I start walking again, wiping the tears from my face before I get to Matt and Tyler.
Ryder
I May Be Evil
Finally, after days of locking ourselves in our rooms together and alone to try to write some songs, people are here. I don’t mind some time aloneoccasionally, but the last several days of looking at nothing but Maddox, four walls, and nature are making my skin crawl. Though, if I am honest, today is probably the first day I’ve been suitable company. I’ve been on a bender and on a tear.
Dylan and Wyatt, two of the guys from Jacob’s Ladder that toured with us in Europe are here. We hit it off with them pretty quickly, especially over music. They are loud and aggressive, and Wyatt knows how to shred. Dylan helped Dane continue with his other love, tattooing. Every day on their bus or ours, they’d work on a piece. They came together nicely over the six months they were with us.
Stitch and Jasper, two of the artists from Dane’s tattoo shop, showed up with Dane. Angel was right after them with Liam and Henry, Cara’s bodyguard, who’s become a part of our dysfunctional family of outcasts and misfits, following close behind.
“Where’s Jake?” I asked Dane, handing him a beer.
“Lyra and the baby have something, so they’re not coming for another day or two.” He turns the bottle up.We go to the game room where everyone is taking bets on a game of pool. “Where is Mads?”
“He went for food and more alcohol.” I leave out the part where he should’ve been back hours ago.
“How’d he find this place? It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. He got bodies to hide now?”
I laugh, nearly spitting my drink across the room. “You know Maddox. If anyone can find a place to hide, he can.”
Dane’s brows fall. “How is he?”
“He’s Maddox.” I don’t have to elaborate. Dane knows what that means.
“How ‘bout you? You kind of got slammed last week.”
Everyone knows what went down with Heaven all those years ago. It would’ve been impossible to keep that under wraps, especially when dealing with the aftermath. To say I was wrecked would be an understatement.
“I’m fine.” I focus my attention on the game between Liam and Angel, who just had a four-ball run.
“You’re fine. Of course, you are,” he mutters sarcastically. “And I’m the fucking king of England.”
“Am I supposed to be torn up, Dane? Falling to pieces because I ran into my mother and some girl I haven’t seen since I was a teenager?” I bite back.
“She wasn’t some girl, Ryder. And you’re allowed to feel it all.”
“Except I don’t, Dane. I don’t feel shit. Stop trying to make me.”
“I’m not trying to get you to do anything but admit the truth. You think you hide it all behind that douchery and attitude and that shit-eating grin. Guess what, Ryder? You’re not hiding a damn thing. You and Maddox, you’re both killing yourselves.”
Even though I want to knock his bloody head off, I don’t let the mask fall. I just let my smile stretch wide. “The good die young, mate. I’m immortal.”
“So, I may have invited a few people,” Wyatt says, slapping us both on the shoulder, clearly missing the signs that we were having a conversation. It’s fine by me. That conversation wasn’t going anywhere good.
We turn to see him, glassy eyed and on his way to drunk already. I shake my head with a laugh. The kidcouldn’thold his liquor when we were on tour either. “Define friends. We’re wanting this place to be private.”
“Just some entertainment.”
“Seriously?” I question with a raised brow. Back in Europe he was in bed after every concert. We could barely get him to leave his bus.
“Yeah. A friend gave me their number.”
“Why would you do that?” Dylan groans.
“Not everyone’s balls are in a vise,” Wyatt tells him.
“You were until a month ago. The same vise since you were fourteen.”
