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I laughed as we pushed through the crowd. Security near the barricade spotted me approaching and immediately lifted the divider. ArKane tapped her assistant in and met us, hopping down from the platform. Her black combat boots thundered against the concrete floor, and the intimidating stage persona cracked. I barely got my arms up before she scooped me clean off the ground into a crushing hug.
“Girl, put me down,” I laughed, hugging her back with just as much ferocity.
“You’re still so little.”
“Not everyone can be 6’1”,” I huffed.
She finally set me back on my feet while Monica stood frozen nearby, looking like her operating system had failed. She pointed weakly. “How do y’all know each other?”
“Vera didn’t tell you?” she asked, throwing me an accusatory glance. Monica shook her head. “What’s the matter, Verydian? Shamed of me?”
“Can we go somewhere quieter?” I shouted.
She hooked an arm around my shoulders and guided us away from the stage. We found ourselves outside, met by a blessed wind and light drizzle. The music had dulled into a throbbing pulse behind the walls, and I felt like I could finally breathe.
The second the door shut behind us, she reached up and removed the mask.
Monica gasped. I rolled my eyes. That was the reaction Kandace always received. She was gorgeous with sharp cheekbones, hazel eyes, a pouty mouth, and dark curls that fell past her shoulders. She always confused people—especially men. She was pretty but looked like she was capable of fighting a bear. Deep down, she loved anything Kawaii-inspired and had an emotional support blanket from childhood that she always traveled with.
Kandace grinned lazily at Monica’s stunned expression. “I’m Kandace… Vera’s cousin.”
“Cousin? Like cousin cousin or play cousin?” Monica asked, hands on her hips.
“Cousin cousin,” I confirmed.
“Damn, girl. There are too damn many of y’all. Every time you turn around, another cousin pops up.”
“That’s how we get down,” Kandace laughed, pulling Monica into a hug.
“Oof, girl. You can’t manhandle me like that,” Monica complained when Kandace released her. “I might forget you’re a woman and climb you like a tree. You’re built like a damn WWE Diva.”
Kandace spread her arms, basking in the praise like the little attention whore she was. “You won’t see me stopping you.”
“Stop flirting with my friend.”
Kandace pointed at Monica. “She started it, talking about climbing me like a tree and shit and showering me with compliments.”
I rolled my eyes. “Aren’t you dating someone?”
She snorted and leaned against the rain-slicked brick wall behind her. “That’s hilarious, V. You know I don’t date.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe the right person came along and changed your mind.”
She shook her head, curls bobbing left and right. “Musicians and dating don’t mix. You know that.”
I nodded. “How have you been?”
Kandace smirked. “You’d know how I’ve been if you’d call or answer a FaceTime request every once in a while. What’s up, Vera? Everyone said you’ve been radio silent.”
“I haven’t been radio silent,” I said defensively. “I’ve been busy with school and stuff.”
Kandace’s lips curled into a Grinch smile. “And stuff is code for a man.”
I narrowed my eyes when Monica snorted loud enough to betray me. She folded her arms over her chest and raised a challenging brow as if daring me to deny it.
“Interesting,” Kandace remarked, drawing out the word. “Tell me about him.”
I opened my mouth and immediately closed it. Because how exactly did you casually describe Hart Myers? Six-foot-five professional hockey player sugar daddy who could lay it down like his life depended on it, and owned me in every way that mattered?
