Redeeming You (Before You #2)(3)

“At least you have a choice.” Jax shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal and it’s only until the end of the tour. Thirty more days.”

Cam released a bitter laugh. “Right…pee in a cup or hire a nanny.” Cam shook his head. “As fun as that sounds, I’m not doing either, so you can tell the label to go f*ck themselves. I can take care of myself.”

“The label threatened to exercise the morals clause in the contract and cancel the tour.”

Cam picked up a pack of cigarettes off the nightstand and shook the package. Empty, just like his life. He rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands. He only smoked when he drank and he didn’t like it much. It made him feel sick the next day.

“Then, they’d have to exercise the morals clause with most of their bands because I didn’t do anything that out of the ordinary.”

“Maybe not, but the difference is that you were dumb enough to let someone tape you doing it and this wasn’t the first time.”

Cam flinched at the tone of Jax’s voice. He couldn’t deal with this right now. His mouth felt as dry as the Sahara and all he wanted to do was shower and sleep for another ten hours or so.

“Nobody will care in a week. It’ll blow over.”

“We have to give them an answer by the end of the day, or this tour is over,” Jax said sounding tired and resigned.

“Their loss.”

Jax rubbed his temples. “Don’t be a selfish bastard. This affects all of us. Get your head out of your ass.”

“Why aren’t you on my side?” Cam asked. “Why won’t the band fight for me?”

Jax tossed Cam’s dirty clothes from the chair in the corner, then sat down. “Bre’s worried about you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

And just like that, Cam felt like a complete loser. “Did she see the video?” He didn’t want her to see what he’d become. Even though she wasn’t his and would never be his again, he didn’t like the idea of her witnessing him behaving like a depraved loser.

“Not really. She knows about it, but she wasn’t interested in watching.”

Cam nodded as he sat on the edge of the bed facing Jax. “Is she mad?”

Jax cocked his head to the side. “She’s worried. Your parents are worried. The guys are worried.” He tapped his fingers on his legs. “I need you to get your shit together. You haven’t been yourself for a long time.”

Yeah, since Bre left. He knew exactly what Jax was trying to communicate without having to say the words. “What do the guys want me to do?”

“We want you to agree to the chaperone for the remainder of the tour. Unlike the label, we don’t think drugs are an issue—not yet, anyway.”

Cam looked to the side, contemplating his options. None of them was ideal. He’d rather pee in a cup every day, but Jax was right. Drugs weren’t the problem. It was the hole burned through his soul from Bre’s absence. He never knew how much he needed her and how much it killed him that he failed her until it was too late. “I’m guessing that you already have someone in mind.”

“Yeah. Alec’s sister.”

Cam jumped off the bed. “No.” He ran his hands through his hair repeatedly. He refused to spend the next thirty days shadowed by her. Cold didn’t begin to describe her. Some people found Alec with his black hair, dark blue, almost black eyes and black tribal tattoos cold and hard, but at least he suspected Alec had a heart beating in his chest somewhere. Taylor Reed—he wasn’t so sure he could say the same for her.

“Why not? What’s wrong with Taylor?”

“Nothing’s wrong with Taylor…other than the fact that she is the most uptight, unapproachable, humorless person I’ve ever met in my life. If you’re forcing me to have a nanny for the next month, at least make it someone with whom conversation is possible.”

Jax rolled his eyes. “She's far from uptight. I would describe her as reserved and maybe a little dark, but she’s the best option available. All the guys agree.”

“Seriously?”

Jax nodded.

Cam had only met Taylor a handful of times, but every time he came into contact with her, she looked at him as though he wasn’t fit to lick the gum off the bottom of her shoes. She was a grade A bitch. “Why her?”

“We can trust her.”

Cam glared at Jax. “How do you figure? She’s barely human. She’s more like a robot. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile. She gives ice princess a new meaning.”

“She smiles.” Jax cocked his head to the side. “On occasion,” he added quickly. “She Alec’s sister. Would you expect anything else?” he commented as if that explained everything.

“And Alec is fine with this?” Cam asked disbelievingly, his eyebrows lifted. He couldn’t count the number of times Alec told the guys his sister was completely off limits, not that he was tempted. He wasn’t into the dark, brooding type even if Taylor did have an exotic sexy thing going for her. She was one of those women who had a mountain of dark emotional baggage just waiting to be unleashed on some unsuspecting guy and he had enough baggage of his own. He didn’t want to deal with anyone else’s.

“For the most part, but she needs a job and some work experience.”