Chapter 24
Hunter
“What was that about the Babbler?” I asked Leif as we walked back down the stairs.
“Ah, you know how that rag is. They always have their ear to the ground. They get the scoop first. Always.”
“Or someone leaked the news to make sure the announcement came out,” Danny met us at the bottom with raised eyebrows.
“What? You think I did it?” I got that weightless feeling in my stomach, but it was quickly followed by anger. “Fuck you.”
“Whoa.” Ryker stepped between us and moved me backwards with a smooth motion that would’ve looked like he was patting me on the shoulders to anyone else. “Let’s keep up the happy family facade, boys. Everyone’s watching.”
“I would never compromise shit with you guys.” I shook my head. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“Enough people knew from planning this anyhow.” Leif pointed out. “It’s not like we could trace the source even if we wanted to. It’s literally public knowledge now. What’s the point?”
“The point is a contract could’ve been broken.” Danny’s eyes rested on me like I was the culprit. “Hunter had a pretty onerous penalty clause if he broke his NDA.”
My eyes immediately went to James, who was standing at the buffet table with an annoyed expression. He held both of our beers and looked so fucking out of place. So ill at ease. Like he was hiding something?
“It’s pointless to argue about it now,” Ryker drawled. “The article would’ve come out today anyhow. I don’t give a fuck.”
“Me neither,” Leif chimed in.
Mal shrugged. “Ditto.”
“Agreed,” Beau rumbled.
Danny huffed an annoyed breath. “Just tell me you’re not the source, kid. I need to hear that at least. Because if you’re the type to go blabbing your problems with the paps—”
“Fuck you.” I scowled at him. “If I got a problem with any of you, I’d have no problem telling you to your face. It’s the whole reason the guys voted early. I was sick of this asshole’s shit.” I hooked a thumb at Leif standing next to me.
Leif shrugged. “The kid’s right. Told me off to my face.”
“Yeah,” Ryker chortled. “It was awesome.”
“Fine.” Danny sighed. “I was wrong. I’m sorry, Hunter. I just had to make sure you were really someone we could trust.”
“You can. I swear.” All the secrets I was holding notwithstanding. Izzy. James. I tried like hell to keep the guilt off my face. “I need a drink.”
I stomped away to where James was still standing and holding my beer. “Was it you?” I asked before taking my bottle from him and downing a drink.
“Was it me what?” James sneered.
“Did you blab the news? Are you the reason I almost just got kicked out of the band?”
“They wouldn’t have kicked you out,” James scoffed. “Fuckers are thrilled that you signed. They know what a good drummer they have. You’re fucking irreplaceable. Believe me.”
This asshole. I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to an unoccupied corner. “Are you fucking serious? You’d play me like that?”
“What? I don’t get what the big deal is. The news came out an hour or two early, and I got a few grand to line my pockets. Win-win.”
“Oh you can fuck all the way off.” I stepped into his space and glared down at my former best friend. “You and me are done. I don’t want to see you. I don’t even want to smell your fucking cologne. Anyone who gets between me and my money, my career, my fucking future is a dead man walking.”
“You’re such a fucking drama queen. You’re still in the band. No harm. No foul. Lighten up.” He moved to pat my arm like a condescending dick, but I stepped back.
“The only reason I don’t hand your ass to you right now is because literally everyone in the room is watching. So you’re going to smile like your life fucking depends on it—because it does—and get the hell out of here.”
James stepped past me, bumping my shoulder on his way by. “Give me a call when you realize what a dick you’re being.”
“Never going to happen because you’re the—”
“Hunter!” Leif called, interrupting me. “Have you met my favorite sound engineer, Eric Davis?”
“Be right there, Leif!” I hollered back, but by the time I turned back to where James had been, he was gone.
Good.
I headed over to Leif and he introduced me to a couple people.
The next hour was a blur of gladhanding and bullshit.
I’d had some of it with my first band, but definitely not on this scale.
Everyone suddenly wanted a piece of me. From the studio people to the influencer friends of Beau’s wife to literally every single woman I was introduced to.
The entire time I chatted with people, I was aware of my ex lingering on the periphery. Most of the time she was talking and laughing with Beau’s wife. But her attention was always on me. Fucking made my skin crawl.
Unlike Izzy, who was busy talking and laughing with Saylor. And she looked so luscious in her dress. All supple skin and delicious cleavage. It was fucking distracting. I wanted to grab her and kiss the shit out of her every time I heard her tinkling laughter.
There was finally a lull in the intros, and I was heading over to chat with Iz and Saylor, when she cornered me.
“So, someone thinks they’re a big man on campus now.”
Just the sound of her voice made me shudder. What the fuck was I thinking ever hooking up with her? Let alone staying with her for so long? “Cheyenne.” I turned to her and lifted my beer in her direction. “Nice to see you landed on your feet.”
“With no help from you,” she hissed at me. “How long did you have this in the works? Is this why we went to that party last month? You’ve known that long?”
I shrugged. “I signed an NDA.”
“But I was your girlfriend!” she all but shrieked. “Didn’t I deserve to know?”
“Fuck me. You don’t want me to start listing all the things I think you deserve.”
Mal suddenly appeared at my side. “Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt, but there’s someone I want you to meet.” Then he grabbed my arm and literally dragged me away. “Sorry, man. You looked like you needed an assist.”
“You ain’t wrong.” I laughed into my beer. “That would’ve ended in one of two ways, and neither of them is pretty. So who should we talk to next?”
We talked to someone from the marketing department at the label, a producer, and a studio musician the guys had worked with back in the day but was retired now.
The most memorable was one of Beau’s wife’s friends.
She fussed over me, felt up my arm, and all but rubbed up against me like a horny cat.
I’d had more blatant flirtatious looks from chicks today than I had collectively in my entire life.
I was starting to feel like a piece of meat.
It would’ve been so much easier if I could have Iz at my side. She’d have no problem telling the women to keep their hands off. This one goosed me on the ass as she walked away.
“Fuck,” I muttered, rubbing my suddenly sore ass check.
Leif clapped me on the shoulder.
“It’s only gonna get worse the more they drink.” Mal laughed into his glass. “Better you than me, my friend.”
“I guess I intimidate them too much to try that shit with me.” Leif laughed. “I can’t remember the last time a groupie was that blatant with me.”
I lifted my drink in his direction. “To be fair, they’re probably worried you’re gonna suck their blood.”
“Son of a bitch,” Leif cursed while Beau and Mal laughed. “Did they put you up to that?”
I blinked innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just thinking how you look a lot like that one guy in Interview with a Vampire.”
“Fuck.” Leif shook his head before laughing in Beau’s direction. “Is it too late to vote the douchebag out? He’s getting pretty damn cocky.”
“That’sh what I was tryna tell you,” Ryker slurred, hanging off of Leif’s shoulder. “We gotta talk about shit. About the kid.”
I exchanged wide-eyed stares with Mal. What the hell?
Beau took a step toward Ryker. “Hey, bud. How about we take a walk outside for a minute? Maybe get a little air.”
“No, no, no!” Ryker feebly pushed Beau who didn’t budge an inch. “I can’t talk to you. Coz it’s about you. About Izzy.”
My blood froze.
Shit.
This wasn’t how I wanted it to come out.
“What about Izzy?” Beau enunciated carefully.
“Beau, man, it’s not what you think,” I protested.
Beau jabbed a finger in my direction. “The time for you to talk is long over.”
“Shit,” Mal bit out.
“The kid’s been sh-sneaking around with your kid,” Ryker slurred. “I shaw them making out on the street the other day.”
“Shit,” was all I was able to get out before Beau’s massive, ham-sized fist plowed into my face.
Someone screamed. My glass shattered after I dropped it to clutch my aching face.
Then it was bedlam.
Flying fists—mostly Beau’s. I was just moving my arms to try to shove him away. I didn’t want to hit him. I knew this was a fight I’d never win.
“It’s not like that, man,” I protested.
Wham
Another fist to my gut.
“Oof.” I bent over, clutching my stomach.
Wham, snap.
A one, two to my face.
And I went down hard. More screams. The room swam around me, everything sounding muffled.
Then Mal was in my face. “You okay, kid?”
I blinked dazedly up at him.
“Shit, we might need a doctor.” Mal turned to talk to someone over his shoulder. “He could have a concussion.”
“Nah, I’m fine.” I put a hand down and shoved myself up slightly, but when the room spun, I slid back down. “Where’s Iz? Is Izzy okay?”
“Keep my daughter’s name out of your goddamn mouth!” Beau seethed from somewhere on my right.
“Kinda hard to do that when I love her. Iz? Princess? You okay?” I couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t answering. Where was she?
“You love her?” Beau repeated.
“Well yeah. Of course. Wait, forget that. She doesn’t want to tell anyone. It’s our secret for now. So keep it on the downlow, okay?” Fuck, I felt so drunk. Loopy. And my face fucking hurt. “What happened again?”
“Shit. We should get him to the hospital.” Mal turned to talk to someone over his shoulder.
“And where the hell did Ryker hobble off to? Fucker drops a bomb and then disappears like a fucking fart in the wind. Eric! Can you find Ryker? Make sure the asshole isn’t driving. That’s all we need right now.”
“What the fuck is his problem?” Leif asked above me.
Mal sighed. “I don’t know. I think something’s going on with his mom. He won’t talk about it.”
“He’s hooking up with that waitress at the diner too. Oops.” I covered my mouth. “Iz thinks they’re cute, but I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
“Christ,” Beau bit out.
“I think you broke him,” Leif huffed. “Are you happy? It took us forever to find a drummer, and you fucking broke him!”
“Hey, he’s been sneaking around with my daughter,” Beau snarled. “He fucking deserved it.”
“He’s a freaking golden retriever!” Mal pointed out with a laugh. “Haven’t you been paying attention?”
“What the hell does that even mean?” Leif asked.
“I don’t know. It’s something Saylor said about him though. I think it’s a romance novel term. Something about guys who are easygoing and low drama.”
“I’d say this is the definition of drama,” Leif muttered.
“That’s not on the kid, though. Beau’s the one who came in fists flying.”
“He’s the one who hid the relationship,” Leif pointed out.
“I don’t feel so good.” Nausea churned in my stomach.
A second later, everything I’d drank came pouring out of my mouth.
“Shit.”
“Fuck.”
The guys all danced to get out of the splash zone.
“Shit. Sorry, Leif,” I muttered as I wiped at my mouth.
“Yup, definitely time for the hospital.” Mal grabbed me under the arms and pulled me to my feet. “Upsy daisy.”
Then I heard something I’ll never forget the rest of my life.
A shrill scream.
Followed by the thud, thud, thud of someone falling down the stairs.