Page 22 of Fight For Me

I gape at the documents in my hand. This is far more detailed than a simple background check you might pull for employment or something. There’s info here about his house, his friends, past girlfriends, college classes. Freaking parking tickets. “You hired a private investigator, didn’t you?” I look up to Reed’s defiant face. “You found out about thisyesterday.”

He shrugs. “I know a guy. I made it worth his while to move quickly.”

I laugh, tossing the folder onto the table. “You’re all nuts, you know that?”

“This is serious, Wyatt.” Reed points at the documents. “I don’t like the looks of this asshole.”

I’m pretty sure the producer could be a literal saint and Reed still wouldn’t like him. I lean over to flip through a few of the pages. “Your guy got a copy of the contract? Doesn’t that go against like, attorney client privilege or something?”

“Alex got us a copy of the contract,” Levi says, and I do my best not to react to her name. It’s so ridiculous—I’m like a thirteen-year-old kid with a crush. “That was my condition for not making a huge fuss.”

“The contract is fine,” Reed says grudgingly. “We already had it reviewed. Their lawyer did a good job.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The producer.” He sounds exasperated, like I’m being purposefully obtuse. “He’s shady.”

A pit forms in my stomach. “Shady how?” If there’s something off about this guy, I’m going to have a damn hard time not freaking out about them doing the show. I try to tell myself that I’m simply being a protective cousin of Everly and Fox. Nothing to do with Alex at all, no sir.

“He has a bit of a…reputation,” Lennon says.

Reed snorts. “Yeah. A reputation of being a philandering man-whore.”

I glance up sharply. “What—does he harass employees or something?” Darker and darker possibilities fill my mind, my stomach souring. “Does he have a record?”

“It’s nothing like that,” Lennon says, casting a glance at his seething older brother. “I think Reed is overreacting.”

“Fuck that,” Reed snaps, pointing at the folder. “Six women. Six ex-girlfriends who have been former castmates on one of his shows. And that’s only the ones he dates publicly! Who knows how many more he’s hooking up with behind the scenes.”

The sour feeling in my stomach intensifies. “How involved will he be with the day-to-day filming of the show?”

“He’ll be there every fucking day!” Reed snaps. “They’ve leased the condo below the kids for production. He’s going to be living in the same damn building!”

Suddenly, Reed’s response doesn’t seem so extreme. I don’t like the sound of this, not at all. There are pictures in the file, too. Pictures of a smug looking douchebag, with perfectly styled hair and a tan I’d bet money came out of a bottle. The guy’s probably ten or so years older than me, though it’s hard to tell with the orange skin. In a few of the pictures, he has women hanging off his arms. Very young women.

“Can’t their agent do something?” I ask, trying to keep the venom out of my voice. “Demand a different producer work with them?”

“He’s the owner of the damn production company,” Levi grumbles. “Their investor is his business partner.”

“The whole thing was probably his fucking idea,” Reed adds.

I rub at my chin, trying to think of a solution, a way to convince the three of them not to do this show. Maybe if I talk to Alex…my stomach drops at the thought.

“This is why we need your help, kid.” Reed leans forward in his chair, locking eyes with me. “We can’t have Everly and Alex living in that condo on their own, not with this fucker so close by.”

“They won’t be on their own,” Lennon points out. “Fox will be there.”

Reed waves him away. “Fox is still a kid.”

A horrible realization is washing over me. I know what Reed is going to say before he even opens his mouth. “We want you to stay there with them while you’re recuperating and rehabbing your hand.”

Fuck.Fuck. There’s no way I can do that. No way in hell.

“Hang on—”

Reed holds up a hand. “Just listen, kid. I’m not saying you need to be on the show.”

“You just want him to—what? Babysit your kids?” Will asks, looking skeptical.