Page 31 of Accidental Fire
Kit’s hair was pulled into a messy bun, and he was wearing shorts and a tank top that showed off his sexy muscles. The picture made my mouth water and my dick spring to life.
Stepping off the steps, I quelled my desire to jump on Kit’s back, remembering him carrying me up to his room the other day when my flip-flops blew off the wooden dock. The bloodmoved down my body so fast that day that I thought I might pass out.
I casually strolled—or so I hoped—to where the two of them were talking. “Hello. How was the drive?” I asked Kit as Clancy headed to the white building and pounded on the side door. “What’s he doing?”
“Kensington didn’t tell us there was no parking on site, so Clancy went to ask where we could park. I got a text from the others that they had to stop for food because your manager said he was getting car sick. Serves the asshole right for thinking he could party with twenty-year-old guys. He’s an idiot.”
I laughed as the huge black SUV pulled behind the bus and stopped. Our security team poured out, everyone wearing casual clothes instead of the black suits, white shirts, and black ties they usually wore, which made them look like actors from an oldMen in Blackmovie.
Rowdy, the head of our security team, stopped next to Kit. “Where do you think I should park the Tahoe?”
“Kensington didn’t pass along that there wasn’t a parking lot. Clancy went around the side to see if anyone’s here so we can unload the equipment and find out where we can park the bus and the semi,” Kit responded. Yeti, Cavalry, and Orchid were all on their phones in an instant.
I got the distinct impression that neither Kit nor anyone on our security team liked Marshall. He was my brother’s brother-in-law, and I wasn’t sure how his firing would go over with Sandy or Sky if Mr. Ashby wanted us to get rid of him.
Earlier in the year, Marsh had a business partner, Michael Cruz. The guy was a talent scout for Masterson Management, who checked out new bands for the mega-band managers.
Michael had heard us at Lee Canyon Mountain Fest the previous summer and got us the invite to play at Rocktoberfest 2024, which Masterson Management now ran. I thought the twoof them had hooked up back then, but if they did, it didn’t last long after they set up their own agency.
When we started our winter tour, the two of them fought a lot—I knew because Arlo and I rented part of Marsh’s house, and we could hear them when Michael stayed over. When Marsh returned from vacation with Michael, he was in a shitty mood. We dodged him as much as we could, but finally, we moved out and went to stay with the moms and Regal.
It was evident I needed to find my own place to live because staying in Cupertino with my family sucked. I had no fucking privacy and felt as though my life was going in reverse.
Things only got worse when a cop in a little three-wheeled scooter with the Phoenix PD emblem on the front pulled behind the Tahoe. A woman stepped out with an expression much like a baby sucking on a lemon.
“Gentlemen.”
Orchid cleared her throat and stepped next to Rowdy, who the lady cop was staring at, and didn’t look away. As I took in the sight of the bodyguard, who did give off the air of authority, I could see it would be a battle of wills. Rowdy didn’t back down from anyone.
Yeti stepped forward next to Orchid with a friendly grin. “How may we help you, officer?”
“This is a traffic lane. You are impeding the flow of traffic.” She pointed to the cars stopping behind her vehicle. “The SUV can park around the corner on Fourth Avenue at a meter, but the tractor-trailer and bus are too big to be parked there. I suggest you move them now, or I’ll have to write you a few tickets and call for a very expensive tow.” She pulled the thick pad from her belt and a pen from the pocket of her blue uniform shirt.
Clancy came out of the front door with a guy wearing a big smile. He unlocked a gate next to the street, and the two of them joined us.
“Hi, Officer Andrews. Sorry about this. I’ve reserved parking for the SUV and the bus across the street, and the church behind us has agreed to allow the semi to park on their lot overnight. We’ll move the vehicles right away. Would you like some tickets to come to the show?”
The guy and the cop walked away, still talking. I turned to Clancy. “Who’s that?”
“Vic Fever. He manages the venue. Who knows if that’s his real name, but he’s a decent guy. He said Kensington didn’t even ask about parking. I guess we’d better go over the fucking list and see if we’re going to have trouble at any more venues.” Clancy was looking at Kit, who nodded.
“I’ll do it. You guys have enough worries getting us from one place to another. I’ll take care of it,” I suggested.
Kit turned to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “River, that’s not your job. It’s your manager’s job. He’s responsible for making sure things on the tour go smoothly. Your responsibility is to play the music and entertain the audience.Never the twain shall meet, as they say.”
I giggled. “Are you a fan of quoting classic poets?”
Kit stared at me for a moment. “You read Kipling’s poetry?”
“I went to high school, you know? Song lyrics are poetry with music behind them.”
The corners of Kit’s mouth lifted in a sexy smile. “That’s very true.”
He squeezed my neck, which nearly had me melting. When Vic Fever came back, he was all smiles. “Officer Andrews is giving us an hour. Let’s move the bus and the semi around the corner. She’s going to give you a parking ticket, but I’ll pay it.”
We all climbed into vehicles, but instead of getting on the bus, I got in with Kit. “How was the drive? You never answered.”
He turned to me as he started the truck, his gaze fixed on mine for a long moment before he shifted into gear. We were the lastto go down the street and turn the corner. City of Grace Church was directly behind The Van Buren. A guy walked out the back door and opened the iron gate as Kit angled the large truck and trailer to pull into the parking lot.
