Say You're Mine (The Gallaghers Book 1) by Layla Hagen (comprehension books .txt) 📕

going to find us another hotel,” Sasha said. “Let’s get on the bus, and I’ll get everything sorted out on the way.”

Chapter Twenty-SixIsabelle

In my humble opinion, Sasha deserved a huge raise. Not only did she find a new hotel in Orlando, but she handled the first leg of the tour exceptionally well. The problem in Orlando wasn’t a onetime thing. Several other hotel locations were leaked, but she managed it with grace.

To say touring time was crazy was an understatement. It was so much more than that. Their fans were passionate, which was great for their sales. The label execs had called after the first week of the tour to announce the album had hit platinum!

The downside to their fans’ love was, of course, that we were confined to the hotel wherever we were.

“I think my pampering kits were truly lifesaving,” I joked as we touched down at La Guardia after the first leg of the tour was over. Well, almost over. They had a concert in New York tonight, at the Hammerstein Ballroom on 34th Street. “Imagine being stuck in the hotel room without them. What would we have done?”

Brayden wiggled his eyebrows. “I always have plenty of ideas, you know that. Are you happy we’re back in New York?”

“It’s good to be home. I missed my siblings and, you know...being in my own space. How many days do you think we’ll have to stay at the hotel?” I’d been a bit perplexed when Sasha suggested we stay at a hotel in New York too, because the guys’ apartments and the cottage were going to be stalked by fans before the concert. I’d told Brayden we could always stay at my place, or even Josie’s, but he said the paps were tenacious and he wouldn’t want to put my family in jeopardy.

“I think just tonight and tomorrow. You’re sick of hotels, huh?”

“No, I quite like being pampered twenty-four seven with room service and cleaning teams. But avoiding fans is a bit tiring.”

Brayden was looking at me intently, as if trying to gauge if there was more to my words. Okay, I was downplaying everything a bit. It was exhausting, and sometimes downright scary, but I could put up with it if it meant I was with Brayden. It really wasn’t that big of a deal. Usually I was all for laying everything on the table and discussing it all until there was nothing left unsaid, but Brayden had enough on his mind with the concerts.

We slid into the back seat of the BMW, just the two of us. Paul was driving. Security was in another car behind us, and Lars, Harvey, and Thomas were in a third car. We weren’t expecting any trouble at the hotel in New York, since the press and fans would probably be camped in front of the guys’ apartments, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

“How was it?” Paul asked, and Brayden told him a bit about the tour.

We arrived at the hotel almost an hour later. I groaned as I looked out the window.

“Are those fans?” I asked. They had to be. A crowd of about a hundred people was camped in front of the entrance.

“Fuck” was all Brayden said. “Turn around.”

“It’s not possible anymore,” Paul replied. He sounded desperate. The fans had already spotted the car and were circling it. My heart was pounding fast. Brayden immediately texted the guys to let them know what was happening.

“Why isn’t security right behind us?” he barked.

“They’re a few feet away,” Paul replied. “I saw them before the crowd converged on us.”

“So we’re staying in the car, right? Until the crowd clears?”

Brayden nodded, interlacing his fingers with mine. “Yes. Sasha is already talking to the hotel security.”

Nothing seemed to happen for a few minutes, but after that, the crowd parted as the hotel employees paved their way to us. They created a corridor of sorts from the car all the way to the main entrance, but the only thing separating us from the rabid fans was a black rope. They did have security every few feet along the corridor though, so that was good.

“Okay, so this is about as good as it’ll get,” Paul said.

“Ready to get out?” Brayden asked me.

“Yes. Let’s do this.”

The hotel was a huge building. The entryway had a large wooden arch in front of it that extended several feet in front of the doors. Wooden posts were holding it up, and they’d tied black rope between the posts to keep the fans out. The hotel’s own security was posted along the rope; I counted six guys on each side. The screams of the fans were deafening.

“Keep moving forward,” Brayden whispered in my ear.

“Just an autograph, please—”

“And a picture—”

“Can you please sign right here on my arm? Right here?”

The voices were coming in from everywhere. The crowd was pushing the security team into us, pressing against the wooden posts and the rope. I kept my eyes on the entrance. We only had a few feet left. We were going to—

A loud crack splintered the air. I looked around for the source of the noise. Several fans had gotten past the rope. Did they cut it?

But that wasn’t the sound. It had been a snap.

A second snap splintered the air, and one of the wooden posts dislodged from the overhead construct. Then one at the back too.

“Get away,” one of the security guys yelled. “The arch is unstable.”

The crowd seemed frozen for a beat, but a third and fourth snap spurred everyone into motion. I didn’t look back to see if one or two more had dislodged. Brayden wrapped an arm around my waist and charged forward.

***

Brayden

I wanted to shield her at all costs. She was smaller than me. This had to work out. I just had to be careful not to slow us down. The archway was coming down on us. I ducked my head, but it hit my right shoulder. Isabelle cried out. Her shoulder got the brunt of it