Page 56 of Beyond the Stix

“That’s exactly what I mean. You have people out here that are worried about you—I’mworried about you. You can’t lock yourself in that room forever. You need to face us—you need to talk to me.”

“Go away, John,” Connor thunders, then a crash reverberates from the room. I’m about to kick the door down, when Danny and Callum crowd into the small space. It appears they decided to not get shitfaced after all.

“John,” Danny pleads. “Give Connor the time he needs. Don’t push him.”

“I can’t?—”

“Yes, you have to,” Danny replies solemnly. “Trust me. We know how he is and what he needs right now.”

“May I have a word with you, Mr. Brand?” Dante’s standing behind them, with a disparaging frown on their face. “Now.”

“We have him,” Danny utters and places a hand on my arm in encouragement. I reluctantly nod, and move out of the way for him and Callum to take my spot at the door. Rafe and a slightly-wobbly Bobby slide by me, their focus is on their friends.

I hesitate, admitting to myself that I don’t want to move, in case Connor comes out. And yet, judging by the chaotic sounds coming from within the room, Connor is destroying the space.

I wish I could call out to Connor and tell him how I feel—that he isn’t alone in this, but the warning glare on the band manager’s face has me moving and meeting Dante head on. I glare at them before striding toward the living area. They follow closely behind.

I spot Tobias standing near the front of the bus, talking to the driver. I move past him and head outside, where the rest of the security team are waiting.

“How did you get in the park?” Dante scowls, their hands on their hips.

“I still have my security pass,” I disclose, keeping my eyes on Dante.

The manager extends their hand. “I want the pass.”

I pat the back pocket of my jeans, where I shoved the pass earlier, but it’s missing. “I must have lost it in the fight,” I confess, without a hint of remorse. If I had to repeat my actions, I’d do it all over again, especially to keep Connor safe.

“You were told to leave,” Dante spits out, sparks of fire in their amber stare.

“Yes, he was.” Tobias walks up. “And it was me that changed the order and told John to come here.”

When I got off the bus in Gerlach, I told Tobias that my gut was telling me that Jessup is up to no good. After I explained about his numerous strange text messages to Connor, Tobias had agreed, and we devised a plan for me to head to Black Rock separately, and to keep an eye on the band from a distance—specifically watching over Connor. Good thing too.

Dante rounds on Tobias. “It wasn’t your call to make.”

“Yes, it was. I’m the lead. And if I feel that one of the band members is in jeopardy, I will take every precaution to makesure they are safe. Having John in the background will ensure added safety.”

“As their band manager, I need to know what dangers are lurking for them. You as the lead have to keep me apprised of any and all details where Warrior Black is concerned. You keeping me in the dark will only cause more issues—something none of us want,” Dante declares resolutely. “Don’t you agree, Mr. Grant?”

They are right. I turn to Tobias. “We need to tell Dante what has been happening since Jessup came into the picture.”

“Tell me what?” Dante folds their arms across their chest, a mask of determination on their face as they listen to Tobias breaking down the events of the last three weeks. I add my input about the times where I’ve been the only one present during Connor and Jessup’s confrontations. However, I withhold the details of Connor’s true history with his uncle.

“I want John to remain here.” Tobias isn’t asking.

“Sons-of-bitches. Why didn’t Ron tell me all this was happening?” Dante begins to pace. “If this is where we are now, the question is how are we going to deal with Jessup?”

Tobias glances at me, and I know immediately what he wants. I give a slight nod of understanding even though what I need to do to keep Connor safe will gut me. I promised Connor I wouldn’t leave, but in order to protect him, I have to.

Dante bounces a glance between me and Tobias. “You two are up to something.”

“To catch a stalker, you have to be in their shoes,” I say before turning around and striding away to try to find my security pass.

“Now what the hell does that mean?” Dante’s shout easily carries to my ears.

I grab my cell phone and call Dean. If anyone can help me, he’ll be the best person to organize it.

TWENTY