I catch him doing it again, that single visible eye flicking between Phoenix and me. He's stationed himself by the window, backlit by Seattle's gray morning light, and he hasn't moved in what feels like an eternity. Just stands there like a gargoyle, observing.
He knows something's off.
Rex always knows.
"A manager," I say finally, breaking the silence because someone has to. "They're giving us a babysitter."
"Assigning," Phoenix corrects. His voice is neutral. Professional. "Like we're children who can't be trusted with scissors."
I don't look at him. Can't. Because if I do, Rex will see whatever's written on my face, and I'm not ready for that conversation.
"Non-negotiable," Rex says flatly, still not turning around. "That's what it says. Non-negotiable."
"I can read, Rex."
"Then you understand we don't have a choice."
The tension ratchets up another notch. I feel Phoenix shift on the sectional, and my whole body goes alert in a way that's deeply inconvenient.
Get it together. Focus.
"Carmine Caruso, huh?" Bells pulls her laptop onto her knees, blessedly oblivious to the undercurrents in the room. Or maybenot oblivious, and just choosing not to acknowledge them. "Anyone know anything about him?"
Silence.
"Helpful. Thanks."
She starts typing while I pretend to study a very interesting spot on the wall. In my peripheral vision, I see Rex's head turn slightly. His gaze lands on me, heavy and assessing, before sliding to Phoenix.
He definitely knows.
"He managed Neon Veil for their last two albums," Bells reports. "And before that, some indie band called The Architects that had a decent run in the mid-2010s."
"Neon Veil's last two albums were their worst," I mutter, grateful for something to focus on that isn't our awkward pack dynamics.
"Correlation isn't causation," Phoenix counters.
"He's also credited with..." Bells pauses, eyebrows climbing. "Huh. Turning around Blackwater's PR disaster after their drummer got arrested."
Thatcuts through the awkwardness.
"The heroin thing?" I sit up straighter. "That was a fucking nightmare. They were basically blacklisted for a year."
"And then they came back with their highest-charting album," Bells says. "Carmine handled the whole media rehabilitation. Controlled the narrative, rebuilt their image, got them back on tour within eighteen months."
Rex finally turns from the window. His eye finds Bells.
"So he knows how to handle damage control," Rex says slowly.
"Looks like."
"That's... actually useful."
From Rex, that’s high praise.
"When's he supposed to show up?" Phoenix asks, oblivious or pretending to be. "The email said something about an initial meeting."
"Today," Rex says. "Two o'clock."