Toni tucked her hair behind her ears, smiling to herself. She was glad she was easy to talk to. That made her job so much easier. And maybe she was doing it right, even though it still didn’t feel like she knew what the hell she was doing. She decided her toughest undertaking would be sifting through all the information she was collecting for material she could actually use in the book.

“Are you sure you want me to include the story about Pyre trying to strangle you?”

“Yeah. And be sure to say the reason he did it was because he lost the Exodus End Guitarist for a Year Contest. To a girl.”

“What a turd.” Toni pursed her lips to refrain from calling him more derogatory names.

“I’m done thinking about him for today. Next question,” Reagan prompted.

Toni glanced toward her legal pad of Susan-prepared questions and shook her head. “So,” she asked, “what’s the most difficult thing about being on the road with a bunch of guys?”

“Lack of bathroom space,” she said without hesitation.

“Yeah, that does suck,” Toni agreed with a nod.

“These guys have been so great about accepting me into their fold, so I really don’t have anything to complain about. And this whole three days on the road followed by two nights in a cushy hotel is fabulous. I was on tour with Sinners for a few weeks, and those guys never take a day off while they’re on tour. I don’t know how they stay sane.”

“You talk about Sinners a lot,” Toni noted.

“You know, you should write a book about them when you’re finished with Exodus End.”

“I’ve thought about it,” Toni admitted. But first she had to prove to herself and the rest of the world that she could do right by Exodus End.

The bus shuddered as it came to a stop.

“I think it’s time to eat,” Reagan said. “We didn’t get very far in your interview.”

Toni laughed and shook her head in disgrace. “Don’t worry about it. Not getting far in my interviews is officially a trend at this point.”

“Well then, let’s go.” Reagan sprang to her feet and tugged Toni off the sectional. “I need to wash the taste of Logan’s dick-by-proxy out of my mouth.”

Could she really taste that? How mortifying.

Toni grabbed her recorder from the table and tucked it into the pocket of her sweater. She never knew when someone was going to say something important.

Twenty-Two

Logan sidled up to Butch and waited to be noticed.

“What’s up?” Butch said, not even looking up from the page attached to his clipboard.

“I have a few things I need at the hotel tonight.”

Butch could get them anything they wanted. At any time. He’d never let them down yet. One time Steve had tested the bounds of Butch’s abilities by requesting a gold-plated toilet seat in his hotel room in Beijing. It had been installed before they arrived.

“Girls?” Butch asked. It was Logan’s typical request.

“I have a girl,” Logan reminded him.

Butch glanced toward the back of the bus where Toni was finishing up her turkey sandwich. Without jalapeños, Logan’s dick happily reminded him.

“Yeah, but I figured you wanted more than one.”

“If it’s that particular one, one is enough.”

Butch grinned to himself, looking way too self-satisfied for Logan’s taste.

“I need sex toys,” Logan blurted.

Butch didn’t bat an eyelash. “Okay. What kind?”

“All kinds. All sizes. For both men and women.”

“Got it,” Butch said.

“Isn’t weed legal for recreational use in Montana?”

Butch’s mustache twitched. “Nope.”

“Damn. Can you get me some anyway?”

“Logan,” Butch began his long-winded rehearsed speech about rock star vices.

“Fine,” Logan said. “But when we get to Colorado this weekend . . .” He didn’t want to get busted for illegal drugs and suffer the fury of Sam Baily’s wrath, but if it was legal? Sign him up for some of that shit.

Butch nodded in defeat. He had a long standing rule about refusing to obtain illegal substances for anyone while they were on tour, but he couldn’t use that as an excuse in this case. “Just don’t bring it on the bus. We don’t want to cross state lines with it.”

Logan patted him on the back. “Thata boy.”

“Anything else?”

Logan sneaked a glance at Toni, and his heart fluttered at the sight of her. “What do women like? As gifts, I mean.”

“Besides sex toys and weed?”

Logan laughed and whacked Butch on the back again. “Yeah, besides sex toys and weed.”

Butch ticked off items on his thick fingers. “Flowers, candy, jewelry, lingerie.”

“Okay, get her some of that stuff. What else?”

“It would probably mean more to her if you picked out something specific to her.”

Logan pursed his lips and twisted them to one side, trying to think of something special. He snapped his fingers when he remembered something uniquely Toni. “Socks,” he said, pointing at Butch to emphasize his own brilliance.

Butch’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Logan. “Socks?”

“Yeah, get her a bunch of socks.”

“Okaaay,” Butch drawled. “And I thought I’d never be asked for anything weirder than a gold-plated toilet seat.”

“Do you think Toni would like one of those?” Logan teased. “Her ass is precious to me.”

“Nah,” Butch said, shaking his head. “I’m sure she’d think it odd.” He lowered his voice and said under his breath, “Not as odd as socks.”

“And I’ll need a supply of all my usual junk food.”

“You don’t even have to ask. It’s already in your room.”

“And I have an unusual craving for strawberry shortcake.”

“That is unusual,” Butch said, grinning to himself as he jotted a note on his schedule. “Got it.”

Logan was going to write Butch into his will.

“Are you still going white-water rafting tomorrow?” Butch asked.

Logan scowled. He’d completely forgotten he’d scheduled a day trip with a couple of buddies he’d met while rafting the Mad Mile a few years before. Every time he came through Montana, the three of them headed down the Gallatin River. But not this time. He’d much rather spend all day in bed, though he planned to get little rest. “I’m going to have to cancel.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Butch said, his grin broadening.

“Thanks for having my back, man,” Logan said as he slugged him affectionately.

“Any time.”

Butch pulled out his cellphone to work his usual magic, and Logan headed to the back of the bus to join the others. There were no available seats, so he stood behind Toni and stroked her hair. He didn’t understand his inexplicable need to touch her at all times. It was as baffling to him as it apparently was to the three men gawking at him from around the semicircular booth. The only guy on the bus who seemed to understand his fixation was Trey Mills. Trey offered him a curt nod and knowing smile before wrapping an arm around Reagan’s shoulders and tugging her closer to him in the booth. She giggled when Trey whispered in her ear. They both turned their heads to look to the back of the bus where the door to the lounge stood ajar. Before Logan could blink, the lovers had risen from the table, sprinted through the open door, and slid it shut with a definitive bang.

“And there he goes again,” Dare said with resigned sigh.

“At least you aren’t competing with Ethan today,” Steve said. His gaze darted to Toni. “I mean, those two guys are great friends, you know?”

“Inseparable,” Dare agreed.

“I know about their polyamorous relationship,” Toni said, munching on a plain potato chip. “Reagan told me. So you don’t have to worry about guarding what you say. Why isn’t Ethan here with them?”

“I’m sure he wanted to be, but he’s with the rest of the security team securing the hotel before we arrive,” Max said.