Rocco shot me a quick glance, amused. “The list of girls he keeps around. The ones he brings back for most of his movies. Kind of like his rotation of favorites.”
“I choose who makes my job easier,” Callan added, already turning back to the equipment. “If they waste my time, they’re gone.”
Trey nodded in agreement. “Fair enough.”
I tucked that information away, the reality of how he worked becoming clearer with every hour I spent here. It wasn’t just skill that kept people close to him. It was consistency, reliability, professionalism. Things he demanded from everyone. Things he demanded from himself even more.
21
Callan
Madison and Kira finally arrived, with the sound of their heels clicking acrossthe floor signaling their entrance before they even stepped fully into the room. I watched them from where I stood near the monitors, shooting them a look to show how annoyed and irritated I was for having to wait on them.
Madison’s expression was one of forced nonchalance, a half-smile plastered across her face as if she didn’t care that she was thirty minutes past the time I’d set. Kira, following right behind her, rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, clearly convinced that the tardiness was no one’s concern but their own.
I didn’t say a word. I wanted to test their attitude and see exactly how long it would take for them to understand that I didn’t find the ignorance toward their obligations amusing. But they both kept talking to each other, whining about how tired they were, and how they had so many other things they wanted to get to today.
They made it all worse by side-eyeing Lana with the nastiest looks, not hiding their dislike, and even calling her presence unnecessary. A new feeling of protection grew inside of me, and it pushed me over the edge. Still, I stayed calm, notwanting to raise my voice. It would only worsen my mood, and I needed this fucking movie to be done.
I cleared my throat to get their attention, and when they looked at me, I said, “You’re late. Again.”
Madison tilted her head, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Traffic,” she told me quickly, as if that justified anything.
“Then leave earlier next time.”
She sighed and dared to roll her eyes at me. “Relax, Buster. We were shopping this morning and lost track of time. We’re here now.”
“Yeah, we had things to do. Can’t just drop everything,” Kira added.
I kept my gaze fixed on both of them. “Traffic or errands or whatever excuses you want to offer,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “doesn’t change the fact that you are expected here at the time I set. If you’re late, you’ll lose your spots. I’m done explaining it. Understood?”
They exchanged glances, a flicker of annoyance passing between them. Madison shrugged, trying to appear casual. Kira rolled her eyes, muttering, “Fine, whatever,” though the words lacked sincerity.
“What’s she doing here again?” Madison then asked, tipping her chin toward Lana without looking at her. “I couldn’t really focus last time.”
I raised a brow at her. I held still, letting the silence settle between us to maybe let her realize what she just said. But she didn’t. She was hoping for me to take her side on this, but I wouldn’t let her talk that way about Lana. Or anyone.
“You’ll focus,” I demanded. “That’s your job. And you don’t seem to have issues with Rocco and Trey around.”
Madison let out a dismissive scoff. Kira followed with a small smirk. They acted like this was nothing. Like I’d stopcaring the second they pushed back. And like I would change my mind about Lana being here, just to accommodate them.
Lana stood beside the table without moving. Her shoulders rose slightly, but she didn’t look away. She stayed present, even with both girls trying to make her feel out of place. Their attitude sharpened when they saw she didn’t shrink. They didn’t like that, and I just knew they felt threatened by her.
Madison folded her arms across her chest. “That’s different, and I’m just being honest. Having outsiders here throws things off. She’s distracting. And she looks uncomfortable.”
“That’s her issue,” Kira added. “If she can’t deal with being here, she shouldn’t be here.”
My chest tightened fast. Their tone and the way they looked at her, as if she were taking something from them by standing in the same room, only made them look unprofessional. As angry as I felt, I kept my voice steady, because raising it would have made everything spin out of control.
“You two don’t choose who belongs here,” I said. “She’s here because I allowed her to be. You handle your roles and stop worrying about anything else.”
Kira opened her mouth like she wanted to argue, but I didn’t give her the chance.
“And don’t talk about her again. Not her being here. Not how she looks. Not what she does. You stay focused on your work. That’s it.”
They stared at me without speaking. They weren’t used to me setting a boundary. They weren’t used to me stepping in for anyone. I rarely bothered because I usually ignored their attitude. They had a habit of talking down to people they thought were beneath them, and I never cared enough to step into their petty fights.
Madison looked away. “We weren’t trying to cause problems.”
