Page 53 of For Eva

He threw his head back and blew out a breath before I could finish my sentence. “Are you fucking serious right now?”

“Yes, I’m serious. You could barely stand up last night. You didn’t know what city we’re in—maybe you still don’t know.”

“Does itmatterwhat city we’re in?”

“Actually, it does.” I leaned forward and tried to look him in the eyes, but he shifted his gaze. “You need to back off the booze and the coke, okay?”

He unfolded his arms and crossed them over his chest. “Andyouneed toback the fuck off in general.Okay?”

I pressed my finger onto the table. “Look, I know you don’t wanna talk about this, but you’ve been severely fucked-up since I gave you that fax, and I don’t know why you won’t tell me—”

“Would you shut the fuck up about that already?”

“But I don’t understand who it was and why it made you so—”

“I said,shut the fuck up.”

I reached across the table to touch his arm, which he immediately pulled away. “Eric, I’m worried about you.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know why the fuck you are. It’s not like we’re friends, Eva.”

My face fell, and I swallowed hard.

Eric's lips twisted into a smirk. “Oh, wow. You actually thought we were friends, didn’t you? That’s super cute. But we’re not, Eva. We’ve never been friends.”

I jerked back as the sword entered my chest. I looked down in disbelief at the point of impact, my mind churning. I had two choices. I could run off and bleed alone, letting Eric know he’d wounded me to the point where I could no longer fight. Or I could pull out the sword and turn it around on him. Both were painful options, but I knew what I had to do.

“Fine then,” I spat back at him. “We’re not friends. So, I’m gonna tell you straight up. Lay off the shit, Eric, or you’re gonna lose this tour. The guys inHott Blood are pissed, our guys are pissed, and—”

“You meanDanny’spissed,” he interrupted. “Did he put you up to this? Did he tell youto talk to me because he’s too fucking scared to do it himself?”

I squeezed my hands into fists, insulted he didn’t think I could form my own fucking opinions. “No, he didn’t. Anyone with two fucking eyes can see you’re spiraling out of control. So, until we finish this tour, Joe will be by your side twenty-four seven to make sure you don’t spiral any further.”

He narrowed his eyes at me.“What?”

“You heard me.”

Eric snorted and shook his head. “Fuck that. You’re fucking crazy if you think that’s gonna happen.”

“Oh, it’s happening,” I assured him. “Keith and I met this morning. I’m about to go talk to Joe and—”

His lip curled into a snarl. “You act like you’re so concerned, like it’s such a big goddamn deal. But you know what? You’re just Keith’s fucking mouthpiece. And you wouldn’t even be that if I hadn’t told him to hire you.” He jumped up from the booth, knocking his drink over in the process, spilling ice and red-tinted liquid across the table. “So don’t fucking forget that I’m the only reason you’re here.”

He stormed off through the restaurant and lobby, then burst through the doors to the outside. Kristi hurried over to me, wiping at the table with a rag as the remains of his Bloody Mary dripped onto my lap and hot tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.

TWENTY-TWO

Danny

August 1989

“Hey. Eva. Wake up.”

She moaned and turned over, opening one eye. “What’s going on?”

“I woke up and found you over here.”

She lifted her head from the spare bed and flicked her eyes around the dim room, her gaze finally settling on my face. “What time is it?”

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