Page 135 of Second Sets Omnibus

“Fine. I’ll do it. But don’t expect me to be nice or understanding. They may have been something to me at one point in my life. But not now. They’ll have to work hard. No passes. And definitely no Lyric.” I raise a brow when my brothers nod in agreement. “I’ll have the movers on standby to collect their shit,” I mumble, sending out an email to the company we always use in cases like this.

“Riv, they’ll have to meet her at some point. You can’t hide her forever. One look at her and him,” Zepp says, gesturing toKieran as he leans back in the chair, stretching his arms over his head. “They’ll know.”

“A problem for another day,” I gripe, waving my hand. “Now, I’ll go work my magic.” Nerves eat away at me with every step I take in their direction.

Five years ago, Callum saw something he misinterpreted into something more. His tear-filled expression haunts every aspect of my life. For years, I wished I could go back in time and redo that entire thing, starting with not allowing Van into my apartment. Now, I’m faced with the four assholes who served me with multiple restraining orders in Illinois and told me they wanted nothing to do with our child. Thankfully, my beautifully brilliant sister-in-law investigated it a year ago and confirmed it expired within the first year.

“Get it, sis,” Seger mutters, pumping a fist as I turn the knob on the back door and heave a breath.

“If this is a bloodbath, I’m claiming insanity and blaming you two,” I quip, narrowing my eyes at my brothers.

“Fucking worth it,” Seger says, barking out a laugh. “I’ll get the fucking popcorn while you obliterate them into submission.” Promptly, I flip him off, trying to shake the terror from my trembling fingers.

In two point five seconds, I’ll be face to face with the assholes who broke my heart. And I’m supposed to guide them into a better future, eliminating any sort of distraction.

Fat chance.

As my heels click against the hardwood floors of the conference room, my heart beats double time. I’m breathing the same air as them again and standing before the four assholes still glaring down at their phones. They don’t even have enough respect to look up and watch the person entering the room with a fire under her ass and revenge bleeding through her veins.

Once I step up to the long conference table, I set the files down lightly on the gleaming wood and take stock of the men around me. A smirk pulls at my lips as I gain their attention one by one, reveling in the paleness that takes over their faces.

“Hello, boys, my name is River West, and I’m your new band manager. Congratulations,” I say, cocking my head when various emotions cross their pale faces.

Yeah. Revenge will be delightful, slow, and painful. Whispered Words will one-hundred percent get everything that's coming to them—all in due time.

“How about we get started?” I hum.

“Hello,boys, my name is River West, and I’m your new band manager. Congratulations,” I say, cocking my head.

My heart pounds against my ribs. Pain encases my chest, tightening like rubber bands and constricting my air. Every ounce of oxygen stalls in my lungs until I blow out a calming breath, forcing myself to stay in the present—with them—the boys who broke my heart five years ago.

Who knew staring into the eyes of the four exes who screwed you over five years ago after they ran away would be so fucking nerve-wracking. I should despise them. Hate their fucking existence. I should want to see their careers spiral down a dark hole and hit rock bottom as I laugh maniacally at their demise.

Instead, with as much confidence as I can muster, I utter the fourteen words that will forever change our lives and throw us down a wicked path of devastating revelations and wreckage we may not come back from.

Varying degrees of emotions cross their pale faces, sending victorious goosebumps down my spine. Their utter fear empowers me to sweep my gaze around the room.

Callum blinks rapidly like a flickering mirage stands confidently in front of him. And he has yet to believe I’m actually here in person.

My eyes move with ease to Rad, who stares at me with those big, brown puppy dog eyes I used to get lost in for hours and hours on end. Quickly, though, he turns away to study the conference table, avoiding any more eye contact.

Kieran’s face twitches in disbelief, and his jaw pops open. A reddish tint takes over his flesh, starting on his neck, and slowly seeps color onto his cheeks. Sooner rather than later, I see an outburst in our future.

And Asher. My breath catches in my chest, stopping me cold. Never in my life did I think I’d see the day Asher Montgomery would freeze in place with horror lining his face.

An array of feelings slams through me. Fear. Sadness. Utter betrayal. Wide, unblinking eyes look up at me in horror, and disbelief pulls their muscles rigid in their chairs. One by one, the realization of what’s happening slams into their chests, and they’re nothing but frozen men with gazes glued to me—the star of the damn show.

Something deep inside me bubbles with excitement, yet the fear and utter devastation they left behind reside there, too. Reminding me of what happened when I ran to their doorstep with pregnancy tests in my back pocket, begging to see them. I vividly remember Gloria, Kieran’s sadistic mother, answering the door and throwing me a life-changing grenade of knowledge. Kieran, Rad, Callum, and Asher were gone—vanished into thin air without a goodbye or explanation. The most devastating part of it all was the way they left without a word, leaving our childand me in the dust with nothing more than a restraining order forbidding me from speaking with them.

And they knew. They acknowledged the existence of Lyric by having Gloria toss me a check, advising me to ‘get rid of it’ and stating they didn’t want her. They denied my daughter having fathers. Sure, she knows them by name and calls them daddy by choice, but she’ll never have the chance to know them in person unless they step up to the plate. But that’s only if I let them. They can hurt me all they want, but I’ll be fucked if I let them hurt her, too.

Somewhere in my mind, a little voice begs for revenge against the men who callously threw us away like yesterday’s stale bread. Like we had meant nothing to them—like I wasn’t someone important to them. Like I hadn’t had an instrumental impact on their ability to even enter the Battle of the Bands competition—let alone win it.

Oh, how the tables have turned in my favor. No longer am I the scared girl with a baby in her belly and vengeance on her mind. I’m a woman, a mother, and I’ll fucking get what I’m owed. Professionally, of course. I can’t simply destroy these men without consequence. This job, my daughter, and this entire record company are my life force that kept me going when I thought my world had fallen apart. I wouldn’t have made it this far without the loving support of my brothers, Seger and Zepp, and their family. They’ve taken me in and given me everything I’ve ever dreamed of and accepted me as one of their own.

These men are at the root of it all, and karma is quite the bitch when she wants to take back what is owed. Whispered Words will 100 percent get everything that’s coming to them—all in due time, of course. Whether by me or by the universe—Karma is on her way to lay claim.

“How about we get started?” I hum, letting the shocked silence embrace me in a warm hug and revel in their awkward expressions.