Page 42 of Anger Bang
“And her own shitty fucking personality—or is that just a regular personality by Hollywood standards?” Kade was on a roll now. He spent his life being unperturbed, even-keeled, unflappable. Less than five minutes in his long-lost mom’s presence, and he sounded like a replica of Dad. Shame twisted his gut, but he couldn’t stop. “Is that how you are when I’m not around? Is that why you decided to set up this little reunion that is notgonnahappen?”
Dex rushed at him, fury twisting his Hollywood good looks into something else entirely. “I’m going to fuck you up.”
“Yeah?” Kade rebalanced and shot his brother a mocking grin. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Boys!”
Their mom’s voice boomed in the small room, jolting Kade and Dex to a complete stop as if they were in grade school about to go ham over a pair of action figures.
“You are both wrong—and right. Dex. You’re right that your brother and I need to talk. You’re wrong in trying to trick him into doing it when he’s not ready—especially in front of cameras.” She jabbed a finger in the air toward him. “And you, Kade. You’re right this isn’t the forum, but you’re wrong about why I’m doing this. It isn’t about a redemption arc for me. It’s only about trying to make things right with you after all I did wrong.”
That took some of the pissed off right out of him. He didn’t deflate, but he definitely had to take a second to recalibrate. And Dex, being his brother and the person who knew him better than anyone else in the world, swooped in to take advantage.
Dex yanked his mic pack off and tossed it out an open window.
“So we do this the way we should,” Dex said. “Just us. No cameras. No mics.” He paused and glared at Kade. “Unless, that is, you’re afraid you’re feeling too tender for it.”
Kade shoulda knocked his brother out when he had the chance. That was a low fucking blow, a direct hit right in the ego—his most vulnerable spot. The little asshole.
Still, Kade couldn’t help but be a little proud of him for doing what needed to be done to make something happen. Underneath all that charm and good looks, Dex was still a St. James, and they were ruthless when necessary.
“I don’t care one way or another about her,” he said, clinging to the last thread of hope that he could avoid this.
His brother’s smirk was dripping in mockery. “Then listening to what she has to say won’t be any skin off your nose.”
“Fine.” He took off the mic pack he’d put on moments before entering the barn, and it went sailing out the same window as his brother’s. “She talks. I listen. Then I leave.”
“You two always were so dramatic,” Mom said with a sigh as she handed her mic pack to the nearest member of the crew. “Do you mind giving us a few minutes off camera?”
Justine hesitated.
“Please,” his mom said.
“Let’s take five,” Justine said, rounding up her crew and leading them out of the barn and shutting the door behind them.
Good fucking riddance.
Of course, that meant he was now stuck alone with the shambles of his family.
Dex closed the window and then stood in front of it, blocking anyone outside from getting a shot.
Kade sat down at the table and squeezed some ketchup onto the bison burger on the plate. If he was going to be stuck here, he might as well get something out of it. His mom sat down across from him and fidgeted with the silver napkin ring shaped like a bucking bronco.
“I can’t even imagine how hard it was for you when I left like that,” she said, her quiet voice trembling. “Please understand, though, that I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t my only option.”
Wow.
She was good.
He could see how she’d gotten Dex. The quaking chin. The regretful gaze. The air of absolute misery surrounding her. All of that together would have played on Dex’s need to help anyone and everyone who looked like they were in trouble. The guy was a natural-born sucker—and Kade would beat the shit out of anyone who had a big enough case of the stupids to ever say that in front of him, but Dex was his brother and he could say it. Their mom would know it all, though. So she’d obviously played her youngest like an old piano with finger grooves worn into the keys.
“Not even saying goodbye to yourchildrenwas your only option?” Kade scoffed as he lifted up the red plastic cup filled with sun tea in a salute. “Yeah, that seems very likely.”
Chapter Eighteen
Kade’s gut was churning, but he made damn sure neither his mom nor Dex had any idea. There was no way he was going to add another layer onto the shit sandwich of a lunch by showing this encounter was shredding him.
Meanwhile, Dex was all snarls and glares and fuck-you tension coming off of him in strong enough waves it was like he was a teenaged boy who’d tried to drown himself in body spray. And his mom? An embarrassed flush turned her cheeks beet red.
