Page 92 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘So, what’s the plan?’ Duncan asks in the back of the taxi.

I hand him my hotel key card. ‘Can both of you grab the gear from the back? Head to my room and wait for me there. I’ll track down Ziggy. I want to see if I can get the boys all together in one room.’

‘Do you want me to…’ Duncan murmurs.

‘Wire yourself up,’ I instruct him, referring to the covert cameras. I open the door, making the screams outside even louder. ‘I’ll be doing the same.’

‘I know I’ve asked this before,’ Duncan questions through the crack in the bathroom door as I thread a thin wire from a body camera underneath my top, to which my butterfly broach is pinned, ‘but are you sure this is a good idea? They’re a boy band, not a sweatshop, remember?’

Ziggy has agreed to gather the band together for me, despite my vague reasoning. I raise my eyes to my own reflection and swallow down any feelings of guilt. My relationship with Aidan should be separate from the rest of the Rebel Heart circus, though I’m having a hard time convincing myself of that. ‘My parents both dealt with fiction. I want what’s real. What’s authentic. Cal won’t react the same way if he knows there’s a camera lens in his face.’

‘You’re the boss,’ Duncan sighs, and the way he says it is starting to grate on me.

I stop and stare in the mirror, and wonder if I’ve taken things too far. I have no idea how Cal will react, let alone the rest of the band. Will they see Bianca’s interview as a betrayal?

When I’m finished fixing the camera, I massage my temples. This is why I’m not supposed to get close to them. This is why they’re supposed to be my subjects, and nothing more. I’m not supposed to have feelings towards any of them, and right now, I’m putting my job above any loyalty, or friendships I have made.

Except that I know I feel something. For Aidan especially, but I’ve grown fond of them all.

I swallow.

The next forty minutes could be my downfall.

On arrival at the suite with Duncan and Meredith, we find security has been beefed up. I spy Bodhi looking agitated.

‘Happy New Year, Bodhi,’ I say, trying to hide my anxiousness. ‘Everything alright?’

His expression is pained. ‘Hey, guys. Happy New Year. Yeah, we got fangirls on the loose tonight. Running around the hotel, knocking on people’s doors. Just tryna keep a lid on the mayhem.’

I grit my teeth. His radio crackles. Speaking into the unit, he opens the door for us to go inside. ‘Good luck,’ I mouth to him.

Walking into the suite, my heart begins to hammer. Not because of what I now know I have to do, but because it’s the first time I will have seen Aidan since the morning after, bidding him a frigid farewell in the car outside his aunt’s hotel.

Just inside the door, Cal is standing with Ziggy. ‘Whaddup, Lexi?’ he croons, turning his attention to me, Duncan and Meredith. He’s wearing a fitted white T-shirt and loose-fitting jeans. ‘How’s ya boyfriend?’

Heat rises to the base of my neck. My mouth opens. Has Aidan said something?

‘I’m fucking with ya, darlin’,’ Cal responds with a grin, giving Duncan an exaggerated wink. Duncan offers him a middle finger. ‘Happy bloody New Year.’

‘Happy New Year, Cal,’ I say.

‘Zig won’t say what you wanna show us.’

‘You’ll find out shortly. Are the others here?’

Ziggy points to the bedroom. ‘Through there. In front of the TV, just like you asked. Do you need me here?’

‘Not if you’ve got other things to do,’ I reply and Ziggy excuses himself.

A chorus of ‘Happy New Years’ goes up as Duncan, Meredith and I enter the room. I keep Aidan in my peripheral vision, but don’t make eye contact. Cal follows us in, jumping on the bed, causing turmoil in the way that only Caleb Whitlock can.

I stand in front of them, clutching one of my cameras. My heart is thumping. Duncan and Meredith take their seats in nearby chairs, facing them.

‘What’s this all about, Lex?’ Ravi grins, kicking off his shoes onto the floor.

‘Yeah, sexy Lex, what gives?’ Cal echoes.

‘You’re not gonna subject us to a homemade porno of you and Duncan, are you?’ Miller asks, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Aidan glowering. Duncan’s expression darkens at Miller’s comment, but he says nothing. J.B. has already given Miller a swift kick.

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