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A woman who survived.
A woman who fought back.
And a woman who kicked the assholes who told her no straight in the teeth.
I didn't usually sing ballads or songs that required me to belt my voice out there, because even when I'd performed regularly, I hadn't been confident enough in my voice to really project it.
But fuck that shit.
I gave it everything I had, poured my heart and soul into the words and the lyrics and the guitar.
And when the song ended, I jumped off the stage and straight into Lino's arms while the crowd cheered. I didn't care, because even though they'd been a necessary part, I hadn't sung for them.
I sang for me.
I sang for all the beaten and the bruised.
"Take me home," I whispered, and Lino nodded to Rex who gathered up my guitar and pick and handed it to me. Winding my arms around Lino's neck and my legs around his waist, I let him carry me out to the
car. I didn't care what they thought as they whistled.
I had everything that mattered in my arms.
???
Jasper forgave me for the absences the previous week, without even bothering to ask what had been so important that I had to take off unannounced.
Just more proof that there was something up with his nosey ass.
The Jasper I knew and loved would have used any excuse to poke himself into my business, and I'd given him a pretty damn good one. I tried to be patient with him, but after the way I'd taken back my confidence at Bird Lounge, there was no way in Hell I was letting him off the hook so easily. When we went over my notes from the previous month, he spaced out.
He was lost.
"Alright, what gives?" I asked, slamming the folder down on his desk and plopping into the seat in front of it.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I disappeared from work out of nowhere and nobody could find me. You yelled at me for being inconsiderate and didn't ask a single question after that. The Jasper I know would have assaulted me to get answers, for shit's sake. You aren't paying attention to work. You're distracted in a way I've never—" I cut off, thinking about how much Lino had changed after we'd gotten together.
He complained about being unable to focus, but more than that about not wanting to focus.
"It's nothing," he lied.
"What's her name?" I said, sliding to the edge of my chair and looking at him so intently I wanted to peer inside his soul. For once, it felt like I would be the nosy one. I freaking loved it.
"It's no one you know. Trust me."
"Hmmm," I hummed. "Okay, so give me the deal. Are you in love? Is that why you're so distracted?" He tapped his pen on the desk, trying to avoid my eyes. I waited, even though I wanted to jump down his throat.
"I don't know. I really like her, but I haven't been totally honest with her. I've kept a pretty major secret." He winced, and I tried to calm my breathing. After the gambling secret Connor had kept, secrets hit me deep. I didn't want to think of my friend and boss as capable of deceiving a woman like that.
I fiddled with my folder, straightening the pages inside it. "What kind of secret?"
"My name. She has no clue who I really am."
My jaw dropped to what felt like the floor. "Um, okay. So she doesn't know that you're richer than God and Chicago's Most Eligible Bachelor, is that what you're saying?" He stood from his seat, running his hands through his hair.
Shit, that was bad.
