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She adjusts her mic. “Are there going to be any more guns waved in my face tonight?” Her voice is timid and quiet, and her posture is closed in, like she hates the idea of being the center of attention. Not what you typically see in a singer.
“Sorry about that.” I flinch. Not exactly the best first impression.
“Count us off, Theo.” Jack nods his head as Theo counts them down, and a familiar chord echoes around the room.
“Holy shit. You finished the song,” I exclaim. It’s the song he spent last spring working on. My body thrums with excitement before Brooklynn even sings the first note. But then she does, and everything stops. I never would have expected the voice that comes out of this woman. She’s a fucking powerhouse. Flawless.
All the noise of the past few weeks quiets, and I get lost in the music with chills covering my body.
He did it.
Jack finished the song, and it’s the best he’s ever written.
I know, without a doubt, they’re never coming back here because this is the break they’ve been busting their asses for. One song rolls into another, and before I know it, they’ve finished the set, and I’ve jumped to my feet. “Guys.” I hug Jack, holding him tight. “That was perfect.”
Theo piles on the two of us, turning me into a Six Day War sandwich. “I love you guys.”
“Thanks for helping us get here, CC.” Jack kisses the top of my head before pulling away and going over a few things with Brooklynn.
“You could come with us, you know?” Theo ducks his head as if he can’t believe what he’s saying.
“Iwouldmake a great groupie, but you know I can’t.” I lift up on my toes and kiss his cheek. “But I promise to be your number-one fan, no matter where I am.”
There’s no longing.
No regret.
I’m so damn happy for them, but that’s not where I’m meant to be.
It never was.
“What the fuckdo you mean he can’t crack the code?” I clench my jaw so hard, I’m surprised my teeth don’t crack as the throbbing behind my eyes intensifies.
Rook groans on the other end of the call. “It’s not an instant thing, Sinclair. I’m not saying he won’t get it, just that he hasn’t gotten ityet. I’m heading back to San Diego first thing in the morning, and Ash is going to keep working on it for us. He said he’s got someone he can ask for help. But it’s gonna take some time.”
“I gotcha.” I walk the perimeter of the house, making sure there aren’t any issues since I’m already out here. “Try to get some sleep, okay?”
Rook is a notorious insomniac. The fucker can go days without sleeping. “Sure,Mom. I’ll get right on that. I don’t have anybody warming my bed, like some of us do.”
“Whatever. Ford is the only one of us with someone warming his bed, asshole.” Nothing seems out of place outside. Two shitheads are getting high on the beach, judging by the smell, but that’s about it.
“That’s your own fault, brother. She apologized. What more do you want? You want her to grovel?” He hums. “That’s not a bad idea. I have zero doubt that Carys looks incredible down on her knees.”
My already fucked up vision goes red with rage. “Get that picture out of your head, motherfucker.”
He laughs like the sadistic bastard he is. “Yeah. That’s what I thought. Keeping her out of this in Germany was a solid plan. But she’s in it now. I mean, you’re living with her. Doesn’t get much morein itthan that.”
“Ya think?” I hate when Rook is right. And the asshole is almost always right.
He’s the best analytical thinker on the team. He can remove his emotions and opinions from nearly any situation and give the unbiased advice we need. Helpful but really fucking annoying when he’s telling you what to do with your own life. “Call me when you get back tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Try not to screw it up before I get there.” He ends the call, and I walk into the backyard, cursing as I turn the corner a little too close to the house and catch a branch to the face from the oversized shrub.
“Shit.” I press down against the spot on my cheek and come away with blood on my finger.
“You okay?” Carys’s voice carries down from her balcony.
“I’m fine. How long have you been out there?”How much did you hearis what I really want to ask but don’t.
