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For his part, Halo looked pleased as hell. The smile on his face hadn’t disappeared once, and as he chatted with Jagger across the room, he’d occasionally look in my direction, and that smile would grow wider—and that stirred up a little something in me.
It must’ve been obvious what I was thinking, because Killian stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Halo.
“V,” he said. “What are you doin’?”
I lifted my arm, showing I’d been tying up an extension cord. “Baking a fucking cake.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. What’s going on with you and Halo?”
“Nothin’.”
“Halo isn’t looking at you like it’s nothing. And for that matter, neither are you.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “And that’s your business why?”
“Because it’s something that affects the band, that’s why.”
“I already warned you this would happen, Kill. You didn’t seem to care so much then, did you?”
“I thought he was straight.”
“Yeah, not so much.”
With a sigh, Killian gripped the back of his neck. “Really? I thought after what happened with Trent, you’d somehow manage to restrain yourself.”
I reared back at the low blow. “Fuck you for that.”
“I didn’t mean that, I just… We’ve got a good thing going right now. I don’t want to screw this up.”
“You mean you don’t want me to screw this up.” I scoffed. “Thanks, friend. I’ll file that under ‘things I don’t give a fuck about.’”
“Just…be careful, okay? None of us need this to turn ugly.”
“Jesus, it’s nothing. We’re not fucking, we’re not dating—”
“But you want to.”
“What, date?”
Killian rolled his eyes. “Yeah right. That’s not in your make-up.”
“Look, I’ve made it clear what I want from him. It’s not up to you what happens next, so get lost with the fucking warnings. He did good today. How about you focus on that.”
“Yeah, he did real good,” Killian said, chewing on his lip as he looked over at Halo. “You think it’s enough?”
“To keep our contract?” I shrugged. “If it’s not, then they’re not where we need to be.”
“True. How much you wanna bet they make us sweat it out before we get any kind of feedback?”
I tossed the extension cord over the amp and reached for my bottle of water. “Fucking pricks.”
“You know, you could try and temper your attitude around them. It might help.”
“It also might help if I offer to suck their dicks, but you don’t see me doing that.” I screwed the cap back on the water. “Plus, it’s your job to be all smiley-smiley and make nice. Not mine.”
“And how exactly was that worked out again? I can’t remember.”
“Natural selection. I’m an asshole, you’re less of one.”
Killian rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. “Right, right.”
“Hey?” Jagger called across the room, snagging our attention. “If Mommy and Daddy are done discussing their kids’ performances, do you think we could all go out and get something to eat? I don’t keep this toned physique all primed and ready for the ladies by sipping water and breathing air.”
“Yeah. I need some meat in me,” Slade said, making all eyes turn in his direction. “What?”
I strolled across the space, my eyes briefly flicking to Halo before landing on Slade. “Better be careful, man. You keep saying the shit you’ve been saying, and we’re all gonna start wondering if you’re switching sides.”
Thirty-Three
Halo
IMOGEN: COME ASAP!!
The text came through as I pulled out leftover pizza from the fridge early Monday evening, the urgency in her message causing me to drop the container on the counter and grab my cell in one hand and a pocket knife in the other. I flew down the two flights of stairs to her apartment, taking less than thirty seconds.
I burst through her unlocked door, scanning the room for the source of the urgent text, my whole body alert and prepared for fight.
“Halo? What’s wrong?” Imogen asked, eyes wide as she stared at me from where she sat on her couch with a laptop propped on her crossed legs.
As I looked around again, seeing nothing out of place, I frowned. “What’s wrong? You sent me a ‘come ASAP’ text. I thought someone was attacking you.”
“Oh my God.” Imogen threw her head back and laughed. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, but it’s good to know you can be here in two seconds if I need you.”
“Uh, yeah. That’s why we live in the same building. But if you keep crying wolf, I may not believe you if some shit actually goes down.”
“Aw, don’t be mad. I’m sorry I scared you,” she said, not looking contrite at all. As a matter of fact, she looked…excited? Her eyes sparkled, and she practically bounced as she patted the cushion beside her. “Come here.”
As the rush of adrenaline subsided, I shook my head. “Since you’re not dying, I’m leaving.”
“No, wait! There’s something about you online.”
