ahead and to the left.” Murphy points to the forked road in front of us.
“Look at you.” I smirk at him. “Almost like you used to be a road captain or something.”
He rolls his eyes and sweeps his arm out in front of him. “Lead the way, smartass.”
This time, I fall into the front position. We take left after left until the narrow, paved, unlined roads turn into dirt and gravel. Finally, the road opens into a wider space with a few scattered wooden barricades indicating it’s a private area.
A lone “security” guard walks up to greet us. Maybe he’ll be stricter as the night goes on, but for now, he takes Shelby’s word for it that she’s supposed to be there and waves us through.
Three massive tour buses are lined up near a loading dock attached to the back of the large amphitheater. Dawson Roads’ face is splashed all over two of the buses. The name of another band I don’t recognize decorates the third. Must be where Shelby’s expected to show up.
The piece of shit Shelby’s been traveling in could fit in the storage compartment of Dawson’s bus.
I back the bike into a spot near the loading dock and shut it down. Murphy glides in next to me.
“Shelby?” a guy calls out as he jogs over to us.
“Hey, Greg.” She braces herself on my shoulders and hops off. “I’m here.”
He slows his steps. “Where’s the van?” His curious gaze slides over me, then Murphy and Heidi. “Who are your friends?”
She makes the introductions, but it doesn’t seem to lessen Greg’s suspicions. If I thought it was because he was actually worried about her, I wouldn’t care but that’s not the vibe he’s projecting.
“Hey, Greg.” I tip my head to him instead of offering to shake his hand. “Heard a lot about you.” Nothing good, but now’s not the best time to antagonize her manager.
“Thanks for picking her up. Well, they’re ready for you, Shelby.” He glances at me again. “You can come watch.”
As if I was planning to leave.
“Shelby,” Greg says, drawing her closer. “I got a call from some lady with the local Dream Makers organization. I explained you don’t have room in your schedule—”
“No.” Shelby stops in her tracks and whirls on Greg. “Call her back and tell her I’ll be there.”
Murphy and Heidi slide matching what-the-fuck faces my way and I shrug.
“Come on, Shelby,” Greg grumbles, yanking out his phone. “It’s one kid. And you never let me send a photographer to make it worth the trouble.”
“I don’t care. Where is it?”
He scrolls through his phone. “Empire Med. She sent an email too.”
“Forward it to me. I have tomorrow off.”
“Yes, but it’s not that close. How are you planning to get there?”
“I’ll take you,” I offer, touching Shelby’s shoulder. I don’t even know what I’m agreeing to do but it’s obviously important to Shelby.
“Thank you.” She blows out a breath. “I’m spending my day off with Rooster anyway.”
Greg narrows his eyes at me. “She needs to be four hours west of here by Friday morning.”
This motherfucker doesn’t understand who he’s dealing with. “I’ve got plenty of road experience. I’ll get her wherever she needs to go.”
His gaze slips to my VP patch and his eyes narrow. Huh. Maybe he’s not a motorcycle enthusiast.
“I’m sorry,” Shelby whispers while Greg answers a call and walks away.
“What’s Dream Makers?” I ask.
“It’s. . .” Shelby drops her gaze and shakes her head.
“It’s a children’s charity.” Heidi gently touches Shelby’s arm. “Right? They grant wishes for sick children?”
Shelby nods. “I started working with them when I was on Redneck Roadhouse. If someone asks for me, I always go if I can line up my schedule.”
How did I not know this about Shelby?
“Empire Med has a very dedicated team in the Children’s Hospital,” Heidi says. “They’ll appreciate your visit.”
“I’ll get you there tomorrow. Put it out of your head and focus on what you need to do tonight.”
She bites her lip and glances toward the loading area. “Are you sure you don’t mind taking me tomorrow?”
“Not at all.” My only plan was to soak up as much time with Shelby as possible. Doesn’t matter where.
Now that we’ve settled Shelby’s transportation issues, her shoulders relax, and a hint of a smile returns to her pretty face.
Fuck if I’m not doing whatever it takes to make this woman happy every second of the short amount of time we’ll be together.
Chapter Four
Shelby
Heat stings my cheeks, but I flash a quick smile and I pray