It looks like he's evaluating.
My pulse spikes.
“That must be him,” I murmur. “Derek Ward. The head of Midnight Records.”
Mom squints. “He looks important.”
Onstage, Steven and Keith exchange a look. A long one.
Then Keith counts in.
It’s not a song I recognize.
The beat is deeper. Heavier. Primal.
Rio turns away from the mic.
“What’s he doing?” Mom asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
The camera cuts wide.
And whatever’s happening next?—
it’s bigger than the setlist.
CHAPTER 33
RIO
The crowd won’t shut up.
Encore. Encore. Encore.
The words roared through the venue like a demand, not a request. My chest still heaves from the last song, sweat cooling down my spine.
The lights hot enough to make everything feel unreal. I lift my guitar strap off my shoulder and turn slightly away from the mic.
I’m done.
That’s when Keith hits the first beat.
It's Maddie's song! By my explicit orders, not on the setlist.
Steven joins in a half second later. Confident. Certain. Like this was planned.
Which of course it was. But not by me.
My stomach tightens.
That song.
The one I never meant anyone to hear.
Especially not Maddy.
I step back from the mic, and glance toward the side of the stage. Prince Michael is there. Watching me like he’s waiting to see if I'll take the stage.
