Yes to Everything (33 page)

Neither man could resist thinking of Sidney as a mother. Never had they considered children until this moment and the idea was now stuck on replay.

“We have to get her back to the hotel, Zane. We need to hustle since I lost track of time. Sidney, you’re like a sedative and a shot of caffeine all at once. It’s fucking great.”

They hailed a cab and piled in with the bags. The cabbie stared at them curiously but Sidney’s happy chatter and endless questions put him at ease. Zane got out and tugged Sidney behind him while Boyd gave the guy a huge tip in thanks for not irking their woman.

The moment they entered the joined suites, the three young women were laughing and dancing with the kids who’d just gotten back from their day touring New York City.

Becca and Molly chattered nonstop while Jeanette grabbed all their stuff and Sidney unbraided their hair. Jeanette was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, looking happy and more relaxed than any of them had ever seen her.

Brooke and Jackson were dancing. He was showing her break-dancing moves he’d seen in the subway. Brooke wore a tank top and cutoff jeans while she picked up the movements easily.

Rex and Travis stood discussing security at the kitchen mini-bar. Logan and Decklan were on their phones but all three of Rex’s friends noticed their eyes strayed back to Brooke constantly. Rex noticed as well but kept his cool. He knew where he stood in her life and he was confident he could defend his position.

The afternoon had changed all of them and the Marines were so relieved they’d come to see their women. Mack knew Jeanette would have slipped into a dark depression soon if he hadn’t held her and loved her today. Boyd and Zane couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Sidney would rather talk to them than eat. Brooke had so many people depending on her, so much riding on her keeping it together. Her time with Rex had recharged her batteries and she looked ready to rock again.

Jeanette disappeared with Sidney and the girls to get them changed and dressed. Jackson spun his sister out after a particularly fast move and winked as he went to change. Sidney was back in ten minutes, quirking her finger at Brooke. “Let me get you ready for MTV honey. Hustle your pretty ass in here.”

Brooke followed laughing. The little girls came out shortly after wearing t-shirts and American Eagle jeans with glittery Skechers sneakers. Jackson came out in a snug Linkin Park t-shirt that showed his tattoo and jeans with strategic holes in them. He wore heavy Doc Marten boots and stuck black drumsticks in his back pocket.

When the women came out, all the men in the room went still and held their breath. Including Jackson, who pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. “Brooke, Jesus, you’re my sister. Jeanette…Sidney, I’m sixteen and only human. Your guys are going to pound me. Hell, I want to beat myself up at the images. I’m a horrible person. Horrible.”

Rex said quietly, “No, Jackson. There is no way I could have handled that image at sixteen. I feel your pain. I do, even now. I feel it. We’re good, son. Ladies, if that was what you intended to wear tonight no matter what, I’m more glad than you realize that we came. No way in hell would I want any of you rocking NYC in those clothes without extra muscle.” Every man in the room agreed.

Smiling smugly, Sidney put her hands on her hips. “Jackson, you are the absolute best judge of my work. Sixteen-year-old young men don’t overcomplicate things. They let you know one way or another, if they love it or hate it. You rock, baby,” Sidney told him with a wink and he groaned.

Jeanette wore jeans that could have been painted on with very high stiletto heels and a snug black leather jacket left open to reveal a lace bustier beneath that accented her trim figure beautifully. Her hair was down and there were purple extensions in the dark length. Her makeup was more dramatic tonight. She had dark sunglasses on her head. She would have been at home in any Nickelback video and men were going to fall all over her.

Mack thought he might be drooling.

Sidney wore black leather pants and a flowing gold fabric halter that was held together with tiny strings at her neck and upper back. It curved in the front, leaving most of her stomach exposed and it was obvious to all of them she wasn’t wearing a bra. She’d straightened her hair and done makeup to match her gold and black clothes. Her forties style platform heels were ridiculously high.

Boyd and Zane wondered if she’d leave the heels on when they got her back to the hotel later. Knowing her, she’d suggest it herself.

Brooke greeted them in a leather mini-skirt that fell just under her ass and left her long sleek legs bare to just below her knee where her smooth leather heeled boots started. She was wearing a shimmery nude top with a black lace bra underneath and a scooped vest that hugged her torso. Her hair was still curly and pulled back from her face, her makeup dark and seductive. A black cowboy hat was softly bent over her forehead.

Rex thanked God for his fortune and swore he’d be worthy.

The Bradshaw men wondered if they could take Rex out if they went at him together. Both had subtly adjusted themselves after they’d had a moment to absorb Brooke’s appearance.

Giving the twins a onceover, Sidney said, “Nice. You wore exactly what I asked. Looking good boys.” They wore jeans that accentuated their lower bodies with biker boots and tight t-shirts. Logan wore a button down shirt and Decklan wore a leather vest. They both wore cowboy hats in a more modern style like Brooke’s.

Holding out her hands to the girls, she said, “Pretty girls, want some color extensions? I have pink and electric blue.” Laughing as they squealed and made their selections, Sidney quickly put them in their hair and cut them to blend in. “Your shades, rock stars.” Becca and Molly slipped them on and struck a pose as everyone in the room grinned.

Travis was so grateful to be along for the ride with this bunch. “Ever one o’ y’all are just, well, damn. Let’s get this show on the road and let y’all get back to playin’ for a couple o’ days. Good lord.”

Jeanette took Becca’s hand after grabbing her mini-computer and bag. Mack took Molly’s. “The stretch Hummer is downstairs. Everybody ready?” Mack mouthed, “Later” at her and she gave him a slow nod with a lick of her lips.

Jackson was off the couch and out the door, “I’m goin’ down ahead of y’all. No way I can handle the view from the back. Sweet Jesus. I haven’t learned that kind of control yet. I’ll see y’all downstairs.” The men all chuckled in understanding as Jackson left.

“You know, Sidney…you’re one of those women who’d corrupt an angel,” Travis told her with a smile.

“That is the sweetest compliment, Travis. You know I do my very best.” She winked at him and he gave a low whistle.

“Honey, I am too old to win a fight with these boys. Probably not even when I was young but I would have been fool enough to try back then. Behave yourself.” Sidney grinned and slipped her hands around Boyd and Zane’s biceps with a smile. “Alright, quick talk. Jeanette, honey, you and I already went over this. Can y’all take the girls downstairs?” She told the others she’d see them in a few and left with Mack and the girls.

When the door closed, Travis said clearly, “Listen real careful. Logan…Decklan, y’all are real popular here in the city. These city girls just love cowboys. We already know that, you’ve played here before and you’re always mobbed. Since yesterday’s show at the Garden, the label has gotten six thousand plus emails and calls about Brooke. They’re still comin’ in.”

Pausing and rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, his gaze met Brooke’s, “A couple of ‘em are a little disturbin’. Added with that other guy the feds have been tryin’ to track and the label is havin’ a panic attack.” He watched awareness and tension cross Rex’s face. He wondered if Brooke had mentioned her stalker.

“This is a closed set but MTV has been pumpin’ it since last week. Today, they’ve announced it every hour and you’re front page on their website. There are gonna be thousands of people outside. NYPD had to block the street since fans have been showin’ up since last night.”

“The kids Travis? What about the kids?” Brooke’s voice held an edge of panic.

“Don’t worry. Jeanette is takin’ the kids through the back with Mack and a couple o’ the roadies. Since y’all are goin’ through the front, I hired a few more guys to cover. I’m glad you boys came. We’re gonna have to insulate her from the crowd.” Looking at Sidney, he said clearly, “Honey, you’re gonna be inside that little circle, you hear me?”

Her chin immediately went up, “Bullshit. They aren’t after me, the creepy little bastards. I can…”

“Fuck no, Sidney. Listen to what he’s saying,” Zane said clearly. “You and Jeanette go everywhere with Brooke. You think they don’t consider you a package deal? No, you two stay in the middle and you fucking walk. You don’t look any of them in the eye.”

Boyd said firmly, “You stay with Brooke. You haul your pretty asses inside.” She looked ready to fight and he gritted out, “If anything happened to you we’d lose it. Do this for us, Sidney, please.” Sighing, she nodded and stayed silent.

“Brooke no autographs or photos. None of that shit. You get out of the limo and wave as you move,” Rex said firmly. “Travis, what do you mean by disturbing? And, what other guy?”

Sighing heavily, Travis filled the men in on the stalker Brooke had picked up at the beginning of the tour. “The fact is, we’ve never had a woman so focused on before. They were weird in the beginnin’. Now their escalatin’ since he feels like Brooke is ignorin’ him. We’re gonna have to put security on the bus. Since Chicago, the stalker is downright pissed off.”

Rex was silent for a long moment, “He felt like he had a chance before Chicago. My relationship with her has been well publicized.” He stared at his woman. “So basically you’ve had a fucking target on your back for a week.”

“Travis, do I need to get my kids out of here?” Brooke asked nervously. “Do I need to send them away from the tour? I will. Fuck, I’ll leave myself if this is going to cause these kinds of issues.”

“The hell you will, Brooke,” Logan said. “We’ll hire all the security you need.”

“No one is going to hurt those kids, honey,” Decklan told her fiercely. “You’ll get more people on your bus. Things like a traveling commune now anyway. What’s a couple more people?”

Travis interrupted all conversation, “These guys aren’t after the kids, Brooke. They…they seem to want you in all kinds of scary ways. We’re not sure if the two different styles of emails and letters are linked or separate psychos. The FBI is tryin’ to track where the calls came from today, where the emails originated. There were several of each since late last night and as far as they can tell, the shits are in New York.” Travis looked worried. “They’ll find them. In the meantime, we have to keep you back from the fans, honey. Okay?”

She nodded and Sidney said, “I don’t care what any of you say, somebody gets through and I’m taking them the fuck out. And they won’t be getting back up. You can hire me real good attorneys.”

Brooke gripped her hands, “I so love you, honey but if anything happened to you, to any of you, I’d never forgive myself. Y’all make sure my brother and sisters are safe. I lose one of my siblings and I won’t survive it. I won’t.” She was in high anxiety. “You have extra people with Jeanette and Mack, Travis, you’re sure? Jeanette isn’t Sidney. She could get hurt before even trying to fight back. She would too, trying to protect one of the kids.”

“We’re good there, Brooke. I promise. They were my first priority. I knew you’d want that, honey.” Travis leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Rex had been quietly seething, “We get her in and out of this. Baby, you don’t go to the fucking bathroom alone. I’m not kidding. You stay with us unless you’re onstage and even then we’ll be real close. The kids and our women are leaving this hotel room without a scratch, we better get them back here the same fucking way or heads are going to roll. Travis, you need to get me clearance to carry. Tell them I’m on the payroll.”

“You packin’ son?” All three Marines nodded. “One sec.” He picked up the phone and called Jeanette. “Hey sweetheart, I need you to add the four boys to the roster as bodyguards. They’re runnin’ hot, probably your man, too. Yeah, honey, they’re armed. You gotta do it now so we can get them through studio security. Let me know when…hell you’re so good. The best choice Brooke could have ever made. Thank you, honey. Down in three minutes.”

Turning to the others, he asked what they were carrying so he could answer the question if they were stopped. The three men stepped up to the bar and removed 9mm’s from their backs, snub-nosed .38’s from their ankles, as well as two switchblades, a set of brass knuckles, and a collapsible baton.

Logan said, “Holy shit! How did y’all get on the plane carrying all that?”

Decklan added, “You could take out a small country with that stash, my god.”

Boyd started returning the weaponry to his body and said, “That’s why we fly private charter out of small airfields.” Back together, he added, “But we have special clearance from the government to carry concealed anywhere on American soil.”

Travis whistled, “That specialized, huh?” The men nodded. “Alright, well, welcome to the tour.”

Rex said, “I’ll take point. Logan, you and Decklan are on either side of the girls. Travis, you’re right behind them. Boyd, Zane, you’re bringing up the rear. Let’s get this done.” He went out and all of them followed. All three men were unbelievably focused until they were in the Hummer. At that point, Becca and Molly gravitated to them.

When they were three blocks from the studio, the mobs of people made movement almost impossible. “Fuck me, sorry little ones. Brooke honey, you’ve gotten a little more popular since Chicago, sugar. It’s been a week.”

Logan counted off on his fingers as he listed, “She’s gone viral. The videos of her at the children’s museum and the bar pushed things over the top; her singing Wanted Dead or Alive is the most viewed YouTube clip in the world; the label is having her record it. The Black Crowes want her to cover She Talks to Angels on one of our albums and Nickelback is asking her to appear in their next video. Her charity work and her blog and the uh, calendars have had five more print runs than the label planned for.”