Angel (Fallen Angel, #3)(20)
“Just like that. I’m not sure what happened with your last manager,” Levi said, his eyes locking with mine, “but from what I’ve heard, it wasn’t a pleasant ending, which leads me to believe there were some trust issues. I want to work with you, not against you.”
Halo shifted in his seat to face me and said, “I think this all sounds good, don’t you?”
I did, actually, and when I nodded, Halo smiled at me in a way that made my stomach flip. If the angel felt comfortable and liked Levi’s idea on how to make our lives a little less chaotic, I wasn’t about to stand in the way of his peace of mind. I turned back to see the rest of the guys staring at us, and inclined my head in Killian’s direction. He grinned. Right. Decision made.
“So, okay, Levi,” I said. “How about you meet us tomorrow at Kill’s and we can get you up to speed?”
A smug smile crossed Levi’s mouth as he looked around the table and then back to me. “I’m busy tomorrow,” he said as he stood to his full height. He then reached inside the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a business card, which he slid onto the table in front of me. “But I can meet you guys on Monday at the address on this card. If you have any more…personal issues in the meantime, you two, feel free to call me. And Halo,” he said, turning his eyes in the angel’s direction. “Keep him out of trouble, would you?”
Halo chuckled and agreed, and as Levi made his way out of the restaurant, I turned back to face the rest of the guys. Killian’s eyes were firmly trained on Levi, and all I could think was: Levi thinks I’m the one who’s gonna be trouble? Didn’t look that way to me.
Fourteen
Halo
A RUSH OF adrenaline shot through me as the set designers for the Corruption tour walked us through the mock-up of the stages. Killian and Viper had given them a rough idea of what they wanted, and man, the designers had run with it. I’d never seen such a massive setup before, and it was blowing my mind that it would basically be my home for months on end. Performing in front of tens of thousands of people all over the country, having to own every inch of space on both stages.
Good God, what have I gotten myself into?
I suddenly felt like a kid playing with his older brother’s toys, and my face must’ve reflected what I was feeling, because Jagger elbowed Slade and inclined his head toward me.
“He’s got that look again. I think he’s in shock.”
Slade waved his hand in front of my face. “Yo. Halo. You good?”
“Kill, I think we’ve overloaded our frontman,” Jagger called out.
I blinked, forcing my gaze away from the screen on the wall that showcased in detail every part of the main stage and looked over at the guys, who each had looks of concern—and amusement—on their faces.
“Too much?” Killian asked. “Need a paper bag? A drink?”
I shook my head and wiped my brow. It was strange how excited and petrified I was at the same time. I was fucking dying to get on that stage, but at the same time…holy shit. A stadium tour? That was intimidating as hell, especially with a group that’d done it so many times before. Could I hack it? Deep down, I knew that of course I fucking could. It still didn’t stop the nerves from taking up every square inch of my insides.
“I-I’m good,” I said, my voice betraying me as I sought to come off as calm and collected as Killian always seemed. “It looks badass.”
Killian smiled, looking up at the rendering. “Yeah, it does. Wanna see what they’ve done with the lighting design so far?”
“And the pyro,” Slade added. “Don’t forget the pyro.”
“Oh, uh, I’d love to, but maybe we should wait for Viper?” I said, looking over my shoulder to the door, as if he’d walk through it on command.
Killian waved me off. “Nah, he can see it later.” He walked over to where the designers stood in front of several complicated-looking sound and lighting boards, as well as a handful of computers, and said something to them, and a few clicks of a button later, the image on the wall morphed. As “Corruption” began to play, colored lights flashed across the main stage in time to the music.
I could feel my jaw dropping as plumes of smoke gathered low to the floor, and then fire exploded from the front of the stage as well as the back risers.
“Oh fuck me,” I said under my breath as I stood there mesmerized.
“See that pyro? Kickass, right?” Slade shouted over the music.
Killian threw an arm over my shoulder and gave me a shake. “So? What do you think?”
“I think you should get your hands off my guy,” Viper said, smirking at Killian as he shut the door and tossed his bag on a nearby chair. He swaggered my way and Viper raised a brow. “Miss me?”
He didn’t give me a chance to respond before he leaned in to steal a kiss. His lips were warm and tasted faintly of coffee. If the room had been empty, I would’ve been tempted to explore more of his sinful mouth, but then Viper pulled back, his dark eyes glittering.
“You might wanna take over holding your man up,” Killian said, dropping his arm from me. “I think he’s a little overwhelmed.”
“A lot overwhelmed,” I corrected him.