After a while, she finally calmed down enough to pull back and face me, tear-stained cheeks and all. She was more beautiful than I’d ever seen her. And I was a lucky, lucky man to see this side of her.
I swiped at her tears. “I wish you hadn’t run off like that. I wish I’d known you were hurt—”
She shook her head. “I had to go. I had to get out of there.”
“You didn’t trust me to do the right thing,” I said. Not to be judgy but to understand. I wanted to be the one she ran to, not the one she fled from. Maybe one day we’d get there.
Hopefully.
She sighed and wet her lips. “Honestly, Jack, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d chosen to protect your dad over me.”
Now it was my turn to shake my head in frustration. “It doesn’t have to be one or the other, Lila. I get now that he’s always come between you and your sister—”
“He’s come between me and everybody,” she interrupted. “Anyone who might possibly care for me. He sought full custody of me when I was a kid. Back then, I told myself it was because he loved me so much, but even then, a part of me knew it was because he’d wanted to win. To make my mother pay. And now…” She sniffed. “Today made it so clear. It was never about loving me. I was a living reminder of the one time he’d lost. A time when he’d been played for a fool. He hates me, Jack.” Her voice turned to a harsh whisper. “My father hates me.”
Brandon’s voice in the doorway interrupted. “Then it’s a good thing he’s not your real dad.”
They shared a look I didn’t understand before Brandon turned to me with a little smile. “Sorry to interrupt. Just wanted to make sure she was okay.”
She nodded, sitting back on her heels. “Stay,” she said to him. “I was just about to tell Jack the rest of the story. You should be here for this.”
He nodded as he came over to join us, ignoring my obvious confusion. “Be here for what, exactly?”
Brandon patted my shoulder as he took a place on the couch beside us. “You might want to settle in, bro.”
Lila nodded. “You’re in for a wild ride.”
Even with the door to the tutoring trailer wide open, it was too hot in this place. The AC had finally kicked the bucket, and no one had replaced it yet. I switched the fan up to high as Brandon, Tess, and I sat in silence in the tutoring trailer that Amber and I shared.
None of us particularly wanted to be here, but one week had gone by and enough was enough. Next week, the entire cast and crew had a break for the Thanksgiving holiday, and Brandon, Lila, and I were heading back to Pinedale for a week. It might not be a long time to be away, but my dad had raised me to never go to bed angry, and I had this deep-seated feeling that Lila shouldn’t walk away from her home without some resolution. Even if it was only for a week.
I couldn’t let Lila leave this town the way things were. It wasn’t like her to avoid conflict, and honestly, the way she’d been acting this week… well, it worried me. She wasn’t herself. It was like the fight had gone out of her. And while I supposed maybe it was to be expected with all she’d been through and learned, neither Brandon nor I wanted to see her lose the only real family connection she had… aside from Brandon.
Lila had been staying with us since the night of the party. Mainly because she didn’t want to see Devereaux, but it wasn’t a secret that she’d been avoiding her sister too. I was all for her steering clear of Daddy Devereaux. If I had my way, she’d never see that jerk again for the rest of her life. But Tess—that was another matter.
And that was why we were currently sweating it out in the tutoring trailer, waiting on Lila to show up. I couldn’t stand watching her hurt anymore, and losing her sister, who she loved even if she never wanted to admit it…
I wasn’t going to watch that happen.
Brandon sighed. “Couldn’t we have had this pow-wow in my trailer? The AC works great. It’s like an icebox in there.”
Tess tapped her foot with impatience. “She’s not coming.”
“She’ll be here,” I said for the tenth time. “You know Lila’s never been on time once in her life.”
Tess made a scoffing noise, and Brandon outright laughed. “That’s the truth. The girl knows how to make an entrance.”
“Or maybe I just love to watch you suffer,” Lila said in a syrupy sweet tone as she climbed up the short stairs and paused in the doorway like she was modeling for the runway.
Despite the fact that the tension in this trailer buzzed like a current, I couldn’t stop myself from taking in the sight of her. She was wearing these short shorts that did amazing things for her already amazing legs. And the slinky little tank top was somehow both elegant and sexy as hell.
For the millionth time this week alone, I was forced to consider just how lucky I was.
“Dude, stop leering at her like that.” Brandon smacked my arm, and I shut my mouth.
Lila laughed, walking toward me and sliding down into my lap, making Brandon groan in dismay.
It had been a week since the two of them had filled me in on the epic craziness that was their new sibling status. A week in which Brandon had turned into an overprotective big brother right in front of my eyes.
Considering I’d always thought of myself as his overprotective big brother, the family dynamic in our little threesome had been interesting to navigate this past week.
For better or for worse, Brandon had insisted on giving Lila his bedroom so she could have some privacy, which left him on the pullout couch and me on an air mattress. This was not my ideal sleeping arrangement with my new girlfriend, but the logical part of my brain knew that he was probably right to be setting some boundaries.
What Lila and I had was new… but it would last.
We had all the time in the world.
That was what I reminded myself as I ran a hand over her smooth thigh and nuzzled her delicious neck.
“Eh-hem.” Brandon had perfected his throat clearing skills these days, and Lila shot him an apologetic grimace before shifting off my lap to sit by my side. “So,” she said, pointedly ignoring Tess. “What’s with the serious vibe? I hustled all the way from school because I thought you guys were wrapping up early and wanted to grab dinner.”
Yup. That was what I’d told her. She looked from me to Brandon and back again, once again ignoring Tess who glared at her from her corner and eyed the three of us with open curiosity.
“Did I miss something?” Tess asked, her gaze darting back to Brandon, who’d crossed his arms to watch Lila and me with the most big brotherly warning stare he could muster.
Tess’s question was the confirmation Brandon and I needed. I knew Lila had been ignoring Tess’s texts and calls this past week, but I’d thought—we’d hoped—she’d at least reached out to fill her sister in on the latest news.
When Brandon and I turned to Lila now, she pursed her lips in a pout I rarely saw anymore. “Why should I trust her with secrets when she doesn’t trust me?”
Tess’s sigh was loud in the tight confines of this trailer. “Is that what this is about? You’re pissed at me for keeping some secrets?”
Brandon looked to me, and we shared a wince as Lila’s cheeks flushed with anger and her whole body tensed as if she might strike. “Some secrets? Some secrets? You kept secrets about me. You kept Daddy’s secrets that affected my life.”
I could see the color fade from Tess’s cheeks as she realized that Lila knew about their father. About how he wasn’t their father.
“Dee, I was only trying—”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Lila nostrils were flared, and her cheeks were pink, and from where I sat beside her I could feel her tension. I could feel her hurt. It had me reaching out, lightly touching her back.
Tess tried again. “I just wanted to protect you.”
“Why?” Lila demanded. “You’re not even my real sister. Not even my half-sister. You’re nothing to me, and you didn’t think I had a right to know that.”
Tess f
linched, jerking back as if she’d been struck. The words seemed to echo in the silence, and I knew without having to see that Lila was trying not to cry.
It had taken me ages to see it back in Pinedale, but even then, it had been clear that these girls loved each other. Sisters or half-sisters or whatever they were now, they might’ve had one hell of a messed up relationship, but there was love there too. There was a loyalty and protectiveness between them that went both ways.
I reached for Lila’s hand and squeezed.
A flicker of relief ran through me when she squeezed back.
“Whether or not we’re blood,” Tess said softly, “I love you, Lila. You know that.”
Lila looked away and Tess did too. Brandon shot me a questioning look, and I caught his lips twitching upward.
These two were quite possibly the worst I’d ever seen at discussing their feelings.
We all waited for Lila to respond, and when she did, she sounded put out. “I love you too, obviously.” She huffed, and I had to bite the inside of my lip to hold back a laugh. It was kind of hilarious to me now when Lila hid behind her spoiled brat persona.
No one here was fooled.
She turned back to Tess. “I don’t understand how you still don’t trust me. After everything we’ve been through. I thought we were past all that. I thought we were both done letting Daddy get between us—”
“We are,” Tess said. “I am.”
“But you knew—”
“I only figured it out a few days before Daddy confronted us,” Tess said. “And I wasn’t a hundred percent. It was more a guess than anything. I didn’t want to go to you with just a hunch.”
“But you would have kept his secret,” Lila said. “If I hadn’t overheard. You would have kept his secret.”
Tess threw her hands out. “I don’t know, Lila. Maybe.” She glared at Lila. “Maybe I would have.”
“Why?” Lila demanded. “Why, after everything Daddy has done, would you keep a secret like that for him?”
“I wouldn’t have done it for him,” Tess snapped. “I would have done it for me. So I wouldn’t lose you.”
Lila stared at Tess for a long moment. There was nothing insincere in Tess’s response. Nothing calculated. She’d spoken from her heart, and we all knew it.
Even Lila.
After a heartbeat, Lila sniffed. “As if you could ever lose me.” Her lips twitched up as Tess’s eyes widened. “You know you’re stuck with me for life.”
Tess’s shoulders sank and a laugh of relief escaped. “So, you’re talking to me again, then?”
Lila shrugged. “I guess.”
Tess leaned back and shoved her glasses up her nose. “So… what have I missed this week? Any new drama in your life?”
Brandon, Lila, and I burst out in a laugh.
“Well, first of all, sis,” Lila said teasingly. “You should probably say hello to my newfound brother.”
Brandon gave a tip of an imaginary hat. “Howdy, ma’am.”
Lila laughed as Tess’s brows drew together in confusion. “Wait… what?”
And so, for the third time this week, Lila drew in a deep breath and started from the beginning. By the time she was done, Tess was wide-eyed and no doubt filled with questions. But Tess being Tess started in on the most practical side of things.
“Well, crap,” she said. “So now Daddy’s secret is truly off-limits.”
“Unless you want to out me and Brandon as the grossest couple in the history of Hollywood,” Lila agreed. “We could tell people I was just his beard until the cows came home, but it wouldn’t change the fact that we’re brother and sister… and a couple.” She gave an exaggerated shudder of revulsion.
Brandon winced. “Let’s just be grateful I’m gay, yeah?”
Lila gave a little snort of amusement. They’d both been coming to grips with this new sibling relationship in their own ways. But overall, they both seemed pleased as punch to have found each other.
“So I guess we’re back to square one with Operation Take Down Daddy,” Lila said. Her bitterness was palpable, and when I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, she leaned against my side and tucked her head against my shoulder.
I would do anything—anything—to get revenge on that old man. But since he had a secret that could destroy Lila’s good name—whether he knew the extent of it or not—and he had my dad’s future in the palm of his hands, not to mention he paid the bills that were currently saving Brandon’s ranch…
We were screwed.
And we all knew it.
“We still have that prenup clause,” Tess offered.
For Brandon’s sake, she gave a quick summary of Devereaux’s financial status and how much he needed to stay married to Vivien, or at least have her ask for the divorce because she wanted out. If he got caught screwing up—or rather, screwing someone else—he’d lose it all, the last legs he was standing on.
Sure, the show’s success would help, but the money from Love on the Range wouldn’t start pouring in for a while yet, and he was leveraging everything he had on this show.
The time to strike was now.
“It’s useless,” Lila said, clearly following my same line of thinking. “He has too much to lose. He won’t screw up when he has so much at stake.”
Tess looked thoughtful. She had her ‘scheming face’ on, as Lila called it. “I don’t know,” she said slowly. “Daddy isn’t exactly known for his self-control.”
“He’s not an idiot either, though,” Lila said.
“No,” Tess agreed. “But if he thinks he’s won… if he thinks I’ve been put in my place and you and your lot here are back where you belong, safely under his thumb…”
Lila sat up a little straighter. “He’d think he’s safe.”
Tess nodded, a glimmer of hope and cunning made her dark eyes dance behind her glasses as she looked from me to Lila to Brandon. “His guard will be down. We just need to find someone willing to trap him.”
“Yeah,” Lila said with a cynical frown. “But who?”
Sixteen
Amber
I supposed that was my cue. Shoving away from the burning hot exterior of the trailer, I rounded the corner and bounded up the stairs. “Oops! My bad,” I said with my sweetest smile.
Not a single one of them was fooled.
I was met by four scowls that had me rolling my eyes. “Sorry,” I drawled. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t welcome in my trailer.”
“Our trailer,” Jack said, with that smirk that hadn’t changed in ten years.
“Potatoes, pot-ah-toes,” I said, coming over to tap him on the shoulder, pretty much just to watch Lila’s eyes narrow in rage.
Oh yeah. That chick? She and I were gonna have it out one of these days, and when we did, one of us wouldn’t be getting up off the floor.
My money was on me, obviously. I knew how to fight. Lila? She knew how to shop. That was all she was good for. The dumb flake couldn’t even manage being the daughter of Hollywood royalty without messing it up by being born on the wrong side of the sheets.
And yeah. I’d heard that. I’d heard all of it.
I eyed this little group of wannabe badasses.
Badasses? Please. More like dumbasses.
Pathetic, the lot of them.
Well… my gaze found Brandon. He wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t his fault he’d been born too nice for his own good. “You ready?” I asked him. “Our big kiss scene is up next.”
“Ew,” Lila said. “Good luck with that, Brandon.”
I sneered at her, and she curled her lip up with a growl. Like, seriously. A growl. I choked on a laugh before I could stop myself, and I could have sworn her lips twitch with amusement too.
“Easy there, tiger,” Jack said as he patted her knee.
I rolled my eyes. “Coming, Brandon?”
He sighed. “Yeah, I’m coming.” He shot Lila a meaningful look as he passed. “We’ll talk later, ‘kay?”
She nodded.
> They’d talk when I wasn’t here. That was what he meant. As if they couldn't trust me with their precious secrets. Which…
Well, they couldn’t.
After the way I’d blackmailed Brandon last time, I supposed it was no wonder they didn’t want to let me in their little club. I didn’t expect Lila and Tess to know that I would have never actually gone through with it. But Brandon…
I shoved aside the pang of hurt.
He and Jack had known me since birth. And sure, I’d changed over the years. We all had. But if he actually thought I was his enemy, then he didn’t know me at all.
He shot me a sidelong look as we headed toward the set. “How much did you hear?” he asked.
“Enough.”
His jaw clenched tight and I sighed loudly. “Relax, big bro. I’m not about to out your big incestuous secret.”
He stopped walking to face me. “You know better than anyone that me and Lila aren’t actually a couple. The only reason we’re stuck pretending is because of you and your blackmail.”
I rolled my eyes. “Like I said. You can relax, Brandon. I was never going to reveal your big secret back then, and I’m not about to out you and Lila as the next Luke and Leia now.”
His glare was hard and so very un-Brandon-like. “Why should I trust you?”
Ouch. But yeah, okay. Fair question. “Look, Brandon. I did what I had to do to get here.” I gestured around us. “To get this.” I waved a hand over my ridiculous slutty cowgirl costume.
He eyed me as well, his gaze hard as nails. “And? Was it worth it?”
First Jack, and now Brandon. This time the answer didn’t come so easily.
I met his gaze evenly as my mind darted back and forth between answering yes or no. The answer was somewhere in between. My world was never as clear-cut as Brandon’s. He saw the world in black and white, right and wrong. He hadn’t learned yet that it wasn’t so simple.
Sometimes, you had to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. And sometimes doing what was right felt very, very wrong.
Princess of Hollywood (The Glitterati Files Book 2) Page 14
