After Dallas, the tour meandered through the Midwest. It was just as flat, open, and spacious as Kellan had told me. I found the monotony of the environment relaxing, it allowed my mind to drift. And, like it so often did, my mind drifted to Kellan-my past with Kellan, to be exact. The bus was noisy and boisterous with so many boys on it, but I found small pockets of time throughout the day where I could hide in the back bedroom and write a paragraph or two.
This bus was a lot like the last bus Kellan and the guys had been on, more designed for capacity than comfort. The "bedroom" in the back was basically a larger version of a cubby-a thin mattress shoved up against the back portion of the bus. It constantly smelled like engine exhaust. The flimsy door cut out some of the sound though, and the bed was large enough for Kellan and me to sleep side by side, so I was satisfied. It wasn't as nice as our place back home, but it was better than the bunk beds.
We'd left Sienna about a week ago. She'd headed back to her tour with a smirk on her face, and we'd packed up and moved on to the next location. The headlines the next morning were huge-Sienna Sexton Surprises Boyfriend on Tour! Even though I should have expected it, the gossip shocked me. It just didn't seem to matter what Kellan said or did; everything was twisted around in the media to make it seem like he and Sienna were deeply in love.
The still shot of Sienna kissing Kellan's shoulder that night was everywhere. I'd even seen fans ask Kellan to sign copies of it backstage. He never did. Saying that Sienna wasn't his girlfriend, and the photo was misleading, he always asked them if he could sign something else. And the fans always looked at him like his devotion to keeping his relationship with Sienna quiet was endearing. They loved him all the more for the way he protected her, when in reality, Kellan was protecting me.
"Irritated" didn't even begin to describe how I felt about Kell-Sex being the number one gossip story again. At least it would eventually die back down, now that they were apart. And Kellan wouldn't agree to another duet if she happened to "show up" for another publicity stunt; he'd already told me as much. Kellan would just have to keep doing his best at squelching the rumors while we patiently waited for another celebrity couple to pull at the world's heartstrings. And I was sure it would eventually happen. People loved to hear about power couples, especially when the power couple had problems.
We were in South Dakota today, to do a promotion for the tour that cracked me up every time I thought about it. The radio station that was sponsoring the event called it "Darts with D-Bags." They had rented out a local pool hall for the afternoon to host the band and a few dozen contest winners. Kellan was looking forward to throwing darts, but he wasn't the best pool player. Me either. The other D-Bags were decent though; Griffin in particular had a true talent for it. As we drove to the hall in one of the radio station's vans, Griffin started to give Kellan some pointers.
"Now, if the girl is bending in half to make her shot, that means she totally wants you to grab her ass."
"Griffin," I groaned, closing my eyes. What the hell did my sister see in him?
Griffin looked around Kellan to scoff at me. "What? That's what it means. There's no shot on earth that a chick has to bend over that far for. It's obviously code for, 'Grab me now and do naughty things to my no-no places.'"
Looking over at Kellan, I asked him, "Would you mind?"
Smiling, he answered, "Not at all," then reached over and smacked Griffin on the back of the head.
"God, just trying to help, man," Griffin muttered, rubbing his skull.
While Griffin switched his conversation to Evan in the front seat, I leaned my chin against Kellan's shoulder, silently thanking him for understanding what I wanted. He kissed my head as he softly laughed. True, I was trying to be nicer to Griffin, but some comments deserved a good smack. Even Anna would have thwacked him for that one.
We arrived at the pool hall and were ushered through the back doors by the radio personnel. Kellan and the boys posed for photos with the DJs while I waited with a group of interns. One girl chewed on her lip while she watched Kellan flash the cameraman a heart-stopping grin. Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I heard her groan.
Playing with my wedding ring, I debated if I wanted to try my hand at darts. I wasn't all that coordinated, and there was a distinct possibility that someone could get injured if I threw a pointy object across the room. The intern switched from watching Kellan to watching me. I glanced over at her with a puzzled expression.
"You came in with the guys," she said as her eyes darted to my ring. "You married to one of them?" I could tell she was silently praying that I said no. Nerves clenched my stomach. I hadn't anticipated someone asking me about my relationships. True, this was a one-on-one conversation and not an official interview, but this girl had the ears of the DJs. Saying something to her was akin to saying something to the whole city. Well, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but I still didn't like the idea.
Not knowing quite what to say, I simply told her, "No. Not married." That was the truth, since legally I wasn't. She looked about to ask me more, but, getting uncomfortable under her scrutiny, I excused myself and walked away.
The contest winners were divided up into four teams, and each team was assigned a D-Bag as its captain. The girls on Kellan's team were very excited. More than a few girls on the other teams seemed a little jealous, but quickly got over it; they were shooting pool and throwing darts with rock stars, after all. I weaseled my way onto Kellan's team. I wouldn't do much good in helping him win, but I could at least give him moral support when we lost. If we lost. I suppose I should start thinking positively. Go Team Kyle!
Each D-Bag had ten contest winners on his coed team. The team was then subdivided into a team of five that would play against another team of five. Plastered on a wall nearby was a complex bracket system that would eventually tell us which "Bag has the largest D." There was even an ostentatious D-shaped trophy for the winning team captain to take home. But the scoring process was more complicated than any statistics assignment I'd ever had at school, and I couldn't figure out how it all worked. All I knew was that even though Kellan and I were on the same team, he insisted on trying to distract me so much that I botched almost every shot.
During the dart game, Kellan would reach over and pinch the back of my thigh right as I was about to shoot. I missed the board three times in a row. One time when he did it, I'd been concentrating so hard on hitting the target-any target-that I hadn't noticed him behind me. Right as I was getting ready to throw, he nonchalantly ran his hand around my hip and into my front pocket. It scared the shit out of me. I twisted as I tossed, and flung the dart into a clump of pool players. It hit Griffin in the ass. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we were playing electronic darts, and Griffin wasn't injured. He did retaliate, though, by flicking a blue cue chalk at Matt, whom he'd incorrectly assumed had tagged him.
Kellan laughed so hard he had to step away from the game. A crowd of girls hovered around him like cats circling an open can of tuna. But again, the people around didn't seem to think it was weird that Kellan flirted so much with me. Probably because they all shamelessly flirted with him. It was like Pete's on crack. Kellan spent most of his nonplaying time swatting touchy-feely palms away, and politely redirecting wandering fingers. Even I had to admit, it was pretty amusing.
When our group switched over to the pool tables, the team's rankings were: Griffin's team, Evan's team, Matt's team, and then Kellan's team. I wasn't surprised that we were dead last. Nobody on our team was focusing very well, except maybe the three male contest winners. Although, even those guys found it hard to shoot pool with so many flirtatious girls around.
While two of the men on our losing team hit on a tall redhead who clearly only had eyes for Kellan, I leaned over to him and whispered, "Twenty bucks says I sink more shots than you."
Kellan scoffed at me. "Forty bucks says you just lost twenty bucks." I laughed at his remark and stuck my hand out to shake his. Kellan's lip curled into a smile that sent my heart soaring. "No, let's make this interesting. If I win, we have sex backstage tonight. If you win, we have sex backstage tonight."
I wanted to laugh again, but the way he said sex froze my brain for a second. "Um . . . I don't think you understand how betting works."
Moving in close to me, he breathed his response into my ear while he rested his hand on my stomach. "Don't I?"
"Okay," I muttered, wanting him to slide his hand down a little. "Deal." I had no idea where we'd find privacy in the circus that was the backstage area, but I didn't really care at that moment.
Kellan and I both proceeded to miss shot after shot after shot. I was beginning to wonder what the rules of our bet were if we tied with zero, when the sun shone down upon Kellan and he finally sank a ball in a pocket. He seemed just as surprised as me. Throwing his fist in the air, he shouted, "Yes!"
Since our team was still dead last, everyone around looked at him like he was slightly off-kilter. Kellan didn't care, though. Grinning like a little boy, he started playing his pool cue like it was a guitar. I rolled my eyes, but the girls watching him flew into a giggling fit.
While they fawned over how adorable he was, he told me, "I win." I knew I'd probably have one more chance to sink a ball, and I also knew the odds of me doing that were pretty slim. And I also knew that it didn't really matter who won this game-we were having sex backstage tonight.
As for who won the D-Bag cup, that honor eventually went to Evan. It was an upset heard around the pool hall. Mainly because Griffin let out a Braveheart-worthy yell of defeat when his team lost by four points. Who knew a kitschy plastic trophy was such a point of pride?
Evan proudly displayed his giant "D" on his lap the entire ride back to the radio station. By the time we all headed out to the venue, Griffin was so bent out of shape, he wouldn't even look at Evan anymore. "You cheated," he muttered.
"How could I possibly cheat?" Evan countered.
Sniffing, Griffin murmured. "I don't know, but you definitely cheated."
"If you mean I cheated by being better than you, than yes, I totally cheated."
Kellan chuckled at his band mates while Griffin scowled at Evan. As the conversations shifted to less combative topics, Kellan looked over at me with pure, undiluted desire in his eyes. "I'm really looking forward to the show tonight. I can hardly wait."
I felt my cheeks heating as his innuendo hit me full force. Wanting to match his playfulness, I murmured, "Yeah, I know. I think it's going to be a real rager." Oh my God, did I just say that out loud?
Kellan's eyes widened, along with his smile. "I think I'll be drenched by the time I'm done."
I immediately looked away. Oh God, this was so embarrassing . . . and hot. Looking back, I smirked and told him, "Yeah, you'll probably be completely drained." I couldn't believe I said it with a straight face. Kellan either. He looked away, his lips twitching.
Just as he composed himself, we arrived at the rear entrance to the theater where the guys were playing tonight. Before Kellan opened his door, he told me, "I hope I have the stamina to plow through it."
Following after him as he exited the car, I tossed out, "I'm sure you'll reach your climax."
All of the guys were staring when I got of the car. Matt and Evan looked surprised by what I'd just said; Griffin looked a little turned on. Kellan was barely containing his amusement. Feeling red-hot, I locked eyes with Kellan. "That wasn't subtle enough, was it?"
He shook his head, then fell apart as he started laughing hysterically. I covered my eyes with my hands. God. Guess I'm still an idiot. When I heard Matt and Evan start chuckling, I peeked through my fingers. They were giving me such affectionate smiles that I couldn't help but start laughing too.
Everyone walked into the theater in a really good mood. Especially Griffin, who was a few steps behind us, simulating thrusting while he was walking. When he started getting left behind the group, he moaned out, "Wait for me, I'm coming." I bit my cheek and made a mental note to leave the provocative talk for times when Kellan and I were alone, or at least, nowhere near Griffin.
As Matt and Evan headed over to help out with setting up the show, Kellan stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Where shall we go?" he asked as he bent down and nuzzled my neck.
I glanced around the room already buzzing with fans and rock stars. There really wasn't any privacy here; even the bathrooms were constantly opening and closing as people used them. Looking over my shoulder, I asked him, "Were you serious about that bet?"
Kellan spun me in his arms. A couple of fans stopped and stared at him; they obviously wanted a turn being held by Sienna's flirty boyfriend. "Was I serious about the sex? Always." Leaning down, he whispered in my ear, "And I'm pretty sure I have a favor to return." His lips brushed against my ear as he said it, and a jolt of electricity shot down my spine. I could feel the heat retuning to my body, but it had nothing to do with embarrassment this time.
Grabbing my hand, Kellan started pulling me through the throngs. I had no idea where he was taking me. Storage closet, maybe? People we passed by murmured that Kellan sure was friendly with his fans, but they said it in an excited way. I even overheard one girl saying, "I hear Sienna's really cool about his flirting, so maybe we'll get to cuddle next!"
I almost couldn't believe how dense some people were, but it really wasn't their fault. They didn't know him, they didn't know me. They only had money-hungry gossip magazines to believe. It really made me wonder what celebrity stories I'd firmly bought into that had actually been complete crap.
Kellan was making a beeline for a hallway. He had to stop and sign something every five steps, but he always resumed his path when he was finished. His determination made me giggle. "Shouldn't you be helping set up the show, rock star?" There weren't a lot of roadies on the tour, so all the guys helped out with setup and teardown. Kellan was being a slacker by slipping away with me.
Kellan smirked at me over his shoulder. "When I can concentrate properly, I'll-"
His comment was cutoff when Justin bumped into him. Eyes glued to his cell phone, Justin had been walking on a perpendicular path to us and hadn't noticed Kellan in time to avoid him. Justin looked up when he was jostled, and the small smile on his face turned sheepish. "Oh, hey, sorry, wasn't watching where I was going." He flashed his phone at us, and I noticed Kate's picture in the corner. I wasn't too shocked to see it there; last time I'd spoken with her, she'd told me that Justin texted her every couple of days. She always giggled after she mentioned his name. It made me happy that Justin and Kate were frequently talking; he was a good guy, and she was a sweetheart.
I smiled at him while Kellan said, "No problem, we were just . . . running an errand."
Justin scrunched his forehead together like he was trying to figure out just what errand we could possibly be running backstage. I had the sudden urge to pinch Kellan again. He was usually much better at making up stories.
Kellan clapped Justin's shoulder, then started to move around him. Justin let us walk by, then called out, "Hey, I just wanted to let you know, I totally understand, and there's no hard feelings. We're cool, dude."
Kellan stopped in his tracks and looked back at Justin. "What are you talking about?"
Justin took a step toward us. "You leaving the tour. I just wanted you to know that I get it. You guys are bigger than this. Even I'll admit that."
Kellan's jaw dropped. "I'm . . . leaving . . . what? What the hell are you talking about?"
Justin's expression was a strange combination of horror, shock, and confusion. "You don't know? I just assumed you knew. Fuck, sorry, man."
Kellan's face clouded over. "Know what? What the hell happened since this morning?"
Justin sighed as he ran a hand through his choppy hair. "Ah, crap. Well, it went down while you guys were doing the thing with the radio station. Some, ah, bigwig from the label showed up and started barking orders at people. He said that he'd be sending people over after the show tonight to 'collect' your things, and if anybody else touched your stuff, there'd be hell to pay."
Kellan's grip on my hand tightened, and I subtly stroked his forearm. "And where exactly are they sending our stuff? Where the fuck are we going?"
Justin shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable with being the bearer of bad news. "Uh, back to L.A. You're playing Staples Center tomorrow night . . . with Sienna Sexton. The label's putting you on her tour."
For just a fraction of a second while Justin had been speaking, I'd thought Kellan had somehow done something really wrong, and he was being tossed off the tour as a punishment. Maybe he'd even be sent home. I wasn't sure. But after Justin said her name, it all started making sense. Sienna wanted her spotlight amplified, and Kellan was just the extra wattage she needed. "That bitch!" I exclaimed.
Justin looked over at me, then back to Kellan. "I don't think it was her. It's just, you know, you guys are huge now. I mean, you could be selling out venues ten times as big as the places we're going. The label knows that. They're just doing what makes sense, and they're right. It really doesn't make sense for you to be on tour with us. I knew that the minute Sienna showed up for the duet." He clasped Kellan's arm. "You're beyond this, man. We're holding you back."
Clearly not agreeing, Kellan shook his head. He tried to say something, but he didn't have any words. Understanding, Justin smiled, gave him two congratulatory smacks on the back, then walked away. Kellan turned to me. "What the fuck just happened?" he asked.
Sighing, I told him, "Sienna and Nick. That's what happened."
Kellan dug in his pocket for his phone. "I don't think so." He scrolled through his contact list until he reached Nick's number, then he started the call and brought the phone to his ear. While it rang, he murmured, "This is bullshit, and this is not how this is going down."
Kellan's eyes hardened and I could tell Nick had picked up. "What did you do?" Fuming, Kellan listened in silence for a moment, then surprise washed over his features. "You're where?" Kellan looked back at the hallway that we'd been approaching earlier. "Fine, I'll see you in a minute." I guess we were going down there after all, just for an entirely different reason now.
Kellan shoved the phone back in his pocket and stormed forward. Since he was still holding tight to me, I had no choice but to follow him. I didn't want to miss this anyway. Nick couldn't do this. He didn't own Kellan. He couldn't just dictate where he went and who he went with. That seemed completely out of line to me, and way beyond the scope of Kellan's contract.
There were a few rooms along the hall that people were stumbling into and out of. But there was only one room with a man standing in front of it, arms crossed over his chest. Kellan headed straight for that room. The man glanced at Kellan coming then rapped on the door behind him. "He's here."
Nick must have responded to the man because the guy opened the door for us right as we got there. Kellan didn't even look at the bodyguard as he barged through the door and strode into what appeared to be an office for the theater. Nick was patiently waiting for Kellan behind a desk littered with paperwork. "Why the hell did you pull us from the tour?"
Nick smiled at us in a perfectly calm and composed way. It irritated me. Indicating a couple of chairs to our left, he said, "Why don't you have a seat?" I started to walk over to one, but Kellan held my hand tight and snapped, "I'm not sitting, and I'm not leaving Justin's tour."
Nick sighed and placed his hands in his lap. "You seem to be under the impression that you have a choice on the matter. You don't. I decide where the acts play, and who they play with." He splayed his hands. "Now, I'm usually a very flexible man, and I strive to give my artists as much free range as possible." I snorted at that, and Nick shot me a hard glance. "But in some cases," he continued, "when my talent is being wholly underrepresented, I feel the need-no, I feel it's my duty-to step in and make things right."
Standing, he casually tucked his hands in the pockets of his slacks and strutted our way. His demeanor was laid-back, but yet somehow also intimidating. "The hard fact here is that you're too big of an act. You belong in stadiums. It's a waste of our money and a waste of your talent for you to be playing anything smaller. And I'm not a man to waste . . . anything."
Sitting on the edge of the desk, he shrugged his shoulders. "Sienna's tour is where you belong. That was made quite clear to me after that duet she performed on stage with you. It's magic whenever you two are together, and we're going to capitalize on that magic."
Kellan inhaled a deep breath, then stated, "No. I'm staying."
Nick continued like he hadn't just spoken. "Sienna's been informed, and she's graciously made room for you. Your stuff is being moved over tonight, which I'm assuming you already know. A car will be picking you up and taking you to the airport the minute your set is over. When you arrive in L.A. a limo will be waiting, courtesy of Ms. Sexton."
Releasing my hand, Kellan crossed his arms over his chest. "I said we're staying."
Nick slowly stood up. He was shorter than Kellan, but that didn't seem to matter. "And I said you didn't have a choice. If you read your contract, like you said you did, then you should know that the label has final say over your schedule. If we want to pull you from one tour and put you on another, we will. If we want to send you on an over-fifty singles cruise in Alaska, we will. And you'll go, because, what you still don't seem to grasp is . . ." Standing toe to toe with Kellan, he leaned in like he was telling him a secret. "We own you."
When Nick pulled away, he patted Kellan's arm. "And besides, you told me, and I do believe this is a direct quote, 'I will help you promote the album in any way I can . . . within reason.'" He sniffed and straightened his jacket. "I think asking you to perform in the hottest concert tour on earth is very . . . reasonable." He lifted a brow. "Don't you?"
There was nothing Kellan could say to that. Nick had him and Nick knew he had him. He'd always known it. That's why there hadn't been a bigger pissing match the last time Kellan had stood up to him. Nick had been in control all along.
Kellan was trembling when Nick left the room. I could see the thick veins along the sides of his neck and knew he was absolutely livid. Silently standing next to him, I gave him a minute to calm down. It didn't seem to help. Letting out a frustrated grunt, Kellan snatched one of the chairs beside us and flung it at the wall; it left a couple of circular dent marks in the drywall.
I flinched, then tentatively put a hand on his arm. "It will be okay, Kellan."
He snapped his head to me. "I thought I was done being manipulated, but every turn I take another string gets pulled."
I nodded as I cupped his cheek. His skin was warm, and his eyes were fiery. And damn if it wasn't attractive as hell. "I know this sucks. Believe me, I know. But . . . Nick may actually have a point."
Kellan furrowed his brow, but his anger dissipated a little. "What do you mean?"
Glad that he was calming down, I laced my arms around his neck. "As much as I love Justin and the guys, you are bigger than them. I mean, you've already replaced them as the closing act. You do belong in a stadium." Smiling, I threaded my fingers through his hair. "And Staples Center, Kellan. That's . . . as large as it gets."
Kellan frowned at me. "I like small." A delightful curve appeared on his mouth. "I like intimate."
Reaching up to kiss that delicious mouth, I murmured, "I know. But you might like this too. You won't know for sure if you don't try." I shrugged. "Maybe this will be a good thing."
Kellan shook his head at me. "I think you're being naive again."
My mind ran through a million horrible scenarios, some probable, like Sienna being a constant thorn in our side, some highly improbable, like the record label lacing Kellan with some designer drug so that Sienna was able to seduce him for a night. Their drug-induced one-night stand would then result in Sienna getting pregnant with the world's most anticipated child. Nick would name her "Platinum."
I frowned at my imagined scenario. "I'm trying to look on the bright side."
Kellan let out a long sigh. "Guess we better go tell the guys the 'good' news."
We were all escorted from the venue the very second the D-Bags were done with their performance. The crowd clamored for "Regretfully" just like they always did, but the guys weren't given time to do an encore. They weren't given time to do anything. In fact, they were swept away so fast that Kellan wasn't able to grab his prized guitar. He worried about his instrument the entire time we were in the air. I briefly considered joining the mile-high club with him, just to get his mind off of it, but in the end I just told him that his baby was in good hands.
The limo waiting for us in Los Angeles was impressive. It wasn't a typical limo, it was a stretch Hummer, a fact that Griffin was nearly epileptic about. After he eagerly climbed in we all heard, "Oh my God, Kell, you gotta see the bar in here. And there's totally room for a stripper pole! I'm so getting one of these someday."
Kellan rolled his eyes at his bassist as he helped me into the gargantuan symbol of affluence-wealth on wheels. The guys had been torn on the news when we'd broken it to them. They liked Avoiding Redemption and the rest of the bands, but touring with Sienna was a big deal and could open even bigger doors for them. The exposure was going to be off the charts.
Much to my surprise, Sienna was inside the car. She had an open bottle of champagne in her hands and was pouring some into a pair of glasses that Griffin was holding. "Welcome, loves," she brightly exclaimed as we took our seats.
Matt and Evan warmly acknowledged her while Kellan only gave her a brief smile. Indicating for Griffin to start passing out the glasses of champagne, Sienna let out a morose sigh. "I am so very sorry that you were all yanked from your tour like that. Yes, Nick has the right, but as a professional courtesy to the other bands, he shouldn't have done it." Looking like she didn't understand Nick at all, she shook her head as she finished pouring everyone's drinks. "I told him he was making a mistake, and he should leave your band alone, but . . . well, Nick gets carried away sometimes."
She tossed on a charming, sympathetic smile, but I wasn't entirely convinced. Her words sounded great, but this benefitted her just as much as Nick, so I would be hard-pressed to believe that she hadn't had a hand in it. When we were all holding glasses, Sienna lifted her drink high into the air. "This may not have been the ideal start to our union, but I say we make the best of it." She extended her glass out to the middle of the car. "To making this the greatest tour anyone has ever seen."
Kellan sighed, but he clinked glasses with everyone. After accepting the toast, he seemed lighter. Like me, he probably didn't believe Sienna, but he agreed with her sentiment. Leaving Justin sucked, but it was done, and we all might as well move forward.
After taking her sip, Sienna squealed like a little girl. "I can't wait for you guys to see your bus. You'll love it. It is so much nicer than the one you were on."
Kellan looked around at the opulence that he was already surrounded in, but didn't seem impressed. If Sienna really knew him, then she would understand that her statement didn't mean much to Kellan. He didn't need things to be happy.
Even though it was really late-or really early-Sienna insisted on showing us the busses. The lights were off when we approached, but Sienna said the tour had pulled in the night before and the guys were sleeping at a nearby hotel. That brightened my spirits. Would we get to sleep in hotels from time to time? That was one luxury that Justin's tour didn't have.
Nearly glowing with glee, Sienna gave us a tour of our new home away from home. Walking down the main aisle, she ran a hand over some plush chairs surrounding securely anchored tables. A curved couch took up a large portion of the "lounging" area, and there was a flat screen TV bolted to the wall in front of it, along with a cabinet nearby overflowing with video games. Sienna was right, this bus was much nicer than the one we'd been on. Showcasing every amenity on the bus in a charming accent that made even the drollest words sound sublime, Sienna led us to the sleeping area. This bus had cubbies in the wall, just like the last bus, but there weren't nearly as many, so there was a decent amount of room in each one. I'd say two people could fit comfortably, if they snuggled.
Since Sienna was squeezing us into a tour that was already in progress, I wondered which bunk Kellan and I would be sleeping in. As I debated if the top bunk was better or worse than the bottom bunk, Sienna grabbed Kellan's hand and pulled him through the open curtain that led to the back. Frowning at Kellan's abduction, I followed them. Past the sleeping cubbies was a bathroom-with a shower and everything-and a closed door that I had to assume was the back bedroom.
Sienna was standing by the door like Vanna White. Her smile effervescent, she twisted the knob and pushed the door open. "For the happy couple," she murmured, her eyes lingering on Kellan's back as he stepped inside.
Kellan reached out a hand for me, and I joined him. The first thing I noticed, besides the fact that this was a hundred times nicer than the glorified cubby we'd slept in on Justin's bus, was the windows. All three walls of the back section of the bus were covered in huge, black, one-way glass panels. At least, I hoped they were one-way glass. I could see everything in the parking lot. Once I got over the openness of the room, the huge bed in the center of it got my attention. A bed . . . we'd be sleeping on an actual bed with a decently supportive mattress! There was a cabinet near the door for our clothes, and even a TV bolted to the wall. It was almost like our own private studio apartment. I could have hugged Sienna for rearranging things so we could have this room.
Still dazed at how comfortable Kellan and I might be here, I twisted back to our benefactor. "Thank you, Sienna."
She waved off my gratitude. "Anything I can do to help." Lips pursing, she added, "I want this arrangement to work . . . for all parties." The look on her face radiated sincerity, and I wanted so badly to believe her. I just . . . didn't.