“This one is called Look For Me and it’s about my best friend Molly. Love ya, Mols.” I was going off script but I couldn’t help it. It was like the audience’s energy fueled me and I wanted more.
I wanted it all.
And for the next thirty-five minutes, I got it. With every song, I flourished. I became more confident interacting with the audience, almost floored when they sung the chorus back to me of my cover of Sweet Child O’ Mine. By the time I bounced off stage, I was smiling so wide my cheeks hurt.
“Holy shit, Eva,” Letty rushed over to me, “that was freakin’ amazing.” She pulled me into a hug. “You did it, girl, you really did it.”
Laughter bubbled up inside me, spilling from my lips. She was right. I had done it, and it felt amazing. It felt more than I could have ever imagined.
It felt like I was supposed to be there, up on stage.
“Country, get over here.” Levi crooked his finger at me, and Letty chuckled.
“They’ve been chomping at the bit for you to come off stage.”
“Was I that bad?” I smirked, and Levi snorted.
“I fear we’ve created a monster.” He closed the distance between us with his easy swagger. “You did good, Angel. Real fucking good.”
“Yeah?” I grinned back at him.
“Yeah, just don’t let it go to your head, not too much anyway.”
“Great set, Eva,” Damon added. “But now you get to watch how the pros do it.” He winked.
“Get the hell out of here,” Letty said.
“Hey, where’s Rafe and Hudson?” I asked, noticing they weren’t here.
“Already doing their thing.” He pointed to the stage and I could see them helping the roadies get their instruments set up.
“Tell Hudson I said, ‘break a leg’.”
Damon roared with laughter and disappeared onto the stage. They had fifteen minutes until lights up. Fifteen minutes for me to catch my breath and watch their show. I needed to pee, get a drink, and catch my breath, in that order.
But first, I’d allow myself another minute to enjoy the high.
Because everyone knew after the high came the low.
Rafe
The crowd was electric. I’d had my doubts about Eva opening for us, but I didn’t need to worry. They had lapped up song after song. But it was when she sang her cover of Sweet Child O’ Mine that things changed. Eva had held the fans in the palm of her hand for eight songs, but that was the moment they fell for the girl with pain in her eyes and music in her soul.
I’d watched her from the wings. Watched as she came alive and found her rhythm. She was a natural with the crowd, talking to them as if they were old friends. It was no surprise Alistair looked like the cat who got the cream. This was all part of his master plan, and step one had gone off without a hitch. Well, minus the story about Eva in the local paper this morning. But that would all be long forgotten when her name was splashed over every music and entertainment column across the country tomorrow.
“Hey, Charlotte, are you ready to rock?” My brother elongated the last word, letting it roll off his tongue slowly. Seductively. The crowd went wild as Hudson dropped the opening beat of one of our most popular songs Blood Runs Thicker.
I glanced off to the side, where our team stood. Eva was watching us, her eyes big and full of wonder. I wanted to tell her how amazing she’d been, how fucking proud I was of her. But I knew they were words I would never say. Not if I wanted the tour to go smoothly, for all of us. So I played. I strummed my guitar hard and fast letting out all the frustration and tension I felt. I played until sweat rolled down my back and my heart pounded in my chest. Until my breathing was ragged and my fingers were sore.
Yet, it still wasn’t enough.
I felt like I was chasing a high I couldn’t quite grasp.
After six songs, Levi took a breather, grabbing a bottle of water and chugging it down before emptying the rest over his head. He shook it out, sending water droplets spraying everywhere. Damon laughed, Hudson too. Even I managed a smile. It was hard not to when we were on stage together, doing something we all loved. Something that bound us together.
Something that had saved us.
“I think it’s time to switch it up a little,” Levi said over the mic. “You all met our good friend Evangeline earlier.” The crowd exploded. “Well, how would you like to get her out here to perform with us?”
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
We hadn’t discussed this.
We hadn’t even contemplated having Eva join us on stage. It was one thing for Levi to get her on stage in some small downtown club, but to bring her on stage now... I searched for Alistair in the wings, half-expecting him to look shocked or pissed. But he didn’t. He looked smug. There was no way he was in on this, was he?
I didn’t know what the hell to think anymore.
Alistair looked like a man who was watching his greatest plan unfold while Eva looked ready to puke at any second.
“It would seem Eva’s gone all shy on us.” Levi smirked at her across the stage. “She might need a little persuasion. Can you help me out? Eva, Eva, Eva...” Levi’s voice filled the air but soon it wasn’t only my brother chanting, it was the whole arena.
“Get out here, Country,” Levi chuckled. “We’ve got a show to get on with.”
Eva stumbled on stage looking like a deer caught in the headlights, guitar cradled in her arms.
“Don’t look so worried, Angel. I don’t bite.” Levi crooked his finger at her. I wanted to grab her arm and shield her from his madness, to protect her from his games and showboating. Or at least pull her to one side and ask her if she was okay with this. But Alistair was right. She’d signed on for this. She knew what my brother was capable of, and now she had to bear the consequences.
A stagehand ran on with a stool for Eva. Levi said something to her off mic and she nodded.
“Let me tell you something about this girl. The first time I met her, she had the balls to challenge me to a sing-off. Me. Levi fucking Hunter. Can you believe that?” The audience heckled but Levi continued, “So we sang. We sang and it was fucking magic. Some people say country and rock don’t belong in the same sentence together. But to the skeptics I say, this is how it’s done; and to the haters I say, go fuck yourselves. Because you’re about to see magic happen. What d’ya say, Angel, ready to make magic with me?”
There was something about his words, the way he couldn’t take his eyes off her that had my blood boiling. Eva was here to fix our reputation. She wasn’t here to be Levi’s personal plaything. But he was standing there, looking at her like she was his new favorite shiny toy.
And Eva?
Well, she was either a great actress, or she was falling for the Levi Hunter charm, hook, line, and sinker.
I watched on, not quite able to believe what was happening, as Levi indicated for someone to bring him a stool too, and the two of them sat there and sang another stripped back version of one of his favorite classics.
By the time they were done, Eva looked radiant and Alistair wasn’t the only one who looked like the cat who’d got the cream.
Forty minutes later, the lights dimmed, and we finally jogged off stage. “Well done, everyone.” Alistair was there to greet us. “That was fantastic.”