Kiss the Stars (Falling Stars 1)

Like he was daring me to pass it up.

Holy shit.

That was a lot of change, and I couldn’t help but think that might finally get me where I needed to be.

Enough cash to make it happen.

To pay and swindle and bribe myself in through the backdoor.

That prick unaware before it was too late.

“I’ve got one requirement.”

“What’s that?”

“Need you to use my stage name. Don’t want anyone tying me back to the old days.”

Didn’t that sound pretentious as fuck?

They didn’t need to know the actual reason.

He shrugged. “No biggie. Tons of people do. Par for the course in this game.”

“My band needs me? I go,” I added.

If I was going to do this, they needed to know Carolina George had to be my first priority.

“Not a problem.” Lyrik gave a tight nod. Relief pulsed through his demeanor, right before his expression hardened. “One more thing you need to know before we all agree to this.”

“Yeah?”

He looked around at his friends before pinning me with his dark stare. Eyes so dark they were almost black.

Something familiar rocked through me.

That girl slammed into my mind.

I roughed my fingers through my hair.

Fuck.

I needed to scrape her from my being.

Forget it.

Because she was something I couldn’t have. One encounter, and she was haunting me.

“Just need to make it clear that we walk a straight line. All of us have families. All the bullshit we were into in the past is exactly that—in the past.”

Knew exactly what Lyrik was telling me. He was right back to the days that Ash had been referring to when I’d walked through the door.

The depravity and the wickedness and the evil.

Thing was, Lyrik didn’t know the first of it. If he did, there was no chance in hell he would be inviting me to his place.

“Haven’t touched that shit in years,” I told him.

Didn’t mean I wasn’t still a prisoner.

“Good. Because I protect my family at any cost. We all do. They will always come first.”

It was a point-blank warning.

“As you should.”

It was the only thing any of us had. Fighting for our families.

“Good.”

“So, you’re in?” Zee asked, more eager than he probably wanted to let on.

I roughed a hand through my hair. This was crazy.

But just like when the SOS had come in, asking me to be here, I couldn’t find it in myself to say no.

“Yeah, count me in.”

He blew out a sigh. “Thanks, man. That’s a huge relief. Don’t want to let down the band, but I can’t let down my kid. Hard balancing, you know? But family has to come first.”

Grief constricted my throat. I shoved it down, let it feed the fury.

“Glad I can be of help.”

“More than you know. I’m in your debt.”

“I think I’m being plenty well-compensated.”

Zee grinned. “No. Money ain’t bad.”

I glanced around Lyrik’s extravagant house. “Obviously.”

Lyrik nodded. “I need to get back out to the party. Plane will be waiting for you, like you requested, unless you want to stick around and hang with us?”

“Think I better get back.”

Away from this place.

I pushed to standing.

“I’ll have someone get in contact with you to make arrangements to get you and your things out to Savannah. Plan on being there Wednesday.”

Lyrik put his hand out.

I shook it.

Sealed the deal.

Couldn’t help but feel like I was signing my name in blood.

“I’ll be there.”

“Excited about this,” Lyrik said with a nod. “Feel good things coming from it. Know you write. Never hurts to have a fresh ear on the mix.”

I felt a stir from deep within.

Something powerful.

Stronger than the most depraved parts of me.

Music was my one good.

The one contribution I could make.

“It’ll be cool, yeah.” I glanced around the room. “Guess I’ll see you all later this week.”

I shook hands with everyone, accepting their welcomes into their world while hoping beyond hope that I wasn’t making a huge mistake.

Considering I’d lost all hope years ago, it didn’t do a whole lot to reassure me.

I stepped back out into the clamor that echoed down the hall. Nothing but a rush of voices and music and energy. I waded into the middle of it, letting it fuel the fervor. The heat and the need and the greed.

I cut right through the crowd without slowing and out the front door toward the car that was waiting.

I needed to get the fuck out of this city. Flee from the ghosts that forever ran these streets. Thing was, it didn’t matter how far or how fast I went, they would always be right there, hunting me down.

Waiting in the darkness.

I strode down the walkway, getting ready to slip into the backseat when the driver opened the door, only to pause to look over my shoulder toward the house.

Gaze drawn.

Lifted.

Right to the shadow outlined in the towering stained-glass window.

She was watching down on me.

An angel in the attic.

Heat clawed across my flesh, clashing with the cold.