The minute hand on my clock continues to move around the numbers while I wait on Skylar and Lucan. The tour ended a few weeks ago, but this was the first night they had the availability to sneak way and were in Nashville. So much for worrying about running into Ryder while back home. Bradly has been keeping them busy with interviews and television appearances. Plus photo shoots and other odds and ends. All of the nitty gritty I kept to a minimum or only booked at the guys requested. Sure when Steel Wolf was trying to make a name for themselves we did the dog and pony show, but none was necessary after they made a name for themselves.
The only time the interviews and television appearances would spike was when a new album was being released or if the band was up for some kind of reward and I wanted the publicity. Other than those events the guys kept mostly to themselves. Which was the way they liked it. When I was booking them left and right they would fight more and the music suffered. I can only imagine how messed up everything is now. I'm sure Lucan and Skylar will tell me all about that has been going on.
I'm divided though. Of course I want to know how they are doing, but at the same time I don't. Not sure how much more pain and suffering I can take. The first week and a half I was home I never left the house. That goodness for delivery for when I did eat. My clothes became slightly looser due to the skipped means. My entire life was flipped upside down. Not only did I lose Ryder, but I lost my dream job. If we can't fix this mess we are in than there is no hope.
When Skylar called the other day she told me other than performances the guys haven't picked up their instruments and the album was starting to suffer. Not to mention the dynamics of the group was changing. She didn't want to go into much detail in fear of being over heard. Bradly not knowing Skylar was still talking to me was high on the priority list because we didn't want to play our hand to Mr. Gear just yet. Anything Bradly picks up on he will share with Mr. Gear.
Skylar, Lucan and myself planned for the meeting at the first opportunity we had. Dimitri was going to join us, but due to Ryder spiraling out of control the guys were taking turns babysitting him. Sadly tonight was Dimitri's turn and not wanting to draw attention for getting either Mason or Tray to step in Dimitri is going.
The four of us had agreed the less people who knew what we were up too would be for the best. I hated lying to Tray and Mason especially when they reached out to tell me how much I was missed. They also went as far to make me promises of changing the behavior if I came back. Which I will hold them too if I'm able to take back the reigns. It is so painful to watch something I built be destroyed slowing. If Bradly doesn't destroy the band than Ryder will with the choices he's been making.
I had to stop searching the web for any tiny bit of information about him I could find because every time I would find something my heart would break more. Sure not everything printed was true, but seeing the other women hanging on him killed me. Then the worry would set in if he was sleeping with them. He was also always smiling in the pictures. Granted his smile never exactly reached his eye. So in the end I stopped searching for information because my physical and mental health was suffering.
Lucan and Skylar would text me right before a story would hit the web or paper to prepare me for what was to come. And also to tell me what was fact and what as fiction. They were also extremely addiment Ryder hasn't slept with anyone since me. Their proof was someone was always with him and he was too fucked up to even get it up. I felt a little better he wasn't placing his dick in every available hole. Not sure how I would be able to deal if he was.
The clock chimes the hour and I nervously fidget at my place on the couch. I was nervous about seeing them. Sure we talked on the phone or texted, but there was something different about meeting in person. The last time I saw any of them was in Vegas.
Going through all of this alone the past few weeks has been rough on me. All I wanted was my family and I'm not talking my blood family. Other than delivery people the only one to visit was my cousin. My mother called me to bitch me out for the way I treated Mr. Gear and I should have taken the contract instead of throwing a tantrum. I hung up on her no longer wanting to listen to her screeching. She never called me back and I have no desire to call her after the way she treated me.
So here I sit and wait for Skylar and Lucan to knock on my door, but at each minutes passes and they aren't here makes me doubt them. Maybe they won't show up. No. They will come. I fight my anxiety back down. They haven't done or said anything to merit my thoughts. They will come I repeat to myself over and over.
Finally there is a knocking at the door, but when I answer the pizza delivery guy is standing at the door. I prop my hip against the door frame and reach for the prepaid pizza.
He runs his eyes over my appearance. "Nice to see you in actual clothes this time and not your pajamas," the older man says. Like I said I've been living on take out and pizza happens to be a comfort food. I offer him a smile. "I was talking to my boyfriend about you and we both agreed whomever it was he is not worth this suffering you are going through."
"What if I told you my heart was broken by Ryder Clark from Steel Wolf," I ask him no longer caring if people knew. "That I'm the ex manager of Steel Wolf who was foolish to fall in love with their client only to have them read a situation wrong and walk away. Then that same client go me removed from my position." I take the pizza from the stunned man.
Then he bursts out laughing at my rant. Can't blame him for laughing at me. When spoken out loud it does seem ridiculous. He points at me still laughing. "You're good. Ever thought about going into comedy?"
"No thank you. I'm done with any involving the world of showbiz. The pie isn't as sweet at people are led to believe."
"Honey you can drop the act. We have all been where you are and making up stories isn't healthy," he pauses for moment. "Then again neither is ordering pizza practically every other day, but at least I can check up on you."
I tilt my head to the side and study the strange man. My heart warms to the fact a complete stranger cares about me. "Why," I ask him.
"Because I hate seeing anyone as sad as you are. Your eyes are the saddest I've seen and whenever I see your address listed for drop off it tells me you are still here."
Oh my goodness. He fears I might harm myself. "I can promise you I'm okay. In fact my friends are coming over so we can come up with a game plan for me to figure out this shit with Ryder."
He shakes his head. "Here is my number," he says handing me a piece of paper. "If you need someone to talk to or no longer want to eat dinner alone. My boyfriend and I can be pretty entertaining so I've been told. But you may want to stop with the made up story and face reality."
"But the story isn't false," a male voice says joining our conversation.
I glance over his shoulder to see Lucan wearing black jeans and a black hoodie with the hood pulled down low to cover his appearance. Skylar is sporting a similar outfit. Lucan and Skylar step up pulling their hoods off causing me to feel like I'm in a movie. The man's eyes pop out of his head at the sight of Lucan standing on my door step. His head swivels in my direction and I shrug my shoulders.
"Well fuck me," he mutters shaking his head and walking away in a daze. He pauses and turns to face me. "The offer still stands and I apologies for calling you a liar."
I glance at the paper and see his name is Robby. "I just may take you up on the offer Robby I can always use more friends," I say with my first genuine smile in weeks. He nods his head, smiles and continues on his way.
I hold the door open wider for Lucan and Skylar to come in. Once they are standing in my kitchen I shut and lock my door. I place the pizza box on the counter and grab some plates handing one to each other them. "About time the two of you got here I was starting to worry."
Lucan takes the plate and opens the box grabbing five slices of pizza. He claims one of my bar stools. "We couldn't shake the paparazzi. The fuckers were glued to us. I'm pretty sure in a few hours stories are going to be all over the papers Skylar and I are secretly dating." He nods his head towards Skylar who was grabbing her pizza. "I made her text Dimitri to warn him because I don't need him pissed at me over lies. There already is enough bickering amongst us." Lucan states taking a bite of his pizza.
Skylar nods her head in agreement taking her seat. "Ever since you left its all been such a shit show. Bradly practically has me doing all the work. Every morning he sends me a request of what he wants done through out the day and by when he wants those items completed." Hearing this I pour her a glass of wine. "My favorite is my end of day report. Through out the day I have to type what I did and how much time I spent working on each request. Then the next morning he responds to my report questioning everything I've done and why I spent the amount of time for each." She takes a drink of wine smiling her thanks. "I swear Aubree if the end game wasn't getting you back and the fact I'm keeping the band together I'd quit."
I take a seat at one of the bar stools and pick at my piece of pizza. "I've been keeping an eyes on all of your appearances and it's a lot. Way more than even what we did in the beginning. Mr. Gear would always try to get me to run you guys how you've been running since I left, but I always refused. Saying if you do this you are going to piss off the band bringing the label the most money. He would than usually return to his box and leave me alone."
Lucan shakes his head. "Not Bradly. His goal I feel is to run us into the ground. He does whatever Mr. Gear dictates. My gut is telling me Mr. Gear has always been pissed at how successful we were and now he has an opportunity to remove us from out standing. Mr. Gear never wanted to sign us. Us getting signed all had to do with the big bosses."
"All of this is ridiculous," I sigh closing my eyes. I take in both of their exhausted appearances. I've never seen Lucan so worn down before. "Not going to lie you both look like shit and as though you could use a month of sleep."
Skylar sticks her tongue out at me. "You don't look much better and I'd bet my last dollar you were worse not that long ago."
All I can do is shrug because she isn't far from the truth. "How are the others," I ask even though I was more wanting to hear how Ryder was.
Skylar jumps in pushing her plate away and gripping onto her glass. "Dimitri is doing alright. I've had to talk him off the ledge a few times. Apparently one of Mr. Gears directives was for Dimitri to appear available as though we were no longer together, but of course Bradly never said anything. Instead he went behind Dimitri's back." She pauses to finish her glass and holds it out for more. This time I fill the glass to the top.
She drink about half and then continues. "We were going to a club for yet another staged appearance. Somehow Bradly finagled it so I was riding with him and a few other individuals who were going. Let me tell you more uncomfortable ride ever. I felt like I was a lamb surrounded my wolves. They kept offering my drinks and moving into my personal space. When the guys entered their limo there were about seven or eight women inside. Dimitri was instantly on the phone with Bradly cursing him out and texting me to make sure I was okay. One of the girls was being paid extra to snap pictures with Dimitri being the focused. So he got pictures of the girls hanging on him and of course to an outsider they didn't look good."
"I saw those," I cut in, "figured they were staged since there is now way in hell Dimitri would cheat on you."
"In my normal brain I would agree with you, but I was already upset with what I was dealing with having those pictures sent directly to me didn't help." Skylar explains. "Once we got to the club I stormed off to confront him, but unknown to me pictures of me with the others in the limo were sent to Dimitri."
"When I reached Dimitri he too was shoving a phone in me face of pictures," there is a slight quiver to her voice. The pain was still fresh. "He screamed some not so nice words, but I did the same and we semi broke up. From all the stress Bradly was dropping on us all to all the drama between the guys neither of us was thinking clearly."
"Watching to two of them dance around each other and trying to make the other jealous was painful. Yet thankfully neither one crosses the line of no return." Lucan jumps in. "By now pictures were everywhere of both of them with other people."
"Yeah I saw those too. Even got a few text from Skylar, but by the next morning she was telling me all was well." I state.
"When I could take no more and feared things would get worse I called Frank to come pick them up. No way in hell was I going to let Bradly transport either of them home. I shoved them kicking and screaming into the car along with Tray's help. Since we had to leave Mason with Ryder. To this day I don't know what transpired that night between them all I know they were back together in the morning. And that is all I care about." Skylar turns bright red at Lucan's comment. My guess is something hot and steamy happened.
"Ever since then Dimitri and I secure our own means of transportation," Skylar states. "But he still hasn't quit trying to break us up. Hence keeping Dimitri from committing murder."
"And the other's," I press fidgeting with the sleeve of my sweater.
"Mason has become even more introverted and closed off. He's back to having panic attacks. Tray's been keeping an eyes on him as best he can, but you know how Mason can be. Other than Tray you are the only one he confides in. You're the only one who knows how to read him when he's had enough. Bradly keeps pushing him and I fear he's going to snap."
"I've been trying to get past his walls, but he won't let me." Skylar adds.
I run my hands through my hair feeling guilty for wallowing in my own despair and not checking in on them. Ryder texted me a few times, but I was to broken to read between the lines he was crying for help. I need to fix this and now. First steps I send him a text asking to meet for breakfast tomorrow. He responds where right away and we decide on a place out of the city.
"And Tray," I ask.
Lucan shrugs his shoulders. "Tray is Tray he will continue to hide how he really feels behind jokes and women. He needs to slow down with the women though before he catches something. Pretty sure he doubled his count in the past few weeks. His temper has been really short."
Skylar twirls her engagement ring on her finger and says softly. "He even snapped at me a few times over the stupidest shit. There were a few days he and I didn't exchange a single word."
Now is the time to hear how the one who broke my heart yet again is. I fear asking, but I don't have much of a choice. "And how is..." I trail off not able to say his name.
"Ryder," Lucan supplies for me. I nod my head choking on my words. Lucan stands and wraps his arms around me. This can't be good Lucan is never touchy feely. "We should go to the couch."
I stand from the stool and let Lucan lead me into the family room. He sits down and guides me so I'm tucked against him holding me as a brother would. Skylar sits in the chair next to us resting her elbows on her knees. The two of them have a silent exchange and my lungs forget how to work.
"Guys fucking tell me already," I demand stiffening my muscles.
"Aubree," Lucan sighs. "He's back into the heavy shit and I fear it's only a matter of time before he overdoses again. About the third day of you gone I caught him strung out on coke. And when I asked him who gave it to him he told me Bradly."
A sob escapes me and a hide my face into Lucan's chest clinging to him. My worse fears coming to be. Ryder was back on drugs. After all we have worked so hard for when the going got tough he restored back to old habits. Why the fuck would Bradly get him anything more than weed when he knows his past? Unless Lucan is correct and Mr. Gear is trying to get the band to break up. Getting Ryder back on drugs would be one way to cause the band to crumble. Especially since the first time they almost fell apart.
"We don't leave him alone for fear of what he might do," Skylar tells me. I peek out from under Lucan's arm at her. "Everyone takes shifts including me and we try to locate his stashes, but we always miss one. We even keep a closer eye on Bradly, but still he gets them to him."
"No matter what they always find away to get what they want." At there saddened expressions I add. "I'm sure your interference is cutting back on the amount he is able to do." Skylar offers me a tight smile and a nod of her head. "What's going on with the situation with his dad?"
Lucan runs his hand up and down my arm in comfort. "One of my connections on the inside, a long ago friend from back in the day." I forget the guys don't have the greatest pasts. "Happened to be staying at the same jail has asshole. Let's just say he paid Ryder's dad a visit and he won't be bothering Ryder for awhile."
I sigh. "You know you only put a band aid on a severed artery? Eventually the band aid well no longer be able to stay in place."
Lucan nods his head and flips his head back on the couch. "Tell me something I don't know. At least I bought us some time to figure out our next steps. For now he is stuck where he is at. And I've already spoken to Frank about hiring extra security. You will also be getting your own bodyguard once you go public with Ryder."
"You mean if I go public with Ryder," I remind them. "Currently I'm public enemy number one."
"Maybe so, but not for long," Ryder states. "Did they every find the results for your bloodwork?"
The place I had the bloodwork done at to test and see if I had been drugged somehow managed to miss place my sample. They couldn't find anything for me. After a couple of weeks of angry phone calls and threatening to sue they managed to locate the sample. "The other day they called to inform me whomever took my sample forgot to put my name on the vile. So after some detective work they were able to locate the results and email them to me after much argument."
"And," Skylar asks leaning forward and clasping her hands together.
"I was drugged." I state with no emotion. The fact Adam did drug me hasn't fully sunk in yet.
Skylar jumps from her chair. "I knew it. Now we just need to show Ryder the results."
"I wish it could be that easy, but he's going to need something more. Especially with him not being in the right mind set." I remind Skylar sitting up from Lucan.
"Agreed," Lucan adds. "We need more evidence against Adam. Not to mention the more we get the easier time Aubree will have pressing charges against him and getting an order of protection."
We all brainstorm ways we could gather evidence. Time ticks away and we are no closer to coming up with an idea, but one strikes me while I'm flipping through Facebook and a certain profile is on my feed. "We get him to confess. I'll reach out and tell Adam I want to talk about the possibility of us. How I made a mistake and want fix things. But what he won't know is I'll be wearing a wire and a detective who owes ma a favor or two will be listening."
Lucan's eyes flash with understanding. "Oliver," he states.
"Oliver," I repeats with a cat in the cream smile.
"Who's Oliver," Skylar asks.
"An old friend of mine who happens to be a detective for the Nashville area and owes me some favors." I tell her already send him a text not caring how late it is. He can respond to me in the morning.
Lucan slouches back in his seat. "Now we have a plan for Adam and once he's out of the picture and you and Ryder reconcile we can work on getting you back to being our manager.
Skylar and Lucan don't stay much longer and sneak back out of my building into a car being driven by Frank. Frank smiles and sends me a wink not wanting to draw unnecessary attention. I head back inside once they are out of sight and for the first time since Vegas my heart feels lighter when I fall asleep.