My stomach churns, and I scoot my chair closer to him, putting my hand on his leg.
Lifting my mouth up to his ear, I whisper, “I can’t wait for after the show tonight.”
He shoots me a look with half-hooded eyes, but he understands when I draw my hand up his leg and graze his hardening length.
“We always have a good time, Vanderbilt,” he says, cradling my neck and kissing me. “But tonight’s definitely special.”
“I feel like I’ve known you for a really long time,” I add. Emotion pours out of me. I don’t know if it’s the magic of the night, the way Zach’s face lights up, or something else. “And I hope we get to know each other even better.”
“Me too,” Zach says, and then he presses his hot mouth to mine.
I can hear the other act ending, the crowd applauding as the musician fades out. “Oh, I must be up. Should be right now.”
“Crush it,” Zach says, rubbing my shoulder. “Just like The Hungry Burger.”
I smile, gripping my guitar. The host comes out and says a few words on the mic.
My foot bounces as I wait for him to call my name.
“That was Dorothy Dixon playing some bluegrass blues,” the host says.
“And now, we’ve got our next musician, who I’m sure you all have heard of.”
I gulp. That’s not an introduction I’ve gotten before.
The host continues. “In fact, he wasn’t planning on being here tonight, but he swung by and told me he’d just written a new song and wanted to play for y’all, so we decided to squeeze him in before our next act! Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my pleasure to introduce Roddy Stillmaker!”
My eyes widen, my blood runs cold, and my heart damn near skips a beat.
I grip Zach’s forearm, hard.
Roddy approaches the mic with a giant grin on his face. “Hi, everyone. I’m Roddy Stillmaker. And this is a new song I just wrote. It’s called, ‘Shoulda Found You a Long Time Ago.’”
My heart palpitates like a bass drum.
No.
No.
This isn’t possible.
My breathing accelerates, and I start to sweat even though the A/C is cranked all the way up.
“This isn’t happening,” I mutter into Zach’s shoulder as Roddy kicks off the song with almost the exact same intro I used.
He gets into the song, and it’s mine.
My song.
How fucking dare he?
He stole another one?
My blood boils, but my limbs go slack, making me weak. Time feels like it slows down. I turn to Zach. “I have to go to the bathroom,” I say. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Chapter 23
Zach
My pulse races as I watch this Roddy motherfucker perform Harmony’s original song, ‘Shoulda Found You a Long Time Ago.’
He must have recorded her playing it and learned it in the time between when we saw him, and right now.
It’s hard to explain the feeling running through me. I know Harmony said he was an asshole, but part of me wondered if she hadn’t painted an extra-evil picture of the guy just because he’s her ex.
But seeing her reaction clinches it, and anger rises inside me.
He’s been promoted from asshole to scum of the Earth with this move he’s pulling.
Stealing a glance behind me at the stage, at Roddy’s smug expression, I put a hand on Harmony’s back, comforting her. She’s doubled over at the table.
“You’re so pale. Can I take you to the bathroom?”
“I feel . . . weak,” she says. “Let me stay here a minute.”
I grind my teeth, feeling my adrenaline skyrocket.
“That motherfucker,” I growl, and with every breath, I feel my rage rising. “You know what? Fuck this. I’m going to take things into my own hands.”
Spinning around, I squint at the man up on stage.
I’m not sure he’s what I would call a man, though, with his pathetic attempt at a smirk.
We’ll see what he looks like when he’s in actual danger from someone who can make him pay.
Physically.
“Zach, where are you going?” Harmony manages, her tone shaky as I take my first step toward the stage.
I turn back to her. “I’m going to mess up that face of his. Blackwell style.”
She holds out her arm. “No, Zach—please. Don’t do that.”
I clench my fists, torn between the two of them. Harmony’s magnetism pulls me back toward her.
But I can’t help the urge, the voice in my head encouraging me to dish out some old-fashioned justice to a pansy-ass celebrity who has built a career off cheating and lying.
“Sorry, Harm,” I say. “I need to do this for you.”
Turning away from her, I walk briskly toward the stage. Roddy’s eyes widen, and I see him shaking with fear as he realizes what’s about to go down.
“Zach, please, don’t do anything to him!” I hear Harm’s voice behind me, but this isn’t her choice.
The bottom line is that no one walks all over my friends.
When I’m ten feet from the stage, the entire crowd’s eyes are on me while Roddy cowers, backing away.
But then I feel Harm’s light touch on my forearm.
Glancing to my right, I take in her expression. Her eyes are glossed over, and there’s a pleading look in her eyes.
“Zach, don’t,” she whispers. “Please.”
Clenching my jaw, I point at Roddy and let him cower for a few more moments.
“Buddy,” I bellow. “The fuck is your problem?”
His laugh is a witch’s cackle, and it figures that he only feels emboldened to speak with Harmony pushing me—literally pushing me—away from him.
“What are you going to do, call a lawyer? Because I’m sure a guy like you has an amazing lawyer,” the scum says sarcastically. “You fucking scumbag.”
I jump toward him with fists raised, and he flinches.
“That’s what I thought,” I grin. “That’s all I needed, just wanted to confirm how big of a coward you are. Have a good night, Randall.”
“Are you serious!? It’s Roddy!”
Turning around, I take Harmony’s hand. We walk back to our table for her guitar and leave before things get ugly.
“Thanks,” she says, rubbing my chest. “Thanks for that.”
“Are you feeling better?” I ask Harm once we’re back at the apartment.
She nods, sitting on the sofa and sipping her beer.
“When you ran up there—I had this flash of adrenaline. It was, like, chemical. But still, fuck him. Fuck Roddy.”
I wrap my arm around her. “Thank you for not letting me beat the shit out of him. Sorry about that.”
She sighs. “That was a little scary, seeing you like that. I’m not going to lie.”
Taking a swig of my beer, I lock my gaze with hers.
“Fighting is the last thing I want to do, as an ex-con, that would be very bad for me. But that motherfucker stole your song—again. You can’t just let that go. We can’t just let that go!”
She sighs deeply.