I stare down at the ringing phone in my hand and decline the call. I knew it was only a matter of time before word got back to Dad and Nonna. Instead of having our briefing meeting this morning, I sat in a room with Mike, Pete, and Nicky. They told me that Asher admitted to a member of security that he had been drinking all day and had taken some pills. Asher has experimented with alcohol but never drugs.

This is so unlike him; or at least, I think it is.

A heated debate ensued about how I should handle last night's incident. My brother, of course, was fine if a gang of guys found Asher and beat him to death. Mike and Pete were a little more reasonable, but it's really complicated. If I report what happened to the police, Kade will be brought up and implicated in the incident. It's likely the media will get their hands on the story and twist it. It's the last thing I want, so I put my foot down and told them I'm just going to leave it alone. But that didn't mean Nicky or Pete wouldn't call Dad. I'm surprised that he waited after tonight's concert to call me.

Slipping my phone into my back pocket, I enter the bus with the rest of the crew. Everyone is gathered around the television catching up on their favorite show. I squeeze into an empty space and zone out as we wait to get going.

My mind runs rampant with flashes from last night, leaving me with tons of questions. Could I have stopped Asher? What if I had called him earlier? Would he really have hurt me? Was something more going on with him than just me finding out about all his cheating? I didn't have one damn answer.

If anyone knows about what went down with Asher, they say nothing to me. Even Kade skirted around the issue this morning. When I woke up in his room, he had breakfast waiting for me. As we sat at the table, the conversation was sparse, and it wasn't until I was leaving that he pulled me aside. He examined my face and asked if I was all right. When I said I was fine, he sighed in disbelief and kissed me on the forehead.

My phone rings again, and I look at the display—Dad. If I don't talk to him, he'll just keep calling until he breaks me down. I step into the bunk area and close the door behind me. Sitting on my lower-level bed, I rest my feet on the bunk across the aisle and drop my head on my knees.

With a long exhale, I answer the call. "Hi, Daddy."

"Ariella James Carmichael, I've been calling you all afternoon. Why the hell are you ignoring my calls? Do you know how worried I've been?" Hidden behind his anger is absolute panic. He may not always be around for me physically, but he prides himself on protecting his children.

"I'm sorry. It was a hectic day," I say; it's a pathetic excuse.

"Are you all right?"

"He backed me into a corner, so I kicked him in the balls."

What happened was not a joking matter, but I need my dad to sleep tonight knowing I'm okay. I want him to have the satisfaction that he taught me well, and I did everything in my power to defend myself.

"Atta girl! Nicky said Kade beat the shit out of him." I can hear the smile in his voice.

"Yeah, I got the door wedged open, but Asher grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me back. I have a little bruise on my face, but Kade came in before anything really happened." Brushing this off is so hard; shit, re-living it is painful.

Dad remains silent for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "If I were there, I would've killed him."

"I know."

"Are you going to stay or come home?"

I breathe a sigh of relief. He's giving me a choice instead of making it for me. If he stripped this from my control as well, I couldn't handle it. "I'm going to stay. I have a job to do."

"Fuck the job, Ariella. You can come home if it's what you want to do."

"No, I want to stay, Dad."

"All right, but I don't want you in a room alone anymore. If you were with Nicky, this wouldn't have happened."

He's putting his foot down on this one thing, and I'm okay with that. Even though I enjoyed having a room to myself, I'm willing to forgo the simple luxury. "I'll make sure to have a roommate."

The door to the sleeping area slides open, and I lift my head as Kade walks in.

I wonder what my dad would think about Kade being my roommate. The thought brings a smile to my face. Kade gives me just enough space not to smother me to death, but is around when I need him the most. How I ever survived nineteen years without him as a friend leaves me baffled.

"I love you, baby girl."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Kade smiles, sitting down next to me, and I shake my head. I already feel better with him here. The thought of being confined to a tour bus for the next four hours will be more tolerable with him hanging around.