by Claire Adams
“Hey! You must be Nalia’s big bro! I’m Talon, this is Nate, Jay, Jeremiah,” Talon introduced the guys, and they all went to shake hands with Jackson. He hesitated, but shook their hands, wiping the champagne on his jeans.
“Jackson Dean. Yes, I’m Nalia’s older brother,” he said, puffing his chest out a little.
Owen stepped forward past me and put his hand out. “Owen Young. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jackson.”
Jackson flashed a tight-lipped smile as he shook Owen’s hand. “Wish I could say the same.”
I cringed at his words, but Owen was unfazed by it and kept a pleasant demeanor. “I get it, man, I understand. You're not really crazy about your little sister touring with a rock band full of guys. There are plenty of rumors about us and our history, but I want to assure you, that stuff is just tabloid gossip. Seriously, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on Nalia on the road.”
“That’s exactly what I am worried about,” Jackson’s gaze went to me then hardened back on Owen. “I’ll fuck up everyone here if anything happens to her, and that’s a promise.”
“Jackson!” I narrowed my eyes at him and grabbed his arm tugging him back toward his car.
“What? I’m just being honest,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear. “I want them to know not to fuck with you.” He stopped, his jaw set tight as he glanced back toward the guys who were all standing there looking a little dumbfounded.
“Jackson, this is my job. I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself while we’re on tour.”
“You’re my little sister, and I’m allowed to be protective of you. Especially around guys like these,” he hissed, handing my bag over.
“Seriously. I’ll be fine. I promise,” I told him, giving him a big hug and not missing the daggers he was shooting right at Owen. “I’ll call you from the road. Honestly, Jackson, there really is no need to worry about me or get bent out of shape. I'm a grown woman.
“And remember, I worked in that god-awful dive bar with all those drunken creeps, who were way worse than any of these guys could be. Believe me, I know how to handle myself. I don't need you looking out for me, as much as I appreciate your concern.”
“I'm just saying be careful. And if anything happens, you know you can call me.” He gave me a serious look. “Anything at all. I mean it. I'm not intimidated by these guys.”
“I know. I know. I love you, Jack.”
“Love you, too, sis.” He kissed my forehead then got into his car, all the while still glaring at Owen until he pulled away. Once his car disappeared down the street, I turned around, my face flushed with embarrassment, and I trudged back toward Owen.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Owen
Nalia looked completely mortified at her brother’s behavior, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I liked that someone was so protective of her and cared about her like her brother did.
I couldn't blame him. After all, if I had a sister and knew she was going to be in a bus for three months with someone like Talon, hell, I'd be upset, too. It was only natural for him to feel the way he did, especially after all the damning garbage he'd probably read about us in tabloids and gossip mags.
I cared about her, too, and felt a duty to protect her out on the road. Hell, if I were only running the record company, there’s a solid chance I’d be doing everything in my power to get Nalia to go out with me on a more serious level. But with the band going on tour, it just wasn’t a good idea. Such things would have to wait until after the tour was over.
But with these four months of madness ahead of us, who could say what might happen between Nalia and me over the next few months? Who could predict where things might be between us at the end of the tour? All we could do was live for the moment and take each day as it came for the time being.
“I’m so, so sorry about that,” Nalia apologized. She swallowed hard, her cheeks crimson with embarrassment as she walked back over to me. “He’s just really protective of me. He always has been, ever since we were little kids.”
I wanted to ask her why. I wanted to know if there was a reason Jackson was that way — if it was just him being her older brother or if there was something more that gave him a motive to be extra protective of her. Perhaps something from their past, from growing up… But I didn’t want to pry, either. It wasn't my place to ask questions about that kind of stuff. Not at this stage, anyway.
“It’s okay. Really. I get where he is coming from,” I told her. “I mean, I know it's pretty different, but you know how protective I am of Talon. So, like I said, I do get where he's coming from, and I respect him for it.” Her expression eased some, though her cheeks still were a little red. “Come on, let’s get the rest of this stuff loaded up and on the road. Guys, bus!” I whistled at them.
The others piled into the bus and headed toward the lounge area in the back. Nalia hung back at the front, but I nodded for her to go back and hang out with them. I was staying up front in one of the booths to get some work done that I needed to knock out before the next day.
The guys were already powering up the PlayStation and the TV, and were most likely chowing down on the food and drinks the caterer supplied. As long as they didn't get too wasted and trash anything back there, I didn't really care how they passed the time. And, of course, as long as none them harassed Nalia, I was happy.
I opened up my laptop, doing my best to ignore them. I still had a business to run and tons of emails waiting for me to respond. For a brief moment, I wondered if I'd still have started this record company if I'd have known just how crazy a workload it would be. Still, I was proud of myself for what I had accomplished, and in the end, that made all of the hard work worth it.
I had a few contracts to read through, marketing plans to approve, and who knew what else would come up while I was out of the office. I was glad that this bus had a mobile office on it. Even with Nalia's assistance, there was still a lot of work I would need to get done while on the road.
“Nalia, you have to hear this story about our last tour,” Talon started, but I did my best not to pay them any attention and focus on my work.
“Oh my God, no, he didn’t?!” Nalia giggled, and my ears perked.
He wasn’t telling her anything I had done, was he? I wracked my brain trying to remember if I had done anything dumb or stupid on the last tour, but that had been over five years ago. I mean, of course there had probably been a few incidents, and perhaps more than just a few groupies, but that had been a different time.
Besides, I'm sure anything I’d done hadn't been anything over-the-top crazy. I frowned, but persevered on, rereading the same email I had been reading a minute ago and looking over marketing material for one of our new bands.
“Ewww, that’s disgusting!” Nalia squealed, and the guys broke out into laughter. I stopped and looked in their direction, but I couldn’t see them behind the curtain, aside from Nalia’s legs next to Talon’s. Talon was making weird sounds, no doubt imitating something of a sexual nature.
I sighed. No, forget them, just focus on this work, I told myself. I had too much I had to get done to get distracted. I got through a few more emails when I heard Nalia giggle again right along with Talon.
“Don’t! I’m ticklish!” Nalia squealed in uncontrollable giggles, and when I glanced back, I saw her legs flailing with Talon’s looking like he was leaned over her. The little shit was flirting with her; I just knew it. I clenched my jaw, staring at my laptop screen as their giggling continued. Finally, I slammed it shut, stomping toward the back of the bus.
When I pulled the curtain back, just as I thought, Talon was leaned over Nalia tickling her sides, a big stupid grin on his face. Everyone froze and looked up at me as I glared at him.
“Do you think you could take it down a notch or two? Some of us actually have shit to do, and I can’t concentrate with you being loud back here like that,” I said, not masking my annoyance with him. He sat up, frowning at me. Nalia adjusted herself, sitting up straight.
>
“Dude, take a chill pill, Owe. Come on, we were just having a little fun. And, I thought you were going on tour to get out of the office, not bring all of that boring-ass shit with you. Come on, man, don't you wanna have a good time, like the old days?”
“I still have to run a record company whether I'm on tour or not, and considering that record company is funding this tour, you shouldn’t give me shit about it.”
“Yeah, well, maybe I wouldn’t if you’d get that stick out of your ass.” He flashed me a shit-eating grin that made me want to throttle him as the other guys snickered at his comment.
“You know, maybe if I didn’t have to deal with all of your shit on top of everything else, I wouldn’t have a 'stick up my ass,' as you so eloquently put it. Shit, man, it’s always just fun and games with you since you’ve got your big brother to clean up all your damn messes and bail you out every time things go pear-shaped – which they always fucking do with you.”
His smile faded in an instant. I knew I shouldn’t have said that but I was pissed off, even though I knew I didn’t really have a legit reason to be. Maybe I didn’t like the fact that while I was busy working and keeping everything on track, he was back here goofing off and, above all else, hitting on Nalia.
“Owen, not cool, dude,” Jeremiah shook his head at me. I sighed and turned to go back to the front. “Seriously.”
“Whatever, just keep it the fuck down. I have to work.” I flung the curtain back and headed back toward the booth I’d been sitting in. Footsteps followed behind me, and I fully expected Talon to be on my ass. Instead, when I spun around to tell him I was sorry, I bumped into Nalia. The bus turned, and she fell against my chest before righting herself.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Look, I just have a lot of stuff to do while they’re all having their fun, and to be honest, it's really frustrating.”
She offered me a sympathetic smile. “Let me help you with it. Maybe we can get it done quicker together.”
I didn’t want to make her work right now; I wanted her to get to relax some. But truth be told, I wanted her there with me, and I really could use some help, too, even if I didn’t want to admit it.
“Maybe. I guess I do have some phone calls that need to be made. You could help me with that while I get through these emails and marketing proofs.”
“Sure thing, boss.” She winked and scooted into the other side of the booth. At that moment, I wanted more than anything to kiss her. Not just for being helpful, but for how sexy and cute she was. But we weren’t alone, and I really did have a ton of work to do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Nalia
I came out of the bathroom dressed much more comfortably in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. It was getting late as the drive wore on and everyone was starting to crash. Being on a bus so long really did take it out of you, even on a huge, luxury touring bus. A couple of the guys had already crawled into their bunks a little after midnight, but Talon and Jay were in the back playing video games and lounging. I didn't know how, but Talon just seemed to have energy for days. Nothing seemed to make that guy tired. I grabbed some snacks from the kitchen area and headed to the back of the bus to bring them to them.
Talon looked up when I pushed the curtain aside, and I tossed a bag of chips to each of them, and then took a seat next to Talon. They were playing Grand Theft Auto, and random explosions and sirens blasted out loudly from the flat screen TV. He paused the game and thanked me, tearing open his bag of chips.
“How are you doing back here?” I asked, still a little worried after his and Owen’s little fight earlier.
“I’m good,” he said, watching as Jay drove a tank around, crushing cars and gaining more stars in the game. “Owen just needs to chill. He’s always so serious. I mean, he kinda always was the more serious one, and I guess that's why we ended up doing so well – because of his focus and discipline – but he used to at least know how to have a little fun. Now, it seems like he's just permanently pissed off and stressed.”
“Well, he does have a lot on his plate with the record company,” I said in his defense. “But I think maybe as the tour progresses and he gets back on stage, he’ll loosen up a little more and enjoy himself.”
Talon gave me a curious look, and I wiped the smile off my face, but it was too late.
“Owen likes you, doesn’t he?” he asked. “That’s the real reason he was so pissy earlier. It was because you and I were laughing and carrying on.”
“I don’t know,” I dismissed his assumptions, even if it was impossible to hide anything when you were all stuck in a big, but still confining, bus together. “I think he was just stressed and worried with the tour just starting out and his business being left on its own without him at the helm, ya know? I mean, you guys all know just how important that record company is to him, and up to this point, he's never physically been away from it. There's a lot for him to worry about. Probably any laughter at that moment would have set him off.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” he agreed, though I wasn’t sure he was buying it one hundred percent.
“So, are you excited about tomorrow night, or, rather tonight to be technical, since it’s well after midnight?” I asked, changing the subject from Owen and me. Even if there were anything going on, the two of us weren’t and wouldn’t be an item. Not for the duration of this tour, at least. Still, maybe Talon would flirt a little less if the thought was there.
“Yeah, I can’t wait for the show. It’s going to be great.” He smiled a broad, genuine smile that told me he really was a true performer — he lived for it. Well, that and the ladies, from what I’d heard. “It's been far too long since I've been on stage with these guys. Bleeding Heart really is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I don't know what I'd do without this band.”
“Well, perhaps you should get some rest soon so you’re ready for a long day of prepping, don’t ya think?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
His smile turned mischievous. “Hmm, you and Owen make good tour moms. Trying to keep us acting responsibly, huh? Just wait till after the show tomorrow night. If you think playing video games is crazy, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
“I know, I know. You told me those stories earlier.” I shook my head. “I’m about as prepared as I can be. Just, please, try and get some rest,” I encouraged him then got up and went over to Jay.
“How are you doing?” I asked. I wanted to make it a point to make sure each of the guys was in the right mindset and doing okay while on the tour and Jay, in particular, wasn’t much of a talker aside from when he was hanging out with Talon. Owen had told me they were best friends and that Jay was the one that had come to him when Talon wasn’t doing so well and suggested getting the band back together to help his brother get clean again.
Jay flashed me a shy smile, only glancing away from the game. “I’m doing all right. Excited about tonight, but not enough to sleep yet,” he winked, having overheard my little lecture to Talon. “Tell Owen not to worry, though; we’ll probably crash soon,” he said.
I smiled and patted his shoulder before getting up. “Stay out of trouble, you two. And use the rocket launcher to get rid of that chopper, if you have one.” Both of them looked back at me, then grinned. Yeah, I might have played GTA with my brother enough times to know a thing or two. I winked at them as I closed the curtain behind me.
Owen was lounging on a sofa when I arrived at the front of the bus. He was staring out the window, his forehead wrinkled in deep thought. Quietly, I slid down next to him, holding out a bag of chips. He waved off the chips, putting them aside, but then he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. I smiled, relaxing against him, not caring if the other two caught us cuddled together at the moment or not. I was too tired to keep the charade up. And, regardless, it seemed that those two were so absorbed in Grand Theft Auto that they wouldn't be leaving the sofa any time soon. I didn't think I had much to worry about at this pa
rticular moment.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked, gently prying. After all, just like with the others, it was part of my job to make sure he was doing okay, too.
“I just feel bad about earlier. You know, for snapping at Talon like I did. Shit, I really had no reason to do it, but I just... I just blew up and acted like an asshole, didn't I?”
“He’s still up, you know. You could just go apologize to him,” I suggested.
Owen shook his head. “I rather talk to him alone, not while he’s with Jay. He wouldn’t appreciate that. I’ll catch him tomorrow and have a little heart to heart with him before we meet with the sound and light crew.”
“Good,” I nodded. He pulled me a little tighter against him, still staring off. There was a lot more going on behind those blue eyes, I was positive of that.
“I was really hard on him. It’s not completely his fault with what happened before, with the drugs. The band and I are really all he has. Without the band, and with me always being busy with the record company and not there for him, all he had were the drugs. So in a way, with me not making time for him, I kind of caused it. I was so focused on my own damn shit that I couldn't even see my little brother's life spiraling out of control.”
“You can’t say that,” I said as I tried to comfort him, but he shook his head.
“He’s always looked up to me, ever since we were kids. It drove my parents nuts. I always wanted to be a musician, but they were completely against it. Even more so when Talon decided to follow in my footsteps and I got him a drum set. Because of that, we grew apart from our parents. I moved out, and Talon followed right after me that night,” he sighed, and for a moment I could swear his eyes grew a little misty.