Page 98 of The Bitter Words

“I’ll act shocked.”

“She’s not coming in tonight.” He pulls his shirt over his head and through his arms. “She thought it would be better to show up in the morning.”

“Why?”

“She doesn’t want people realizing you’re racing away because she’s in town. We’re gonna party after the concert as planned so people see you celebrating, and I’ll leave a key for her at the front desk. Everyone will be sleeping and she’ll get to the room early.”

“Good. Keep it that way. Nobody will see her if she comes then, and I don’t wanna ruin her surprise.”

“Done, but now that you know, I’m gonna stay out of the way. You two can have the entire suite. I’ll get another room on my own.”

“You don’t have to, but do what you want.”

He tucks in his shirt and sweeps the place with his gaze. “Our rooms are far enough away that I wouldn’t hear you two. Yeah, let me think about it.”

“If it helps, I plan on staying in bed locked away with her all day.” I pick up a menu on the table where I’m sitting. “If she gets hungry and wants room service, I’ll make sure your door is closed. You won’t even hear us.”

“Deal. We’ll throw a party tonight. I’ll hook up with some chick after everyone leaves and you can wait for Livianna to get here in the morning.”

My heart rate picks up and I smile for the first time since I saw her last. “Sounds like the perfect birthday present.”

Hawke’s in the middle of a drum solo and every time he kicks the bass drum, the lights flash on and the crowd is visible to me from the stage. I clap my hands overhead to get the audience involved.

As they engage, I run the length of the stage and back, pumping them up. “Come on, let me see ya out there!”

Once they’re all involved, I step to the side to get a drink of water. As I’m placing the bottle down, the room brightens.

I spot Zara and Sebastian near the back, staring straight at me as if they know something I don’t.

Why the fuck is he here? Wait. Livianna’s coming to see me.

This is too much of a coincidence. Does Leon know? My stomach tightens and my throat compresses.

Fucking hell. What if he does? What if he has Sebastian here to…

Oh, hell no!

Bren and Cooper join Hawke, signaling I should be getting ready to sing, but a searing wave of unease snakes up my spine, burning me to my core.

I miss my cue.

I’ve never done that. The guys glance at each other and continue playing.

I jump in with the next verse, picking up as if I meant to do it. I turn my back to the crowd to try to shake away this gut reaction that something terrible is in the works.

Bren’s eyes narrow in on me. He mouths, “You okay?”

I shift toward the crowd, pound my fist on my heart, and focus on finishing the song.

It’s jarring, my life and all at stake.

My love, those lies…

Oh, I’m sorry I always make mistakes.

When it feels dark and hard to go on, you paint my skies so bright.

In my moments of hell, you’re my heartbeat, you are my light.