Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(146)

Anna slung her arm around me as we both watched Kellan and Gibson. He was just beginning another song for her when he suddenly froze. His face contorted and he held Gibson a foot away from his chest. “Uh, she doesn’t smell so good anymore.”

Anna let out a yawn-laugh mixture and started to stand, but, shocking the hell out of me, Griffin popped up and beat her to it. Rescuing Gibson from Kellan, Griffin scoffed, “Wuss.” Holding Gibson like a football, he walked into the back with her.

Twisting to Anna, I asked with all seriousness, “What did you do to Griffin?”

Twirling a dark brown lock around her finger, Anna gave me a lazy smile. “It wasn’t me. That little girl has got him completely wrapped around her finger. I never thought I’d see the day.”

I understood the feeling; I never thought I’d see the day either. A tame Griffin. I almost didn’t know what to do with that.

I looked out the window to see that the bus was rolling through the packed streets of New York City. Skyscrapers were everywhere I looked. As I took in the size of the city, I began to imagine the millions of people living there. How many would come down to the venue just to torment me? I was positive that paparazzi would be there today in force. Kellan said everyone was curious about his life, but maybe it was really me they were curious about. I was the enigma. Was I a casual fling that Kellan had been playing with the last few days, or was I more? That’s what everyone wanted to know.

While I debated what to do about that, Matt emerged from the cubbies and threw his hand up in a wave. As I waved back, Kellan got a phone call. He was reluctant to answer it, and I realized why seconds after he did. “Sienna,” he coolly intoned. After a moment’s pause, he furrowed his brow, then said, “Yeah, everyone but Griffin is here, why?” Rolling his eyes, he muttered, “Fine.” Holding his phone out, he stared at it blankly, then asked me, “How do I put this on speaker?” I contained my smile at Kellan’s lack of technical know-how. Sometimes he seemed more like a ninety-year-old man than a twentysomething rock star.

I adjusted the phone for him, then Kellan put it on the table. Griffin was still in the back with Gibson, swearing from what I could tell, but we motioned for Evan and Matt to join us. “You’re on, go ahead.”

Sienna’s bright voice burst from the small device. “Well, first off, I just want to say how much I miss all of you! Things have been so hectic, I feel like I rarely see you.”

Kellan and I exchanged dubious glances. While it was true that Sienna had been just as busy as Kellan lately, that wasn’t the reason for her disappearance, and we both knew it. Sienna was playing up the “wounded lover” act. Whenever any camera was on her, she appeared sullen, teary-eyed. I’d even seen photos of her dabbing a tissue into the corner of her bloodshot eyes. Her duet with Kellan was now filled with longing and heartache, and while she stayed close to his side at the meet-and-greets, the band had told me that her demeanor laced the room with tension. That DJ who had so long ago told us Sienna couldn’t act was wrong. She had the betrayed girlfriend role down pat. Of course, from what I’d gathered during the rare moments she’d been candid with me, it was a role she’d been in before.

She was perfectly happy now as she squealed, “I just couldn’t wait until the tour stopped to tell you all the fabulous news!”

“What news?” Kellan asked, his voice weary. Sometimes great news from Sienna wasn’t that great.

Sienna giggled like a little girl. “I just got off the phone with Nick . . . and your album shot to number two on the charts, right below mine.” She squealed again.

Kellan and I looked at each other, then the phone. “You reached number one?” I asked, shocked that everything she’d orchestrated had actually succeeded in getting her just what she wanted.

“And the D-Bags are at number two! Isn’t that fabulous?”

Kellan leaned back on his hip as he absorbed it all. His expression was as blown away as mine. Sienna and Nick had totally manipulated the public into believing a sordid, phony romance. In their desire to be on top, they had completely ignored anyone else who might have gotten hurt in their schemes, and it had ultimately paid off for them. It didn’t seem fair, and it definitely wasn’t right. Anna and the guys were squirming with excitement, and obviously wanted to act elated, but seeing Kellan’s and my faces, they stayed quiet.

Closing his eyes, Kellan scrubbed his face with his hands, then ran them back through his hair. When he reopened his eyes, his emotions still seemed mixed—elated and frustrated. While Sienna waited for our group to explode with excitement, Kellan turned to me. “I really miss Pete’s,” he said.

Sienna heard him and seemed confused. “This is incredible news. You should all be jumping up and down, screaming your bloody heads off, not pouting like I just told you your best friend moved away.”

Kellan frowned as he stared at the phone. “The public thinks my wife is a whore. I’m really not okay with that. And now that you got what you wanted, and Nick got what he wanted, it’s my turn. And I want you to admit the truth. All of it. From the very beginning.”

Sienna inhaled a deep breath. “Here’s the thing, love. If we confess that we fabricated our entire relationship to bump sales, there will be a public backlash that will negatively affect us both. The scandal will stay with you for the rest of your career. Do you really want that monkey on your back?”