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I glance at Cassie, my heart racing. She purses her lips and crosses one leg over the other. Her foot swings in the air, keeping time with whatever is going through her head right now. When her gaze cuts toward Ben, it only adds more fuel to the fire.
“Tony told us it was time to get rid of our weakest link. We all agreed to do that. Now, she’s sitting here and you’re tellingme that we need her. We don’t need her. We never needed her. Think of how much better off we would have been if we started performing without her sooner.”
“Fuck you, Tyler,” Cassie says, venom in her voice.
She doesn’t say anything else. Hell, she doesn’t even look at me. A muscle in her jaw twitches as she stares straight ahead. I want her to look at me and start screaming. I want her to unleash the years of anger I know are still pent up inside of her.
If I was her, I would be screaming and shouting. I would be marching around the room and telling everyone what I thought of them. Not Cassie, though. No. Cassie is far too calm and forgiving. She’s going to sit there and pretend. She’s going to ignore the way we fucked her over years ago.
But based on the tone in her voice, she isn’t going to forget the way that I fucked her over.
Does that mean she still feels something for me?
I shake the thought from my head as quickly as it comes. I got over her eight years ago. I moved on from the stupid attraction I had to her and I’ll be damned if it tries to come back. Cassie is with Gilded Cage for one show and then she is moving on with her life.
“Well,” Ben says, looking between me and Cassie. “Tyler, if you could pretend to be a civilized human while we rehearse, that would be great.”
Cassie snorts and gets up from her seat. Her back is stiff as she walks back into the studio and grabs the yellow guitar. She perches on one of the stools and starts strumming.
Matt glares at me. “You need to get along with her whether you like it or not. Cassie performing with us is going to be the boost we need to get our sales back up.”
“I already told you that the publicity I bring the band is good enough. We don’t need Cassie back here. Did the two of you ever consider what could happen if Tony decides to replace me with her?”
Ben presses his lips together while Matt storms into the studio. He grins as he takes a seat behind the drums and starts playing a beat for Cassie. She nods along before her fingers start to move up and down the frets.
“We thought about that,” Ben says, his voice soft as he looks at me. “And with the way you’re going, you could be dead by the end of the year.”
As he joins the others in the studio, I try not to let his words rattle me. Just because I like to party, they think I’m going to wind up dead.
Sure, I like to enjoy myself, but I don’t push thingsthatfar.
Sighing, I look up at the ceiling and take a deep breath. It’s going to be a long couple weeks, but I can get through this. I have to get through it for the sake of the band.
I just have to survive until after the hometown show and then she is going to be back out of my life. After tonight, I’m going to go home and drink away the memory of this rehearsal and hopefully every other until I’m done with Cassie.
The tattoo aching on my chest is a reminder that there isn’t enough alcohol in the world to do that.
CHAPTER 7
CASSIE
As I strum the yellow guitar, I try not to look at Tyler. In the eight years since I last saw him, he’s only grown more attractive. Tattoos cover both his arms, and he has a neatly groomed beard. Those dark eyes watch the room like he’s just waiting for a chance to escape.
That’s always been Tyler though. Ready to escape at a moment’s notice.
At least some things never change.
This is going to be one the hardest things I’ve ever done. I know that. I knew it when I told Tony I would take the job. When he agreed to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, I knew the job was going to be worse than expected.
Sitting in the same studio as Tyler, I know why.
He glares at everyone around him, making the walls feel like they’re closing in. When Matt tries to say something, Tyler just scowls. The line between his eyebrows deepens with each look at Ben. I don’t know what’s happened between the three of themin the years that I’ve been gone, but it’s clear that things aren’t good.
“This is pointless,” Tyler says as he gestures at me. The sleeves of his gray T-shirt rise higher, showing off more of the ink that climbs up his biceps. “She doesn’t even remember any of the old songs.”
“I wrote the old songs.” I give him a flat look. My chest aches slightly as he looks away from me.
Though I don’t need us to be friends — I don’t want us to be friends — this would be easier if we could be friendly with each other. Clearly, Tyler doesn’t think the same way. He’s been going at me since he walked in the door and saw me here.
