Page 56 of Rebooting Conor Flynn

I decided to humor her. I stood up, giving Jade more room to kick Rhys’s arse, and dropped into the seat across the table from Ashley’s. “Let’s see what you have.”

Hunching forward, her eyes wide, she whispered, “I don’t really have a song. Have I ever written a song before in my life?”

“Okaaay.” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure I had an escape route in case this went south fast. “What do you want?”

“Have you noticed anyone on this bus acting weird?”

Besides you? Besides Noelle?

I coughed. “I haven’t. What do ya mean?”

“Watching.” She twisted her to the side, flicking her gaze over the gamers and a few dancers sleeping in the back. “Recording.”

“On this trip? No.”

Ashley narrowed her eyes. “This trip. What about the first trip down?”

“I don’t know. Jade likes to take pictures, and she’s helping Noelle record and document the behind-the-scenes trip for social media.”

I immediately regretted my words as Ashley turned her steely gaze on Jade, bouncing in her seat and giggling, looking about the furthest thing from a spy as you could get.

“What are you on about, Ashley? Looks like you need to relax. Why don’t you head upstairs and get some kip.”

“Kip?”

“Sleep. Take a nap. We still have another few hours of rolling through the desert in the dark.” Rolling through the desert in the dark—sounded like a new song—as long as it had dissonant chords and a growling, anxious bass line to match the vibe on this bus.

She rubbed her eyes, smearing the makeup across her face, and for the first time I noticed dark circles under her eyes.

“Get some rest.” Even I knew better than to tell Ashley Bennett she looked tired. She might be working toward a new and improved, nice demeanor, but she wasn’t there yet.

She grabbed her phone, glancing at it again before throwing it in her bag. “You’re right. I hate riding this bus. It sucks.”

I watched her drag herself upstairs, pulling her phone out for another look.

That was...a bit weird.

Yawning, I took in the barren landscape hurtling by outside the window. We might as well be on the moon.

Everyone had turned in except Rhys and Jade, who’d toned down their gaming. They huddled together, whispering and pointing at the TV. Rhys would be pissed off at me for interrupting them.

I got ready to creep upstairs and slide into the bunk above Noelle. If she weren’t sleeping, she’d pretend to be once she heard me. She’d done everything in her power on this trip to be in a different part of the bus from me. It’s as if I had kryptonite in my pocket.

She couldn’t be worried about Ashley anymore. Ashley assured both of us she hadn’t set us up, and she didn’t even care about the photos. Apparently, Ashley had something else on her mind—tour spies.

I collected a few empty cans and bottles and squeezed into the kitchen bay near the front of the bus. I shoved them into the recycling bins and turned to leave, almost bumping into Noelle. It’s the closest we’d been all day.

I said, “Whoa. You’re sneaking up on me.”

She backed up a step.

I didn’t.

Pressing a hand against her chest, she said, “I-I thought you were sleeping in your bunk. Someone is.”

“Does he snore? Definitely not me. It’s a good thing I didn’t crawl in there with the interloper.” Unless Noelle was the interloper.

“Oh, I’ll just...”