Chapter 24 Snitch
SNITCH
DYLAN
Fire By Barnes Courtney
I close the door to my office with a satisfied grin.
I imagine Christian’s face when Morgan returned to their table—her flushed cheeks, her hair slightly out of place despite her attempts to fix it.
He had to know exactly what happened between us in the bathroom. And the thought? Pure fucking victory.
Our encounter plays vividly in my mind: her breathless gasps, the way she’d pulled me closer, the heat of her skin against mine.
I can still feel how wet she was, how her body tightened around my fingers.
How she bit her lip to keep from crying out when she came.
A smirk tugs at my lips as I settle into my chair.
The idea of Christian connecting the dots—realizing I’d had his ex-wife pressed against a bathroom sink—sends a thrill of satisfaction through me.
Only after I’ve savored the moment does something else creep in—a twist of jealousy at seeing them together in the first place.
Her and Christian. The family they once were.
It’s an emotion I didn’t expect and don’t particularly welcome.
I lean back in my chair, staring at the ceiling.
The momentary satisfaction fades, replaced by something I don’t want to examine too closely.
A knock at my door interrupts my thoughts.
I look up to find Morgan standing there, and my breath catches in my throat.
Her hair is still slightly mussed despite her obvious attempts to fix it.
Her lips look swollen from my kisses, a freshly fucked look no amount of makeup can hide.
I can still see the phantom marks of my hands on her body, can still taste her on my tongue.
She’s a mix of exasperation and determination as she closes the door behind her.
“Did you really just fuck me in a bathroom?” she asks without preamble.
I can’t help the cocky grin spreading across my face. “If I recall correctly, you were a very enthusiastic participant.”
“You paid the waiter to spill water on me,” she says, crossing her arms but failing to hide the slight curl of her lips.
“One of my better ideas,” I admit, standing to move around my desk. “Your lipstick is smudged, by the way,” I point out. My thumb brushes the corner of her mouth, a deliberate touch that lingers a beat too long.
Her breath catches, but she steps back, keeping a professional distance between us. “I’m sorry Christian was a jerk. He was just thrown…”
“You don’t need to make excuses for him,” I say.
“I’m not,” she says defensively.
“People underestimating me is nothing new. Hell, my own assistant likes to remind me I’m gonna screw something up on the daily,” I tell her, shaking my head. “At a certain point it becomes white noise. So why are you really here?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about Liam?” Her voice drops, serious now.
The world goes still. My mouth opens, but nothing comes out. “How do you—”
“Hazel told me.” Her voice cracks.
“Didn’t peg her for a snitch.” I scratch my head, trying to deflect while my mind races.
“This isn’t funny.”
“I know.” I sink into my chair, suddenly realizing this isn’t only about my personal life anymore. If Morgan knows about Liam, and Liam’s in a band she signed…
“Is it true?” The concern in her voice causes me to meet her gaze.
“It’s legit,” I confirm, my stomach knotting.
“How? When?”
“Fucking Maggie and the genetic testing kit she got me for Christmas last year,” I groan.
“Liam quit the band.”
The words hit hard. I freeze. “What?”
“I went to see him two days ago, to find out why,” she continues. “He gave me some excuse about complicated connections in the industry and not wanting to be seen as using that to get ahead. I didn’t understand what he meant until Hazel dropped the bomb.” She narrows her eyes at me.
And this isn’t only about Liam and me anymore. “How does this affect the band? Your plans for them?”
Morgan’s professional demeanor slips, revealing the stress she’s been under.
“My distribution deal hangs on Hollow Reign knocking it out of the park at the showcase,” she says, running a hand through her hair.
“Without Liam, everything falls apart. Their sound, their chemistry—it’s all changed.
And we don’t have time to find and train a replacement. ”
She looks directly at me, vulnerability breaking through her professional facade.
“If they bomb, SoundStream will walk. Without the distribution deal, Left Turn can’t afford to keep the lights on through the year.
I’d have to let half my staff go, and the artists we’ve spent years developing would scatter. ”
She paces a few steps, her agitation palpable.
“And Maxwell Kane is just waiting for us to fail. He’s been circling Left Turn since my father died, and with Apex Talent imploding, he’s even more aggressive.
He’d strip the company for parts—keep the valuable catalogs, discard everything and everyone else.
Everything my father built would be gone in a month. ”
I didn’t know he was going to quit the band, and this might be all my fault. But how was I supposed to know this would all fall apart? I was only trying to protect myself.
“Did it ever occur to you that he just wanted to know you? That finding out he had a brother meant something to him?”
Her words hit harder than I want to admit. I turn away, staring out the window at the skyline, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’ve never needed to know where I came from. Wade and Adam—they’re my family. My real family.”
“And suddenly there’s this guy claiming to be your brother,” Morgan says, her tone softer now. “And it scares you.”
I whirl around. “I’m not scared.”
The look she gives me is so knowing, so full of understanding it makes me want to put up walls to prove her wrong. But I’m tired of walls between us.
“Fine,” I admit, voice barely audible. “Maybe I am scared. Opening the door to my past—I don’t know where it leads. I’ve built my whole identity around being Wade and Adam’s son.”
Morgan’s expression softens. “That’s what this is about.”
I shrug, uncomfortable with how exposed I feel.
“You should have told me,” she says, the anger in her voice replaced with something gentler. “When I signed Hollow Reign, when I saw you and Liam at the club. You should have said something.”
“I know.” I meet her eyes. “I didn’t want to face it. Didn’t want to open that door to my past.”
“Well, now you have to figure something out,” she says firmly. “Liam quit the band because of you.”
The truth of her words stings. “I don’t know what to say to him.”
“Start with ‘I’m sorry’ and go from there.” She steps closer, close enough that I can smell her perfume. “He works at Soundwave Music on Sunset. He was at the store when I went there two days ago.”
I hesitate, the thought of facing Liam making my stomach knot. “What if he doesn’t want to hear it? What if it’s too late?”
“Then at least you tried,” Morgan says, her eyes holding mine. “But I don’t think it is too late. Not yet.”
The thought of opening up that door to my past makes my chest tighten. “I need to think about this.”
“Look,” she says finally, her voice quieter. “I get that this is complicated for you. I do. But I need to know if you’re going to fix this or if I need to start looking for another drummer.”
I run a hand through my hair, torn. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”
Her gaze lingers on me for a moment before she nods once, her expression carefully neutral. “Well, when you figure it out, let me know. I don’t have the luxury of time.”
As she turns to leave, I catch her arm. “Morgan?”
She looks back, eyebrow raised.
“Why do you care so much what happens between Liam and me? Beyond how it affects your company, I mean.”
Something unreadable flickers in her eyes. “Because sometimes your worst enemy is the one who sees you most clearly.” Her lips curve in a small, sad smile. “And because I know what it’s like to lose family before you’re ready.”
“I’ll let you know,” I say, unable to promise more right now.
She nods, disappointment evident despite her attempt to hide it, and walks out, closing the door behind her.
After Morgan leaves, I slump in my chair, the impact of her words settling over me. I reach for my phone, staring at the blank screen, guilt and indecision warring inside me.
“Holy shit, you have a brother?”
I look up to find Rachel leaning against the doorframe, eyes wide with genuine shock—an expression I rarely see on her perpetually unimpressed face.
“How long have you been standing there?” I demand.
“Long enough.” She pushes off the frame and walks into my office without invitation. “A brother, Dylan? Seriously?”
I glare at her. “Eavesdropping is beneath you.”
“Please. When Morgan Clemson storms out of your office looking like that, it’s my civic duty to investigate.” She drops into the chair across from me. “Do Wade and Adam know? About Liam, I mean.”
“No,” I snap. “And they’re not going to. Not until I figure this out.”
“Why not? It’s not like they’d be upset—”
“Can we not do this right now?” I run a hand through my hair. “I’ve already had one lecture today.”
Rachel studies me, her usual snark momentarily set aside. “You’re actually freaked out about this, aren’t you?”
I stand, too restless to stay seated. “This is a mess Morgan didn’t ask for.”
“So make it right for her, if not for you.”
“Fuck, I don’t need this right now.”
“Most of life’s important moments aren’t scheduled in your Outlook calendar,” Rachel says dryly. “They just show up and demand to be dealt with.”
I shoot her a look. “When did you get so philosophical?”
“Around the same time you started having bathroom quickies with your sworn enemy.” She smirks. “Yeah, I know about that too. The lipstick on your collar was a dead giveaway.”
I instinctively touch my collar, and she laughs.
“Made you look.”
“You’re fired,” I mutter.
“Sure I am.” Her expression softening slightly. “You know, having a brother isn’t the end of the world.”
“How would you know? You’re an only child.”
“True. But I’ve always thought siblings are like built-in friends who are contractually obligated to love you even when you’re being an ass.” She shrugs. “Which, in your case, is most of the time.”
Despite myself, I laugh. “That’s one way to look at it.”
“For what it’s worth,” Rachel adds, her voice unusually sincere, “Wade and Adam wouldn’t think you were betraying them by getting to know your brother. They love you too much for that.”
Her words hit. “You don’t know that.”
“Actually, I do. I’ve seen how they look at you—like you hung the moon.
They’d want you to have more people in your corner, not fewer.
” She pauses. “Besides, they of all people understand that families come in all forms. They’d be the last people to judge you for wanting to know where you came from. ”
My gaze drifts back to my phone, thinking about Morgan’s face when she left. “She’s going to lose everything if this showcase fails.”
“So are you going to talk to him? Try to fix things?”
I hesitate, then reluctantly nod. “Yeah. If not for me, then for her. I can’t let her business tank because I’m too scared to face my past.”
“Good.” She stands, smoothing her skirt. But instead of leaving, she lingers by the door. “If you need anything—like cake or vodka, whatever—let me know”
I blink, caught off guard by her sincerity. “Thanks, Rachel.”
She immediately reverts to her usual self. “Don’t get used to it. And next time you decide to have a quickie in a public restroom, at least have the decency to fix your hair afterward. You look like you stuck your finger in an electrical socket.”