Idolized (Hollywood Stardust Book 3) (60 page)

Exactly like the day Cora sent Rodger with him to clean up his messes, he ended up back in Pasadena. Unfortunately, none of them were equipped to deal with the disaster he created.

“I’ll wait to make sure you get in.” Ben parked in the Fulton’s driveway.

“You’re a good friend. One day maybe I’ll actually make good on one of my promises.” He patted Ben on the shoulder, let himself out, went to the door, and knocked.

“Ryder?” Erin looked the peephole then opened the door. “What are you doing here? Why are you in a tuxedo?”

He scratched his nails through his scalp. “I need a place to be.”

“What?” She backed up and let him inside.

Drew came over. “What’s going on?”

He looked at the two of them standing side by side. For twenty years while Erin waited for Drew, she always said she felt like her heart was missing the second he drove away and now Ryder understood.

“Ryder.” Erin pulled him closer. “What happened to you?”

“You know how in just about every movie the villain gets his comeuppance?” He shook his head and stared at his friend’s ever-increasing baby bump. They were wrapping just in time. Soon she would be too large to camouflage.

“Yes, what does that have to do with you?” Erin’s voice rose her typical tone for concern and drama.

“Well, I got mine tonight.” He didn’t remember the last time a non-scripted genuine tear fell, and he turned his back to them.

HOLLYWOOD STARDOM

FADE IN:

INT. LOS ANGELES – GRIFFITH PARK OBSERVATORY - DAY

ROXY is waiting for CHARLES to finish up work.

CAMERA PANS to him in his office while ROXY walks around, looking up at the model of the solar system.

ROXY’S cell phone rings.  She looks at the phone, glances over at CHARLES, and backs down one of the corridors before answering.

ROXY

(Puts her phone to her ear)

Steven.

CUT TO STEVEN standing on location in Arizona.

STEVEN

A blast from the past.

ROXY (O.S)

Thank you for calling me back.

STEVEN

(Motions away one of the stagehands on set)

Let me guess. You finally got up enough nerve to call me and ask me for a part.

CUT TO ROXY

ROXY

(Shuts her eyes)

No, I know your wife is your muse.

STEVEN (O.S.)

Strange how things work out.  Charles called me.  Congratulations.

ROXY

Am I doing the right thing?

STEVEN (O.S.)

If you have to ask, I would wonder.

ROXY

(A tear travels down her cheek)

You don’t understand.

STEVEN (O.S.)

He’s the only one of us you haven’t screwed over.  Be careful.

The phone line goes dead.

ROXY walks back through the observatory and waits for CHARLES.

Chapter Thirty

“CORA.” Viktor tiptoed into her office and took his throne.

She sat up, smoothed her hair back, clicked off the auction site that had her enthralled for the last three hours, and took a sip of her cold brewed coffee.

Three days ago, she gave up trying to recreate the splendor that was Ryder’s espresso and smashed the damn machine in her kitchen. Though she never picked up the pieces, the cleaning crew magically cleaned up any trace of the fallen appliance. Somehow, along the way Ryder’s clothes vanished out of her closet and his toiletries out of her bathroom. In fact, every trace of him was gone except for the Ryder Scott memorabilia that continued to show up to her home. Rather than open the boxes, she just let them pile up in the dining room. There was plenty of room now without the broken espresso maker littering the floor.

“Cora,” Viktor repeated.

“You know, I thought the emails would stop once the world found out Ryder and I…” She couldn’t say the words. Instead, she picked up Spike and turned her chair toward the window. The email came from the same Stargazer and simply said it looked like her stargazing days were over. “I don’t even care anymore.” So much for living her life in the public eye. All it got her was a broken heart and a stalker no one could find.

“We need to care,” Viktor whispered.

“It will go away just like everything else.” She clicked over to Chargge. Even her own website covered the story of her and Ryder’s last evening in painstaking detail. Pictures of her and Ryder and that mafia man littered every homepage, most even questioning why they were standing with someone who had a questionable background. The worst images were the ones of her walking away, Ryder chasing after her, and then running up to the car.

“We sent out the traditional celebrity statement about allowing you privacy during this difficult time, but the media is still hounding us for something.” Viktor kept his voice low. “But it may be time to say something.”

“Tell the media I bought and paid for something, and when it didn’t fit, I had to return it.” She stared into nothing.

After a knock at the door, Rodger entered.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Viktor and Rodger glance at each other and shake their heads, their code for the fact she still hadn’t snapped out her funk.

“I have something for you.” Rodger approached and straightened out a few things on her desk. “It’s something you want.” He pulled an envelope out of his jacket and waved it in front of her.

Unless Rodger produced an organized crime free Ryder out of his briefcase of tricks, she wanted for nothing, and she shrugged.

“In this envelope I have the all the information you need to decimate your competition and ensure your spot as CEO of Ultracom.” He placed the envelope in front of her.

“What do you mean?” She turned toward her desk and lifted the envelope.

Viktor sat up.

“Exactly what I said. All you need to do is look, and you’ll get all your answers. This information is all you need.” He stared into her eyes.

For the first time since she left Ryder, her heart raced, a much better sensation than allowing the poor organ to sit there and shrivel up. Without even thinking, she reached for it, then stopped, but she still held on. What could it be?

“It’s so easy, isn’t it?” Rodger slapped his hand down on top of the envelope. “It’s so easy when the carrot is dangled right in front of you, right? Who would know?”

As if the paper were on fire, she let go and held her hand back. “Rodger?” She knew what he was doing. He was comparing her situation to Ryder’s, and it wouldn’t work. She never put anyone in danger, she never traveled down that path, she did it right.

With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair. Did she? It was all too easy to succumb. “Since when did you become the advocate for Ryder?”

“This has nothing to do with Ryder.” Viktor stood and pointed down at the information. “We need to see that.”

“I don’t know. He is everything I despise, but there’s something there, something you need.” Rodger slid his hand away.

Tears made her eyes blurry. She wanted her life back. The one where she traipsed through Ryder’s trailer like she owned it, the one where the man she loved called her the smartest woman in the world, but then said that made him smart because everything had to lead back to him, the life that had some spark, even if they were just sharing a steak in bed watching old musicals. Hell, she wanted to hear Ryder sing, even if he thought he couldn’t carry a tune. “He lied to me.”