Page 93 of Undone By The Mountain Daddies

Crickets.

Oh my god.

Cash barrels toward them, throwing his fist straight into the lens. The man drops his camera in horror, hands shaking like crazy as glass rains to the floor.

“Do you know how much these things cost?” he whimpers.

Cash takes one look at the third guy challenging him and swings his hand around his neck, pulling him into a headlock. “Come back here again,” he says, addressing all of them, “and I chop off your dicks.” His gaze drops. “That’s if you’re not already dickless, which I suspect you may be.”

Cash shoves his victim to the ground and backs off. “I want you back in your car. Now. Don’t let me ever see your faces again.”

I clamp a hand over my mouth as the paparazzi turn to me, waiting for my reaction. I’m surprised they still care, since the cameras are no longer rolling.

I really can’t believe this just happened.

I glance at Cash, my heart thumping in my chest. A few days ago, he was blaming me, saying it was my fault I brought everyone into this mess.

But the mess he and Knox have just caused is much worse.

Cash lived in LA, so he’s well aware of the consequences. Unlike the other two, he knows how toxic the media is, prioritizing the perfect shot above all else. Privacy doesn’t matter when it comes to getting your photograph on the front cover of a good magazine. Cash knows that. And he still chose to cause a scene.

“Let’s get you back inside.” Knox curls an arm around me, and I feel like crumbling.

“I’m…I,” I stutter, trying to vocalize that I can't move.

Looks like I can’t speak, either.

Knox tosses me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing, and the three of us return to the cabin.

Cash walks behind us. It’s hard to make out his face in the darkness, but the energy between us feels different. More intense. Like he’s tired of hating me.

“We’ll do the s’mores another night,” says Cash, stamping out the fire.

A cold breeze blows hard. I use Knox as a personal heater, but I still feel cold. I have chicken skin, even once we make it inside.

Henry is in bed, and Eli is staring at me, concern etched between his brows.

“They’ll still be able to recover the footage,” I manage to say when Knox sets me down. “It’ll be⁠—”

“It doesn’t matter. They have to learn to respect your privacy,” says Knox.

I stand in the middle of them, feeling small. Usually, my heart swells when they’re all surrounding me like this.

But right now, my heart sinks.

Reality is starting to set in. This whole situation is temporary.

Perhaps if I hadn’t committed myself to being an actress, my life could be like this. I could be the kind of girl who toasted s’mores on the weekend, who was married and had beautiful children.

But I chose a different path. I made my bed. Now I have to lie in it.

Because if I don’t, I’ll drag innocent people into my mess.

And if there’s one thing worse than ruining your own life, it’s ruining someone else’s.

“Sienna,” says Eli, breaking the tense silence. “Are you okay?”

“I’m gonna head to bed.”