My stomach turned at the memory of Grayson Devereaux’s smirk.
I was right back where I started. Only this time I had more to lose, and Grayson Devereaux knew it.
Brandon huffed as he rolled his eyes, but then his gaze fixed on me with a new curiosity. “When did you change so much, Amber? What happened to the sweet girl I knew when we were kids?”
Everything in me recoiled at that question. A lifetime of memories warred for attention as I thought of all the ways I could answer that. But Brandon didn’t need to hear my sob story. He didn’t deserve to hear it. “She grew up,” I said.
His eyes filled with sadness. Disappointment. I had to fight a surge of guilt that only a guy like Brandon could make me feel. “Too bad,” he said. “I really liked that Amber.”
I did too. I clenched my jaw shut. “Enough with the guilt trip,” I said. “What’s done is done, and I don’t regret a thing.”
Mostly that was true.
Brandon looked away. He gave a little shake of his head, and I knew that any second now, he was going to walk away. But my head was still spinning with all I’d overheard. The part about Brandon and Lila being secret siblings was interesting, and I made a mental note to keep it tucked away for a rainy day.
After all, one never knew when one might need to blackmail the Princess of Hollywood again.
She still hadn’t realized that I had a soft spot for my old childhood pal.
Hell, even Brandon didn’t seem to realize that I still had a heart. Sort of. These days, I just had to be careful who I cared about, and the list was small. And no one on that list mattered more than me.
After all, if I’d learned one lesson these past few years, it was that there was no one in the world who would look after me. I had to take care of myself.
Brandon started to turn away, about to walk off to the set where we wouldn’t be able to talk. I stopped him with a hand on his arm.
That stuff about him and Lila—I’d save that for a rainy day. But for now… well, for now I had bigger fish to fry.
“The thing about Lila’s dad,” I said, choosing my words wisely so he’d know whose side I was on—for now, at least. “Devereaux—”
Brandon’s jaw clenched. “I swear, Amber, if you even think about hurting Lila—”
“That’s not where I was going with this.” I held my hands up in defense. “Honest.”
He took a step closer, and an anger I’d never seen before lit his eyes. “Let’s get one thing straight here, Amber. Before I left Pinedale, I might have been weak. I’d been vulnerable.” He arched his brows. “But not anymore.”
I blinked and stumbled back a step at the uncharacteristic anger there. “I never thought you were weak—”
“Yes, you did,” he said. “That’s why you blackmailed me—”
“I blackmailed Lila—”
“No,” he interrupted. “You threatened me, knowing that Lila would come to my defense. Even before she knew that we were—that I was—” He glared. He still didn’t want to admit the truth to me, even knowing that I already knew. “Even back then, you knew that she would have my back. Because, for all her faults, Lila is loyal. She cares about people.”
I kept my expression bland, but I had to fight hard to swallow. Unlike me. That was what he meant. Unlike Amber the evil villain, his precious Lila had somehow come out looking like a saint.
Please. The girl was no better than me. She’d just been spoiled rotten her whole life and had never had to fight for what she wanted.
She’d never had to get her hands dirty to take control of her life.
“Look, Brandon,” I started.
“No, it’s time for you to understand.” He jabbed a finger in my direction, his eyes blazing with fury. “I’m not that kid anymore. And I refuse to be a coward. If you so much as think about hurting Lila, I will take you down.”
I blinked in surprise because… he meant it. I wasn’t sure if this ache was because my oldest friend was threatening me or because my oldest friend and the sweetest guy I’d ever known seemed to be hardening right in front of my eyes.
I didn’t want that to happen. I might have resented the lot I’d been given, but I didn’t want to see Brandon lose his innocence. I didn’t want him to turn into someone like…
Well, someone like me.
“I’m done letting her take care of me all the time,” he continued. “I’m done letting her fight my battles. From here on out, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. From you, from Devereaux… from anyone.”
I widened my eyes at his intensity, but I recovered quickly. He might’ve been looking out for Saint Lila, but I decided right then and there that I would look out for him.
I wet my lips as a plan formed. It didn’t hurt that saving Brandon would help me in turn.
In fact, I think I knew a way that we could all get what we wanted.
I crossed my arms as I faced Brandon. “If you’re done with your big brother routine, I was going to say—was all that stuff about Devereaux’s prenup true? Will he lose his throne if he’s caught messing around?”
“Yeah.” Brandon’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
I smirked, but only some of my arrogant confidence was faked. “I love that you’ve gone all Hulk smash on me here, Brandon, but when it comes to blackmail…” I reached out and patted his cheek. “Leave it to me.”
Seventeen
Lila
We hadn’t even taken off yet, but my stomach was twisting and turning like I was on a roller coaster.
Jack reached for my hand and held it tight. If he noticed that it was clammy, he didn’t say a word. He squeezed my fingers as he leaned over. “You know, I never would have guessed you were scared of flying.”
“I’m not scared,” I said. “Just…” Terrified.
He chuckled as he moved our hands into his lap. We were on my father’s private plane, about to fly off to Pinedale for Thanksgiving. We’d be back in a week, and by then… well, everything would be different.
Hopefully.
Maybe.
“You have nothing to be afraid of,” Jack said softly. So tenderly it made my chest ache. “I’d never let anything bad happen to you. Not if I can help it.”
I nodded. I believed him. I knew he’d do anything to keep me safe, to make me happy. But that didn’t help the nerves that were wreaking havoc on my belly.
When I glanced at the chairs facing us in this little sitting-room setup in the back of the plane, I saw Brandon watching me with a worried frown.
I suspected he knew that my fear wasn’t just about flying—I mean, that was a part of it. I really did hate to fly. But as we spoke, my sister was putting herself on the line, and I should have been there.
I glanced at the door to the plane just as the flight attendant locked it shut.
Too late now.
I let my head fall back against the seat. Maybe it was for the best that I wasn’t there. Tess had told me she didn’t need me there for this, and when I’d pushed, she’d said my being there might only make it harder.