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Ryder cleared his throat. I must have been taking too long to answer.
I looked up and forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m good. Just antsy to finish this tour.”
Ryder sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I feel you. I miss Talia and the baby so much,” he admitted, his voice cracking slightly with emotion.
Knox nodded in agreement. “It’s tough being separated from the people you love. I can’t wait to see Summer again.”
We sat there silently, our collective longing for home and loved ones hanging heavy in the air. A few minutes later, Knox and Ryder resumed their game while I stared out the window, watching as the scenery blurred together.
My thoughts were consumed by Remi and Greyson. According to Greyson, Remi was buried under mountains of work at Hollywood Exposé. Despite our schedules, Remi and I had managed to connect a few times on the phone, but we made mostly small talk. I missed having her by my side. When the tour was over, I planned on making her mine.
Greyson called me every couple of days, usually when I’d just finished performing and was pumped up with adrenaline. I’d started to expect his calls and even to look forward to them. I’d tell him about our show — how we had to improvise when Knox had gotten a hand cramp mid-show, how I’d messed up the lyrics to one of our popular songs, and how Bash had lost a drumstick after a stick trick gone wrong.
Grey would tell me about his taping for Devious and all the on-set antics. It was weird hearing spoilers that wouldn’t air for another couple of months. How the hell would Colton end up scheming with Kathryn to take down Nico?
I still hadn’t admitted that I’d watched every episode. Hell, I’d been rewatching old seasons just to see Greyson. Even with the distance between us, I could feel the magnetic pull of his presence in my life, drawing me into a whirlpool of emotions I couldn’t quite comprehend. It was something that I’d only just begun to broach with Maggie.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, startling me out of my reverie. Checking the screen, I saw a text from Sidney. Glancing up at Ryder and Knox, I furrowed my brow as I read the message aloud. “Sidney says they’ve pulled off into a rest area. Their driver told them the tour manager asked them to stop there.”
“Really?” Knox raised an eyebrow, his fingers pausing on the video game controller. “That’s odd.”
“Maybe one of the buses is having mechanical problems,” Ryder suggested, worry creeping into his voice.
Pursing my lips, I dialed our driver, waiting for him to pick up. “Hey, Bill, are we stopping at the rest area too?”
“Yup,” he confirmed. “Got a message from Darren. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Alright, thanks.” Ending the call, I looked back at my bandmates, unease settling in my chest like an anchor. “We’re stopping there too. It’s strange, but maybe it’s nothing.”
“Let’s hope so,” Ryder muttered, exchanging a worried glance with Knox.
As our bus pulled into the rest area, I noticed the tension in the air, thick and palpable. Something was undeniably off, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this detour was only the beginning of something much darker.
I took a deep breath and checked my negative thoughts, as Maggie would tell me to do.
“Ghost? What do you think is going on?” Ryder asked, his eyes searching mine for any indication of what I might be thinking.
“I don’t know, man.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “But whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”
My heart thumped as the bus slowed to a stop, gravel crunching under the tires. Something was wrong.
Sidney and Bash entered the bus with a burst of nervous energy, their faces a mixture of curiosity and concern. Sidney, usually calm and collected, raked his fingers through his disheveled hair before slumping down onto the couch next to me.
Glancing down at my phone, I read the text I’d just received from our tour manager, Darren. “Band meeting in twenty minutes. Wait for us there.” I frowned, feeling a knot forming in the pit of my stomach. Something wasn’t right.
“Guys,” I began, rubbing the back of my neck anxiously. “We’ve got a band meeting as soon as the tour manager’s bus catches up.”
Bash leaned against the kitchen counter, crossing his arms. “Wonder what’s going on,” he mused, furrowing his brow.
“Maybe it’s about the next leg of the tour? They’re extending the tour?” Ryder suggested, trying to lighten the mood with a grin.
Knox shook his head, his expression serious. “I doubt that,” he said. “They’ve never pulled over our buses to tell us they were extending the tour. It must be something big if they’re calling a meeting like this.”
“Something must have happened,” Sidney murmured, his voice low and tense.
Bash, ever the optimist, tried to lighten the mood. “Maybe we’re getting a surprise bonus for selling out all those shows?” He grinned, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Any ideas, Ghost?” Ryder asked, turning his gaze towards me.
