Flash

by Stella Andrews

  I notice Sunny is preoccupied as we eat and feel my resolve harden. Just a couple more days and we’ll be free to live our lives on our terms. I don’t doubt that for a second and she may be worried now, but when she realizes just how far our reach extends, she’ll never worry again.

  16

  Sunny

  I’m so surprised by Tyson’s home. It’s nothing like I imagined and I suppose I was expecting some kind of MC clubhouse. This place is modern, sleek and yet cozy and welcoming. The biggest plus point is that Tyson’s by my side and I try to push aside the worry and just enjoy the time we do have.

  After breakfast, he shows me around. Ashton sent across some clean clothes and cosmetics for me which I was mighty grateful for because I came here in my stage clothes that would look completely out of place in the cold light of day. Now I’m wearing cut-offs with a black t-shirt and some pumps and my hair is tied loosely on top of my head and the makeup minimal. It’s good to feel natural like I used to at home. There are no fans to impress and no image to protect here. To these people, I’m just Tyson’s girl, not the country star adored by millions and placed on a pedestal around the world.

  Tyson shows me around the compound, as he calls it, and we see a large state-of-the-art gym as our first call. I swallow hard as I see several men working out on the weights and try not to look at their rippling muscles and powerful arms that look like a tattoo artists life work.

  They are respectful but I see the interest in their eyes as Tyson introduces me as his girl. I suppose I’m used to attention because it comes with fame, however, these guys are just friendly and don’t make me feel uncomfortable in any way.

  We head across to a cinema that sits about a dozen people and I see a small bar set up in the corner. Then we cross the yard to a purpose-built barn that hides a huge swimming pool inside with many comfortable loungers set around it. Tyson explains that the roof slides across if the weather is hot and many of the Reaper’s kids play here after school and on weekends and vacations.

  He points out many houses in the distance and explains that the married Reapers live there with their families.

  Then we reach the bar and Tyson grins and rolls his eyes. “Prepare yourself, darlin’, this place isn’t for the fainthearted and despite what you see here, everyone is here willingly.”

  I look at him in surprise as he opens the door and I see a huge bar area that takes up the whole barn and a long bar runs the length of it. All around are chairs and tables and a couple of large screens fill the walls where a game plays out, giving rise to lots of cheers from the many men relaxing inside.

  I see Jennifer behind the bar and she waves to me as we head across to see her.

  “Hey, Sunny. How are you feeling today?”

  She laughs as I grin and rolls her eyes. “Stupid question, I guess. Anyway, what can I get you?”

  “Just a coke would be good.”

  She pours the soda and hands Tyson, a bottle of beer and leans on the bar. “So, if this is your first look inside this devil’s pit, I’d better fill you in.”

  She points to a group of women who sit chatting and laughing around a table and says, “The group of women over there are club whores.”

  I stare at her in shock and watch them both share a smile.

  “It’s ok, they like that title because then everybody knows where they stand. They live here for nothing but the attention they give the single men on site. Not everyone has a woman of their own and they aren’t interested in becoming a one-man woman. They play the field and reap the rewards and if they tire of it, they move on or settle down. Don’t judge them, Sunny because they are happier than most around here.”

  I take a quick look at Tyson and raise my eyes and he shrugs. “It happens, darlin’. I can’t pretend I was a saint in my time apart from you and at least you know there was no one special.”

  I’m not sure what to say about this and Jennifer looks at me sympathetically. “It must be hard to hear but when you meet the girls, you’ll see why no one thinks anything of it. They are lovely girls who help the guys forget a bad day at the office because everyone needs a sweet smile and a warm body to curl up with after a hard day in the field.”

  I fall silent because I’m still not sure what I make of all this. I look over at the group and one of them catches me looking and yells, “Oh my god, it’s Sunny Scott. The Sunny Scott in our own bar.”

  She jumps up and heads toward me before I know what’s happening and her friends follow her. I’m not sure what to do and Tyson puts his arm around my shoulders and says proudly, “Hey girls, meet Sunny, my girl.”

  Their eyes widen and one of them shouts, “Shut the fuck up, Tyson. No way.”

  She looks at me and grins. “Bad luck, Sunny, all these Reapers and you get saddled with the most insufferable of them all.”

  Another girl shakes her head. “No, that would be Ryder but she’s right, Tyson’s a hard nut to crack.”

  I can’t help it and smile at their obvious friendship and soon they’re firing questions at me and drag me to sit with them on a nearby couch.

  I tell them what they want to know and after a while, I relax. These women are no different from me. They have the same conversation and laugh at the same type of things. They are open and friendly and who wouldn’t enjoy their company?

  I don’t even notice that Tyson drifts off until I see him chatting with a group of guys nearby and one of the girls follows my gaze and laughs. “You’re lucky to be Tyson’s girl. He’s a great guy and I’m happy he’s found you.”

  I look at her with curiosity. “Um... how well do you know him?”

  The girls all laugh and she smiles sweetly. “Listen, honey, we all know Tyson, if you know what I mean. There’s nothing in it though but a bit of fun. We would never go there if he was taken, it’s against the rules. Now you’re here, he’s just a memory.”

  Another girl says smartly, “A good one though.”

  They all laugh and I smile feeling a little strange to be talking about my guy to all these women who obviously know him intimately.

  I notice a group of guys head inside wearing their jackets and looking as if they’ve just got back and watch the girls straighten up and fluff out their hair. The girl nearest me whispers, “Duty calls.”

  I watch as they head across and whisper to the guys and then watch in fascination as one by one, they pair up and either sit with the guys at the bar, or sit on their laps watching the game. They bring the guys beers and it strikes me that nothing about this place seems real.

  Jennifer comes and sits beside me and says in a low voice, “I know it’s strange. It took me a while to come to terms with it myself.”

  I look at her with curiosity. “You’re with Flash, aren’t you?”

  She nods and I say hesitantly, “Um... did he... um...?”

  She laughs. “Yes, in fact before I came and even when I first came, he was the biggest whore here. I used to watch him with all the girls and nobody ever thought he’d settle down.”

  I feel shocked and she grins. “When we got together all that stopped. He promised himself to me only and I trust him because that’s what these men are—trustworthy. They may be the biggest whores when single but that all stops when they commit.”

  “Does it bother you that... um well... they all...”

  She shrugs. “Not really. I suppose I would if it had meant anything but I know it was just a physical thing. These guys are loyal when they meet someone and it makes me feel special knowing he gave it all up for me.”

  Tyson heads across and smiles, “Time to go, darlin’.”

  “Go?”

  “Ryder’s office. They’ve found something.”

  17

  Tyson

  I got the call and can tell that Sunny is nervous beside me. She’s not used to how we operate and is probably fearful for the future, so I squeeze her hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, nobody can hurt you. We’ll sort it out and then you can get on with yo
ur business free from worry.”

  She falls silent and I feel her nerves. It makes me angry when I think of the shit she’s had to deal with and can’t wait to get one over on her creep of a manager.

  We head inside Ryder’s office and see Lucy poring over some documents with him. They look up and Lucy smiles. “Hey, Sunny. How are you feeling?”

  Sunny smiles nervously. “Ok, I guess.”

  I pull out a chair and then drag mine beside her, keeping hold of her hand as Ryder looks at us through his hard, glittering eyes.

  “Lucy’s been through the contract and we were right, your manager’s been creaming off the profits while you get the scraps.”

  Sunny looks shocked. “But...how?”

  Lucy points to a paragraph she’s circled in red. “It says here that the income is split 50/50 between the management company Grady owns and you. As the songwriter and performer, you get an equal share to him but he manages the business side.”

  Ryder shakes his head. “Fucking crook. 50% is way too much, but it gets worse.”

  Sunny stiffens. “Worse?”

  Lucy nods. “Your share pays for the costs involved while his goes straight to his bank. By the time you’ve paid the staff, recording costs and staging a show, you know, hotels, meals, stylists, assistants the lot, you’re left with less than 1%.”

  I feel the heat heading to my heart and Ryder looks at me sharply, “Settle down, Tyson. It’s all sorted.”

  I stiffen and feel the anger taking hold as each word spills from their lips.

  Lucy carries on. “We’ve taken the liberty of drawing up a new contract that effectively gives you total control. It involves setting up a holding company in your name where all monies are paid. You’ve been named as sole beneficiary and so will call all the shots, therefore cutting out Grady.”

  Sunny looks at them in disbelief. “But I signed a contract. He’ll never agree to it.”

  Ryder looks at her with a hard expression. He already has.

  She leans back in her seat and her voice shakes. “How?”

  Ryder grins. “He doesn’t know it yet though. Maybe you would like to be there when the penny drops.”

  Sunny looks confused and I say roughly, “What’s the plan?”

  Settling back in his chair, Ryder says with some satisfaction. “I think we should pay him a visit, now listen up because this is the plan. Play your part and that’s the last you’ll ever see of Grady Donaldson.”

  As Ryder outlines his plan, we listen hard. As plans go, its pure genius and I wonder if we can really pull it off. Sunny sits quietly beside me and I worry if she’s strong enough. It’s one thing doing this as a job as we all do, but this is her life and she’s not used to confrontation.

  Ryder looks at her at the end and says gently, “Are you ok with this, Sunny?”

  Her voice is hard as she looks around the room and says firmly, “Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do this.”

  We all share a look and Ryder grins. “Then what are we waiting for?”

  18

  Sunny

  This time the group of people accompanying me to town is a different one. I sit in the back of a large SUV with the windows tinted black with Tyson by my side.

  Up front, Ryder drives accompanied by his right-hand man, Snake. In front are two bikes with Flash and Brody and behind ride Jet and a man called Brewer.

  It feels strange being surrounded by so much leather and ink with an undercurrent of fear and violence. The men are quiet and no words pass their lips and it feels as if all the air has been sucked out of the car.

  Tyson squeezes my hand and smiles his reassurance but the nerves are taking hold as I think of my imminent confrontation with Grady.

  It must take thirty minutes before we draw up outside the hotel and my heart bangs like a bass drum. Once again, we head around the back away from prying eyes and this time as I exit the vehicle that brought me here, it’s with a very different type of guard. The guys move around me like a protective shield of the most destructive kind and I pity anyone that gets in their way.

  My heart thumps as we head inside and sweep past the curious looks of the staff at work, as we make our way to the elevators.

  We bypass the reception and nobody stops to challenge us and I’m not surprised because one look at the company I keep is enough to make a man’s heart fail on the spot.

  We ride the elevator and still no words are spoken and I wonder if this is the usual run of things. No words, just an understanding that everyone knows their position and the part they have to play.

  By the time we reach the top floor where my rooms are, I feel sick with nerves. Tyson kisses my hand and says in a whisper, “You ok, darlin’?”

  I smile at him shakily and he winks. “You’re a strong woman and this will be easy for you.”

  I try to believe his words but feel a fraud when my legs shake as they carry me out into the passageway.

  The first person I see is Eric who looks at me with a mixture of relief and fear. “Miss. Scott. It’s good to see you back.”

  I stare at him in surprise. “Eric! Are you ok, you didn’t get into trouble, did you?”

  He shrugs and then grins wickedly. “A little, which is why I wanted to be here for this.”

  He nods to Ryder and an unspoken conversation passes between them as Eric knocks loudly on the door of the suite.

  He opens it and we hear him say loudly, “Miss. Scott, sir.”

  I walk inside and see Grady’s furious face staring at me from the couch as Snake moves across to stand guard beside him. I don’t miss the storm in his eyes as he barks, “What the fuck is this? Sunny, what’s going on, are you ok?”

  I nod coolly. “I will be.”

  He shakes his head and shouts, “This is fucking madness. How could you allow yourself to be held to ransom like this? You stupid bitch, haven’t you learned anything? Two million dollars you’ve cost me and let me tell you, it’s coming out of your earnings. I’m not prepared to pay for a stupid bitch who can’t look after herself.”

  I watch in shock as Tyson moves across the room in one large step and punches Grady square in the jaw. With a howl of pain, he falls back with blood splattered all over his face and two of his teeth hanging by a thread. He yells and doubles over in agony but nobody rushes to help him. Instead, the guys move around the room and Ryder pulls out a chair for me and takes one himself facing the howling man. When his cries subside, Ryder says in a hard voice, “Listen up you total fucking shithead, this is how it’s gonna be. You are now no longer Miss. Scott’s manager. You can pack whatever shit you own and crawl back under the stone you came from.”

  Grady looks up immediately, Ryder’s words bringing him to his feet in shock. Snake and Tyson block his way as he yells, “What the fuck are you talking about? I own Sunny Scott and have the contract to prove it. If you harm me in any way, I have the cops on their way to act as witnesses.”

  He takes the silence as a victory and laughs bitterly. “Did you really think I was going to let a fucked-up group of bikers rob me of two million dollars? Well, you’re more stupid than you look and I can’t wait to see what the cops have to say when they get here. Last time I heard, kidnap and demanding money by menaces was a jail term in waiting and I can’t wait to see you locked up you fucking morons.”

  I stare at him in surprise and feel the worry grip me hard and as I look at Tyson fearfully, he just smiles and shakes his head.

  I’m not sure how long we sit there for before we hear voices in the hall and then four officers enter the room and Grady looks at us all with victory in his eyes.

  The cops look uncomfortable as they see the menace in the room and Grady shouts, “Arrest this scum. They kidnapped Sunny Scott and held her to ransom. I want my money back and I want you to throw away the key.”

  He looks at Tyson and snarls, “Add a charge of attempted murder to this one’s rap sheet, just look at my face.”

  The officer in charge takes it all in
and then looks at me with concern.

  “Are you ok, Miss. Scott?”

  I smile. “Never better, sir. I’m not so sure about my manager though.”

  Grady laughs. “Oh please, you can drop the act.”

  The officer says sternly, “Shut the fuck up. Now, what’s this about a kidnapping?”

  I stand and say sweetly, “I’m not sure why Grady thinks I was kidnapped. I went to stay with my boyfriend after my show last night and spent the night with him. It’s hardly a crime, officer.”

  Grady yells. “Shut the fuck up, bitch. You’re a liar.”

  He turns to the officer. “I have a note, they told me she would be dead meat if I didn’t transfer two million dollars to their account by this morning. I can prove it.”

  “Go on then.” The officer looks at him expectantly, “The note, where is it?”

  Grady looks across at Eric and shouts, “Get the note.”

  Eric shrugs. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Miss. Scott told me that she was spending the night with her guy. There was never any kidnap or note come to think of it.”

  Grady looks as if he’s about to murder Eric on the spot and yells, “I can prove it. The money. I’ll show you the transaction from my bank.”

  He fumbles with his laptop as the room falls silent. If I didn’t hate him so much, I would almost feel sorry for him as he yells triumphantly, “There, see, here’s the transaction, two million dollars to SJS holdings.”

  He shows the screen to the cop who shrugs, “I’ll have to check this out.”

  He looks across to me and says gently, “Can you tell me anything about this, Miss. Scott?”

  I smile. “SJS holdings is my company, sir. Grady agreed to buy me out of my contract for two million dollars. It’s a small price to pay to gain total control of my career wouldn’t you say?”