Thick as Thieves (The Greystone Family: Stolen Hearts #3)

Chapter 4

4

Xander

Current Day

Los Angeles

I fly into LA from Edinburgh and go straight home. Levi and Gabe turn up a few hours later with our manager, Tim. We all grasp arms and pull each other in for hugs and back slaps. Tim shakes hands, he moans we always hit him too hard. I grin as Gabe wallops him on the back as he turns away.

“God it’s weird without Marcus,” Levi says. “Do you think he’ll stay in the UK? ‘Cos I really don’t want to move back again. Too cold, man. Although the place in the summer wasn’t too bad.”

“Devon, Levi, you are English if you remember,” I tell him. He just grins at me.

“Do you think Marcus will want to stop the band? It’ll be tough with kids.'' Gabe’s worry mars his face, underscoring the barely hidden panic in his voice.

“I don’t think he will. We accommodated Becky when Levi was serious, just doing the touring differently. They may come on tour when they’re little, so…” Tim shrugs at him as if it’s no big deal.

Gabe goes on, clearly stressing over it. “Yeah, but Evie has serious work stuff. Kasey Becker says he’s getting her out here to do his house up. Once he gets her here, she’ll be inundated with work. She’s all he talks about.” Gabe’s scowling. I’m not sure who it’s at, Kasey or Evie.

“I think it’s too early to say anything,” Tim puts in. Let Marcus have a few weeks and then we can see. I wouldn’t think Evie’ll want him to stop. I mean, why would she? She’ll be glad to be rid of him in a few weeks,” he laughs.

He’s not wrong.

“Well, that’s true. She’s got lots of people around her. Is she having a nanny as well?” Gabe is getting well involved in the logistics.

“Yes. Apparently waiting for them in Devon,” I inform them all.

“Marcus will probably fuck her and then it’ll be a conveyor belt of nannies in and out,” Gabe mutters sardonically, just not low enough for us not to hear him.

We all turn to look at him in amazement.

“What the fuck, man? Really? He’s just had his babies. He’s deliriously happy. Do you not remember what a mess he was before he went to her? If you hadn’t brought those two fucking women here we wouldn’t have had all the shit they pulled. And he would have gone earlier,” I shout at him. Gabe’s such a dick at times.

“I didn’t think he was that bad,” Gabe says sullenly. “Seemed fine last time I saw him.”

“Why? Because you tried to suck his cock?” I continue to shout. “He was on the fucking floor, Gabe, you selfish bastard.”

“Well, he went out with you after that, so I don’t think I’m the bad guy here.” He’s trying to rationalise his decisions.

I throw my arms up. “He is with Evie, Gabe. Evie. He won’t share her and she won’t share him. You won’t be having him in any shape or form, so get over it and move the fuck on.” I’m stood in his face, still shouting. This has been a long time coming.

And for the first time ever, the bastard decides to stand up to me.

“And you think he’ll share with you?” he snarls at me.

“No, I don’t. Why do you think I’m here and not there?”

“Did you fuck him?”

“Why are you bothered, Gabe? My relationship with Marcus has nothing to do with you. And besides, he won’t be indulging in anything that doesn’t involve her or those kids. He thought he couldn’t have them. You saw us at university when you first met us, what a mess he was. Now he’s got what he wanted and never thought he’d have, he’s moving on.”

“Did. You. Fuck. Him?” he persists.

“When? At all the parties we all went to. We’ve all been together for years.” I gesture to him, Levi, and Tim. “Most of the time we were fucking anyone, you were right there with us. Partying as hard as us.”

“Ever?” He snarls at me.

I laugh. “None of your fucking business. But I know one thing that’s true—he’s the best fuck you never had, Gabe. So sit the fuck down, and move the fuck on.” I’m goading him now. But he pisses me off.

Gabe drops into a chair like a zombie and Tim rolls his eyes at me.

“Why the fuck have you said that to him?” he shouts at me “He’s a fucking mess,” he hisses, pointing at Gabe. “And he,” he points at Levi, “needs to kick that bitch out for good.”

“Becky still giving you hassle, mate?” I grin at Levi.

“Keeps turning up saying it was all the others, not her, she loves me blah blah blah. I need to get away. Can’t we sort some tour out or other without Marcus? We could use James. Go on tour and get him to sing with us. He sounds like Marcus, only better.” He smirks at us all, goading us to contradict him. “We could do the South American festivals as planned. They could put us back on as a special and we could follow James and his band and use him for a few nights.” He’s clearly thought about it and is desperate to get away.

“Not a bad idea, actually. Seems a shame not to use the new music. It’ll help the profile for B4d Intel, all good for the label,” says Tim, looking at me. I can see the calculations going on behind his eyes.

I nod. “I’ll speak to Marcus and he can get the final say. If he’s not happy with it, then we won’t. But I think if it’s James, he’ll be fine. He knows James would never join us ‘old gits’—Bucky’s words—on a full-time basis.”

“It might be James that’s the problem. He might say no. It’s a lot to sing all that,” Gabe offers.

“He’s young. Look at how much we did under twenty-five years old. Loads. Three performances a night sometimes,” I remind him. “We might just need to make sure the dates line up.”

After extensive negotiations, where James fleeces Tim on bigger percentages for him and his band, he agrees. As does Marcus. And we’re on for South America.