Ransom(89)

Chapter Twenty-seven


Daltrey





I step out of the car, and I’m immediately surrounded by reporters and cameras.

“Daltrey, where’s Daisy?”

“What was jail like?”

“Why did you do it?”

“Is it true she dumped you?”

“No comment,” I mutter, pulling my beanie lower on my forehead. “Excuse me, please.”

Even with the combined size and strength of Frank and Benny trying to clear a path through the paparazzi, I still have trouble getting into the building. Over the past year, I’ve gotten somewhat used to press and reporters, but this is much worse than usual.

“Move back,” Frank bellows. “You all need to take a step back, now!” He manages to make a slight inroad into the crowd.

I squeeze through and into the lobby. “Holy shit.” I turn to Frank. “That was worse than yesterday. Thanks, man.”

He shakes his head. “It’s my job to keep your puny ass from getting squashed like a bug.”

I manage a grin. “How else could a meathead like you manage to make a living?”

“Daltrey?” My father sticks his head through the doorway to the practice room. “We’re waiting for you.”

“We had some trouble getting through the press mess outside,” Benny explains, but Dad’s already ducking back into the room.

“Don’t bother,” I tell Benny. “He’s having far too much fun being pissed at me.”

“Good luck, man.”

I slap Frank on the shoulder as I pass. “Thanks again.”

My brothers and Dan are all waiting in the practice room where we’ll hold our team meeting.

“Hey, Dalt,” Lennon begins.

My dad cuts him off. “Heather just called. She said the interview went well?”

I nod. Heather is a press secretary with the label. She accompanied me to the interview I just completed with a Rolling Stone reporter. The only positive thing about my arrest is the way we have been able to smooth things over with Rolling Stone. After I had missed the group interview the morning I went to Ohio, my dad had promised them a one-on-one with me, but they weren’t happy about it. After the arrest, that interview turned into an exclusive and quite a big coup for them.

“Good.” Dad turns to the rest of the band as if dismissing me.

I try not to bristle. It’s been this way pretty much since I got out of jail last week. True to their word, the lawyers worked with the Ohio judge and prosecutor to get me released less than twelve hours after the arrest. All in all, the whole jail experience was quite a bit easier than dealing with my family.

“Okay,” Dad says. “Dan is going to walk us through the new schedule. It’s pretty tight, so I want to make sure you’re all on the same page.”

Pretty tight. In other words, they’re going to work our asses off. Cash shoots me a glare, and I feel that familiar swoop of guilt. Dad and Dan have been riding us pretty hard, and I know my brothers blame me. They have every right to do so. We’ve cancelled three shows, thanks to my stupidity. We’ve been doing extra radio spots, interviews, store appearances, and even a live-streaming concert on the Internet. The reactions have been mostly positive. Dan tells us ticket sales are actually up for the remaining dates of the tour. I have a feeling part of that might be simple curiosity. People seem really into the “Rock Star Defends His Girlfriend’s Honor” storyline.

Girlfriend. I frown at the thought. I wish I could say that Daisy is my girlfriend. But I don’t even have any idea where she is.

I’ve come full circle. I spent the beginning of the tour missing her and wondering where she was. And it’s looking more and more as though I’ll spend the end of it still wondering, though the missing part has gone from a feeble ache to an incessant, pounding, sharp pain.

I know she’s with Levi. He texted Lennon right away when he got her out of the hotel, telling him that they were taking off. We didn’t hear from him again until two days later. Two days of unanswered texts and calls. Daisy’s cell phone went straight to voicemail. By the time I finally heard from him, I was a panicked mess. I was dealing with the lawyers and trying to figure out if I’d be able to finish the tour before my court date in Ohio, but all I could think about was Daisy. This obsession and my inability to focus on repairing the band’s image had done little to appease my brothers or father.

When Levi called, he apologized and explained that he took her up to his parents’ cabin in Michigan, where there was no cell phone service.

I was shocked. “What the hell do you mean you took her to Michigan?”