Ransom (Courting Chaos Book 2) Read online

  Indie scanned up and down the halls as we wandered backstage, even though Dixon had said he’d text their manager. Wandering was better than sitting around waiting.

  “How do you know Indie?” Ransom asked from beside me.

  I hadn’t been talking to anyone. Indie laughed at something Dixon had said. Her comfort level with all of the guys, at least as far as I’d already witnessed, threw me off. It shouldn’t have since that was Indie.

  “School,” I answered, barely sparing him a glance, hoping to discourage any further conversation. This getting to know you stuff was exactly what I wanted to avoid.

  “You into photography like she is?”

  “No.”

  Ransom smirked my way and narrowed his eyes. Sure, I had my reasons for giving short, clipped answers, but they also made me sound like a cold-as-hell bitch. Even Indie glanced back at me with a question on her face. I had to fight back a groan. She wouldn’t let me off the hook easily.

  “How long are you on the tour?” Ransom asked, drawing my attention away from the future grilling Indie would give me once we finished lunch.

  “Didn’t they tell you? I’m a permanent fixture.” I tried to smile with the confidence I no longer felt. “Scared yet?”

  “Scared?” he asked, then snorted. “I could put you in my pocket.”

  “Double dog dare you to try.”

  The group erupted in laughter and I let the bitterness in my words slip away as I tried to find the comfortable flow that I used to have. At the very least, it’d get Indie off my back before she had the chance to jump on it.

  “Lawson,” Cross called out, making all of us turn in the opposite direction than the one we’d been walking in. Like a flock of birds turning because the leader told us to.

  “What’s up, guys?” the young-looking manager asked, but his eyes fell on me.

  Indie piped up. “Oh, this is Bellamy.” She gestured at me and I gave him a quick wave. “She and I need tickets for tonight.”

  “I have two down front and a few in the wings.”

  “Front,” she said. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll drop them in the dressing room, but, guys, you’ve got some press to do.” Courting Chaos gave a collective groan. “Listen. I know. Do it, then you can get dinner before the show. Besides, the reporter really wants to talk to Booker first.”

  “Excellent.” Dixon rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to shower.”

  Booker walked away with their manager but looked like it was the last thing he wanted to do. It took all of my control not to giggle at the chastised schoolboy face he wore.

  “Hey.” Indie pulled me aside. “How much would you care if I disappeared for like an hour?”

  I snorted. There wasn’t much mystery there.

  “You’d abandon me to get laid?”

  “Absolutely. But not if it bothers you.”

  “It doesn’t bother me,” I said through a giggle.

  “OK, but also, there’s something up with you and I’d like to know what that is. So the hour gives you time to either figure out how to tell me or come up with an amazing lie.”

  “I never lie to you.”

  “I know,” she said quietly as she studied me. She had more she wanted to say. More I likely didn’t want to hear, certainly not with Cross and Ransom within earshot. “I— ”

  “Would you go already? I’ll find something to do.”

  She wet her lips, still watching me. “I’ll see you later.”

  I watched as Indie walked back to Cross, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder while they walked away. It was a comfortable move. One that kind of said he cared. I missed that feeling.

  While I didn’t want to discuss my need to get away from real life with Indie or anyone else for that matter, small gestures like an arm around a shoulder were a stark reminder of that very thing.

  “Hey, want to grab a coffee?” Ransom asked.

  I swallowed hard, having forgotten he was still there as I’d gotten lost in my own thoughts. “I’m good.”

  He chuckled. “Listen, what’re you going to do? You can’t go back to the bus… Well, I suppose you can, but wouldn’t it be more fun just to grab a fucking coffee even if it’s with me? I won’t bite.”

  Biting had never been an issue with me, but he wouldn’t know that.

  “Where?” I asked.

  “Where what?”

  I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Coffee. Where? Here?”

  “I guess we could, but I’d put money on the coffee being better at the coffee shop on the corner.”

  My stomach tightened. “So out in public.”

  Ransom shook his head, the slightly floppy dark locks tapping against his cheeks as he did. “Is it that you don’t want to be seen in public with me? That’s not usually a problem.”

  “You’re so full of yourself.”

  “I am. But that’s not what I meant.”

  Oh, shit. He’d admitted to his overconfidence. I had to bite the corner of mouth to keep from smiling. A smile might be misconstrued as encouragement.

  “OK. Coffee. Quickly, though.”

  “Got it.” He waved a hand toward the door and started walking. “You don’t even have to swallow.”

  I stopped dead and gave him a hard stare. He’d meant the coffee—I thought he meant the coffee—but that wasn’t how it had sounded. Ransom glanced back and when he didn’t find me still walking beside him, he stopped and turned toward me, his face smooshed together in confusion.

  His features softened and he tried not to smile.

  “It-It’s a gift, Bellamy. I don’t set out to make things sound dirty. It just happens.”

  “Uh-huh,” I said as I pushed past him toward the door. He couldn’t have seen the tiny grin that flashed across my lips before I set my face back to stone. He might not have meant it, but it was still funny as hell.

  Chapter Four

  Ransom

  Fucking hell, Bellamy made me work for the smallest amount of conversation. I never had to work this hard to hook up with a girl and I wasn’t even trying to hook up with her. But she would be on our tour for… well, I didn’t know how long. Being civil would benefit all of us.

  As we walked the half a block to the coffee shop, I couldn’t help but notice the way Bellamy swung her gaze from side to side, not really focusing on anything, but trying to see everything. Or everyone. I wanted to know what was going on in her head, but no way in hell would I ask. Honestly, she probably wouldn’t answer me anyway.

  The coffee shop was pretty empty when we made it through the door, but then again, the crowd hadn’t started to form outside the venue yet, either. They’d be there soon enough, but we had this bit of time where we’d have a simple cup of coffee and a little conversation.

  I waved my hand in front of me to indicate Bellamy should go ahead and order first.

  “Grande iced coffee with caramel and room for cream, please,” she said as she pulled her purse up and unzipped it.

  “I got it,” I said to her, then turned to the barista. “Grande black.”

  I paid, then we shuffled over to the pickup counter, got our coffee, and after she added the cream, we grabbed a table.

  “I won’t even say anything about the cream,” she said.

  “Oh fucking hell,” I said. Her quiet giggle made the embarrassment she thought she might be causing totally worth it. “Luckily, I don’t get embarrassed.”

  “Ever?” she asked.

  “Never.”

  Bellamy remained quiet for about thirty seconds before saying, “I almost feel like that’s a challenge.”

  Now I had to laugh, though not nearly as quietly or cutely as she had. I laughed loudly and drew the eyes of everyone in the shop. Oops. “You can try.” And I’d bet I’d love every second of it.

  Something about this girl drew me in—beyond the obvious. The red curls pulled up into a messy bun, those honey-colored eyes… She was beautiful. Sexy as hell, but I didn’t think about her hotn
ess the most. Bellamy had seemed timid when I’d met her, though every once in a while, something strong came through, as if the strong part was the real her. But if that was the case, why did she act timid the rest of the time? Though the shyness didn’t really come off as an act, either.

  Bellamy became a puzzle I wanted to solve.

  While girls on tour were incredibly easy to come by, Bellamy did her best to keep me at arm’s length. Her doing that intrigued me. This tour with Kissing Cinder might’ve been the biggest gig for us, but it certainly wasn’t the first. I’d done the different girl every night thing but had quickly grown tired of it. That kind of thing was supposed to be exciting, most guys’ dream, but it quickly became an all-you-can-eat buffet after your third trip to the food bar.

  “How old were you when you lost your virginity?” Bellamy asked suddenly.

  I raised an eyebrow and lifted the corner of my mouth into a cocky little grin. “Fifteen.”

  She scrunched up her nose. “Really.”

  I nodded as I took a drink of my coffee.

  “How long did you last?” she asked.

  I snorted. She was really trying to dig deep to embarrass me. “If I’m being optimistic, I’d say thirty seconds, but really, I’d say ten, tops. One thrust in and I was gone.”

  “Ohmigod,” she said with a giggle. Then she narrowed her eyes on me and nibbled on her bottom lip. “This isn’t an offer, but do you want to see me naked?”

  “Hell, yes,” I said without hesitation. Her eyes grew round like a saucer, as if she honestly didn’t think I’d answer the question. My answer didn’t shock her, but me admitting it did. She had to know almost every single heterosexual male on the planet would want to see her naked. “You done?” I asked her back.

  “How many partners have you had?”

  I shook my head. “That’s a loaded question.”

  “Ha!” She slapped the table like she’d finally found something I wouldn’t answer. Joke was on her.

  “Now, now. I said it’s a loaded question, not that I wouldn’t answer it. But it depends on how you mean. Are you asking about actual sex? Oral? Hand stuff? All of it? The number varies.”

  “Oh, lord… ” she said quietly.

  I tried not to laugh at her reaction, but the look of utter shock on her face was far too adorable. “We better head back before the crowd outside the venue gets too big.”

  Bellamy slid out of the booth and I followed her out of the shop. I certainly enjoyed the view.

  “Hey, aren’t you afraid I’ll tell all of this stuff to People or TMZ?” she asked when we were about halfway back.

  “Not really. If any of the reporters asked me, I’d tell them myself because I give zero fucks about what most people think, and as I said, I don’t get embarrassed.”

  “I wouldn’t, though. Just so you know. I’d never repeat anything you told me.” She paused for a minute and added, “Well, maybe to Indie, but not even her if you asked.”

  “Good to know.” Though rarely did I have a secret I wanted to keep anyway.

  Those forty-five minutes together seemed to be exactly what Bellamy had needed and it sure did me a lot of good. By the time we crossed the parking lot of the venue toward the buses, she seemed much more at ease, at least with me—exactly as I’d hoped. Our best friends were a couple. We’d likely be thrown together even after she returned home.

  “Thanks for this.” She nudged her shoulder into my arm. “I’ve been kind of stressed out and this was fun. Though now I see it as my personal mission to find the thing that actually embarrasses you. Does that make me an asshole?”

  “No. I look forward to it, actually.”

  Bellamy stopped and turned toward me. “I’m sorry I was a dick earlier.”

  “You were a dick earlier?”

  She pursed her lips and cocked her head, to which I chuckled. “Yeah. I was and I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Apology accepted, but do you want to tell me why?”

  “Not really.” She shook her head and looked off into the distance toward the crowd. Then she did a double-take.

  “All right. Well, maybe another time.” Still her gaze remained locked on something in the crowd, but I couldn’t tell who or what it was even after checking myself.

  “Ransom Drake!” The fucking familiar voice made me cringe. “Ransom Drake, don’t you move.”

  I dropped my head back to face the sky and muttered, “Fuck.”

  “A friend of yours?” Bellamy asked, finally looking away from the crowd. She leaned to the left to see around me, but I already knew what she’d find. A tall, angry brunette with fire shooting from her ears. Hope’s default expression.

  “Not really,” I said with a sigh, then turned to block Bellamy from the fire-breathing dragon. “Something you need, Hope?” I folded my arms across my chest in the hope that she’d keep her focus on me and leave Bellamy alone.

  “Who’s this?” she asked.

  Yeah, good luck and Hope, the person, never really meshed together well. “Why are you here?” I asked, ignoring the question.

  “Oh,” she snapped back. “Is this your latest side piece?”

  I shook my head. “To have a side piece, I’d have to have a girlfriend.”

  The look of horror on Hope’s face would’ve been comical if I weren’t so focused on Bellamy’s reaction to this whole thing. But Bellamy stood behind me and I wasn’t comfortable enough to turn around to check on her.

  Just when I’d made a tiny bit of headway with Bellamy, the fire pits of hell had opened up and released my last mistake into the world.

  Chapter Five

  Bellamy

  This random girl who had stormed up to Ransom and me in the parking lot had seriously asked if I was his side piece. It would’ve been funny if my stomach hadn’t still been in a knot from catching a glimpse of someone familiar in the growing crowd outside the venue. Once I knew it wasn’t him hiding amongst the fans, something else replaced the knot the more this girl Hope spoke. Clearly, Hope knew Ransom in a way I tried to convince myself I didn’t want to. Yet it still pissed me off that she did.

  “I need to talk to you. Alone.” Brunette Barbie folded her arms under her breasts and looked at Ransom expectantly.

  He rubbed a hand down his face and didn’t get a chance to respond before Cross spoke from behind me.

  “Seriously?”

  “I got this.” Ransom waved him off.

  “Sure you do,” Cross said back.

  “Mind your business, Cross,” Hope snapped, causing Indie to raise her eyebrows.

  This whole thing was getting seriously out of control and I wanted out of there before even more drama broke loose. I watched everyone’s moves so closely, something that had recently became second nature. Ransom turned a few degrees toward Cross, glanced from him to me, and gave a slight nod of his head. Apparently, this silent conversation meant something to Cross because the next thing I knew, Indie gave my arm a sharp tug.

  “Why don’t we go get some dinner and let Ransom deal with his own bad decisions?” Cross said, loud enough for all five of us to hear.

  “Fuck you, Cross,” Brunette Barbie said.

  “Not if you paid me, Hope.”

  Indie spoke up. “Bellamy. Want to go get some dinner?”

  “Yeah. That sounds good,” I said.

  The three of us—Cross, Indie, and me—walked away, leaving Ransom with the woman Cross had said was a bad decision. Half of me wanted to laugh and half wanted to stay and see what the hell had happened to cause our pretty decent day to end so abruptly.

  We hopped into a car, this time not driven by Dean, but by an unnamed security guard. I was sure he had a name. I just hadn’t been told what that was. He stopped in front of a chain restaurant, but I didn’t care where we ate.

  “So we’re here for the early bird special?” I asked as I opened the menu. Indie giggled and nudged my foot under the table.

  “They eat dinner early on show days,” she tol
d me. “Oh, did I mention we get to stay in an actual hotel tomorrow night?”

  “Fancy.”

  “Probably not, but two shows in Pittsburgh means a night in a hotel with a real shower.”

  “The venue showers are real showers,” Cross offered.

  “Barely,” she said, rolling her eyes. “We’ll room together.” She looked at me.

  “Sure we will,” I said, nodding. “You can stay with him. You don’t have to babysit me.”

  “It’s not babysitting, but a girls’ night might be nice.”

  I shrugged. “Up to you.”

  We ordered and made small talk until our food arrived, but when we all fell silent, that nagging question wouldn’t go away and I’d never have the courage to ask once we got back around the others.

  “So who was that girl?”

  Cross’ gaze hopped up to mine. “An awful ex-girlfriend.”

  “Why awful?”

  He chewed slowly, as if that would get him out of answering. “If I answer that, I’m going to sound like an asshole.”

  “I don’t mind,” I said seriously, though Indie snorted. “Listen. I’m just curious because she asked if I was Ransom’s new side piece.”

  “That’s why she’s shitty,” he said, pointing at me before returning to his meal. “She’s jealous and clingy and all the things you two aren’t.”

  “You don’t even know me,” I challenged. “I could be all of those things.”

  “Not likely. Not if Indie’s friends with you and not if you didn’t fall all over Ransom the moment you met him. Hope did and it took a while for any of us to see through her. Then we did.”

  He wasn’t wrong. Indie and I weren’t that type of girl and we didn’t hang around that type of girl. We also tried hard not to judge that kind of girl, but Ransom’s girlfriend had called me his side piece, as if I would be something to be ashamed of if he and I hooked up. Which we hadn’t and wouldn’t.

  “What happened with you two today?” Indie asked, eyeing me for any reaction, so I couldn’t give her one.