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