The silence that follows is thick and stunned.
Tyler breaks it first. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Nix elbows him hard enough to shut him up, then forces a slow nod. “Yeah, we could… make that work. Right, boys?”
Effa turns her glare on Luke. “Do you think maybe we should’ve discussed this?”
He looks at me like he wants backup, so I step in before Effa can go full firecracker.
“Babe,” I say, keeping it steady, keeping it mine. “They’re good guys. The best I know. And I know you’ve got reservationsafterSwift Division, but these guys aren’t Jett. They’re not those assholes. You can trust me.”
“Aww,” Tyler says, grin sliding back in. “Thanks, man.”
Effa’s eyes flick to mine. She holds my gaze for a long beat, like she’s measuring the weight behind my words. Then she exhales, rolls her eyes, and nods like she’s surrendering to the inevitable. “Fine. But only because Mercs is vouching for them. And only if the girls agree.”
Alana, Kristy, Casey, and Andi all nod, quick and easy, because they felt it too. The talent. The vibe. The potential.
Effa turns back to the band. “It’s settled then.Fort Affliction… do you want to complete the tour with us?”
Luke’s smile is a thing of beauty and pure triumph, but carefully disguised. He winks at me when no one else is looking, and it takes everything in me not to laugh.
Tyler looks like he might explode from excitement, and Nix tries to keep it cool, tries to act like this isn’t the moment their whole life pivots.
“What would the set time be?” Nix asks.
“Forty-five minutes,” Luke answers. “Mercs will handle lighting and crew support. We’ll organise the logistics.”
“And pay?” Nix adds, because he’s smart enough to ask the uncomfortable question.
Effa’s smile turns sharp. “You look after your band?”
“Someone has to,” he says, and Luke hooks an arm around his shoulders like they’ve been mates for years.
“Come on,” Luke says. “Let’s talk contracts.”
As they walk away, Tyler glances back at me.
Just once.
A reminder.
Pay Vex.
The weight in my gut returns, heavier now, because it’s not just about me. It never is, not anymore.
I should tell Effa.
I should.
But the idea of saying the words—I owe money to a bookie—makes my skin crawl. I did it for Kiera. I did it because I was desperate, because I needed a miracle, and now I’m holding a debt that could bleed into everyone I love.
I shove it down.
Not tonight.
Tonight, the girls have a new opening band, and the room is alive again.
I turn back to Effa and the others. “Well,” I say, forcing a smirk into place. “Looks like you’ve got your opening band.”
