Page 63 of Bulletproof
Once again, Derek was amazed that Travis harbored so much anxiety about the show and his performance, but was unflappable in the face of a possible arrest and trouble with the law.
After a few photos with the police officers, Derek almost forgot that he was in deepshit with Felix, until a taxi swerved into the parking lot, lights blaring and tires sending a cascade of gravel dust into the air.
Felix jumped out of the back seat before the car fully came to a stop. His face was as red as a tomato and Derek could see the man’s eyes bulging from several yards away. Felix marched past Derek with only a sideways glance that reeked of disapprovaland disappointment, which made Derek drop his chin to his chest.
“I’m very sorry, officers. I don’t know what got into Mr. MacAlister. I can assure you, he’s never done anything like this before. None of my boys has ever been in any trouble. They are perfect examples of upstanding, law-abiding citizens,” Felix said to the cops.
Unease churned in Derek’s gut as he wonderedif the cops were able to pull up Travis’ background of juvenile misdemeanors, or whatever the hell kind of trouble he’d gotten into when he was younger.
The police officer waved off the incident with indifference, apparently swayed by a few photos and an autograph. “Just don’t let it happen again. At least not in my county. Can I see someone with a bus driver’s license, please?”
“Yes, of course.” Felix motioned for Mike to step forward. That’s when Derek noticed the bodyguard they had dodged, standing in the background. “This is our driver. He has an impeccable record. He’s been on the Bulletproof team for three years. Mike, show the officer your driver’s license please.”
The cop examined it closely, shined his flashlight in Mike’s face for verification,even ran the license on whatever mechanism the police use to verify a person’s driving record, before handing it back. “You’re free to go.” The cop looked directly at Derek. “Next time, wake up your bus driver if you want to go out in the middle of the night. Or take a cab.”
Derek quietly let out a deep breath, grateful for the leniency and escaping an arrest or court appearance.Not even a ticket.
“Thank you, officers,” Felix said. “Have a good night.”
Travis slapped Derek on the back. “That was fucking rad.”
“You’re nuts.” Derek let out a small laugh and shook his head.
“Is something funny?” Felix’s voice, sharp and icy, broke through their banter.
“No. It’s just—”
“Stop acting like an eight-year-old.This is serious.”
They all entered the bus, single file. Mike slid behind the wheel, the bodyguard took a seat in the captain’s chair, and Derek and Travis sat next to one another on the couch. They were mirror images of the other, with their hands tucked between their knees, and purposely avoiding eye contact with Felix. Travis did catch Derek’s eye for a second, with a stifled laughpressed between his lips that looked like it would break free at any moment.
Don’t you dare make me laugh, Derek warned with his eyes.
The two of them looked like school boys waiting on the verdict of expulsion in the principal’s office. Ironically, Travis didn’t give a shit about getting in trouble with the law, but respected Felix’s authority. Maybe because it meantsomething to Derek.
Felix didn’t bother sitting, and Derek noticed that the band’s manager, with his usual impeccable creased dress slacks and vintage blazers, wore a pair of sweatpants and a button-down plaid shirt. It looked like Felix ran from the hotel without bothering to change out of his P.J.’s.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Felix didn’t wait for a reply.“Forget about the fact that you stole the tour bus—”
“I didn’t steal anything,” Derek said, defensively.
“You don’t own it, Derek. The label owns it. It’s not yours to take out for a spin. Mike is the only one licensed to drive it, and he’s not at liberty to drive it as he pleases either.” Felix waved his hand. “Forget all that. I don’t care that you took the bus andalmost got yourself arrested – well I do, but that’s not what I’m most pissed off about. More than anything, worse than waking me up at 4:00 in the morning, worse than having me wake Mike up in the middle of the night, I am absolutely livid that you went out at this hour without a bodyguard. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Derek’s eyes shot to the bodyguard. Fuuuk. He knew thatwould come up the moment he spotted the bodyguard with Felix.
“I chased you down the street,” the bodyguard said.
Felix looked like his blood pressure shot up a notch. “Why didn’t you call me if you knew he took off without you? Isn’t that your job?”
“Wait.” Derek extended his arm toward the bodyguard, shielding him from Felix’s wrath. “It’s not his fault.I deliberately snuck past him. And I took the tour bus so he couldn’t catch up to us.”
“And how the hell did you do that? You’re not invisible. There’s only one way out of your room, and security is supposed to be outside the door.”
He wasn’t about to rat on the bodyguard about napping in the hallway. “Hey, I got tricks.” Derek wiped the smart-ass smirk from his face,and his voice took on a serious tone. “Look, Felix. This is all my fault. I admit it. I’m taking the blame. I snuck out of my room with Travis. It was my idea to take the tour bus as a quick getaway. I’m taking responsibility for everything.”
Travis sat up a little straighter. “Wait. It was my idea to play a song for everyone.”
“That’s true. It was Travis’ idea to playon the roof of the tour bus.”
Felix’s jaw fell open. “You were on the roof of the tour bus? What the fuck else happened?”
“Nothing. It wasn’t a big deal. We thought it would be fun.”
“You could have broken your fucking neck. You too, Travis.” Felix ran his hands through his short hair, making it stand on end, and let out a frustrated breath that made hischeeks puff out. “I can’t comprehend the risks you’ve taken here tonight. This is beyond any of the crazy stunts you’ve pulled in the past. It’s madness. This was reckless.”
Derek and Travis quickly turned toward one another at the use of the name of Travis’ band, and they finally burst out laughing.
