"What the hell is this, Scott? What have you done?" If Lyon hadn't warned me ahead of time, I would've been out of my mind, but since I'd been forewarned, I had time to practice and still come across as pissed and just a little bit scared. What I was, was beyond repulsed and, yes, pissed way the fuck off.I could barely look him in the eye without sneering the whole time we sat there on the deck of his home. "Listen, it was a good deal; I figured you wouldn't mind." No, you figured that I was still under your control and would let you walk all over me."Fine, but what is this about fifty million? It says here you sold the catalog for two hundred million dollars.""What? Let me see that."I passed him the printout I'd brought along with me. A signed document showing that he'd made four times as much as he tried telling me he'd sold my life's work for. I knew something was off with the numbers he'd given me, but because I wasn't sure of all of the details behind what the niece was doing,
Oh, dear! What exactly did he say to his daughter and her friends? I've only been gone a day and a half, and all hell has broken loose in L.A. Since I wasn't given any information, I don't know what the plan was or where she was going to attack.I was so enraged by Scott and what he had done to Ryder that I wasn't thinking straight when I made those threats and told Lyon that I wanted to talk to his daughter. When she finally did contact me, I was still in a rage, and my fingers had done the talking as I tried to be as delicate as possible while telling the ten-year-old what I wanted.I couldn't very well come right out and tell the child what had been done to him, but I'm almost certain she understood and was able to read between the lines, maybe too well. But I didn't think things would go this far this soon. There was complete chaos for which I feel partly responsible, and the hard part is that I can't rush back there to be with Ryder while he goes through this.Mary and Scott, two
I get to go home today, and my excitement is off the charts. There was a little bit of panic on my end when I thought that I would have to face the public looking the way I do, but at the last minute, I was informed that Ryder's new coaches were going to meet me here and take me out the back or something like that.Apparently, they were the ones who'd found me on the bedroom floor that day and called for help, so I guess they're not so bad after all. Whatever, my only thoughts now are of Ryder and getting back to him. I've been riddled with worry and thoughts of getting back to him, wondering what that was going to be like.Would he be sympathetic? He's never been before, but maybe he'd remember that I am his wife and act accordingly. I'm sure my public had to have noticed my absence and were keeping an eye on him for me. They would never let him go anywhere near his ex, I'm sure, as some of them have taken it upon themselves in the last couple of years to hound her every step for me,
"You betrayed the code. The only way for you to come back from this is to come clean and save yourself.""But I didn't know; I had no idea what these people were into. They said it was a love spell. I needed the money; I don't even...." Her cowering was sickening."Spare me the rhetoric. You know what can happen if you don't do the right thing here and you're running out of time. The spell is broken; he's no longer under your control, and I've fixed it so it can never happen again. I don't have to tell you what will happen if I send it back to you. Or how things may turn out the next time you cast since I'm locked onto you now." I saw the fear in her eyes and pressed on. She's the worst kind of seer, the kind who preys on others for monetary gain. Like the medicine men, our craft is only supposed to be meant for good for the help and welfare of our fellow man. But over the centuries, the lines have been blurred, and the worst of us have lost our way.This one got tangled up in somethi
I can't believe the pace at which this has all gone down. Everything around me was imploding, and I was barely able to keep up. I thought for sure this was all going to take at least a couple of months, but here we were, just a few weeks later. I get it, though; while I've been stuck in my own little world of complications, these men's real purpose here was to bring home the girls, some of them now women, who have been suffering years of degradation and pain.I'm not sure what all was supposed to happen next, but after Janie's colossal meltdown on live TV, Lyon packed me off to New York a day early to be with her. I guess he saw the strain and stress I was under worrying about her. In my mind, even though her name was yet to be mentioned, they hated her so much, especially Janie, that I was afraid they might come after her.Now I'm tasked with the unenviable duty of telling her about Rachel and what had gone down in the last few days. I know she hasn't been in contact with the other wo
I was wide awake now, all tiredness gone, but it almost felt as if I'd never left the set. Our host seemed like such an enigma. His words did not in any way match what you'd expect to come out of the mouth of someone his age. He seemed way too reserved and a whole lot of something else for one who was obviously so young.His stance, the way he studied us without even trying to hide the fact that he was taking our measure, and that cultured tone he used were so unexpected. I almost felt like I was under a microscope, and yet, I didn't sense any real danger, even though, on some level, I got the sense that he would swing into action in the blink of an eye if Ryder or I made the wrong move, whatever that may be.The others that I had met so far of Lyon's squad seemed to go out of their way to make me feel comfortable with their presence, this one didn't seem to care too much whether I was comfortable or not, and I guess I couldn't blame him, we'd just shown up at his home late at night an
They released me. I was a bit skeptical that it could be that easy, so I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting to be followed, but all I saw was my shadow in the concrete as I tried to move as fast as I could through the strange streets. My head was finally starting to feel normal again, and my only thought was of getting out of L.A. I was sure no one was going to listen to any explanations I had, and there was no doubt in my mind that Mary and the others would be coming after me.The fear that gripped me with that thought had me pushing myself even harder, even though my body still felt weak from my time in the hospital. I needed a place to lay low and some time to think about everything that had happened today and was happening now.I'll deal with my marriage situation later, but right now, I need to stay alive. I didn't know where I was when I looked around, but it didn't matter; as long as I found a place to lay low for a day or so, I'd be able to get myself out of here and som
"Where are you? Have you seen this?""What? Did something happen?" I was barely awake when Sydney called, still caught in the throes of sleepy pleasure after the morning and night Ryder and I had spent together.I felt the aches and pains as I tried to sit up in bed and couldn't help the smile that flitted across my face. I was almost afraid to be this happy or to admit to myself that our time together was so much better this time around than the last.Don't get me wrong, our relationship had lots of good times, but the bad somehow had grown to overshadow them. But this time, for some reason, I feel it deep inside that things are different. That he is, we are.Of course, we've grown, but it's almost as if he's a different person. I can't say that I'd imagined him becoming the man he is today, and though I wouldn't wish the last five years on my worst enemy, a part of me can't help but be grateful in a way for all that we'd gone through, if it meant that we could be here today. It's too