Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
CALLUM/CASH
Now
Strobe Lights & Spooks In The Night
Threats you can recognize are easy. It’s the ones that hide behind a smokescreen that you should worry about.
“You’re pacing like a caged animal, man.” Cooper glances up from his bass where he’s been working out riffs in my living room. “What’s eating you?”
I stop mid-stride and realize I’ve been wearing a path in my hardwood floors for the past twenty minutes. “Something happened today at Livianna’s office building.”
“Good or bad?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem.” I drop into the chair across from him, running my hands through my hair. “We ran into Jaxon Crowne.”
Cooper’s fingers still on the strings. “Why was he there?”
“His office is across the hall from Livianna’s.”
“So what’s the problem?”
I lean forward, elbows on my knees. “I thanked him. Told him he was the man who made our reunion possible.”
“How? He funded Ur Boyz, which gave you the practice and knowledge that eventually led to everything else. But how does that add up to getting back with Livianna?”
I glance away, trying to decide whether to tell him that Jaxon Crowne is the one who invested in my label and helped me create Riot King Records.
How no one hasn’t figured it out yet is beyond me, but I don’t think the band cares where the success comes from. They just like making music and performing.
I ignore Cooper’s question and hit the issue head-on.
“Coop, it was the way he looked at her when I said it…” I stand again, unable to sit still. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, nice to see how things worked out.’ His face went stone cold, like I just punched him in the gut.”
Cooper sets his bass aside, giving me his full attention. “Maybe he was surprised to see you two together?”
“That’s what I thought at first. But then Livianna…” I trek to the window. “She went white as a sheet the second she saw him. Could barely look at either of us afterward. And when I mentioned how he helped me, she got this look about her.”
“What kind?”
“Fuck it. I’ll just tell you. It doesn’t make any difference as long as you keep it between us bandmates. I don’t want Leon knowing how I got out.”
“If it fucks Leon over, count me in. Lay it down.”
“Jaxon Crowne is the one who funded Riot King Records.”
Cooper laughs like he can’t believe he didn’t make the connection. “Always wondered where you came up with that kind of cash. It seems obvious now.”
“Yeah, right. Back to the issue. Livianna acted as if she couldn’t believe he backed me.” I lean against the windowsill. “And she’s been checking her phone all day since then. It’s like she’s waiting for someone to call.”
Cooper picks up his bass again and plucks the strings. “You think there’s something between them?”
“I don't know what to think. She knows him through her pops, and he mentored her for a while, but this was different.” I growl and rake my teeth over my lip. “This was personal.”
“How?”
“Like maybe thanking him for bringing me back to Livianna was the last thing he wanted to hear because he didn’t want us together at all.”
Cooper stops playing and looks me dead in the eyes. “Cash, you’re spiraling. You’re taking one weird encounter and building it into this whole story.”
“Am I? Or am I finally paying attention to what’s right in front of me?”
Cooper’s quiet for a moment, studying my face. “I think you’re reaching for something because you’re afraid of losing her again.”
“Maybe.”
“How’d he leave it with you?”
I shrug. “He congratulated us on our second chance and said he had a conference call he had to get to.”
“Then there’s your answer.”
“How do you figure?”
“If they were involved, I doubt he’d congratulate you two. From what I’ve heard, he’s not one to play nice when he’s getting burned.”
“True.” I throw myself down onto the couch. “I just don’t wanna lose her, Coop.”
“Then don’t fuck up again.”
“Easier said than done.”
I give the valet my keys and try to tell myself I’m being too sensitive. Maybe bringing her here tonight is my way of fighting back against whatever shadow that encounter cast over us.
Maybe I’m trying too hard to prove that the new, sober me can still give her excitement. That I’m not too calm and boring.
“You still like dancing, right?” I guide Livianna with my hand on her back as we approach Trax, the newest club in downtown LA, where everyone who matters goes to be seen.
The paparazzi swarm starts before we even reach the door. Flashbulbs pop like small explosions, voices shouting questions over each other.
“Livianna! How does it feel to be back with Cash?”
“Are you two official now?”
“Cash, are you ready to put a ring on it this time?”
Livianna’s grin is practiced and kind, but tension radiates through her back where my palm rests. She waves and nods, but doesn’t stop walking. It’s obvious the attention is making her nervous, like it did in the past.
“Too much?” I lean down to ask as we reach the VIP entrance.
“No, it’s fine.” But her answer is tight, clipped in a way that tells me she’s anything but fine.
My jaw tightens because I practically begged her to come out with me tonight.
Stop spiraling, Cash. Enjoy this moment with her.
The bouncer recognizes me immediately and waves us through to the roped-off section I reserved. It’s big enough for twenty people, but tonight it’s just us.
I wanted her to have room to dance, space to breathe, and protection from the crowds that would surround us on the main floor.
The bass thrums through the floor, lights strobing in blues and purples, turning everything into a dream sequence.
Livianna glances around, taking in the scene, but something’s different about her energy. The distance I felt at brunch is still here, like part of her is somewhere else entirely.
“This is incredible, Callum.” She turns to me with a smile that doesn’t seem to fit. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“I wanted to. You deserve to have a good time.” I step closer, but I still have to raise my voice over the music. “I know I’ve been all therapy-speak and quiet dinners lately. Thought maybe you missed the excitement.”
Something flickers across her face. “Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe the new me is too laid back…too boring?” The insecurity I’ve been carrying since this morning finally spills out. “Maybe you need more than what I can give you now.”
She reaches for my hands and squeezes them. “Callum, no. Your sobriety and growth are not boring. They’re beautiful.”
But even as she says it, her eyes drift toward her purse, where her phone sits. She’s been checking it all evening, waiting for something, or someone I can’t compete with. I can’t help but think it has something to do with the business meeting she forgot about.
What if it isn’t work she’s waiting on? What if it’s him? Is she involved with someone she works with? I shake the thoughts loose. The song shifts to something slower and more intimate.
“Dance with me?” I pull her toward the center of our section, needing to feel her close, needing to reclaim whatever we started to build.
“I’d love to.”
When she steps into my arms, for a moment, it feels right. Her body fits against mine the way it always has. I can almost pretend the distance I’ve been feeling is just in my head.
I start singing along to the chorus, low enough that only she can hear, and she laughs. It’s the first genuine laugh I’ve gotten from her all day.
“Some things never change, rockstar.” She nestles against me.
“Some things shouldn’t.” I spin her and pull her back to my chest. “Lily, I need you to know how grateful I am. For this chance and for you being willing to try again.”
She peeks up at me, and for a split second, there’s something raw in her expression. Confusion, maybe. But then it’s gone, replaced by that polished grin.
“I’m grateful too, Callum.”
Something in the way she says it makes my stomach clench. It’s like she’s reading lines from an old script instead of speaking from her heart.
The music changes again to something harder, and the crowd on the main floor erupts in cheers. That’s when I see them pushing through the VIP area, and my blood turns to ice.
Zara Blackthorn and Sebastian Holloway, her constant, troubled ally, trailing behind her like a well-dressed shadow. Zara notices us right away and beelines toward us.
My body stiffens, but I keep dancing, trying to will her to mind her own fucking business for once. That fails, and she gets right up to the rope that separates us. I try to spin away, but Livianna stops and digs her heels in.
“Well, well.” Zara’s voice cuts through the music. “Isn’t this just like the old days?”
Livianna tenses in my arms. Every protective instinct I have springs to life.
I curl my hands into fists. “This is nothing like the past.”
“Oh, yes, it is.” Zara’s posture is pure venom. “The same players with secrets and lies.”
Sebastian steps forward with that predatory aura I remember from years ago. “Still the same hot-headed Cash, I see. Some things never change.”
“Stay out of this, Sebastian.” A familiar rage builds in my head.
“Or what? You’ll throw a tantrum like you used to?” He inches closer to Livianna. “Maybe Livianna needs someone more stable now.”
Every muscle in my body coils tight.
I growl. “Stay the fuck away from her.”
“Callum…” Livianna’s hand grips my arm, but I barely feel it.
“We don’t want any trouble, Zara.” Livianna steps slightly in front of me. “Let’s leave the past behind us. Just walk away.”
I hate that she feels like she needs to protect me.
“Trouble?” Zara shrieks with laughter. “I’m just making conversation. Catching up with old friends.”
“What’s wrong, Cash? Afraid she’ll realize what she’s been missing?” Sebastian reaches toward Livianna’s waist.
That’s when I see red.
I’m across the rope between us in two seconds, my hands curling in Sebastian’s shirt, slamming him back against a pillar in the VIP area. The old Cash, the one who solved problems with his fists, roars to life.
“Don’t you fucking touch her.”
“Callum, stop!” Livianna’s voice cuts through the burning haze, but the damage is done.
Security is moving toward us, phones are recording, and Sebastian is smirking like he got exactly what he wanted.
“There he is.” Sebastian releases a sinister chuckle and pushes me away. “The real Cash Mayze. I was wondering when he’d show up.”
“You know what I find fascinating?” Zara butts in over the chaos. “Secrets. The things people keep from each other. Like how you have secrets you don’t want getting out, Cash. But don’t worry, so does Livianna.”
My jaw clenches as Livianna pulls me toward her with surprising strength.
I glare at Zara. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, you know what yours are, but know nothing about hers.” Zara’s eyes gleam with malice as her glare slices to Livianna. “She has things she’d rather keep buried. Don’t you, Livianna?”
Her face drains of color, and fury catches ablaze in my chest like a wildfire.
“I’m just curious.” Zara tilts her head, studying Livianna like a scientist examining a specimen. “Cash, do you know who Livianna’s been dating? I mean, really dating, not just the casual encounters she tells everyone about.”
My blood runs cold. “What?”
Livianna’s grasp around my arm tightens. “Callum…”
“You know what, Zara.” My shoulders expand, and I can’t stop myself. “I do know who she’s been dating. It’s the same guy whose house she’s been living in.”
It lands hard. Zara’s expression shifts, surprise flickering across her features for a few beats before that cruel smile returns.
“You don’t know.” She sneers, holding nothing but evil in her tone. “And I think it kills you not knowing. That’s why I’m not going to tell you.”
Livianna noticeably relaxes beside me. What’s that about?
Does she ever plan on telling me the truth about her time away from me? Is it any of my business?
Livianna cuts through my thoughts. “Zara, you’re delusional, thinking anyone cares about you and what you have to say.”
Zara’s mask slips off, ferocity distorting her features. She lunges forward, fingers going for Livianna’s throat.
“You bitch—”
I’m grabbing Zara’s arms before my brain catches up.
“That’s enough!” Sebastian pulls her away. “We’re leaving.”
“Let me go!” Zara fights against his grip, her eyes wild. “She thinks she’s so perfect, so untouchable—”
“Zara, stop.” Sebastian stares down at her. “This place is full of trash I’d rather not have to smell.”
She relents. As they start to leave, she turns back to us, her voice screaming over the crowd. “When you two least expect it, you’ll pay! I’ll make sure of it.”
The threat hangs in the air like a promise I know will come to pass. A shiver snakes up my spine. I’ve experienced Zara’s revenge before, and it ruined my life for a while. A long while.
They disappear into the crowd before I turn to Livianna. She’s staring at me with something I don’t recognize.
Disappointment, maybe. Fear that being with me will be just like it used to be. Chaos every time we go out and run into our enemies. And I can’t say I blame her for feeling that way.
“You okay?” I reach for her, but she shifts away.
“Am I okay? Callum, you almost started a fight with Sebastian. Again.”
“He was going for you—”
“He barely moved in my direction.” She touches her cheek as if remembering the last time this happened and she got nailed in the face by my elbow. “You went from zero to violence in about three seconds.”
“I was protecting you.”
“You were losing control.” She puts more distance between us. “Just like before.”
“That’s not fair, Lily. I’m not the same person I was five years ago.”
“Are you sure?” Her eyes search my face. “Because what I just saw looked exactly like the man who used to solve these kinds of problems with his fists.”
The accusation cuts deep because it’s partially true. For a moment there, I was exactly like the old Cash. Reckless, violent, and ready to destroy anything that threatened what was mine.
“Come on, Lily. One slip doesn’t erase my progress.”
“It doesn’t?” She picks up her purse and retreats behind walls I thought we’d started to tear down. “Maybe this is what it’ll always be like with you.”
“Livianna, don’t do this. Don’t let them win.”
But she’s already rushing toward the exit, leaving me standing in the strobing lights with the taste of failure bitter in my mouth.
The old Cash would’ve followed her, would’ve demanded she listen, and would’ve made this about his pain instead of hers.
The new Cash gives her a minute, wondering if maybe she’s right. Maybe underneath all the growth, therapy, and careful rebuilding, I’m still the same man who destroyed us the first time.
Over my dead body.
I stomp off to fix this mess.