Chapter 12
Dylan
I sighed. “It might be time to call in any chips we have with the network. He’s getting so controlling and just…weird.”
“You say that like we have any chips.” Austin collapsed into a chair on the other side of the table. “They hold all the cards. James says our ratings are down from the first season since we all got happy and less punchy. We’re on the brink of cancellation as it is.”
“’James says.’ Have you talked to anyone else? I’m sick of him being the authority on our own show.” I shook my head. “And I’m not down for him going after Indy. You heard him—he all but threatened her in front of us.”
“Is there anything he’s going to find if he does a background check?” Nathan asked before sitting down in the chair next to me.
Ryan pulled out the chair at the end of the table, his eyes ping-ponging between us.
Indy sunk down in her chair as her eyes grew large. “I’m nineteen. I don’t even qualify for a credit card,” she pointed out quietly. “What is there to find?”
Austin winced. “We probably should’ve done our own background check before officially hiring her.”
“Fuck you,” I bit out.
Austin reared back. “Seriously? You’re coming after me now too?”
“Like you all don’t have any skeletons in your closets.” I raised my eyebrows as I looked over all my brothers. “If you do a background check on Indy, I think it’s only fair that she gets one on each of you. What do you say? Who’s the first to volunteer?”
“How about you?” Nathan returned placidly.
“I got no problem with that.” I grinned back at my brothers. “Indy and I don’t have any secrets. She knows more about me than you all probably do. Except for Ryan, of course.”
“Kinda weird for you being ‘just friends,’ don’t you think?” Austin returned.
“Just say what you mean,” I sneered.
Nathan sighed. “It’s just hard to believe you two are only friends with the way you’re defending her. How much do you seriously know about each other?”
“Wow.” Indy waved her hands. “You all can see me, right? I’m sitting literally next to you, and you’re talking about me like I’m not even here. If I had a dollar the number of times you all have done this…”
Austin winced. “I’m sorry, Indy. We get a little protective about our little brother sometimes and—”
“Because I’m the fuck-up, right?” I bit out.
“This doesn’t have shit to do with her. I’m the one you all can’t trust. You’re still pissed about dad.
You didn’t accept my apology last night, and you’re still disappointed that I muled for the Kings back in high school.
You’re mad that they blackmailed me a few months back.
I am, and always will be, the fuck-up. I got it.
” I stood up and yanked my jacket off the back of the chair. “Come on, Indy. We’re leaving.”
She hopped out of her chair and followed me out of the room without a word.
My brothers of course had a lot of words to shout at my back as we left.
“Come on, Dyl!” Austin groaned.
“Nice for you to prove us right!” Nathan sneered.
Ryan was suspiciously silent. He didn’t try to cajole me into staying.
But then he didn’t defend me either.
I was all alone. Again.
After climbing into my truck, I slammed the door shut like I was closing it on my family.
“Um, this is awkward, but do you think I still have a job?” Indy’s voice was loud in the quiet cab.
And also reminded me of her presence. Guess I wasn’t so alone after all.
I rubbed a hand over my face. “I’m so sorry for tangling you up in this shit.”
“I mean, it’s not like my alliance is in question. If I have to choose between the job or you, I’m going to pick you.”
Dropping my hands, I stared at her in confusion. “What? Why? You need a job.”
“Because you’re a good guy, Dylan. I’m a stranger to you, but you went out of your way to make sure I have a safe place to stay. Food. A job.”
“That last part is in question at the moment.”
She shrugged. “So I’ll find another one. It’s not what’s important. You are. And if your brothers can’t see that, then screw them.”
“If you knew half of the things I’d done, you wouldn’t say that.”
“Did you kill someone?”
“Well, no.”
“Commit rape?”
“No.”
She gave me a look like I’d made her point for her.
I laughed. “If that’s your barometer of a person, I think we need to have a serious talk about morals and values.”
She rolled her eyes. “All I’m saying is that you haven’t done anything unforgiveable. I heard you sincerely apologize last night. It’s on them to accept it or not.”
I moved my shoulders uncomfortably. “I guess.”
“They need to get over it and move on like the adults they’re screaming at you to be. So yeah, if it ever comes down to needing to make a choice then I choose you. I’m officially Team Dylan. No regrets.”
For the first time in a long time, the feeling of peace and just connection swept over me.
Indy got me.
She picked me.
I couldn’t remember the last time someone prioritized me.
I didn’t know how much I needed that.
“How about we blow off the rest of the day and go to a museum or something?” Clearly I wasn’t comfortable with words. But I wanted to show her how much I appreciated her. And maybe take her to my favorite place.
Maybe it would become her favorite place too.
“Please, not the railroad museum.”
“What?”
She rolled her eyes. “My dad loved the railroad museum. I don’t know why. Maybe because he’s a hobo at heart? But we went like once a month. It’s okay the first five times, but after that…”
I cracked up. “Wow. You have so much patience it’s kinda amazing.” I chuckled some more. “I was thinking the Crocker Art Museum. They have American art, European stuff, amazing architecture and sculptures. It’s my favorite place in Sactown.”
She smiled. “I’ve never been, but it sounds like my kinda place.”
“Good. Let’s go then.”
* * *
Hours later, after we’d closed down the museum—security actually escorted us from the building—we were laughing and talking about the stern expression on the poor woman’s face as I drove us home.
“I feel like the principal just caught me making out under the bleachers or something.” Indy giggled.
“You say that like it happened before.” And I did not feel okay with that mental picture. I cleared my throat. “Were you a troublemaker in school?”
“Yeah right. I didn’t have the time. Once I got my license, I was running my Gran to doctor appointments or working at a sandwich shop to help out with the bills. I didn’t even go to prom.”
I sighed. “I didn’t go to any dances either. All my brothers were out of school, and I was in a hurry to catch up to them, prove to them that I could work with them too. You saw how well that worked out in the end.”
“I find it better not to rely on other people. You can see how well that worked out for me.” She laughed bitterly. “Present company excluded of course.”
As we idled at a red light, I turned and watched her stare out her window, sadness etched on her features. Until now our mood had been so light and fun, I ached to get back to that with her. Of anyone, Indy deserved some happiness given how much life had crapped on her.
But I was coming up empty with how to turn the mood around.
And when I pulled into my parking spot, my mood grew even darker.
Nathan and Austin sat at the little patio set Ryan had out front, but my closest brother was mysteriously missing. Nathan and Austin’s gazes were locked onto my truck so there wasn’t a chance to dip out unseen.
“Christ,” I muttered.
Indy turned to me with a frown. “What’s—oh.” I knew the second she caught what I was seeing. “That’s…gonna be awkward.”
“Seems to be my middle name lately.” I sighed. “You want to stay in the truck?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to hide.”
“’Kay. Let’s go face the firing squad.”
“Literally,” Indy murmured.
“What? They’re not packing.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean that. I meant the job. Firing me. It was a joke?” She laughed unevenly.
“Oh. Right. Ha.”
She shot me a look like she knew I was only humoring her, and this time my laughter was real.
“Fuck me. You’re cute. Come on. Let’s see what the fuck they want so we can see about dinner. Pretty sure my fridge is empty. We’ll probably have to order out.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Indy murmured to me as we walked over to where Nathan and Austin waited for us.
“It’s a lazy thing for sure. And expensive.”
“Well, considering I might be getting fired, dinner is totally on you tonight.”
I laughed again. “Deal.” I was still smiling when we stopped a few feet short of my brothers’ patio table. “What’s up?”
Both were wearing sunglasses and had beers on the table in front of them. But empties weren’t littering the ground, so they couldn’t have been waiting long.
Austin tipped his head at Indy. “You’re not fired.”
Indy crossed her arms over her chest and inched closer into my side. “Okay.”
“That’s a piss poor way of apologizing for how you both treated her today.” I scoffed.
“You’re right.” Nathan tipped his head. “We’re sorry for how lunch went down, Indy. You didn’t deserve that. And neither did you, Dyl.”
My gaze bounced between Nathan and Austin. This wasn’t what I’d expected. I didn’t really know what to say. “Okay.”
“It’s not okay.” Austin coughed like the words were fighting against him. “You apologized for the past, and we should move on from that.”
I nodded. “I’d appreciate that.”
Austin hitched a shoulder. “We need to start treating you like you’re an equal partner in the business. Because you are. So if you’re going to vouch for Indy then she’s in.”
“So no background check?” I asked for clarity.
Austin shook his head. “No background check. And maybe we need to have our lawyer talk to the network about James. You’re right—he’s getting out of hand.”
“He was cool at first, but he’s gone all manic with power.” Nathan huffed in annoyance. “And that’s bullshit. It’s our fucking show.”
I nodded. “I get that conflict drives viewers, but the way he’s going about it is dirty.”
Austin tipped his beer back, took a pull, then set the can on the table with an empty clink. “We’ll put pressure on the network to fix it. But it might be the end of the show, and honestly I’m okay with that.”
I nodded. “It might mean some lean months, but we’ll be okay.”
“Or you could start your own show.” Indy raised her eyebrows. “Hire your own crew and put up episodes on social media or YouTube. That way you guys control the narrative.”
The three of us turned and stared at her opened mouthed.
After a moment, Nathan laughed incredulously. “How the hell hadn’t we thought of that?”
“We’ll have to call it something else.” Austin nodded slowly. “But I’m liking the idea.”
“Holy shit,” I whispered before wrapping my arms around her and kissing the side of her head. “You’re fucking brilliant, Indy.”
“Fuck yeah!” Austin shouted as he jumped out of his chair and came over to join in the hug.
“You guys are crazy.” But Nathan laughed as he joined the group hug. “And Dyl is right—you’re brilliant, Indy.”
“Smartest thing this one here has ever done.” Austin tipped his head at me even as his arms were still wrapped around us all. “Good job, Dylan.”
I glowed for a second under the rare approval of my big brother. “Thanks,” I whispered roughly.
“Okay, someone is going to have to fill me in,” Ryan called out. “What the fuck is going on here?”