Chapter Twenty-seven

hey had arrived at the hotel and made their way to Jon’s room. Once in, Jon checked his messages and there were several from Emilio and several from his mother. Hanging up they both took off their jump suits and Jon asked Richie if he wanted to order anything from room service.

Richie put in a good size order then asked Jon, “So who were the messages from?”

“Just Emilio and my Mom. I swear to God I don’t even have to give that woman my number she can find anything anywhere.” Jon just shook his head. “Never mind me having another kid she still think's I am.” He sat and pulled out his cigarettes.

Richie looked a little shocked. “You still smoking?” he asked him.

“Just when I’m stressed. King don’t tell Ellie ok? With her pregnant she’ll just freak ok?” he said as he took a puff.

“Hey I don’t have a pregnant wife or an overzealous Mother who will ring my neck for smoking after the shit I put them thru with my voice.” Richie told him shaking his head.

Jon just sat there trying very hard not to listen to him. “Rich I’m not smoking every fucking day. I’m not using steroids any more so shut the fuck up! I’m under enough crap right now. I don’t need you to get a pussy and start yelling at me like Ellie would.” Jon told him off.

“Well fuck you. God you get shitty when you're scared. You know I don’t have to be here you know.” Richie shot back at him really ticked off at him now.

Now Jon was feeling like shit. “You know I didn’t mean that.” He said softly.

Richie went to sit next to him. “Look I know. We’re both up tight right now. Truce?” he asked Jon.

“Yeah truce. You do know I couldn’t get thru this with out you right?” Jon told him looking apologetically when just then there was a knock on the door.

“Room service must be here.” Jon said as he got up to answer the door. When he did the attendant came in with the cart but so did Cheri.

“Well I guess growing boys do need to eat.” She said taking one of the bread sticks off of the cart.

Jon had daggers coming out of his eyes. “I’ll leave the cart outside my door when we’re thru.” Turning to meet her, “Where the hell have you been?” he wanted to know.

“Well when I saw those guys go after you I took the long way here. I didn’t want them to follow me. I know how they can get. Did they try running you off the road or did they just follow you here and then have a word with you?” she asked them as she went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“Oh please help yourself. Those maniacs tried to run us off the damn road. If it wasn’t for Richie and his driving skills we probably would have been roadkill.” Jon told her.

“Sorry but they don’t like to play nice and they don’t care.” She told them again trying not to show them she was scare..

“Look Cheri what the hell did I do to upset this guy and do you know who he is.” Jon asked her hoping she would tell him.

“I just think the person who is doing this is doing it for money. I don’t think Philip even knows you.” She told him.

“Philip? Philip who?” he asked her.

“Philip Monroe. He is one of the biggest up and comers in the west coast division. He really is making a name for himself.” She explained.

“Rich?” Jon looked at him.

“Nope never heard of him. But we run in different circles.” He said as he was eating his sandwich.

“How did you get involved with him?” Jon wanted to know.

“Really? I was trying to make a living in Vegas when he saw me and we hit it off you know. We lasted about five years until the newest young bimbo came along. So I thought I could try Cali but when I told him I wanted out he said no and that I owed him.” She told them as they just looked at her. They thought this just happened in the movies.

Richie piped up, “You owed him? You owed him what?”

“Basically what I’m doing for him now. He also loans me out to some of his most important clients. Most of them are scum bags. I can’t tell you when he said I was supposed to go after you well I didn’t want to throw up.” She smiled a little.

Jon tried not to blush as he was still pissed off and didn’t want her to think he was flattered by that comment. “Look I’m sorry for everything you're going thru really but we need to find out who is pulling this Philips strings so we can get all this to stop.” Jon said firmly.

Richie raised his hand to get their attention.

Jon looked at him and with a little bit of a snit and he asked him, “Do you think this is school? What do you want?”

“Excuse me but I was teacher's pet but what I want to know is how the hell are we supposed to get this Philip to tell us all that.” As he direct this to Jon.

“Well isn’t that what we’re here for? (turning to Cheri) look you have to try and remember who you seen with him. Anyone that would have some kind of weight with anything even in the record business. If he’s coming after me he might have something to do with it. Rich the only one I was really pissed off was Doc when I fired him but he has a bunch of other groups he is managing so I really don’t think he cares whether he manages us or not. Right?” Jon started to put this thru his head when Richie asked him a question.

“Hey you don’t have a picture of him on you by any chance?” he asked looking at Jon like he just solved the D.B. Cooper case.

“No why? You think Doc is doing this to me? Rich he couldn’t get away from us fast enough either. In fact I think he was secretly happy that I did fire him. He got what was owed to him and more from the four albums and what ever royalties that Slippery and Jersey will be bringing in the next two years. That’s what our lawyers and his finally settled on. I sent you all the paperwork on this.” As Jon’s voice raised.

“Well I haven’t had a chance to read my mail since I have been home. I’ve been busy you know with my parents and other things and then my best friends wife calls me crying and needs me to put some sense into her husband.” He shot back at Jon.

“Well while I’m enjoying this little skit between the two of you I’m getting bored and now I’m probably on Philip’s hit list if he knows I’m here conspiring with the two of you. So if he asks I’m going to tell him I was working you and lie thru my teeth because I know how he handles people who double cross him.” She told them none to happy.

“Look I think if you see Doc McGhee you’ll recognize him right off.” Jon told her.

Something came to Richie. “Look I’ll go and see if I can find some teen Mags and see if there are any pics in there of him I’ll grab the hat and glasses we don’t need anyone recognizing me and ruining my rep.” he said rolling his eyes as he grabbed his keys. “Oh and you two behave yourselves ha ha” he said laughing as he left.

Turning to Jon, “Your friend thinks he’s funny. Cute but funny.” Cheri chuckled.

“Yeah he’s real funny. But you can’t get a better best friend than him. So stay away from him.” Jon sternly said to her.

Putting up her hands in defense, “Hey I wasn’t I was just saying. Get your panties out of that twist baby.” She told him as he had it with her and her snarky remarks.

“Ok that’s it! I’ve had enough with you and your friends playing games with me. Why don’t you just come out and tell me what this whole damn thing is all about. I’m tired of it. Going after me is one thing but my family, no way leave them out of this!” Jon yelled as he just lost it on her.

“Whoa Baby I’m with you. I want out of this also. So I probably should tell you something since your friend left.” She tried to shyly tell him.

Jon wasn’t buying it but he nothing to lose. “Ok go ahead what is it?”

“That night when I had those pictures taken of us and you were out of it. Well you were so out of it we had to fake the whole sex scenes. I do have to admit they came out pretty good.” She held her breath because she waited for the explosion she knew was about to come.

Jon stood there with his arms crossed looking at her when he suddenly started to laugh. Cheri looked at him like he lost his mind.

“Are you ok Baby? I just told you that we faked the sex scenes, so are you having a breakdown of some sorts.” She really wasn’t prepared for this kind of reaction.

Jon had to catch his breath before he could speak, “Oh God my wife was right all along. I showed her the pictures that you took of that night.”

“You What! Why? The people that are following her said she’s still at your home. Why wouldn’t she have moved out?” Cheri was very confused at this minute.

“You really don’t get it do you. We love each other very much. When I showed her those pictures she looked at them very carefully and she knows me very well. She knew I was out of it in those pics. Drugged or drunk I wouldn’t be able to fuck you at all. I’d be passed out. She knew me better than I knew myself and what goes on in my marriage is our business not yours got it!” Jon told her off.

“Ok I get it. You have a prenup. You break it she gets everything. A lot of celebs have that Honey you think you’re the only one that has one?” she said as she was trying to get this whole marriage thing.

Throwing up his hands in the air he had it. “For your information we don’t have a prenup. But somehow I think you already know that. Look why don’t we just sit and wait for Richie to come back and see if he gets what he’s looking for.” Jon told her as he went to pour himself a drink at the bar.

Cheri looked over at him and decided to ask him to pour one for her as well. “Well you don’t mind do you?”

“If you keep quiet no.” he told her as he poured two. They just sat there in awkward silence as they waited for Richie to get back.

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Richie ran thru the lobby and got on the elevator. He was jumping thru his skin as he couldn’t wait to get back and tell Jon. A half hour had gone by before Richie had been able to get back to the hotel and he was grateful that he had. Finally reaching the room it was locked of course so he knocked rapidly until Jon came and open it.

When he did Jon was about to say something as Richie rushed in and slammed the door shut and locked it. “What’s the matter Rich you look like you just ran a marathon.” He asked him worried.

Holding up one finger to indicate one minute so he could catch his breath, Jon went and got him a bottle of water. Cheri sat there worried having a bad feeling on what Richie was going to tell them.

Taking the water he had about guzzled it down. “Yeah…I ran…most of…the way.” He said as he tried to catch his breath.

Both Cheri and Jon looked at him hoping he would elaborate soon as they were just about to bust. Catching his breath finally and drinking the rest of the water he started. “I was in one of the pharmacies down the street. I figured that they kept these type of mags you know? Anyway as I was looking thru some of them that had a few of our pictures on them I could see these men in the corner of the store all clumped together looking over towards me. They probably thought it was strange a grown man looking at kiddie mags.” Richie then felt he had to sit down. Jon saw that he was still a little flushed and gave him another bottle of water.

“Thanks man. Anyway I’m going thru the mags and I finally find what I’m looking so I went up to buy them and those guys were gone. So I asked the cashier if there was another exit I could leave from and thank goodness she was a Bon Jovi fan because she let me out the back. I was fine til I hit the block just before the hotel because they must have spotted me because that’s when one of them started to dart after me. I guess he wanted either what was in the bag or me and the bag. So I just ran the rest of the way to the entrance of the hotel and then to the elevator. That Bastard even came in but when he saw how crowded it was he just turned and left.” He explained to them still trying to get his breath back and his heart from racing the way it was.

Jon turning to Cheri, “What The Fuck did you get us involved in!!!” he loudly said to her as he was about to lose it.

“ME! I didn’t get you involved in anything you did this all by yourself.” As Jon and Cheri were arguing Richie was trying to get their attention. Finally he was able to yell.

“HEY! Will you two just stop. We’re here to find out what this guy wants from you Jon remember. Cheri is stuck in the middle of this. If we do this right she may be able to get out from under him too. Now (picking up a mag) let me see where I marked this page…oh here we go. Cheri is this the guy you saw at Philips office?” he asked as he handed her the magazine.

Jon wasn’t an idiot by any means he stayed by her so he could see her  reaction when she looked at McGhee so he could read her face the second she saw him. So Cheri look at the magazine and the picture and there was Jon and Richie and another guy who had to be there drummer Tico Torres. So the one next to Jon was Doc McGhee. She would know him anywhere. He was their manager.

“Well?!” Richie exclaimed.

She looked at both of them and she knew they would know if she lied to them. “Yeah that’s him. He’s been to Philip’s a number of times. Plus I heard them talking. He’s really pissed at you for firing him. He wants your hide.” She told them. Jon just looked at Richie and sat down. “You know I realize you guys are really popular and had a great run when you were touring and everything. But he does manage a couple of other fairly good bands right? Like Skid Row and Morley Crue and why he is after you in particular? ”She asked them a little confused as to why McGhee is so set on ruining Jon’s career mainly.

Jon just sat there trying to get his thoughts together and come up with the answers himself. So Richie started. “Well I don’t mean to demean Jon but he was the pretty boy of the group.” Well Jon’s head popped up real fast and gave Richie the stink eye.

“Oh don’t give me that all the girls fawn all over you and you know it. You got more tail than any of us before you got back with Ellie and then some which she doesn’t know about” he said as Jon yelled at him.

‘’Rich she is sitting right there! She doesn’t need to know our business!” he screamed.

“Oh look Honey I really don’t care. I thought we were beyond this. I’m not going to say anything about your damn past it’s right now we need to fix. What you do behind your wife’s back is on your conscious. So again why?” she wanted to know.

“Because we were on the charts  or weeks at a time ahead of his other bands. We sold out stadiums where his other bands couldn’t. But the killer was when we were in Moscow we up staged Motley and they got their panties in a twist when we went last and Jon came up with a plan to do something real big to get their attention plus we played a whole set which really set all of them off.  So Tommy punched Doc out and they fired him right then and there.” Richie explained to her as Jon just sat there and downed his drink.

“So what happened after that?” she wanted to know.

 “Well nobody really talked to each other on the plane it was real quiet ride home. What I don’t get is Motley fired him first so why not go after them?” Jon wanted to know.

“Because they weren’t making the money that we were Jon. I mean they’re good but they’re more of a real heavier metal band than we are. Plus they looked it. When we put on the make-up well you looked more like girl sorry. You know more androgynous I think that’s why we attracted both male and female at that time.” Richie said smirking.

“I looked like a girl??? What about you? Ms. Sambora.” Jon said sarcastically.

Cheri has had it with these two. “Are you guys going to argue who was the prettiest rock star or are we going to figure out what this guy wants with you Honey?”

Jon stood up and walked over to her, “No your right. We’re going to figure this out. We’ll have to come up with a plan to get Doc either alone and ask him straight out or set him up also. What do you think?” Jon asked them.

“Well he probably knows what Cheri looks like so if we do set him up we’ll have to be really smart about it. But what about Ellie she’s has to be told that she’s being watched.” Richie told Jon.

“Yeah well I’m going to send a security team over to the house and have it watched so nothing happens to her, the baby or Jimmy. I swear I’ll die if anything does.” Jon was terrified for his family.

“Oh Pleaseeee! Nothing so going to happen to them. They don’t want to hurt them. Just scare you. I’m pretty sure.” She told them as she made a curious face.

“WHAT! Then you're going back to find the hell out. Find out what Doc really wants from me then we can go from there. You got that or I’ll make sure they know you're working with us!” Jon said angrily.

“Then you’ll be signing my death warrant Pal!” she screamed back at him.

Richie was watching them screaming back at each other and he knew he had to put a stop to this or they were going to kill each other and that wasn’t going to solve anything. He better come up with something before they did. Just then the phone rang and all three looked at each other.

Jon went to answer the phone, “Hello?”

“Jon? Oh thank God. I have been trying to find you. I’ve left messages at Richie’s and here. Didn’t you get them?” she asked him scared.

“Baby we’ve been here for a while and there were no messages when I checked. Are you guys alright?” he asked her now getting nervous that they were in trouble.

“I received a very strange phone call saying ‘do you know where your husband is?’ Then they hung up. Are you and Richie ok?” she asked him nervously.

“Yeah we are. You know that we are following up on that problem we talked about right?” he hoped she knew what he was trying to convoy to her.

“Of course I do. Oh my God is she there with you two?” as she had just realized when he emphasized his words and Cheri tried not to laugh.

Jon has had it with Cheri. “Yes Babe she’s here with us and she is a pain in the ass.” Jon told her all the while giving Cheri the stink eye.

“Well please be careful around her I don’t trust her.” Ellie warned him.

Umh, “Neither do I Babe. Look I’m sending some security guards over so if you leave the house take one of them with you Please.” He stressed.

“Fine, I will. Love you.” She told him.

“Love you too I’ll try calling you tomorrow ok?” he told her and hung up.

“Well wasn’t that just nauseating.” Cheri told him as she held her finger to her mouth.

“That did it Rich we come up with a plan now because we are going to end this now!” Jon said determine.