For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,144

being trans is too controversial."

"Who's the guy?" Tyler asked.

"Psyc?" Because he'd been doing interviews with her. "He's the leader of my outfit and a good friend."

"What happened to Braden?" her father wanted to know.

"He was working the booth. He can't compete in the tournaments. So, Psyc was hanging out because there's this group, and they're the same ones who made that article happen in the paper. Well, someone hacked into my suite and trashed the place - "

"How much?" Dad asked.

"No," she groaned. "Dad, Adam said they have insurance and not to worry about it. It was scary, though. And everything Kate bought me got ruined before I could even wear it. But that's beside the point. The guys at the high table were worried that they wanted to hurt me, so I kinda had a bodyguard all weekend. That's what Psyc was doing."

"Does Braden know?" Tyler asked.

"Yes," she promised. "They're friends. Look, that's not why I called. I wanted to tell you that I just got offered a job!"

"What?" Dad gasped. "Where? Is it something you want to do?"

"It's working as a developer with Deviant," she said. "You know, the company Braden works at? Dez - one of the owners - just asked me if I was interested, and I took it. I don't even know - " She paused as the door opened and Braden stepped out. "Hey."

"I'm just making sure you don't vanish," he promised. "Tell your family hi for me?"

"Braden says hi," she repeated. "And I was saying that I was so excited that I forgot to ask what it pays."

"Lead developer starts at one twenty a year," Braden said.

"Thousand?" she gasped.

"What?" Tyler demanded, so she put her phone on speaker.

"What does it pay?" she asked Braden again.

"Lead developer for a department," he said, leaning in toward her phone, "starts at one hundred and twenty thousand dollars a year. Sounds like a lot, but it's salary and there's a crap-ton of overtime. Sixty to eighty hours a week. It's intense, it's rewarding, and those of us who do it love it. Kinda why I call the company my own family."

"Six figures?" her father breathed. "Wow. That's more than me and Tyler together!"

"And it's in Ohio," Braden told him. "Higher cost of living. But yeah, it's a fair wage for her skills."

"I'm going to be a developer!" she squealed.

All three of the men she was talking to laughed, but then her father remembered the next problem. "How are you getting there, kiddo?"

"Psyc's buying her a ticket," Braden said. "A victory present, he said a moment ago. And I'm putting her up until she either decides to stay or gets her own place. Chance offered one of the temporary rooms, but I figured that since I've got space, it made more sense."

Her father just groaned. "Right. Now, I know I'm supposed to have some threatening comment about you messing around with my daughter, but I'm kinda new to having a girl. Just, help me out here, ok?"

"Treat her like a princess," Braden said, "and if I screw her over, you're going to either cut off my balls or shoot me with some big gun, right?"

"Sure," her dad said. "Sounds good to me. Most of all, just take care of her, Braden. I can't be there, and my girl? I'm so proud of you, Rhaven. For how you've handled all of this. Go celebrate or something, because it sounds like you had a very good weekend."

"I think I will," she said. "Bye, Dad. Bye, Tyler."

"Love ya, little sis," Tyler said.

"So much," her father added, and then the call disconnected.

Rhaven just leaned back with a grin. "I'm going to be a dev. A real dev, and at the best company I can imagine."

"And my equal in the company," Braden told her as he offered a hand to help her up. "I should also mention that Psyc's drinking because he knew you were coming back to Ohio, not California." Then he paused to lick his lips. "If you want to crash with him tonight, I get it. Or if you want him to crash with us, I'm ok with that too."

"Us?" she asked.

Braden just grinned. "Think of it like a sandwich, and there's a little birdy in the middle. A Rhaven."

Her teeth found her lower lip and she turned for the door, refusing to answer that, because there really wasn't a choice. Her, him, and the other him? Talk about a victory lap! For once in her life, she was going