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Grey started with his glass of water as I munched on a stick of celery and set about getting my new phone operational. I added all the necessary apps, checking for any Corvus may have added before giving it to me, and signed into my email and all socials. I needed to keep that shit open in case Becca needed me.
I checked the phone’s system settings to get the number and pushed through an email to Becca containing it. Telling her to only text from a burner, and change burners every few days. Better safe than sorry.
Corv set his phone down with a clatter on the table.
“Max again?” Grey asked him.
“Yeah.”
“She still pissed you canceled those shows?”
“She’s threatening to fire me as a client.”
Grey laughed. “Yeah, right.”
“She won’t. You’re her number one, Bro,” Rook agreed.
Corvus’ brows drew together. He looked so tired, I realized. The hollows beneath his eyes dark and purple hued. When was the last time he’d slept?
“Why did you cancel the shows?” I asked. “You only had two others lined up this season, and they weren’t far. All in NorCal, right?”
He shook his head. “Too much heat right now. I need to be here.”
Not for the first time, I wondered how he’d managed to juggle his gang life and a secret music career. But the answer was staring me right in the face the entire time. He wasn’t juggling it. Either one suffered or the other did. Right now, his alter ego of The Bone Man needed to take a back seat so Corvus James could do what his father expected of him. What his makeshift family needed.
Was it what he wanted?
His steely gaze flicked up to meet mine, lips tight as he considered saying something else.
I lifted a brow. “What?”
“I might’ve promised Max you’d work on a new track with me, and we could unveil it at the next show after Christmas.”
“You did what?”
Corvus lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “Before you say no—”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“I’ll do it. But I want fifty percent of all royalties earned on it plus a cut of the ticket sales from the Lodi show. Only fair since you recorded me without my knowledge and used said recording on stage.”
He stared at me dumbfounded.
“What? A girl’s gotta earn a living and… I didn’t sound half bad.”
“Ha!” Grey balked. “You were incredible, AJ. There’s a reason every music blogger on the West coast is trying to figure out who you are.”
I flushed and tried to hide it by taking a bite of bacon. “I want vocal training too, though.”
“Done.” Corvus grunted. “I’ll train you myself. Best I can do. We can’t take you to a professional vocal coach. It’ll draw too much attention.”
“What do you think my name should be? I’m thinking something epic like…”
“Sparrow,” Corvus interrupted before I could finish my train of thought. “Obviously.”
“Bone Man and Sparrow?” I groaned. “That’s lame.”
