Page 105 of Crimson Desires

“I don’t know,” I said. “Aster can be touchy about money. I don’t want to accidentally offend her. Can we take some time to think of something else?”

Dad scowled. “I suppose. But I think paying for her father’s surgery will do wonders for this situation. I’ll have one of my men look into it, just in case.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry, son. We’re going to fight this,” Dad promised. “I admit, I don’t exactly understand your choices for leaving your past career for this one—but I’ll be damned if I let you fail.”

My breath hitched. As much as I pretended to be above it, Dad’s support meant the world to me. Ever since I had started Wicked Crimson, he’d expressed nothing but disappointment and confusion.

To know that he was in my corner now, when it really mattered—that felt special.

“Thanks, Dad,” I said, my voice thin.

“Of course. Have a good show, Jack.”

“I will.”

***

Nerves spiked my adrenaline as I stepped out onto the stage at our Louisville show.

After my dual scandals with Kaleidoscope Radio and Arnold from Killing Kiss, I expected some friction.

Ava sat down with the guys and me in the green room to drill us on how we were to respond to any potential fan pushback.

“Don’t acknowledge them,” Ava said. “Don’t acknowledge what happened. Play the show as if nothing is wrong.”

Thankfully, there were no torches and pitchforks. I noticed more empty seats than usual—but nothing to be especially worried about. The guys and I performed as normal, and halfway through the show, I nearly forgot about the events of the morning entirely.

After the show, Ava intercepted us backstage.

“Good job, guys,” she said. “So, I’ve got good news and bad news. Good news is that Kaleidoscope Radio has taken down the video—so all that remains of it are reposts. Bad news is that Arnold refuses to go back on his statements, and Killing Kiss’s management company doesn’t want Rick or Manny to take any sides until Aster makes a public statement about what happened.”

“Why Aster?” I asked.

“She was the girl involved, dumbass,” Damien huffed.

“Right,” Ava confirmed. “So, I know this isn’t ideal, but we’re going to have to ask her to release a statement. If she agrees, everything will be fine—and we can move right into phase two of our damage control plan.”

I furrowed my brow. “And if not?”

Ava pursed her lips. “Let’s not think about that, Jack.”

Great. My entire career rests on Aster’s shoulders. Fuck. If this isn’t Karmic justice, I don’t know what is.

I nodded soberly. “Okay.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Aster

Rain fell in sheets as the crew bus pulled into our Detroit venue. Fortunately, the venue was indoors. Unfortunately, the loading dock was not.

I busted my ass to get everything into the venue as quickly as possible. Despite my efforts, I was still drenched. The venue’s blasting AC froze me solid. I rubbed my arms furiously, trying like hell to flatten my goosebumps as I made my way to the bathrooms to change into a dry Wicked Crimson hoodie.

Even though my shorts were still wet, having a dry shirt on made a world of difference.

I made my way back to the merch table, sitting behind it and pulling out my phone. I opened my notetaking app, scanning over the public statement that I’d drafted last night on the bus.

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