Disappointment and shock are written all over their faces.
It’s the same disappointment I see on my crew.
My band stands just behind the curtain, shadows stretched long across their faces.
Patty never wanted to let people in.
But that couldn’t stopthemfrom lettinghimin.
Tears prick my eyes.
I turn to Manny.
“Well,” he says. Flat. Emotionless. “You just ensured you’ll have the career the label wants for you.”
“Not for long,” I say. I press the flash drive into his palm. “Here’s something to change your tune.”
Manny frowns, looking down at the drive, flipping it between his fingers.
“What is this?”
“Play it,” I say, my voice urgent. Unshakable.
One of Nash’s “hits” blasts over the speakers, drowning me in revulsion.
I step closer. “Please.”
Manny hesitates. “Play what? Where?”
I hold his gaze. Unflinching.
“On the big screen.” I take a breath. “I’ll be back with Patty as soon as possible, but even if we’re not back yet, I don’t care.” I close his fingers over the drive. “Play it.”
Manny searches my face for a long moment. Then he nods. He turns to Rick, the front-of-house sound engineer, and the two start setting things up.
Relief crashes over me like a storm.
Nash’s crew doesn’t run the tech tonight; mine does.
And they would do anything for Patty.
So would I.
I start moving.
I need to find him.
I need to make this right.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
PATTY
The roar of the crowd is suffocating. My head is spinning. My lungs feel too tight.
I needout.
Before Nash even finishes his introduction, I shove past the curtains in the wings and stalk down the hall. The brick walls and low industrial ceiling press in on me, choking the air from the arena. I clench my hands into fists, my heart slamming into my ribs, wild and desperate. The weight of everything—the past, the present, and whatever comes next—it’s too much.
