Page 54 of Killer Notes
Raef shoves the keyboardist. “Danny, you look great.”
If I wasn’t looking at the lead guitarist’s face, I would have taken what he said at face value. But the man’s waggling his eyebrows.
A deeper bloom of red spreads across Danny’s skin, especially when he looks directly at me. Something bursts in my chest from that single look. I want to rush him, put Danny over my shoulder and run.
Instead, I remain stoic and shift my attention to my partner, who happens to glance between me and Danny, with a shit eating grin.
Fuck.He knows, too.
“Can I have a word with you, Danny?” Connor’s clipped tone is followed by a frown so deep that it could match the San Andreas fault.
Danny’s smile drops and he expels a breath. “Yeah.” He heads back toward the bedroom, with Connor on his heels.
Callum Fitz leans toward me and says in a low voice, “Don’t worry about Connor. He’s always been overly protective of Danny. Especially after what Siles put him through.”
“Yeah. Siles is a grade A dough bag.”
“Danny told you?” Shock mars the bassist’s face. “Did he also tell you we all went to high school together?”
“Yeah, he did,” I admit, while keeping on a neutral mask. Showing my rage over the atrocities done to Danny won’t help anyone in this room, especially me. I need to keep my shit locked down. I want to hunt that fucker down and hurt him.
“Well, I’m glad Danny told you the details of what Siles did to him for years. And I just got to say it out loud, that motherfucker is lucky to be alive.” Callum’s sharp voice cuts through the sudden silence in the room.
“If that bastard comes around Danny at the festival—”
“What?” I whirl around and face Raef. “What do you mean ‘ifhe comes around Danny?’ Is Barrett going to be there this weekend?”
“We got the desert if he does.” Bobby slices a finger across his neck. “We’ll bury his ass, deep.”
That said, Bobby, Callum, and Raef head straight for the kitchen counter, where all the food we had left is boxed up.
“I can see your brain is working overtime,” John utters.
“Why didn’t you tell me that Siles Barrett is attending Rocktoberfest?”
“I just found out myself,” John pulls out his phone. “You should have gotten a message from Dean. Ron also sent a group text to the band.”
“Well, Danny doesn’t know. His phone has been turned off,” I explain, running a hand over my face. “I need to talk to Danny.”
“Let Connor talk to him,” John says, stepping in my path.
I shake my head. “He’ll need me.”
“What do you mean?” John leans in and scrutinizes my face before adding, “You like him.”
“It’s not up for discussion,” I cut him off, glaring at my now smirking partner. “Show me the bus.”
John chuffs out quietly, “Fine. You’re not going to believe what this monster has inside it.”
I take one last glance toward the bedroom, knowing that Danny won’t take the news of Siles being at the festival well. And it doesn’t matter who’s telling him. He’s going to be upset.
The idea of that bastard getting close tomysinger has my hackles way up, and I conjure up all the ways to get Siles Barrett out of Danny’s life for good.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Danny
“Tell me you didn’t,” Connor says, as he closes the door and rounds on me.