Free Heartbreaker by Julie Morrigan

saying, ‘I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. But,’ she glanced at her father, ‘he doesn’t have the best track record, you know?’
    Alex grinned. ‘I know, I met Sonia,’ she said in a stage whisper. ‘Well, I saw her leave, anyway.’ They both glanced at Johnny.
    ‘Okay, you two, you can do the character assassination routine when I’m not here.’ He grinned at Chrissie. ‘Play nice.’
    She grinned back. ‘I’m on my best from here on in. It’s only the bimbos I go for, you know that.’
    Alex felt excluded from their easy camaraderie. Whatever had happened while Christabel was growing up, father and daughter clearly had a strong, close relationship now.
    Johnny turned to Alex. ‘Chrissie turned up this morning, she was stood on the doorstep with the milk.’
    ‘I’m a penniless student, so I thought I’d spend some of my holiday with my dear old dad. Eat his food, drink his booze, cadge some dosh. Oh, and run around after him in his dotage, make sure he doesn’t leave the gas on and blow the house up, you know the sort of thing.’
    Johnny’s face was a picture; Alex laughed out loud. ‘I’m not that bad,’ he was protesting. ‘So I left music playing all night the last time you were here. For that, you typecast me as a senile old duffer?’
    Chrissie stood up, still laughing. ‘I’ll clear these dishes, then I’m off into the village to see Gerry and Elaine. I’ll leave you to it.’
    ‘Are you around for long?’ asked Alex.
    ‘Until Friday, then I’m off again. I’m spending the weekend with Mum and Becky.’ Rebecca was Johnny and Nicci’s youngest daughter.
    ‘Can we talk while you’re here? For the book, to help get some background.’
    Chrissie looked at her father. ‘Dish the dirt on Johnny, you mean? Love to. I can fit in with you, just let me know when you want to do it.’
    ***
    ‘I’m sorry about the mix-up back there,’ Johnny began, when he and Alex were seated in the living room.
    ‘Forget it,’ Alex said, ‘I have. I like Christabel.’
    ‘Yeah, she’s a great kid. Not that she’s a kid anymore. None of it’s down to me, anyway, I hardly saw her for a big chunk of her childhood. After Nicci and I split up, I had to fight to see my girls regularly. Becky and I aren’t as close, but she’s younger, she had no solid memory of me before her mum took them away. I was just this bloke who started turning up to see her when she was four or five. I’m still reaching out to her; and Chrissie helps, puts in a good word for me, you know?’
    Alex nodded. ‘I’m glad I met her. It’ll be great to talk to her and get a different angle on things.’
    ‘I’ve got the guys coming a week on Thursday with their wives. Paul and Siobhan have been married for ages; you’ll like her, and she loves to talk. Marilyn, Colin’s wife, has only been around for about six years or so. She wasn’t there for Heartbreaker. Dan can’t make it, which is a shame, but Chrissie’s coming and Killer’s planning to be here, as well.’
    ‘Killer?’
    Johnny grinned. ‘Mark Killian. “Killer” because he’s shot more bands than anyone else in the business. He’s on tour with Drunk Monkey at the moment, but he reckons he should get back in time to join in the fun. He’s been with us since the early days, we all started out together. He shot us for the mags, came on tour, and we hired him to do the photography for the albums. He’s a great guy and he always comes up with the goods.’
    Alex nodded. She knew Mark Killian’s work. He had captured the definitive image of Johnny in the band’s heyday, comparable with shots of Pete Townshend’s windmilling arm, Jimi Hendrix’s guitar face, and Slash posing like a porn star with or without his guitar. Mark Killian got a superb shot of a man doing what he loved, what he excelled at, every inch the iconic rock god. ‘They’re all staying over,’ Johnny was saying. ‘You should stay, too.’
    Alex nodded. ‘Okay, then, I