“Arsonists aren’t the type to get bored, Claire,” I repeated for what must’ve been the thousandth time.
“Well we can’t cancel again. Have you any idea how much effort it took, how many strings I had to pull to get this all back in place? Not to mention how pissed the fans would be if we cancelled again. It’s happening. Rehearsals and sound check start in two hours.”
“I want it noting that I am not happy about this.”
“Yes, I think we’ve established that, Jake,” Claire muttered acerbically. “But you don’t need to be happy, you just need to do your job and keep the guys safe. We’ve managed to vet three of the new additions to your team. They flew in with me last night. You’ll be meeting them after breakfast. That should give you enough time to get a plan together.” I was seething, the blood simmering so hot in my veins my neck began to burn. “Right, guys, if you don’t have any questions I’m going to pick Laurelin up from the airport.”
Sawyer dismissed her with his hand, seeming as flabbergasted with the idea as I was. Although, he seemed to accept it better than me. I planned to go and see my parents today, seeing as I didn’t know how long we’d be here and wanted to make the most of being close to them. Guess I would have to rearrange now.
“Hey, Daz, you okay?” Sawyer asking, turning to Darren who had been slumped backwards in the leather recliner with his hand over his face since we got here. “You’ve been lookin’ kinda green this morning, dude.”
“Dana’s pregnant,” he revealed, his voice literally shaking.
“Holy fuck, man. What the hell are you gonna do?” Matt asked.
“She wants to keep it. But seriously, guys, how the fuck am I gonna raise a baby on the road all the damn time? The whole thing is a fucking mess.”
“See, Saw,” Matt began, cutting himself off by laughing. “Ha! See what I did there? See, Saw – seesaw. Fuck I’m funny.”
“Christ,” Sawyer mumbled under his breath, clearly as un-amused as the rest of us.
“Anyway, this is why you and I got the right idea. Never get tied down. There are too many different flavours of pussy to stick to just one. Right, Saw?”
“Be serious, Matt. The guy’s fucking struggling.”
“I was being serious,” Matt muttered to himself, shrugging.
“It’ll be okay, man. You’re not the first rocker to have a baby. There’s always a way around stuff. We’re here for you, dude. Does Claire know?”
“Oh fuck,” Darren groaned. “Haven’t even thought about what she’s gonna make of this. Not to mention Phil.”
“You’re allowed a personal life, dude. They can’t have a problem with it.”
I gave Sawyer a sideways glance when no one was looking, wishing he could take his own advice as easily.
“Sawyer’s right,” I said. “You’re entitled a life outside this band. They’ll just have to work around you.”
“Thanks, guys. It’s just a shock, I guess.”
“Right, it seems I’ve got plans to put in place so I’ll be off,” I announced. “I’ll probably head on straight to the stadium after meeting the new recruits. I’ll send Neil and Pete to fetch you later.”
“Sure, mate,” Isaac said first. The other’s nodded and offered a series of ‘see ya’s’ and ‘byes’.
The new members of my team seemed like decent enough men. They were experienced, professional and took orders well. But they didn’t know the guys or how we worked things and that didn’t sit well with me. Having no other choice however, I sucked it up, issuing them with a floor plan for the stadium marked with their positions for the night. I placed myself backstage, guarding the back exits. I couldn’t risk the stage being in view, Sawyer would inevitably distract me.
My new team and I carried out my usual pre-show procedures, scouring the perimeter and inside of the buildings housing the conference and event rooms, and going through the schedule with the staff. The fact this was an outdoor venue made the whole idea even worse. I had less control in an environment such as this one than I would have in an enclosed building, and even then it was relatively limited. I called my parents, not mentioning that I originally planned to visit today. My mum would only be disappointed or concerned about the reason for the sudden change in plans.
The heat was intense today, so I removed my black tie and unpopped the two top buttons on my shirt on the way to meet the guy’s stylists. They were the usual team we used when in Sydney apparently, but of course I hadn’t met them yet and I needed to know everyone who would have access to the band tonight.
Mal, one of the new security members, met me outside when the guys were on their way. To my surprise, Laurelin arrived first, carrying a pizza.
“Sawyer asked me to meet him here with lunch,” she explained, strolling past me and into the building behind us. See? Glorified servant.
The guys arrived seconds later, accompanied by Neil and Claire. Claire’s arms were weighed down with various files and folders. I didn’t know what they were, and the gentlemanly thing would’ve been to relieve her of some of the weight, but I was too pissed off with her so I let her struggle.
“Hey, Jake,” Sawyer called, letting the other guys head on inside in front of us. I stopped in my tracks, turning to look at him. “You’re positioned by the stage tonight right?”
“No. I’ll be guarding the exits.”
“I need you out front.”
“That’s not a good idea, Sawyer. I can’t do my job effectively if I can’t stop staring at you.”
“Please,” he said, his caramel eyes smouldering and making it increasingly difficult for me to resist.
“Why?”
“Just… be there. At the end of the show at least.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I agreed reluctantly, unable to refuse him. Damn those eyes of his.
I stayed out of sight and earshot while the guys rehearsed. I needed to keep myself in check and that was impossible with Sawyer around. I fixed it with Mal that we would swap positions for the last half an hour of the show. I didn’t give him a reason because I didn’t technically have one. One of the perks of being in charge however, is that they do whatever I say, no questions.