“Yes, Polly, I’m not a child, so stop treating me like one. If I want to go to the festival, I should be allowed to go.” I put my hands on my hips.
“You are not going to that festival, and that’s the end of it. I don’t want to kick you out of the group, but I’ll send you home to your mother if I have to.”
That was the threat I’d hoped never to hear. I wanted to be on this tour. I wanted it more than anything, almost. But did I want it more than I wanted Crow? I guessed if I got kicked off the tour, I’d have no music career and no him. I’d lose everything.
Polly swanned out of my room, trying to slam the door behind her. It didn’t slam, and I walked over and locked it. My heart had become heavy. I’d be kicked out, my career over before it had even started.
As I snibbed the door, something hit me. If Polly kicked me off the tour, she’d be screwed too. She could get me in at the last minute to fill in for Miles because I knew their songs. But there was no one she could get to fill in for me. They’d be off the tour themselves. Polly would never do that.
I had the upper hand here, but I wouldn’t show that too soon.
Chapter 8
I LEANED MY BASS AGAINST the amp in the dingy rehearsal room.
“Haven’t we rehearsed enough?” I asked. “I’m not a machine. My voice is hoarse, and my fingers are falling off.”
Polly huffed. She’d have us playing all night if she could.
“I’ve got no drumming left in me, anyway,” Jax said.
Polly checked her watch. “I guess we should head back to the hotel for some rest.”
She couldn’t fool me. I knew why she checked the time, and it had nothing to do with getting some rest. She wanted to make sure that the last train for Paris had left the station. I’d be stuck here until morning. Then she’d have me back at rehearsal first thing.
That plan was so transparent.
“I guess we can call it a day,” she said.
The rehearsal had been a wash, anyway. With Polly and me at each other’s throats, the songs didn’t come together. We could play the same song a thousand times, but without that connection, it would always sound like shit. If Polly wanted us tighter, she could loosen the reins a little.
Crow would be at the festival now. Actually, the festival would’ve finished for the day and they’d be at their hotel. I missed him. I’d barely seen him for the last few days—not since that morning. I blushed. Just thinking about that morning made my body heat up. I didn’t want Polly seeing those thoughts written on my face, so I tried to think of other things. Safe things.
But, hell, those thoughts kept creeping back. The way he’d kissed me. The way he’d looked at me. He’d wanted to devour me, and I sure wanted to be devoured. He could do all the devouring he liked.
“Okay, we’ll be back bright and early,” Polly said.
“Why don’t we just put down our coats and curl up on this shitty, prickly carpet?” I said. “That’ll save time, and we’d be ready to start when we wake up.”
Polly sneered at me.
I followed her out of the studio, and we got an Uber back to the hotel.
“Want to grab something to eat?” she asked.
“I’m good,” I told her.
I wanted to get to my room and away from her, even if it meant going hungry. She’d been a pain in the butt ever since Fartstard had told her about me wanting the pass.
But when I got back to my room, I couldn’t sleep. I could only think of Crow. If I had a day with him, a day without Polly around, I was sure things would work out between us.
I’d been an idiot relying on Fartstard. I should’ve asked Elijah. I could trust him.
Since I couldn’t sleep, I paced my room. Then I got online and checked out when the first train ran in the morning. But if had that information, so did Polly. She’d make sure I couldn’t catch it. Damn it. If I had a car, I could drive to the festival. I had no idea how to get there, but that was what GPS was for.
Or I could hitchhike.
I shook my head. Hitchhiking would be too dangerous, especially at this time of night. I should just go back to sleep. I’d see Crow on Tuesday. But on Tuesday, Polly would probably redouble her efforts to keep us apart.