Viper (Fallen Angel #2)(56)

“All I see in front of me is an asshole who’s gone sappy as shit.”

“Dude…” Killian rubbed his jaw before scooting forward to rest his elbows on the table. “What’s the real issue here, huh? Is it because of what happened with Owen?”

“That was a long time ago.”

“Then is it because Halo’s our frontman and you don’t wanna fuck shit up there?”

I hesitated, and then said, “No.”

“Okay. Good. Because Halo’s not Owen or Trent.”

“You don’t think I fuckin’ know that?”

Killian lifted a shoulder and rolled his half-empty glass between his hands. “I saw him, you know. Trent. After the show in Savannah.”

I blinked. That was months ago, and Killian had never said a word. “Uh, no, I didn’t know.”

“I’d been trying to get in touch with him for months, mend the fences, so to speak, but he wouldn’t answer my calls.”

“Because he’s a shithead.”

“V, please,” he said.

“Fine. What about him?”

“Apparently he’s been living down there for a while, on some island off the coast. South Haven, I think he said. He’s writing again, working on his own stuff.”

“Good for him,” I said, bringing the beer to my lips.

“Yeah, he looked good. Happy.” Killian hesitated, rolling his glass again. “I, uh, made a call to Marshall. Tried to get him back in with MGA—”

“You did what?”

Killian held his hand up. “Relax. Trent turned down their offer, which Marshall gave me a fuckin’ earful about, but whatever. I guess he wants to do shit on his own terms.”

“Huh,” I said, digesting the news. I hadn’t given much thought to what Trent was up to since he’d left, but…yeah, maybe he’d earned the tiniest bit of my respect back for fucking Gellar over. “There a reason you’re bringin’ this up now?”

“I don’t know.” Killian let out a heavy sigh, like he still carried the weight from all our internal band issues around. “I guess I just thought you should know. Things are going well with us, and I’d like it if we can all agree that Trent leaving worked out for the best.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Then why all the hate still, V?”

I tapped my fingers along the side of my glass, half annoyed to even be having this conversation, and half unsure why I couldn’t stop my tongue from spouting off the shit I did when it came to Trent. Maybe it was a default reaction when someone brought him up now. Hell if I knew.

“Maybe it’s time to remember we were all friends first, yeah?” Killian said.

“You want me to call Trent up and go all ‘Kumbaya’ on his ass? I don’t think so.”

“I’m not saying you have to do anything. But maybe stop with the shit talking, and if we happen to run into him, maybe you could be civil. Especially since we got Halo out of all this.”

Just hearing Halo’s name had my pulse kicking up a notch. It had only been a few hours since he’d left my bed, but it felt like years.

“One more thing, and I swear I’ll shut my mouth,” Killian said, as I groaned. “If you like the guy, stop with the ‘it’s just fucking’ business, or you’re gonna lose him. His stuff’s at your place, you’re with him almost every damn day, and I’ve seen the way you look at each other. Denial’s an ugly beast, my friend.”

“We done with the lecture now?” When Killian nodded, I lifted my hand to catch the attention of our waiter. “Thank fuck. My beer’s gone bad.”

Killian snorted and flipped through his sketches again while I placed our orders for another round, and while he didn’t mention Halo again, I couldn’t help but feel as though the angel was sitting at the table with us with the way I couldn’t think of anything other than him.





Thirty-Five





Viper





“SO THIS IS where the Viper from TBD grew up, huh?” With his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, Halo strolled down the sidewalk I used to take home from school each day and looked up at the old brick homes that sat side by side, taking in the neighborhood that had been my old stomping grounds.

“Yep. Me, Killian, and eventually Trent.”

Halo looked at me where I was walking alongside him, my hands in the pockets of my leather motorcycle jacket. “Eventually?”

“Yeah, he moved here from Nashville,” I said, glancing at the home with the fresh paint on the old porch railing, and I had a fleeting thought about my earlier conversation with Killian about Trent, and what he might be doing now. But as soon as it entered my mind, I shoved it aside. I’d promised Killian I’d try not to think shitty thoughts about Trent whenever his name came up now, but at the same time, I didn’t have to actively think nice thoughts of him. Especially not tonight.

“Huh. I didn’t know that.”

“Some TBD stalker you are,” I said, aiming a smirk his way, and when the angel’s face lit up with amusement, my stomach did that new flip it seemed to do anytime Halo looked pleased with me.

“Well, in all fairness, I only listened to your music back then. It’s only recently that I’ve turned into a stalker. Tracking down interviews, music clips, and magazine articles.” Halo stopped walking and ran his eyes down to my mouth. “And I have to confess, none of my attention has been focused on Trent Knox.”