37. Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Six
Riley
Ishould be lying on a sunbed by the pool at Golden Palms by now, being brought beer by a waitress in a miniskirt, watching women in bikinis walk by while I relax.
That’s what a vacation is supposed to be.
One long chill session, with other possibilities.
That’s what I signed up for when I stepped into that tin-can death-trap this morning.
This desert island with a shark nursery and possible stingray infestation is not what I was imagining when I closed my eyes as the sedatives did their thing.
The only woman here with us is one I don’t want to get close to.
Even if she’s kinda hot, she’s way too straight for my tastes.
She’d be shocked if she knew half the shit we get up to on tour.
The shit we used to get up to in the past, at least.
Recent years have been a whole lot less rowdy.
Only Xane and I know the reason behind that, because we’re the ones who used to cut loose.
Kian doesn’t drink a lot very often, and Trick is like a saint on earth.
Those two would rather hang out together and talk about musical influences and chord progressions, maybe end up in a jam session, or watching a dumb movie.
Our idea of an after party and theirs was vastly different, though occasionally, way back at the beginning, Kian would sometimes take part, when he felt like it.
It was a hell of a time, until it wasn’t.
I set my second empty bottle down by the side of the tree as Trick comes out of the jungle to my left. He looks … different, somehow.
I squint at him as I move past Kian to grab another beer from the cooler.
“Hey!” I complain, realizing what’s changed. “Are you wearing my shirt?”
He shrugs. “It’s too fucking hot for a dress shirt.”
“It suits him, doesn’t it?” Sapphire asks, giving him an appreciative glance as she appears at his side. “I think he should dress like this more often.”
I don’t remember the last time I was rendered speechless.
It doesn’t surprise me that she’s flirting with them.
Plenty of women would give anything to get this close to any one of us.
I’ve seen it firsthand, more times than I could ever count.
It’s the way they’ve been reacting to her that’s making me wonder what the hell’s going on.
Trick’s never shown interest in any woman, or any guy, ever.
Kian’s picky enough that I could pick his type out of a crowded room.
This woman doesn’t fit with any of us, but both of them are fucking smitten.
And it’s barely been a couple hours in her company.
It feels like I’m missing something.
Something big.
I watch as they approach, and Sapphire strokes his arm before she goes back to her seat on my towel beside Kian. She takes a long sip of her beer and lets out a satisfied sigh.
I watch as Trick sits down under the tree, close to Xane.
He’s gazing at her the whole time, he can’t take his eyes off her.
Maybe they fucked?
This is Trick you’re talking about, pal.
It is, and it doesn’t make sense, but they were gone a bit longer than they probably should have been, and they’re both acting like they’re close, and why the hell is he wearing my shirt?
Something’s definitely up, but I’m not gonna know what it’s about unless I ask.
I doubt Trick would appreciate that.
I crack open my third beer and start to drink.
She takes a few more bites of her sandwich before she puts it back in the wrapping.
The second slug of the beer is slower, but I already know she’s about to announce something when she puts it back into the sand.
“I was thinking it might be a good time to start on the interviews.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kian says, giving her a bright smile.
“Sure,” Trick mumbles, looking down at the sand.
“I should get back to the jet,” Xane tells us, getting up. “The sooner it’s fixed, the better.”
“I can talk to you later,” she tells him.
“Sure, whatever,” he says, smiling stiffly before he walks away.
He’s acting weird, but lately that’s just Xane.
Sapphire turns her sparkling blue eyes on me.
“I can ask you questions together, or separately. A bit of both might be fun.”
I still don’t have any words for this situation, so I just shrug.
“Separately sounds like the best idea,” Kian chips in, because of course he wants time alone with her.
I don’t know where the hell he thinks they can go to get away from us.
The beach isn’t that big.
The jungle looks kind of dense behind us, I guess.
But who knows what might be lurking back there?
It’s probably too small to be hiding some kind of big cat population, but there’s bound to be all types of snakes and weird bugs hidden in amongst those trees.
I shiver as Kian gets to his feet.
“We could walk up that hill we came down to get here,” he suggests.
Jeez. He’s coming up with a romantic spot.
He’s definitely into her.
“That could be fun,” she says, as she gets up again.
Trick leans back against the tree next to mine, watching them leave.
Kian picks up two fresh bottles of beer and scoops the sandwiches up in my towel, before throwing it over his shoulder like a fucking bag.
“After you.”
She smiles at him and casts a glance back at me before she leads the way.
“See you guys later!” Kian shouts back at us, clearly bragging to Trick.
Trick sighs softly as they disappear from sight through the trees.
I guess they’re gonna walk by the jet to get up there.
“What is it?” I ask Trick, wishing I knew.
“Huh?” he mutters, tearing his gaze away from the trees to look over.
“That woman. What is it about her that’s so … compelling?”
“You feel it too?” he asks, expression slackening into shock.
“Feel what?” I ask, curious.
He frowns. “I thought you just said …”
“I meant to you, and Kian.”
“Oh. I don’t know. I’ve never felt like this before.”
He blinks slowly and hums a few bars of one of our songs.
“It’s kinda like that, you know. Fated to Flames. It’s like seeing fire for the first time. She’s waking something up inside me that I didn’t know was there.”
The song he’s talking about is a fan favorite.
We’ve been playing it as an encore for years now.
I can’t say I’ve ever put much thought into what any of our songs mean.
That’s for Xane to know and our fans to interpret.
The beat is the only part that’s in my hands.
Trick sighs softly, gaze on the hill.
“Sounds like a crush to me,” I tell him.
“I guess,” he mutters, picking up a bottle of water and opening it.
He’s watching, waiting for them to come into sight on the hill.
That woman is more dangerous than I thought.
Two of my band mates are obsessed with her.
I smell trouble with a capital T.