converted, and converted again, and now it's a game company. There are a few rooms for when we need to crash and are too tired to go home. Chance used to live in the loft, but we have too many people there now, so he and Dez built a place next door."
"Chance and Dez own the company," Rhaven explained. "Chance started it, and Dez made it profitable."
Tyler looked over. "Lemme guess, you know them too?"
"Dez more than Chance," she admitted. "That's actually how I met Braden."
"You were hitting on Dez?" Tyler flicked both brows up, clearly taunting her.
"No one hits on Dez," Braden told him. "She's a walking, talking game genius. The woman wishes she'd been born a computer. Thing is, she also has some really bad PTSD, so she doesn't touch. I mean, like ever. No handshakes, no hugs, nothing. Bumping into her by accident will send her into a meltdown. She's gotten better, so she can actually be around people now, kinda, but she still only touches those she trusts."
"You?" Rhaven asked.
He nodded. "A few times. Mostly Chance. But that's why I play the part of her bodyguard. I'm big enough to make sure no one pushes past me. And in Columbus last year, Dez wanted to talk to Rhave, so that meant I got dragged along."
Which was when Rhaven's dad came out the back door, carrying a tray of burger patties. "I made extras," he said. "And Tyler, you're right. He's not a little guy."
Braden chuckled. "No, sir. Unfortunately, the only sports I'm good at are the virtual kind. Can't catch a football to save my life." Then he reached for the cooler. "Beer? Light or dark?"
"Dark," her dad decided. After setting down the tray of meat, he turned, took the beer with one hand, and offered his other to shake. "Bill Moore, since my kids can't remember their manners."
"Braden Mathis." He clasped Bill's palm. "Thanks for the meal. Pretty sure I've survived the last five years on prefab and delivery. Hazard of the job."
Bill tipped his head at Braden's waist. "Doesn't look like it's hurting you any." Then he patted his own belly. "Can't personally say the same."
Braden chuckled. "So, what do you do, Bill? I'm pretty sure you know I make games. Kinda how I met Ethan."
"I make cabinets," Bill said. 'Work for a custom shop on the other side of town."
"Nice," Braden told him. "Power tools all day, huh?"
"Pretty much," Bill agreed. "I like the fact that I don't have to deal with customers."
"God, I wish," Braden said as he took his chair again. "When I got promoted to a department head, it meant I had to start doing podcasts."
"Those are like interviews or segments online," Rhaven explained.
Bill was nodding. "So you're the face of these games, huh?"
"Oh, no," Braden said. "I'm just one of many. My two bosses are the faces. I'm the guy who gets screamed at because someone wants their gun to do more damage."
"And we scream a lot," Rhaven admitted. "I still think the sniper rifle should either reload faster or hit harder."
"Can't," Braden said. "Eternal Combat, right? If we tweak one of those, we'd have to scale back the range. Otherwise, put two of those in the same area, and there's no avoiding death. Becomes overpowered."
"But sniping is a solitary thing," she countered.
"That's your fault, not mine," Braden said. "Have you ever seen Paradox holding a ridge? Yeah, they're why we can't change those numbers."
"Riley," Rhaven realized.
He nodded. "She makes a firing line. If I gave those guns any more power, she'd never use anything else. They'd clear the base from outside the contested area, and others have been paying attention. Play styles are changing." He jerked his chin at her. "And I bet if you pointed that out to Psyc..."
She grinned. "Then we'd get a full sniper squad. I might have to do that."
"You'd make a good leader for it. I've seen you play."
"You've never played with PD," she shot back. "Always Paradox."
Braden just lifted a hand. "For reasons, I promise. I also get to see the back side, and those Paradox, Executive Pain, and PsychoDreads three ways? Yeah, we stop and watch."
"Devs get invisible mode," Tyler said. "Figured you knew that, Ethan."
"I do," she said, "but that's not the same as using it. The idea of an entire company pausing to watch one of our fights, though?"
"Usually, we say we're getting numbers," Braden admitted. "The truth is that it's nice to see something we've worked so hard