Текст книги "The Song Remains the Same"

Автор книги: Kelli Jean

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 28 страниц)

“Why were you with him last night?” I asked.

“I wasn’t. I came down to have a drink with you and Jason, and he was standing there, watching Brigid dry-hump you in the booth.”

I closed my eyes. “Is that why you’re leavin’? ’Cause I didn’t ask for that.”

“I know you didn’t. You were exceptionally cruel to her for it.”

“Was I?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Are you mad ’cause I was mean to her?”

“No. She made a complete ass of herself. Devon was there to take her for a fun night out, and she was more interested in getting in your pants. I think he’s had it with her. He’s spent all this money to bring her over, and she’s just…going after you.”

Hearing her tell it like it was had me feeling bad for the guy. I certainly wouldn’t be putting up with that shit, and I wondered why he had been. Devon was way better looking than I was. He was stupid talented, and he was fuckin’ loaded, too. It made no sense why Brigid had been all over me like white on rice.

Kenna’s phone chimed, and she checked her text message. “My taxi’s here.”

“Shit, Kenna, don’t go. I’ll fuckin’ fix all of this right now, okay? I’ll go find Devon and fuckin’ talk to his ass.”

“I want to go,” she whispered, sniffing back tears. “Right now, I just want to go home. It’ll only be for a few days. I just…I don’t do well with this sort of shit. I can’t be around her without wanting to cry. I just want to stop crying.”

I knew she’d had it rough when she was younger even though I didn’t see how anyone could make fun of her for her looks. She had me and some other serious contenders in the heavy-metal biz drooling over her ass. Devon wouldn’t hesitate to not only fuck her brains out, but also nail her down and claim her for himself, if he could.

I’d fuckin’ kill him if he tried, and he fuckin’ knew it.

Standing up, Kenna grabbed her bag. Shoving her favorite cabby hat on her head, she slipped on her flip-flops. “I’ll call you when I get there.”

“Please, Kenna…” I whispered. “Let me make this right.”

She smiled, and my heart broke.

“You will.” Coming up to me, she pressed the softest, most soul-shattering kiss to my lips.

Numbed in my head and aching to my core, I watched my Baby Girl walk out.

Kenna

Shit…what have I done?

Essentially, I had told Phil he wasn’t worth fighting for. That my poor battered feelings were more important than sticking by his side.

At the time, it had made sense to me to go home. Leave the fucking state Brigid was in, leave her snarky, nasty ass behind, and there she would stay.

Except…what had I sacrificed to escape?

As the plane ascended from Miami International Airport, these thoughts persisted on torturing me throughout the flight.

When I was able to turn on my phone, I called Phil, desperate to tell him that I loved him. He was right. My place in this world was by his side. However, my calls went straight to voice mail.

The cab ride home was agonizing.

I had left Miami to escape Brigid, but I’d ended up bringing her and the destruction she had produced with me. By leaving, she had won, and I was filled with shame for it.

Paying the taxi driver, I didn’t make it to the front door before I was calling Alys.

“Hey, Sweet Pea! Did you make it home all right?”

“Yeah, just got here,” I replied.

Thumping loud music and voices blared in the background. X and Connor were laughing.

“What’s going on?”

“We’re out having food and fun, which you should be here for!”

Sadly, I was in full agreement. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with Phil. Is he with you guys?”

“No, I haven’t seen him all day.”

“Oh. Okay,” I said, slipping the key into the lock and opening the front door.

“If I do, I’ll let him know you’ve been trying to reach him, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I love you, Sweet Pea. Just do what you gotta do, and we’ll see you soon. It’ll all work out. I promise.”

“I love you, too, Muffin,” I choked out. I hung up before bursting into hysterical sobs.

Home. Who am I kidding?

There was no home without Phil. Even on a tour bus or in a hotel room, I was home because I had been with him. I had lived in this house for the last fourteen years, and now, I felt lost and alone, undeserving of the love Phil had given me. I went to twirl my engagement ring, and a chill sank into my chest as I remembered, for what seemed like the hundredth time, that I’d surrendered it. That ring had become a part of me, and I felt naked without it.

With a sigh of regret, I headed up to my room. Showered and dressed in raggedy sweatpants and a holey tank top, I found my emergency stash of weed and rolled a fat blunt. Popping in the NOLA’S JUNK Live at Budokan! DVD, I settled in for a long, lonely night.

Sleeping for eleven hours straight, my bladder was so full that I had to cross my legs and scurry into the bathroom before I exploded. Afterward, I was fully awake, and I descended into misery once more. Making my way over to my bed, I sat and reached for my phone.

I had three missed calls and three text messages, all from Phil. He never left a voice mail—it wasn’t his style—but his texts assured me that he loved me still, that he missed me, and for me to call him when I woke up.

My hands shook as I pushed the speed dial for his number.

“Hey, Baby Girl,” he answered after the first ring.

“Hey, babe.” Why is my brain drawing a blank now? Last night, I’d known all the things I needed to say to him, but now, I couldn’t fucking think to save my life. “I, uh…I got back okay.”

“How was your flight?”

“All right,” I said, my voice trembling. Fucking A, man! I’d left because I was so sick of crying, and here I was, fucking crying again.

“Kenna Baby, don’t,” he said softly. “It’s all right. I promise. I ain’t mad at you. You gotta know that.”

“I th-thought I wa-was co-coming home!” I stuttered, gasping for air just to be able to talk. I was a fucking wreck. “Bu-but I wasn’t! I-I have no ho-home if you’re not here!” I wailed. I proceeded to make an utter ass of myself as I snorted and honked. “I never should have left! I-I ju-just gave up! I let her wi-win!” I sounded like a fucking lunatic.

For fuck’s sake, can I just shut up?

“Baby, she didn’t win shit.”

“I was so sc-scared that I lost you. You wo-wouldn’t answer your ph-phone, and…” I clapped a hand over my mouth to hold back the sobs. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to calm down.

“You ain’t gonna lose me. I had to turn my phone off. After you left, I went and looked for Devon. He checked out of the hotel last night. I don’t know where he is, and I have no clue if Brigid is with him or not. I thought about gettin’ ahold of one of the other guys in the Cannibals, but to be honest, I don’t think that would help. We ain’t friends anymore, you know?”

Hearing Phil’s voice helped settle my emotions some. “Mmhmm.”

“So, first thing on Wednesday, I’ll find Devon, and I’ll listen to what he has to say, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you so much. I never should have left. I thought that by putting distance between me and everything else, I would feel better. It didn’t help. I just took my baggage with me.”

“Yeah, but it’s understandable. You got tired of dealin’ with her shit. Anyone would have.”

“Maybe. But what woman in her right mind wouldn’t fight for you?” I whispered. “So what if I was being bullied? I had you. You always have my back, Phil. I deserve to be miserable right now.” Hiccups started, so I made my way downstairs to grab a glass of water.

“No, you don’t,” he replied. “You never, ever deserve to be miserable. I was so sick of seein’ you in pain that I…” He swallowed audibly. “I fuckin’ let you go. What I should have done was gone with you. I didn’t even think about it at first. I thought if I spoke to Devon, then that would make you happy. But I can’t even get that accomplished.”

“I know that when you hear what he has to say, you’re going to understand what I’m talking about. I want to tell you, but it’s not my place, and he asked me to let him be the one to do so.”

“You wouldn’t have asked this of me unless you thought it was important. It’s the only reason I’ve even considered it.”

Sitting down on the back porch with my glass of water, I sighed. The relief and security I had hoped to find from coming back here started to show itself, and the pressure in my chest eased. Knowing that Phil valued my opinion as no one else did meant the world to me.

I told him softly, “I wish you were here with me.”

“Me, too, Kenna Baby. Nothin’ feels right when I ain’t with you.”

“Something like that.”

“What are you gonna do today?” he asked.

“Well, I think a mega yoga session is definitely needed along with a heavy dose of meditation, for obvious reasons.”

He laughed. “What reasons are those?”

“I let that bitch get to me when I normally wouldn’t have wasted my time or energy on even thinking about her. My head feels messed up, and I need to set it straight.”

“I think you’re expectin’ way too much of yourself. Jason told me this shit goin’ down between us might be a good thing because I might wake up and realize that you’re human. And you are. You are wonderfully, exceptionally human. You’re so strong that when you finally break, you fuckin’ shatter, and that’s just what this is.”

“Damn, Phil…”

“It’s true. So…after mega yoga and meditation, what are your plans?”

“Well, there’s no food in the house, so I guess I’ll be heading to the store. Then, I’ll just come home and relax. What about you? What are you doing right now?”

“I’m lyin’ in bed, wishin’ you were with me.”

I sighed. “Yeah, I wish I were, too.”

“I guess I’ll hit the gym. Get somethin’ to eat.”

“How come you didn’t go out with everyone last night?”

“I just wasn’t around.”

“Connor was going on and on about how awesome this one Cuban restaurant was. Maybe you should make him take you out,” I suggested.

“Naw. I’ll find somethin’. Don’t worry about me.”

“All right.”

“What do you plan on makin’ for dinner?”

“I don’t know. I’ll figure that out later.”

“If I were with you, I’d have you make your homemade macaroni ’n’ cheese. Fuckin’ comfort food at its finest. Fuck. Now, I want your macaroni ’n’ cheese.”

That cracked me up.

“Will you make it for me?”

“It does sound pretty tempting. I could use some fuckin’ comfort food, I guess.”

“Too fuckin’ right. Will you call me when you get home?”

“Yeah.”

“I love you, Baby Girl.”

“I love you, too.”

Pulling into the driveway after my grocery haul, I spotted something next to the door on the front porch. Lugging the shopping bags as I approached, I saw it was an odd-shaped package tied with plain string, and a small envelope was attached. Setting down the bags, I opened the envelope.

It was a printed note.

Make a wish. And not for fucking world peace or anything like that. Just something you really, really want, all for yourself.

Phil

Opening the light package, I found a gorgeous bouquet of white and fuchsia lotus blossoms.

“Aw!” I crooned at the beauties.

Unlocking the door, I went in and dumped the groceries on the kitchen counter. I had no idea how long the blossoms had been sitting in the hot sun, so I hunted down a vase and got them in some water. After reading over the card once more, I closed my eyes.

Something I really, really want, all for myself…

Like that was hard. All I really, really wanted was Phil. He was all I ever really, really wanted. Leaning the card against the vase, I got to work on making myself a Caesar salad and an obscene amount of macaroni and cheese. While it was baking, I headed upstairs to roll a joint and give Phil a call.

“Hey, Baby.”

“Hey! I got the flowers. They’re beautiful!”

“What did you wish for?”

“I can’t tell you. It won’t come true.”

“Don’t gimme that bullshit. What did you wish for?”

Licking the rolling paper, I made a noise that conveyed itself as, “I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. Tell me.”

Rolling it up, I replied, “You.”

“But you have me, Baby Girl. You have all of me.”

“I do?”

“Mmhmm. Whenever you want.”

“Well, that’s what I wished for. Not taking it back.”

He laughed. “All right then.”

Heading back down to the kitchen, I asked, “Did you go out for Cuban food?”

“No,” he replied.

My heart skipped, for I hadn’t just heard his voice. I’d felt it. Hurrying the last few steps, I turned the corner, and there he sat at the island.

“I’ve been waitin’ for some fuckin’ comfort food,” he replied, grinning and showing all sorts of dimples.

Snapping his phone shut, he held out his arms, and I launched myself into them, kissing every inch of his laughing face.

“When did you get here?” I cried, sniffling and laughing and kissing.

“Last night,” he replied, tightly hugging me. “I caught the first flight I could get. I got in around one thirty in the mornin’.”

Pulling back, surprised, I asked, “Seriously?”

“I tried callin’ you. You must’ve been dead to the world. I didn’t want to sneak in. I didn’t know if you’d be happy I was here.”

I mashed my face on his, kissing him for all I was worth. Growling, he kissed me back just as enthusiastically. The raw, hot, and passionate tongue-sucking and face-gnawing were awesome.

Pulling back, he sucked in a huge breath. “Fuck, Kenna. You keep that up, and I won’t give a shit about your commitment to your convictions.”

“To be honest, I don’t give a shit about them either,” I replied, going in for round two.

Moaning in defeat, he kissed me back before gently pushing me away. “You don’t mean that.” He pressed his Third Eye to mine, breathing harshly, his eyes closed. “I want you, Baby, more than anythin’, but I ain’t gonna do this. You told me what you wanted from me, and I’m gonna do what you asked, okay? What kind of person would I be if I didn’t?”

Wow. Damn it. But wow.

“Okay,” I whispered.

He nodded, making me nod, too. “I love you too much to make you go back on your word. It’s somethin’ I should’ve taken care of already.”

“Okay.”

“Okay then. Now…quit tryin’ to take advantage of my ass, and bring me some fuckin’ comfort food.”

“There’s still about twenty minutes to go.”

“Now, you’re just teasin’ me, and that ain’t okay.”

“Not even if I get you stoned?” I asked, waving the joint under his nose.

“Well, when you put it that way…”

I grinned.

I was so fucking happy that I was already stoned. And it was all on him.

Three days with only each other and no sex hadn’t been easy. The sexual tension was nearing combustible levels, but we had done it. There were times when we’d both been like fuck it and nearly caved in. But we’d proven to each other that our relationship wasn’t based on sex.

For three days, we’d just talked, hung out, watched movies, and made food. Phil had taken me shopping again, and this time, he’d let me buy him some stuff, too. He’d tried yoga, which was pretty fucking funny. He’d said he liked it and that maybe he’d do more of it in the future.

Most importantly, we’d connected like the best friends we’d always been. We’d had it in us to show each other just how much we meant to one another. It was one of the best times of my life.

Wednesday came, and Tim picked us up mid-morning. Piling into the back of the van, he smiled at us in the rearview mirror. “You guys had a nice time?”

Phil looked down at me, smiling. “Too fuckin’ right we did.”

Grinning like an idiot right back at him, I replied, “Very nice.”

The Twisted Festivus was at the same fairgrounds every year. Behind the main stage area, Tim was able to drive us up to the gate that fenced off the tour buses from the rest of the parking lot.

“I got a few more errands to run, so I’ll see you guys later, all right?”

“Sure thing,” replied Phil, grabbing his duffel bag full of clean clothes before taking my hand.

Shit, we were so in love in that moment that even I could see the glow shimmering off of us as we made our way toward the direction where Tim said the bus was.

“I talked to Jason. Everyone was headin’ back to the house to shower and relax for a few hours. Lili and Lewis are gonna get the food for the next few days.”

“Sweet,” I replied.

His hand squeezed my fingers laced with his, and I glanced up and smiled at him. He looked too cute in his aviators.

Passing the rows of buses, we hurried our steps as we neared Cornered Cannibal’s bus, not wanting to run into any of those people or their crew. However, just as we were heading through their designated area, the door to their bus opened, and Devon blew out with an air of violence, closely followed by a tiny redhead.

“Devon, be reasonable! You can’t just leave in the middle of a tour!”

“Be reasonable?” he vehemently snapped, spinning around to face the petite woman. His Irish accent grew thicker with his anger, giving way to a pretty lilt. “You two are pure fucking evil! What is wrong with you?”

“Devon?” I called out.

Both he and the redhead turned to look at us. Phil stiffened with annoyance next to me.

The redhead blanched, and I recognized her even under the heavily applied dark eye makeup.

So did Phil. “Camryn?” he asked in surprise.

I looked up at my man. He wasn’t looking at Camryn. He was looking at the girl who’d had her ass beaten and gotten spit on, the girl who had had her tooth knocked out and taken his money for dental work.

“What the fuck?” he hissed.

“Phil, it’s not—” she said, holding up a manicured slender hand with bloodred nails.

“What the fuck is this shit?” asked Phil. “What are you even doing here? With him?”

“Babe?”

Phil turned his head and looked at me.

“It’s going to be okay,” I told him, squeezing his fingers.

“You ready to hear me out, brother?” asked Devon, sounding hard yet hopeful.

Phil flinched at the term of endearment.

“You are,” I told him. “And no matter what you decide to do afterward, you have my full support, okay?” Then, I did something that I found a lot harder than I’d thought it would be. I let go of his hand. “I’ll be here when you need me.”

Phil breathed for a few beats, but then he nodded. “Okay.”

Camryn’s jaw dropped, and she took a few steps back. “Devon…”

Devon swung to face her. “I’ll finish the fucking tour. You can tell your master that. I’m not leaving Brigid to be subjected to your twisted shit without having an escape.”

“She chose to—”

“You keep fucking telling yourself that. I’m sure it helps you sleep better at night.”

Camryn glared at him, at all of us, and I could only guess that she was going to be running back to tell Jürgen all about what had just gone down.

Devon looked at Phil, giving him a smile that couldn’t quite reach his eyes.

Phil

Devon took me back to his bus, which I noticed wasn’t too far from ours. It was the same as when I had been in there last time, only no ex-girlfriend. Brigid’s heavy perfume still clung to the walls, but her air of vindictiveness was missing. The stacks of sheet music were back on the table, and it took all my willpower not to reach out and paw through them.

This felt fuckin’ weird.

Waving his hand at the table, he let me know I was welcome to sit. “You want something to drink? I’m making coffee.”

“Coffee’s fine.”

One of the most uncomfortable silences made itself painfully known.

What do I say to a guy whom I’ve spent the last four years hating?

The thing was…I had liked Devon. I didn’t want to have to hate him anymore.

Seeing Camryn…at first, I hadn’t even recognized my friend. That girl wasn’t there, like at all. The familiarity of the face I had looked at hit me full force. I’d realized I knew her from somewhere…and then I’d known where. The sad look in my Baby Girl’s eyes had told me that she had known and that she had desperately wanted me to know the truth, too.

Camryn…holy shit, talk about a fuckin’ wack job.

I had attached myself to some seriously fucked-up broads. I must’ve had some sort of neon sign hanging ’round my neck, stating what a fuckin’ gullible dumbass I was.

“Black, yeah?” Devon asked as he poured the fresh brew into two mugs.

I grunted in the affirmative.

He sat down across from me and busted me eyeballing his sheet music. “Brigid told me you looked over some of it,” he said. An odd sadness crept into his eyes.

“It’s some brilliant work,” I told him.

Maybe Kenna had it right. A man who could pull what he had out of thin air could have only been touched by something divine. She’d talked about the look on his face during that solo of his at Budokan, as if that were proof enough for her. I’d fuckin’ watched that shit after she’d mentioned it, and I had to admit, Devon had looked otherworldly. Shit had given me goose bumps.

“Glad to hear someone thinks so,” he replied.

“Yeah, it doesn’t read like anythin’ the Cannibals would be willin’ to play.”

“No.”

More weird silence.

“So, are you gonna tell me what the fuck is goin’ on, or…”

“What has Kenna told you?”

“Not a fuckin’ thing. She told me you had to tell me.”

I knew why, too. If she had told me, I might have just brushed it off as Devon trying to get one over on her. Smart woman, with her Vulcan fuckin’ logic.

At least one of us has it, I thought.

“You need to know that I wanted to tell you from the beginning, only Jürgen…” He sighed and closed his eyes. “I’ve wanted this for so long, and now that it’s finally happening, I don’t even know what to say.”

“Just spit it out, man.”

So, he did. All of it was just laid out there. I was fuckin’ stunned. Anger and hatred and sadness all melted into one another. Then, pity and relief followed. Happiness came because I finally knew that Devon wasn’t a monster of epic proportion.

“I didn’t even know about you and Camryn, Phil. I had no idea that she and Jürgen planned the whole thing about me beating and raping her in Finland. I confronted him about it the day I spoke with Kenna. He told me he had to make you pay for hurting me, as if he actually gave a shit about my feelings. But I know he did it because he was afraid you might actually listen to me, and we’d end up being friends again.”

“What would’ve been so wrong about that?”

“He likes to have control over all of us. The other guys…he keeps them slicked with drugs, booze, and sex. It keeps them compliant. The thing was, I got clean. I quit doing coke, and for the most part, I quit drinking because it makes me want coke. He can’t control me like he used to. And when you and I were friends, he was worried you’d make me see how much better life could be without him.”

“Did I?”

Devon smiled, and again, I couldn’t understand why Brigid had been more obsessed with the last two inches of my cock over his pretty smile. If I were Kenna’s hairy fairy, Jimi, I’d be all over that shit.

“Maybe. But there are others out there who would do better by the Cannibals, who would be happy to take my place.”

“People recognize the Cannibals because of you, Devon. That’s the way it’s always been. Jürgen might be the front man, but you’re the fuckin’ legend. It’s a wonder he doesn’t hate you, too.”

“I’m sure he does. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, blah, blah, blah.”

“This is so fucked up.” I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face.

“I’m truly sorry, Phil. I wanted to tell you long before now. I thought if I gave you time to cool off, then you would let me explain, but you wouldn’t hear me.”

“That whole fuckin’ situation in Berlin was a wake-up call for me. I walked away from all of it, Devon. I never wanted to look back.”

Devon nodded. “Well, I’m happy you gave me the time anyway.”

“It’s not like I had a choice. Kenna wouldn’t let me touch her until I did.”

He looked at me in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Is this the face of a recently laid guy? Fuck yeah, I’m fuckin’ serious! Gave me back her engagement ring, too. Said she was puttin’ it on hold until I heard what you had to say. Fuck, I was pissed at her for puttin’ you between us.”

“I don’t think she saw it like that,” Devon said quietly. “I think she was putting you first. She knew you needed to hear the truth. I can see why she stole your heart all those years ago.”

Shoving a finger in his face, I snapped, “You best fuckin’ keep your relations with her platonic. I see how you look at her sometimes, man. I won’t kill you for the shit that went down before, but if you keep thinkin’ impure thoughts about my woman, I will not hesitate to unleash a fuckin’ smackdown, you feel me?”

Son of a bitch fuckin’ smirked at me. “I feel you, brother. Besides, her heart has clearly been given to you, and I’ve had enough of that shit with Brigid.”

“What’s the deal with you two anyway? I mean, why are you puttin’ up with her shit? And how the fuck did you two actually hook up?”

“I met her in rehab.”

“Come again?”

“Rehab. Well, a meeting actually. The night you left, I quit drugs, cold turkey. It wasn’t easy, and there are times I got close to breaking down and getting myself a fix. I’ve learned liquor’s a bit of a trigger for me, so I just stay away from it now. Anyway, I was staying in Amsterdam, and I was drinking. I was jonesing, so I went to an NA meeting. I met her there.”

“What was she in there for?”

“Smack. I guess she got into it pretty bad, and she nearly died. She was cute and sweet, and we hit it off. This was, what? Three years ago? Since then, we’ve kept in touch, and we hook up occasionally. Honest, I had no idea you used to go with her. She never mentioned it, not even when I told her about us being friends in the past.”

“Huh.”

“So, yeah. But now…”

“Now?”

“She’s with Jürgen and Camryn. I threatened to send her ass back home after that shit in Miami, and she ran straight into their open arms. I’m…I’m fucking terrified for her.”

“I gotta tell you, man. I don’t remember her bein’ such a fuckin’ head case.”

“She told me once that she had fallen for a guy who had fucked her over royally and that she wasn’t willing to put herself out there like that again. I respected that. Now, I have a feeling who that guy was.”

Heat crept up my neck and into my face. “She never acted like she loved me. I really thought it was only about the sex and money. I was cool with that because I was in love with someone else. I knew she was pissed when I left her, but I didn’t get the feelin’ I’d broken her heart or nothin’.”

“She’s too proud to show that much emotion.”

“She used to make fun of my ass behind my back. Bitched that I wouldn’t stick it in all the way and shit.”

“Well, you have to admit, it’s a bit weird, man. I’m sure a lot of chicks wondered why.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, well, the ones who bothered to ask got told it was too big.”

“What do you tell Kenna?”

“Nothin’. She gets it all.”

Devon looked impressed. “Well then, do you hurt her with it?”

“No.”

“You do know that vaginas push out tiny humans, right? Your dick isn’t that big.”

“I know that, asshole!”

He laughed. “Don’t feel bad. It’s still pretty fucking huge.”

I grinned. “Yeah, I know that, too.”

“So…what happens now?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. But…I feel a lot better now. About you, about everythin’. I feel like a fuckin’ idiot, believin’ Camryn was my friend. I told her a lot about myself. A lot of shit that Jürgen never needed to know.”

“I’m sorry about that, too. If I had known, I would’ve tried to warn you. She’s as horrific as Jürgen. They make a hell of a team.”

Shakin’ my head, I didn’t know what to say about that. I had put my trust and faith in some people who should never have had it.

I needed to find my Baby Girl. There was a four-carat engagement ring sitting in my pocket when it should be on her finger.

“I’m leaving the Cannibals after the tour. Jürgen probably suspects, especially now that I’ve spoken with you. But it’s not common knowledge yet.”

“It’s about fuckin’ time you did.”

“Yeah. Watch your back, brother. There’s every chance this shit is going to get ugly.”

“You, too, man,” I replied, getting up.

He stood up, too.

“Brother,” I amended, hugging the son of a bitch, “I got your back.”