by Amo Jones
“So you confess to murdering Todd McStevens?” the detective asked me. His head was down, reading whatever was on the table. Probably my record, and if that was the case, he’d be reading for a very long time. His eyes looked up at me from under his glasses. The lightbulb hanging over the single table that separated us swung slightly and his fingers loosened on the papers he held. My eyes shifted to the wall behind him, my reflection staring back at me from the mirrored wall, and an episode of Criminal Minds began playing through my head.
“No. That’s not what I said at all. I need my lawyer, but I didn’t intentionally kill anyone. I punched him, and he fell back onto the pit.”
The officer removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “All right,” he said, pushing his glasses back on and collecting the papers that were spread out over the table. “I’ll get your lawyer in line. You realize you’re not entitled to bail?”
I shrugged, slouching back in my chair. “That’s fine with me.”
He sighed and walked out the door. Another set of officers walked in, picking me up from under my arms. “You’re in for a long night, Ryker.”
“I don’t doubt that at all.”
“Are you ready?” Phoebe asked, as I clutched my jacket around my waist.
“Yep. Let’s just go, so I don’t have to leave the house.” She nodded her head, handing me a set of dark sunglasses and a baseball cap. The boys were behind us, ready to follow us out. When Mom and Dad left, the paparazzi were everywhere, and it only intensified because of who my father was. I pulled down my cap and followed Phoebe out, placing her hand in mine. Leo and Tommy pushed through the door, and the paparazzi’s questions began, slamming into me left, right, and center. Their cameras flashed in my eyes, so I raised my hand up to shield them. Rellik pulled me into himself while pushing everyone away, or rather, they moved out of the way. Once we reached Ryker’s Range Rover, we all piled in, with Phoebe in the driver’s seat and Ryder in the passenger’s seat. I was about to ask them why she was driving until she floored it and swung out of the gates with the speed and precision you’d expect from a NASCAR driver. This girl was definitely a badass.
Phoebe’s phone rang from her purse, and Ryder fished it out, looking down at the screen. “It’s Nettie.”
Rellik’s body stilled beside me. Figuring this was a good time to thank him, I looked up to him. “Thanks for… back there.” I hitched my thumb toward the house.
He shook his head. “No problem.” Ryker was the hottest man I had ever laid eyes on. Of course, I guess that includes Ryder, but Ryder’s quiet nature just didn’t do it for me. However, Rellik would come a close second. He had the same piercing blue eyes as the twins, only where they had brown hair, his was ash blond. He had a little scruff covering his jaw, and his dark lashes fanned out across his face every time he blinked—like the boys. Their parents must have been good-looking, because there was no way an ugly couple could make three out-of-this-world, gorgeous-looking kids. His lip quirked up and I quickly pulled my eyes away from him.
He leaned into my ear, releasing a light chuckle. “Don’t get me wrong. I have thought about what your lips would feel like on mine more than once since I’ve met you tonight, but I have a feeling Ryker would have no issue with spending a lifetime in prison if that meant no one ever touches you.”
I snorted, my cheeks flaring. “I think you’re probably right.”
Tommy cleared his throat from the other side of me, and Phoebe’s eyes were narrowed on Rellik in the rearview mirror. “Rellik? No.”
“What?” He laughed innocently. Ryder turned in his seat, assessing the situation.
“Rellik?” Phoebe continued sweetly from the driver’s seat.
“Oh fuck, here we go,” he murmured, shifting in his seat.
“You so much as flutter those baby blues at her like that again and I won’t just give you a split lip this time. Capiche?”
I chuckled, looking at Rellik, whose eyes were narrowed on Phoebe.
“Yeah, got it.”
“You did that?” I asked Phoebe, a smile in my tone.
“I did,” she answered melodically, and I laughed along with Tommy. Phoebe Rendon was my kinda girl.
When we pulled up to Ryker’s house, my heart dropped. It was actually beautiful. “He owns this house?” I asked Tommy. It wasn’t because it was mansion; it was the fact it looked like a home. I was expecting a bachelor apartment or something.
Tommy nodded. “Yeah. This is the only house he owns. He has a couple apartments spread out across the globe though.” Ah, there we go. Those would be the bachelor pads, no doubt. Tommy slid out of the SUV and I followed closely behind him. He stretched his hand out to me and I took it, jumping down and following him up the cobblestone driveway. The front of the house was an executive style glass house that overlooked the ocean. It’ wasn’t far from Ryder and Phoebe’s house. They must have planned it this way, I guessed.
Tommy handed me the key, and I took it from him with a smile. “Thanks.” I was placing the key into my pocket, when Phoebe walked up to me, linking her elbow with mine. “I’ll give Nikos a call soon. One of the Coleman boys will be with you. Are you going to call your friend? I can stay with you until she gets here.”
I shook my head, patting her hand reassuringly. “It’s okay. You don’t need to stay with me.”
Tommy pushed open the doors. “I’ll stay with her.”
I shook my head at him, stepping across the threshold. “You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to,” Tommy replied, waiting for the rest of the boys to walk in.
“Okay, thank you.”
“I can stay too,” Rellik piped in.
“No!” Phoebe and Tommy both shouted together.
“You keep those dazzling eyes to yourself, homeboy.” She removed her jacket as I took my hat off, placing it onto the little glass table that sat to the right, as soon as we walked in the door. Tommy closed the door and I stepped up behind Phoebe, checking out the mere size of the interior. There were stairs that sat directly to the left, where signed records of rock legends hung from the wall. The walls were a rich mahogany and white; interesting color choices, but it worked.
Phoebe walked ahead of me. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
“Oh, Bry?” Ryder said, walking up beside Pheobe. “Ryker wants you sleeping in the master bedroom.”
“What?” I scoffed. Rolling my eyes, understanding set in. “Of course he does.”
Kinky bastard, nothing had changed there. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen between Ryker and me, but I knew I wouldn’t be jumping into a relationship with him, or on his dick for that matter, even though I remembered just how good it felt. Okay, subject change.
“Tell me there’s alcohol,” I answered, walking toward the kitchen.
“This is Ryker. There’s probably more liquor here than an actual bottle shop.” Phoebe set her phone down. “We’ll get wine, and then I’ll show you around,” she added, following me to the kitchen. It smelled clean. Like fresh laundry, clean but without feeling empty. It felt lived in.
“Do you guys all live in Westbeach?” I asked, pulling out one of the stools from under the breakfast bar. His cabinets were crafted black marble, with red droplights hanging down over the breakfast bar.
“Yeah, sure do,” Tommy replied, while cracking open his beer. “We all bought ours once Ryder met Speedy.”
“Speedy?” I cocked my head, taking the glass of wine Phoebe was handing me.
“That’s me,” Phoebe piped in, taking a sip of her wine. “The name stuck. Long story. Shall we explore? I love this house.”
“What’s wrong with our house?” Ryder asked, popping the cap off his beer, a pout threatening to appear on his mouth. I bit down on my bottom lip to stifle my laugh.
“No, nothing, baby, it’s perfect. Like, perfectly perfect. But I like Ryker’s too,” she added sweetly, fluttering her lashes at him. I felt a story brewing here.
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His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, because it’s Ryker, that’s why.”
She laughed. “There’s that as well. Come on.” She took my hand in hers, leading me back through the way we came. I sensed there was something in the air, maybe a connection between Phoebe and Ryker. The thought made me smile. Ryker can be hotheaded and a firsthand asshole, but he has a big heart to those he cares about.
The squeaking of the heavy metal jail doors welcomed me as the officer in charge led me down the dark, gloomy, concrete prison cells. Inmates clutched at their bars, staring me up and down while I walked through. I had no doubt that most of these people knew who I was. Hopefully Phoebe threw me a solid and got in contact with her brother to sort out some protection for me while I was in here, because these men looked like they wanted to eat me alive.
A buzzing sound rung out as the jail bars slid open to my cell. It was complete with a bunk bed, a toilet, and a sink. Walking in, the doors slammed closed behind me. Placing my sheets and pillow onto the top bunk, I exhaled the breath I didn’t know I was holding. There was no one in this cell with me, so at least that was a bonus. After they put me through the system, I asked if I could take a pencil and paper in with me. They couldn’t agree to a pencil, because of the possibility of me using it as a weapon, but they allowed me the inside of an ink pen. I’d be spending the majority of my time staring between these walls, so I may as well get some words down while I was here.
Lying back on the bed, I ran through the years since meeting Bryleigh. Fuck, she had caused me some headaches. Would I take them back though? Not a fucking chance. Lyrics began to swim around in my head, so I picked up my pen and started leaking words onto the little white notepad I clutched in my hand.
The morning sun flared through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the room, and my eyes squinted shut. I didn’t know how to close the blinds last night, so I opted with leaving them as they were, and now that my eyes were slowly peeling open, I was glad I did. Propping myself up on my elbows, I sighed in complete awe at the sight in front of me. Ryker had been waking up to this every morning? Lucky bastard. My phone vibrated on the black bedside table and I sighed, snatching to answer it.
I laid back onto the pillow. “Hello?”
“Bry? I’m at the airport. I’ll be there soon.”
Indie.
“I didn’t call you. How do you know?” I questioned her, rolling onto my side and placing the phone in-between my ear and the pillow.
“The news! Jesus, what the fuck happened? Todd? Are you okay?” Her voice was coming out over heavy heaves and strained breaths.
I laughed. “Are you running?”
“Don’t laugh at me, Monroe. What the fuck’s going on? And yes, I’m running. Not for you though. The donut shop closes in—dammit! It’s closed and I’m hungry,” she wept though the phone. “Hey! Don’t change the subject. What happened?”
I squeezed my eyes closed. “Can I fill you in when you get here? It’s hard to explain. Do you need me to send someone to pick you up? Tommy? Leo?”
Silence.
“No. Nope. I got this. I’m not ready to see Leo. Shit, why didn’t I think of that? I just saw the news with Ryker being led out of his house with blood splattered clothes and then your parents, and then finally you! I booked a ticket and flew straight here. Goddammit! Please tell me Ryker had a better reason for losing his shit this time, other than Todd touching you?”
“He had a better reason,” I whispered, staring at the ceiling. I cocked my head at the patterns. The figure eight of dots embossed into the white roof felt familiar.
I shook my head, bringing my attention back to Indie’s question. “The reasons involve Becca though, so please be prepared for that, okay?”
More silence, until a light hiss escaped her lips. “Okay. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be there soon,” she replied, before hanging up the phone.
I threw my arm over my eyes and pushed back more thoughts of Ryker. I was terrified for him. Don’t get me wrong; I knew he could hold his own, but this was prison, for fuck’s sake. Ryker was a big time rock god. The biggest rock band in our time was Twisted Transistor! I couldn’t help but be worried. Just knowing how desperate inmates would be in there for a dollar, or a damn cigarette.
A knock on my door pulled me out of my thoughts. “Come in!” I shouted, not moving from my warm spot in bed.
The door opened and Tommy cleared his throat, leaning against the doorframe. “You okay?”
“No. Not really.” I was being honest. Being back around these boys had me slipping into my comfort zone a little too easily, but they were what home felt like to me.
He pushed off the doorframe and began walking into the room. The bed dipped and the smell of fresh soap, aftershave, and freshly ground coffee snuck into my senses.
I pounced up from my position, my eyes running down his body. He was wearing gray sweats, with nothing else on, and his cap was flipped backwards.
Clutching a cup of coffee, he grinned. “Still like it black?”
I snatched it from him, sighing into the cup. “Yes, thank you.” I smiled at him.
He pointed to my top. “Nice. Ryker will be pleased.”
I looked down at the shirt I was wearing. “Yeah, I sort of kept it all these years. Have never stopped wearing it. Though, Todd never knew it was Ryker’s. I told him I suffered from severe donut obsession in my teen years and that this top used to fit me.” I pointed to the Guns N’ Roses T-shirt that hung down to my knees.
He laughed, rubbing his hand over his face. Tommy had always been hot. He had a strong angular jaw and green eyes that could melt anyone on the spot. He had it rough though; his dad used to beat his mom when he was little, but then, it was just him and his mom after Tommy and his dad were in a car accident when he was eleven.
“Nikos will be here in about an hour. Go scrub up before coming down. I think Ryder is going to see if we can visit Ryker too.”
I nodded, pushing the white down covers off me. “Okay, sounds good.” I handed him back the mug and he took it, turning and making his way toward the door.
“Are you going to be okay, Bryleigh? I never got to apologize after Ryker pulled that shit on you all those years ago,” he said, clutching the door handle in his hand.
I waved away his comment. “Tommy, it’s okay. I forgave Ryker a long time ago for all that.”
“Okay.” He smiled briefly before walking out and closing the door behind him. I pulled open my suitcase, taking out a simple sundress before walking into the bathroom, which was joined to the bedroom. Pushing open the door, my breath caught at the sight in front of me.
“Jesus,” I cursed, taking in the beautiful sight. It wasn’t that I hadn’t come from money, but the interior design in this place was spectacular. I needed the number of his decorator, because I would definitely be using her/him for my first home purchase. I placed my clothes onto the double bathroom counter before walking toward the glass door that opened up into the biggest shower I had ever seen. Instead of a single showerhead coming from the wall, there was a large square block that hung from the ceiling, and when I finally figured out how to turn it on—electronically, might I add—the water rained from above in high pressured streams. I yelped out, stepping away from the water that was assaulting my back.
“Help me,” I moaned to myself.
“What can I help you with?” a familiar voice asked, and my eyes narrowed at the little black box that sat outside the shower door.
“Siri, is that you?” I questioned suspiciously.
“Yes, this is Siri. How can I help you?” she answered. Jesus, of course this thing was powered by Apple. It was one of the reasons why I owned an android. I bet he had to have the latest OS system running and embedded into his soul before he could install it though.
“Turn pressure down, please.”
“Pressure turned down, ma’am.”
“Thank you,” I answered automatically, gripping the shower door.
“You
’re welcome. Enjoy your shower.”
I paused. “You’re creepy.”
“That’s not very nice,” she retorted, and I paused again, looking back to the box. Did she just…? Nope, that’s beyond scary. Did Siri just throw me sass?
I stepped back into the shower, followed by proceeding to get ready for the day, despite my argument with Siri.
***
Walking down the stairs, I headed into the sitting room, where I could hear voices talking. Phoebe turned in her spot as I entered. “Here she is,” she announced, gesturing to me.
I smiled, looking up at the two men in front of me. Holy hell, did I just step into a secret land where only hot men exist?
“Hi, I’m Bryleigh.” I stretched my hand out to both men.
One of them took my hand in his. “Nikos, and this is my brother Cruz.” He nudged his head to the equally tall and built man standing beside him. Nikos looked to be nearing thirty, where Cruz looked to be early twenties. They were definitely related too, both sporting short brown hair. Cruz had pearly blue eyes, where Nikos had chocolate eyes. Both tanned nicely, I guessed living by the beach would do that to you, and both had a decent amount of muscle bulging.
“Nice to meet you both,” I answered.
“Phoebe here tells me you’re needing someone to follow you for a while?”
I nodded, taking a seat on the sofa beside Tommy. “Yes, apparently.”
“Well, my brothers and I own Coleman Security. There are five of us, but I’ll have Cruz here following you, that sound good?”
I nodded my head again, swallowing nervously. I needed more coffee. “Okay. Thank you.”
“No problem,” he answered, looking back at Phoebe. “You need anything else, just holla. If you think she might need extra, let me know and I’ll come down or get one of the boys to.”
Phoebe pulled him in for a hug. “Yes, thank you, Nikos.”
“No problem. Anytime,” he answered, before he walked out, leaving Cruz with us.
“Thank you for doing this,” I said to Cruz. His baby face smirked and I think I almost wept at how good-looking that boyish smile was. Shit. Pedo-radar is going off, Bryleigh. But in my defense, he looked only to be a couple years younger than me.
