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As the noise level triples with excitement, Jordan leans forward to speak to me. I’m the hired help as Layla’s stand-in manager, so I’m dressed comfortably in a pair of dark jeans and a gray sweater. I pushed the sleeves up ages ago, and the blue and white flowers I had tattooed there six years ago creep up my forearm. Now, they remind me of the little flower I was waiting to come into my life.
Jordan’s breath whispers across my skin as he whispers urgently into my ear, “Keep it together, man. Layla knows exactly what a blood debt means thanks to her sister. I caught her as she was coming into the club earlier. Seán needs a diversion and to show that he still maintains the old ways. Unfortunately, this will probably be the last thing that he ever does. No matter what happens, tell my nieces I love them.”
The moment passes before I can ask any questions, and everyone around me gets comfortable as the curtains open.Layla looks terrified for half a second before she takes a breath and forces herself to look indifferent to everything around her.
Something must have happened just now for her to be unable to force a smile to her lips.
Draven, Atlas, and Mav look angry as they pick up their instruments. Layla picks up hers as she looks out into the crowd, and I can see the moment she becomes more than herself. This is the Layla she gives to the world, while I get an entirely different person.
“Congratulations, Líadan, on your debut. There’s nothing I love more than a little girl power, wouldn’t you say?” Layla winks in the direction where she would be, and I know the lights from the stage would make it difficult for her to see past a few rows of people.
With the caliber of garbage humans in the room, it’s probably for the best.
“This next song is called,Just a Pretty Face, and it’s one of my favorite songs,” Layla says. It’s one of the songs she also sang at O’Malley’s during what feels like a lifetime ago, even though I know it wasn’t.
Jordan’s lips twitch in amusement as Layla starts to sing, and I know that no matter what happens tonight, her uncle has never stopped rooting for her.
Twenty-Eight
LAYLA
Seán lied. It’s not really a surprise, but Bruin was waiting for me when I walked backstage. Smiling cruelly, he yanked me away from Atlas and Mav, despite their snarls to leave me alone. While sweet, there’s not much I can do right now.
I have a job to do as a performer, so everything else is on hold until I do it. It’s part of the plan, and one I have to do no matter what. So I let this brute dig his fingers into my arms, lifting me until we’re face to face. Bruin is so damn tall, it’s ridiculous.
“How does it feel to know you’ll be someone's cum whore very soon?” Bruin sneers. “Your pretty voice is going to make us a pretty penny as we sell you off tonight. Thank you for making it so damn easy.”
“I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself, Bruin baby,” I tease him. My heart is beating hard, and the bravado I’m showing the world is definitely not what I’m feeling. My hands are trembling, something I need to control so I can play myguitar tonight. “If I don’t play, no one will bid. I know math may not be your strong suit, but one plus one definitely equals two.”
Growling like an animal, he snaps his teeth in my face. Inhaling quickly, I choke back a scream. I refuse to flinch in front of this man.
“Get your girl in check,” he yells at the guys before he fucking throws me at them. Closing my eyes as I prepare to fall, strong arms catch me, holding me as if I don’t weigh a thing.
“He’s gone, open your eyes, pretty girl,” Mav murmurs in my ear. “You’re entirely too brave for your own good. I think I’m getting gray hair.”
Gasping in a breath as my chest heaves, I look up at his warm, amber-colored eyes, wrapped safely in his arms.
“I’ll always catch you,” he winks as he carefully puts me down. “I’m sure you have a plan, maybe clue us in so we stop panicking, okay?”
Swallowing, I look around, finding that we’ve been abandoned in the wings for a moment. I’m sure everyone thought Bruin would stick around longer than he did. Sometimes it pays to be a pain in the ass.
“Seán is going to find that he fucked with the wrong girl tonight,” I tell him with a smile as I adjust the layers of my dress. “I love these shoes, but I’m probably going to have to leave them behind when we make a run for it later.”
I’m wistful as I glance down at them. I’m trying to keep my mind on the present, so while this is a really dumb thing to be focused on, it helps beat back the terror of walking out onto that stage.
This isn’t stage fright by any means, but it comes from the knowledge that people will be bidding to own me. Bruin is an idiot if he thinks I didn’t hear Seán’s announcement, my ears work just fine.
I’m not surprised the guys are begging for details on our slightly unhinged plan.
“Layla, I’ll buy you a million fucking pairs of shoes,” Atlas promises, worry pinching his features.
Draven rolls his eyes as he glances at him. “Pretend the assholes are all naked, Chickie. We’ve got this,” he promises. I think my nerves are starting to show.
Nodding, I turn, pushing past the curtain to a brightly lit stage. I can feel Mav, Atlas, and Draven’s steps behind me as they make their way to their instruments. As I face the sea of darkness except for a few faces, I force myself to look in the direction where Tyler and my uncle are sitting.
Turning on my mic, I take a deep breath, channeling my inner badass. I just need to get through this one song at a time. Nothing else matters, because this is show biz.
The words leave my mouth of their own accord as I congratulate Líadan on her debut into society, though personally I would never want to be a mafia boss in this world. The little glimpse I saw proves this is not something I could handle day in and day out.
