by G. R. Lyons
Chapter 6
RYLEY SAT at his desk the next day, barely able to work. Having Vic right there, sitting at the next desk over, so close but so far out of reach, made it impossible to concentrate. They'd been together for six years, almost as long as they'd worked together, and now they were over.
But they still had to work together. Not to mention play together, assuming the band would survive their breakup. It was way too soon to tell. They were days away from heading to Erostil. Was the trip still on? Were they still planning on going? Ryley sucked in a breath, trying not to let it worry him, but he couldn't help it. Vic was so wrapped up in all the most important parts of his life that he couldn't imagine the two of them not being romantically involved.
Ryley let out a sigh and tried to get his focus back on his work, only to have his concentration shattered by the ringing of his mobile phone.
He glanced at the screen. Athan? Athan was calling him? In the middle of the day, and after the way Ryley had left things the day before? What the hells?
Too stunned to resist, Ryley picked it up and answered.
“I don't think you've ever actually called me before,” Ryley said in greeting.
“Um, yeah. Hi.”
Ryley sighed and lowered his voice almost to a whisper, conscious of the fact that Vic was close enough to hear the conversation. “Athan, look, I told you, I can't–”
“This isn't about that,” Athan interrupted.
Ryley's eyebrows went up. What the hells else could it be about?
“I need your help,” Athan went on. “You said you work in insurance, right?”
Ryley's eyes got wider. It was difficult to tell just by the tone of Athan's voice—the Falsiners tended to sound a bit monotone, no matter what they were feeling when they spoke—but this sounded serious. “Uh, yeah,” Ryley answered. “Mostly death cases and inheritance contracts. Why?”
After a short pause, Athan asked, “What do you know about contracts binding one person to another?”
Ryley blinked. Binding? “What, like, marriage, or…”
“No, more like one person giving up her autonomy to someone else.”
Ryley whistled. “That's a scary proposition. Not something I've ever come across, honestly. I mean, who would do that?”
“Someone who is easily influenced and lacks the mental capacity to know any better,” Athan grumbled.
“Ouch.” Ryley slowly shook his head. “Now this I've gotta see.”
“We've got the contract right here.”
“Perfect. Bring it by. I'll make some time for you and give it a look. And if I can't handle it, surely someone in the office can.”
Ryley heard Athan's sigh of relief come over the line. “Thanks, Ryley.”
“No problem. 516 Brook Lane. Sturmwyn Insurance.”
“We'll be right there.” Athan rang off, and Ryley slowly lowered his phone to his desk, staring at it and shaking his head.
Ryley glanced over at Vic. The man seemed to be hard at work on whatever case he was buried in, but Ryley couldn't help thinking Vic had been listening in on the whole conversation. Inhale, one. Ryley sighed. There was nothing he could do about it now. Besides, this contract Athan mentioned sounded serious. He'd have to just put aside their history and focus on the problem at hand. If someone was in trouble and there was any way Ryley or one of his colleagues could help, he'd do it. That was their job, after all.
Still, with every minute that passed, the more nervous Ryley got. His ex-boyfriend and his ex-hookup were going to be in the same room together for the first time. The whole thing was bound to be awkward and uncomfortable for all of them. He pressed a hand to his chest.
Inhale, one. Exhale, two.
He could do this. He could stay calm and professional. Not that he had a choice. He couldn't very well let a dramatic, personal scene happen right there in the office.
Ryley knew Athan was there even before he saw the man. Whispers and gasps erupted around the office, audible even over the usual noise in the bullpen. And no wonder. When Athan came into view, Ryley saw that his uncle was with him, the two giant Falsiners towering over everything else in the room. He would have entirely missed Athan's aunt if it weren't for her red hair.
“Hey.” Ryley jumped up and greeted them with a smile when they reached his desk. He looked at Athan and blushed. He, Ryley Skye, who never blushed, felt his cheeks heat up at the sheer awkwardness of the moment, painfully aware that Vic was only a few feet away. Ryley cast a nervous glance at Vic, then leaned toward Athan and whispered, “Slightly odd way for us to meet, eh?”
Athan grunted.
Ryley cleared his throat, then shook hands with Athan's uncle and aunt. “Mr. Vas-kelen. Mrs. Vas-kelen. Good to see you again.” He gestured at the rarely-used chairs across from his desk. “Please, have a seat.”
Athan's aunt and uncle sat, but Athan remained standing beside the desk, towering over them all. Ryley glanced at Vic's desk again, trying to make out whether Vic was paying them any attention, then took his own chair and rolled forward, turning his focus onto business.
“Let's see this contract.”
Athan's aunt handed it over. Ryley set the papers on his desk and slowly read through them, frowning at every new page and all the contract terms they contained.
“Wow.”
“What?” Mrs. Vas-kelen asked.
Ryley slowly shook his head, still frowning. “This really isn't my area, but…” He shook his head again. “I don't like the looks of this at all.” He hesitated, wondering if what he was thinking was a remarkably bad decision. There were plenty of agents he could have probably passed this off to, but Vic really was best suited, even if it did mean potentially making the entire situation a thousand times more awkward. Inhale, one. He turned and cleared his throat. “Um, Vic?”
Vic slowly looked up from his work, a stony expression on his face.
“Yes, Ryley?” Vic asked, his voice strictly businesslike.
“Would you mind taking a look at this?” Ryley asked, trying to force on a friendly smile. “You're better suited for this kind of contract.”
Vic grunted, then stepped over to Ryley's side to take the stack of pages. He read through the contract, his frown deepening with every new line. “Gods,” Vic breathed. “Why would someone agree to this?” Vic looked at the Vas-kelens seated before Ryley's desk.
Athan cleared his throat. “Agree to what, exactly?”
Vic looked up at Athan, then glanced at Ryley, making Ryley blush all over again. Ryley ducked his head, but not before he saw Vic narrow his eyes. Ryley looked back up just in time to see Vic paste on a professional expression and turn to the Vas-kelens again. “This…Shysais Gael,” Vic said, gesturing at the contract, “has given full control of her life to her brother, Brennan Gael, declaring mental incompetence and the need to be provided for.”
“But,” Athan's aunt cut in, “how could a person declare mental incompetence, yet still have the competence to sign such a contract?”
Vic shook his head. “It is possible, but the way this is written…I don't like it. No decent agent would ever dare write up such a thing…” He paused and flipped back to the first page of the contract, scowling at it. Ryley stretched up to see what it was that bothered him, and spotted the company letterhead across the top of the contract. “Stronghold Insurance,” Vic grumbled. “Figures. This company has a terrible reputation for shady contracts. And with the way this one is written? I'm sorry to say the language makes it binding.”
“So how do we get her out of it?” Mrs. Vas-kelen asked.
Vic hesitated, and Ryley knew exactly why. Contracts were a personal thing, applicable only to the signing parties and no one else.
“Does she want to get out of it?” Vic asked them. He looked at each face in turn, but everyone was looking at Athan for an answer.
Athan frowned. “I honestly don't know if she wants to, but she definitely needs to. Her brother is abusing her.” Athan paused, then ad
ded, “Sexually.”
Ryley hissed in a breath when Vic winced, a look of pain crossing the man's face. And no wonder. That comment struck way too close to home. After a moment, Vic composed himself, and searched through the contract again. Ryley watched as Vic and the Vas-kelens discussed more details of the case, trying to figure out how to rescue this Gael woman from that gods-awful contract.
“But if there is any evidence of this sexual abuse,” Vic went on after the whole party fell silent, his expression tight, “it would go a long way to supporting her case in mediation to terminate this contract.” He handed the pages back to the Vas-kelens. “I'd be more than happy to help in any way I can.”
And he sounded like it. Ryley's heart swelled even while it ached. Gods, Vic was just so good. Why the hells had he thrown it all away? Yeah, Vic wouldn't give him what he wanted in the bedroom, and Vic did sometimes try to change him, but would Ryley ever meet another guy who came anywhere close to as nice, protective, and giving as the man standing beside him?
“Vic's the best,” Ryley blurted out, putting a wide smile on his face in an effort to keep from losing his shit all over again. “He's rescued more people from abusive situations than anyone else in the industry.”
Which wasn't an exaggeration. Vic was well-known in insurance circles for his uncanny knack at finding and rescuing people, saving them from abuse and danger when no one else could.
Vic gave him an indulgent smile at his comment, but the tension was clearly still there in the lines of his face. Turning away from Ryley, Vic reached over to his own desk and plucked a business card from a holder, handing it over to Athan's uncle. “That's my direct line if you need anything.”
Mr. Vas-kelen handed the card to his wife, who gave it a quick glance before tucking it into her purse. “Thank you, Mr. Lucius.”
“Victor, please,” Vic insisted, then returned to his desk and went back to work.
“And thank you, Ryley,” Mrs. Vas-kelen said as she and her husband stood.
Ryley shot up to join them, shaking hands all around. “Sorry I couldn't do more.”
Vic gave a derisive snort, but it was so low that Ryley doubted anyone else could hear it. Still, it brought the nervous blush right back to his cheeks. Gods damn it all.
The Vas-kelens left to decide whether to pursue their case, and Ryley sank back into his chair, idly shuffling through his files while he tried to drum up the tiniest sliver of concentration.
“So that was one of them,” Vic said just loud enough for Ryley to hear.
Ryley looked over at him, but Vic's eyes were focused on his work.
“One of them?” Ryley asked.
Vic shot him a sideways glance, giving him a look that said Ryley was being intentionally dense.
“Yeah,” Ryley whispered. He was sorely tempted to ask how in all seven hells Vic knew that Athan was not only someone with whom he'd cheated on Vic, but that he wasn't the only one with whom he'd cheated, but he knew this was neither the time nor the place.
Vic gave a tight nod, went back to his work, and never mentioned it again. Not once. All throughout the rest of the week, as they got ready to leave for Erostil, Vic never so much as hinted at Ryley's infidelities. Ryley couldn't quite decide if that made him more anxious or relieved.
But he was definitely going to avoid ever being in the same room with both Vic and Athan again, that was for damned sure.
* * *
RYLEY NEARLY tripped over his own feet in the middle of the main deck, lurching to a stop at the sight of the man standing just a few yards away.
“Athan?” he blurted out before he could stop himself.
Ryley felt Vic tense beside him. The two of them, along with Zac, were wandering the decks of Libertas II as it headed out to sea from the Morbran harbor. They'd already checked into their bunks and left their luggage, and they had some free time before they had to set up in the lounge for that night's show. Bad enough that Ryley was going to be in close quarters with Vic while things were still so awkward between them, but now Athan was on the ship as well?
What in the gods' names was the man doing there?
Athan turned and spotted him. “Ryley?”
Ryley gave a nervous laugh and took a few steps closer, then blushed, shuffling awkwardly to a stop. “Um, hi.” He gestured at Vic and Zac. “You remember Vic?” Athan gave Vic a polite nod of greeting, which Vic returned. “And this is Zac,” Ryley went on. “He's also in the band.” Ryley paused, then it dawned on him. The map in Athan's room, plotting a world tour with his sister. “Going on vacation?”
Athan grunted and shook his head. “Leaving.” Ryley frowned, and Athan added, “For good.”
“Oh.” Ryley gave Vic a quick glance, but he couldn't read the man's expression. He looked back at Athan. “I'm sorry to hear that.”
Vic snorted under his breath, and Ryley was sure he was blushing again.
Inhale, one. Don't make this more awkward. Just be…friendly. Yeah. That'll work.
“Well, you should catch our show while you're here,” Ryley suggested, trying to make his tone as neutral and professional as he could. It felt weird talking to Athan that way, but he didn't want to give Vic any more reason to think ill of him. If there was even the slightest chance of Ryley and Vic ever getting back together, Ryley was going to have to be on his best behavior. “We're playing in the lounge each night until we get to Erostil,” he added.
Athan gave a noncommittal grunt, which was just as well. Ryley's music was hardly Athan's thing. Maybe he'd get lucky and they wouldn't run into one another again during the trip. It was a large cruise liner, after all. Probably thousands of passengers. Chances were they wouldn't even set eyes on one another again. Right?
“Ry?” Zac called, pulling Ryley out of his thoughts.
“Right, sorry,” Ryley answered Zac, then turned back to Athan. “We need to get going. It was good seeing you, Athan.”
Athan nodded, and Ryley turned to walk away, following Vic and Zac across the deck. Zac grabbed Ryley's arm and slowed, letting Vic get ahead of them.
“What?” Ryley asked.
“Hang on.” Zac stopped and lifted his chin. “Hey, Vic!”
Vic stopped and turned.
“We're gonna go work on that new dueling violins piece,” Zac said.
What? They had that down. Ryley and Zac had rehearsed it so many times, they could probably play it in their sleep. Technically, it was a cover of an old Will Knightley piece, but Zac had reworked it for their group, keeping the original tune as authentic as possible through Vic's cello while adding some flair between Zac's and Ryley's dueling violins. Zac had been so excited about the piece that he hadn't let up on their rehearsals of it until he declared it perfect.
Ryley glanced at Zac, then saw Vic give them a nod and wander off.
As soon as Vic was out of sight, Zac grabbed Ryley's arm again and pulled him aside.
“You alright?” Zac asked.
Ryley fidgeted. “Why wouldn't I be?”
Zac eyed him for a moment, then said, “You know Vic's been staying with us.”
Ryley took a step back. “Oh.”
“Ry, look.” Zac sighed, and turned to lean against the deck railing. “I'm not picking sides here, alright? You guys are both my friends, and I intend to keep it that way.” He paused, then added, “And I'd really like to see the band stick together, if we can.”
“I know,” Ryley mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“I'm sure this isn't easy,” Zac went on, “for either of you. But we're here, right? So we've gotta do this, no matter how uncomfortable it is.”
Ryley nodded, staring out at the sea.
“Just…do me a favor,” Zac said. “Focus on the music. Forget everything else and just focus on that when we're playing.”
Ryley pictured trying to be onstage with Vic so close, playing off one another and embracing the passion that had initially brought them together. The music was supposed to be moving, fun, se
xy. How was he going to pull that off with such a chasm between them?
Inhale, one. He didn't have a choice. He couldn't very well get up on that stage and make it obvious that he was in pain. The audience wouldn't respond well to that. Ryley glanced at Zac and gave a nod.
Zac clapped him on the shoulder, and they fell silent.
Ryley rested his elbows on the deck railing and let out a sigh, clasping his hands together. “How is he?”
Zac breathed a laugh. “Miserable. Heartbroken. Plus, he went to see Cam yesterday.”
“What?” Ryley gasped. He turned to look around, even though there was no sign of Vic. “But he seems so together– Wait.” Ryley blinked. “He actually talked to you about Cam?”
Zac nodded solemnly.
“Shit.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Zac shook his head. “I had no idea just how bad it was. And he pretty much kept to his room all night after he got home. Wouldn't talk to us. Wouldn't eat.”
“Shit,” Ryley sighed. He rubbed a hand over his chest. “I should have been there.” He let out a groan and hung his head, running his hands through his hair. “Gods, what the fuck is wrong with me?” He looked up at Zac, who raised an eyebrow in question. “I mean, Vic is just so good, you know? Why the hells would I throw that away?” Zac continued silent, just watching him. Inhale, one. Ryley sighed and blurted out, “I cheated on him.”
Zac nodded slowly. “I know.”
Ryley whirled around to face him. “What?”
Zac shrugged. “So did he.”
“What? For how long?”
“Months, maybe longer,” Zac told him. Ryley's jaw dropped, and Zac shrugged as he went on: “You got a text one night—after a gig or rehearsal or something; I don't remember now—and ran off. Vic watched you go, then told me you were cheating on him.”
Ryley stared, dumbfounded. “Then why the hells did he stay? Gods, I wouldn't have stayed with someone cheating on me.” Zac shot him a look, and Ryley cringed, turning away to brace himself on the railing again. “Gods, I'm such a fucking asshole.” He looked out at the endless ocean, shaking his head. “Why would he stay, Zac?” he whispered.