END

Next up in the Rock Star series… Travis’s book! Flip the page to read the first chapter.