Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
The next morning, I decide to stay with Josie while the rest of the guys settle everything with management regarding Josie’s stuff. For safety reasons, we have to get it cleared, but Izzy is like a mother to us. I’m sure she will have no issue coordinating the switch with Tom and Ruby.
Still, my omega spends the entire time biting her nails, physically sick by the idea of transferring buses without speaking to her bandmates. She knows they will figure it out before we take off, and she panics right up until it’s time to head downstairs.
I’m just as nervous as Josie, but I put on a strong face for her, letting her squeeze my hand tight as we walk at a snail pace to the parking lot.
“Do you think they’re going to hate me?” she whispers.
My first instinct is to reassure her, but then an anxious worry gnaws at me. I don’t want to lie to her, so I go for a soft truth.
“I don’t think they can ever hate you, flower. They might not understand why you’re doing this, but that’s okay. You deserve to do what’s best for you.”
She nods, but her expression still bleeds with restlessness.
I hold her hand firmly in mine, hoping to ground her, and she relaxes the tiniest amount with my support.
However, when the chill Canadian air hits our skin and we see our tour buses ahead, she starts to shake once more, terrified of the confrontation ahead.
“I’m right here with you,” I remind her in a quiet voice. “We are all going to be with you. We won’t let anything bad happen.”
“I know,” she replies, her voice small and dry. “But… it doesn’t help the feeling that I’m betraying them. That I’m choosing you over them. I don’t want to choose between the two most important groups of people to me.”
“There’s no choosing, I promise. They will come around. Once the truth is out, they will understand.”
My pack mates come into view outside of our bus. Cyrus is helping a roadie with a few suitcases, and Remi is speaking with Izzy near the entrance. Malaki looks up and sees us, waving and smiling like the sunshine he is, and Josie lets out a wet laugh.
“He’s a dork.”
“Yes, he is,” she agrees.
We walk over to them, the push and pull so jarring that our feet actually drag as we close the distance.
A tiny omega whine escapes Josie, and I turn to see her bandmates all outside their bus, but they haven’t noticed us yet.
Cleo is talking to Tom, a confused look on her face, and then she whips her head to us so hard and fast, I’m surprised she didn’t hurt her neck.
Well, shit. I guess he just told her about the transfer.
She immediately starts to head over, likely unconscious of any paparazzi or onlookers because her steps are powerful and angry as she darts to us, discontent evident all over her face.
I accidentally flinch, the emotional jerk getting sent down both of my bonds and to my alphas. I can feel their response immediately, and then Malaki is there, flanking Josie on her other side as Cleo arrives.
“What the fuck, Josie?” she spits out, her jaw tensing. “I just heard you’re moving onto their bus! What the hell?”
Josie shrinks inward, her mouth gaping but no sounds coming out.
“I don’t think she wants to talk to you right now,” Malaki says.
Cleo’s gaze snaps to him. “I wasn’t talking to you, you blue turd.”
I stifle a laugh, especially when I see the shell-shocked amusement on my mate’s face, his expression the perfect mix of tickled and offended.
“What’s going on?” Lark asks as she and Nicola join us, their brows arched in surprise.
“Did she just say you’re staying on The Rogues’ bus?” Nicola asks. She doesn’t look hurt or angry by that fact, just stunned as she looks to Josie for an explanation.
“Yes,” Josie whispers, still a fraction of her usual self as she curls into my side. “I think it’s for the best right now.”
They all take in the instinctual movement, eyeing where Josie’s and my skin touches, and Cleo explodes.
“For the best right now?!” she screams, and I find myself standing taller at her vicious tone. “Josie, you’re smarter than that.”
“Hey, don’t talk to her like that,” I tell her firmly, steeling my spine.
She looks at me and laughs. “Or what, Jamie? I thought I told you once before not to mess with my friend, so now all bets are off.”
“You outing Cyrus and I will do more damage to you than it will us,” I remind her, not wanting any harm to come to Josie’s band. “Besides, it would be doing us a favor. We’ve been hiding so long, it doesn’t matter to us.”
Josie’s eyes widen, fire blazing behind them as she turns to her best friend. “Hey, outing people is not okay.”
Cleo rolls her eyes, but there’s a dose of shame in her features when she looks back at us. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?” Josie questions. “Because the person I know would never do that. Even the threat of it is out of character for you, and maybe that’s the reason why I need to step away. Because I don’t know who you are anymore.”
She blinks at Josie. “What?”
Nicola’s eyes pass between them. “Maybe we should—”
“No, I want to hear what she has to say. Apparently, she doesn’t know me anymore, so she thinks packing up with literal strangers is better for her.”
“They’re not strangers, Cleo.”
In the wake of her words, silence falls over the group. The two best friends look at one another, one with sadness and the other with fiery defiance, a standoff that I want Josie out of immediately. I think Cleo might actually pounce at her, the indication too much for her to rationalize right now.
I feel his presence before I see him, his dominance pulsating in the air as Cyrus enters the circle. He moves to stand in front of Josie and me, separating us from Cleo’s rage.
“Sorry, I had a few things to take care of,” he says to us over his shoulder. “Josie, Izzy needs to talk to you about a few things. She wants to make sure we have everything you need.”
Josie nods beside me, biting her lip. “Okay.” She looks back at her friends, trying to stand proud in her decision. “I’ll see you at the next stop, okay? We can talk then.”
Lark is the only one who gives an understanding nod. The redhead never shows any anger towards Josie, I realize. She is always the one to help diffuse the tension, which she tries to do now as she looks back to Cleo.
“Come on, we need to head out.”
But Cleo is shaking her head, clearly not ready to let this go. “No. I don’t fucking understand. Josie, you hate them! Why the hell would you want to be on a bus with them? And how do you even know that you’re safe over there?”
A growl rises in Malaki’s chest at the implication that we could be a danger to our omega, but Cyrus places a hand on his shoulder, quietly commanding him to stifle it. The omega’s eyes widen even further, a wicked laugh escaping.
“Yeah, like that’s going to help.” She turns to look at her friend. “Josie, tell me there’s some reasonable explanation for this. You would never do this to me without one, please.”
Josie falters in her step, looking back to our prime, her omega seeking out direction because she is torn.
I can feel it even without a bond between us.
She wants to go back to them just so this entire situation will go away, but we’re way past that now.
There’s no appeasing Cleo now, and Josie knows it.
“Josie, it’s okay,” Cyrus reassures. “Go ahead. We’ll be there in a second.”
She turns, giving her bandmates one last look of riddled guilt before she hooks her arm with Malaki’s and heads to the bus, leaving us to deal with the wrath spewing from Cleo’s mouth.
“She can’t live on your bus!” she hisses. “This is fucking ridiculous.”
“Cleo, let’s just go,” Lark tells her, her hand moving to her bicep to ease her away. Even Nicola, who I’ve never seen without a maniacal smile, is nodding her head in agreement, nervously awaiting the end of this uncomfortable situation.
“No, no, this is insane,” she protests, pulling her arm out of the drummer’s grasp and pointing a finger at Cyrus. “What did you say to her? What did you do?”
My mate is calm, sturdy. He watches the omega unravel without pity or sympathy. “Did you ever stop and consider that maybe it was something you did?” he asks.
Cleo flinches, her entire body moving back a step. “You fucking asshole.”
Normally, he would laugh at that particular nickname, but he is all business. His alpha is front and center, prepared to protect what’s his.
“We’re giving her a place to breathe. You should do the same.”
Cleo looks at my prime like he is the devil, her lip curled, and eyes hardened into slits. “I knew you would do this,” she grits out. “I knew you would turn my best friend against me. Why couldn’t you just stay the hell out of my life?”
“You wanted to make me the bad guy, Cleo,” he tells her, referring to their little stint in the media.
“I never wanted that, but I have a job to do too. People I answer to. We both know the real reason for the animosity between us, but you couldn’t face it.
Instead, you had to create some sort of narrative that I’m out to get you.
It’s not true. I just want the best for you, and the best for Josie.
And right now, what’s best for her is staying with us. ”
Cleo is officially speechless, no words escaping, but she is vibrating with anger.
I’ve never seen anything like it, and I can’t seem to look away.
Then, she screams, loudly; her face turning blood red as she expels her frustration at us.
It’s frightening, yes, but I can also see the hurt in her eyes.
It breaks something in me, and I’m suddenly glad that Cyrus had the instinct to send Josie away so she wouldn’t see it, too.
“She’s not okay,” I comment as Cleo’s bandmates finally pull her away and practically drag her to the bus. “Has it really been that bad this entire time?”
“I think it’s worse,” he responds, his features finally falling into something more somber and compassionate. “But you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.”