Noah.
I frowned. “What do you mean?” I looked at Noah. “What kind of pissing match?”
Noah tucked his fists under his arms. “Ask your boyfriend.”
“Excuse me.” Jamie slapped a hand on the table. “I feel like we’re not being told a hell of a lot here. The band knew about the trouble Zane got into, except who? Lindz, me, and Oz?”
Oz scraped a hand through his long hair. “I knew. He called me, and I told him I was busy.”
“Busy busting a nut. Some friend.”
“Watch it, asshole.”
“Coop was doing the same thing, and he still helped me out.”
Oz smirked. “What, into his hand?”
I reached across the table and thwapped him in the head. “He was with me.”
“What?” He looked between Cooper and I then let out a whistle. “Well, that’s new. How did I miss that?”
Lindsey shook her head. “Save it for later, Captain Oblivious.”
Oz shrugged. “Anyway, I called Zane later and found out he’d joined the Rockettes the night before.” He cleared his throat as literally everyone glared at him. “Bad joke.”
“This is bullshit.” Jamie scooped a hand through her hair and then tied it on top of her head with quick jerks of her wrists. “First, we have the hookup twins over there skating out early. Fine, whatever, fuck like rabbits, your business.”
I was still stuck on Cooper sneaking around to call Noah. Wasn’t that information I should’ve had? He’d never even mentioned it. We’d spent a beyond incredible day together yesterday, never mind today, and he hadn’t said a word.
I was just annoyed enough at being fretted over and protected again that I lifted my chin and met Jamie’s gaze. “It’s not anyone else’s concern unless we want it to be.”
Zane laughed. “Good luck there, sister.”
“Then there’s this Zane situation,” Lindsey said, effortlessly picking up where Jamie left off. “I’m not interested in who is swapping beds unless it’s a problem for the band.” She slanted me a cool look. “Thus far, it isn’t. But why weren’t we apprised of what Zane was dealing with? He mentioned having a record.”
Zane gazed down at his feet miserably. “Coop got me out.”
“And your manager is trying to help you, again way late and a dollar short. I don’t know who told any of you that you could behave as if this is any other time without any thought to the larger repercussions. Guess what? It isn’t.”
But Lindsey wasn’t done yet.
“Again, why weren’t we notified? I don’t like to pull rank here, since from the beginning, Brooklyn Dawn has been a collaborative effort. But Jamie and I started it. We were the ones there from the ground up. If things are happening that affect the band, we should be made aware. If not immediately, shortly thereafter. Not several days after the fact as part of a rant.”
“You think I’m ranting? Trust me, I haven’t even started, Ms. York.”
Lindsey took a long breath. “I get that there’s a lot going on. I’m not saying notifying us is the biggest issue right now. But it is important.”
“You have a point, and another time, I would agree with you. I do not right now. There are much larger concerns.”
“Right. Shut up, little women. Got it.” Jamie sat back and crossed her arms.
Lila’s brow arched. “Not sure if you’ve noticed my gender, but I’m just going to ignore your latest show of pique.”
Jamie’s jaw worked, but she was silent. For the first time probably ever.
“Let me spell this out for all of you, in graphic terms. Since general warnings don’t appear to hold any sway.” Lila looked at each of us in turn. “Teagan’s home nearly burned down. The next evening, her drink was spiked with enough chemicals to make a man Zane’s size act completely erratically and lose hours of the night. Imagine what could have happened if Teagan drank that drink. She’s half his size. She might have ended up in the hospital—or much worse.” Her voice softened as she glanced at me. “I’m not trying to scare you. Or any of you,” she said to the band. “But somehow you’re still failing to grasp the gravity of what’s happening right now.”
Lindsey wrapped her arm around me and pulled me into her side. “We won’t let her get away with this. Along with whomever else is involved.”
“I’m glad it was me,” Zane said quietly. “I’d rather deal with it than Teagan.”
My eyes dampened, and I rose to go around the table to him. He pulled me into a hug much as Lindsey had.
I