The tour bus idled at the curb like a sleeping beast, its engine rumbling low beneath the steady roar of airport traffic. Luggage had been stacked on the sidewalk in chaotic clusters\u2014guitar cases, rolling duffels, lighting crates, and one suspiciously oversized pelican case that everyone had agreed not to ask Mark about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diesel leaned against the open bus door, arms folded, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. The man hadn\u2019t said much all morning, but the tightness in his jaw and the unusually long sip of black coffee betrayed more than his usual stoicism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis it?\u201d he asked flatly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel, bouncing on his paws like a kid on Christmas, grinned. \u201cThis is it. Europe, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The instant the pack stepped out fully onto the curb, the terminal erupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fans \u2014 dozens<\/em> of them \u2014 seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Some had been lurking, phones ready. Others had tracked flights and hotel clues from online breadcrumbs. Within seconds, a growing swarm of shrieking voices, waving signs, and flailing selfie sticks had descended like a coordinated flash mob of enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cassie ducked behind Rico to avoid a flying T-shirt. Maya caught it mid-air and tossed it back with a smirk. Jonah managed a perfect photo pose with three fans before security even noticed the growing storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily clung to her backpack and beamed like someone living inside a dream. She turned to Thane, who had shouldered his laptop bag like a battle-hardened general. \u201cMy mom said to tell you thank you again. And to keep me away from suspicious cheese in foreign countries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane chuckled. \u201cNo promises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark \u2014 stoic as ever \u2014 held the door as airport security arrived in a panic to begin funneling the band through VIP entry lanes. Flashbulbs popped. Screams echoed. A kid held up a handmade sign that said TAKE ME WITH YOU TO LONDON, I\u2019LL BE QUIET, I SWEAR.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel stopped, took a selfie with him, and slipped the kid a signed guitar pick before security herded him forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel didn\u2019t move until Thane approached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be back in a few weeks,\u201d Thane said, gripping Diesel\u2019s hand in a firm shake. \u201cKeep her warm for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel gave a short nod. \u201cI\u2019ll babysit the beast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou sure you don\u2019t want a souvenir?\u201d Gabriel called, bounding back to hug the old driver around the shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel grunted. \u201cIf it\u2019s not whiskey or peace and quiet, I don\u2019t want it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ll bring both,\u201d Rico promised, already being dragged toward the check-in counter by a wave of fans and staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane turned back one last time as they passed into the terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel was still standing there, arms crossed, watching the chaos disappear through the sliding doors like it was the end of a very loud, very strange chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he climbed back on the bus, muttering to himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIdiots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With affection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The tour bus idled at the curb like a sleeping beast, its engine rumbling low beneath the steady roar of airport traffic. Luggage had been stacked on the sidewalk in chaotic clusters\u2014guitar cases, rolling duffels, lighting crates, and one suspiciously oversized pelican case that everyone had agreed not to ask Mark about. Diesel leaned against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1636"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3031,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1636\/revisions\/3031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}