Page 103 of Crimson Desires

The hard part was convincing Aster to believe in it herself.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jack

As soon as I stepped out of the tour bus, Ava practically tackled me. She grabbed me by the arm and yanked me away from the other guys.

“You are so fucked, Jack Maverick.”

“What the hell?”

Ava didn’t answer me with words. Instead, she shoved her phone in my face. On her screen was a video that had been posted by Kaleidoscope Radio a few hours ago. I recognized it instantly as the interview we’d done in Raleigh.

“So?” I asked.

Ava shook her head, pressing play.

As the video played out, I began to see what the issue was. Kaleidoscope Radio’s team had promised to edit the interview favorably. Now, I could see that they were intent on doing the opposite.

They cut out all instances of the interviewer’s rudeness. They made me look like an entitled prick having a freak-out over being asked a simple question. They even managed to make the other guys look bad—particularly, Damien.

“Shit,” I sighed. “How many people have seen this?”

“You fucking tell me.” Ava opened a social media app, swiping over to the app’s “trending” page. The Kaleidoscope Radio interview was the third most trending post—right below an alleged Kardashian scandal and information about a new bill being passed through the U.S. Senate.

I grimaced as I scanned the comments below the post.

This behavior is so fucking embarrassing. To think I almost bought tickets for his upcoming show.

Entitled Prick. #JackoffMaverick

Jack should have just stayed in pop where he belongs.

But most damning of all, below KR’s video, was another post by Arnold from Killing Kiss.

Arnold_KillingKiss: Doesn’t shock me to see such an entitled brat act like this LOL. We played with Wicked Crimson in Nashville & not only was the band insanely fucking unprofessional but I was also assaulted by #JackoffMaverick after the show because he was jealous of me talking to one of his merch girls.

Attached to Arnold’s post was a photo of his banged-up face. I winced as I examined the dark purple bruises around his eye and jaw. Arnold’s post had also generated its own thread of replies and hate comments—and even some physical threats against me.

“Tickets for the Louisville show aren’t refundable, but Detroit and Cleveland are,” Ava said. “Unless we fix this quickly, you’re going to be playing in a half-empty stadium.”

“I am so fucked,” I said. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers. “Okay. What’s the recovery plan for this?”

Ava locked her phone and tucked it into her pocket. “I’m trying to get in contact with Rick and Manny from Killing Kiss. Hopefully, they’ll be able and willing to set the record straight about Arnold’s post. In the meantime, I’ve set up an emergency call between you and your father. Fair warning, Jack—he is not happy.”

“Shit. Okay, where can I take the call?”

Ava reached into her tote bag and withdrew her tablet. She shoved it into my arms. “Clear out the tour bus and take it in there.”

“Thanks, Ava.”

She laughed brusquely. “Don’t thank me yet.”

Clutching Ava’s tablet to my chest, I headed into the tour bus. After making sure that the other guys had left, I settled myself at the main table and turned on the tablet. A video call request from my dad was already waiting for me.

I accepted the request. In seconds, Dad’s face popped up on the tablet screen.

At first glance, he looked as stoic as ever. But I could tell that he was seething. His jaw muscles flexed. His hand was clenched so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. His face was red and flushed.

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