“Dark.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line and she nodded.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling the guilt take hold.
“Don’t. This isn’t your fault. It’s all on that traitorous bitch.”
“Is she taking the deal?”
“Of course she is. Practically foamed at the mouth when legal called her.”
“At least the tour can resume now.”
“Yeah. But this thing between you and Levi… a little word of advice… you need to decide what you want. Levi won’t give up. Once he set his sights on something...”
A shiver ran down my spine. “I understand.”
“Good, because I need him on this.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
My stomach twisted. It was the last thing I wanted but Letty was right. This entire thing relied on Levi. The band needed him, the tour needed him, Razorsharp Records needed him. Without him, the shaky kingdom they’d built crumbled.
“They shouldn’t have left without him yesterday.”
“I know.” Letty grimaced. “But they’re not just a band, Phoebe, they’re friends. Family. And he broke their trust sleeping with...” She hesitated.
“It’s okay, I’m very aware of what happened between him and Riley.” I’d seen enough screenshots to last me a lifetime.
“This is life with the band. It’s messy and fraught and the lows can outweigh the highs... but man, those highs can make it all worth it.” Her expression softened. “This will pass, you’ll see.”
For them, maybe.
But for me and Levi, I wasn’t so sure.
Levi rode to the studio alone while I rode with Eva and the guys.
“How is he?” she asked me, keeping her voice low while Rafe and Damon chatted about the music for Drown.
“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him.”
“We shouldn’t have done that yesterday.” Her mouth downturned at the corners. “I told Rafe it was a bad idea, but you know what boys can be like.”
It amused me to hear her calling them boys. Because despite their age, Black Hearts weren’t boys. They were young men thrust into the spotlight too early. That kind of exposure aged you. Forced you to grow before your time. The parties and women, drugs and liquor… it was a deadly combination for a bunch of hormonal guys on the cusp of adulthood.
“They need to figure it out,” I whispered, but Hudson’s head whipped over in my direction.
“Figure out what, New Girl?” He rubbed his jaw, eyeing me intently.
“Hud,” Damon warned.
“Nah, man. If she’s got something to say about the way we handle band business, I’m all ears. So, spit it out, Pheebs, what exactly do you think we need to figure out?”
The air in the SUV cooled, making my blood run cold. Tension crackled around us, thick and charged.
“You need to forgive him,” I said. “Levi blames himself enough without the three of you making it worse.”
“We need to forgive him?” Hudson sneered. “Do you have any idea how many times we’ve had to—”
“Hudson, enough.” Rafe leveled him with a hard look. “No disrespect, Phoebe, but you’ve been here two seconds, we’ve been dealing with Levi for years.”
“Rafe.” Disbelief coated Eva’s voice. “She’s just trying to help.”
“Yeah, well if she wants to help, she should let Levi work off his tensions on her.” Hudson glowered at me and everything began to close in around me.
“I’ll pretend you didn’t just say that.” I sat taller, my body vibrating with embarrassment.
“Everyone just take a breath.” Damon made a sweeping motion with his hands. “Hudson, apologize to Phoebe.”
He glared harder until Damon elbowed him in the ribs. “Sorry,” he grumbled.
“Emotions are running high,” Damon added. “We’re all feeling the pressure. But she’s right, we shouldn’t shut Levi out. Not now. Not after what Riley did. An attack against one of us, is an attack against all of us. He needs to know we’ve got his back.”
“Until the next time he—”
“Hudson!” Damon let out an exasperated breath. “Whatever personal shit you’ve got going on you need to rein it in. We’re a band, a family, and right now, Levi thinks he’s on his own. That’s on all of us.”
“Fine,” Hudson grunted.
“Damon’s right.” Rafe looked out of the tinted windows, torment etched into the lines of his face.
I didn’t know the Hunter brothers’ full story, but I knew enough. He was the angel on Levi’s shoulder. His protector. I knew what a burden it was to carry someone addicted to the high. What a burden it was to always come second to that devastating little thing called addiction.
Rafe had Eva now though. He had someone to lean on when the burden got too heavy. I’d never had that. I’d loved Zephyr in solitude. I was his person, his crutch, and when things got rough, I was his punching bag. Never physically, but sometimes words cut just as deep.
The rest of the ride to the studios was silent, everyone lost to their own thoughts. Eva offered me the odd smile of reassurance, but it did little to settle my soul. I was the outsider here, the enemy. But what they didn’t realize was, keeping my relationship with Levi strictly professional was the only way for us to both survive the connection we shared. I couldn’t be Levi’s lifeline and he couldn’t be the stable secure guy I needed.
We were doomed long before Riley’s betrayal came to light.
Levi would get over it. Over me.
And I would file him away as another moment of weakness.
The second Levi entered the studio the mood changed. He was late, and the guys were pissed. But Damon insisted they cut him some slack.
“Hey, man,” he said, stepping up to Levi. “We wanted to apologize for yesterday. It was a bum move.”
“It’s all good.” Levi wore an easy expression, but it was too easy.
“Well, we just wanted you to know we’re sorry. We’re in this together.”
“Together, yeah.”
I watched him out the corner of my eye. He was a man on the edge, walking a fine line between control and chaos.
“You guys figure out the backing track yet?” he looked to Rafe and then Hudson.
“We’ve got a few ideas yeah.”
“Good, let’s get to it then.”
“Sounds good.” Some of the tension eased out of Damon’s shoulders. “Letty, we good to go?”
“It’s all yours.” She motioned to the booth. The band’s instruments were all in place, waiting for the guys.
Levi grabbed a bottle of water from be mini bar and chugged it down. His eyes flicked to me and went right past me.
Ouch.
His silent treatment hurt, but it was no less than I expected. Or deserved.
Something told me Levi Hunter was choosy about who he invited into his inner sanctum. I’d been granted access but now the doors had been slammed shut in my face.
It’s for the best. He’ll get over it. You’ll get over it.