Read Online Things Lost In The Fire by Katie Jennings - Free Book Online

then went to the fridge for a beer. He grabbed two Coronas, lifting one up. “Beer?”
    Chase shook his head, looking sheepish. “No, thanks.”
    “Suit yourself.” Brody closed the fridge door with his hip and popped off the top on the Corona. As he took a long swig of beer, he made his way to the couch and settled in.
    “So…what are you working on?” Chase asked, venturing inside and closing the door. Brody caught him staring around the room again with his hands tucked in his pockets.
    “Come here. I’ll show you.” Brody tapped into his computer, uploading the photographs he’d taken of the actress and her director. He clicked open the best one, admiring it as it filled the screen. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
    Chase frowned as he peered down at the image. “Is that—”
    “Kyla Gold. Yep.” Brody sat back against the cushions, sipping his beer. A proud smile lit his face. “You know how much these photos are worth?”
    “I can only imagine…” Chase murmured, straightening as he turned to his brother. “I don’t know if you know this, but Hugh Lovett is a client of ours.”
    “No shit?” Brody laughed, honestly surprised. He looked back at the image, shaking his head. “What a delightful coincidence.”
    “I can’t in good conscience leave here without convincing you not to release that photo.” Chase crossed his arms, standing firm as they met eyes again.
    “Consider your duty fulfilled, then. Nothing you say will change my mind,” Brody told him, offering up a cocky grin. He lifted his Corona with a nod. “Maybe I shouldn’t come to that party after all.”
    Chase rubbed the back of his neck. “No, it’s important for you to come.”
    “Why?”
    “Because we’re family,” Chase said simply, as if it was obvious. “Anyway, I gotta run. I’ll see you next weekend.”
    “You gonna tell Dad I took those pictures?” Brody asked, not sure why it mattered to him that his father know. Maybe it was the rebel in him wanting to defy the man, just one more time.
    Chase shrugged. “I suppose he’ll find out eventually.”
    “Yeah. Maybe I’ll brag about it a bit and he’ll use it as an excuse to kick me out of the party.”
    “I’ll convince him not to talk about it.”
    “Like you convinced me not to release the images?” Brody chuckled. “Admit it, your persuasive skills are a little rusty.”
    Chase cracked a smile. “I still convinced you to go to the party. So there’s that.”
    Brody raised his beer in another toast. “ Touché .”
    “Take care of yourself, buddy.” Chase looked around the apartment once again. “And get a damn maid with some of that tabloid cash, okay?”
    Brody laughed as his brother left, amused despite everything. He downed the last of his Corona, then set out to email those photographs. Maybe a maid wouldn’t be a bad idea, he thought as he gazed around at the empty take out boxes and stacks of newspapers. Then again, he didn’t have anyone to impress.

    DOLLAR SIGNS danced in his mind as he did a solitary toast to success. He’d been right about the pictures. That payout would keep him sitting pretty for a solid three months.
    Brody sipped champagne and lounged in a plastic outdoor chair on his tiny balcony, feet propped up on the railing and his eyes on the sunset. Shades of yellow and orange blended with the blue of a cloudless sky, framed by silhouetted palm trees and buildings. As the evening wound down, he absorbed the sounds of people talking and laughing across the street, of the nightly news being played directly below him, and of a dog barking a few streets over. He could smell someone barbecuing and also caught the distinct skunky aroma of pot.
    TMZ had wasted no time getting the pictures online. He hadn’t checked in an hour or so, but he imagined the internet was exploding with the scandal. Outraged fans would be jumping to Kyla’s defense. Soccer moms would be lambasting Lovett for being unfaithful with a woman half his age.