Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Maddie
A week later, my cat-sitting gig sadly over, I stand in front of my closet, holding up a red dress. It hugs every curve and makes me feel confident and sexy. It’s another one that Riley called “dangerous” when I bought it.
I should probably wear something less attention grabbing, but fuck it. I’m there to support my brother, and I’m going to look good doing it.
I slip the dress on and check my reflection. Perfect. I do my makeup—smoky eyes, crimson lips—and grab my favorite heels.
My phone buzzes just as I’m adding a last-minute coat of lip gloss.
Riley
Did you pick an outfit?
Me
Went with the red one.
***Picture message***
Riley
Good choice.
RIP to your bodyguards.
Me
Why would they care?
Riley
*Voice memo* “Girl, have you seen the way they look at you like you’re their next meal?! And that silent one is fineeeeee!”
Me
They do not, and you have three men already. Isn’t that enough?
Riley
They are more than enough. You need to get yourself some of that man meat
Me
Riley
Sorry that was Tai. Call me tomorrow so we can go over the photos
I smile and grab my clutch and camera bag. My brother’s band, Broken Crown, is debuting their new album tonight at a small venue downtown. Intimate crowd. Invite only.
My phone buzzes again.
Ace
Five minutes.
Me
Ready.
When I step into the hallway outside my apartment, all three of them are waiting. Ace looks me up and down, his expression unreadable. Rhodes’s eyes linger a second too long, his jaw tightening. Vander’s jaw clenches slightly before he looks away. Shit, now Riley is putting ideas in my head.
“You look nice,” Rhodes says with his signature dimpled smile.
“I look hot,” I correct.
“Let’s go,” Ace snaps, already heading for the elevator.
The drive to the venue is quiet. I’m in the back seat with Vander, scrolling through my camera settings and trying not to think about how close he’s sitting. His presence is always more intense than the others, but now I’m hyperaware that he’s watching my every move.
When we pull up to the venue, there’s a line around the block despite the exclusive guest list. Kade’s fans are dedicated, and the buzz around the new album has been building for months.
Rhodes opens my door, and I step into the cool evening air.
Cameras flash, and I smile automatically.
I’m used to this by now; it comes with the territory of having a famous brother.
It’s how Riley and I bonded. She runs the band’s socials, but she also understands what it’s like to live in their shadow.
The venue is already packed. The stage is set up at the far end, and I can hear the sound check wrapping up.
“I’m going to find Kade,” I tell Ace.
“We’ll be close,” he replies, which is code for we’re following you.
I find Kade in the green room, looking nervous despite having done this a thousand times. He always overthinks a new album drop, though this new one is epic, so he has nothing to worry about.
“Mads!” He pulls me into a hug. “You made it.”
“Of course I made it. I do your best publicity.” I hold up my camera.
“Not sure I would agree with you there.”
“You know I like to keep you humble.”
He laughs, then glances past me to where Vander, Ace, and Rhodes are hovering in the doorway. “Your shadows are extra intense tonight.”
“They’re always like that.”
“Yeah, but tonight they look like they want to murder anyone who looks at you.” He grins. “Is it the dress?”
“Probably.”
“Good. Keep them on their toes.” He leans in closer. “Plus, they will keep the label guys from being too friendly. Some of them are real sleazebags.”
Before I can respond, the stage manager appears. “Two minutes, Kade.”
He takes a deep breath, rolls his shoulders, and transforms into the rock-star version of himself. “Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need it. You’re going to kill it out there—you always do.”
And he does. The moment he steps on stage, the crowd goes wild. I position myself near the front and start shooting. The energy is amazing, and the new songs are even better live than in the studio.
I’m so focused on getting the perfect shot of Kade mid-guitar solo that I don’t notice the guy next to me until he leans in close.
“You’re Maddie, right?” he shouts over the music. “Kade’s sister?”
“Yeah,” I shout back, not taking my eye from the viewfinder.
“I’m Tyler. I work with the label.” He moves in closer, his hand brushing my arm. “I’ve seen your Instagram. Your photography is amazing.”
“Thanks.” I step slightly to the side, trying to get a better angle and put some distance between us.
Tyler follows, his hand now on my lower back. “This is incredible, right? The new album is going to be huge.”
I shift away from his touch. “Yeah, it’s great.”
“So, listen.” He leans even closer, and I can feel his breath on my ear. “Maybe after the show we could grab a drink? I know a great place nearby. We could talk about your work. I have some connections in the photography world.”
I lower my camera, ready to decline politely, when his hand slides from my lower back to my hip.
“I’m not—” I start.
But then I feel a presence behind me. Rhodes.
“She’s not interested,” he says, his voice cold, nothing like the Rhodes I know.
Tyler looks between us, his hand dropping. “I was just—”
“She’s here for her brother. Not to be hit on by random men.” Rhodes steps closer, his body language pure intimidation despite his calm tone.
“Dude, relax. I was only making conversation.” Tyler holds up his hands. “I work with Kade. We’re practically family.”
“You’re not family.” Rhodes’s voice becomes dangerous. “You need to back off. Now.”
“Jesus, man. It’s not that serious.”
Ace appears from somewhere in the crowd, his hand landing firmly on Rhodes’s shoulder. “Outside. Now.”
Rhodes looks like he wants to argue, his entire body tense, but Ace’s grip tightens. “Now, Rhodes.”
They move toward the back exit, and I can see them through the crowd. Rhodes is gesturing, his hands in the air, clearly worked up. Ace has both hands on Rhodes’s shoulders, hopefully calming him down.
I turn back to Tyler, ready to smooth this over and get back to shooting, but Vander has moved in next to me. He’s not saying anything; however, he’s standing so close behind me that Tyler takes an automatic step back.
Vander doesn’t break eye contact with Tyler. He just stares at him with an intense, murdery look that screams, “Leave or I will kill you.”
“Umm.” Tyler swallows hard. “Look, I didn’t mean any harm. It was nice meeting you, Maddie.” He backs into the crowd, disappearing quickly.
I spin to face Vander. “Really? The intimidation stare?”
He doesn’t respond, only shifts his position, so he is now between me and where Tyler disappeared.
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter, turning back to the stage.
Despite all that, I don’t let them ruin my night. I take a lot of photos, and when the set ends, Finn jumps down from the stage and wraps me in his arms, spinning me around.
“We fucking did it!” he shouts over the crowd noise.
“You did, and it was epic!” I scream as Kade joins us. “I got so many good shots. I just hope I have one where Kade looks like a gremlin.”
Finn laughs and Kade fake scowls. He can pretend he hates my content all he likes, but I know he secretly loves it.
They invite me to the after-party, but I decline. The rock-star lifestyle is not my scene, especially if I have to watch my brother get wasted while women throw themselves at him.
The drive home is tense. I’m in the back seat, my arms crossed as I stare out the window. I’ve been ignoring Rhodes since he overstepped. The silence hangs heavy for several blocks before I can’t take it anymore.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I say.
“Do what?” Rhodes asks from the front seat, acting innocent.
“Go all caveman on that guy. He was only talking to me.”
Rhodes scoffs. “He was hitting on you.”
“So what? I’m an adult. I can handle being hit on without my bodyguards threatening people.”
“We didn’t threaten anyone,” Ace says calmly from the driver’s seat. “We intervened in a situation that made you uncomfortable.”
“I wasn’t uncomfortable. I was working, getting photos of my brother. Rhodes acted as if I couldn’t handle it on my own.”
“That guy was a sleaze,” Rhodes snaps, turning in his seat to look at me. “He had his hand on your arm and was standing way too close, then moved his hand to your waist. He clearly wasn’t taking the hint when you moved away.”
“I had it under control.”
“Did you?” Rhodes challenges. “Because from where I was standing, you were getting more and more uncomfortable and he wasn’t backing off.”
“You shouldn’t have to control it,” Ace adds. “That’s literally our job.”
“Your job is to protect me from actual threats, not every guy who tries to talk to me.” My voice rises, anger getting the better of me. “You can’t just intimidate everyone who looks at me. It’s suffocating.”
“Would you prefer we let random men harass you?” Rhodes’s tone is condescending. “Because that’s what it was. Harassment.”
“It was a conversation that I could have ended myself if you hadn’t swooped in like some possessive . . .” I stop myself before I say something I can’t take back.
“Like what?” Rhodes challenges, his eyes intense as they lock on mine.
“Nothing. Forget it.”
“No, say it. Possessive what?”
“You don’t get to act like this,” I shoot back. “You don’t freak out when Finn hugs me. Or when the barista flirts with me at the coffee shop. Why was Tyler different?”
Rhodes’s jaw clenches. “Because Finn respects boundaries. Because the barista doesn’t touch you. Tyler didn’t take the hint that you were not interested.”
“You didn’t give me a chance to say no.”
“You moved away from him twice,” Rhodes points out vehemently. “You created physical distance, and he closed it again. You lowered your camera to tell him no, but I stepped in before you had to.”
The car goes quiet.
I don’t have a response because he’s right. I moved away, and Tyler followed.
“You need to trust us to do our job,” Ace says. “That means letting us assess threats and handle them appropriately.”
“One guy talking to me at my brother’s concert isn’t a threat.”
“It becomes a threat when he doesn’t respect boundaries,” Ace counters. “When he keeps pushing after you’ve given a clear signal you’re not interested. When his hands are on you without your permission. That’s predatory behavior, Maddie. And we don’t let predators get close to you.”
I want to argue further, but something in Ace’s tone makes me pause. They genuinely believed Tyler was a problem.
“Did he really seem that bad to you?” I ask quietly. I know he was a little pushy, but it’s not like I haven’t dealt with men like that before.
“Yes,” all three of them say in unison.
I sink back into my seat, some of the anger draining away. Maybe I was too focused on getting the shots I wanted. Maybe I didn’t notice how Tyler was really behaving.
“Fine,” I concede. “But next time, maybe try not to look like you’re about to murder someone. A simple ‘hey, back off’ would work.”
“Noted,” Rhodes says, but he doesn’t sound apologetic.
We’re almost home when Vander speaks up from beside me. “He touched you.”
Three words.
Yet they land like a bomb in the confined space of the SUV.
Rhodes and Ace go still as I look at Vander, who’s staring straight ahead, his jaw tight.
“What?” I ask.
“He touched you,” Vander repeats. “Without permission. That’s enough.”
And somehow, those simple words from the man who barely speaks carry more weight than everything else that’s been said tonight.
The rest of the drive is silent, and when we pull into the garage, I scramble out of the SUV without waiting for assistance.
“Goodnight,” I call over my shoulder, heading for the elevator.
“Maddie,” Ace starts.
“I said goodnight.”
I don’t look back. All because Vander talking to me finally has me feeling things I really shouldn’t.