by Anna Paige
He flicked his gaze to Gavin then back to me. “How’s that?”
“Head-on,” I told him, nodding down the hall.
I went to let go of his hand and he held on, leaning down so we were on eye level. “I’m so sorry, Kaiti. I didn’t want to… I mean, I shouldn’t have done what I did. There’s no excuse.”
I squeezed his hand and offered him a genuine smile. “I forgive you.”
His eyes widened. “Really? Why?”
“Because I know that wasn’t you, not really. And I also know that if you ever get rough with me again, cameras or no cameras, I’m going to feed you your nuts.”
He swallowed thickly and nodded. “As well you should.”
I dropped his hand but kept smiling as I looked back and forth between him and Gavin. “I’m going to fuck shit up. You two coming?”
They both nodded, looking equal parts amused and afraid.
When we walked into Bryce’s office, everyone’s chatter dropped off and was replaced with an awkward, expectant, and somewhat ominous silence.
Bryce was getting some hostile looks from everyone, which meant they knew what he’d been doing—hoarding their sins in some creepy file on his computer. I’d given him a choice; either he told them before I got here or I was going to commandeer a bullhorn to make the announcement for him.
Apparently, he’d opted to do it himself.
Taking a deep breath, I let go of Gavin’s hand and stepped into the center of the room, waiting for all eyes to be on me. Talk about irony, this whole thing started because I wanted to avoid situations like this.
Gavin gave me a quick nod when my eyes fell on him and I drew in a deep breath, feeling something shift inside me, something awakening after many years of lying dormant under the stifling blanket of my anxiety.
“Thanks for coming in early. I know Monday’s are already hellish, but this couldn’t wait.”
“Not like we had a choice,” Skylar snipped.
I turned to her, eyes blazing. “Oh, you had a choice. You could have chosen not to be a cruel, vindictive bitch and none of this would be happening. But thanks to your ridiculous insecurity, here we all are.”
“Wait, are you saying Sky was the one?” Jenna asked from somewhere near the door.
I didn’t bother turning to look at her as I answered, my eyes pinning a now wide-eyed Skylar as I spoke. “I’m sure she can fill you in later, Jenna. I don’t have any desire to give her more attention than she’s already gotten.”
I moved closer, closing the distance between me and Sky until I saw Bryce take a step forward as if preparing to break up a fight. It was a wasted effort, though. I wasn’t going to hit her, not physically anyway.
“You see, Skylar, what you didn’t count on here was the fact that I don’t intend to fucking quit. You made more than one attempt at chasing me off and here I am, still here, still in your face, still willing to deal with the bullshit parts of this job because the rest of it is too amazing to walk away from.” I sneered at the way her jaw clenched. “And I’m not walking away. I don’t scare as easily as you think, and I’m not going anywhere, though I hear that you might be.”
Her eyes darted to Bryce, who said nothing.
“What you did, bringing that disgusting video into play, was weak. Chances are, it was going to come out eventually, whether you leaked the story or not. Probably would have taken years, but you couldn’t wait that long, could you? So, congratulations. You drew first blood. But it was only a scratch, not enough to take me out. This will be the story of the week, viral one minute and forgotten the next, nothing but a footnote in my story.” I stepped so close I could feel her thousand-dollar perfume burning my nose. “Now you get to sit back and wonder what I’m going to do in retaliation. And if you think you’re ballsy, ask Bryce how stupid it is to fuck with me.”
He snorted before he could stop himself and I stepped back, looking his way for the first time. “Oh, I’m not a fan of yours these days, either. If you thought I was ready to taser your ass that first day, you have no idea how close you are right now.”
His smile slipped and he had the decency to look ashamed.
Fuck it. I’m sick of this shit. They want the wide-open, brutally honest Kaiti that’s so freaking perfect for this show, they’re gonna fucking get her.
I met each of their gazes as I addressed the room. “I didn’t walk in here ready to call everyone out but Jesus! Someone needs to. What the fuck is wrong with you people? I mean, really? You.” I pointed to Skylar. “You’re so desperate for attention that you don’t care who you have to step on to reach the spotlight. You’re insecure as hell and that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard because you’re talented…and beautiful…and in a position to really be a positive influence on people. It’s also sad because we could have been friends if you weren’t so quick to feel threatened, and I’m not even the threat here. Your freaking attitude is what’s going to lose you your job.”
I looked at Jenna, who flinched back. “You are not a background character. Not on the show and not in real life. Don’t settle for being the sidekick. Especially to someone like Sky. Be the leader. You’re a really great actress and an even better person. Stop hiding in someone else’s shadow.”
Jenna nodded, tears in her eyes as she smiled at me.
I pointed at Michael, leveling a severe look his way. “You, you big idiot, have been cast as the villain so many times that’s how you see yourself. You’re not a villain.” I shrugged, letting the corner of my mouth turn up in a ghost of a smile. “You might be an ass sometimes, but that doesn’t make you the bad guy. Stop playing into that shit. Don’t be the Joker when you’d make a really great Batman.”
Bryce didn’t flinch when I turned to him, which impressed me. He stood there like he was ready to take whatever I dished out. Head high, shoulders squared, ready for the firing squad.
“You think being the director, producer, and whatever other titles you hold around here—basically making people do exactly what you see fit—makes you some kind of god. And on the set, maybe that’s true. But you can’t really think it applies outside of work, can you?” I didn’t expect a response and didn’t wait for him to give one. “I know you thought what you were doing was a good thing, some twisted, highly-invasive form of protecting us and the show, but you set all of this into motion with that stupid report. You can’t play with people’s lives, can’t collect their secrets and invade their privacy this way.” I gestured to his desk. “Are the files on that computer?”
He shook his head, pointing across the room. “On a laptop in the safe.”
“Get it.”
“Why?” he asked, brows raised.
“So I can do what I came here to do. Destroy it.”
“Kaiti—” he began.
“If you want me to continue on the show, this is going to happen. Period. If not, I’ll see you in court. I told you in my email that I’m not fucking around and I meant it. You can sue me for breach of contract and I’ll sue you right back for whatever bullshit claims I decide will ruin your reputation the fastest. Because we all know it’s the allegation that counts, not the truth, right?”
He looked around the room and saw the agreement in everyone’s eyes, then slunk his ass over to the wall safe like I asked.
He handed the laptop to me and I turned to Joey, the only one who I hadn’t reamed a new one, but he was still there for a reason—a couple of reasons, actually. “Joey, can you find me a screwdriver?”
He nodded and started toward the door.
“Wait, there’s one in my desk,” Bryce said quietly, stopping him. He walked over and opened the center pull-out. After fumbling around inside for a bit, he produced a small screwdriver, which he then offered to me.
I took it with a nod and flipped the laptop over so I could get to work on the various screws in the back. “You have a minibar and kitchenette around here somewhere, right?”
Bryce nodded. “Yeah, behind the door. Why? You need a
drink? Because I sure as fuck do.”
I almost laughed. “No. I need a microwave. There’s one in there, right? I thought I saw one last time I was here.”
“Under the bar area, with the mini fridge.” he sounded wary. “Kind of an odd time to heat up a frozen burrito, though.”
I snatched the hard drive out with a grunt of triumph and gave him a sweet smile. “No burrito, but I’ll definitely be nuking something.”
His eyes went round. “You can’t…”
I didn’t hesitate. I crossed the room, lifted the hinged wooden door over the bar area, and plunked the hard drive into the microwave. Finger poised over the ‘start’ button, I turned to Jenna and Joey who were nearby. “Might want to back up a few steps, guys.”
I hit the button, quickly backing away as Gavin stepped up beside me and muttered, “Let the fireworks begin.”
The acrid smell of smoke and charred metal dissipated faster than I would have guessed, but Bryce would definitely need to replace his microwave. And Joey—thank goodness for Joey—managed to reset the fire alarm before it triggered the sprinklers, which I’d totally forgotten about.
Whoops.
Guess I was really on a roll to have forgotten that. I didn’t let them know I cared one way or the other but there was one person in the room who knew better.
Gavin was fighting hard not to smile as I studied everyone with a stone-faced expression that I was barely able to maintain. “We all good here?”
Nods all around, along with smiles from most everyone.
Except for Skylar, of course.
Joey cleared his throat and tapped his headset. “It’s time.”
“Time for what?” Bryce asked, still giving me a death stare for blowing up his microwave.
I looked around the room. “Time for my interview.”
“What?” Skylar’s brows shot up.
Michael said nothing, neither did Jenna, but they were clearly as surprised as Sky, though not quite as worried.
Gavin smiled. “I knew you had something up your sleeve.”
I gave him a wink. “Gotta go get dolled up. I’m doing an exclusive in a few minutes.”
“Kaiti, maybe we better discuss this…” Bryce looked ready to pop a blood vessel.
I considered a second before giving my head a little shake. “Nah. I’m good.” I turned to Skylar but spoke to the room. “You’re all invited to watch, of course.”
She looked so green around the gills that I almost laughed. Gavin chuckled as I swatted his ass on the way by. “See you all on the flip side.”
Twenty
Gavin
“Hang on there, Gavin.” Bryce watched as everyone filed out of the room, not one word uttered between them. From the looks on Michael and Jenna’s faces, they were reassessing some shit after Kaiti’s grand speech.
She’d given them some hard truths that they both needed to hear. She’d been a mirror for them as she had for me.
Good.
Skylar looked ready to hurl as she scurried out, cutting between Michael and the door frame and bumping her shoulder as she did. She was scared, practically pissing herself as she contemplated what Kaiti might say in that interview.
Also, good.
Bryce, however, had shrugged off the commentary and was now acting like he was ready to throttle me. Not that I cared.
“Close the door,” he said, his jaw clenched and his posture rigid in anger.
I glanced back at it and gave him a pointed look. “Maybe we should leave it open.”
He just glared and crossed his arms.
“I mean, it still kind of stinks in here and I’m a little worried about toxic fumes from that hard drive Kaiti fried.” He remained impassive so I tried for humor. “Also, if you plan to take me out, an open door and the possibility of witnesses might keep me alive.”
“Close. The. Goddamn. Door.” His eyes bore into mine as he ground out each word.
Okay, not in the mood for friendly banter. Noted.
I reached back and swung the door shut, resigned to whatever price I was about to pay for my actions. Instead of lingering on the other side of the room, I marched over and dropped into the chair directly in front of where he lounged against the corner of his desk. “Fine, let me have it. But I’m telling you now, don’t expect an apology because you won’t be getting one.”
“I wasn’t holding my breath.” He glared down at me, which I knew gave him a lot of satisfaction. “What were you thinking?”
“Kaiti asked the same thing.”
He threw his hands in the air. “Of course, she did! Because despite being a little insane, even she knows what you did was reckless as fuck. You came dangerously close to crossing a line legally, one that I couldn’t bail you out from even if I wanted to—and I’m not saying I’d even try. You put your whole career in jeopardy. Put the show in jeopardy. And for what? Like Kaiti pointed out, that video was bound to surface eventually.”
“Not the point.”
He moved to the seat beside me and pulled it around so we were face to face. “Then explain the point to me, please, because I don’t see how costing yourself your job helps anyone, especially Kaiti.”
I had no immediate answer for that.
He narrowed his eyes on me. “Were you trying to get fired?”
I looked at the floor beside his chair, anywhere but at him.
“Son of a bitch. You wanted to get fired. What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know what that would mean for your future in the business? No one would touch you. You’d be labeled as a bad risk—black-balled.”
“I know what it would mean, Bryce. I’ve been doing this shit for over fifteen years. I’m not naive.”
He threaded his hands behind his neck and stared at the ceiling. “Is she worth all this?”
I bristled, eyes snapping to his face. “Fuck yes, she is. But it’s not just about her. It’s about me. It’s about not having anything to believe in anymore, about watching my so-called friends take turns stabbing each other—and me—in the back in the name of fame. It’s about wanting to change things, shake things up, do something different with my life.”
He met my gaze. “You think you’ll be content to do normal with Kaiti, just walk away from it all and settle down? Because that’s not going to happen, Gav. I’m telling you this as your friend—whether you think I am or not. You’ve made too much of a name for yourself. Even if you quit acting right now, you’d never be able to walk the streets or grocery shop or take your kids to the beach without being recognized, hounded, followed and photographed. This is your life whether you want it or not. So, things are stale, I get that. You’re frustrated and disillusioned. Fine. Reinvent the parts of your life you’re not happy with, don’t throw them away.”
I watched him for a minute, wondering how we ended up so far from the people we’d been in the beginning, from the friends we once were. It had been small things at first, comments I didn’t agree with, choices I thought were selfish, and I’d distanced myself from him because of it.
Distanced myself from all of them, from the industry as a whole.
“I’d like to help you if you’ll let me.” His expression mirrored my own. I wondered if he was remembering how it had once been between us and whether it made him sad too.
I shook my head, though I offered a weak smile as I did. “No. I need to do this myself. Assuming I’m not slated to be fired by the end of the day.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up in a wry smile. “I think I know someone who might be able to smooth everything over, provided you agree not to go off half-cocked like that again.”
I raised my hand and gave him the Boy Scout salute. “I’ll maintain a fully-cocked status from here on out.”
He nodded and moved behind the desk. “I’ve got some calls to make but I’ll see you out there for Kaiti’s interview.”
I raised a brow at his calm demeanor. “Aren’t you worried about what she’ll say?”
“Nope. She�
��s earned the right to say whatever the fuck she wants. If it starts another shit storm, so be it. I’ve already got my umbrella out from yours anyway.”
“Thanks, Bryce.” I gave him a genuine smile, thinking for the first time in a while that we might be able to salvage this friendship.
“Bite me, Lane,” he smirked.
I started out the door and he stopped me.
“Hey, by the way…”
I turned and gave him an expectant look. “Yeah?”
“Off the record, what you did for her—the risk you took to defend her—I’m proud of you. And I’m happy you found each other.”
I gave him a nod. “I’m glad you were a douche in that mall and made her want to zap you. I wouldn’t have found her otherwise.”
He smirked, shrugging. “I do what I can.”
“Nah, you’re a natural douche, no effort required,” I quipped, pulling the door closed behind me as he flipped me off.
Kaiti
Joey—God love him—stood guard outside my partially open dressing room door, simultaneously watching over me and making sure everyone kept out until it was time for me to head down to the interview. He was oddly fidgety, shuffling back and forth on his feet and looking down the hall like he expected a stampede or something.
It was kind of adorable.
I knew something was going on with him and Evie, but she was being secretive about it so I didn’t push her for details. I might have to pull Joey aside and see what I could get out of him if she didn’t spill it soon, though. It drove me crazy when she was stingy with information.
“I should have asked Evie to come do my makeup,” I commented to Joey, watching the mirror as his head swiveled in my direction. “I’m sure she’s going to give me hell for going with the minimalist look for a big interview like this.”
“You look great, Kaiti. Beautiful.” He offered a warm smile and then went back to staring down the hallway. Dammit. I had been hoping for more of a reaction than that, maybe a flush in his cheeks at the mention of her name. Something.
