Kellan’s jaw dropped. “I’m . . . leaving . . . what? What the hell are you talking about?”
Justin’s expression was a strange combination of horror, shock, and confusion. “You don’t know? I just assumed you knew. Fuck, sorry, man.”
Kellan’s face clouded over. “Know what? What the hell happened since this morning?”
Justin sighed as he ran a hand through his choppy hair. “Ah, crap. Well, it went down while you guys were doing the thing with the radio station. Some, ah, bigwig from the label showed up and started barking orders at people. He said that he’d be sending people over after the show tonight to ‘collect’ your things, and if anybody else touched your stuff, there’d be hell to pay.”
Kellan’s grip on my hand tightened, and I subtly stroked his forearm. “And where exactly are they sending our stuff? Where the fuck are we going?”
Justin shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable with being the bearer of bad news. “Uh, back to L.A. You’re playing Staples Center tomorrow night . . . with Sienna Sexton. The label’s putting you on her tour.”
For just a fraction of a second while Justin had been speaking, I’d thought Kellan had somehow done something really wrong, and he was being tossed off the tour as a punishment. Maybe he’d even be sent home. I wasn’t sure. But after Justin said her name, it all started making sense. Sienna wanted her spotlight amplified, and Kellan was just the extra wattage she needed. “That bitch!” I exclaimed.
Justin looked over at me, then back to Kellan. “I don’t think it was her. It’s just, you know, you guys are huge now. I mean, you could be selling out venues ten times as big as the places we’re going. The label knows that. They’re just doing what makes sense, and they’re right. It really doesn’t make sense for you to be on tour with us. I knew that the minute Sienna showed up for the duet.” He clasped Kellan’s arm. “You’re beyond this, man. We’re holding you back.”
Clearly not agreeing, Kellan shook his head. He tried to say something, but he didn’t have any words. Understanding, Justin smiled, gave him two congratulatory smacks on the back, then walked away. Kellan turned to me. “What the fuck just happened?” he asked.
Sighing, I told him, “Sienna and Nick. That’s what happened.”
Kellan dug in his pocket for his phone. “I don’t think so.” He scrolled through his contact list until he reached Nick’s number, then he started the call and brought the phone to his ear. While it rang, he murmured, “This is bullshit, and this is not how this is going down.”
Kellan’s eyes hardened and I could tell Nick had picked up. “What did you do?” Fuming, Kellan listened in silence for a moment, then surprise washed over his features. “You’re where?” Kellan looked back at the hallway that we’d been approaching earlier. “Fine, I’ll see you in a minute.” I guess we were going down there after all, just for an entirely different reason now.
Kellan shoved the phone back in his pocket and stormed forward. Since he was still holding tight to me, I had no choice but to follow him. I didn’t want to miss this anyway. Nick couldn’t do this. He didn’t own Kellan. He couldn’t just dictate where he went and who he went with. That seemed completely out of line to me, and way beyond the scope of Kellan’s contract.
There were a few rooms along the hall that people were stumbling into and out of. But there was only one room with a man standing in front of it, arms crossed over his chest. Kellan headed straight for that room. The man glanced at Kellan coming then rapped on the door behind him. “He’s here.”
Nick must have responded to the man because the guy opened the door for us right as we got there. Kellan didn’t even look at the bodyguard as he barged through the door and strode into what appeared to be an office for the theater. Nick was patiently waiting for Kellan behind a desk littered with paperwork. “Why the hell did you pull us from the tour?”
Nick smiled at us in a perfectly calm and composed way. It irritated me. Indicating a couple of chairs to our left, he said, “Why don’t you have a seat?” I started to walk over to one, but Kellan held my hand tight and snapped, “I’m not sitting, and I’m not leaving Justin’s tour.”