Page 87 of The Twisted Beats

A flash of sadness strikes through her eyes, but she blinks it away. “He’d party a little harder than he wanted.”

“You mean get out and be seen more?” I lean forward, giving her my full attention.

Getting out would be easy as long as I can have Liviannawith me. There might be an opportunity here, but my ma and uncle give each other a weird look.

The muscles over my ribs tighten. “What?”

My uncle studies me for a moment. “Let the paps get a hold of a few risqué photos to run that show you off in a different light.”

“Such as…?”

My ma leans toward me. “You use, Bubba, but the public doesn’t know it. Let themcatch youlike it’s some scandal.”

“No one gives a shit about smokin’ weed anymore, Ma. That wouldn’t be a story, especially for a lead singer of a band.” I rest back and take another drink.

“Then ramp it up a little.” My ma peeks over at my uncle. “What do you think?”

“If he doesn’t want to use women as part of the bad boy image, drugs are the next best thing.” My uncle stands and leaves the room.

The back door closes, signaling he has left.

I narrow my eyes. “Ma, are you serious about this?”

“It could work.” She gives me a seemingly fake smile. “Just be careful about it.”

“Meaning?”

“Use responsibly.” Her gaze lands on her lap. “We can teach you how much you can handle. That way you know exactly when to stop.”

“Like you do when you’re on location?”

“It’s exhausting out there. I need something to keep me alert and on point.” She peeks up at me. “It’s how I survived Milan/Seoul forty-eight-hour turnarounds.”

I huff in disbelief. “You’re really suggesting this?”

“You’re going to run into it sooner or later.” Her voice comes out quiet and timid. “I’d rather be the one to show you how to manage it than someone out there who doesn’t care pushing it on you.”

My brain scrambles. What the fuck? Most parentswouldn’t dream of letting their child do something like this. I spin in that thought for a moment while my ma sips on her cocktail, staring at me.

The back door opens and closes. My uncle reappears with something in his hand.

He sits on the edge of the couch, tosses a few overdue bills aside, and places a small bag of white powder on the table. “Your choice, Cash. Shall we?”

I scrape my teeth over my lower lip with my gaze sliding between them. These two are my family. They wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.

They know how much I want out of Ur Boyz and think being a part of it is drawing in the wrong type of fans. Maybe this is the answer.

My uncle gestures to the coke. “You’ve seen people do blow before and it’s never bothered you. What’s your hang-up now?”

My mind goes blank. “I don’t know. It just feels…wrong.”

“It’s not conventional, but in our world nothing is.” My ma picks up the bag and empties some onto the glass table. “I know how much I can handle and so does John. If you let us guide you, everything will be fine.”

“It could even be fun.” My uncle pulls out his wallet. “Whadda ya say, kid?”

A flash of Lily’s face all over the tabloids burns through my thoughts. Brutal. End of story. She doesn’t deserve the scrutiny.

I’m trading one poison for another, but at least it’s my bloodstream, not Livianna’s.