really hurt them. Second, he had a feeling someone with the production company would call the police and the situation would go downhill from there.
âYouâre looking fierce about something,â Dakota said, coming up and standing next to him. âPlotting to kidnap them?â
Finn was impressed by her mind-reading skills. âWant to be an accomplice?â
âI make it a rule to avoid situations that end with me going to jail. I know that makes me less fun at a party, but I can live with that.â
He glanced at her and saw her brown eyes were bright with laughter.
âYouâre not taking my pain seriously enough,â he told her.
âYour pain is in your head. You know your brothers are capable of making their own decisions.â
âIf we exclude their present situation.â
âI donât agree with that.â She turned to the stage. âEveryone deserves to follow his or her dream.â
âTheyâd do better to finish college and settle down,â he grumbled.
âDid you?â
He studied his brothers. âSure. Iâm the poster boy for responsible.â
âBecause you had to be. What were you like before your parents died and you were left with two thirteen-year-olds? Something tells me you were a lot wilder than theyâve ever been.â
She was right, damn it. He shifted. âI canât remember.â
âDo you expect me to believe that?â
âI might have been slightly less responsible.â
âSlightly?â
Heâd been crazy, he thought, refusing to admit it to her. Heâd loved parties and women and defying every law of physics in his airplane. Heâd gone beyond testing boundariesâheâd been reckless.
âThat was different,â he said. âWe didnât know what could happen.â
âMeaning they do and should act accordingly? Theyâre twenty-one. Give them a break.â
âIf they go back to college, Iâll give them a break.â
âSilly, silly man.â Her gaze was both amused and slightly pitying.
Under normal circumstances, that probably would have annoyed him, but he found he liked spending time with Dakota. Even when she disagreed with him, he liked hearing what she had to say.
He was aware of her standing close to him in the dark shadows of the back of the soundstage. They would see everything, and no one knew they were there. For asecond, he wondered what he would have thought of her under other circumstances. If he werenât here because of his brothers. If he didnât have to worry about their welfare. If he was just a guy intrigued by an attractive woman with a killer smile.
But these circumstances didnât allow for distraction. Heâd promised himself that once he got his brothers through college, it would be his turn to follow his dream. After eight years of taking care of them, heâd earned it. He didnât want to spend the rest of his life flying cargo. But that thought was for laterâafter heâd gotten his brothers out of this mess and knew that they were safe.
On stage, Geoff shooed everyone out of view. The potential contestants were gathered together.
Dakota glanced at her watch. âShow time,â she murmured.
From what heâd been able to figure out, there would be a combination of live scenes and taped segments of the various potential contestants. Whatever it took to drag out the show, he thought grimly. He stared at his brothers, willing them to suddenly come to their senses. Neither of them noticed him.
The big lights went on, someone called âWeâre live in five, four, threeâ¦â Cameras were moved silently, then the host began.
He welcomed the viewers, explained the premise of the show and started introducing the potential cast. Dakota reached for Finnâs hand and drew him throughthe darkness to the other side, where they had a better view of a wide-screen
Ros Rendle
Chris Thrall
Harry Turtledove
Megan Shepherd
Abbi Glines
Ann Halam
Joan Smith
Gary Smith
Gregory Harris
Morgan Llywelyn