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He tilts his head toward one of the exits. I swallow and follow him over. I’m set to start in A&R on Monday. And while my enthusiasm was definitely dampened by my first encounter with Fiona, I’ll be very upset if he’s changed his mind.
We step outside the tent, and Carl leads me around one of the trailers set up behind the stage. No one else is around, all clustered in the tent or disassembling the stage.
“Kyle Spencer’s mother died?” His tone is low and deadly. No preamble.
“I—what?” Of all the things he might have said, I wasn’t expectingthat. “Where did you hear that?”
“He announced it onstage tonight!”
“Hewhat?” I’m shocked. Totally floored.
“I sent you to Texas to find out why he wasn’t re-signing. And you came back with half-baked excuses about how he was making the right decision when there was a legitimate reason I needed to know. Are you incompetent, Piper, or did you purposefully withhold information?”
“It wasn’t for me to share. It was irrelevant for the—”
“Wasn’t relevant?” Carl shakes his head, exhaling loudly. “Get out of my sight before I fire you. You never should have received that promotion in the first place.”
Cold fear snakes down my spine. I’m finally about to achieve what I’ve spent years working toward, and he’s threatening to take it all away.
Still, I have no regrets. It was Kyle’s to share, not mine.
And I’m tired of his agenda.
“Why do you care so much if Kyle re-signs?” I ask. “Is it really all about the money? Because there are plenty of other artists who make you a profit.”
“I have a job to do. Answering your questions isn’t one of them.”
“I’m the one who got sent to Texas. I did what you’d asked.”
“And youfailed.”
My frustration builds to a breaking point. “He wants to walk away! Why won’t you let him?”
“Because he’s my son!” Carl blanches as soon as he says it. His whole demeanor shifts, shutting down. He smooths his tie, his expression relaxing too. When he speaks, his tone is eerily calm. “That stays between us. Or I’ll make sure you’re blacklisted from every reputable label in the country. Understood?”
I nod, too stunned to react in any other way.
Carl walks away, leaving me standing alone.
I run through the little Kyle told me about his biological father, basically just that his mother didn’t know who he was. If that’s true, it doesn’t narrow down any possibilities. Do I tell Kyle? I can’t come up with any reason Carl would be lying about it, but he could be mistaken.
I’m still leaning against the trailer where Carl left me, processing, when Harper appears.
“Finally.” She exhales, slumping against the trailer next to me. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“I needed a minute to…think.” I sigh. “Have you seen Kyle?”
“I’m here about Kyle. Did you see his performance?”
I shake my head. “Linda sent me back to the office. I just got back. But I heard…I heard what he said.”
“And?”
“I already knew about his mom.”
Her forehead wrinkles. “I’m not talking about his mom. I’m talking aboutyou.”
“What?”
