“I didn’t stop to ask. As soon as I saw her, I ducked down the hall and came in here.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” I said hopefully. “Maybe it’s a coincidence she’s here.”
“Maybe my dick will drop off if I don’t stop wanking on it the way my mom told me,” Mark snorted. “If she’s here, it’s to cause trouble.”
“Only if we let her. Stay away from her. Don’t engage.” I looked at Andy. “Go tell Billy we want a security guy close tonight.”
He nodded and left the room. I gripped the back of my head. Of all the nights for Vicky to show up, why was it tonight? I didn’t want her anywhere near Liv. Vicky was poison, and she spread it as far as she could.
Andy returned and picked up his drumsticks. “We’re on in five. Billy said no problem. I looked around but couldn’t see her, so maybe she was here for a drink and left.”
I stood, grabbing my guitar. “If she’s here, ignore her. Don’t give her a reason to start anything.”
Mark bent down and picked up his bass. “You were the one she was focused on last. Maybe she has unfinished business?”
“There was no business. She was loony. She invented shit in her head, and it became real to her.” I slid my guitar strap over my shoulder, feeling the tension building. “Saying hello was the equivalent of an affair to her. She did it to all of us.”
I met the gaze of our lead singer, Alex. “She especially screwed you over.”
She’d almost cost him his marriage with her lies.
He looked grim remembering everything that had occurred.
“If she approaches any of us, we stick together. Don’t be alone with her. Don’t give her the chance.”
Alex flexed his shoulders. “Right. We stick together, lads,” he stated, his British accent thick.
I held out my hand, and we did our usual group fist bump.
“Together.”
Liv was at the same table, so it was easy to spot her. She had her hair swept up from her face and was dressed in leggings with some sort of glittery top. She looked casual and pretty—and entirely kissable. On the way to the stage, I stopped at the table and leaned down, indicating the burly security guard beside me.
“This is Brent. Stick close tonight, okay?”
“Is everything all right?”
“I’ll explain later, but promise me.”
“Okay.”
Resisting the urge to kiss her, I squeezed her shoulder and climbed onstage. My gaze swept the crowd, recognizing a lot of the patrons, but there was no sign of Vicky.
Maybe Mark had been mistaken.
Maybe Andy was right—she was here but left.
Alex met my eyes with a nod. I know he’d been looking as well.
“Ready?” he mouthed.
I tilted my head and he counted us down. I let the music take over and forgot about Vicky.
The crowd was enthusiastic and engaging tonight. We changed it up from the previous evening, adding a few different numbers. I stayed in the background until the end of the first set, then stepped forward and performed two songs. My gaze locked with Liv’s as I played “Smile for Me.” Her eyes glowed in the dim light, her smile bright and easy to see. It was there, just as I asked, for me, and I basked in its warmth.
After the applause, we took a break, and I sat beside Liv. Tonight, she was open and affectionate. I kissed her cheek, and we sat close, our fingers entwined. I tried not to laugh when a steaming mug appeared in front of me instead of my usual water.
“Your woman asked me to bring this,” Sherry informed me with a wink. “She had me make it special for you.”
I picked up the mug, letting the soothing herbal tea and honey coat my throat. I turned to press a kiss to Liv’s head in thanks when I saw her.
Tall, blond, and dangerous. Vicky leaned against the bar, her usual shot glass of tequila by her elbow. She stared at me balefully, her expression bitter and twisted.
My body froze. Her gaze moved from me to Liv, and a sneer crossed her face. She picked up her tequila, tossed it back, threw some money on the bar, and stomped away. She pushed her way through the crowd and disappeared out of the door.
“Van?” Liv asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You worried me earlier.”
I dropped a kiss to her head, relaxing now that Vicky had stormed out. “Sorry. Problem with an overzealous fan.”
“Does it happen a lot?”
“No. But we wanted to take precautions.”
“Okay. You still seem tense.”
I lowered my head. “Maybe you can find a way to make me less tense later, Liv?”
She touched her lips to mine. Too lightly and too briefly.
“Maybe.”
I grinned.
We finished our set to loud applause. All of us had seen Vicky storm out, so we were relaxed and jovial for the remainder of the night. We headed to the dressing room, grabbed our stuff and talked about the next gig we had in a few weeks. If we wanted, we could play weekly, probably nightly, around town and in various other cities, but we all agreed it wasn’t what we preferred. We had a list of places we liked, and we rotated. Our fans followed us and we enjoyed the sets, but it was a hobby, not our lives. The guys all knew my history and the fact that if they wanted more, I had no issues stepping back. But surprisingly, we were all like-minded when it came to our group. We had a couple of self-produced CDs which sold well, but we refused to take it to the next level. I had experienced it already, and none of my band members wanted that level of crazy. We all only wanted to make music.
“Come join me for a drink and meet Liv,” I suggested.
“Finally got the balls to ask her out there, mate?” Alex chuckled.
“What are you on about?”
They all laughed.
“You have no idea how often you talked about her, do you?” Mark asked. “Liv this, Liv that, she is brilliant…blah, blah, blah.”
“I didn’t.”
“Bloody right, you did,” Alex crowed. “And it was obvious she liked you. I’d see her in the back of the bar, nursing a drink, watching us. Watching you with this-this look on her face. It was amusing since you never saw her.”
I shook my head. How had I not noticed her?
Andy clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t feel bad. She kept herself hidden. I have a better vantage point from the kit, and I let the others know. We enjoyed watching your fan ogle you. You’re always so lost in the music, you never notice anything.”
Mark grinned widely. “He’s right. Your ass could be on fire, and we’d have to put it out when you’re playing.”
Still fooling around, we headed toward the front. The amusement died in my throat when I saw who was at the table with Liv.
Vicky.
She was talking, gesturing wildly, her eyes narrowed as she leaned close to Liv, no doubt spewing her venom.
I could only imagine what horrid lies Vicky was telling her.
“Fuck,” I swore.
“Goddamn bitch is at it again,” Alex muttered.
We all hurried forward.
Liv looked up as we hit the table, the four of us converging on it as one. Her expression was neutral, her voice calm as she spoke.