Shattered Dreams (Boys of Bellerose, #3)(80)
“Everything is set for tonight,” Vee said, dropping down next to me in the stadium seats. Bellerose was working through their set list, and we had front row seats. I turned to find a broad smile on her face, her cheeks flushed as excitement filled her features. “It was actually nice to catch up with a cartel that allows women to be in powerful leadership positions.”
“A woman runs the syndicate?” I asked, not even trying to hide my surprise.
Vee nodded. “Oh yeah. She’s one bad ass bitch, and I hope that I’m as awesome as her when I grow up.”
We were in our mid-twenties, but I got the sentiment. Some days it felt like I had a shit ton of growing up to do.
“What is the plan for tonight, then?” I asked, pitching my voice lower. We didn’t have anyone nearby, except for a couple of security lingering in the aisles, but I wouldn’t take any chances.
Vee turned back to the stage, relaxing into her chair as Bellerose launched into “Silent Trauma.”
“After the show, we’ll arrange for that truck to be left open in the back of the transport entrance to this venue. Juniper will show up with their trucks, remove the drugs and cash, and leave all the Bellerose equipment and gear there for it to head out to the next show.”
“Is there any way to stop the drugs from circulating tonight?” I asked. “Or do you think the Ricci group will be laying low until they figure out what happened with the missing men and equipment truck?”
Before she answered, Vee sang along with Jace’s chorus, and I had to smile. She knew every single lyric, and I had a feeling she might have been a Bellerose fan before she ever became part of their world. “They’ll lay low for the next few shows,” she confirmed. “And he’ll send more of his most trusted across to ensure the rest of the tour goes as scheduled.”
That was good. It meant that we had time to get this lot offloaded and figure out how to ensure there were no further Ricci drugs at the concerts.
The sooner Bellerose got out from under Big Noise, the better.
We chatted for a few more minutes before Hannah made her way along the row to us. “Ladies, could you head back to the side of stage?” she asked. “We need to get this area secure before the show.”
“No worries,” I said, getting to my feet.
As we made our way to the area where the roadies and crew were hanging out, Bellerose moved on to another of their hits, one that always came near the end of their set, which meant they were about to wrap up soundcheck.
Vee hurried over to the refreshment table and ate like a starving woman, and I enjoyed seeing her let loose. She wore a Bellerose band tee with the sleeves cut off, tight black jeans, and short black boots. Her hair was wild and curled down her back, her eye makeup dark and stormy.
She looked like a sexy rock goddess, and I was so happy she was on this tour with us.
“Hey there,” a smooth voice said from my left. I turned away from Vee to find the lead singer of Lightstones, the opening act for Bellerose, standing there.
His name escaped me as I said, “Hey, can I help you?”
He wasn’t classically handsome, not like Jace, but he had a nice smile, and he was shooting me the full wattage of it as he ran a hand through his short black hair. “I don’t know, can you? I see you sitting here all by yourself, looking like every rock star’s fantasy, and I figured I should come over and introduce myself.”
It hit me then that this guy was flirting with me. It had been a long time since a random stranger had approached me like this, and I almost laughed at how uninterested I actually was. “I might be a rock star’s fantasy, but that rock star isn’t you,” I said shortly. Please just go the fuck away.
He clearly had thicker skin than I expected, and of course, there was no greater incentive than rejection for a dude to dig in harder. “Aw, come on. Don’t be like that. I promise that I have all the skills of Bellerose, in a much larger package.”
Considering he was only a few inches taller than me, and his tight black jeans hid nothing, I doubted that very much. “I’m seriously not interested,” I said as I crossed my arms over my chest. “And you need to walk away before you get yourself into trouble.”
The jovial smile finally fell, and what looked like annoyance creased his forehead. “You think you’re so good, the whore of Bellerose. Bitch, they have a different one of you in every—”
His words were cut off by a huge fucking hand around his throat. Grayson wore his neutral expression, the one I was starting to realize was the scariest of all, as he lifted the struggling singer up and whirled him around, all but throwing him into the nearby wall.
“Gray,” I choked out, grabbing him before he could break the guy’s neck or something. “It’s okay. He was learning how to take no for an answer.”
His reply was a rumble of pissed-off drummer, and the loser on the floor took the hint, scrambling to his feet with one hand pressed to his throat as he raced off.
“Will he be able to sing now?” I asked, some amusement creeping in at how terrified the guy was.
“Who the fuck cares. He sounds like shit anyway.”
Grayson turned his full focus on me, running his gaze over my body, as if checking for injuries. “Did he hurt you? Touch you?”
I shook my head quickly. “No, no. He was just flirting really badly, and when I rejected him, he got a little nasty.”