Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(81)

Sienna turned to the door the minute we stepped through it. She was just as breathtaking as the last time I’d seen her—flawless, glowing skin, perfect body wrapped in tight, revealing clothes, and long, dark shimmering hair. Much to my disappointment, no sudden deformations had struck her down since we’d parted ways. Damn. Tory was behind her, leaning against a wall with a scowl on her face as she flipped through a planner bursting with colorful Post-it Notes.

“Oh my God, Kellan! It’s been so long.” Sienna moved to embrace him and Kellan held his finger up. She didn’t toss her arms around him, but she did peck his cheek lightning fast. “It’s absolutely lovely to see you.” I hadn’t missed the fact that she hadn’t even acknowledged me yet, or Matt and Evan either. All her focus was on Kellan.

As Kellan swished his hand behind him, she finally glanced at the rest of us. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be on your tour?” he asked.

In a shy, yet flirtatious way, Sienna raised one bare shoulder and averted her eyes. “I’m playing nearby, and had the night off.” She looked back up at him. “I just couldn’t miss out on an opportunity to see you perform.”

Kellan slowly nodded. “Well, it should be a good show.”

Sienna clasped her hands together, pure joy on her face. “It’s going to be fabulous. I can’t wait!”

Looking confused, Kellan asked, “Did you want to see me, just to tell me you were watching the show tonight?”

A look flashed over Sienna’s face that reminded me of Nick. It was an expression of annoyance, of someone who clearly didn’t like to be talked to in any way but with the utmost deference. It vanished instantly as she gave Kellan a broad smile. “Actually, I had a brilliant idea, and I wanted to run it by you.”

Kellan deliberately placed one arm over the other. “Yeah? What’s your idea?”

Sienna frowned at his posture, then immediately brightened again. Watching her emotions flip back and forth was like playing with a light switch on a wall. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m being hounded nonstop to perform the new single at every show.”

She lifted a brow in question. Kellan nodded. “Yeah, I’m getting that a lot too.”

Biting her lip, she poked a well-manicured nail into his chest. “I can’t really perform it without you.”

Kellan looked down at her finger, then back up at her. “Nick can give you my vocals, or you can hire another guy to sing my part.”

Irritation flashed in her eyes before she cooed, “It’s not the same. I’d like to perform it again with you. Really wow the fans. Blow the lid off this place.”

Raising his eyebrows, Kellan looked around the room. “You want to perform the song tonight? Here?” I understood his confusion. It was a hole in the wall compared to the arenas Sienna played at.

Sienna seemed overjoyed by the idea, though. Vigorously nodding, she told him, “Wouldn’t that be wild? Nobody would expect it. What do you think?”

Kellan seemed unsure, and looked back at Evan and Matt for guidance. Evan was frowning; he’d heard and seen just what the media was doing with Kellan and Sienna. Matt—ever the manager—was smiling; he knew how huge this would be. The place would go absolutely crazy if it happened.

Seeing that he still needed to be persuaded, Sienna leaned in and told us, “Just imagine the headlines tomorrow, and what that could do for your friends’ careers. ‘Sienna Sexton surprises the audience on Avoiding Redemption’s sold-out tour . . .’”

Kellan worked his lip while he gazed down at me. Not seeing any harm in this, I nodded. Looking back up at her, he asked, “All you want from me is one song?”

Giggling, she nodded. “This is going to be great. For all of us.” I sighed, and hoped that was true.

It was decided that the D-Bags would go up last, by whom, I don’t know. It made sense I guess. Sienna coming in last would be a great topper to the evening, and her coming in right after the D-Bags performed would make the night flow better. And, I hated to say it, especially to Justin, but the bulk of the crowd was here for Kellan. The D-Bags closing out the show made sense. Kellan didn’t agree, and fought to keep Justin as the closer, but he was overruled.

Sienna stayed hidden away while all the bands performed. Not a single one of the fans had caught on to the fact that she was in the building. I had to admit, being in on such a huge surprise gave me a buzz. I had to share the knowledge with someone, so I texted Anna and Denny. He immediately responded with, Really? Wow. A couple of minutes later he added, Wait, she left Montana to do a show in Dallas? Anna just texted back, Jealous!

That took me back. She was in Montana? How was that in any way “nearby”?

I didn’t have time to worry about it though, because the D-Bags were up. Maybe it was the extra electricity in the air, but they killed it on stage. Everything about the performance was perfect. Just listening to them stirred my creative juices. I’d been on a bit of a holding pattern with writing lately. I tried to fit it in during quiet moments on the bus, but there were so many people and so much activity, it was challenging. And backstage was no better. It was like one never-ending party, which was fun, but not very conducive to writing heartbreaking romance.

When the boys walked off the stage, the chanting for the crowd’s favorite song began. From the angle of where I was watching, I could see a few Kell-Sex shirts in the crowd. They were going to freak when Kellan and Sienna took the stage. I instantly saw a downside to this plan and wondered if maybe it wasn’t such a great idea. We were trying to squelch the rumors, not help them grow. It was too late, though. Sienna was already primed and ready for action.