I nod. “They have, yes.”

  “Did Knox prep you for tonight?”

  “He did,” I answer, lying through my pink lips. “He said as long as I don’t trip on the stage, it’ll all be okay.”

  Tony laughs. “Wise man, Knox Benton.”

  “Very wise.”

  “So how are things going between you guys?” he asks, his eyes sparkling with gossip. “Obviously, this isn’t your first time on the road together.”

  “No, it’s not. But things are… great,” I say, smiling until it hurts. “Knox is such a wonderful guy. And he’s been so supportive of me on this tour — they all have. Criminal Records is like a second family to me. Feels good to be home.”

  The crowd swoons.

  “Quite the reunion, then?”

  “Oh, yeah. We’re having a great time.”

  “No bad blood there? Because, as we all remember, you and Knox had a pretty ugly break up a few years ago.”

  “Yes,” I say, swallowing the bland taste at the back of my throat. “But… you know, it’s been a few years, like you said. We’ve both grown as people and… well, I won’t speak for him, but for me, I’m happy to have him in my life again.”

  The audience swoons again.

  Tony doesn’t.

  “That’s interesting, because we’ve heard otherwise here at the studio,” he says. “It seems you and Knox have been less than truthful with us.”

  I glance at Chrissy; her face as confused as mine. This definitely wasn’t on the list of approved topics.

  “Oh?” I say. “I… don’t know what you mean.”

  Tony tilts his chair away from me and looks straight into the front camera. “Folks, my producer has just informed me of breaking news from our friends over at Gossipa Magazine. Let’s take a look at some footage leaked online just minutes ago. Harmony and Knox — Criminal Liars?”

  Before I can reply, the monitors throughout the studio change. They show a video of me at dance practice the other day, sweating in my pink tank top and tights. The angle is low, the image shaking as if the camera were poking out of a purse.

  “Uh-oh,” a voice says, one I clearly recognize as Chrissy. “Trouble in paradise?”

  “It was never paradise,” the Harmony on screen replies.

  I look across the studio at Chrissy. She’s staring at the nearest screen, her mouth sagging open in confusion.

  “Starting to think this was all a terrible idea.”

  “Oh?”

  “I mean, it was always a terrible idea. Me and Knox don’t work. We didn’t before, and we were never going to convince anyone we could now.”

  Oh.

  Oh, shit.

  “But whatever.” The image of me glares hatefully. “In the end, I didn’t need him or this stupid fake relationship. My tide is rising and there’s nothing Mr. Artist can do about it.”

  The screens go black and the audience gasps.

  “Harmony, is that true?” Tony says, those sparkling eyes sharp as nails. “Are you and Knox faking your relationship?”

  The cameras focus on me. Everyone focuses on me.

  It’s what I’ve always wanted.

  Right?

  54

  KNOX

  Ilook away from the TV, unable to watch, the pained expression on Harmony’s face cutting deep into my heart.

  I search the bar for Logan. It only takes a moment for me to spot him, still happily smiling at the screen as he sips his drink.

  “Knox,” Jonah warns beside me.

  Ignoring him, I rise off my stool and beeline straight for Logan. “What did you do?” I ask.

  Logan looks up. “Hm? What’s that?”

  “Don’t play dumb, asshole. I know this was you.”

  His face doesn’t change. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Knox.”

  That fucking smirk. Thin and victorious.

  I grab Logan by the jacket collar and yank him off the stool.

  “Knox, stop!” Jonah shouts from behind me.

  I don’t listen. I throw a punch at Logan instead.

  It connects, successfully — and finally — wiping that smug look off his face.

  Logan takes the hit, easily keeping his balance. Then he spins in my direction, his fist careening toward my eye.

  “Break it up!” the bartender shouts.

  Pain fires through my nose, but I’m too drunk to feel it or even care. I lunge at Logan, knocking him off his feet, and we stumble into a table by the wall just beneath the TV.

  As I hit the ground, I catch a glimpse of Harmony again, her eyes in confused panic as she tries to explain our truth. Our lies. But she’s all alone.

  She shouldn’t be alone.

  I should been there. If I had any brain at all, I would have gone there anyway like⁠—

  Logan strikes me again, this punch hitting me directly in the right eye.

  My rage spiking, I punch harder, targeting nothing but Logan Shock and his stupid face until I’m forcefully pulled off the floor.

  Jonah holds me back with an iron grip. “Knox, stop!” he says, planting himself between me and Logan on the floor. “He ain’t worth it.”

  I growl with anger, tasting blood on my lip. “He—” I try to breathe. It hurts. Everything hurts. “Harmony⁠—”

  “I know,” Jonah says. “But this isn’t the way.”

  “Yeah, Knox,” Logan says as he pushes himself up. He wipes the blood off his chin and smiles. “Listen to your pal Jonah.”

  I lurch forward, but Jonah holds me at bay.

  Jonah shakes his head. “This isn’t the place.”

  Logan chuckles. “Yes. No roughhousing in the Botsford Palace.”

  Jonah glares out of the corner of his eye, but he ignores Logan, choosing to focus on me instead. “Come on,” he says, his eyes on building security heading this way across the lobby.

  Logan scoffs as he dabs his nose. “It’s true what they say, eh, Botsford?” he says. “You’ve got a thing for strays.”

  Jonah turns. “What’d you say?”

  “First the wayward Bentons. Now, your cute fiancée.” Logan’s smirk returns. “You must get off on it, right? Why else would you lie with such low-class people?”

  I lunge forward again. This time, Jonah shoves me back and launches at Logan himself.

  I grin and catch up, looking to get in a few more good hits before security can pry us off.

  When they finally do, I feel the cold steel of handcuffs tighten on my wrists.

  Eh.

  It was worth it.

  55

  HARMONY

  What a fucking fake

  I knew Knox wouldn’t slum like that again!

  lol whore

  her mom married the head of the record label, talk about a nepobaby

  Iscroll through the hate, and I keep scrolling. I search for the one supportive voice amongst hundreds of haters. There’s always one hater out there, no matter how good the others are. The opposite must also be true, right?

  Liar!

  I told u guys she sucked

  She was totally lipsyncing too I bet

  Can we all agree to stop pretending we like her now?

  Or maybe not.

  I set the phone down on the table and look outside. Not that this view is any better. Big Pink is surrounded. The parking lot is full of paparazzi, their cameras flashing at me. They can’t see me sitting here through the tinted glass, thankfully, but that doesn’t matter. They can sense fresh blood when they smell it.

  The doors of the bus open fast. Chrissy leaps on, shouting over the voices that I had no comment and demanding privacy.

  How fucking ironic.

  “Get us out of here, Barry,” she says as she passes him.

  “You got it, sweetheart,” he replies, his foot already on the gas.

  I turn away from her as she approaches. “I have nothing to say to you,” I say.

  “Harmony, I know what it looks like⁠—”

  “What part of⁠—”

  “But it wasn’t me!” she says over me. “It was Priscilla, I swear!”

  “Priscilla?”

  “It was her! I know it! I wasn’t even with you at rehearsal yesterday. I was in video calls with the label all day.”

  I shake my head, unsure I believe her. “You’re saying she impersonated you?”

  “Yes!”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “To help The Electrics,” she says. “To dig up dirt on you. To ruin my life. Take your pick. It’s not the first time she’s done things like this. Prissy used to cancel my appointments. She’d go on dates with people I was with. She’s the reason I didn’t have sex until I was twenty-four!”

  “Whoa,” I say, taken aback by the sudden over-share.

  “She’s probably been doing it for weeks,” she says. “Waiting for you to slip up and do something they can use to hurt Criminal Records.”

  I squint, the idea ridiculous. “I don’t know, Chrissy…”

  “Think, Harmony,” she says, her begging eyes on me across the table. “Have I said anything strange lately? Or done something out of the ordinary?”

  I think about it. “Well, you did bring me hazelnut coffee the other day.”

  “You hate hazelnut coffee.”

  “I know.”

  “I would never do that!”

  “I thought so, too.” I bite my cheek. “Come to think, you said that Logan was hot and that I should reconsider his offer.”

  “No, I didn’t.” Her mouth sags. “I didn’t. Harmony, you have to believe me.”

  “I do,” I say, the truth bleeding from her eyes. “I believe you, Chrissy.”

  Chrissy sighs and collapses on the seat, but the tension doesn’t leave her shoulders. “I’ll make this right. Okay? I’ll explain everything to... everybody. Whatever needs to be done, I’ll do it. There’s still time to smooth this over.”

  “There’s not much you can do,” I say. “All she did was tell people the truth.”

  Chrissy exhales slowly.

  “Don’t talk to anybody just yet,” I say. “Not until we meet up with Knox and the others.”

  “What’s going to happen next, you think?”

  “I think…” I shrug. “Who fucking knows?”

  “Maybe people won’t care that much,” she says, hopeful.

  I glare at my phone. “So far, the comments have been pretty hateful.”

  “It’ll blow over.” Chrissy reaches across the table and lays her hands on mine. “Everything does eventually.”

  “I hope so,” I say. “For now, let’s just… get back to the hotel and⁠—”

  My phone vibrates. I cringe, wanting so badly to ignore it, but I slide my hand out from under hers to check it.

  There’s a new text from Katrina.

  I read it and gasp. “What the fuck?”

  “What is it?” Chrissy asks, grabbing her own phone from her pocket.

  “Knox and Jonah were arrested,” I read. “Logan, too. They⁠—”

  “Got into a fight at the hotel bar?” Chrissy turns her phone toward me, showing the latest headline on Gossipa. “Yeah. News travels fast.”

  “Oh, god,” I say, far too numb to think clearly. “Okay. Well. I guess this night can’t get any worse now. Right?”

  My phone rings in my hand.

  Paul Monroe calling.

  Perhaps I spoke too soon.

  56

  KNOX

  The cell smells of whiskey and body odor.

  Or… maybe that’s just me.

  Jonah and I sit on the floor with our backs against the cold wall. The bench was already taken when they tossed us in here by two men who admittedly look like they need it more, anyway.

  Jonah hasn’t said a word to me in the hour we’ve been here. Not that I blame him. Truthfully, I’d expect an apology out of me first if I were in his shoes. He’s probably pissed. I should check.

  I clear my throat. “Hey, Jo.”

  “What?” he asks, spitting the word.

  I wince. Yeah, he’s pissed. “So, here we are.”

  “Yeah,” he says. “Here we are.”

  “Been a while since we’ve seen a drunk tank, eh?” I say, making light of it.

  He doesn’t reply.

  I sigh. “Look⁠—”

  “When did you start hearing music?”

  I hesitate, but there’s no sense in lying at this point. “San Francisco,” I answer. “I think.”

  “I asked you to tell me if it started again.”

  “I know.”

  “Well, why didn’t you?”

  “Because it… never stopped, man,” I admit. “That’s the thing with muses. You know that. She’s always there. Every time I touch my strings, there she is.”

  Jonah keeps his jaw flexed tightly, but nods.

  “How romantic,” Logan says, his back against the opposite wall.

  “Hey.” I glare at him. “Nobody asked you.”

  He smirks, then stops as he pokes at his swollen lip with his tongue.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Jonah asks again, ignoring Logan. “We could have done something before it became a problem.”

  “Because I—” I pause, then shrug. “Shit, Jo, because I didn’t think it’d become a problem.”

  “I knew this was a bad idea. I knew I should have shut it down. Now we’re fucked.”

  “No one’s fucked, Jonah.”

  “How would you describe it, Knox?” he asks, tilting to look at me. “We’re in jail. We don’t even know what’s happening out there. Aren’t you worried about your band? About Harmony?”

  “I’m worried about Harmony,” Logan says.

  I resist the urge to go over there and punch him again. “Of course I’m worried about them,” I say to Jonah. “And yes, our current situation isn’t exactly ideal, but there’s no point in freaking out until we know more.” I lower my voice. “And maybe we should switch to whispers around the drunk guys and the D-O-U-C-H-E?”

  “Why bother? He already knows everything. Might as well let it all hang out.”

  “I agree, Jonah,” Logan says. “A little transparency goes a long way in this world.”

  “Hey. Shut up,” I spit at him, then look at Jonah. “Jonah, I’m sorry. I got a little screwed up, but I didn’t have a choice.”

  “Yes, you did,” Jonah says. “In fact, you chose correctly. ‘We’ll beat The Electrics the old-fashioned way: with our music.’ Those were your exact words, Knox.”

  Logan chortles.

  My legs lurch as I almost go for him before settling back down.

  “But then,” Jonah continues, “Paul Monroe takes you out of the room for five minutes, and you come back and do a complete one-eighty. Why?”

  I glance at Logan, then whisper, “Can we please talk about this later, Jo?”

  “No,” he says. “We’re gonna talk about it now. I want to know, right now, why you changed your mind.”

  “I didn’t just change my mind. It’s more complicated than that.”

  “How?”

  I smother the words, my eyes on Logan again.

  Jonah punches my shoulder.

  “Ow!” I say.

  “No,” he says. “Don’t look at him. Look at me.”

  “Jonah—”

  “Knox.” He holds his stare, his eyes full of care and friendship. “Just tell me. Why did you agree to bring Harmony along?”

  “Because Paul said he’d revoke our contract if I didn’t!”

  Jonah blinks, but says nothing.

  “He wanted Harmony out of the way,” I say. “And if we didn’t take her, then we were finished at Midnite Music.”

  Jonah thinks for a moment, then shrugs. “So?”

  I scoff. “So, he says. He says so.”

  “We don’t need Midnite Music,” he says. “We got where we are because of who we are, not because of a record deal.”

  “No, you got where you are because of who you are. I didn’t.”

  He goes quiet. “Knox…”

  “I’m not a Botsford,” I say. “I can’t just retire to my golden tower if shit goes south. Before Criminal Records, I had nothing. Katrina had nothing. I can’t go back to that. I can’t let her, either. I won’t.”

  “I wouldn’t let that happen, Knox.”

  “That’s not the point,” I say. “Or maybe it is. You’re our safety net. Always have been. But what happens to us when you’re not anymore?”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You’re getting married, Jo.”

  “That doesn’t mean I stop being me.”

  “You didn’t even want to go on this tour,” I say. “Don’t deny it. I could see it in your eyes when you said goodbye to her in Vegas.”

  Jonah says nothing.

  “When Criminal Records is finished, you’ll just go home,” I say. “I can’t go home. I don’t have one to go back to. And Harmony... Fuck, she was home.” I pause, shaking my head as I look down. “For a minute there, I really thought she was. But I screwed that up before, and I sure as shit screwed it up again now.”

  I close my eyes and wish I were still drunk.

  “You are a Botsford, Knox,” Jonah says. “All of you are. No matter what happens to Criminal Records. You’re my family, the one I chose. Don’t forget that I chose you over what was expected of me since birth. I could have sailed through life in a suit and tie, but I didn’t. I’m not just a safety net. I’m your brother. You are my brother. And I love you.”

  I swallow, genuinely touched. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah, man.”

  “Even though I fucked us over?”

  “We’ll work it out. Together. We always have.”

  He rolls his fist and holds it out until I tap mine against it.

  “Aw,” one of the drunk guys says from the bench.

  “Yeah,” the other one says. “That was beautiful, my dudes.”

  “Thanks,” I say, then I look at the prick across the room. “Anything you’d like to say?”

  Logan shakes his head.

  A door slides open down the echoing cell block, the sound of metal grinding against metal filling the space. A guard approaches the cage with two women flanking him at his sides. One I don’t recognize wearing a blue pantsuit and a grey scarf, her blonde hair tied back in a tight bun. His lawyer, probably. She’s definitely got the look of one.