Page 92 of The Twisted Beats

Callum’s pale face is glued to something onherchest. He can’t take his eyes off it.

Bren glances at me, then does a double take. His head falls back as his palm slams against his forehead. Yeah, this is going to be a shitshow and I know it. I step up to them without Callum noticing.

“Hi.” My sticky-sweet voice cuts in. “How’s everyone doing tonight?”

He slowly tears his eyes offherand they land on me. His fiery gaze slides from Sebastian to me, then Gia.

He stiffens, gripping the beer in his hand until his knuckles are white. “What the fuck, Livianna?”

“Callum, you’ve already met Sebastian, but I’d love to introduce you to Gia Armstrong. She’s an extra on the show. She plays Zara’s bandmate.” I smile over at Gia.

She dips her head to Callum. “Hi. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Hi, Gia. Good to meet you.” He glances at Sebastian and back at me with jealous daggers shooting in all directions.

I gesture righteously tothe girlhe’s been mesmerized by, who’s grinning smugly in our direction.

Callum’s jaw twitches as he faces her. “Livianna, this is Faith.”

Faith? Why the fuck did he call her Faith? My whole world falters. I drop Sebastian’s and Gia’s arms with my blood going cold.

“Who?” I shake my head and stare atFaithin total confusion. “That’s not your name.”

“Don’t get tripped up, Livianna. After all, this is Hollywood.” She adjusts a Celtic trinity knot necklace she’s wearing and smirks. “Cash and I go way back. Don’t we, honey?”

“What?” My body empties. “I’m so confused. Why is he calling you Faith?”

Callum’s brows furrow as he studies us. He glances at Bren, who puts his hands up and steps back.

“Don’t ask me, bro. I’m as lost as you are.” Bren joins Hawke and Cooper near the bar.

Callum stands frozen with a deep-set frown as he looks between all of us like he’s searching for an answer.

“I know who she is.” I turn to him with my heart plummeting. “Why are you lying to me and calling her Faith?”

His eyes flare with rage. “I don’t fucking lie. Her name is?—”

“Cash, she doesn’t know me like you do. She knows me by my stage name.” Evilness spins in her eyes as she struts closerto me. “I go by Zara Blackthorn now. Faith Thorne was just too… I don’t know. Nice.”

Callum’s head lowers as he releases a puff of disturbed understanding. “You go by Zara Blackthorn now, and you work with my girlfriend. Fucking unbelievable.”

“Girlfriend? I thought that was just for the tabloids to help create your image.” She turns away from Callum and advances on me, standing an inch before me. “I was innocent when we met, so I can see how he missed it.”

My breathing goes into overdrive. “Spit it out, Zara. What are you trying to tell me?”

“We were each other’s first.” She tilts her head like she’s sending me sympathy and cups her palm around the trinity knot. “He gave me this necklace so I’d never forget him. He didn’t tell you about that?”

“Ah, bro. That’s brutal.” Bren turns away from us, burying his head in his arms on the bar. “I can’t watch this anymore.”

Gia tries to pull me away, but I stay put.

I shake my head. “He told me that happened with some groupie.”

Zara pulls her face together as if I’m stupid for believing him. “I doubt he’d give this family heirloom to a groupie. After all, it was his mom’s, so I know it meant something to him just like that night always will.”

Her words stab me a thousand times. They were each other’s first. I’ll never be able to top that moment. Nothing I do will ever compare.

Everyone says there’s nothing like your first time. You can never get it back. He gave her his mom’s necklace to show the significance. They’ll always have that. They’re tied together for life.