Page 181 of My Three Billionaire Rockstars

Xander

Ishould stay at the compound.

That’s the logical decision.

Gabe’s already coordinating damage control downstairs with three phones in front of him and a legal pad covered in increasingly intense handwriting. Julian keeps pacing between rooms, trying to outrun anxiety.

Security’s monitoring the gates because some idiot already tried flying a drone over the property an hour ago.

The smart thing would be staying here and handling the fallout.

Instead, I’m driving through town in a truly mental way.

Rain streaks across the windshield in uneven lines while Redemption Falls crawls by outside my windows, slower than usual tonight because people are everywhere. On sidewalks. Outside cafés. Beneath awnings with phones glowing in their hands.

Watching. Talking. Every time someone looks twice at my car, rage crawls higher up my spine.

This is exactly what I didn’t want.

Not for the label. Not for the town. Definitely not for Willow.

The internet is a beast. I know that world. Know how ugly it gets once people smell blood in the water. Fame turns strangers into parasites. They stop seeing human beings and start seeing entertainment. Figure they can own a part of them.

But Redemption Falls was supposed to stay separate from all that.

Safe.

Now there are cars parked outside Bennett’s with out-of-state plates. Two girls standing near the diner taking selfies in front of the sign as if it’s a tourist attraction. Someone walking down Main Street wearing an old Lonely Ones shirt while filming commentary into their phone.

Circus.

My grip tightens on the steering wheel hard enough the leather creaks.

And underneath all of it sits the same ugly truth that’s been festering in me since this morning.

Dylan.

If he hadn’t posted that fucking photo…

If he hadn’t shown up. If Gabe hadn’t brought him here…

Maybe none of this happens.

The car slows as I pass the diner.

The lights are still on inside, but through the rain-streaked windows I can see Lara wiping down counters while Bill sits at his usual booth looking grim enough to start a war.

No Willow.

My chest tightens.

I shouldn’t have let her get dragged into this. The second I realized how badly I wanted her, I should’ve known better. I leave collateral damage everywhere, eventually.

The thought turns vicious.

No.

Not this time.