Rock-a-Bye, Baby

The wait for a cab was over three hours long. If I didn’t get to The Lennox soon, I was liable to murder the next person to piss me off.

Then I was almost mobbed when someone recognized me. After I got away, I swore a blue streak in my head as I stomped back into the airport to the offices for the car service. The woman at the counter was harried and close to falling apart, but she was still staring at me with starry eyes and it was making her even more incompetent. She typed away on her computer, sneaking glances at me every few seconds. After a minute, she stared intently at the screen then looked up at me warily. “I’m sorry sir, I don’t have your reservation.”

“Look again,” I growled. I was beyond caring about manners. All I cared about was getting my ass to The Lennox. She typed some more then lifted her head, but her suspiciously shiny eyes wouldn’t meet mine. “Sorry, sir—um.”

“Whether it’s there or not isn’t the issue at this point,” I snapped. “I need to get to my fucking hotel as soon as possible, so get me a damn ride!”

I knew I’d been distant the last week, even more so the last few days. Levi and Brooklynn had been awesome when I explained the situation, and we worked pretty much around the clock for three days to get our song done. It was the last track that needed to be finished before I could get back to my Belle. We’d even worked it out with the label to do any necessary tweaking at a studio in Las Vegas.

We’d wrapped late last night, and I hopped on a plane first thing in the morning. It wasn’t a long ride normally, but because it was a last-minute booking and with the number of people already trying to get to Vegas…I’d ended up being routed through Oakland, to Reno, then to Vegas. If I’d been thinking clearly, I would’ve just booked a private jet instead. But I’d been too damn focused on getting out the door to think about how long it was going to take me to get to Belle with the flight I’d booked. And now I was paying for it. I was fucking exhausted and wanted nothing more than to wrap Belle up in my arms, kiss the hell out of her, then curl up with her and take a nap.

“Sir—”

I was so done with this chick. I waved her off and stepped out of line, whipping out my cell phone. I tapped the screen a few times, then waited while it rang. It went to voicemail, and I groaned. If I couldn’t get a hold of Drew…fuck. I really didn’t want to make the call to the next person on my list.

I sighed and scrolled to the next contact I needed and hit send.

“Thorne,” Knox growled when he answered. “Was I not clear about what would happen if you broke my sister’s heart?”

“I need your help.” I practically choked on the words.

“Why the fuck would I help you when I just held my sister in my arms while she cried herself to sleep? Not to mention spending the afternoon puking her damn guts up because you made her so upset she couldn’t even keep anything down. It’s barely dark out, but at least she’s getting the rest she needs after the craptastic day she’s had thanks to you.”

“Something’s wrong with Belle?” I practically shouted, my fingers squeezing the phone so hard it was amazing it didn’t crack. Pain sliced through my heart when I guessed that she’d been crying because I had been such an idiot and tried to surprise her. But for now, I need to focus on the fact that she was sick.

“I called a doctor to check on her. He said she’s fine, but when I went in to check on her, she fell the fuck apart.”

“Where is she? Let me talk to her,” I demanded.

“I’m not telling you shit until I decide whether you’re going to live or die, Thorne. Now, Drew convinced me to give you the benefit of the doubt and not kick your ass until I got an explanation. And before you blow smoke up my ass about the contract, I know you haven’t signed it yet. So, tell me why I shouldn’t rip you a new asshole.”

“For fuck’s sake, Knox,” I ground through a clenched jaw. “Can’t you trust the guy you’ve known for years just this once? I’m in Las Vegas. I’ve had to endure the flights from hell, and I just need to get to the fucking hotel! Then I promise, after I explain myself to Belle, who is the only person I owe it to, you’ll get your fucking turn!” I was shouting by the time I was done, and I winced when a mother with two small children threw me a dirty look.