Chapter 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

JOULES

55 bobas left until my baby sister dies …

Lakelynn and I fly into the San Francisco airport together—in business class. When we deplane, we’re immediately escorted by security to a shuttle that takes us to the private airstrip down the way where Tam’s jet is parked.

His jet.

This fucker rides in a private jet.

My lips curve into a pleased smile. Hitting that pop star bitch in the face has been the highlight of my year. It’s a core memory that I’ll carry right to the grave with me, and hug close as I sleep in the dirt.

Maybe Tam will think twice before he says something disrespectful to my baby sister?

“Stop that.” Lake slaps my leg, and I curl my lip at her. “We’re about to get out, and you look like a serial killer when you smile that way.”

“Have you ever considered that maybe that was my intent?” I whisper back, just as the door to the shuttle opens and Daniel Kang appears. I’m respectfully wary of him. He genuinely kicked my ass, and there wasn’t much I could do to stop that from happening. He’s a badass, and he was doing his job. It’s not him I’m mad at, so I nod at him. He nods back.

Lake and I get out, and we’re each patted down for weapons. Insulting, if you ask me. My sister should be on Tam’s arm, his girlfriend in public and private. He should be cherishing and treasuring her, not treating her like a terrorist.

I see Tam at the front of a large crowd, all of whom either work for him or the airport. People on phones or tablets. People with headsets. People in black with severe expressions and neutral frowns. Security. Tam is turning this way and that, answering questions. He’s got on that sea green puffer jacket that matches my sister’s hair, a white beanie on his head. His breath frosts in the early morning air. Might be heading into summer, but I’m not sure that the West Coast got the memo. Also, we’re close to the bay. Fog everywhere. I can taste salt when I wet my lips.

“Good morning.” It’s Tam’s annoying manager, Jacob Something. I can’t stand the guy. The way he looks at Lake puts me on edge. I wish I could punch him, too. Heh. At least Tam can take a hit and stay standing. This guy? I bet he’d crumple if I so much as slapped his cheek. “Here are your badges. Put them on and don’t take them off. If you do, I can’t be held responsible for what the security team does to you.”

Jacob extends a badge out to Lake, but when she goes to take it, he won’t let go. She purses her lips and knits her brow, trying to yank it from his hand.

No way I’m going to sit here and watch this shit happen.

I slap Jacob’s wrist, and he drops the badge like it’s hot, practically tossing mine at my chest. I catch it in midair and slip it on, my eyes scanning the crowd for Tam.

At least when I find him, I see that he’s looking right back at me. He’s caked in makeup, I’m sure. I don’t see any sign of the cut on his lip or cheek, no indication that he’s got a black eye under all that foundation.

Tam maneuvers his way through his massive entourage, pausing in front of me and Lake. He reaches out with two fingers to touch the lanyard at her neck, and I see her breath catch strangely. This is good. This is really good. I look back at Tam, and all I see in his eyes is interest. Excitement.

I’m glad they went down on each other, but for fuck’s sake, can they please just go the rest of the way so I can see this curse break? We don’t have a lot of time left.

I slip my hand in the pocket of my jacket, tracing the edge of my phone. I haven’t heard anything about Kaycee and Tam breaking up, but they must have, right? I bet he broke up with her in private but isn’t allowed to do it in public. That would be my guess.

I want to call her. I want to meet up with her. But that would be unfair to both of us. It doesn’t seem like my interference is needed here. My sister’s got Tam Eyre handled all on her own.

Fuck, Kaycee, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for the curse, I would … For the first time in my life, I have a crush on a woman that goes further than casual friendship with sex on the side. I genuinely like Kaycee. I’m attracted to Kaycee in a way that makes all of my prior relationships feel meaningless.

“You guys can ride with me,” Tam says in greeting, the hubbub of chatter around us creating a less than ideal environment for romance.

“I don’t know that we should be showing favoritism to one assistant over any other,” Jacob suggests gently, but Tam gives him a look that honestly feels a little like the one I have on my face right now.

Annoyance and disgust.

I smile again. I still hate the guy for treating my sister the way he did, but it seems he has some sense of chivalry.

“Just tell Lake what she needs to do, and don’t be an asshole. If you act disrespectfully toward her, I will fire you. You can go and work for my mom instead.”

“Honestly? I would love that,” Jacob oozes out, scowling at Tam. “Send me to work for Aunt Elena and you can give the girl my job.”

Tam laughs at that, head thrown back, eyes closed. A soft exhale follows.

“Yeah, maybe that’s what we’ll do,” he breathes, and Lake shivers all over, clutching at her lanyard. I don’t like how quiet she is. It’s not like her. Then again, I’ve never seen her with a crush before. She’s had a few boyfriends here and there, but she didn’t really like them.

Not like this.

This is … almost painful to watch.

“I read over all the material that you sent,” Lake says to Jacob as Tam drops his chin to study her. He keeps moving his hands: tucking them into his pockets, taking them out, fiddling with his phone. I can see that he wants to touch Lake, but that he isn’t going to do it in public.

“Spineless and dickless, that’s you,” I whisper to him, coming up close on his right side. Daniel must know by now that I’m legit, not some crazy fanboy stalker. He lets me touch Tam’s shoulder and squeeze. “Don’t make my sister a dirty little secret.”

While Lakelynn and Jacob talk to each other, Tam leans in to whisper back to me.

“This isn’t for me; this is for her. If I shove my tongue down her throat right now, your sister is going to become a recognizable celebrity overnight. The media circus will start and then what? We won’t get to spend any fucking time together.” Tam shoves my hand off, and I scoff.

Well.

Fuck me then.

“Thank God, the car is here,” Jacob breathes, and then Tam is cutting back through the crowd with Lake following him.

“Joules is staying with us, right?” she asks, and Tam looks over his shoulder, lifting his eyes to mine.

“If he behaves himself,” he says with this aggressive purr in his voice that makes me feel homicidal. Tam is lucky that the curse is here to help facilitate his relationship to Lakelynn. Otherwise, no dice. I would bury him.

I hop into the backseat while Tam and Lake take the captain’s chairs in the middle. Jacob is up front with some old guy who’s smiling like he genuinely wants to be up at seven in the morning to drive a spoiled social media puppet around the city.

“First order of business,” Jacob says from up front. “We’re off to the dermatologist.” He turns fully around to glare at me as Daniel climbs in and takes the seat on my right. “We have hours of extra work today because some people still live in the Stone Age and use violence to solve their problems.”

“If a man talked to your sister the way this piece of trash talked to mine, you’d have done the same.” I cross my arms as Lake whips a look around on me that clearly says shut the hell up.

“Joules Frost, this is our first day on the job. Stop that.”

“Not my first day on the job.” I pick up the lanyard and shake it around for emphasis as the driver navigates us past the massive jet on our left. I think it belongs to the record label and not to Tam personally, but who knows. I’m not about to register as a Tambourine in his fan club. “My badge says Guest for a reason.”

“Do you want a job with the security team?” Daniel asks me, staring straight ahead with stony gray eyes and a facial expression that’s carefully blank and uninterested. “You may as well, so you can be paid for hanging around here all day.”

“If I hire you,” Tam says, turning to look at me with a shithead smile on his face. His eyes flash, and I grit my teeth. I’ll be your boss, is what his expression is telling me. You’ll receive a paycheck for protecting me. You won’t get to punch me anymore. “Then you have to behave yourself. I would expect you to do the job.”

“He’ll do it,” Lake pipes up excitedly, cheeks flushing when Tam swings his attention her way.

They stare at each other.

The SUV gets a little hot and sticky, and Jacob makes a sound of frustration, cranking up the AC so that the sound of the blasting air drowns out the quiet pants from the two idiots in the middle.

“Check your phone for his schedule,” Jacob commands, gesturing at my sister. “Memorize it. You’ll be working under Maggie—that is, the manager of Tam’s assistants—and if she isn’t actively instructing you to do something, start tackling items on the list in the chat. It gets updated every few minutes, so let the others know what you’re working on before you start. We don’t need two people doing the same thing at the same time. There are already too many tasks and not enough hands. Tam fires his assistants frequently.”

“I—” Tam pauses and then laughs, a self-deprecating sound that annoys me. “True. But I won’t fire Lake.”

“If she doesn’t do her job, I would expect you to fire her,” Jacob reminds him, but Tam just turns to look out the window. His hand, though, it curls tense and wanting on his thigh.

Please don’t let my sister die, I think at him, and only in my head would I ever plead with this man. Please don’t let everything I’ve sacrificed be for nothing.