by J J Cobban
“Yeah, we’ll need another driver.” I stated, trying to think of anything else I needed to bring along “That should be it, anything else crops up and I can handle it when it happens.”
“Jace wants Rissa with him, doesn’t he?” My father almost sounded like he was smirking.
“Did you know this would happen?” I gasped.
“I had a feeling but I thought he would give you more notice. The boy’s always been spontaneous.” I shook my head as I ran a brush through my thick black hair. I’d thankfully had a shower the night before so it wasn’t too out of control.
“I’m heading out now to make sure everything is ready for us leaving in less than an hour. I’ll speak to you later.” I assured, grabbing my suitcase and the various other small bags I was taking.
“Don’t worry about it, honey, just keep me updated every couple of days. I’ve got no concerns about how you’ll do,” he praised “Speak to you whenever.”
We ended the call and I rushed out of my apartment. I locked the door and began my mad dash down to the car. Thankfully, I was on the ground floor so there were no stairs to contend with otherwise there was a good chance I’d have fallen flat on my face. I managed to make it out to my red Chevy Camaro without breaking a bone. I threw my cases in the back of the car and hopped in behind the steering wheel. The radio roared to life, reminding me of the time and just how late I was running. I needed to get to the tour bus and make sure everything was in order before we left. If I had been simply just showing up to leave then I’d be right on time. As it stood I had to make sure the driver knew exactly where we were going and when we had to be there. Then I had to make sure the guys were all sorted after the upheaval of the morning. Not to mention making sure the bus we were getting was safe enough for Rissa, Jace and the baby to travel on.
Due to the early hour of the morning the traffic was minimal and the stop lights seemed to be on my side.
As I pulled into the large parking area behind my father’s office building, I spotted two large tour busses waiting. They were identical in size and colour. One of them would be for the Ultimate Corruption boys while the other was for Rayne of Glory. That was the bus I would be staying on. I pulled my car to a stop near some of the other staff cars and got out. There were a number of people moving equipment onto the bus and organising luggage to make the most use out of the space they had. A roadie came over to my car after seeing me pull the bags from my car.
“Here, let me, Miss Tarrino,” he offered, taking my cases and bags with an ease I envied.
“Thank you, please, call me Scout,” I smiled “Miss Tarrino sounds way too formal.”
He smiled back at me and moved towards the bus. Now that my luggage was taken care of I turned to find my father standing with the bands just to the side of the first bus. I made a point of ignoring Drake as I approached the group. Jace had the decency to look a little sheepish as he bounced his daughter in his arms.
“Morning,” I called “The next bus will be here shortly and I informed them that there would be a little one on board so they have managed to secure a small travel cot in beside the master bedroom. It’s nothing fancy but it’ll be fit for use and secure. That sound good?”
“Yes, that’s perfect. Thank you,” a woman said from beside Jace. I’d never met her before but I’d seen her in plenty of pictures with Jace to know this was Rissa.
“No problem, but maybe your husband could be a little less spontaneous in the future.” I joked.
The little girl in Jace’s arms babbled and bounced in his arms. Her red curly hair bounced with her and I could already tell she was going to be a little character as she got older. She was a cutie for sure.
A noise behind us had everyone turning to see a third bus pulling into the parking lot. Seth, Asher and Mikey all cheered as the bus slowed to a standstill just behind the other two buses. My father patted my arm and led our third driver over to his designated vehicle. I took a deep breath and glanced down at the phone in my hand. A grin spread across my face as I saw that we were only just behind my original schedule.
“Well, people, even with this unexpected spanner in the works we are right on time. Let’s get everyone loaded onto the bus and get moving.” Seth, Asher and Mikey all cheered and started making their way to the first bus. Nico draped an arm over Jo’s shoulder and led her towards the first bus. I paused suddenly.
“Where is Jo going?” I asked Lacey.
“She rides with Nico for most of the travelling. The two of them are sickeningly in love since they got engaged,” she joked. They’ll probably be back to sleep on our bus though, they get more peace that way.
I swallowed hard “You and Travis are traveling on the second bus though right?”
She frowned slightly as we started moving towards the second bus.
“Yeah, course, why?” I felt myself relax.
A deep chuckle behind us had the hairs on the back of my neck prickling. Seeing Jo walking towards another bus had momentarily shocked me. Had Lacey and Travis decided to travel on the first bus it would have left Drake and I alone for the first leg of the journey. I could handle keeping him at arm’s length with witnesses around. Being alone with him was another matter entirely.
“You scared of being alone with me, Scout?” Drake teased as we reached the second bus.
“Don’t be stupid.” I said as I rolled my eyes “I need to check in with my father and the third bus. I’ll be right back.”
I brushed past Drake and felt his fingers graze my hip on purpose. Electricity shot straight to my core and I clenched my legs together to stop the ache building. I glowered over my shoulder at Drake and felt my frustration grow when he just winked back at me.
“Get it together.” I chided myself quietly “You do not want Drake Jackson. He’s bad news. He’s not your type.” I mumbled to myself as I made my way to the last bus.
He’s not my type, I repeated internally.
If I could convince myself of that, then it would be smooth sailing from here on out. As if sensing he was in my thoughts Drake stuck his head out the door of the tour bus. There was an almost boyish charm to the smile he shot me.
“You coming, darlin?” his deep voice flared up another current of desire inside of me. It pained me to admit it, but the way he dropped the ‘g’ in darling was doing all sorts of devilish things to my body.
“I need to speak to my father about something.” I lied.
What I really needed was space between us and five minutes to gather my thoughts. Drake’s grin grew as he nodded his head, clearly seeing through my bullshit. I turned on my heel as fast as I could and high-tailed it to where my father was standing.
A swarm of butterflies were causing havoc in my stomach as I felt Drake’s eyes on me.
I moved around the front of the bus and out of his line of sight before I stopped and clapped a hand over my chest. One smile and three words and my heart was ready to burst from my chest.
Holy shit.
This was getting ridiculous. I needed to get a fucking grip on myself before I found myself trying to get a grip of Drake Jackson instead.
Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｔｈｒｅｅ
Ｄｒａｋｅ
What in the hell was I thinking? Flirting with our tour manager who also happened to be our managers fucking daughter? What the fuck was I trying to prove?
I moved back inside the bus, moving towards the living area where Travis, Lacey and Jez were all sitting. Travis was already in the process of setting up the PlayStation while Lacey was tapping away furiously on her phone. Flirting with Asher no doubt. My stomach churned slightly at the thought. Lacey was like a sister to me and where she may be holding a torch for Asher I was pretty sure he was clueless to her affections. I glanced to Jez, who was sitting cross legged on the couch opposite Lacey. She had a far-off look in her eyes as she picked at the black polish on her finger nails. I knew that look.
It was the look she got when she was over-thinking something.<
br />
Jez had come to us just over a year ago. She’d tried to play herself off as an anti-social roadie for the bands rather than the teenage runaway she really was. She had a long and complicated back story involving a Russian father in jail and an addict for a mother. Jez had lasted all of a week before I started to notice the tell-tale signs of someone running from their past. It had been a rocky time when she first told everyone about her past. Finding out that you had a seventeen turning eighteen-year-old in your midst with a criminal family background was enough to make anyone pause. Then Jo Yancy stepped in with a plan to keep Jez with us and away from her unhealthy family.
I’d spent a lot of time with Jez since, recognising her as someone that just needed a little backing in her corner. I’d grown up with parents that chose their addictions over their only child so I had some sort of understanding about what she must have grown up with.
I moved further into the tour bus, dropping down onto the seat beside her.
“You think much harder and you’ll pop a brain cell,” I nudged her with my elbow gently, earning a small head shake and a smile. The smile didn’t quite reach her blue eyes as she stopped picking at her polish and looked up at me. Her eyes were slightly darker than mine and seemed to flare with electricity whenever she got herself worked up. There was no lightning in the gaze looking up at me though.
“Hey, D,” she smiled “I’m okay, just lost in thought. You ready to roll?”
Her slight Russian accent was more prominent today, showing me just how not okay she really was.
“You sure about that, ZZ?” I rested my arm on the back of the couch. When Jez was in one of her moods it was hard to know what kind of comfort she was seeking. Some days all she wanted was to be held while others she wanted you to pat her on the back and tell her to buck up. As she leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder, I realised this was not a day for tough love. I dropped my arm from the back of the couch and pressed my cheek against the top of her head.
“Wanna talk?” I mumbled into her hair, keeping my voice low so nobody else could hear, Travis and Lacey had already started trash talking over the PlayStation so I was near certain they weren’t paying us any attention.
I felt Jez shake her head against me before she sat up.
“Nah, I’m good, D,” she smiled again “Just want to get this show on the road. Should I maybe jump over to Rissa’s bus? Help her with Dakota?”
I moved my arm and shot her a smirk “I’ve got a feeling they’ll be fine until the first stop. Stay here for now,” I nudged Travis as I walked past “Maybe kick his ass on that damn game.”
Travis scoffed as Jez laughed at him.
“Oh, please,” Travis glanced towards Jez, his fingers frantically clicking buttons on the remote “Firefly ain’t got it in her.”
Those were the magic words.
Jez straightened her legs, leaning towards Travis “I told you not to call me Firefly…it’s stupid and annoying.”
The round Travis and Lacey were playing finished and Travis leaned towards the console, grabbing another remote. He turned to face Jez and held the remote out to her.
“Whatever you say,” he shrugged before grinning wickedly at her “Firefly.”
Jez snatched the remote from him and turned it on.
“Challenge accepted, suka!” Travis rolled his eyes, no idea that Jez had just called him a bitch in Russian. I turned to leave them, smiling as Jez and Travis continued to throw playful barbs at each other. Lacey was uncharacteristically quiet and I was putting that down to her latest crush. I decided to leave Lacey for a little while. She wasn’t the kind of girl who just opened up about whatever was on her mind. You needed to be tactful when finding out what was wrong with her. I glanced at Travis. He could be a major pain in the ass but he was also the best at getting Lacey to open up. The two of them shared an apartment and often played wingman or wingwoman for the other. Maybe it was smarter to just let Travis work his magic on her.
My thoughts were cut short as the last passenger climbed onto the bus. The door closed behind her and if I wasn’t mistaken she looked a little nervous. A grin toyed at my lips. I knew exactly what was putting her on edge.
I watched as Scout pulled a dark purple folder from her oversized cream handbag. She looked at it with determination before moving to sit down at the small booth in the kitchen area.
Without a second thought, I moved in.
“All work and no play, huh?” I smirked, moving to sit opposite her.
“Of fucking course,” she groaned, dropping her folder to the table with a soft thump.
“Oh come on, darlin’, I’m just being sociable,” I winked at her “Just making you feel welcome and shit.”
That got me a small smirk as she opened her folder and started to thumb through various pages “Welcome and shit, huh?”
“Yup. Consider me the welcoming committee,” I watched as she stopped on a page that seemed to be filled with a bullet pointed list “What’s that?”
Scout thought about how to answer me as her forest green eyes danced with indecision. It was like she didn’t know whether sharing her business with me was wise or not. As if I would think any less of her.
“This is my ‘To Do’ list. It’s got everything on it that I need to get covered throughout the tour,” she explained, pulling her hair back into a messy bun using a band from her wrist “I have to make sure that we’re keeping to our schedule at each stop and this helps me make sure that I have everything covered and under control. I’ve also got some things on here for media appearances. Some magazines have asked for interviews and there’s a couple of radio shows excited to speak to both bands. I’ve also had a magazine asking to speak to Jo and Nico about their upcoming nuptials.”
Her eyes lit up as she spoke about her work. I sat back in my seat, watching as she continued to tell me about how she didn’t think Nico would appreciate having to spend a half hour talking wedding bells with a total stranger. Then she waved her perfectly manicured hand in the air and smiled.
“Sorry, I’m going way to in depth,” The tops of her cheeks flushed pink “I should have just stuck with ‘it’s a list’ and saved you the details.”
My hands reached over the table, covering her own “Darlin, if I didn’t want to know about it, I wouldn’t have asked.”
Scout cleared her throat, shifting her hands down on to her lap “You’re like a dog with a bone, you know that, right?”
I laughed at her, leaning forward in my seat “Oh I’ve got one hell of a bone for you, darlin.”
She pressed her lips together before throwing her head back and laughing her ass off. She covered her mouth, trying to muffle the laughter that seemed to flow out of her. My eyebrows shot up as she wiped tears from her eyes,
“Do those lines actually work?” she scoffed “I mean, do you make them up yourself?”
I chuckled at that “Are you trying to hurt my feelings? Because I feel pretty hurt right now. My lines are quality gold.”
Scout took a deep breath, calming herself “Oh, sure, I’ve hurt big, bad Drake Jackson’s feelings! It’s not my fault your pickup lines are shit.”
I shook my head at her “You’re killing me, Miss Tarrino.”
Scout sighed lightly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. It was then I noticed the piercings. Her left ear had a number of piercings running from the top of her ear all the way down to her lobe. Her right ear, however, only had one piercing in the lobe and small silver hoop through her tragus. For someone that seemed so desperate to prove how professional she was having an earful of piercings seemed a little wild. My thoughts were interrupted as a series of frantic vibrations began going off against my thigh. I arched my back slightly as I slipped my hand into my pocket, pulling my cell out.
“Sorry,” I grimaced, hating the thought of having to walk away from Scout when we were getting on so well.
“No, it’s fine,” she held her hands up, stopping me from getting up “I’
m gonna go see what the others are up to.”
She slipped out of her seat and moved to sit beside Jez, introducing herself as she did so.
Still looking at Scout I answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Is this Mr Drake Jackson?” I scowled at that, pulling the phone from my ear to look at the number. Only to see that the caller ID had been hidden.
“Who is this?” I could feel my entire body coil as a gut feeling began to churn inside of me.
“This is Martina Ashford. I’m a journalist for R.M Global.” R.M Global? How the hell had a rock magazine gotten my cell phone number?
“We were wondering if you’d be open to telling us what it was like being a child runaway?”
“What?” my voice was barely a whisper. How did they know that? Ritchie had basically buried my past. Nobody should have been able to find out anything.
“We also need you to clarify if it was heroin or cocaine that your mother lost her life to?”
“How the hell did you get this number?” my voice was louder now, anger simmering beneath my skin “Give me a fucking name.”
“I’m sorry Mr Jackson, we’re not at liberty to give up our sources.”
The anger was no longer simmering, no, now it was boiling. It was like sparks jumping from a roaring fire. I felt the sudden need to punch something. I needed to punch something or at the very least get a good ten minutes on my drum set. Something to relieve the anger.
“If you ever call me again I’ll have your whole fucking company sued for harassment, get me?”
“But Mr Jackson-”
I had so many things I wanted to scream at the insensitive bitch but I settled for hanging up. I didn’t need a write up about me being verbally abusive to women. I slammed my cell down on the table.
How did they know? How did they know I’d left home at such a young age? How did they know my mother had died from a drug overdose? Who was the fucking source? We’d barely been on the road for an hour and I was already crawling inside my skin. I needed space. I needed some way of venting.