AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I mean… it could have gone worse.
“As Lennon’s sister, I just want to make sure she has the time to heal. I don’t want to be portrayed as her bitchy baby sister who swooped in when she was kind to me. I only recently found out we’re related, and I had no idea she’s been struggling,” Layla says, her eyes shiny with emotion. She really is playing the media hard, and they are eating up every word.
“Do you think Lennon will be upset when she sees you’ve stepped into a role so easily with her old band mates?” one of the reporters asks, smile all teeth. This bitch is enjoying asking this way too much, and as I watch the live press conference from the hotel, I want to smack the smile off her face.
Mav growls, stepping forward. “Absolutely not. My tiny Valkyrie is all I have thought about since making this decision, and I know her fans are important to her. So in the meantime, we’ll keep making music, honoring Lennon, and I eagerly await the day that she’s ready to come back and is well,” he says, scowling.
Take that bitch. Layla is keeping her band name, and most of The Darkest Nights fans are deciding to keep their tickets, even though we aren't playing. Thank God for loyal fans that truly love music, and Layla has made a name for herself with Velvet Escape.
Shaking my head,I drag my hands through my hair as I walk across the lobby. I heard the press are outside looking for a statement of their own and have been camping out in the parking lot. The hotel wouldn’t let them come in, and I’m so grateful to them. The hotel’s general manager is a fan of ours, and told Jordan we were people who deserved our privacy.
Thank fuck for good people in the world.Turner throws his arm over me, pulling me close and kissing my cheek. “You ready for this, big man?” he murmurs out of the corner of his mouth.
“Nope, not in the least. I’m gonna fake this shit though. I hate that we’re doing this, but I don’t want people talking about my girl anymore,” I explain softly.
Blowing out a breath as the doors open to the outside world and camera lights burst in our faces, he drags his tongue along his bottom lip and mutters, “Then here we go.”
Together we walk into the large group of paparazzi, dragging our rolling suitcases behind us. We are taking a chartered plane because there’s no way we can take a commercial flight right now. It may have been possible before Lennon was taken, but not with the amount of attention we’re receiving.
Not that we need to take a commercial flight, but still.
“Roark, Turner… Can we get a comment on your lead singer’s current state? Is she going to be okay?” asks one of the men standing in front of me.
I stop, surprised. The people who have been covering Lennon’s story so far have been focused on how she was a ticking time bomb. Not one person has bothered to askhowshe was.
Clearing my throat, I focus on who’s talking to me. Mark is from the same magazine that Orla is, the woman who surprised Lenny with a really great interview. Looking around, I see the people around me are all people who write pieces about us that aren’t trash. They aren’t completely sure about our relationship, but they’ve always had a ‘Lennon is blessed with such fine men’ type of attitude.
Really, we’re blessed by her.
“Mark, right?” I say with a small smile. He nods, surprised I remember him. I’m a fooking elephant, though people don’t realize this. “The reality is, we aren’t sure how she is right now. We can’t see her because we aren’t family, and there are a lot of things up in the air. We are doing our best to take care of her, keep the tour going so we don’t disappoint our fans, and we’re heartbroken that we can’t see her,” I explain. I want to be honest, while still sticking to the plan. “I can’t even tell you how I feel about the unanswered questions we have over our beautiful Valkyrie, but Turner and I can’t perform without our girl.”
Mark frowns, nodding emphatically. The rest of the reporters stare, unwilling to break the spell I’m weaving. Lenny is usually the person who speaks to the press and the reporters who want interviews for articles on us. Turner is well sought after as well, but I’m the silent mountain. I’m not rude, but this part of fame doesn’t interest me. Meeting and speaking with my fans is fun though, and I can tell some of these people are fans underneath the press passes and cameras.
Turner squeezes my shoulder, giving me the floor. “Fame has its good sides and bad, but Lenny has always taken it all in stride. She’s sweet, with a heart of gold, and genuinely cares about others. She fights against bullies, as her words have always shown, and supports other artists. I’m not sure what happened after we played in Albuquerque, except that this is the night she found out her father has been working for the label she’s been contracted under for the last ten years. She also found out that Layla is her sister, and those are some pretty heavy surprises. I would probably need therapy after that,” I joke with a snort as the reporters smile.
“The truth is none of us know what is happening in her mind, and I would appreciate it if we could give her the space to figure it out.” Sighing, I lean into Turner’s side. “We are going to spend some time in Vegas drinking, because I wish if she was hurting that she would have told us. This past week has been a lot, and I’d appreciate it if you wrote about the amazing woman you all know. Grab your spotlight by not stooping to writing shit and half truths, yeah?”
My voice is gruff and angry. Yep, I’m really fucking angry about a lot of things and my skin feels too damn tight. Swallowing hard, I keep the words that want to spill out behind my teeth. It would be so nice if I could take a pill and drift, but that’s not an option today. I’m not falling off the wagon because life is difficult. Damn, Lenny would know what to say to me right now.
I force a smile to temper the scowl I am pretty sure I’m currently sporting. Turner squeezes my shoulder hard, digging his fingers into it, and the pinch of pain helps me relax a bit.
“Our thoughts are with Lennon,” Mark murmurs, with a nod. “I feel shitty that we parked outside your hotel…”
The others look down, nodding. “We understand you have a job to do, a story to write,” Turner says to them, speaking for the first time. “Let’s make sure you can still look my beautiful Lavender in the eyes after you write it, yeah?”
With that ominous statement, we get into the car waiting for us to go to the airport. “Think we laid it on a bit too thick?” I ask with a sigh, glancing at Turner.
Giving me half a grin, he shakes his head. “They needed to be shamed a bit. No one calls them out on their shit, and it’s good for them to be reminded that we’re humans. Hopefully this takes some of the heat off Layla and the guys. I’m sure we’ll have some dickheads who follow up to Vegas as we blow off some steam, but that’s the damn plan, right? This is all for Lennon.”
“Yeah,” I breathe, closing my eyes for a beat. This is when I understand why Lenny would cut herself. There’s a release in the pain you inflict on yourself, a floating feeling where the rest of the bullshit stops existing. It’s been nine years since I’ve touched my addiction of choice.
“Hey are you okay? Roark, it’s okay to be struggling,” Turner says, putting his hand on my knee.
Opening my eyes, I nod. “Yeah, it’s just been a lot. I want her back, and fuck Derek... I knew we probably wouldn’t hear from him, but there’s been no contact since he went home. It’s been three days.”
Turner chews on his bottom lip with a nod. “Yeah, I know. Greg told us Derek’s fine though. I don’t know how he knows, but since he’s our only lifeline, I’m forced to trust him. I need to call Red, because I need her to remind me he’s no longer a shithead. I’m glad we’re going to see her soon, I need some of her calm.”
My lips twist, though not in amusement. I sure hope Red can help calm my ass down too, though Lennon coming home is the only balm my heart will accept right now.
