“Uh,” Benji said. “What’s up? Is Noah okay?”
“Noah’s fine!” Tia smiled awkwardly. “He’s, um. Busy with someone at the door. It’s getting pretty loud.”
Benji stared at her. His brain was still fuzzy, and it was hard to process anything right now.
“Pants,” he said finally.
“Pants,” Tia agreed.
One pair of pants and a hoodie later, Benji headed for the front door, Tia at his heels.
Whatever was happening, it was pretty damn loud. Noah’s voice came floating down the hall, his usual calmness straining as his voice rose.
Another voice joined it. Loud and inflammatory and so familiar that Benji stopped, frozen in the middle of the hallway.
Tia paused. “Benji? Are you alright?”
Benji didn’t respond. He swallowed hard, wishing he had taken a sip from that thermos of honey tea. If he had to do some screaming, he didn’t want to do it with a sore throat.
He charged up to the front door. “Dad. How the fuck did you get up here?”
“Oh,” Tia said quietly behind him. “Yikes.”
Chet faltered. He was wearing yet another suit, which fit him better than anything Benji had ever seen on him. He was clean-shaven and didn’t look even a little high. If Benji saw him in the street, he might not have recognized him.
Noah touched Benji’s shoulder. “He was just leaving. Chet?”
“Respectfully,” Chet said, voice carrying far and wide down the hall, “Like hell am I going to leave without knowing my son is okay!”
“How sweet,” Benji snarled. “But I’m fine. Max is doing great, not that you’d?—”
He stopped. There were two men behind him, younger and dressed much more normally, all beanies and jeans. They both had cameras pointing at the three men clustered around the doorway.
Benji was suddenly warm with fury.Thatwas why Chet was being so loud. He was speaking up for the cameras.
“Chet,” Noah repeated, his voice deep and full of warning. “You should go. Security is on its way.”
“You money-grubbing, stupid, little fuck,” Benji breathed.
All eyes turned to him. The cameras did too, and even through his fury, Benji had the distant thought that this probably wasn’t great PR.
But he couldn’t stop the words falling out of his mouth.
“You’re just doing this to get rich and famous,” Benji seethed. “Same as always! Is it Mikey? Please tell me it’s Mikey, that sounds like just his flavor of bullshit.”
“Don’t try to change the subject,” Chet barked. “I want to see my son!”
“You want what you’ve always wanted! Money and attention, you pathetic, bottom-feeding asshole!” Benji yelled. “You stand there with your nice fucking coat and yourtie,and you think people willbuythat shit? You’re the same old grifter as you were when you ditched your kids to go sell stolen cars!”
One of the cameramen behind him sniggered.
“Alright,” Noah said quietly.
He surged forward. Chet tried to grab him, but Noah shoved him with such force that Chet stumbled back.
“Hey,” Benji said sharply.
“Ooooh shit,” Tia squeaked behind him.
