Page 101 of Wicked Truths

Oakley catches my eyes and tears sparkle back at me. Yeah, I might not be on the verge of crying, but my chest gets tight as Liam finishes out the chorus.

I hope this helps him heal.

Hopefully he also understands I’m not taking back over on a song that was clearly written for him. The beat slows as we reach the end, and the audience loses their minds.

Liam hops up from the piano and clutches Oakley to his chest like she’s his lifeline. Sullivan and I join them at the front of the stage, and we all take a bow.

“I’d trade it all if I could have them back,” Liam murmurs, but the mic still picks it up. The last part I catch only because I’m close enough to pick up over the audience’s screams. “The fame, not you.”

“I know,” Oakley says, pulling her guitar aside and kissing the hell out of him.

* * *

Colorado is significantly cooler than it would be in Florida right about now.

It’s been wild traveling and seeing the different climates and the seasons. Not that we get to spend long appreciating one because we’re constantly on the move to the next one, or we were before Oakley’s heat hit and now everything is kind of up in the air.

We’re all in good spirits if not completely fucking beat as Hawk guides us down the long corridor that leads to the parking area. We’ve got to find a hotel or somewhere to stay tonight. I frown, shaking my head as I realize Jamen wants to talk to us before we leave. Oh well, it’s a little late now as we head down the staff tunnel to the parking garage.

Oakley is tucked in close to Liam’s side with her free hand wrapped in Hawk’s. Sullivan and I are up front behind the other two A Team guys. We reach the end of the tunnel, and they give us the signal to hold.

“I thought I asked you to stick around long enough to talk to me,” Jamen calls out from behind us.

I spin around, cursing under my breath. I’m still not pleased with what went down today. Only time will tell if it helps or hurts my packmate. I’m really not a forgiving guy.

I’m trying to be a better man for Oakley. She and Liam are the two that want this music career the most.

I spin around, blowing out a breath to center myself. “It’s been a long fucking day. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

Jamen jogs toward us with a couple of the venue security guys at his side.

“Your performance stole the show.” He glances between the four of us. “I’m serious. We want to set you up to review a new contract and get you in the studio immediately.”

Oakley swallows thickly, glancing between us. The frown on her face has me crossing my arms over my chest. I damn sure don’t know what that look means.

“Thank you for letting us know,” Liam says, squeezing Oakley tighter to his side. “We’ll need some time to discuss things amongst ourselves and figure out how we’d like to proceed.”

A slow smile crosses Jamen’s face. “Good, I’m glad to hear you’re a united front. Unfortunately, that’s not all I wanted to warn you about.”

I sigh, shaking my head. “Go for it.”

“Are you sure you want to discuss it here?” Jamen pointedly glances at each one of us.

Oakley pats Liam’s chest, coming over to wrap her arms around my middle. I uncross my arms and pull her closer.

“We’re not just bandmates,” I say coolly. “They’re my pack. They’ll hear about it anyway.”

“Angel made a final last-ditch effort to force you to meet with her. Fuck, knowing her, it’s probably not even her final move, but she reached out to Wayne and Susan, assuring them that she could get them face to face with you if they’d agree to sign a release to be on her show.” Jamen grimaces.

“Tell me they didn’t agree,” I growl, clutching Oakley a little too tightly. “After all the lies she spread about their son. What the fuck is she thinking?”

“They did not agree,” Jamen assures me. “But they did reach out to me again, begging me to put them in contact with you.”

I scoff. “No fucking thanks. I haven’t even healed from the scars they inflicted the first time around.”

Oakley goes rigid. Her eyes fly up to mine, but I shake my head. Now isn’t the time for any of that. I know she gets the idea, and it’s no one else’s business.

“It sounds like it might be time to consider a restraining order or two.” Hawk comes over, clapping me on the back.

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