Page 20 of The Bitter Words

I reach for Livianna’s hand. She takes it and slides up to my side. Her excitement is coming off her skin in waves. It only makes me feel that much more alive.

Mayhem is about to become a reality. I can feel it in my soul.

I tug on her to follow me, but Leon places his large palm on my shoulder and stops us. He shifts so he’s situated between her and me.

“No, Cash.” He shakes his head. “Ms. Hemings will need to wait for you back at your hotel.”

“Why?” I glance at my uncle.

His head is down and his stature is meek and timid. What the fuck is that about?

All my spidey senses fire off. I gaze back at Leon and his determined stare tells me if I put up a fight, I’ll never have his help and Mayhem could be nothing but a pipe dream.

He has the power to make or break anyone in this industry. And as he watches me like he already owns the outcome, a cold truth curls around my spine.

I thought I made a deal with the devil when I asked my uncle for help. But what if the man in the tailored suit is the real demon and I’m about to sign my soul away?

Chapter Five

LIVIANNA/LILY

Then

Ivory Threads & The Reveries That Unravel Too Slow

Sometimes the dream keeps going long after you realize you’ve already woken into the wrong life.

“It’s okay, Callum.” I drop his hand. “I’ll get Bren and you guys can meet with Mr. Baker.”

Callum peers down at me with his brows drawn together. The elation that was emanating from him moments ago is now nothing but tight shoulders and a protruding chest. Something isn’t sitting right with him.

My cheeks heat.Am I messing this up for him?

Callum hesitates for a second, then lifts his gaze to Leon and John. “I want Livianna there. She’s not supposed to be out of my sight.”

“Then this conversation will be held at another time.” Leon cocks his head in a challenging manner toward Callum. “On that note, when it does take place, it’ll be between only Cash and me. No one else needs to be present.”

John clears his throat. “Cash, this is how Leon conductsthe first interaction with an artist. He’s trying to decide if he should offer to sign you on with his record company or help produce an album with you as a one-time project under someone else’s label.”

Leon nods. “It’s a matter of whether I want to work with you on a contractual level or go the distance and create a long-term agreement, signing you on with my team.”

“Don’t they go together?” Callum’s eyes narrow.

“There are two ways we can approach this.” Leon zeroes in on him. “I could work with your current label and produce your next album under their terms and restraints, or I could take you on with my record label and we could work together with a longer commitment.”

“I want to sever my ties with our current…” Callum pulls back and shuts his mouth.

Leon flashes him a knowing smile. “If you sign on with me, since I also produce, you can rest assured I’ll be involved in helping you create exactly what you want Mayhem to be. I just need to see your vision and stand behind it.”

“What about Guns?” Callum waves his hand toward the stage. “He’s an equal founder of Mayhem. Shouldn’t he be involved in this first interaction?”

“I know more about you than you realize, Cash.” Leon pulls out a toothpick from his pants pocket. “There’s a reason Mayhem starts with the first three letters of your surname and ends with Guns’.”

I didn’t know that’s where Mayhem came from. How did Leon?

Callum’s response takes me out of my thoughts. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Leon slips the toothpick between his lips, letting it balance as he speaks. “Cash, you’re the star. Guns is the blank sky. He’s the canvas that supports the art you create, so no. He isn’t needed. It’s your dream I want to know about.”