Kellan let out a long sigh. “Guess we better go tell the guys the ‘good’ news.”
We were all escorted from the venue the very second the D-Bags were done with their performance. The crowd clamored for “Regretfully” just like they always did, but the guys weren’t given time to do an encore. They weren’t given time to do anything. In fact, they were swept away so fast that Kellan wasn’t able to grab his prized guitar. He worried about his instrument the entire time we were in the air. I briefly considered joining the mile-high club with him, just to get his mind off of it, but in the end I just told him that his baby was in good hands.
The limo waiting for us in Los Angeles was impressive. It wasn’t a typical limo, it was a stretch Hummer, a fact that Griffin was nearly epileptic about. After he eagerly climbed in we all heard, “Oh my God, Kell, you gotta see the bar in here. And there’s totally room for a stripper pole! I’m so getting one of these someday.”
Kellan rolled his eyes at his bassist as he helped me into the gargantuan symbol of affluence—wealth on wheels. The guys had been torn on the news when we’d broken it to them. They liked Avoiding Redemption and the rest of the bands, but touring with Sienna was a big deal and could open even bigger doors for them. The exposure was going to be off the charts.
Much to my surprise, Sienna was inside the car. She had an open bottle of champagne in her hands and was pouring some into a pair of glasses that Griffin was holding. “Welcome, loves,” she brightly exclaimed as we took our seats.
Matt and Evan warmly acknowledged her while Kellan only gave her a brief smile. Indicating for Griffin to start passing out the glasses of champagne, Sienna let out a morose sigh. “I am so very sorry that you were all yanked from your tour like that. Yes, Nick has the right, but as a professional courtesy to the other bands, he shouldn’t have done it.” Looking like she didn’t understand Nick at all, she shook her head as she finished pouring everyone’s drinks. “I told him he was making a mistake, and he should leave your band alone, but . . . well, Nick gets carried away sometimes.”
She tossed on a charming, sympathetic smile, but I wasn’t entirely convinced. Her words sounded great, but this benefitted her just as much as Nick, so I would be hard-pressed to believe that she hadn’t had a hand in it. When we were all holding glasses, Sienna lifted her drink high into the air. “This may not have been the ideal start to our union, but I say we make the best of it.” She extended her glass out to the middle of the car. “To making this the greatest tour anyone has ever seen.”
Kellan sighed, but he clinked glasses with everyone. After accepting the toast, he seemed lighter. Like me, he probably didn’t believe Sienna, but he agreed with her sentiment. Leaving Justin sucked, but it was done, and we all might as well move forward.
After taking her sip, Sienna squealed like a little girl. “I can’t wait for you guys to see your bus. You’ll love it. It is so much nicer than the one you were on.”
Kellan looked around at the opulence that he was already surrounded in, but didn’t seem impressed. If Sienna really knew him, then she would understand that her statement didn’t mean much to Kellan. He didn’t need things to be happy.
Even though it was really late—or really early—Sienna insisted on showing us the busses. The lights were off when we approached, but Sienna said the tour had pulled in the night before and the guys were sleeping at a nearby hotel. That brightened my spirits. Would we get to sleep in hotels from time to time? That was one luxury that Justin’s tour didn’t have.
Nearly glowing with glee, Sienna gave us a tour of our new home away from home. Walking down the main aisle, she ran a hand over some plush chairs surrounding securely anchored tables. A curved couch took up a large portion of the “lounging” area, and there was a flat screen TV bolted to the wall in front of it, along with a cabinet nearby overflowing with video games. Sienna was right, this bus was much nicer than the one we’d been on. Showcasing every amenity on the bus in a charming accent that made even the drollest words sound sublime, Sienna led us to the sleeping area. This bus had cubbies in the wall, just like the last bus, but there weren’t nearly as many, so there was a decent amount of room in each one. I’d say two people could fit comfortably, if they snuggled.