Page 65 of Queen Of Clubs

“Relax.” A voice comes from behind her. In comes Zane, looking rough as hell. His hair is a mess, and he’s in the same clothes as yesterday. “I’m here.”

“Oh, thank God,” Gianna says on an exhale. Her nose scrunches up. “Dear God, Zane, you smell like a brewery. Are you drunk?”

“A little,” Zane mutters, pushing his way in. “I’m fine to do the show, though.”

“What the hell, man?” Griffin gets in his face. “Where the fuck were you?”

“Out,” Zane growls. “Fuck off, I need to shower.”

“Zane.” Everett steps forward.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he snaps, casting a look over my way, then back to Everett.

“Hurry up. Early VIPs are starting to arrive for soundcheck,” Gianna urges, sounding very frazzled. “And don’t forget the makeup. Your eye needs to be covered up.”

“Whatever.” Zane storms into the bathroom, leaving me there feeling uneasy.

I don’t like that he went out and got drunk. I understand that what he found out was a lot to take in, but if this is how he deals with his stress, we’re going to have issues. I refuse to be with a drunk or someone who abuses drugs. I’ve been around it enough growing up, I don’t want it in a partner.

“How often does he do this?” I ask Griffin.

“Take off? Almost never.”

“No, the drinking.”

He looks to Everett and both of them get matching guilty looks. “He knows you don’t like it. He’ll stop.”

“I’m not so sure of that,” I mumble, looking toward the bathroom.

“Come on. We can hit the VIP early, give Zane some time to get ready.” Everett wraps his arm around my waist and guides me toward the door. “You look sexy in that shirt, Tiny,” he murmurs, making me shiver.

“Thanks,” I whisper, smiling.

We head through the entrance, and I’m in awe of how big this place is. But my eyes really go wide when we step into the empty stadium. “Holy shit.”

“Pretty cool, right?” Griffin chuckles.

“This place is massive. There's got to be room for what, ten thousand people?” I ask as I take in the stage setup before looking over at Everett.

“Closer to twenty thousand, but for concerts, it would be maxed at nineteen, and we have a sold out show.” He winks before we continue toward the group of people in a blocked off area.

“Wow,” I breathe in awe. Excitement fills me as I wonder what this place looks like when it’s filled with screaming fans.

When we step out onto the floor, I look over to see Calvin approaching, and my cheeks heat. “Hello, my Darling,” he greets me, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “Sleep well?”

“I did,” I lie. I slept like shit. My brain wouldn’t shut off, and I stayed up for most of the night wondering how I’m going to deal with all the new changes in my life.

He gives me a look like he knows I’m lying too. “Here.” He hands me a lanyard. “This gets you in anywhere you want when the guys aren't with you.”

“Oh. Thanks.” I take it and slip it around my neck. “Extreme VIP treatment. I feel like a celebrity.” I laugh.

“Celebrities don’t even get that much access,” Everett chuckles.

“Everett, Griffin.” Gianna comes rushing over. “Could you please get this started? The fans are getting antsy.”

“Yeah, of course,” Everett agrees and turns to me. “Gotta go, Tiny. Will you be okay on your own for a bit?”

“She will be fine,” Calvin chimes in, stepping up behind me. “I got her.”

---