Anger shot up my spine as I snapped my gaze to Riley. “Did you know about this?” She shook her head, her expression as surprised as mine. “Ali?” I asked.
“If he did... he didn’t breathe a word of it to me.” An indignant sigh left her lips.
I searched the darkened room for Letty, hoping she would be there to intervene. I might have been nothing but a cold-hearted dick to Eva since she arrived, but I knew her better than anyone on this tour and I knew she wouldn’t want to be ambushed like this, not where performing was concerned.
“I’m going to find—” The words dried on my tongue as the spotlight found Eva and she walked gracefully on stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” my brother drawled, “our special guest and the new sweetheart of country, Miss Evangeline Walker.” He held out his hand and she took it without missing a beat. It was so damn perfect it almost looked rehearsed, but I saw the tightness around her eyes, the thin press of her lips as she smiled.
Eva might have been fooling every single person in the room, but she wasn’t fooling me.
Levi covered his mic and leaned in to whisper something to her. Her eyes widened as she shook her head, but then he spoke again and her expression softened giving way to a small nod. “She said yes, thank fuck,” Levi said to the rest of us, “or that could have been all kinds of awkward.”
Someone ran on stage and handed Eva an acoustic guitar. She slipped the strap over her shoulder and familiarized herself with the instrument while Levi had someone bring him a stool. My brother never sat down to sing. He liked to perform. To strut up and down the stage or prowl or even crawl. But here, in a small club in Charlotte, Levi Hunter sat and performed a cover version of Running Up That Hill, while Eva gave an almost note-perfect performance of her own. She even provided flawless backing vocals.
“They look good together up there,” Riley said as they went into the last verse of the song. It was an innocent enough comment, but her words stung all the same.
Because she was right—they did look good together.
But that was the point, wasn’t it?
To let Eva’s light smother Levi’s darkness. To soften his jagged edges and make him more relatable to our younger fans.
Eva was here to fix what Levi had broken. But as I watched them weave together a note-perfect rendition of one of Levi’s most favorite songs ever, I couldn’t help but think she might end up fixing more than just his reputation.
Eva
Levi prowled toward me, slinging his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side. “How does it feel, Angel? That’s all for you.” He tipped his head to the crowd. There wasn’t a single person in the club not clapping or cheering or whistling.
“I...” Words failed me. I’d been unimpressed when Levi ambushed me like that, but Letty had told me to embrace it for what it was: a chance to warm up before the opening show tomorrow. As she’d also pointed out, everyone would know who the Black Hearts special guest was come tomorrow night anyway. So I could either go along with the plan or I could surprise everyone and reveal myself on my terms.
So I’d done it.
I’d actually done it and the crowd had loved it. Not that it would have mattered much if they hadn’t. Performing with Levi was like walking a tightrope. Dangerous and unpredictable, but a total rush.
I still felt like I was flying.
“Speechless looks good on you,” he said around a wicked smirk. “What do we think ladies and gents?” Levi crooned into the mic. “Do we think she passes the Levi Hunter test?”
Test.
It was another damn test.
I rolled my eyes at him, too caught up in the moment to care, and he rewarded me with a dark chuckle. “Fuck yeah, she does.” Levi’s eyes locked on mine, the weight of his stare sending a confusing shiver up my spine.
“We’ll need to keep an eye on you.” Hudson jumped up onto the stage and handed Levi a bottle of water before passing one to me. “Or else you’ll being stealing our front man right out from under us.”
“Like I’d ever leave you bunch of misfits.” Levi collared his friend in a headlock, ruffling his hair.
“That was freakin’ awesome.” Letty was waiting for me as I walked off stage. “Seriously, Eva, I’ve seen a lot of live music, but the way the two of you complimented each other... wow. It isn’t any wonder Alistair wanted you on the tour.”
Heat bloomed along my neck and into my cheeks. “I can’t believe I just did that.”
“Believe it, girl.” She looped her arm through mine, guiding me toward the bar. Strangers called my name, congratulating me as we passed them, and a couple of important looking men tried to shove cards into my hands. I smiled politely, letting Letty do her thing and get us to the bar in one piece. Travis and Grayson hovered close by, moving in the shadows, their eyes permanently trained on me. I hadn’t been certain when Alistair first introduced me to them, but now there was an odd kind of reassurance knowing they were there.
“What’ll it be?” Letty asked me as she waved to the bartender.
“Just a soda please.”
“No way. You just performed with Levi freakin’ Hunter and you killed it. This deserves a drink. I’m talking straight up liquor.”
“I’m not twenty-one.”
“The same rules don’t apply here as they do out there in the real world.”
“You’re saying this isn’t real?” I half-teased, because it sure as hell didn’t feel real. It felt like a dream. One I would surely wake up from any second.
“What’ll it be, ladies?” The bartender asked.
“Two Cherry Pies, please. Extra cherries.”
His eyes lingered on Letty’s ample cleavage. When he disappeared to make our drinks, I leaned in close and said, “I think you have an admirer.”
“I think he admires my boobs.” She chuckled. “Having fun yet?”
“I am feelin’ so many things right now I don’t even know where to start.”
“Feeling is good. Soak it up, Eva. That’s all we can do. Live each moment and make memories.” Letty gave me an easy smile before hopping up onto a stool and looking out over the crowd.
I liked Letty. I liked her a lot. It was a relief to have her in my corner. But even though having her by my side made me feel at ease, she wasn’t Molly.
My chest tightened and I knew I needed a minute to catch my breath. “Hey,” I said, “do you know where the restroom is?”
“Sure,” Letty replied, pointing toward a neon sign hanging over a dark archway. “You want me to come with you?”
It would have been easy to say yes, to let her hold my hand and babysit me. But she was right, I had to embrace my newfound life. “No, I’m good. Wait for me here though?”
“You got it.”
The second I got up and started moving, I felt Travis follow. Stopping, I turned around and said, “I’m only goin’ to the bathroom.” His brows furrowed and I clarified, “You can’t follow me in there.”
How was I supposed to catch my breath with him always two steps behind me?
“Didn’t plan on it.” The faintest of smiles broke his serious expression. “I’ll wait right outside.”