Page 38 of Dissonance

He stares at his hands in his lap, the fight slowly draining out of him. “He’s my cousin. He’s always been there for me. Way before I was even signed.”

“I know.” And I do. More than he realizes. “But you’re an adult. You’re allowed to set limits with family. You’re allowed to tell him that he can’t keep pulling you into situations where the fallout lands on you. It’s not his career at stake here, Tyler. It’s yours.”

“He’s gonna lose his shit.”

“Let him,” I say, coming to sit beside him and placing my hand on his, stopping the fidgeting. “I’d rather manage his tantrum than spend another week convincing a label you’re not a liability.” I wait until he looks at me. “These next few months are too important to waste. Working with Reign Cooper can change everything for you, but not if you keep handing people ammunition. He doesn’t need this attached to his name. And I stuck my neck out for this to happen. Don’t make me regret it.”

He exhales hard, both hands thrust into his hair. “I’ll talk to Zane.”

“Good.” I lean back and press into the bridge of my nose, the dull headache still sitting there since this morning. Stress, probably. Or maybe it’s because I haven’t been sleeping properly in weeks. Fixing my glasses, I huff a laugh. “I don’t think I have the energy to fight you today.”

That makes him smile. Even if it is weak, at least it’s real. “You do look tired.”

“Rude.” I playfully swat his arm and stand, heading back to my desk.

My fingers are already moving over the keyboard, typing out a message to the only person I know who can help.

“Hey, Thea?” I look up, finding his hands back in his sleeves. “How do we fix this?”

“I’m not sure yet,” I tell him honestly, and he grimaces, panic flashing across his face before I continue. “But I know someone who does.” Turning back to my computer, I reread the last sentence and press send. “She was in a similar situation a few years ago with her partners, and her handling of the fallout was incredible.”

“Partners?” he asks, interest sparking in his eyes. “As in, plural?”

I level him with a look instead of answering. “She’ll be in touch with a plan, okay? Until then—”

“Lay low,” he finishes.

“The fact you knew that before I said it should be concerning.”

The corner of his mouth curls in a tired smile before he turns and heads for the door, pausing with his hand on the handle.

“I’m sorry,” he says, looking less like the twenty-one-year-old with the world on his shoulders than he did when he walked in. “And thanks…for not giving up on me.”

A familiar ache pulls tight in my chest. I know the boy in front of me isn’t a bad guy. He’s just misguided.

“Whatever Olive tells you to do, you do it. No questions asked.”

He nods once more and leaves, the door clicking shut behind him. Sinking back into my chair, I close my eyes, the knot at my temples tighter than it was an hour ago, my second coffee of the day not helping either. It tasted off, which I’m putting down to Mae switching brands again.

Still, as my phone lights up, the feeling lingers, that off-kilter sense that something’s up.

Olive

I can’t respond to your email in a professional manner because damn… if I had a dick like his, I’d be showing it off to everyone…

Don’t tell Eli, but I think it might be prettier than his.

I roll my lips between my teeth, trying not to smile.

Me

Can’t say I looked at it long enough to form an opinion, so I’ll have to take your word for it. Can you fix this or not?

Olive

On it, boss. You can trust me.

But do yourself a favor and look. It’s HUGE.