by Cat Mason
“Vroooooom! Vroooooom!” he squeals.
“Look, I told you they stopped here.” A man says, running up from around the corner. “Rae! How do you like working for Shaft? Where’s the wedding venue?” More men carrying cameras and following behind him, all shouting more and more questions so fast I can’t keep up.
“Is Chase pregnant? That’s the reason they are running off to get married, isn’t it?”
“That still won’t stop Hunter from tappin’ groupie ass. He’s just more discreet now,” a man argues from behind a flashing camera.
“Did Ironsound send you to baby-sit the whole band, or just the kids?”
Flash bulbs go off and Brannon tenses in my arms. Turning his body, he buries his face in my neck and whimpers. “I don’t have anything to say to you.” My reply does nothing but add fuel to the fire of their endless attack of questioning. “We’re not even a part of the band, how are we even news at all?” I ask, my hands beginning to tremble.
“Or do they just bring in a ‘nanny’ to ‘handle things’?” Another guy says, making air quotes with his fingers like a complete tool. “Take care of the big boys too, do you?”
My blood boils at the smart ass remark from the cocky bastard, but the way they are backing me in has me very nervous. The guy stops flashing pictures, slipping the strap of his camera around his neck to study me instead. They crowd me, effectively surrounding me so that I begin to feel caged in, and I don’t like that. It makes me very uneasy. My first instinct is to slug every single one of them in the goddamn face for talking to me that way, especially in front of the baby, but my main priority is to get Bran back inside the diner and away from this circus. The men are pushy, barking comment after comment about things I couldn’t possibly understand or know anything about after only being with Shaft a few days. I begin plotting my way out. Backing slowly toward the door, I am floored, yet again. “We pay big bucks for inside info, you know, and I’ll guarantee that you’ve got some juicy dirt for us.”
“What the fuck?”
I turn to see Henry, completely enraged and heading straight for us. If I weren’t so happy to see him right now, I would be scared shitless of the look on his face. He looks absolutely murderous, his eyes locked on the photographers.
Henry yanks my body behind his, effectively blocking me from view. His body is rigid as stone. “You here to eat?” he asks, the muscles bulging and flexing in his back as he shoves the guys, causing them to stumble backward. I can’t see their faces, but I have no doubt Henry has got them ready to bolt. When they don’t speak, he turns and steers me toward the door. “Thought so. Fuck off then, you damn vultures.”
They continue shouting their questions, trying to rile Henry up more, as he pushes Brannon and me inside. Henry ignores them completely. Pulling the door closed behind him, he waits until they disappear around the corner. “They’ll be waiting there until we leave. This is gonna get sticky, quick.” Turning to face me, he rips the glasses from his face. “What the hell were you thinking?” he growls.
“The lot was empty when we went out. There was a truck,” I blurt, my body still trembling with adrenaline as I cling to Brannon.
“Rule one: no one leaves without Mack or me. Ever,” he grinds out, the vein in his neck bulges, his jaw ticking angrily. “You put not only yourself in danger, but Brannon as well.” Narrowing his eyes, he steps closer. The closer he gets, the harder it is to breathe. This is the intimidating Henry, the one you don’t fuck with. The bear has been poked and he is ready to rip anyone apart that is too close. Right now, that includes me. “That’s unacceptable, Rae. This is a sink or swim type job you have here. Right now, you’re setting yourself up to drown before the day is out.”
Not a half hour ago, he was making small talk with me at the table. Now, it’s the frozen tundra. Those warm eyes have now gone ice cold and I know it is my fault. I was so excited to hear Bran speak that I would have done anything for more. The problem is, that instead of apologizing like I know I should, I am pissed off at the idea of being reprimanded like a child. I can feel the tears burning my eyes, but I push them back, biting back the sob of relief that nearly escapes at the thought of being out of that mess. “You know what, Henry?” My tone is cold to match his fucking condescending stare. “I get that was a bad situation. I’ll admit I messed up so thank you for stepping in when I got surrounded because I have never dealt with the media and wasn’t prepared for how pushy they can be.” Squaring my shoulders, I turn my back on him. “However, I sincerely doubt that you’re perfect. In fact, I’ll bet my bank account any day of the week, that you’ve fucked up plenty in life. I’ll be sure to let Mack know the next time I want to take the children anywhere,” I grind out, driving home the point that I’m not planning to ask him for anything.
“You don’t get to call the shots around here, Rae. That’s my job. What you need…” Reaching out, Henry places his hand on my shoulder, and I tense.
“I know exactly what I need, Henry, better than anyone,” I snap, jerking myself free of his hold. “And it absolutely doesn’t involve anything from you.”
Shaking off my bad mood, I head back to the group, where our food has just arrived. “Hey, everything okay?” Daisy asks, watching me carefully as I buckle the baby back in the highchair.
“Yes, everything’s fine. Bran just saw some trucks through the window and I stopped to let him watch for a minute,” I reply, ruffling his hair.
“Vroooooom vroooooom,” Brannon says, moving his sippy cup around the tray like a truck.
Walking back over to the booth, I slide in beside Jazzie. Instead of scooting over to leave enough room for Henry to sit beside me this time, I stay on the edge of the bench. If he thinks I’ll heel to his command like a damn pup, he’s got another thing coming. Yes, I messed up, and that can possibly cost me my job, I know that. The problem is, I wasn’t prepared for that type of bullshit, especially not for it to be directed at me. I mean for Christ’s sake, they already know my name? Part of me knows that I should be grateful for all his help because I was getting over my head in that quick, but the other part of me wants him to realize that I won’t be barked at by him without biting back.
7
News Flash: Herpes is a Reoccurring Condition
Henry
Stubborn damn woman.
When I got up to tell Rae that the food was here, the last thing I expected was to find an empty bathroom. Walking back out, my stomach dropped into my toes when I saw them being damn near mauled by photographers.
What the fuck was she even doing out there in the first place?
I went into a total frenzy. I couldn’t get to them fast enough. I just needed them safe and that situation was combustible. Once I got them inside, all I wanted to do was explain how dangerous things could have become.
Instead, I blew a gasket.
Saying the paparazzi is a sore subject with me is an understatement, but I still should have handled it better. It’s not like she could possibly know the things that happened because of my relationship with Katheryn, right?
I should go in and apologize, but it wouldn’t matter. I’ll only end up doing it again. I seem to snap more and more lately. My control is waning, and no matter what I do, I feel more and more like the harder I fight, the worse it gets.
She’s better off if she learns to hate me from the start. I could see the softness in her eyes when I was talking about raising the boys and how our family came to be. All that shit leads to is disappointment later. It’s best she learns now that that man is long gone.
Leaning against the wall, I shove my shades in place, watching everyone eat. Hunter trash talks Rae while she tosses it right back like a pro. Tears stream down Hunter’s face as he cleans off one of his wings before tossing it to the plate. Everyone is watching as they banter back and forth while inhaling the wings without me. Jazzie stands in the booth, her laughter filling the restaurant as she roots them on while waving cloth napkins like pom poms.
And I watch.
It’s what I do.
Instead of joining in with my family like I should be doing, I watch as they go about like I don’t exist. Aiden feeds Camaron bits of food with his fingers while Grayson steals kisses from Daisy while she cuts Brannon’s food.
I’m missing out on life and I’m the only one to blame.
I turn my attention to the front doors again, opting to watch the parking lot instead. Vehicle after vehicle enter and exit the lot. I scan every person, every movement, until a big black van pulls in, and then another.
One of the rat bastards from before have no doubt called this in. He walks over when the passenger door opens and shakes a woman’s hand as she climbs out. When he steps back and I get a clear view of her, my hands instantly ball into fists at my side.
Katheryn.
She stares at the diner with a wicked grin playing on her lips as they talk. Nodding her head, she turns and says something to the people inside the van causing them to begin unloading.
Grabbing my cell, I shoot a text to Mack. Need to leave. Now.
Turning, I stare into the diner and wait for his eyes to meet mine. “Gotcha,” he mouths, pushing to his feet.
He knows what to do, we’ve run this scenario enough times now that no further discussion is needed. Walking over to the counter, I hand Charlie some cash. “That should more than cover the bill.”
“I didn’t realize y’all were ready for your check.” Thumbing through the cash, she shakes her head. “There’s over two hundred dollars here.”
“Keep whatever’s left,” I tell her, almost apologetic. “Things are about to get crazy,” I explain, pointing outside to the quickly filling parking lot.
“Ready?” Mack asks, coming up behind me and clapping me on the shoulder.
“We’ve got one shot at this, and I need you focused,” I murmur, my eyes still pinned on the lot.
“It’s not me you should be worried about, Big Man.” His reply is firm. “It’s your head she’s here to fuck with,” he says, pointing out Kat in the mix of guys.
He’s right.
There is no doubt in my mind that she thought coming here would set me off my game. That me seeing her after all this time would shake me up to the point that I’d make a mistake.
That’s not how this is going down. There is plenty of time for me to stew on this shit later. Right now I have to get everyone to the large eighteen passenger van we rented at the airport and get the hell out of here.
The minute everyone gets behind Mack and me, I take a breath. “Everyone stays together and behind us. We get into the van and we are out of here. Do not, under any circumstances, speak to or engage them in anyway, no matter what bullshit they spew at you.”
“Is that—” Chase starts.
“No way would that fuckin’ bitch show her face…” Hunter interrupts, coming to stand behind me. “Big Man, this is—”
“Nothing for any of you to be concerned with,” I interrupt, stepping up to grab the door handle. “Out the doors and to the van. Are we clear?”
Mack takes his place, flanking me to my right and I push the doors open. Instantly everyone is on us. Flash bulbs go off and everyone’s names are being shouted. I immediately go into robot mode. Shielding the guys as best I can while they tuck their girls into their sides. Mack flings open the van door, shoving Rae and the kids inside as I shove back the crowd.
“Are you here to get married this weekend?”
“What about the allegations of Hunter and Chase marrying being a publicity stunt to promote the upcoming album release?”
“Is Chase pregnant?”
“Hello, Henry.”
The voice stops me in my tracks. Slamming the van door when Mack climbs up into the driver’s seat, I turn and come face to face with Katheryn. “I take it no one missed me,” she purrs arrogantly.
I don’t say a word. Moving around her, I open the passenger side door and climb into the van. “I had hoped you’d be happier to see me.” Katheryn shrugs, a smile playing on her lips. “Don’t worry, darling, we’ll be seeing plenty of each other now that I’m running the new and improved StroketheShaft.com site. We debuted the new site and design as soon as we got wind of wedding planning.” Looking over at Hunter, she smiles. “Congratulations, Hunter. They’re already placing bets online for how long you’re marriage lasts before Chase is pulling groupies off your dick.”
“You fuckin’ bitch,” Hunter growls, grabbing the seat in front of him. “You have no right—”
“Good luck with that, Katheryn. I’m sure you’re researching every angle so you don’t fuck up and lose your credibility again,” I interrupt Hunter, before he says anything he’ll regret later. When I go to shut the door, she grabs it and steps closer. “Mack, drive the fuckin’ van.”
“You don’t look happy, Henry. In fact, you look downright miserable.” Satisfaction flashes on her face. “I’m glad. After the way you tossed me away, you deserve your misery.”
I jerk the door away, slamming it shut. She kisses two fingers before pressing them to the window. “See you soon,” she mouths. Mack slams on the gas pedal, causing the van to screech out of the parking lot.
“I’ll be damned,” Hunter mutters. “That chick is worse than a terminal illness, for fuck’s sake. I’d gladly take her out, but I’d never last in prison. I’m just too fucking sexy not to be eaten alive.”
“Nah, you’d be fine, just learn to walk at a slant with your ass pressed against the wall,” Mack laughs, before his face goes stone cold serious. “Just be sure you never let anyone yell surprise behind your back. This one chick I met back in college was locked up for a while. Well, she liked to do that before she’d…”
“Is everyone all right?” I ask, interrupting Mack’s flashback moment and turn in my seat to check everyone over now that we are back on the highway.
For the most part everyone is used to the craziness, but the kids have yet to really experience a lot of it. We tend to keep them sheltered for the most part. Camaron is on the phone trying to get some updates about what is being posted about the band from someone at the record label, while Aiden takes matters into his own hands and surfs the web on his phone. Daisy and Chase fuss over the kids while Hunter and Grayson watch the road behind us no doubt trying to decipher if we’re being followed.
A question that I already know the answer to.
Yes.
The paparazzi never gives up on the guys. They are beyond resourceful and will do anything it takes to get their claws into a story. No matter the damage, no matter the cost.
Especially Katheryn.
My eyes stop on Rae sitting in the back corner of the van, her eyes cast downward on her lap. Even in the van full of people, I don’t miss her trembling frame. This has shaken her up.
Turning back in my seat, I direct Mack to the marina so that we can get loaded onto the boat as quickly as possible and set sail. The media convoy behind us will make things more difficult, but that’s precisely why I plotted this out like I have.
“You sure this scheme you plotted out with Aiden is going to work, Big Man?” Mack asks when we pull onto a gravel road that leads to a large white boat house.
“Of course it will,” I say when one of the garage doors starts to raise. “Pull in there, Mack.”
A tall man with shaggy blonde hair directs us inside, having us park beside a large white yacht being loaded down with boxes while the door closes behind us. “Hey, Henry, right?” he asks when Mack parks and I climb out of the vehicle.
“That’s me,” I reply, shaking his hand. “Appreciate this a lot, Simon. We’ve already been duckin’ press.”
“Don’t you worry about a thing,” Simon says when I turn and nod at Mack. Turning off the engine, Mack climbs out and joins us as Simon leads us to a wall of closed circuit monitors that show the entire lot. “See,” he points to the screens. “They’re all loading the lot and waiting to see which boat departs. Of course, they’re gonna see Wi
steria leave and when they do, they’ll be tracking it to its destination.” He laughs. “By the time that damn boat makes the large meaningless circle and they figure out they’ve been duped, you’ll all be safe and sound on the island with no trace for them to sniff you out.”
“Sounds like a damn good plan,” Mack says, watching the monitors.
My eyes fixate on Katheryn as she climbs from the van, her cellphone glued to her ear as she talks. Her eyes scan the gravel parking lot and boat yard. I can’t believe that she is in charge of hunting us down after everything that happened. Grabbing my phone, I pull up the browser and type in the site. Clicking on the Shaft Spotter, I shake my head when I see a photo of Katheryn and me as a banner, the words, “all exclusive Shaft news from one of the few trusted insiders” written below it. My blood boils that she is continuing to use me and the band to make a name for herself, that she is trying to draw attention to me and a relationship between us that no longer exists.
Clicking the check in tab, I see where she posted the timeline for today. The airport was reported by someone else, then the diner. When I hit refresh, I am hit with an update announcing our current location along with an update from Kat, herself.
ATTENTION SHAFT SPOTTERS! This is Katheryn with an all-points bulletin on location with a Shaft sighting. It looks like a much needed vacation and possible wedding are underway. The entire group has been spotted at the Galleon Marina in beautiful Key West, Florida. We are just waiting on a visual confirmation ourselves. Photos to come. If you’re out and about give us a shout if you spot Shaft. Remember, we always pay cash for the good stuff, so keep those eyes peeled.
The posts are getting hits by the second. Everyone will be on the lookout for us and the vehicle we were in, so my plan going off without a hitch is vital at this point to insure privacy for the wedding. Only problem is, she wants a visual confirmation of us leaving the marina. Instead of getting mad, inspiration hits me. “I’ve got an idea,” I shout, turning and running toward the van. Opening the door, I reach for Rae’s hand. “Get out of the van and come with me.”
