Chapter 17 Anson
ANSON
Iwas furious.
I stormed around backstage after the show ended, ready to kick Riley’s ass for the stunt he’d pulled.
Klaus was already on him when I burst into his dressing room. I shoved Riley hard in the chest. We were friends, and I repped him, but what the hell was he thinking?
“What the fuck was that?” I demanded.
“Hey, easy,” he said, shoving me back. “I was doing us all a damn favor!”
“You know the rules!” I shoved him again.
Apparently, Klaus was on my side because he didn’t try to stop me.
Riley pushed back, and I let my fist fly, clocking him in the jaw so hard he stumbled back.
And that was it.
We tore into one another. Ryder and Trent came in and tried to break us apart. Klaus finally helped.
That wasn’t the problem, though.
The problem was that while Ryder and Trent were focused on me, a few people were peeking into the room to see what was going on.
And that meant cameras.
“Enough! Fucking enough!” Ryder shouted, finally breaking us apart as Trent held Riley and Klaus held me. “You fucking idiots!”
Riley wiped at his busted lip. “You’re a dick. If you’d just fucking listen to me.”
“Then speak,” I snapped at him. “Why did you do it?”
“Because I thought it would take the heat off this stalker shit and focus more on something positive with her. I thought maybe it would draw out whoever this was and they’d get sloppy if they came after me!” Riley pounded his chest. “I was trying to help!”
I swallowed and said nothing. Rosalie and I had agreed before the show to debut a song we’d done together that we’d toyed with putting on her new album as a bonus track. We thought it might get some hype to add it at the last minute.
“What’s going on?” Rosalie demanded, rushing into the room.
I backed up. I’d never seen her look so pissed before. She was like a red storm.
Evan came in behind her, Dante at his side. That meant Trix was still with Ellis.
“Trent. Watch Trix and Ellis,” I commanded.
He hesitated for a moment before dipping out and leaving us.
“I asked a question,” Rosalie snarled. “What the fuck is going on?”
“He kissed you,” I mumbled.
“That’s why you’re yelling and fighting? That’s why people have their fucking phones out?” Rosalie’s face flushed red with fury. “Ellis is out there crying because she heard you yelling!”
Shame washed over me. I wasn’t really a jealous guy, or at least, I never thought I was. I had my moments, and I guess this was one of them.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just…fuck. I’m sorry. Riley, man…”
“Don’t worry about it,” he muttered. “I get it. I’d be pissed too. I should have run it by you guys. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. I won’t do it again. Rosalie, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that to you. I thought I was helping.”
She sighed and shook her head before leaving the room without another word.
Evan cast me a quick look. Dante made to follow her, but I grabbed his arm.
“Let me,” I said, moving past him. The only thing on my mind was fixing this. It was rare for Rosalie and me to fight. In fact, I couldn’t really remember a time when we had. We always just talked things through, but right now it seemed like it might be my first encounter with her actual fury.
People moved aside as I tried to catch up to her. She rounded a corner, and I grabbed her arm and tugged her into a dark area.
“What?” she snapped at me.
“I’m sorry for reacting that way,” I said, cradling her face. “I lost myself. Seeing another man… Fuck, LeeLee. I messed up, but why did you kiss him back?”
She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them to look at me.
“Because how would it look if I didn’t? The gossip would run in a negative light, and Riley is already struggling with it all. Being rejected in front of thousands of people on a livestream seemed like a bad idea for all of us.”
She was right.
Fuck.
I hadn’t even considered it.
“I messed up,” I said. “I fucked up. You’re right. He’s right. I-I shouldn’t have reacted so quickly. I didn’t think things through. How can I fix it?”
She sighed and looked up at me. “I don’t know. Hopefully, no one recorded it, but I have a feeling it’ll get out.”
Shame washed over me again. I never made stupid mistakes like this. I was always ten steps ahead of all decisions, but I’d lost it, and now I may have created more problems.
I tugged her against me and kissed her. I thought she might shove me away, but she didn’t; her lips parted for me. I took the opportunity and kissed her back, my hands all over her small body.
“I love you,” I whispered against her lips. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it right.”
“I believe you.” She kissed me sweetly for a moment before there was a crash in the distance.
I broke away from her and stared past her in the darkness to see someone running.
With a fucking camera.
I moved past her and ran after him, but he disappeared into the crowded backstage moments later.
“Fuck. FUCK!” I snarled as Ryder caught up to me.
“What’s going on?” he demanded.
“Guy with a camera. Saw Rosalie and me. Black shirt. Baseball cap.”
Ryder pushed past me. I knew he’d go look for the prick and try to bust the camera.
What a fucking night.
Sighing, I returned to where I’d left Rosalie, but she was gone. Assuming she went to the meet-and-greet for the afterparty, I went to the designated area to find her with the band, Klaus lurking nearby.
“Where is Evan?” I asked.
He’s with Trix and Ellis. Dante and Trent, too,” he answered.
I nodded stiffly.
“She’s pissed,” Klaus continued softly, looking around us.
“I kissed her. Someone took a picture and ran. Ryder is chasing them.”
Klaus closed his eyes for a moment and breathed out.
We were both quiet as we watched Rosalie pose with people. Security was vetting them carefully, which I was grateful for. I was sure Klaus had already threatened their lives if they didn’t. The photographer and team were working hard to get things done quickly.
“It’s not the worst thing,” Klaus finally said.
“What isn’t?” I looked at him.
“For the world to know you’re in love with her.
That you’re with her. Riley may have had the right idea about it.
If another man is the center of her world, psychologically speaking, this may cause the stalker to act more quickly, make mistakes, and ultimately lead to their capture. So, it’s not the worst thing.”
“We’ve worked hard to keep her personal life private. She’s going to be crushed. I have to fix this.”
“Roll with it,” Klaus said. “Talk to Evan when we get back to the hotel. I think he will be OK with it, too.”
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “I just don’t want a relationship to overshadow her success.”
“You worry too much.” Klaus didn’t pause. He said what he said before he marched forward. I watched him take a guy down in the line and pin him to the ground as he rushed at Rosalie.
The fact that he’d seen it before I had spoke volumes about how good at his job he was.
I went to Rosalie.
“We’re leaving,” I said.
She nodded, her eyes wide as she watched the man try to wrestle free from Klaus’s hold. Other members of security were helping him.
“Bishop! Bishop! I love you! Have my babies! I’ll fuck you right here and now! I LOVE YOU!” the man screamed.
I wanted nothing more than to surge forward and kick him in the teeth, but I led Rosalie away, the band following.
“Damn, dude. This has been the most exciting time we’ve ever had on tour,” Cas said as we walked through the arena to our waiting SUV.
“No, man. That time you blew up that toilet in London was exciting. Remember? You flooded the entire fucking hotel,” Bane called out.
I remembered that. It was in the early days, and a complete nightmare to deal with. After that, Bishop was labeled as a rock band that destroyed shit. It wasn’t a good look, and Cas got in a lot of trouble.
“Anson, man, I know what you’re going to say,” Cas piped up. “But it was worth it. I got so much pussy after that.”
“Me too.” Bane and he high-fived. I caught Vic’s soft grumblings and Hex’s eye roll before I pushed open the door to the outside, where the car was.
There were fans out there as well. Hundreds of them. I didn’t let Rosalie stop to sign anything or take pictures. After the last time, it wasn’t happening. She didn’t seem to mind as she got into the backseat, all of us piling in behind her.
“Why the fuck is this thing so small?” Hex grumbled as Cas tripped and fell on him. “We can’t all fucking fit in here.”
I got in and closed the door before going to Rosalie’s seat and lifting her up so she could be on my lap. The band fought with one another, and finally, Cas plopped onto Hex’s lap.
“Don’t get a boner, dude,” Cas called out as Ben pulled slowly away from the crowd, James in the passenger seat. Klaus had armed all the security, so I felt pretty damn safe in here. Klaus spoke highly of James. If having him here meant we had to sit on one another’s laps, so be it.
“The last thing you’ll get from me is a hard dick,” Hex grumbled.
“Liar. Bet I can make you come before we get back to the hotel.” Cas wiggled on Hex’s lap, making Bane and Vic chuckle.
“OW! Motherfucker! No pinching!” Cas howled. “You’ll bruise my delicate skin!”
“I’ll bruise your fucking ass,” Hex snapped back.
“So we are going to fuck.” Cas laughed loudly.
I sighed and held Rosalie tighter as the guys fucked with Hex.
“This is why we ride alone,” I said softly to her.
“They’re kind of funny,” she mused, a little smile on her face as she watched them smack at one another.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to see that Evan was calling.
“Hey, man,” I said.
“We’re good here. Just checking in. We left for the hotel. Ellis was tired. I didn’t want to go, but you guys seem to have had it handled.”
“Yeah, we’re on the way back. Klaus was wrestling with a fan, and we cut off the meet and greet.”
“Figured. Ro OK?”
I looked to Rosalie, who was still watching the guys.
“She’s fine. Want to talk to her?”
“No, I’ll see her when you guys get back. Kiss her for me. We can talk later.”
“Love you, brother,” I said.
“Love you.”
The line disconnected, and I nuzzled against Rosalie. She didn’t seem too pissed at me now, for which I was grateful, as she kissed me gently.
But I knew tomorrow I’d have a whole slew of shit to deal with.
So for tonight, I’d enjoy what normalcy we had left before shit hit the fan.