Kash shook his head and cigarette smoke clouded around him. “Fuck the tour.” He raised his head. “Areyouokay, Carmen?”
Carmen nodded. “I got to fly tonight.” She smiled. “I’m great.” She was putting on a front. We could all tell. “Give me a few days or so and I’ll be right back to it.”
“No, you won’t.” All eyes returned to Ducky. “I’ve decided to pause the tour. For now. We’re going to take some time to rest and recover. All of us.”
Kash laughed. “And how do you expect us to do that? We can’t exactly just show up at a beach somewhere and not have the same fucking issue.” He blew a small cloud of smoke. “The only way to keep the same thing from happening again is to go somewhere completely hidden.”
Ducky crossed his arms. “Exactly.” We all exchanged a look. “Pack your bags, boys. We leave first thing in the morning. Now, get some sleep.”
Kash and I didn’t question. We knew it’d be a sensitive and pointless thing. So instead, we stood up and left Carmen’s room. Kash leaned against the railing outside, finishing his cigarette. I watched as he stared up at the night sky. Something was bugging him.
I stood next to him, and he offered me the cigarette. “What is it?” I asked, taking a small hit.
Kash sighed, and his head fell forward. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.” He turned to look up at me, worry and fear painted across his eyes. “I found something today.”He pulled a folded small wad of something from his back jeans pocket and handed it to me, taking the cigarette back.
I unfolded the stack and noticed it was a cluster of photographs. My brows furrowed, and I looked closer, noticing they weren’t normal photos. No. They were images of us. “Where did you get these?” I asked in a low voice.
Kash held the cigarette between his lips. “Someone left them in my dressing room. Thank fuck I found them before Twila did.” His voice faded off.
I stared at the images of us tangled together. They must’ve been taken a while back, sometime during our last set of performances. “These are old,” I stated. Kash nodded. I was shocked at how nonchalant he was behaving. “Have you gotten any more? Who sent these? Kash, what the fuck is going on?”
He flicked the cigarette out over the railing. “All I know is someone knows about us. I don’t know who or how, but they do.” He spun around and leaned his back against the railing. “I’ve been getting these amateur messages written across my mirror in my dressing room for months. I didn’t really think anything of it—just some fucker taunting me or asking for money. They never specifiedwhatthey knew, so I tried to not assume. But those…” He pointed to the photos in my hand. “Those are proof someone knows about us.” His eyes raised to meet mine. “And I can’t fucking have that.”
Kash snatched the photos back and walked away without saying another word. He left me standing there, confused and worried.
Someone knows. But who? And what are they going to do with that kind of information?A darker thought crept into my mind.What is Kash going to do?
THREE
MOTLEY
The sun was barely shining,and we were all huddled together around the tour bus, half awake and grumpy. I don’t think anyone really got any sleep after the events of last night. Crew members were loading our equipment and instruments that Ducky had hauled over from the storage we kept them in. Despite everyone else barely being alive, Ducky was spry as could be. “Alright!” He clapped his hands and patted one of the crew member’s arms. “Time to load up!”
Carmen was holding her son, still asleep, and her nanny was standing next to her. They both yawned, and I couldn’t help but do the same. “Where are we going, Ducky?” Carmen asked.
Kash’s voice shot out from behind us. “Camping.” I looked back at Kash and noticed he was alone with just his bags. He seemed drained.
Carmen made a face. “I’m sorry, did you saycamping?” She looked back at Ducky, who nodded. “Camping? Like…pitched tents and campfires?”
Ducky grinned. “What better way to escape the public while getting some rest and recovery! Now, load up!” Carmen and her nanny shrugged, handing some of their bags off to the crew before loading onto the bus. Kash brushed a crew member aside and loaded his own, obviously in a mood.
I know those photos must have shaken him up, but man, he’s moody today.
I followed suit, handing my own bags off, and followed Kash onto the tour bus. Thankfully, the bus was comfortable and spacious. It had a private bedroom and a few basic built-in beds along with a mini kitchen, full bathroom, and anything else you’d really need for a long trip with so many people. Carmen and her boy took the bedroom, rightfully so, and Kash plopped down on the small couch. Ducky took the driver’s seat, and I sat across from Kash. The crew knocked on the side of the bus, telling Ducky we were ready to go.
Ducky put the bus into gear and looked back at us. “Get comfy, boys. It’s going to be a long ride!” He pulled the bus from the motel parking lot and drove onto the single lane road.
Carmen’s nanny made a small snack before disappearing into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Kash remained on the couch, sunken, with a dark cloud overhead. I watched him for sometime, wondering what was going on in his pretty little head. “Stare any harder and you’re gonna put holes in my head,” he grumbled. My body stiffened. I guess I wasn’t being exactly secretive. His dark eyes looked up through his messy black hair. “Got something on your mind?”
I leaned forward and rested my arms on my knees. “I could ask you the same thing.”
Kash mirrored me, and we sat about a foot away from each other. He flashed me a sarcastic smile. “Nothing.”
Liar.
I guess I need to ask something else. “Where’s Twila?” His smile dropped. “Is she not joining us?”
Kash blew his hair from his face. “Twila decided to fly home for a bit. I guess last night really shook her up, and she wanted to focus on playing her guitar or something. I don’t fucking know.”
