Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Dom
Christ. I told Pen to be discreet about our plans for Callum, and here he goes looking like a lovesick pup around the rest of the security team and the band. Tobias is going to have his balls—and mine, if Pen doesn’t pull his head out of his ass.
Granted, Tobias has no place to say shit.
He fucking took Danny and ran two years ago, because of a stalker—Danny’s former personal assistant, who was delusional and obsessed with the lead singer.
By the end of the whole crazy fiasco, our lead ended up with Danny as his life partner. So no, he can’t say shit to us.
Not wanting Pen to be singled out, I walk over to the opposite side of Callum’s bed, silently admitting that yes, there is something going on with the three of us—even though Callum won’t admit his feelings.
“Dom. Pen. Hallway, now.” Tobias doesn’t leave room for arguing as he strides out of the room. John follows behind him, his face a mask of indifference. But I see the corners of John’s lips tip up—he too, has nothing to say about hooking up with a band member.
I turn to Pen and frown. “We’re going to talk later about being discreet.” I drop my scowl and glance at Callum with a reassuring smile. “Need anything?”
“Like that’ll happen,” he says flatly, his eyes never meeting mine. Callum’s avoidance tactic won’t work on me. I kiss the top of his head and walk out of the room, with Pen on my heels.
As we four stand outside the hospital room, we eyeball each other like we’re in a stand-off. I can only imagine what the passersby are thinking as they look at us. Yes, we are an intimidating group.
I decide to put it out there. “Before you utter a word, Tobias, think about what happened two years ago with Danny,” I say, holding nothing back.
“There’s a difference,” he growls low. “Danny and I weren’t intimate when all that started.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I glare, folding my arms across my chest. “Pen and I aren’t giving Callum up, just because you tell us to. It’s not your place to decide what we do.”
“Maybe you two should—” John begins, but Pen whips his attention to the second lead and frowns.
“You have no room to talk either, Brand.” Pen mimics my stance. “Do you have amnesia or something because I distinctly remember last year. The lengths you went to when Connor’s uncle was threatening him are still very vivid in my mind.”
“I know, I know,” John utters in a reassuring tone.
“What I was going to say,” he looks pointedly at Pen, “is that before you get too deep into whatever you three have started—or not started, find out who is after him and why. Then you’re free and clear to pursue whatever relationship you want without any chaos impacting your bubble. ”
“John’s right. Safety needs to be first—that’s our job. Warrior Black is our priority,” Tobias says with less vinegar.
“I know Callum and the band’s safety has to be our priority—I’m not an asshole,” I proclaim. “We don’t want grief from you or from the rest of our team, or from Dean and his guys.”
“Hey, if you three are meant to be, so be it. I won’t give you shit about it, but I can’t be sure Danny won’t read you the riot act. He’s very protective of his friends—especially Callum. Just saying,” Tobias says with a slight shake of his head.
“Callum’s safety always comes before anything else—including my feelings,” I admit.
“I echo that,” Pen chimes in with a nod.
With the four of us in agreement, Tobias asks Fig and Jordan to join our circle before announcing, “We’re going to have to call Dean for help once again.”
“Once he hears what happened, Dean won’t have a choice,” John adds, shaking his head. “Besides, it’s not like he has to come here.”
Pen’s brows furrow deep. I have the urge to smooth them out with my thumbs and then kiss his mouth to erase the concern etched in the corner of his green eyes. Instead, I ask, “What’s wrong?”
He glances at me and some of the worry disappears from his face. Then he turns to Tobias and asks, “Are Dean’s guys coming to protect the entire band, or just Callum and Dom—since the attack seems to have been directed at them?”
My mouth drops at Pen’s remark. Why does he think I need protection? If anything, it should be Callum and him. The shooter aimed the gun at Pen after she didn’t have a clear shot at Callum. “I think all three of us are in jeopardy, Pen,” I admit resolutely.
“This protection is for everyone,” Tobias declares. “We can’t chance doing otherwise.”
“I’m staying,” Jordan chimes in. “Dante already had a word with Dean last night because he texted me not five minutes ago to remain here with the band.”
Out of all of the bodyguards, Jordan is the quiet and aloof one. The native Chicagoan doesn’t get involved in everyday band drama. He just protects Bobby, the keyboardist, when the band goes on tour.
“I have to say, Jordan. This is the most I’ve heard you talk,” John says, chuckling.
The man shrugs. “There isn’t usually much to say. Everyone else talks enough without me adding to the conversation.”
That’s true. The band tends to fill the air with chatter, especially when there’s good gossip in the rock and roll industry.
“So is Dean coming?” I ask him, shifting the topic back to what we need to focus on.
“No.”
I figured that. Dean’s been taking care of Ron during his cancer treatments. We had all been surprised by that relationship.
“But we can count on a few of Dean’s heavy hitters,” Tobias says. “We will also have access to Levi, his tech guru.”
“Ron. Fuck.” Pen frowns, then drops his attention to the floor. “I need to call Ron.”
Ever since Ron’s announcement last year about his cancer diagnosis, Pen has called him almost every day to see how the old band manager has been doing. However, with the chaos of our trip here and then Callum’s attack, it seems he forgot to call Ron yesterday.
“Be right back,” Pen says, pulling out his phone and walking off.
I have the sudden need to follow him and see if he’s okay.
An emotional Pen isn’t always rational, particularly when Ron’s name is mentioned in the conversation.
Pen’s super close with the old band manager.
They have a similar past—the reactions of their families when they came out to them almost mirroring each other, just thirty years apart.
The old manager took Pen under his wing when Pen came out to his family and they pretty much shunned him. Except these past few months, his mother has been calling and texting him. I don’t know what all that is about, Pen won’t tell me, but lately he refuses to talk to her.
“Be right—”
“I’ll check on him,” John reassures me and then walks off toward Pen’s direction.
I want to argue that Pen is my man, and it’s up to me to tend to his needs. But the cautionary gaze from Tobias has me staying firm in my spot.
“Fig, you’re quiet. Got any input?” Tobias asks.
“While we wait for Dean’s men, call Levi so he can start working on Callum’s father’s itinerary from the past six months. That way we aren’t here holding our balls, while waiting for something to happen,” Fig says, cupping his dick.
“Good idea,” Tobias says. “But we need to talk to the detectives about that woman.”
“She’s a hitman—I know it, but who hired her is what we need to know,” I say, my gut churning with fire and the need to punch something… Multiple times.
What if Pen hadn’t been fast enough? That thought keeps swirling in my mind. I don’t care if I get shot, but Callum has had enough brutality for one goddamned lifetime.
“We have seven months—until Rocktoberfest, to find out who’s behind Callum’s attack, track down any leads about this female shooter and who she’s affiliated with,” Tobias says, strain in his tone.
“Jesus,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. The huge event in Black Rock, Nevada is what jumpstarted Warrior Black’s fame. It’s the one event they would never miss a chance to play. And the chaos there makes protecting the band nearly impossible. We have to wrap this up before then.
“What if we don’t?” Fig asks. “What if there are more attempts on Callum’s life?”
“We don’t have a choice. However, if Callum’s father is the cause of this, then we don’t have to look too far to find the answers and extinguish any threats.”
“Now that’s a plan.” Fig raises his hand for a high five.
Both Tobias and I stare at Fig like he’s certifiably strange. Jordan just rolls his eyes.
“What?” Fig says as he lowers his hand, shakes his head and backs into Callum’s room.
“Now the question is,” Tobias’s eyes laser in on me, “between the two of us, who’s going to tell the band and Dante that the band will be locked down until the threat is cleared?”
“I think, as lead, you have a better chance of calming the masses with that bad news.”
“It’s what I live for,” Tobias rumbles out, tilting his head up in frustration. “Let’s get out of the hospital first before I tell the band about the extra security coming at us.”
We decide to secure Callum’s house in Evergreen, then we’ll let the complaints begin. Only I don’t care, because Callum will be completely safe with friends around him, and Pen and I at his back, protecting him.