Jackson flashed a tight-lipped smile as he shook Owen’s hand. “Wish I could say the same.”
I cringed at his words, but Owen was unfazed by it and kept a pleasant demeanor. “I get it, man, I understand. You're not really crazy about your little sister touring with a rock band full of guys. There are plenty of rumors about us and our history, but I want to assure you, that stuff is just tabloid gossip. Seriously, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on Nalia on the road.”
“That’s exactly what I am worried about,” Jackson’s gaze went to me then hardened back on Owen. “I’ll fuck up everyone here if anything happens to her, and that’s a promise.”
“Jackson!” I narrowed my eyes at him and grabbed his arm tugging him back toward his car.
“What? I’m just being honest,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear. “I want them to know not to fuck with you.” He stopped, his jaw set tight as he glanced back toward the guys who were all standing there looking a little dumbfounded.
“Jackson, this is my job. I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself while we’re on tour.”
“You’re my little sister, and I’m allowed to be protective of you. Especially around guys like these,” he hissed, handing my bag over.
“Seriously. I’ll be fine. I promise,” I told him, giving him a big hug and not missing the daggers he was shooting right at Owen. “I’ll call you from the road. Honestly, Jackson, there really is no need to worry about me or get bent out of shape. I'm a grown woman.
“And remember, I worked in that god-awful dive bar with all those drunken creeps, who were way worse than any of these guys could be. Believe me, I know how to handle myself. I don't need you looking out for me, as much as I appreciate your concern.”
“I'm just saying be careful. And if anything happens, you know you can call me.” He gave me a serious look. “Anything at all. I mean it. I'm not intimidated by these guys.”
“I know. I know. I love you, Jack.”
“Love you, too, sis.” He kissed my forehead then got into his car, all the while still glaring at Owen until he pulled away. Once his car disappeared down the street, I turned around, my face flushed with embarrassment, and I trudged back toward Owen.
Chapter Twenty-One
Owen
Nalia looked completely mortified at her brother’s behavior, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I liked that someone was so protective of her and cared about her like her brother did.
I couldn't blame him. After all, if I had a sister and knew she was going to be on a bus for three months with someone like Talon, hell, I'd be upset, too. It was only natural for him to feel the way he did, especially after all the damning garbage he'd probably read about us in tabloids and gossip mags.
I cared about her, too, and felt a duty to protect her out on the road. Hell, if I were only running the record company, there’s a solid chance I’d be doing everything in my power to get Nalia to go out with me on a more serious level. But with the band going on tour, it just wasn’t a good idea. Such things would have to wait until after the tour.
But with these four months of madness ahead of us, who could say what might happen between Nalia and me over the next few months? Who could predict where things might be between us at the end of the tour? All we could do was live for the moment and take each day as it came for the time being.
“I’m so, so sorry about that,” Nalia apologized. She swallowed hard, her cheeks crimson with embarrassment as she walked back over to me. “He’s just really protective of me. He always has been, ever since we were little kids.”
I wanted to ask her why. I wanted to know if there was a reason Jackson was that way—if it was just him being her older brother or if there was something more that gave him a motive to be extra protective of her. Perhaps something from their past, from growing up… But I didn’t want to pry, either. It wasn't my place to ask questions about that kind of stuff. Not at this stage, anyway.
“It’s okay. Really. I get where he is coming from,” I told her. “I mean, I know it's pretty different, but you know how protective I am of Talon. So, like I said, I do get where he's coming from, and I respect him for it.” Her expression eased some, though her cheeks still were a little red. “Come on, let’s get the rest of this stuff loaded up and on the road. Guys, bus!” I whistled at them.
The others piled into the bus and headed toward the lounge area in the back. Nalia hung at the front, but I nodded for her to go back and hang out with them. I was staying up front in one of the booths to get some work done that I needed to knock out before the next day.
The guys were already powering up the PlayStation and the TV and were most likely chowing down on the food and drinks the caterer supplied. As long as they didn't get too wasted and trash anything back there, I didn't really care how they passed the time. And, of course, as long as none them harassed Nalia, I was happy.
I opened up my laptop, doing my best to ignore them. I still had a business to run and tons of emails waiting for me to respond. For a brief moment, I wondered if I'd still have started this record company if I'd have known just how crazy a workload it would be. Still, I was proud of myself for what I had accomplished, and in the end, that made all of the hard work worth it.
I had a few contracts to read through, marketing plans to approve, and who knew what else would come up while I was out of the office. I was glad that this bus had a mobile office on it. Even with Nalia's assistance, there was still a lot of work I would need to get done while on the road.
“Nalia, you have to hear this story about our last tour,” Talon started, but I did my best not to pay them any attention and focus on my work.
/> “Oh my God, no, he didn’t!” Nalia giggled, and my ears perked.
He wasn’t telling her anything I had done, was he? I wracked my brain trying to remember if I had done anything dumb or stupid on the last tour, but that had been over five years ago. I mean, of course there had probably been a few incidents, and perhaps more than just a few groupies, but that had been a different time.
Besides, I'm sure anything I’d done hadn't been anything over-the-top crazy. I frowned, but persevered on, rereading the same email I had been reading a minute ago and looking over marketing material for one of our new bands.
“Ewww, that’s disgusting!” Nalia squealed, and the guys broke out into laughter. I stopped and looked in their direction, but I couldn’t see them behind the curtain, aside from Nalia’s legs next to Talon’s. Talon was making weird sounds, no doubt imitating something of a sexual nature.