Chapter 6 Royce
SIX
ROYCE
The glow of my phone was the only light in my room.
Which was good because I looked like a fucking mess at the moment. Kleenex was scattered around me, I had a bag of Flaming-Hot Cheetos tucked against my chest, and my hydro flask against my face.
I swiped to the next video, hoping the void in my chest would feel less invasive if I found enough funny videos to fill it. I’d been at it for three hours to no avail.
“What the hell am I looking at?” Taryn’s sharp voice suddenly interrupted my doomscrolling. The light from the hall filtered into my bedroom, making me wince.
“Shut the door!”
She complied with a heavy sigh. “Royce. What the hell?”
I sniffed as she made her way closer. She turned on my side lamp, which had a pink sheer sheet over it, casting my bedroom into low-lit ambience.
“Who did this to you?” She stroked over my head, where my hair was tucked inside of a hoodie. She knew when I wore the heated onesie with a hood that I was battling insecurity and heartbreak.
My sister looked like an angel as I stared up into her blue eyes.
“You’re going to laugh as soon as I say it,” I confessed with a swipe at my nose.
Her dark brows crumpled as she began rubbing my back. “Ford Ryan is the only other boy besides your boyfriend who ever made you cry. Did he do this?”
Was that true? Had Ford been like this our entire lives?
“I was trying to piss him off by going down to the club. I didn’t tell you everything the other day about Rodney.
He told me that as long as things with the club didn’t change for three months, I could become manager, but if they do change, then I can’t have the promotion.
So, I went down to the club, trying to ensure that there was no change in leadership. ”
Taryn’s face soured. “That fucking asshole.”
“I tried to talk Mom and Callie into dissuading Dad and Wes from—”
My sister interrupted me with a groan. “Royce, you didn’t.”
Defensiveness clouded my chest like a storm. “What else was I supposed to do?”
Taryn let out a heavy sigh, then pushed my hair back again.
Sometimes it felt like she was the older sister, not me.
She was so sure of herself and independent.
She wasn’t afraid to chase her dreams even if it meant she might not catch them.
I couldn’t fathom the idea of not having something I worked for.
But Ford was right…every single day people didn’t have the luxury of living out the life they wanted to live.
Every day people got passed over for jobs they were more than qualified for.
It being a dream of theirs didn’t really make a difference one way or another.
“You were supposed to tell me the whole story. I would have thought of a new plan with you.”
I frowned up at my sister. “Where have you been, T? It’s been almost five days. I’ve been a pathetic mess for a week.”
Taryn plucked my bag of Cheetos from my chest and began shoving the wadded Kleenex into my trash bin. “I’m sorry, Royce. I did a branding shoot up near DC. I thought I texted you.”
Shaking my head, I sniffed again. “It’s okay. Tell me about this plan that you have.”
“Well, I would have found a way to blackmail Rodney, so he had no choice but to give you that promotion. He’s essentially doing the same thing to you, Royce. Ever wonder why three months was significant to him?”
No, I hadn’t.
Sitting up and adjusting my hood so it fell back, I asked, “So you think Rodney knows something, or might be working with someone?”
“Yes, I do. Think about it.” She adjusted herself onto my bed, so she was sitting hip to hip with me.
“He’s had the oldest daughter of the Wolf working right under him all this time.
The Stone Riders are still a big deal all these years later, and Dad has certainly made a name for himself.
It’s leverage he could have used in a number of different ways, but if he needs there to be no change in leadership for three months, then perhaps there’s someone else who’s asking for that. ”
I stared ahead, completely baffled by her thought process. “Ever consider taking over for Dad down at the club?”
She laughed, but it was a sad laugh, and I wasn’t sure why. I wanted to ask her, but she moved on too quickly.
“Tell me what Ford said.”
I didn’t want to jump back into it. The pricks that had landed in my chest from his words were still so painful, but my sister needed to know. She knew everything about me, including the tiny crush I had on him when I was younger.
“Do you remember that modeling shoot I did for that underwear brand, CozyCo?”
She tipped her head back remembering, then let out a chuckle. “Yeah, they gave you a bunch of free underwear as payment or something, right?”
A flush of embarrassment hit me. “Hey, nice underwear is expensive. They paid me in over four thousand dollars’ worth of clothing. I know because I price-checked each item on their website. I got lingerie, swimsuits, and pajamas. It was a great deal.”
My sister tugged a Cheeto out and popped it into her mouth. “You know what, you’re right. That was actually a good deal. I bought a bra the other day, and it was like eighty dollars. Which is insane, right?”
That brought me back to what Ford had said. “Well, that small video clip of me showing that pink piece…it somehow got posted like everywhere.”
“They’re probably trying to push the line again or something,” Taryn muttered, picking out another long, orange piece.
“No, well, I thought I had a contract that stated it wasn’t to be used for social media use. It was only going on their website. I requested that because of the tattoo on my ass, but after I dug the contract out, I realized it wasn’t agreed upon on their end, it was only listed as a preference.”
My sister’s eyes suddenly grew. “Oh, shit.”
I nodded. “I guess the algo has me under biker chick in underwear or something. The video landed on a ton of club members FYP, and they’re all talking about me. Ford tore into me about how reckless and stupid I am.” My throat became tight again, making me trail off.
My sister sat up and let out a sharp exhale. “That motherfucking asshole.”
“I mean, he’s not entirely wrong…I didn’t realize that video would ever be shown anywhere but their website, and the demographic for their customers is like eighty percent women. I just didn’t think—”
Which is exactly what Ford had accused me of.
Taryn moved off the bed. “Who hasn’t blundered something that accidently made its way to the internet? He’s being a dick.”
My shoulder lifted in a shrug. “Maybe it is time for me to grow up. Maybe me chasing this dream of the Hollow is selfish, and I should move out.” Which would mean I had to leave Rose Ridge.
There was no way to have both in Dad’s world—that’s what he’d always told me.
Ford was telling me to give up my dream, but what he meant was that I needed to grow up and leave Rose Ridge altogether.
“Royce, you’ve wanted to run the Hollow since you could walk. If you give up on that, I will knock your kneecaps out.”
“Violent, T.”
She walked over to my closet and began pulling out various items of clothing. “Sorry, sometimes the club stuff rubs off on me. I have all sorts of violent thoughts throughout the day. Especially toward men, they really are the worst.”
I got off my bed and began sorting the different things she was tossing on the floor. Black dress. A corset and heels. A long dress that had a high slit.
“They are…well, except Dad. What are you looking for?”
She glanced over at me and smiled. “An outfit for you to wear. You need a girls’ night.”
“Who is even around to do that?”
“Nova, Ellie, and me.” She held out a dress and inspected it. “I know you’re older than us, but not by much. Go get changed. We’re taking you out dancing.”
“Nova is back in town?” Connor’s little sister had left Rose Ridge, and as far as I knew she was in college up near New York, but that was all from what Taryn had told me.
“Wait, where did this dress come from?” The dress she’d picked was gorgeous. It was a deep purple, almost black, with a low bust. The skirt was short and would be enough to cover my ass, but I’d pair it with netted stockings.
My little sister clicked her tongue. “It might have been sent to me from one of the brand deals I got. It’s way too long for me.”
No, it wasn’t.
“T…” My throat clogged up. My sister knew I didn’t make the kind of money that she did, and I rarely bought myself anything new unless I’d thrifted it. Taryn snuck surprises into my wardrobe all the time, and I never failed to catch her.
“Do you think Dad will get pissed if we go to the strip club in Pyle?” Taryn asked, ignoring my attention to her generous gift.
She didn’t like fessing up to always taking care of me.
“Dad will literally have a heart attack,” I assured her. There was no way I was getting into even more of a mess than the one I’d unintentionally created. Besides, I had made a deal with him all those years ago, and I didn’t want to break my end of things.
Taryn rolled her eyes. “Fine. Then let’s go to the Hollow.”
My voice came out too high as I tossed my hand out. “Where I work?”
My sister came out of my closet with her own dress. “Oh, come on. When is the last time you actually got to enjoy one of those bands and dance?”
My mouth parted, then shut. It had been years.
“Fine, but if Rodney is there, we don’t make a scene. It’s one of my rare nights off, and I don’t want to draw attention to the fact that I’m there.”
“I fear that might not be possible due to the dress, my love, but we’ll hide you.”
With that, I followed my sister into the bathroom.
Ellie Ryan was a fantastic dancer.
We all knew this, but we assumed her abilities were limited to ballet.
But no, the girl could draw a crowd, and somehow even make the rest of us look good while doing it.
I could dance, but mostly that meant I moved around or jumped in place.
The band playing was incredible, with a rockier, folk vibe.