by Wendy Knight
It was after midnight when she finally looked up. Jace was gone. She was alone.
But—
She had her song.
Chapter Eighteen
"OKAY, I KNOW COLIN PROMISED HE'D get you out of the after-party—" Jace sounded absolutely delighted when Levi answered his phone, scowling. "—but there is someone there I think you should meet."
"There's someone at my after-party you think I should meet? You, two-thousand miles away? If it's some hot, easy girl you think will make everything better—"
Jace only sounded more thrilled. "Hot, yes. Not easy, though. And probably three times your age."
Levi's eyebrows shot up. "What? I don't swing that way, bro."
"Why does everything have to be about sex? Grab a shirt. Button your pants. Come on."
"How did you know—" Levi turned in a circle, and Jace laughed. "I just know you, Levi. Hurry up."
Levi grumbled, grabbing his shirt off the bed. He tugged it over his head and shuffled out to the elevator. "You realize it's almost two A.M., right? You could have woken me up."
He could picture Jace rolling his eyes. "You weren't sleeping."
"Hey. He got you out. Good." Colin was in the elevator as the doors slid open. Levi frowned, looking from his phone to Colin and back again.
"What the hell?"
"He says he was sleeping," Jace yelled so Colin could hear him. Swearing, Levi pulled the phone away from his now-partially deaf ear.
"You weren't sleeping." Colin rolled his eyes. Levi was starting to think he and Jace were sharing a brain. It was damn creepy.
"That's beside the point. I could have been. How are you so wide awake, anyway?"
"Lots of energy drinks. And coffee. No alcohol."
Levi frowned, studying Colin. "What's up with the no alcohol?" Colin came out of the elevator, but didn't follow Levi back to his room. Instead he stood in the hall, watching the second elevator's light like an overeager moth.
"Tonight's not a night I wanted to be fuzzy."
"Why not?"
"I feel like you might be implying that I have a drinking problem." Colin tipped his head and Levi could tell he was trying to look serious, but that grin — something was up.
"Dude, you're making me nervous."
Jace laughed like a lunatic. "Don't hang up. I wanna hear what's going on."
The elevator dinged cheerfully and the doors slid open. Colin bounced on his toes, full of nervous excitement that Levi wanted to strangle him with. He's enjoying this too much. I should punch him.
"Ms. Lee. Thank you for coming."
Out stepped the Queen of Country herself.
Levi nearly fell over. "Oh my gosh." Suddenly, breathing a normal breath was an impossible task.
She smiled, clearly used to this kind of reaction. "Levi Vasi. I've heard about you." Her eyes sparkled as she raised an eyebrow, and Levi swallowed hard, wondering what, exactly, it was that she had heard.
"I've heard a lot about you, too," he stuttered.
Her smile widened. "I didn't think my music was your thing."
Shaking his head back and forth so fast he felt like his brain was bouncing against his skull, he said, "I grew up listening to it. Please. Um, come in. Sit down?" Levi felt like an idiot. He'd met a lot of famous people in the last two years, but this… this… JoAnn Lee was not only his sister's idol, she was the one person in the world Harli said wouldn't hurt her. The one person she trusted.
She used to include you in that elite group.
Yeah. But not anymore. Now he'd broken her heart so many times she ran from him. He hung his head in defeat, the ache of it nearly overwhelming him. Again.
But Colin was leading JoAnn into Levi's room, so he followed hastily, her assistant right behind him. "Jace found out JoAnn was in the city through the Forums. He asked me if I could contact her. He thinks she might help us get Harli to audition for Julliard."
"And no one told me this… why?" Levi asked.
Colin grinned. "Because it was fun."
"I don't have a lot of time. It's past time for me to be in bed." JoAnn smiled, a smile that reached her hazel eyes and made them shine.
"We'll talk quickly," Colin said because Levi, apparently, had been rendered mute from fear.
"Jace, you're on speaker."
"Hi, Ms. Lee. It's such an honor to meet you."
"And nice to meet you," she chuckled.
"We all love Harli. But she's a stubborn little thing, am I right? We're—"
"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen her in eight years."
That derailed Jace's train of thought as Levi and Colin gaped at her.
"Eight years?" Colin asked. Even Levi hadn't known this. Harli had said she didn't get to see her grandmother very often, but eight years? How had she failed to mention that?
"I don't—why? She needed you!" Levi blurted before his brain could tell him it was a bad idea.
She winced. "I did everything I could. I gave them my house. I gave her an allowance. I set up a college fund."
"But… but she needed someone. Someone to…" He didn't know how to continue without spilling Harli's secret, and that was one thing she would never forgive him for. "Selecia's gone a lot," he finished dumbly.
"I can't go home. Her mother has a restraining order against me."
Everyone in the room gasped — even the assistant.
"But—but isn't that your house they live in?" Colin asked.
JoAnn winced. "Yes. But if I made them leave, where would they go? What would happen to Harli?"
Pretty much the same thing that's happening to her now.
And then no one could figure out how, exactly, to guide them back to the conversation.
So Levi did. "Why?" he asked, suddenly wondering if Selicia had learned her evil ways from this woman. His sister's idol. He felt sick.
"Selicia said my fame was ruining Harli. She said it was impossible to raise Harli in that kind of atmosphere, and when I argued, she filed a restraining order." The hazel eyes were full of pain. So much pain. "When the restraining order lapsed, I went home. Harli herself came to the speaker but wouldn't answer the door. Selicia had changed all the locks. Harli said she loved me, but Selicia was sick and didn't want to be disturbed. Every time I've gone home since, it was the same thing. I finally quit going home."
She was protecting Selicia. From the one woman who could have saved her.
Wow, had he been completely wrong.
"But enough about me. Her mom doesn't let me talk to her much, says she's too busy, but I get snippets here and there. I've heard about you." She smiled. "Last update I got, she was practically planning her wedding."
The words sent ice needles up and down Levi's spine, but somehow he convinced his mouth to finally work. "Yeah. So was I. But she—she said she can't be the rock star's secret non-girlfriend anymore, and—" He rushed to continue before JoAnn jumped to conclusions and hit him or something. "—I told her I'd walk away from it all. But she—she wouldn't let me." The words sounded lame even to his own ears.
JoAnn frowned. "Now why would she do that?"
"She's—she's always had a half-broken heart."
"Her mom told me she was doing really well," JoAnn said in confusion. "Selecia said she'd take Harli away from me for good all those years ago, if I kept interfering." Her eyebrows drew together. "But she said Harli was practically a celebrity. And that I shouldn't get involved and mess it up." The last line was full of pain, and suddenly Levi had a very clear picture of what had happened.
"She blames you."
JoAnn blinked at him. "What?"
"Selicia blames you. For her failed dreams. That's the same bullshit she feeds Harli, and now Harli thinks she's poison, and she sabotages herself because she doesn't think she deserves to succeed. Or have dreams. Or be happy."
"She chased you away because she doesn't think she deserves to be happy." Angela's voice echoed through his head.
"Holy hell."
How had
he been so blind? He'd known her for years, had practically lived with her for the last two of them before he'd gone on tour. How had he not seen what she was doing?
The entire world tilted on its axis.
"I tried to take her away from Selicia. I lost. Both times. I couldn't prove she was an unfit parent, and Harli, bless her heart, wouldn't say a bad thing about Selicia. Why'd you give up on her?"
Her hazel eyes nearly sliced Levi in half. As it was, he felt his soul run in terror. "I—I didn't. I tried to work it out. She keeps running from me."
"Ms. Lee? Your car is here." Her assistant, who had been silent except for the one shocked gasp earlier, appeared out of nowhere like a genie.
She nodded, turning back to Levi. "I'm too old to be out this late."
"If I have half the energy you do when I'm your age, I'll be counting myself pretty damn lucky," Levi said over his shoulder as he led her to the elevator, JoAnn following closely. Colin hit the button and leaned against the wall.
"So. I've got this idea…" JoAnn absently twisted the rings on her finger. "What if I ask my little granddaughter to come play with me at my concert. I'm sure my drummer and guitarist are coming down with a bug. Nasty bug. It'll keep them in bed."
Levi shook his head. "It's hard to get her to play. She doesn't like people to know."
"Yeah," Colin said, his eyes watching the numbers on the elevator. "Even if you could talk her into it — not saying you can't — she's good, but even Harli can't play drums and guitar at the same time."
JoAnn sighed. "Keep up with me here, boys. She'll come because she likes to help people. And I just won't remember to tell her that her friend Levi, here, offered to help me out as well. For a charity fundraiser. How about that?" Her eyes sparkled as she smiled.
Levi stumbled back, smashing against the mirrored walls. "I—I'd get to play with you? In a real concert?"
"You act like you've never played before."
"I just—it's such an honor. I mean—I grew up listening to Harli singing along to your songs. It's unreal."
JoAnn's eyes softened. "She listened to my music?"
Colin snorted. "Yeah. She fought like hell to get us to play country when we started out."
JoAnn beamed, straightening her spine as the doors slid open. "I'll be in touch, Levi. Thanks for the conversation."
Levi watched her disappear through the lobby and then glanced at Colin, who still held Levi's phone in his hand. "All our interesting conversations are done in an elevator. Have you ever noticed that?"
Colin nodded. "We spend a lot of time in elevators."
Jace cleared his throat. "Look, she's giving you a chance to get Harli back. You've got to play this perfectly. Don't act like you already have her. Don't act like you don't miss her."
"Those two things are pretty contradictory right there," Levi objected, frowning. Colin pushed the button for Levi's floor, and Levi breathed a silent sigh of relief that he wasn't being dragged back to the party.
"No, look. You treat her like you know her better than everyone else, but you've gotta turn the charm all the way up, Levi. Chase her. Don't let her shut you out."
By the way Jace's voice was suddenly full of pain, Levi didn't have to be a genius to understand. "Speaking from experience, bro?"
Jace didn't reply for several long, drawn out seconds. "If she's not with me, I'd rather she be with you than anybody else."
"SO, MY GRANDMOTHER JUST called." Harli tucked her phone in her pocket and sat down next to Jace. She wondered idly if he ever actually went to his own school — it seemed like he was here every time she turned around. The cafeteria was louder than usual, and it hurt her head. She dug through her bag, found her meds, and popped one in her mouth.
Take that, migraine demon.
"What'd she want?" Jace asked for the second time.
Harli blinked. "Oh. Yeah. She—she said her drummer is sick and can't play this weekend. She wanted to know if I could help her out."
Kim squealed, clapping her hands. "Oh my gosh! How cool would that be?"
"It would be terrifying is what it would be." Harli shook her head.
"What'd you tell her?" Jace asked around a mouth full of mashed potatoes.
Harli picked at her own tray, trying to guess what the meat was. She wasn't a fan of even the best cooked animal, but cafeteria animal was worse. Assuming it was actually from an animal. "What could I say? For one thing, she pays my allowance. Without her I couldn't survive. For another thing, she's JoAnn Lee. I don't think anyone's ever told her no."
Jace raised an eyebrow. Just one. Harli couldn't do that. When she tried to raise an eyebrow, they both came up, and she ended up looking like a surprised owl instead of cool, like Jace did.
"So you're going to do it?" Kim bounced in her seat, long brown curls tumbling around her like excited, silky snakes.
"I guess. It's in Georgia, though. I have to fly out tomorrow morning. I'll have to miss school."
"Oh heaven forbid. Harli Lee missing school?" Kim rolled her gleaming eyes dramatically, her hand over her mouth in mock horror.
"Not like you to agree to play in public so easy." Jace didn't look at her as he said it, his eyes wandering aimlessly around the cafeteria.
"I did the gig with Justin and Blair. And I did the whole contest with Levi and Jace. It was on national TV."
"Yeah. Things were different then. You were different then."
Harli studied Jace for several long seconds while Jace refused to notice. "What's up, buttercup?" she finally asked.
He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Nothing. Nothing is up."
"You're moody. You aren't a moody person." She pointed her spoon at him, poking him in the chest.
"You are the only person on earth who doesn't think I'm moody," he grumbled.
"I'm sure that's not true. Maybe someone in Cambodia—he sees your picture and you're smiling and he's like, 'That guy is totally not moody.'"
Jace finally smirked and looked up at her. "You're a nut."
"And you love me for it. So what's up?"
Jace's face paled and he sucked in a breath like she'd dumped ice water down his back. "Nothing. I told you."
She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and fixed him with her most lethal glare. Since she was about as scary as a sea horse, it wasn't as effective as she'd hoped, but finally Jace threw his hands up. "Yeah, okay. Fine. You're changing. I don't like it."
Her glare died and she blinked at him. "I'm changing?"
"Yes. The Harli I know saves her money like a hoarder, she doesn't miss school, and she doesn't give up her music time for anything. Now you're up and missing school and you got a B on your last English paper."
"That would be because she doesn't sleep at night, she writes music," Angela whispered.
Harli sighed and leaned forward, grabbing his hand. "Jace, I'm not changing. I'm staying busy, doing some things for me. Trying to heal, you know? I've been so long being Levi's other half that I forgot how to be just me."
Jace growled under his breath. "We haven't played for almost three weeks."
"How about tonight? I'll blow off the gym—"
"Harli?" Brandon stalked up to their table. Jace tensed and one fist curled into a ball. Harli shoved her hair out of her face and tore her gaze away from Jace — although it felt like she'd lose whatever tenuous control she had on the situation by breaking eye contact.
"And I thought Levi was the violent one," she muttered low enough for only Jace to hear. He growled again. "What, Brandon?"
"I need a date for prom. It's next weekend."
"Good." Harli drew out the word, glancing at Jace in confusion. His knuckles turned white.
"So buy a red dress that shows lots of skin and I'll pick you up at seven." Brandon turned to walk away. Before Jace could react — or at least before he could get up, Harli leaped to her feet and bounced in between them.
"Brandon, hey."
He stopped and turned, one eyebrow raised.
He looked arrogant when he did it. No one could quite master it like Jace could.
Except for Levi.
"Yeah, about that—"
"That's not how you ask someone to a dance, ass hat," Jace growled.
Harli pursed her lips. "Yeah… it really isn't, but I can't go with you anyway."
"Why not?" Brandon glowered at her, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I've already been asked by someone else." She tried not to sound smug. Or relieved.
"Who?"
"Who?" Jace asked, sounding as surprised as Brandon.
"Umm, three… someones. Anyway, sorry. But I hope you find someone else to rock the red dress."
Brandon swore and shook his head. "Whatever."
"See ya!" Harli said brightly, whirling away. She grabbed Jace's tray, stacked it on her own, and dragged him to his feet. "Time to go."
Jace rolled his eyes. "If escaping was an Olympic sport, you could win a medal with your ability to run from anything."
She didn't let go of his elbow, balancing the trays on her forearm and holding tight with her other hand. "Running protects you. Running keeps you alive."
Chapter Nineteen
HARLI BOUNCED NERVOUSLY ON HER TOES, waiting for the people in front of her to move so she could get off the dang plane already. Her grandmother's songs were still blaring in her ears, and in a little corner of her mind, she could see the blueprint recording them. She'd listened for almost six hours straight — because the guy in the seat next to her snored and talked in his sleep.
"Will you relax?" Angela grumbled in her head. "You're shaking the whole plane."
"Fine." She crossed her arms over her chest as the line finally began to move, although she was pretty sure she watched a snail crawl by before they made it into the terminal.
It's hard to run when you're trapped on a plane.
Yeah, she was ready to lose her mind.
So ready, in fact, that she thought she saw Levi down the corridor. Her blood screamed and her entire body propelled forward, almost against her will, like she was drawn to him. But she knew for a fact that Levi was in Florida this week — he had a concert the night before in Jacksonville and one in Miami the next day. Damn, though, beneath those dark glasses and the hat pulled low, even the long sleeved shirt to hide all the tattoos…
