Braden laughed, but climbed inside. He headed to the very last row of seats. I slid in beside him, leaving Emerson his own row before us. There was one other row between Emerson and Gunn. I expected Peter and Priscilla to climb inside, but instead, Peter headed to the driver’s seat. It wasn’t long before Emerson strolled out the doors, hiking up his pants and then tugging them back down as his hand scratched his crotch. Priscilla was waiting beside the front passenger door. As he saw the van, he stopped and began shaking his head. “No, no, no, no. This won’t work. What happened to the tour bus?”
She let out an impatient breath. “You guys didn’t want a big to-do. Sorry this isn’t ‘diva’ enough for you. This is it and hurry up. I made a couple of calls. You guys have some people waiting for you.”
Braden leaned close to me. “And here comes the temper tantrum.” Braden began to count backwards. He started from five and got to one when Emerson blew up. There were expletives, threats, demands, something about blackmail and an email was mentioned, and he kept waving his middle finger in the air. Priscilla remained silent the entire time. When he quieted down, enough to take a breath and embark on another tantrum, she said, “Get your ass in here, or I will drop you from the band. I can kick anyone out, and I can bring anyone in.”
His head jerked back, and his gaze whipped to mine. I saw the question in his eyes. Could she do that? I didn’t think she could, but knowing them and knowing the contract they had us sign, I wouldn’t have been surprised if that was a loophole we hadn’t realized was there.
“Shit,” Braden murmured beside me. He slumped down in his seat. “We have to get that crap looked at.”
The threat worked. Emerson climbed inside, and the rest of the ride was in awkward silence. He was ready to explode. The rest of us were waiting for it, but when we got to the outskirts of Grant West, we were relieved. The explosion was postponed as Peter pulled the van into a gas station lot. A light was positioned at the far end of the lot where a line of cars were parked and he headed for them. As we got closer, some people were standing outside their vehicles, waiting for us, but one person drew my eye. There, sitting on the end of the van by herself and looking bored to death, was Brielle.
I was gutted. I’d forgotten how beautiful she was.
Braden saw Bri at the same time and exclaimed, “Hell, yeah!” He darted out of the van and flung his arms out. “Bri!” She had one second to react before he lifted her in his arms and whirled her around. He got to hug her. He got to say he loved her, brother or not, and it pissed me off that I was jealous of him.
Braden set her down when I got out of the van.
She looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw me before looking away. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she looked down and stepped back from her brother.
I stopped before them. My hands itched to lift and touch her, but I kept them at my sides. She had lost weight. Her skin was a little paler than I remembered, and she had let her hair grow even longer. It swept down past the middle of her back.
“Hey,” she murmured.
“Hey,” I replied.
She flinched at my voice.
Braden cleared his throat. “You came to pick us up? Thank you.”
She shook her head up and down in a short, clipping motion. “Yeah.” She bit down on her lip. “Uh, not to make you guys hurry, but I have a gig. Mom offered to come and get you, but I wanted to do it. I have enough time. Did you want to come?” She was asking her brother, her eyes focused squarely on him. She darted a sideways look at me, swallowed, and skirted back to focus on her brother.
Braden’s head popped up. He stood straighter. “Where’s the gig? Of course, I want to come.”
The corners of her mouth curved up, and her shoulders dropped, looking more relaxed. “We’re at Rowdy’s.” There was a small amount of pride in her voice.
“Hell, yeah. Going our same route, huh? I can bartend,” Braden teased, throwing an arm around his sister’s shoulders. “Just like that one time when I covered for your ass.”
“You mean that one time versus all the times I covered for your ass?”
“Details, Bri. Who can remember that far back?” Braden was joking when a car pulled into the lot. It braked to a spot away from the rest of the vehicles and then took off again, spewing dirt from behind the wheels. It fishtailed in a tight circle until it was facing the road again, then it came to another complete stop.
Emerson thrust a fist into the air. “My ride is here. Catch you later, fools.”
“You’re not coming to watch the band?” Braden called after him.
Emerson kept going, but turned and jogged backwards. He lifted a hand in a farewell wave and shrugged. “I’ve seen enough bands play, and I don’t give a shit about seeing Bri play anymore.”
“Fuck you, too,” Bri called after him, giving him the middle finger.
Emerson laughed and turned back around. When he opened the back door, heavy metal music poured out. Someone handed him a joint from the front seat, and Emerson shut the door. It wasn’t long before the car peeled out of there.
Braden cursed, “That’s a record. Five minutes he’s back and that crap happens?”
Bri was still biting her lip.
I skimmed an eye over her and said to her brother, “It doesn’t matter. He’ll crash, and the Terrible Twins will sweep him back up.”
Braden grunted. “True.”
“Terrible Twins?”
He answered her, “Our managers. They’re twins, too, remember? I told you.”
“Oh, yeah.” She glanced at Priscilla who was conversing with the city official. “I’d forgotten.”
She hadn’t. I knew that much, and when she cast me a glance under her eyelashes, I saw the question in them. She wanted to know if I had slept with Priscilla. Well, fuck that. My jaw clenched. It wasn’t her business anymore.
“Luke!”
My eyes snapped open, and I groaned. I didn’t need to check my phone to know it was early. Priscilla banged on the bar’s door again. “Luke, come on! I see you on that cot. Get up. We have work to do today.”
It’s too early.
I rolled over and moved to the edge of my cot. When she kept banging, I groaned and cradled my head in my hands. Jeezus, woman.
“Luke!”
“Shut up!” I glared. She could see me through the door. “I’m coming.” Stalking to the door and flinging it open, I snarled, “You have to take a dump or something?”
She let out an impatient breath. “You guys didn’t want a big to-do. Sorry this isn’t ‘diva’ enough for you. This is it and hurry up. I made a couple of calls. You guys have some people waiting for you.”
Braden leaned close to me. “And here comes the temper tantrum.” Braden began to count backwards. He started from five and got to one when Emerson blew up. There were expletives, threats, demands, something about blackmail and an email was mentioned, and he kept waving his middle finger in the air. Priscilla remained silent the entire time. When he quieted down, enough to take a breath and embark on another tantrum, she said, “Get your ass in here, or I will drop you from the band. I can kick anyone out, and I can bring anyone in.”
His head jerked back, and his gaze whipped to mine. I saw the question in his eyes. Could she do that? I didn’t think she could, but knowing them and knowing the contract they had us sign, I wouldn’t have been surprised if that was a loophole we hadn’t realized was there.
“Shit,” Braden murmured beside me. He slumped down in his seat. “We have to get that crap looked at.”
The threat worked. Emerson climbed inside, and the rest of the ride was in awkward silence. He was ready to explode. The rest of us were waiting for it, but when we got to the outskirts of Grant West, we were relieved. The explosion was postponed as Peter pulled the van into a gas station lot. A light was positioned at the far end of the lot where a line of cars were parked and he headed for them. As we got closer, some people were standing outside their vehicles, waiting for us, but one person drew my eye. There, sitting on the end of the van by herself and looking bored to death, was Brielle.
I was gutted. I’d forgotten how beautiful she was.
Braden saw Bri at the same time and exclaimed, “Hell, yeah!” He darted out of the van and flung his arms out. “Bri!” She had one second to react before he lifted her in his arms and whirled her around. He got to hug her. He got to say he loved her, brother or not, and it pissed me off that I was jealous of him.
Braden set her down when I got out of the van.
She looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw me before looking away. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she looked down and stepped back from her brother.
I stopped before them. My hands itched to lift and touch her, but I kept them at my sides. She had lost weight. Her skin was a little paler than I remembered, and she had let her hair grow even longer. It swept down past the middle of her back.
“Hey,” she murmured.
“Hey,” I replied.
She flinched at my voice.
Braden cleared his throat. “You came to pick us up? Thank you.”
She shook her head up and down in a short, clipping motion. “Yeah.” She bit down on her lip. “Uh, not to make you guys hurry, but I have a gig. Mom offered to come and get you, but I wanted to do it. I have enough time. Did you want to come?” She was asking her brother, her eyes focused squarely on him. She darted a sideways look at me, swallowed, and skirted back to focus on her brother.
Braden’s head popped up. He stood straighter. “Where’s the gig? Of course, I want to come.”
The corners of her mouth curved up, and her shoulders dropped, looking more relaxed. “We’re at Rowdy’s.” There was a small amount of pride in her voice.
“Hell, yeah. Going our same route, huh? I can bartend,” Braden teased, throwing an arm around his sister’s shoulders. “Just like that one time when I covered for your ass.”
“You mean that one time versus all the times I covered for your ass?”
“Details, Bri. Who can remember that far back?” Braden was joking when a car pulled into the lot. It braked to a spot away from the rest of the vehicles and then took off again, spewing dirt from behind the wheels. It fishtailed in a tight circle until it was facing the road again, then it came to another complete stop.
Emerson thrust a fist into the air. “My ride is here. Catch you later, fools.”
“You’re not coming to watch the band?” Braden called after him.
Emerson kept going, but turned and jogged backwards. He lifted a hand in a farewell wave and shrugged. “I’ve seen enough bands play, and I don’t give a shit about seeing Bri play anymore.”
“Fuck you, too,” Bri called after him, giving him the middle finger.
Emerson laughed and turned back around. When he opened the back door, heavy metal music poured out. Someone handed him a joint from the front seat, and Emerson shut the door. It wasn’t long before the car peeled out of there.
Braden cursed, “That’s a record. Five minutes he’s back and that crap happens?”
Bri was still biting her lip.
I skimmed an eye over her and said to her brother, “It doesn’t matter. He’ll crash, and the Terrible Twins will sweep him back up.”
Braden grunted. “True.”
“Terrible Twins?”
He answered her, “Our managers. They’re twins, too, remember? I told you.”
“Oh, yeah.” She glanced at Priscilla who was conversing with the city official. “I’d forgotten.”
She hadn’t. I knew that much, and when she cast me a glance under her eyelashes, I saw the question in them. She wanted to know if I had slept with Priscilla. Well, fuck that. My jaw clenched. It wasn’t her business anymore.
“Luke!”
My eyes snapped open, and I groaned. I didn’t need to check my phone to know it was early. Priscilla banged on the bar’s door again. “Luke, come on! I see you on that cot. Get up. We have work to do today.”
It’s too early.
I rolled over and moved to the edge of my cot. When she kept banging, I groaned and cradled my head in my hands. Jeezus, woman.
“Luke!”
“Shut up!” I glared. She could see me through the door. “I’m coming.” Stalking to the door and flinging it open, I snarled, “You have to take a dump or something?”
