Our driver steers the car to the back entrance of the hotel, where there’s another, albeit smaller, crowd waiting. They all have theirphones out, snapping pictures and videos as we step out of the car and hurry inside.
“Maybe we should have found somewhere else to stay,” Iri mutters as he eyes the crowd. He looks more disheveled and stressed out than I’ve ever seen him.
“The authorities are dealing with it now. Plus, this is a fancy hotel. No one’s going to get inside,” I reply, clapping him on the shoulder. Somehow, I just know he’s going to be blaming himself for not having foreseen this.
Mr Control Freak doesn’t like it when things don’t go according to plan.
Cal doesn’t let Sin walk inside, instead he keeps her wrapped in his arms like he’s afraid to let her go.
I can’t say I blame him.
We head into the hotel lobby and ride the elevator in silence. Our suite is obscenely big, with three separate sitting rooms, a fireplace in every room, and even a large terraced garden on the rooftop.
Not that we’ll be taking advantage of that tonight. I’m pretty sure all of us just want a long shower and to decompress for a bit, to wait for our ears to stop ringing from all the screaming, and then sleep like the dead.
Cal heads into the nearest bedroom with Sin still in his arms. He doesn’t acknowledge the rest of us, but I catch her eye and she shrugs and gestures for the rest of us to follow.
“Shower first,” Cal says, kicking open the door to the bathroom.
Micah follows and I trail along like a lost duckling while Iri hovers in the doorway, tugging on his hair.
“I’m going to make some calls,” he says. “Try to sort this clusterfuck and work out what happened.”
I’m torn as the shower starts up in the next room. Part of me feels like I should be in there with them. I’m itching to be close to Sin, to confirm that every inch of her is unharmed and to hold her close.
But Micah and Cal have got her. They’ll take care of her, and I have an equally strong pull drawing me into the next room where I know Iri is going to spend all night working without taking a break.
He might not need to sleep, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to rest. Especially after tonight.
Decision made, I stride into the bathroom just in time for Cal, Micah and Sin all to strip naked. I then head straight for my mate and press a quick, dirty kiss to her lips before pulling away.
“Take care of her. I’m going to check on Iri, make sure he’s not running himself into the ground.”
Sin nods gratefully, pulling me down for another quick kiss. “Thank you.”
“I’ll join you all in a bit,” I tell them before heading into the next room.
Iri’s already barking into the phone, bollocking some poor individual. I find us some drinks and snacks from the kitchen since we’re all bound to be dehydrated and a sugar boost will do us good. Once I’ve filled my arms, I drop off everything I think Sin will like in the bedroom adjoining the bathroom they’re using. I then carry the rest in and drop them onto the coffee table in front of Iri, who is now sitting with his head in his hands.
“Dude, you need to take a break.”
I uncap a bottle of water and take a long pull before opening a bunch of bags of candy and shoving them into my mouth.
“It wasn’t supposed to go like this,” he mutters.
I’m bone fucking tired. The kind of tired where my mind is both buzzing and feels like it’s filled with cotton wool.
But my bandmate needs me right now.
“Who do you need me to call?”
Chapter 32
Cal
After the chaos backstage, my instincts are in overdrive and I’m about to lose it. All I want to do is grab Sin and toss her over my shoulder, carry her safely into my cave in the mountains. I’m considering tying her to the bed and keeping her there for the foreseeable future.
At least if I’m holding her in my arms, she’s safe.
