Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

Adam

Listen to Far Behind

by Candlebox

I n forty-eight hours, I’d be on a plane to LA.

I checked my text stream but Landon hadn’t responded. Our schedules were a little off since I was running around doing last minute shit and Landon couldn’t have her phone while she was shooting. I thought of her on that awful remote farm surrounded by guys who wanted to get in her pants. It was hard to swallow but I kept reminding myself it was her career and she deserved to make her own choices. I wouldn’t be that type of toxicity for her.

I’d done a bunch of packing but it was easy to leave because I had nothing to care for. No plants or animals or people left who I gave a shit about. Just Landon.

I grabbed my guitar and headed out to meet the band. We were doing a dry rehearsal for a few new songs at the local club. Tickets were sold in limited quantities, but since I’d gone viral, Unison had become a hot topic of gossip, especially me as lead singer. When I got there, people were lined up and screaming my name, which was so fucking weird. Is this how it’d be in LA? I never expected to be in the limelight—only the guy in the background writing the lyrics.

But the thrill was real, whether I liked it or not. The idea that these strangers connected with the music we played gave me a feeling I’d never experienced. Like an adrenalin rush, but spiked with danger.

I knew what happened to assholes who let their egos take over. They did drugs and cheated on their girlfriends. They chased pleasure and forgot what they were there for.

I refused to let that happen to me.

I waved at the crowd and met JJ and the crew back stage. “What the hell is going on out there?” I asked, fist bumping the guys. “We giving something away?”

JJ grinned. “Not gonna lie, dude. Your little reality drama gave us a new audience and we want to take advantage. There’s a photographer here who’ll take a few pics to stream out ahead of LA.”

I groaned. “You gotta be kidding me. I’m over it. Ready to move on.”

Lance laughed. “We’re not! We’ll ride your pussy drama all the way to the bank.” The guys chimed in and agreed.

I rolled my eyes, taking the jabs because I had no choice. I wish I could be pissed at Gabby but I know her social media audience and that she figured she’d help get us some attention. Too bad it worked so well. “Let’s go warm up and do our real job.”

We tuned up and people began to stream in. The stage was small, the club cramped, and the air conditioning terrible. The drinks were watered down so everyone ordered shots. People crushed in around us and when we opened with a powered-up rock song, the energy immediately burst at me, making my blood throb and my adrenalin spike to massive levels.

I was drenched in sweat immediately. I bounced around the stage and interacted with the guys as flash bulbs popped and people screamed. When I did the slow song Elle and Noah wrote, a buzz lit up the crowd as they swayed back and forth. One girl began to cry and threw out her arms. It was a total addictive experience I was starting to get familiar with.

And crave.

Afterward, they pulled two women on stage and the photographer shoved them in between us. I’d noticed the two had been up front next to JJ. The short, curvy blonde pressed herself against my side as we smiled for the camera, and then JJ stepped in with a knowing grin.

“Go ahead, ladies. Let it rip.”

With a shriek, the two whipped off their shirts. Bare breasted, giggling, they crowded in tight. The blonde’s boob pressed against my arm as the camera snapped. “Get one from my camera too!” the other girl shouted, who was cozying up to Lance. I kept my smile and my gaze firmly averted from her.

The moment it ended, I turned away before she even spoke to me. I knew what JJ wanted for PR but it stopped there. I may need to have a talk with Landon and warn her what shit was coming down and remind her it was all fake. Like that girl’s tits.

We finished up and met in the back, where JJ went over final details. The bus was leaving at six am to take us to the airport. When we go to LA, we’d board the tour bus—our second home. He reminded us this was our big shot and we needed to bring it for every show, lecturing about their girlfriends not distracting us.

I knew if Landon was there, I’d be my better self. Being in her presence made me the man I always wanted to be. But I knew the tour would be tough and exhausting, especially since JJ wanted me to begin writing new songs for the next album.

Finally, we wrapped. I got changed, gathered my stuff, and headed out.

I checked my texts but Landon still hadn’t answered.

A few hours later, I got a link sent to me by an unknown number. I was about to mark it spam but the words made me stop cold.

Your girlfriend’s already found a new dick to play with.

My finger hovered over the button while a knowing tugged at my gut. Still, I didn’t want to explode a virus onto my phone. I switched to Safari and searched under her name with today’s date.

A link from an entertainment site popped up immediately.

Dumped Star Finds Solace with her New Castmate!

I read the story. The picture needed no explanation.

Landon was kissing some guy and seemed to be the one initiating it.