“Really?” Paul asks. “Now, she and your guitarist, Zeb, didn’t make it today. They’ll be in here on Thursday, right?”
“Yep, we’ll be back Thursday,” I say.
“You have a lot of press this week?”
“Something like that. We go where we’re told,” Reed says.
“Usually, we show up not knowing what the hell is going on,” I add. “It adds a less rehearsed element to our interviews.”
“More chaos,” Reed says with a wide smile.
The DJ laughs. “I love chaos with you guys,” he says. “That reminds me. I hear you all have nicknames for one another, and one of you is, in fact, Chaos?”
I point to Reed. “This guy,” I say.
Reed raises his hand. “Guilty.”
“Yeah? So, what does that make the rest of you?” Paul asks.
“Mads was easy… Madness,” Reed adds with a sideways grin. “Bonnie is Bedlam. And Zeb is Havoc.”
“Havoc? Really?” Paul asks. “Here I thought he was the quiet one of you four.”
“That’s why his nickname is Havoc,” I reply.
“Absolute devastation,” Reed says.
“All right, I like it. I like it,” Paul decides. “Now, speaking of havoc, I’ve heard a rumor about this weekend’s shows. I hear there’s a group trying to get the run canceled.”
Reed and I groan. It’s only the second time we’ve heard about this since our manager said they were handling it.
“I thought people were done protesting music,” I say.
“We’re not too worried about it. It sounds like they don’t appreciate good music,” Reed replies.
“That’s what we think, too. And if for some reason this guy succeeds, we’ll get a permit and let you rock out in the park out back,” Paul says.
Reed laughs. “Fuck yeah,” he says.
“All right, that’s our time with the band for today—”
I tune Paul out as he goes through his sign-off. My phone is vibrating in my pocket. I take it out to see another text from Andi, who vanished from the room in the thirty seconds I looked away from her.
Boss wants a photo from today for socials. I’ll see you guys back at the house, she says.
What, no goodbye kiss?I ask.
Play your cards right, maybe you’ll get a goodnight kiss.
I smile at the screen. I know she’s joking. Even so, it's no match against the restless fluttering in my stomach. A text from James comes through, letting me know he has the car out back and is waiting for us in the next room.
I don’t click over to his thread.
Tease, I reply to Andi.
Must be my bratty attitude, she says, and I chuckle out loud.
“Is that Bon?” Reed asks.“Are she and Zeb still at the hotel?”
