Chapter 16
RYDER
Anson had called me six times today. I rubbed my eyes as I stared down at his name on the screen.
I was terrified to answer.
I didn’t know what the news would be, and I knew that if it were bad news, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
I ignored his call and stared at the mess in front of me.
Trevor had his cock buried in some chick’s ass while she ate out another woman on set.
I wasn’t really a guy who enjoyed porn. I preferred to just go out, meet women, and experience it, but I knew now that I’d never watch the shit again.
Trevor stopped thrusting into Bitsy or whatever the hell her name was.
“Can I get some fucking water? Lube? Something? Her asshole is dry, and it’s hurting my dick.”
“You’re such an asshole, Trevor,” Bitsy snapped as he pulled his dick free.
“And you’re dryer than my asshole.”
“Here.” An assistant handed Trevor some water before going to Bitsy and lubing her bare pussy and ass.
I raked my fingers through my hair as Trevor came up to me, naked, with his dick hard.
“Hey, man. Can we stop and get some burgers when we’re done here? I’m fucking starving.”
“Can you get your dick out of my face?” I asked, looking up at him from my seat.
“Oh. Sorry, bro. My bad. I’m not sure where to put it. I don’t have any clothes.”
“Just… away, OK?”
He backed up. “Burgers, though, right?”
“Yes. Fucking burgers.”
“Hell, yeah.” He turned and walked bare ass back to the set. “Let’s do this shit. I’m going to get burgers after this bitches! And you can bet they’re juicier than Bitsy’s pussy and ass!”
“Fuck you, Trevor! I hate doing scenes with him—”
He shoved his cock into her mouth, and she accepted it without protest, the scene continuing.
Perfect. Ass to mouth. I made a mental note not to ever drink after these people.
I blew out a breath.
So far, I really fucking hated New York.
My phone buzzed again.
Anson.
I darkened the screen, my heart in my throat. I just couldn’t answer him. It was about more than getting news. It was because of how I felt. How I’d been feeling.
I knew Anson. We’d been best friends for years. I knew when he loved someone, and he was so in love with Rosalie.
But so was I.
I had been for a long ass time. I just did a better job of hiding it than he did.
I suppose if I had to pinpoint when it started, it was when I kissed her all those years ago at that restaurant to make Blondie jealous. Over the years, it just grew.
I’d almost fucked up and poured my heart out to her in her hotel room the night she was taken. Seeing tears on her face because she’d met with Ethan had broken me.
I’d been there with her all those years, and had done everything I could to make her smile while secretly aching for her.
I loved Ellis to pieces, and sometimes she’d even call me Daddy, which only made my heart ache more.
Rosalie would give me a pained look and apologize, but I always said, “ No, it’s OK. ”
Because it was OK. I wanted that.
Ethan and the horsemen hadn’t done fuck-all to her but hurt her, and she still loved them, yet I…
I sighed. It was stupid. She didn’t owe me shit. I knew that. But I’d screwed up, and she was taken on my watch.
I’d failed her. It hurt Anson and the guys.
That was on me. I couldn’t even look at Evan. Rosalie was his entire world, and I’d fucked it up.
But he knew how I felt. That just humiliated me more. Klaus, too.
I was better off here, so I wasn’t ruining shit with Anson.
He mattered to me just as much. He never shared well, but seeing him so happy now made me realize that’s just how big his love for Rosalie was.
It would be a betrayal to come out and admit that for half a decade, I also loved the same girl.
In high school, he’d punched me in the face for talking to Lisa, some girl he liked.
We didn’t talk for a week.
I didn’t want to go back to that shit. No thanks.
So this would have to do. Distance would make the pain stop. Distance would help.
At least that’s what I kept telling myself. I didn’t think for a second that Evan and Klaus would tell him. Bro code and all that.
Trevor finished the scene by blowing his load on Bitsy’s face before slapping her lips with his dick. She gave him a nut check as soon as the cameras stopped rolling.
He laughed loudly before pulling his clothes on and meeting me as I stood.
“How’d it look?” he asked.
“All I could see was your ass.”
“Yeah? Looked good, huh? I’ve been doing a lot of squats.”
“Seems to work,” I muttered.
“You’re a very pretty man, Ryder. I’ve seen you without your shirt on. You’re looking damn good, bro. You could be a model or some shit. I can get you some screen time if you’re interested—”
“I am definitely not interested,” I said.
“Is your dick small?” He winced.
“No, asshole. My dick isn’t small.”
“You can show me. I can tell you how good it’ll be—”
“Just shut the fuck up and get into the car,” I said with a sigh.
He grinned and got into the back with me, and our driver, Roadie, pulled out after I told him to take us to a diner downtown for burgers.
“OK, I’m going to hold out my hands. You tell me when to stop, OK?” Trevor started his hands close together and slowly widened them.
I stared back at him, emotionless.
“Tell me when to stop. Ryder, come on, man. Really?” His eyes widened as his hands became further apart. “Bro? Really?”
“Knock it off,” I said.
“OK. I’ll start over.”
I sighed and looked out the window as he started over.
God, he drove me nuts.
After getting Trevor back to his place and my relief clocking in for me, I headed back to the apartment Klaus gave me to stay in. The place was insanely nice and overlooked Central Park, so I knew that shit had to cost some money, but Klaus said he owned the building.
I wasn’t surprised. He was easily rolling in hundreds of millions of dollars. He was good with business and real estate. I admired the hell out of him.
I walked into the place, took off my suit jacket, and dropped it onto the back of a chair at the kitchen island before going straight to the bar and pouring myself a glass. Klaus kept the place stocked, so that made life easier.
I sipped the whiskey and stared out at the night, my heart in turmoil and at war with my head.
My phone buzzed again.
Sighing, I pulled it out of my pocket and stared down at Anson’s name. I let it go to voicemail again before a text flashed across the screen.
I was terrified to read it, but I knew I needed to. I sat on the leather couch and stared at the screen for a moment.
Please, Rosalie, be OK…
Anson: Please answer your phone. Call me back. I need help.
I swallowed and closed my eyes for a moment before hitting his name. It rang twice before his voice came on the line.
“Hey, man. I need you,” he said, sounding breathless.
“What’s going on?”
“R-Rosalie made contact today.”
I swallowed hard and sat forward. “What did she say?”
“T-the message was for you. She called E to tell him to get this message to you. Please, man. I need your help.” He sounded so heartbroken and desperate.
I nodded. She was alive. She was OK.
“OK. I’m here. What’s the message?”
“She couldn’t tell him where she was, but she said this. Ask Ryder if he remembers the day that I wished upon a star. What does that fucking mean, man?”
I blinked at it. “I-I don’t know.”
“Come on. Think!” Anson said, his voice rising. “Please. She had to have said something to you. Please. Just think.”
I frowned, racking my brain for anything. Nothing came up.
“I-I don’t know, man. I don’t remember anything like that.”
“Fuck.” Anson let out a soft cry. “Fuck, man. Nothing?”
“I-I don’t think so. Give me some time, OK? We-We had this little code thing worked out that we always did.”
“What?” I could hear the frown in his voice.
“It was just stuff she didn’t want you to worry about, so we’d say code words and shit.”
“Since when?”
“I don’t know. Since always? Anyway, just give me some time. I’ll think it out. Maybe something will pop up.”
He sighed. “OK. Just…please…”
“I know, man,” I said softly. “I’ll really try to remember. My-My head’s been shit since that concussion.”
“I know,” he said grimly. “It’s OK.”
“It’s really not.”
“It is, Ry. It’s OK. We’re headed out to poke a few more bears tonight. Please. Call me if you can think of anything.”
“I will,” I promised. “Anson?”
“Yeah?”
“Was she OK? Did E say she sounded OK?”
“He said she told him she’s hurt. Something happened to her ankle, and she can’t walk right now, but E said she told him she was OK and hadn’t been hurt past that.”
I ground my teeth. “OK.”
“I’m worried too, man,” he said, his voice low.
“I’ll think on her words,” I said softly.
“Thank you. Talk soon.”
“Talk soon.”
I disconnected the call and sank back in my seat.
What the fuck did that message even mean?
All I knew was that it would keep me up tonight as I tried to figure it out.