Page 18 of The Roadie
“I can’t. Not the minute I step on the bus with everyone right outside the door. We need to wait until we’re alone. Or everyone’s asleep.” Blowing out a breath, he ran a frustrated hand through his hair and tugged on his beard, unable to believe that he was turning down an opportunity to be with Kira after he’d waited so long to be with her again. “I must sound like an idiot.”
“Not at all. You sound respectful.” She took his hand. “Let’s go back out there before I ruin such a lovely gesture.”
They emerged from the back bedroom and made their way to the kitchen area, where the girls were all sitting in one of the booths. Conversation halted, and they all turned to look at Brett and Kira.
“That was quick,” Alyssa teased. “I thought you two would be in there for at least an hour.”
Kira turned pink. “It’s mid-morning and there are children on board.”
Audra picked up her phone and started texting. “Speaking of, where the hell are these kids? They’re too quiet.”
Jessi folded her arms and leaned on the table. “Last I heard from Lucas, they were getting ready to do a five-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle.”
“Five thousand pieces?” Brett exclaimed. “How old are these kids?”
“Lucas is a genius,” Jessi bragged, like the proud mother. “But to be fair, Mason is ten, twice his age, and Aunt Mary and Sofia, our nanny, are helping. My daughter, who’s only three, is probably just mixing up all the pieces.”
Brett was looking forward to meeting the offspring of Immortal Angel. Mason Wilder, in particular. The third-generation drummer was hailed as a child prodigy and had recently been on several morning talk shows. His career was about to blow up, and the kid wasn’t even a teenager yet.
Boisterous chatter and laughter drew Brett’s attention to the front of the bus where the guys from Immortal Angel were stationed. He strained his neck toward the living area just in time to see a pillow fly through the air and hit Tommy Blade in the face.
While Jimmy and Damien laughed, and Tommy swore that he was going to kick Jimmy’s ass for throwing the pillow, Angel Garcia placed a protective arm over Tommy’s shoulder.
Brett wanted an amicable relationship with Kira’s friends since she spoke so highly of them. He wanted to join them, but he wasn’t sure if this was the right time or if he was overstepping. He was just a roadie. They were rock stars.
“Go talk to them,” Kira suggested. “Let us have some girl time. I haven’t been away with Audra, Jessi and Alyssa in forever.”
Brett nodded and kissed her cheek before he strolled toward the front of the bus. Jimmy saw him first and extended his arm in invitation. “There he is! C’mere and sit down. We were talking about getting a card game going, and we could use a fifth player.”
Still feeling the scrutinizing eyes of Damien Diamond glaring at him, Brett wasn’t taking the captain’s chair next to the bass player. Tommy and Angel were awfully cozy on the couch by themselves, so Brett took a seat on the other couch next to Jimmy. It was the safest place.
In a friendly gesture, Jimmy clapped his hand on the back of Brett’s neck and gave him a small shake. “I hope you’re ready. Tommy is some kind of Rain Man when it comes to cards.” Jimmy leaned over and whispered, “But he doesn’t part with money so easily, so if he’s betting high, that means he’s got a winning hand.”
“I heard that.” Tommy threw a wadded-up paper towel at Jimmy. “Stop calling me cheap.”
Jimmy shrugged and shook his head, innocently. “I’m not saying that you purposely forget your wallet all the time, man. It’s understandable. If you never reach for it, it’s not important to make sure it’s in your pocket.”
“You’re hysterical.” Tommy pressed a button on a remote control, and a section of the floor popped up to create a table between the couches.
“That’s so cool!” Brett exclaimed. “This is an incredible ride.”
“We need it,” Tommy replied. “I never thought we’d pull off touring with three kids. Thanks to this custom-built RV, it works. The kids actually enjoy being on the road.”
“So, how long have you been a roadie for Bulletproof?” Angel asked, as he pulled a deck of cards from a compartment under the table and handed it to Damien.
Brett knew the question was Angel’s way of tactfully asking for personal information, which is exactly what Brett expected to happen during this little get-to-know-you session. “I’ve been working for those dudes since before they were famous. We all went to high school together.” He wanted to add that the guys from Bulletproof could vouch for his integrity but decided against it.
Angel seemed pleased with Brett’s answer and displayed a warm smile. The guy was really chill and cordial. Not as easygoing as Jimmy, but definitely gracious and polite. Tommy seemed to be the carefree one, sitting with his ankle crossed over his knee and bouncing his foot as he waited for Damien to finish shuffling the cards. Bored with waiting, Tommy went to the kitchen and came back with a six-pack of beer. He kept a bottle for himself and placed the rest on the table.
“All right!” Jimmy exclaimed, helping himself to a brew and handing one to Brett. “Tommy comes through with the alcohol!”
Tommy offered a beer to Angel, but Angel declined, which made Tommy’s expression turn into that of a dejected puppy. He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few seconds later with two smoothies.
“What’s this?” Angel asked, taking the fruity drink from Tommy.
“Not sure. The girls made them. They’re supposed to be healthy.”
Angel gave Tommy the sweetest expression, and a very heated kiss. “Thank you, mi amor.”
