AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I guess word is out that we have a new bass player,” I said, glancing at Devyn. She looked okay, but she hadn’t said a word. “You all right?”
She nodded. “Yes, but I’m not sure what to do. And someone asked if Carter hand-picked me. What does that mean?”
“Hang on. Call Dorian,” I said, turning to Z. “Let her know the press release needs to go out now.”
“You think they know where I live?” Devyn asked, her eyes suddenly wide.
“Probably not, since they didn’t seem to know your name, but if you haven’t gotten a security system yet, you may want to jump on that.”
“Shit.” She grimaced.
“Let me send my guy over there, okay? We’ll bill it to the band, so don’t worry about the cost. The priority now is making sure you and Greatty are safe.”
“Thank you.” She fumbled for her phone. “I need to call and warn her, just in case.”
“Okay.” I watched her put the phone to her ear and disappear down the hall.
“You think she’s ready for this?” Z asked under his breath.
“I don’t think anyone is ready for it until it happens. Then you either sink or swim.”
“The freakin’ press release is supposed to go out Monday,” he muttered. “Who the fuck leaked it early?”
“Probably someone here,” I said, referring to the studio employees. “Everyone talks, and us finding a new bass player is big news.”
“What’s going on?” Tommy and Kellan came around the corner.
Once we caught them up to speed, Devyn came back and joined us.
“Greatty says everything is quiet at home, but she double-checked that the doors and windows are locked.”
“I don’t think anyone would try to get inside,” Z said. “It’s just a hassle having to deal with them whenever you leave or get home.”
“How am I going to get home without them following me?”
“I’ll get you home,” I said quickly. “I’ll call a car service to take us to my place, and from there I’ll drive you home.”
“Won’t they just follow us to your place?”
“I’ve been doing this a while,” I replied, chuckling. “The car service I use will lose them. Trust me. And we can hang out at my place for an hour or so, just to make sure the coast is clear.”
“Okay.” She looked conflicted but seemed open to letting us handle things.
“Give me a few minutes.” I pulled out my phone and sent a text to the driver I liked to use. If he was busy, he’d send someone he trusted. This definitely wasn’t the first time we’d been in this situation, but it had been a while. We co-existed with the press when we were in L.A. They didn’t bother us at our homes or studio, and in return we granted them a lot of interviews and candid photos.
Hiring a new bass player upped the stakes, so we had to adjust accordingly. It didn’t bother me. I was used to being in the spotlight. Devyn seemed a little shaken and I really hoped this wouldn’t be a deterrent for her because this was going to be her new normal. My only concern was Greatty. The paparazzi could be relentless when they wanted info, and that was always dangerous for someone who didn’t have experience with it.
“All right,” I said after a few minutes. “My driver’s on the way. We’ll sneak out the back and if you give me your keys, I’ll have someone come get your car later. They’ll get bored when they realize we’re not going to talk to them tonight.”
“Should we?” she asked. “Maybe if we face it head on, they’ll be satisfied and leave?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Z said. “You never know.”
“Don’t worry.” I hoped I sounded reassuring. “Now that Dorian is on top of it, it’ll be okay.”
We gathered up our things, and one of the studio runners kept an eye out for my driver.
“I’ll go out and talk to them,” Z said. “That should be enough of a distraction for you guys to get out of here. They already know where I live, and most of them know better than to harass me there.”
