Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
GUS
ONE MONTH LATER
“ A bsolutely not.”
Gus banged through his condo, looking for his damn keys. Everything in his place was normally organized and clean, a fact that his best friend, Val, often gave him shit about. But now his brother, Robbie, was in town, a few days earlier than normal for Kickoff, and wasn’t able to check into his hotel room yet. Though Gus always told him he was welcome to crash on his couch, he was secretly glad Robbie preferred to stay closer to the convention center where the event was held. Robbie was his brother and he loved him, but Robbie was also… a lot.
Case in point, Robbie had been staying at the condo for only one night and had somehow managed to move almost everything in Gus’s living room, and now the spot where Gus hung his keys was empty. Gus deeply hated when things weren’t in their proper place, and now he had no fucking idea where the keys were.
“You didn’t even let me ask the question.”
Gus rolled his eyes, thankful he was only talking with Val on the phone and not FaceTiming her.
“I already know what you’re calling about. You call every year. I told you, I don’t want to work Kickoff.”
Gus was willing to work most any day, even holidays, but he loved Kickoff. It was the one weekend where he got to immerse himself in the pop culture he enjoyed. The games, the comics, the movies, everything he loved quietly during the year he let himself love out loud for Kickoff. The weekend was crazy and chaotic and he looked forward to it every year.
Of course, this year was going to be different, what with Robbie and Brittany broken up, but still. Gus was determined to have fun.
But now Val, his best friend and boss and all-around pain in the ass, was calling for a favor. Val ran a local security company, and she was often hired to work Kickoff for the various high-profile people who came. But Daryl’s wife had gone into labor early, which left her short on security for her Kickoff clients.
“Gus, come on, I’d owe you one.”
“You owe me about forty at this point, Val.”
“It’s one client. One of the celebs has a stalker and their team is asking for security for her meet and greet line. You babysit someone while they smile for the camera. Make sure people don’t get too handsy. It’ll be over before you realize.”
“No way.”
“Time and a half, and I’ll add a week to your vacation time this year.”
Gus took a deep breath, willing himself to say no even though he knew he was going to say yes. He had a thing for helping people, and friends like Val didn’t come around every day.
Unfortunately, Val knew that.
“Gus, you’re a lifesaver.”
“I didn’t say yes.”
“Your silence says everything. The client needs a ride from the train to her hotel room. I’ll send you all the info.”
“Wait, you never said—”
Val hung up before Gus could get a word in edgewise, which was probably the smartest thing she could do.
Gus shook himself, realizing he still needed to find his keys and get the fuck out of there. But once again, the universe was against him as Robbie came slamming out of the bathroom. He was still in his boxers, his hair a mess in the way that Gus knew for a fact his online fans loved. He threw his signature grin at Gus.
“Hey, you’re up early. Is there breakfast?”
Annoyance flared as Robbie flopped himself onto the couch. Though Robbie was twenty-six, he perpetually acted like he was still in college. This didn’t usually bother Gus, but right now, when he was late and couldn’t find his keys, Gus was annoyed.
Not that Robbie noticed.
“Where did you leave my keys?” Robbie had borrowed Gus’s SUV last night for some late-night club party that gaming streamers were invited to. He had tried to convince Gus to come, but the club scene wasn’t for Gus, and the gaming streamers were never interested in talking with Gus. Robbie’s friends had dubbed him “the boring one” for the way he would cut them off from drinking more, would make sure they weren’t making asses out of themselves, and basically would smooth over whatever trouble they would get into. Gus knew he wasn’t the fun brother, that Robbie was universally liked, was charming, could talk his way into anything, but it bothered him how easily Robbie’s friends classified him as “boring.” So Gus had stayed home last night, read a book and watched the news in what he was sure was the most uninteresting Tuesday night a person had ever lived.
And he had liked it.
Robbie had his arm over his eyes, blocking the light.
“On the table.”
Gus glanced at the empty kitchen table. “Which table?”
“I don’t know, they’re there somewhere.”
“Robbie, please don’t tell me you lost my keys.”
“Of course I didn’t lose them. I’m here, right?”
“Then where are they?”
Annoyed, Robbie sat up and walked to the kitchen, scanning everywhere Gus had already looked.
“I don’t know, did you move them?”
“If I had moved them, they would be in their proper place.”
Robbie rolled his eyes at that. He had heard Gus’s lectures on putting things away for his whole life, and it had made zero impression on him. Bored with searching, Robbie climbed on to a stool at the kitchen counter.
“You should’ve come out with us last night. There were so many women at the club just hunting for a hookup.”
Gus opened drawers, opened the fridge, trying to think like Robbie.
“I thought you were dating Diamond.”
“She dumped me.”
Gus looked up at that.
“When did that happen?”
“Last month. Someone told her some lies about me. She believed them and dumped me.”
“What lies?”
“Does it really matter?”
Robbie ran his hands through his hair, quick, clearly frustrated with the conversation. But at this point, Gus was mostly immune to Robbie’s moods.
“It matters if you want her back.”
Robbie looked up at him at that.
“You think I can?”
“Not if you’re going out picking up women at clubs, no. But if you can sit down with her to talk to try to prove she heard lies, then maybe. Diamond’s a smart woman.”
Gus liked Diamond. She was no Brittany, but she was intelligent and funny and ran her own streaming page with makeup tips, including the occasional wild art piece. Because of her popularity, she was often hired to do the makeup at various magazine shoots, worked with other influencers, etc. She was solid, and someone he had thought could make Robbie wake up and start acting like a grown man.
But if she had dumped him…
“What lies, Robbie?”
Robbie just shook his head.
“I think Brittany got to her with some nonsense. That girl is batshit. No idea why I dated her so long.”
“She’s not batshit.”
Gus had spoken automatically but knew in the moment it was a mistake. Proven true when Robbie spun his gaze to him.
“What the hell are you talking about? She broke into my apartment and ruined my rig. I lost over a thousand hours of gameplay because of her and had to replace all my equipment.”
Okay, that was a fair point.
But Gus’s mind went back to that night, to Brittany in a miniskirt so short it haunted him, handing him the key she had still warm from her bra. Her eyes had flashed when he accused her of being angry about Robbie dating. There was a hint of disappointment in her look that Gus couldn’t get out of his thoughts.
His mind a thousand miles away, it took Gus a moment to realize he had opened the freezer and was now staring at his keys. He grabbed them.
“The freezer, Robbie?”
Robbie nodded as if it made sense.
“Oh, right, I was going for a popsicle and must have dropped them.”
Gus didn’t have time to lecture Robbie on how stupid that was. He headed to the door.
“Don’t break anything, don’t steal anything, don’t throw a party.”
Robbie called after him just as he was shutting the door.
“Booooring.”
The door firmly shut, Gus took a breath to center himself just as his phone dinged with a text message. He glanced at it, seeing it was Val sending him the client information… and his gut dropped at the name.
Kickoff just got a lot more chaotic.