Page 100 of Lyric & the Heartbeats

As she passed the bunks, Desi peeked her head out. “What happened?”

Despite everything, Lyric chuckled. “Enjoy nap time? Guess you had a busy weekend.”

Desi slumped back down into her bunk, rubbing at her face. “Damn right I did. I wore Amber out.”

“Looks like Amber wore you out, Desi.”

“Po-tat-o, po-tat-oe,” she teased. “I’ll get to packing.”

Lyric shook her head and disappeared into her nest as Henry’s and Emerson’s voices rose from the front, Adra’s chiming in. She couldn’t pick out exact words, but their tones were irritated.

It made her itch, like she needed to go out there and play referee.

Instead, she packed her bag and prepared for another night away from her nest.

Oddly, the thought didn’t upset her as much as it probably should have.

After all, it depended on who she was sharing a bed with.

Henry felt like shit.

The headache that had been brewing since the first telltale rumble of the tire blowout slammed full force into his frontal lobe without warning.

As Lyric headed to the back of the bus to collect her things, Henry ground the heels of his palms into his eyes until the darkness sparked with splotches of color.

“Well, this sucks,” Nohen commented. “Will the rentals have enough room for our instruments?”

He nodded.

Thankfully, the repair company was willing to work overnight on the bus—for some exorbitant fee the label assured him they would cover—but leaving instruments behind wasn’t an option. The risk of theft was too high, and hell, for musicians, even a single night away from their instruments was too much.

The label wasn’t happy. Not about the bus, not about the show, not with him.

But hell. How was he supposed to know the axle was a piece of shit? They refurbished a whole bus but didn’t check to reinforce the important parts?

Shaking his head, he took a seat on the couch and rested his head against the back of the cushion.

If he’d listened to Lyric earlier, half of their problems wouldn’t be a problem. They’d nearly be at the venue, gearing up for another kickass show.

But shit happened. He hated to pull Lyric away from her nest for another night, but at this point it couldn’t be helped.

Henry packed his own bag along with the others, and within the hour, the bus was being reeled onto a tow, and he was cramming their overnight bags into the back of the rental.

He slid into the front passenger seat and did a mental head count.

Desi, Nohen, and Lyric shared the middle bench seat, and Adra and Emerson took up the back row. Their guitars and overnight bags were crammed into the back and underneath their seats.

What a nightmare.

Henry laid his head back on the seat and let his eyes drift close, trying to fight off the headache. It throbbed persistently behind his eyes, but shutting out the light eased the pain a little.

Just one night, and then they’d be on the road bright and early and at the venue as soon as possible. I need a drink.

Henry hoped the little town they’d be staying in had a bar. Surely. In the middle of nowhere? He watched the flatlands pass by. What else did they have to do besides drink?

Once they dropped the rental guy off at his place of work, Henry GPSed it to the tiny bed and breakfast. The host was sweet and speedy, and he appreciated her efficiency with a tight smile.

“Here are the keys. Pick your rooms and don’t wander too far. We aren’t on a bus, but the rules still apply.”