Zander and Justice moved from the shadows where they’d been propping up a wall as they waited. “No need to be nervous,” Zander rumbled. “You’ll go out there, kill it and be back home in less than an hour and a half.”
“I won’t be going home right afterward,” she said flatly. “I was invited to a post-performance party by one of the other students. I’m sure Silas won’t be home anytime soon anyway, and it beats spending the evening alone in an empty apartment.”
She silently cursed when she heard the bitter tinge of her last words.
Her eyes narrowed in confusion when the men exchanged grim looks of discomfort.
“Uh, sorry, Hayley, but that won’t be possible,” Justice said with a grimace. “Silas gave us strict instructions to get you back to the apartment as soon as the recital was over. We’re needed elsewhere tonight and we can’t be out at a party with you.”
Hayley’s lips thinned in anger. “Let me get this straight. Silasorderedyou to take me straight to his apartment as soon as the recital is over when he doesn’t even know when or if he’ll be home tonight?” she snapped. “But it doesn’t matter because I don’t recall inviting any of you to the party, so you don’t have to worry about me interfering with the important stuff y’all have to do. In fact, I see no reason for y’all to be at my recital. It’s not important or anything, so feel free to go attend to more pressing matters. I’ll get a ride home after the party. Call Silas. I’m sure he won’t care,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her words.
Maddox cleared his throat. “We, uh, can’t do that either. I’m sorry, honey, but Silas is to be disturbed only in the event of an emergency, and there’s a lot of shit going down tonight, so it’s best if we take you back to the apartment where you’ll be safe.”
Hayley’s mouth fell open and this time, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t control the surge of tears that welled and burned like acid. The situation was only worsened when she saw blatant sympathy reflected in Maddox’s eyes.
Zander’s expression resembled a thundercloud, and Justice’s lips curled into a snarl.
“Bullshit,” Justice bit out. “There’s a lot you don’t understand,Hayley, but you need to get this if you don’t get anything else. You are important to all of us. Especially Silas. And I won’t have you thinking what you’re currently thinking, and I damn sure won’t have you looking at us with tears in your eyes.”
“Give us tonight, honey,” Maddox said gently. “I swear to you that everything will be explained, but right now you have a solo to rock.”
“If she doesn’t get an explanation as soon as all this shit’s over with tonight, I’m going to kick Silas’s fucking ass,” Zander snarled.
She rapidly turned her face away so the thin streams of tears wouldn’t be visible. “I got all the explanation I needed when Silas told me he wouldn’t miss this for the world and then called me to say that Evangeline was more important.”
“What?”
“What the fuck?”
“Hayley—”
The outbursts were simultaneous and so forceful that she didn’t even know who said what.
“I have to go,” she choked out, grateful that a stagehand was calling for the musicians to take their places.
She fled, running onstage, sliding into her chair. She picked up her violin and sucked in huge, steadying breaths as she valiantly tried to regain her composure. She couldn’t blow this. She couldn’t allow her emotions to rattle her performance. Desperate to clear her mind and give the performance of her life, she focused on her father, his pride in her and his determination for her to be exactly where she was right now. Peace instantly descended as she struck the first note and the haunting strains of the violins rose from the orchestra. She wouldn’t let him down. Not now, not ever. For him, she would do this.
When the last echo of her violin slowly dissipated and Hayley’s solo signaled the end of the concert, the crowd erupted in applause, giving her and the entire group of assembled musicians a standing ovation.
Tears glittered brightly on Hayley’s face as she rose and took her bow. As soon as the curtains fell, she hurriedly left the stage, dodging the many congratulations and excited celebration of her fellow students. She paused just offstage to hastily wipe away the evidence of her emotion and bent to put away her violin.
A strong hand squeezed her shoulder and she stiffened, pausing a moment before rising to meet Maddox’s gaze.
“You did amazing, sweetheart. You absolutely nailed it.”
She offered him a weak smile of thanks as Justice and Zander pushed in to create a barrier between her and the stampede of people chattering excitedly and high-fiving madly.
“Come on, let’s get you home,” Justice said gently. “We’ll talk later. Promise.”
She said nothing as she allowed Zander to take her case, and she followed Maddox’s lead as Zander and Justice flanked her in the direction of the nearby exit.
“Hayley!”
Hayley turned briefly and offered a small wave and a halfhearted smile in the direction of Kara, the first-chair cellist who was throwing the afterparty. She didn’t refute Kara’s joyful “See ya there!” She was too embarrassed to explain that she wouldn’t be attending and definitely not why.
As soon as the cooler evening air hit Hayley’s face, her stomach curled into a knot and she hesitated, her step faltering as she bent over to control the surge of nervous energy as it tried to find an outlet. She’d pushed it and all her rioting emotions down for her performance, but now reaction was setting in and her knees were shaking violently.
“Hayley? What’s wrong?” Justice asked sharply. “Are you going to be sick?”
