Release: A Ransom Novel Page 4

  Unfortunately, exploring these perks only lasts about half an hour. Then I’m left with that familiar, thrumming, over-excited feeling as I try to settle down for the long flight.

  Karen does her best to help me, the way she always does in situations like these. She made sure that I packed several magazines, my iPod and my tablet. She even downloaded a few movies onto the tablet for me, expertly predicting I would have a hard time keeping it together on the flight. But, by the time we land, she has long since given up trying to keep my occupied, resorting to covering her face with one of the airlines little pillows in order to not be bothered by my fidgeting.

  “Thank God,” she mutters under her breath as we make our way up the aisle to the jetway. “I thought that would never end.”

  “Sorry,” I tell her, looping my arm through hers. “I really did try.”

  “Don’t be sorry.” She bumps her hip with mine. “I love you even though you are absolutely nutty.”

  “I can’t help being excited! Can you even believe this is happening?”

  She grins at me as we step off the jetway into the bustling airport. “I really can’t. I kept pinching myself the entire flight.”

  I giggle, glad that I’m not the only one doubting our insanely fantastic luck. “Where did she say to meet?” Karen asks, squinting around the waiting area by the gates. Though we were flying out from different airports, Daisy managed to arrange our flights to arrive at roughly the same time, barring any unforeseen complications.

  “She didn’t, I’m supposed to text...” I pull out my phone. “Oh, sweet, they’re already here. They’re at baggage claim.”

  We follow the signs to baggage claim, catching sight of Daisy right away. It isn’t hard—Lennon and Daltrey are attracting a lot of attention, even in a foreign country.

  “Paige!” Daisy calls, catching sight of us. “Karen!”

  I squeal and rush to her, grabbing her hands in excitement. “This is so awesome!”

  “I know!” I release her so she can hug Karen, and am struck once again by how different she is from last year. She’s replaced her old uniform of jeans and hoodies with a cute little sundress and her hair is pulled back in a thick braid so I can actually see her face, bright smile and all.

  She leads us over to Lennon and Daltrey who are standing behind two burly bodyguards who I remember from working on the tour—Frank and Benny. At their feet is a small pile of luggage, including several guitar cases.

  “Good flight?” Daltrey asks, giving us each a quick hug. I mentally shake my head. Hugging Daltrey Ransome for the second time in as many weeks in an airport in Mexico like it’s no big deal.

  “Where’s everyone else?” Karen asks, looking around as if she expects Cash to be out amongst the crowd of girls currently snapping pictures with their phones. Actually, I wouldn’t put it past Cash, come to think of it.

  “Cash is flying down tonight with the rest of the group,” Lennon explains. “A bunch of our friends and some of the crew are coming with him then—oh, and the guys from Roadside—they’re our opening act this year, you’ll really dig them. And Reed isn’t supposed to get here till the day after tomorrow. It’s just us this afternoon.”

  “So, we’ll have an entire villa to ourselves?” Karen asks, eyebrows raised.

  Daisy laughs. “It looks that way.”

  The luggage belt begins moving and Karen and I turn to get our bags. Frank, the taller of the two bodyguards, shakes his head at us. “We’ll handle it. Just tell me what your bags look like.”

  We describe our bags and Frank nods once before heading to the luggage belt. Karen grins happily. “Man, I could get used to this kind of treatment.”

  Once we have our luggage, we head out of the airport. There’s a shiny black van waiting at the curb and the bodyguards head straight for it. Benny holds the door open while Lennon and Daltrey motion for us to climb in first.

  Once in the van I head to the back row of seats and settle in as Daisy gets in after me.

  Out on the pavement, Lennon waves Karen into the van with a flourish. “After you.”

  She gives him a quick scowl. “You better not check out my ass, Len.”

  He grins as she climbs into the van, her fingers firmly on the hem of her sundress to keep it in place. She joins me on the rear bench with a huff. “Damn, it’s hot out.”

  “Are you seriously complaining?” I ask, eyebrows raised. “We’re in paradise.”

  “I’m not arguing that fact.” She pulls out a hair tie and gathers her long blond hair up in a ponytail before fanning her hands around her neck. “But paradise or not, ninety degrees is freaking hot.”

  “Just wait until we’re near the ocean,” Daisy says dreamily. “The breeze will cool you right off.” She leans over the back of her seat as Lennon and Daltrey join her on the front bench. “I’m so excited for this trip. Aren’t you excited?”

  “I don’t think excited is quite the word,” I tell her laughing. It’s nice to see her so bubbly, though still a little hard to get used to. For a while there, it seemed like she would be sullen and guarded for life. I guess being in love has some powerful healing properties.

  “You know,” I continue, “this is totally the kind of thing I never would have imagined happening in my life.”

  “You are pretty lucky,” Lennon says seriously, as Frank takes his seat at the steering wheel and pulls out into traffic. “To get to hang out with me. I’m awesome.”

  Karen leans over the seat to punch his shoulder and Daltrey laughs. “You deserved that, bro.”

  It wasn’t that long ago that both Karen and I were completely awestruck at the sight of Lennon Ransome—at the sight of any of the Ransome boys. When Daisy had first gotten us backstage to meet them after the show in Boston last summer, I was pretty sure I was going to pass out. I never, not in my wildest dreams, could have imagined that we’d be spending an entire week with them—on vacation at a luxury resort, no less. Over time, I’d been less and less star struck by the guys. They were actually pretty normal, once you got to know them. If insanely talented and extremely gorgeous could be considered normal. We’d gotten to the point where I could consider them friends, rock stars or not.

  But there are still moments where I find I have to pinch myself. This is one of them.

  “So, what’s this place like?” Karen asks. “Is it right on the water?”

  “It is,” Daltrey assures her. “There’s supposed to be an amazing beach right there and they have all kinds of water sports you can try.”

  “I don’t plan to get too much sportier than lying in the sun,” Karen tells him, slipping her sunglasses on.

  “Wimp,” Lennon chides. “I’m totally going to learn to surf.”

  “Ooh, that sounds fun,” I agree. I’m all about lying out in the sun as often as possible, but I tend to get really wound up when I’m inactive for too long. Maybe surf lessons would be just the thing to keep me busy.

  “It’s so green,” Daisy murmurs as we leave the airport behind. “It was snowing in Ohio.”

  “Tennessee, too,” Karen tells her.

  We chat about the crappy winter and how nice it will be to get some sun. The boys fill us in on who will be there—apparently they’ve invited a group of about a dozen people to enjoy their vacation with them. I barely hear them—I can’t stop gaping out the windows. I’ve never been to a foreign country before, and I’m determined to take in every detail. Unfortunately, nothing out my window seems all that much different from home—we’re on a highway heading away from the airport and so far all I can really see is other cars.

  “So, Reed’s not coming in for a few days?” Karen asks. “I thought Daisy said you were all going to be together for Christmas.”

  “Reed left Christmas Eve to go see the movie star,” Lennon says, his voice tight.

  “She has a name,” Daisy chides and Lennon snorts.

  “She’s lucky I called her ‘the movie star’ instead of something more fitting.”


  “She’s not that bad,” Daisy argues, and this time, it’s Daltrey who snorts.

  “Hang on,” Karen says, resting her arms on the back of their bench seat and leaning forward. “Is Sienna Matthews a bitch or something?”

  “Bitch is too nice for her,” Lennon mutters.

  “Len, come on,” Daisy says. “Reed really cares about her. We need to try to—”

  “She doesn’t try,” he mutters. “She doesn’t try to interact with any of us. Ever.”

  Daisy sighs but doesn’t answer. I chew on the inside of my cheek, feeling a weird mixture of disappointment and relief. I’ve been looking forward to meeting Sienna Matthews. She’d met up with Reed a few times on the last tour but I’d never come across her at any of the venues, or on the bus. I got the feeling she wasn’t much of a music fan. Still, I was excited to meet her—she is a movie star, and I can’t say I’d ever been on vacation with one before. Hearing that Reed’s brothers aren’t too fond of her is a bit of a shock—can she really be that bad?

  I’m not sure what’s causing the undercurrent of relief I feel. Maybe I was subconsciously nervous about meeting her?

  “What’s wrong with her?” Karen asks. “Stuck up?”

  “So stuck up,” Daltrey says. “She always acts really bored and put out whenever she’s around us.”

  “If she even shows up,” Lennon adds. “Reed wanted her to come out to our place for Christmas; apparently she threw a little fit.”

  “Reed didn’t say she threw a fit,” Daisy argued. “He just said she didn’t want to leave L.A.”

  I can tell Lennon is struggling not to roll his eyes at her. “All I know is Reed had to leave his own family on Christmas Eve just to see her.”

  “She’s coming now, isn’t she?” Daisy points out. “Apparently, she’s willing to spend an entire week with you guys. She can’t hate you that much.”

  Lennon looks like he wants to argue more, but the changing scenery captures his, and my, attention. We’ve exited the freeway and Frank is now making his way along a tree lined, cliff-side road. To the left I can make out a line of deep blue—the ocean.

  “Ooh, it’s so pretty.” I press my hands against the glass, wishing I could roll the window down.

  Before too long, Frank slows at a large white sign bearing the name of our resort. He says something into the intercom box at the gated driveway, and we’re allowed to pass. It’s impossible to see the resort from the driveway due to the tall palm trees that line both sides. Finally, Frank comes around a slight bend and the building is before us. The adobe style building sprawls across perfectly manicured lawns, and vivid flowers dot the landscape. Beyond the resort, the ocean is huge and inviting.

  “Wow,” I murmur, pressing my hands against the glass. “This is beautiful.”

  “Not quite there yet,” Lennon says. Sure enough, Frank is slowing down as a uniformed man approaches the van. He rolls down the window and they converse for a minute before Frank pulls out once more, continuing to a secluded driveway on the far side of the lawn. We pass through a thick tangle of trees and then the villa is before us.

  “Holy shit,” Daisy mutters. Daltrey laughs and slings an arm around her shoulder.

  “Told you it was going to be kick-ass.”

  Kick-ass barely begins to cover it. From outside, the villa looks nearly as large as the resort itself. Surrounded by palm trees, it’s completely secluded. But, when Lennon opens the door to hop out of the van, I can hear the roar of the ocean, so it must be close.

  “Wow,” I say again, shaking my head.

  “Come on,” Lennon says, sounding almost as excited as I feel. “Let’s go check it out.”

  We scurry out of the van and follow him up the drive to the front door. Another uniformed man is waiting there for us, and he introduces himself as Martin. Apparently, he’s the head of our household staff for the week and assures us his job is to make sure our trip is fantastic. I meet Karen’s eyes behind Daltrey’s head and we grin at each other. This entire situation feels so unbelievable; I’m having a hard time not breaking out in giggles.

  Martin leads us into the villa and the urge to laugh intensifies. The living area is a wide-open floor plan, marble entryway leading seamlessly into a massive great room filled with modern sleek furniture and rich bamboo floors. The entire far wall is glass, overlooking an expansive patio, with a crystal clear in ground pool taking up much of the space. Beyond the patio a green lawn leads down to the beach, the ocean stretching endlessly into the horizon.

  Daltrey turns to us, a huge grin stretching across his face. “I guess this will do, huh?”

  I do laugh then, but it’s okay, because everyone else is, too. Lennon shakes his head, his eyes wide. “Sometimes, I cannot believe this is our life.”

  We decide the ocean looks way too inviting to ignore, so we quickly change into our suits. By the time we get to the patio, Martin is there with ice-cold margaritas and I decide I could definitely get used to a rock and roll lifestyle.

  “I pulled out some water floats for you,” he says in his lilting accent. “But please let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

  We find the floats at the edge of the lawn. Rather than long mats, Martin has provided us with contraptions that function more like an inflatable upright chair. It takes me a minute to figure out how to balance my butt on the strip of vinyl that makes up the seat, but when I lean into the inflatable chair back, I realize the float holds me upright perfectly. My lap and legs are under the cool water, while my chest and head are out in the warm sunshine, arms resting on the chair sides. There’s even a holder for my drink.

  “Well, this is already the best day, ever,” Daisy says happily, kicking her feet to steer out a little deeper into the water. I agree as I sip on my margarita, bouncing up and down lightly in the waves.

  From out in the ocean I have a full view of the villa. It’s a lot bigger than it looked from inside. I changed in the downstairs bathroom so I hadn’t yet explored the upper levels, of which there are two. All of the ocean-facing rooms have their own balconies and I can just imagine what the view must be like up there. Down the beach a little is a rock wall barrier providing some privacy from the resort beach. Our villa, situated in the middle of a small lagoon, gives added privacy even when out on the water. In short, it’s the absolute best place I can imagine for four guys wanting to get away from prying eyes and invasive media types.

  The most amazing part, however, occurs about twenty minutes after we go out in the water. Martin appears on the beach, his black linen pants rolled up around his knees, a tray of drinks in his hand. “Would anyone like a refill?”

  “He’s serving us in the water?” Karen says, sounding awed. “Holy shit, I’m never leaving.”

  We bob around in the ocean, working our way through several pitchers of margaritas, getting up only to use the bathroom and reapply sunscreen. With my pale skin, I know I’m likely to burn—I throw a glare at Karen who already seems several shades browner.

  “It’s got to be getting close to dinner time,” Daltrey murmurs. “Cash and the others should be here soon.” He doesn’t bother to open his eyes and his head rests on the back of his chair float. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so relaxed. I’m sure things will get considerably rowdier when Cash arrives but I hope Reed, at least, takes the time to chill out like this—from what I saw at the fan club show, he definitely could use it.

  “I guess we should go in and get dressed,” Daisy sighs, making no effort to move her float toward the shore.

  “Maybe just ten more minutes,” Daltrey says. Lennon drifts past me lazily and I think he’s actually fallen asleep.

  We don’t manage to pull ourselves from the water for another half hour. By now the sun is hanging low in the sky and my stomach is rumbling. I didn’t eat much lunch before the flight, feeling far too excited about everything. I hope we don’t have to wait too long for Cash and the others to arrive.

  Martin has big fluffy whit
e towels waiting for us on the beach. “I wasn’t sure where you all plan to sleep, so I had the staff put your luggage into the front rooms on the second floor,” he explains to Lennon. “Please let me know if you’d like anything moved.”

  “Thanks,” Lennon tells him, slapping his shoulder. “But we can figure it out, man.”

  I figure Karen and I will share a room, what with there being so many people joining us tonight. But I find my luggage placed on a king sized bed in what is clearly one of the suites. The room is bigger than half of my parent’s house, with a fireplace opposite the bed. All of the furniture is sleek mahogany, and floor to ceiling windows lead out to a massive stone balcony, gauzy white curtains blowing in the breeze from the open glass doors. This room is definitely meant for one of the boys and I know I should go find Daisy to figure out a more appropriate place to sleep.

  But, it can’t hurt to just look around a little, I tell myself, running my hand along the back of the low leather chaise. From the open door of the balcony I can hear the waves crashing aside. “I’ll just take a peek,” I say softly and head to the glass door. Just as I’m about to step outside, a voice from the balcony stops me dead in my tracks.

  “Hello?”

  I scream, jumping back, and slam my hand over my mouth. I had no idea anyone was in here. Come to think of it, who the hell would it be? I saw everyone else head into their own rooms. I swallow back another scream. “Who’s there?”

  “Sorry.” Now that the shock is fading, I realize that the voice is actually familiar. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Reed?” My hand over my still thudding heart I take another step onto the balcony. There’s a figure sitting in one of the teak lounge chairs, facing the ocean below. “Is that you?”

  “Yup. That’s me.” He sounds weird. Like he’s half asleep or something. Or maybe drunk. Before I can ask him if he’s okay, Daisy and Daltrey come running up behind me.