Rogue
Bad Blooded Rebel Series #2
By Mellie George
Text copyright ©2013 Mellie George
All Rights Reserved
Edited by Dawn Bourgeois
Cover Photo Courtesy of CanStockPhoto.com
Cover Design ©2013 Mellie George
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the author.
Support your favorite authors by saying no to piracy! It is really not a victimless crime. Do your part to end the theft of many author’s hard work!
The Author acknowledges referencing the following people, places, music, bands, sports teams, movies, and all that noise: Oprah, Christina Perri, Twilight, Pizza King, Dr. Phil, and Call Of Duty.
This one is again dedicated to my loyal readers…thank you for embracing Ryder and Everleigh and loving the beginning of their story!
To Dawn, Sam, Leanne, Tiffanie, and Fiona…you sure know how to make a girl feel loved. Xoxo!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Scott
Acknowledgments
Soundtrack
Chapter 1
Ryder
“What do you mean, they aren’t here?” I shouted furiously. “We literally sped all the way from Indiana to fucking get here on time, and those douche bags aren’t even here?” I walked across the recording studio and angrily kicked a chair. “This is bullshit!” Stanley and Rick Isaacs, two brothers that owed our label Bulldoze Records, had called our manager Steve Roberts and demanded that me and my band mates Kris Engle, Beau Cavanaugh, and Jude Miller come back to our studio in Cincinnati. They were demanding we record the five remaining songs for our upcoming album. We still had a few months before the label actually needed the record to be finished but Stanley and Rick were just being dicks. This wasn’t about the music…this was about Everleigh.
Two days ago, I had taken a chance and drove two hours from my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio to find Everleigh Stone, a beautiful brown eyed bombshell I’d met backstage at the last stop on our tour. She had captivated me in a way no girl ever had and after three months of thinking of her day and night, I drove two hours to Muncie, Indiana where she lived to find her. She was less than thrilled to see me at first but after hanging out in my hotel room for a few hours (which unfortunately was nothing more sexual than just kissing), I was finally able to break down some of the walls she’d put up and she’d thankfully given me a chance.
Of course, with fame comes paparazzi and cameras. Within a few hours of being in Muncie the press started to swoop in and suddenly my relationship with Everleigh had been a hot topic in the music industry. Because of this the band was now getting more attention than it had in the last three months since our tour ended, so Stanley and Rick saw the publicity as an opportunity. They decided to bust our asses and make us put out the album earlier than we wanted to. It didn’t matter if the record was complete shit. They wanted to “strike while the iron was hot” and pad their pockets in the process. Dicks.
After dragging us back here I was more than a little pissed that the fuckers weren’t at the studio like they said they would be. This was bullshit. I shouldn’t have left Everleigh…she needed me. Her father, Max, was dying of cancer and I felt like I had abandoned her when she needed me the most. My own father had succumbed to cancer when I was twenty years old and after seeing how sick Max was I knew his time was short.
“Calm down, dude,” Jude said, placing a warm hand on my shoulder. “Even if they don’t get here we’ll get this hammered out in no time. We’ll get it done.”
“Listen, if need be, you can just record your vocals and we’ll do the rest,” Kris said sincerely. “If Everleigh calls you, you need to go.”
I ran my hands through my hair and pulled at it impatiently. I needed to be with her and not just because Max was dying. Everleigh had trusted me enough to let me get a little peek at her soft sexy body and now that I’d gotten a taste of everything she had to offer I was dying for more. I didn’t want to rush her but my dick was getting hard just at the memory of feeling her slick folds around my fingers, her inner walls clenching as she came. Damn it…why the fuck did I come back here?
“Are you going to be able to make it through this, man?” Jude asked, sitting down on a stool and plucking a few strings on his bass guitar. “I mean, we were all there when Alan passed away and then again when Rose died. You were a wreck.”
“Well, of course I was. They were my parents, you dick,” I snapped. “Besides, this isn’t about me, Jude. It’s about Everleigh.”
“Sorry,” Jude said after Kris shot him a glare from behind his drum kit. “We’re just worried about you, bro. We don’t want to see you fall off the deep end again by reliving their deaths when Everleigh’s old man passes away.”
I knew he was being sincere and that he cared about me like a brother but I had to admit his concern was irritating me at the moment. All I could think about was getting this recording finished and getting back to my girl. “I’ll be fine, okay? I just want to get this shit over with. Fuck Stanley and Rick. We’re doing this shit without them. Where the hell is Beau?” I asked.
“I think he stepped out to take a call,” Kris said. “He’ll be back in a second. Just chill, dude.”
At that moment, the door to the recording booth opened and in walked Steve. “Hey boys,” he said. “Glad you all made it.” Steve Roberts was a slightly pudgy middle aged man that still tried to look younger than he was by wearing a leather jacket and spiking up his salt and pepper colored hair. He was a nice guy but had put up with a lot of shit from us over the years.
“Well, it’s about God damned time one of you assholes shows up!” I snapped at him. “Where the hell are Dumb and Dumber?”
“They just messaged me and said they had to fly to New York tonight,” Steve said, a worried expression on his face.
“What?” I screamed, kicking over a stool. “You mean to tell me those cock suckers forced us to come back here and they didn’t even bother to fucking show up?”
Kris stood up from behind his drum kit and walked over to me, his hands raised. “Ryder, calm down man. It isn’t Steve’s fault. He’s under their thumb as much as we are.”
“I don’t give a fuck! This could have waited and you know it, Steve! Why can’t you for once stand up for us and get shit done?”
Steve looked hurt for a split second before he got angry. “Look here, you little punk, I have been standing up for you for more than ten years and trust me, it hasn’t been easy. I’ve put up with your drinking, partying, and your endless string of whores night after night and I never complained once. I go without sleeping, eating, and seeing my family to help you all because it’s my job and I love you boys. Don’t you dare stand there and say I don’t defend you to the death, Ryder, because believe me when I say, I do,” he snapped.
I took ten deep breaths to try and calm myself down. I sighed. “Look, I’m sorry man, all right? I’m just anxious. We shouldn’t have been dragged back here right now because of-”
“Because of Everleigh. I know,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifting into a s
mile. “I’ve seen the pictures on TV. She’s pretty cute.”
“She’s fucking beautiful,” I corrected.
“Tell me about her. What’s so special about her that made the ultimate bachelor like you take a second look?” Steve asked.
I smiled my first genuine smile since leaving Indiana a few hours ago. “She’s just…I can’t describe it. She’s so beautiful it hurts to look at her and she doesn’t even know it. She’s honest, sincere, a hard worker, and she loves her Dad.”
“Have you met him yet?” Steve asked, grinning.
My smile quickly turned down into a frown. “Actually I have. Max is a really great guy.”
“Okay…then why do you look bummed out?” he asked.
“Her dad has cancer,” Kris said softly. “It’s not looking good.”
Steve’s eyes darted from Kris’s to mine in an instant. “Oh, Ryder, I’m sorry. How did you handle seeing him?”
I rolled my eyes. “Why does everyone think I can’t handle this? My dad’s gone and nothing is going to change that.”
“We know, but we also know how bad you slid off the rails when he died. You were even worse when your mom passed on too. You fucked anything that moved and nearly drank yourself to death. We are just worried that watching her dad die will send you into a tailspin again,” Jude said, and for the first time in a while he looked genuinely worried about me.
“Are you really going to sit there and judge me for sleeping with too many women, Jude? Really?” I growled, and he huffed. “Look, you guys, I’m fine. I’m not some punk ass kid anymore, so don’t think I will break down when Max passes away. I’ve been through this and I know what to expect. However, Everleigh hasn’t and she’s going to need someone there who lo…uh, cares about her,” I said, catching myself before I said I loved her. I know that Kris, Steve, and Jude all picked up on my slip by the way they looked at each other but thankfully they had enough sense to keep it to themselves.
Before anyone else could say anything, Beau came walking into the recording booth, his face full of concern. My heart jumped. “Beau? What’s up man?” Kris asked.
“I just got off the phone with Danni,” he said, looking straight at me.
“Just spit it out, man,” I said and my palms were starting to sweat.
He blew out a breath and said, “It’s Everleigh’s dad. I guess the nurse found him bleeding from his mouth and nose and they don’t think he’s gonna hang on much longer.”
Panic shot through me. “Fuck! I’m leaving. Now,” I said, looking around for my jacket and the keys to my Escalade.
“Ryder, you can’t drive back to Indiana alone like this. I’ll go with you,” Beau said.
“We’ll all go. Fuck those two shitheads,” Jude chimed in. “We can have a couple of guys load our shit up and bring it to Indiana and we can record there.”
“That sounds like a plan. I’ll take care of everything guys. You all go,” Steve said, clapping me hard on the back.
“Why didn’t Everleigh call me?” I asked Beau, my head snapping back and forth in search of my jacket.
“Well, she’s a little preoccupied right now, Ryder,” he said.
“I understand that but Danni could have at least called my phone and let me know what was going on.” He looked like there was something he didn’t want to tell me and I was starting to panic. “Beau, what is it? Did he already die?” I asked, a lump forming in my throat.
He shook his head. “No not yet. It’s just…aw, fuck. Everleigh told her not to tell you.”
“She did what?” I asked, feeling as if I’d punched in the gut. “How could she not want me there?”
“I don’t know man. She’s a pretty selfless girl, Ryder. Maybe she just wanted to grieve alone, or maybe she didn’t want to burden you with her problems when you have problems of your own.”
“Well, my problems don’t mean shit right now. Putting out a rushed album to please a couple of rich pricks doesn’t concern me at all when Everleigh is going through something like this. Where the fuck are my keys?” I shouted, looking around the room frantically.
“Calm down, man. Here,” Jude said, tossing me my jacket. “Keys are in your pocket.”
“All right, I’m leaving,” I said, sliding into my jacket and heading for the door.
“Wait, Ryder. Let one of us ride with you,” Beau said. “You shouldn’t drive alone on an icy highway when you’re panicked like this.”
“I’ll go,” Kris offered. “The rest of you guys can go in the SUV with John.”
Everyone nodded. “Whatever. Let’s go,” I yelled, and Kris followed behind me as I opened the door and heard Steve call out a goodbye.
Two long hours later, we had just reached the outskirts of Muncie and I was trying not to get pulled over as I sped to Everleigh’s house. She lived on the east side of town and we were only about five minutes from her home. “Hey man, you all right?” Kris asked.
“I’m fine,” I lied, as my stomach twisted in knots. I knew what was coming and I would have given everything I had to keep Everleigh from feeling what I knew she was about to feel.
“Ryder, it’s going to be okay. Just help her get through this. She’s going to need you. She’s probably at one point going to try to push you away but you just have to be there for her any way she needs you to be,” he said.
I snorted out a laugh. “Thanks, Oprah,” I said.
“I’m serious. Just think about what I said, okay?” he asked as I turned down the road to her house.
“Yeah, all right. Hey listen, in case I don’t say it later, thanks for coming with me. It means a lot that you guys are behind me in this and not telling me I’m crazy for following this girl here,” I said.
“Hey, I’ve followed you into worse shit than this. We’re brothers, and we’ll always have your back,” he said, and we bumped fists.
“Thanks, man.” A few minutes later, we were at Everleigh’s house and I pulled in the driveway. Someone must have tipped the press that we’d gone back to Cincinnati today and it looked like the reporters had followed. I knew that they would find out we came back eventually, but thankfully we’d gotten a head start on them and had some time alone to deal with this.
Kris and I got out of the Escalade and quickly jogged up to the front door. I knocked several times and after waiting for a few moments in the frigid December air the front door opened. “Ryder?” said Trish, Max’s live in nurse. “What are you doing back already? I thought you went home.”
“Where is she?” I asked.
Trish nodded sadly. “In his room,” she said, and stepped aside to let me and Kris inside. I immediately went down the hall past a puffy-eyed Danni to the room I had carried Max into last night and knocked gently on the door.
“Come in,” a tiny voice squeaked out. My heart tightened in my chest as I opened the door. It was dark inside except for a tiny lamp that was on at Max’s bedside. I took in the sight of Max lying on his bed, near death, and Everleigh’s head down over his hand, sobbing softly. I tried to ignore the burn in my eyes and the tightness in my chest.
“Everleigh?” I asked quietly.
Her head snapped up and when she saw me, her eyes widened. “R-Ryder? What are you doing here?” she asked with surprise.
“Where else would I be?” I said, taking a step closer to her.
“How did you know?” she sniffed, her eyes swollen from crying.
“Danni called Beau,” I admitted. “Is it okay that I’m here?”
“You didn’t need to come, Ryder. I’m fine,” she lied, turning her head back toward Max.
“Everleigh…”
“I don’t want you to see this. I care about you and I don’t want you to go through this again,” she said.
I took a few steps until I was beside the bed. I knelt down next to her and swept her long dark hair away from her tear stained face. “Everleigh, I’m glad Danni called. I care about you too and I refuse to let you go through this alone.”
�
��I’m not alone. I have Danni and Trish.”
“You have me too, Everleigh. You also have Jude, Kris, and Beau. They came up too because they already care about you as much as I do.”
She let out a small sob. “You all didn’t have to come. You’re going to be in trouble with your record label now because of me.”
“I don’t care. Those assholes weren’t even there when we got back to Cincinnati. Our manager Steve is loading up our studio as we speak and he’s shipping our things here so we can record our album in Indiana. Those douche bags will get their record and I will be right where I need to be. Here with you,” I said.
“Ryder…”
“Don’t try to get rid of me because I’m not leaving your side in this gorgeous,” I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her to me.
She grew quiet as tears steadily fell down her cheeks. I just sat there and held her while she cried. I still hadn’t looked directly at Max…as much as I hated to admit it to myself I was scared to see him. I just needed a few moments to collect myself before I looked. I didn’t have much time however because I suddenly felt a cold, clammy hand brush mine. “Well, hey there, son,” Max croaked.
I took a deep shaky breath and looked up at him. When I met his eyes, the lump in my throat started to choke me. “Hey Max. How are you doing?” I whispered, trying to clear my throat.
“Glad to see you with my Evie girl. She’s going to need you,” he said, straining to speak above a whisper.
Everleigh openly sobbed as I squeezed his frail hand. “There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be,” I said.
“That’s good,” he said. “Promise me something?”
“Anything,” I answered.
“Take care of her, son,” he whispered. At that moment, I couldn’t stop the emotions anymore and I felt two fat tears fall down my cheeks. They were the first tears I’d cried in the five years since I lost my mom.
Rogue (Bad Blooded Rebel Series) Page 1
