“The only autograph I want from this fucker is his name on the bottom of this contract!” Knightly declared, whipping out a copy of the one I’d already deleted from my email.
“I’m not signing shit!”
“You are not going to fuck me over on this, Rebel!” He snapped. “Cole’s already pulled out because you’re not in, and Davy is on the verge of doing the same if you won’t commit. I need this.”
“And I need you out of my face and out of my life!” I snapped, coming up out of my seat. “You should have gotten the fuckin’ hint when I blocked you.”
“Ungrateful bastard,” he snarled. “I helped you get here!”
“And how many times did you almost cost me this opportunity?” I yelled. “How many fights did you cause between me and my bandmates because you’re a fucking dick!”
He lunged for me, but before we could start a brawl on the table, Sully moved me back, one solid arm across my chest as he positioned himself between us, giving me the moment I needed to collect myself.
“We’re done here,” I declared, which was all Sully needed to hear.
With Knightly hurling profanities in between begging me not to walk away from him, I turned away with Sully at my back and headed straight for the bus. What sounded like a scuffle broke out behind me, but when I tried to turn around to see what was happening, Sully’s hand on my shoulder kept me facing forward so I wouldn’t trip.
“That fucking guy has lost it!” Dash said, his voice following me on to the bus.
It was only then that I realized that all of my bandmates had followed me when I’d left.
“He’s being dealt with,” Johnny said. “Draven stayed behind with some of our security team. He told me he’d catch up to us at the lodge.”
“Fuckin’ bastard!” I snarled, carding my fingers through my hair and tugging at the strands.
Fury and adrenaline fueled me, making it difficult to stop pacing. I kept telling myself that being away from him was a good thing and that nothing good would have come from punching him in the face.
It wasn’t until Ozzy stepped in front of me that I stopped moving and let him tug my fingers free from the mess I’d made of my hair.
“You know this,” Ozzy said as deadpanned as could be. “There are way better things to get worked up over.”
Okay, he had me there. The moment I thought it, my eyes shifted to Kit, and way more interesting possibilities came to mind.
“I move to propose a new bylaw,” Johnny said, as he popped the tab on a can of pop. “One that permanently bans any mention of Brandon Knightly from the tour bus and all other band spaces moving forward.”
“Does that mean we finally get to ban his presence too?” Dash asked.
“You’re damn right it does. Should have done that a long time ago,” Ozzy said.
“Sounds like we’re at three votes already,” Johnny said.
“Make that four,” Kit added, leaning against the counter, arms crossed as he stared at me.
“Unanimous,” I said.
Sully’s unexpected comment ofthank fuck for that, drew my attention to where he stood a few feet away.
“Pat’s ready to get underway,” Sully announced. “Said to tell you guys that there will be no stops between here and the lodge, so get comfortable.”
“Thank you,” I said. “And thanks for getting me the fuck out of there.”
“It’s what I do, kid,” Sully said. “Thanks for making my job easier and choosing to get the fuck out of there instead of sticking around trying to fight him.”
"It was too good of a night to end behind bars,” I admitted, thinking back to that kid with the magazine cover.
That’s the way I wanted to be remembered, not for meaningless brawls with washed-up has-beens willing to fuck over their friends for a bit of fame.
“A new bylaw has been added,” Dash said, the battered mini notebook still held in his hands. “Anyone want a drink?”