Page 18 of Composed at Randy's
When we get to the common room, I see Harvey standing there glaring down at Shay and Mel, who are both sprawled out on the same couch, tangled together in an exhausted mess.
Harvey looks exactly like you’d imagine the manager would for a band that just went double platinum for the third time in a row. Tall, trim, always wears an expensive suit that never seems to wrinkle no matter how long he’s been in it, wears expensive designer glasses, and looks like he’s covered up at least ten felonies during his career.
Harvey shoots me a withering glare as soon as I enter the room, and Travis hides behind me.
“Bael, just because you got a new pet doesn’t mean you can forget your responsibilities. And dragging the rest of the band down with you?—”
I storm up to Harvey and get right in his face, looming over him, barely restraining the urge to grab him by his collar and yank him up on his toes. “He’s not a pet,” I growl. “He’s a person.”
Harvey’s eyes go wide and his cool-as-ice demeanor shatters. “I’m sorry, Bael. That was… inappropriate of me. It won’t happen again.”
“Good.”
The alarm fades from his face like it was never there, and he goes right back to being irritated. Honestly, the fact that he slowed his roll at all tells me that I probably scared the shit out of him.
He deserved it, by the way, and I have no regrets.
Harvey continues like nothing happened. “The four of you were supposed to be in make-up chairs already. What happened to the assistant I sent to help you with Wren? I told her to make sure you all got to the studio on time.”
Travis, Shay, and I all try our best not to look at Mel because bros don’t rat other sibs out, but the slut is shameless and says, “She’s tired, so I gave her the day off.”
Ok, I didn’t know for sure that Mel banged our new assistant, but come on. Harvey vets the hell out of everyone he lets near us, and if one of his assistants fucks up, it’s probably because of Mel’s dick.
Harvey closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. He also holds out a hand with one finger pointing up in the universal sign forjust give me a second to get my shit together.
He takes a deep breath, opens his eyes, and says calmly, “Just get in the fucking car.” His smile could have come out of a Jaws movie, so we all race for the door. Shay is half draped over Mel’s back because he’s not a morning person.
Halfway to the door, I skid to a halt. Travis slams into my back, but he does this cool acrobatic thing where he manages to roll around me and keep going. It’s probably due to the rigorous dance training we all get.
So Travis manages to escape while I’m busy being awesome. “I can’t leave Wren alone,” I inform Harvey. “He might get scared.”
Harvey puts a hand on my back and makes a shooing motion to me with his other hand. And because he knows that I won’t be moved until I want to move, he doesn’t bother trying to force me. “I’ll have the door guards look out for him. Get in the car.”
“But—“
“And I’ll kick Allie out of Mel’s bed since she’s supposed to be helping keep an eye on your friend.”
“Be nice about it. I think Shay’s mom is in there too,” I interrupt helpfully.
Harvey doesn’t even blink at that one. He’s been dealing with us for a while now, so he’s used to our shit. “I’ll make sure not to wake her if she is. I’ll get your new assistant up and let herknow that Wren is to be in perfect condition, both physically and emotionally, upon your return or else she’s out of a job.”
I allow the pressure of Harvey’s hand on my back to propel me toward the door. “You’re still going to let her work with us after banging Mel? That’s not like you.”
Harvey snorts. “Of course not, but I can find her a job going through fan mail or something.”
“As long as Wren is okay, right?” I don’t want someone working for us if they aren’t nice to Wren. That would make me a shitty caretaker.
“Sure. Whatever you want, just get in the car.”
When we reach the door, Harvey tells Brent to escort me down and orders him to make sure everyone is in the limo and on our way before coming back up here. I glance in the direction of my room for a moment before finally letting myself be herded away.
I hope Wren will be okay. What if he wakes up without me there? What if he leaves?
Brent has already hustled me into the limo and we’re on the road by the time I have this thought, so unless I fling open the door and bail out, it’s too late to do anything about it.
I can't even bribe the driver because he's terrified of Harvey. I don't blame him really. Our manager can put the fear of god into a lifelong atheist.
“Hey man, you're really worried about Wren, aren't you?” Travis says, poking me in the shoulder. “You're never this quiet.”
