Page 106 of Fame & Rhythm

“I know!” she gushes. “Wasn’t he… spectacular?”

Aston and I both laugh, assuming she’s joking.

She looks between us, frowning.

Fuck! She’s not joking.

“Oh, wait… you’re serious?” I ask, and she frowns, folding her arms over her chest.

“What, a guy can’t like me?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean… maybe Danger isn’t exactly someone you should be getting close to. He doesn’t seem… inexperienced.”

“Oh my God, Annie, I wasn’t thinking like that. I don’t even know him,” she says, though the look on her face tells a different story.

I smile and place a hand on her shoulder. “Just be careful around him, okay? I saw the way you were looking at him. Stay on your guard because a guy like Danger doesn’t get a nickname like that for no reason.”

“I bet he’s actually soft underneath all that. You just don’t give people chances like I do, Annie.”

“Ella, you’re like my little sister, and trust me… he’s after one thing, and one thing only,” Aston says.

Ella shrugs. “What does he want?”

Aston hesitates for half a second before answering, “To get close to you… faster than he should. Just don’t fall into anything you’re not ready for, okay?”

She nods, and this time it looks like something actually lands. “Okay, well, I better go get ready,” she says.

“You mean eat?” I tease.

She scrunches her face and flares her nostrils. “Shut up. My nerves are shot right now. At least you’ve got someone to distract yours,” she snaps, then storms off toward the food platters.

I glance at Aston and grimace. “Oops, I think I pissed her off.”

“Don’t worry about it. She’ll be fine,” he says. “But we do need to keep an eye on this Danger guy. Something about him feels off.”

I nod. “Yeah… who even is he?”

“No idea.”

“Annie, Aston, come over here,” Caleb calls. He still seems a little off, which surprises me considering we’re about to perform at Wembley for the first time.

We head over and go through the usual pre-show rundown. Recoil opens, then us. We need to bring the energy and set the stage for 12GAUGE-Slayed.

Instagram is already trending with people heading to the show. Half the crowd is here for Dad’s band… but the other half? They’re coming for us. That thought alone sends a thrill through me.

Rob’s been talking about a Staked tour once this one wraps, and everyone’s buzzing about it. We just need to record the second album, and then… we won’t be the support act anymore.

We’ll be the main event.

And I cannot wait.

Somewhere in the middle of Caleb talking, my mind drifts. I don’t know why, but suddenly I’m thinking about my birth parents.

Would they be proud of me?

This isn’t our first show, not even close, but this is different. A world tour, Wembley… this matters.

Do they even know about me?