That sent a jolt of worry through me. Whywouldn’tthey be there? Panicked, I crossed to the window and leaned down to look outside. When I recognized Grace and Trace—or Tony—as well as several other familiar figures, I gave a sigh of relief.
“Theyarestill there; thanks so much for that heart attack, Angel.” I straightened up, turning back to face him.
Except… I was talking to thin air. Angelo was nowhere to be seen.
For a moment I just stood there, staring at the space of empty air where he’d beenjuststanding. Then I started second guessing myself. Had I just imagined thatentirething? Was it some kind of shock-induced delusion brought on by nearly getting shotagain?
“What the fuck, Billie?” I muttered out loud. Then, because I was freaking myself out, I looked around. Maybe he was just taking a pee? But no… the bathroom was empty, as were all the bunks and the bedroom and… “Oh, holy shit. Seriously?”
Looking up, I saw how he’d escaped. The skylight above the bed—the one I’d been sharing with Rhett—was wide open. Angelo really was pulling some Batman shit.
His last warning echoed through my head.The next time… blood will be shed.
twenty-eight
BILLIE
“Where the fuck is she?”
The shout was harsh, and it came from Jace. Two guesses who theshewas in this scenario.
Right. Like anyone would need two.
One of the security guards must have told him that I was on the very bus I’d been ordered to get on, because not even a minute later, a few entry lights lit everything up, and I could clearly see the raging tower of musician storming toward me. His energy hit me first, like it always did with Jace. For years I’d convinced myself it was his ego that surrounded him, but it was morehis presence.
A presence I wished was anywhere other than this tiny bus when I’d been dealt two shocking blows already tonight.
That shower I’d been hoping would calm my frazzled nerves hadn’t eventuated, and after I’d finished dealing with Angelo followed by Jace, I doubted it would help anyway.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he shouted, mere inches from my face as he leaned over and let his rage flow free. The juxtaposition between his personality and Angelo’s couldn’t have been more obvious than it was in this second.
Opposites attract happened in more than just romantic relationships.
“I was thinking that I wasn’t about to allow any of you to get shot because of something I’d done.”Dickhead.
“Thorn, come on,” Rhett said, and it was nice to know he was behind Jace, even if I couldn’t really see him around the angry lead singer. “I kissed you knowing full well that we could be seen by fans. This is all on me, and I never, ever want you to put yourself in danger for me again. I will literally—”
“Smack your fucking ass so hard you won’t sit down for a week.”
That came from Grayson, who sounded like he was the third in the line of Bellerose’s band members who wanted to yell at me.
Was it bad that, even in my shock, a mental image of Grayson’s hand on my ass made my legs weak? Was I suddenly into that? Yes. Yes, I was.
Jace, of course, ruined the vibe before I could think it over any longer.
“You’re a fucking manipulator,” he spat, finally leaning back from my face as he crossed his arms over his chest. “But let me give you a little piece of advice, sweetheart. Getting yourself killed doesn’t get you the money or the man. Tone it down next time; you reek of desperation.”
I gasped as he pushed past me, his wide shoulders pressing me against the wall as he claimed the bathroom I’d been heading for when he’d come storming in. As soon as he was gone, Rhett’s arms closed around me, and he yanked me hard against his chest.
I was surprised to feel his arms tremble as he tightened them across my back, holding on like he was never going to let me go. “You scared me half to death,” he whispered against my neck, pressing his lips to my skin. “The only reason I didn’t jump and run for that bitch was the chance she’d manage to shoot you before I got to her.”
It warmed me that my first instinct had been right. At least about Rhett. Jace… well, it was still up in the air, but he had been the one to distract her long enough for Grayson to go into superhuman action. Speaking of…
My eyes met Grayson’s as Rhett leaned down into me farther, and I managed to lift my head enough to say, “Thank you,”to the big ninja.
Grayson’s eyes were hard. His face was hard. His arms were crossed over his chest too, and every muscle stood out starkly like he’d just done a massive workout and those muscles were pumped as fuck. If I didn’t know this guy and he came at me in a dark alley, I would probably shit myself and then die. Becausedamn.
“We’ll talk later,” he warned me, and then he was gone—not the way Jace had pushed past, but back along the alley and out of the bus like he needed some air.
