Page 13 of Accidental Fire
Why it mattered so much to me, I didn’t know. He was a relative stranger, but he was a stranger who had taken the time to try to help me. Thinking about how I’d let him down had my stomach cramping, which I sure didn’t need.
Marsh stood and stared at all of us. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
I glanced behind the venue to see the red Peterbilt truck with the familiar trailer behind it. I didn’t see Kit anywhere, but I saw three other security guys through the front windshield of the bus. They were waiting for us to get off, but I was nowhere near ready to start the fucking day.
Pulling back the navy curtain on the tented window in my bunk area, my breath caught in my chest. Kit Hansen was standing in the parking lot with Marshall, the two of them talking. Or were they arguing?
Kit walked back to the trailer and unhooked it, driving the truck away without sticking around. That wasn’t what I wanted at all, but it was what I deserved after what had happened the previous night.
Marsh climbed onto the bus, glancing at each of us. “Okay, I guess I have your attention. Your stage kit will be unloaded this afternoon, and we’ll come back at two for a sound check. Then we’ll go back to the hotel so you can get ready for the show there.”
Cavalry stood from the booth and walked off the bus. Clancy followed, and when Marsh closed the doors, he turned to us.
“We are in San Diego, by the way, since you idiots didn’t seem to know where you were last night. Who has the stash? I’ll turn this bus upside down to find it.”
Hardy stood from his bunk and carried a bag of herb to Marsh. “This is it. It’s superb, Marsh. Don’t flush it because it was expensive as hell. Give it back to me at the end of the tour.”
Marsh stared at it for a moment before he nodded. “Okay. You’ve got it. We’ll stop and get some food before we check into the hotel. You damn well better not fuck up tonight. I expect an encore call tonight, so you better play your fucking hearts out. When the tour is over, you’re going to come back to Los Angeles and play a free concert at The Offbeat to make it up to your fans. You really let them down, guys.”
He was right, and we all nodded that we understood. We’d fucked up, and we owed it to the folks who’d shown up to see us. None of us were going to argue with Marshall. Without him, we had no idea where we were going.
Chapter Five
Kit
My truck provided some welcome shade as I sat beside it in the parking lot of the House of Blues in San Diego. I always took an old-fashioned webbed lawn chair with me when I was on a long-haul, along with a Bluetooth speaker to play my favorite nineties mix. This time, I’d added a small cooler, which was currently packed with a lot of ice and a few bottles of beer. Life wasn’t bad for Kit Hansen.
The band was performing at nine that night, so I couldn’t leave until they’d loaded their instruments into the trailer after the show. I was going to sleep at a truck stop up the road and make the hour drive to Ensenada at five in the morning when the border crossing station wouldn’t be so busy.
I was looking forward to staying at the resort alone for a couple of nights before the rest of the entourage showed up the day before the first show. Accidental Fire was heading back to LA tonight for some time off before flying down to Mexico. I hadn’t been on any kind of vacation since I’d left the Coast Guard, so I was looking forward to some time to myself.
“Hi, uh, it’s me, River.”
I turned to my left to see River Ashe. “Yeah, I recognized you. What can I do for you?” I lifted a bottle of beer to my lips and took a sip.
“I, uh, I wanted to apologize to you.” His voice was quiet, and he wouldn’t meet my gaze.
I took another gulp of my beer and turned toward him. “Why on earth do you think you need to apologize to me?”
River swallowed again, his Adam’s apple bobbing as it had the first time I saw him. Why the fuck it intrigued me was a mystery.
“I think I broke the agreement we had regarding the breathing exercises you taught me. I smoked a bowl before I could test your theory on stage. I’m sorry I didn’t give it a fair shot,” River said, his voice growing softer as he spoke.
“You owe me nothing, River. You owe your band everything, along with your fans. I’m just the equipment hauler,” I said.
River Ashe was a good-looking kid, but I had no idea why I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His slender build and long hair were unbelievably gorgeous, though I’d never admit it to anyone.
The kid was my height, with a smaller build. He was shy, which made him even more striking. Those blue eyes, the few times he’d met mine, were something I couldn’t forget. There was a sweetness about him, but not in a feminine way. He seemed to be a caring person, based on the limited amount of time I’d seen him with the band. I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. He intrigued me something fierce.
“Are you coming to the show? It’ll be better tonight, I promise.”
I pointed to the open book in my lap and the cooler with a few more beers. “I’ve already got my night planned. I’ll be heading out about five, and I’ll meet you guys in Mexico when you come down. I’ll be staying at the same place as the band.”
“Oh, uh, okay. See you there, I guess.”
I nodded, drained the bottle, and put it on the asphalt under my chair to throw away when I went to the hotel down the block to use the restroom and grab something to eat. I glanced up to see River still staring at me.
“Something else I can do for you?” I picked up my book and opened it to the last page I’d read. It was a murder mystery I’d been meaning to read but hadn’t gotten around to it when I was home. Since I’d anticipated a lot of downtime on this job, I’d brought it along.
