Jonny sucked in air and doubled over, coughing uncontrollably.
A loudharrumphcame from the door, and Talia’s voice demanded, “What the fuck’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Sam called out breezily. “Security’s about to murder Jonny, is all.”
I looked around to see Talia stomp toward the men. She popped her hip, folded her arms across her chest, and snapped, “What the fuck did you do now?”
Jonny J, still bent double, stretched a hand out and pointed at Jacob. “I want him fired,” he rasped.
“Oh, stop being a big baby,” Tally retorted, rolling her eyes. “You were lucky Jacob got to you before Saint did. She’d have kicked your balls so far up your stomach that they’d be tickling your tonsils right about now. What did you do this time?” She looked around the room and demanded, “Well?”
“He called me a cunt,” I told her, lips twitching.
Talia rolled her eyes. “That’s rich coming from the biggest cunt in the room.” Her glare slid back to Jonny, and she cocked an eyebrow. “Do I need to book you into rehab?”
His lips thinned frustratedly, and he shook his head curtly.
“Any more shit from you, and I’ll ship you out to the Arizona desert so quickly you’ll think you’ve been transported by tractor beam,” Tally warned. “If you’re struggling with booze and pills, speak up. I can’t help you unless you talk to me.”
“I’m good,” Jonny muttered. “Just need an early night.
“Well, that’s tough,” she argued. “You’ve got the Dischordium party tonight. I suggest you all go home, grab a couple of hours' rest, then turn up for the cameras refreshed and rejuvenated.”
Jacob stood there, his expression unreadable as he folded his muscled arms across his bulky chest. The short sleeves of his shirt tightened around his tattooed biceps that popped out as he tensed his arms.
My belly wobbled.
I could sense he was fighting to get himself back under control. His mouth was an angry line, and a muscle ticked in his jaw with suppressed rage.
It was moments like these when I was reminded of the raw power that lay dormant underneath Jacob’s friendly demeanor. He had a way about him that put everybody around him at ease, but another side of him simmered under the surface. It was the side that made me feel as if he’d burn the world down before he ever let anything hurt me.
The same side that made me feel safe.
“That’s enough drama for one day, boys,” Talia declared, her firm tone holding a hint of exasperation. “Let’s focus on the real threat at hand instead of bickering amongst ourselves.”
Jonny straightened to his full height, and his hand went to his neck, still red with the force of Jacob’s hold. “I mean it, Talia. I want him out.”
Our manager’s stare slashed toward him. “And I mean it when I tellyouthat if you continue to abuse the woman in this band the way you just did, I’ll replace you quicker than the time it takes you to shoot your cum into a groupie with a golden snatch. Then I’ll sue your scrawny, spoiled, entitled, booze-ridden ass for every penny you haven’t already wasted by snorting it up your good-for-nothing nose. Since when did it become acceptable for you to call the woman who writes the songs that keep you in booze and drugs a cunt? Since when did it become okay for you to speak toanybodyin this band with that much disrespect? You can banter all day long, Jonny; it’s all good with me. But when you take it to a place where security has to pin you against a wall by the throat, you start becoming a fucking liability. I hired Iceman to protect Saint. He did his job. End of. Get it? Got it? Good. Now, do yourself a favor, and move the fuck on because I’m starting to lose patience.”
The room fell completely silent except for Sam, who barked out another laugh.
Jonny’s eyes narrowed on our manager, and then he pushed off the wall and stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.
Tally looked to the heavens, letting out an audible sigh.
Jacob’s eyes turned on me, still blazing from his altercation with Jonny, and he rasped, “You okay?”
I beamed. “Yep!”
The angry flush faded from his neck, and I watched his shoulders slump as he physically relaxed. “I get it if you want me off the job,” he declared. “But none of us are the type of men who’ll stand by and watch any asshole speak to women in that way when they’ve done nothing to deserve it.”
“Agreed,” Trick muttered in his hybrid American-Irish accent. “If Ice goes, we all do.”
“Nobody’s going anywhere,” Talia announced. “Jonny’s got to get his booze and drug problem under control. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. He’s been getting out of hand to the point where me and Boomer have to organize damage control every time we let him loose. Jonny has to either wake the fuck up or get the fuck to rehab. If being pinned against a wall by a burly fucker with shovels for hands doesn’t give him the wake-up call he needs, I don’t know what will.” She huffed out a breath. “Though if you attack him again, make sure you don’t break his fingers. He needs to be able to hold his drumsticks.”
Boomer chuckled. “You’re all heart, Tally.”
Her eyes twinkled with humor. “You know me, Boom. Full of sweetness and light.” She clapped her hands together twice. “Come on. Let’s get the fuck outta here. I’ve got to go get myself beautified for tonight’s star-studded party. After Jonny’s performance, I’ve decided I don’t want to work anymore, so I need to find myself a sugar daddy. Better still, if he’s too old to want any sugar.” She gave us big eyes. “I need to look extra pretty if I’m gonna reel that decrepit fucker in.”
