Chapter 60

* Ryder *

“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, I couldn’t be sure.

He’d tried convincing me that the deal he had signed would benefit me more in the end than if I took all the money upfront, which I halfheartedly accepted, until today when this report came to my attention. It’s the only reason I was here, that and the fact that my girl had left, and I’m pissed and missing her and, quite frankly, out for blood.

Lyon had warned me not to lose my cool because that was a sure way for me to slip up and say the wrong thing, giving everything we were working on away, but it was hard not to punch this man who I’d trusted more than half my life and who had done and taken so much to and from me.

It was hard keeping the hate hidden behind the mask that I’d worked so hard to keep in place the last couple of weeks. He looked over the paper; his brows squinted the way he does when something doesn’t make sense, or at least that’s what I knew that look to mean, but how can I trust that now? How can I trust anything about him ever again?

“Where is the rest of my money, Scott? First, you sell my work out from under me, and now you’re trying to scam me out of millions of dollars?”

“I promise you. I didn’t sell it for this much.”

“You think I believe you? It’s right there. Isn’t that your signature?”

“Yes, but….”

“You know what, I have nothing more to say. Talk to my lawyers. And not the ones you hired for me; I have new lawyers the Saunders group hired to take care of my interest.”

“What? You don’t trust me? Come on, Ryder. This is me. I made you. How could you think I’d do something like this to you? You know me.” I stared at him wordlessly for the merest of seconds before speaking. “Yeah, I know you. I do.” I didn’t have to say anything else for him to get the picture, and the way his face fell, and his eyes dropped, I knew that he knew what I was talking about. It was at that moment that Tyler cleared his throat, reminding us both that he was there.

“It’s time to go, Mr. Sumner.”

“Who is this guy? Do you need a keeper now?” I started to say that was rich coming from him but instead got to my feet with one last threat that he would be hearing from my lawyer very soon. As it stands, he owes me one hundred and eighty million dollars. His cut was only supposed to be ten million, but he’d obviously tried to pull a fast one and keep all the money for himself while paying me pennies.

I still don’t know who bought my catalog; I know nothing about the deal that went down, and had it not been for the little bit Lyon had shared, I, too, would be in the dark. He himself isn’t sure about all of the details as his daughter wasn’t too forthcoming with much other than to tell me not to panic.

I still find it hard to believe that a little girl could be behind all of this, but Lyon has been blaming someone named Russo for helping her and cursing whoever this Russo person is out with every other breath he takes. Mancini, on the other hand, swears that MengeLiNi has only used Russo for grunt work while they do all the heavy lifting.

I try to follow along with these conversations, but I have to admit to being lost more often than not. “You okay, kid? Don’t worry too much about it. If his name is on the dotted line, you’ll get your money. By the way, your ex will be released in another day or so. We thought it best to wait until your girl was out of the state. That way, none of this would come back on her.”

“None of what? I don’t understand. Elena had nothing to do with what happened to Janie. She was with me when she was taken to the hospital, don’t you remember?”

“It’s not that, and I’m not at liberty to say any more than that. Let’s go. You can’t burn your bridges with this guy, we still need to know who all of the players are in this game of theirs, and so far, we were only able to get a few names from that Mary person.”

“Yeah, I heard. How did you do that anyway?”

“I can’t tell you that. You should get back soon anyway; your girl is going to call you soon.”

“How do you know that? In fact, how do you guys know so much about everything that goes on around here?” I still have yet to figure that one out. I wouldn’t exactly say that I had been taken into the fold, though they have been nothing but great with Elena and me.

Lyon’s pep talks still make me feel like I’ve been accepted somewhat, but I know, of course, that there’s a lot they don’t share with me, whether for my sake or because I’m not one of them.

“It’s my job to know these things.”

I was doing my best to trust the process, but this whole thing was getting way over my head. I didn’t know when this all started that we would be here, that I would learn things about the people I trusted that showed them in less than an ethical light, or worse, that I would remember things from my past that reminded me why I should never have trusted them in the first place.

As bad as it was, the fact that Elena was going to call me soon lifted my spirits more than anything else ever could. I wasn’t so much put out about the money; I can always make more, and quite frankly, money has never been that important to me. I had more than enough even before the sale, but it’s the principle of the thing and the fact that he tried to scam me once again after everything he had already done. I was tired of being used by these people, and I wanted to see them pay.

By the time we reached the SUV, I had calmed down enough to admit that rescuing those girls was more important than my anger. And even though I was serious about lawyering up and taking him to court, that was a business move after all, and it’s not like it’s the first time we’d had a falling out. Though in the past, they were mostly about my relationship with Elena and how he thought she was no good for me.

For that alone, I’m willing to cool it for now, just so I can make him pay for what he used me to do to her.

“You did good, by the way. Had you let it slide without an argument, he would’ve been suspicious. That’s a lot of fucking money.”

“Yeah, I know, but I was only partly playing. I had no idea that he’d tried to scam me like that. I thought he’d sold it for fifty mil, and even though I was pissed, Lyon had already warned me that something like that was coming, so I was prepared for that at least. I still can’t believe he tried to swindle me out of more than a hundred million dollars.”

“You still don’t understand who these people are, do you?” The way he said that made my skin crawl. I was coming to see more and more just who I had climbed into bed with when I was too young to know better. That got me thinking about Mom. I hadn’t really talked to her since Elena told me about her agreeing to me getting married to someone else. I’ve been able to put her off for now, but I know the day is coming when I’ll have to face her.

Sometimes I can see why I was so easily led, why I let myself fall into the many traps they’d set for me. Lyon was right once again. No one had taught me how to play the game, and the man who had brought me into this life had taken advantage of my naivety in the worst way. “I want him to pay and pay dearly for everything. I’m going to take him for everything he has if he tries to play me on this. But first, let’s get those girls back home.”

***

* Scott *

‘You played me. How did you do it?’ There was no point in beating around the bush. From the moment I saw that document with my signature on it, I knew that it had been done deliberately; I just had no idea why or how. I also knew that I was being watched because the text came in almost as soon as Ryder left my place.

I’d been sweating for days over the deal that I had no real authority to sign without his okay, but since I’d done pretty much whatever I saw fit where he and his career were concerned, I didn’t see a problem. I’d been able to talk him around about the fifty-million-dollar deal with the promise that he still held some control and stood to make even more money if he didn’t sell outright, but I didn’t know that this monster was going to crawfish the deal.

‘How is not important; it’s the why you should be worried about.’

‘Okay, why then? What have I ever done to you?’

‘To me, nothing, but to others, plenty, as we both know. If you’re thinking of not paying up, remember what I know about you.’

‘Hey, I kept up my end of the bargain. You said fifty million, and that’s what I signed up for. That’s all I got.’

‘There’s a new deal on the table, and I still haven’t told you why in this particular instance. You screwed your wife in the divorce; now I’m screwing you. You have two days before those lawyers get to work. You don’t want them looking too deep into your business or personal practices now, do you, Scott?’ I threw the phone over the rail in a fit of anger and screamed at the sunset.

The stupid thing started going crazy, and I had to run down to the sand to pick it up. It was just some stupid social media alert that I had on my phone, which I was about to ignore until I saw the headline.

‘Big news, everyone. Mary Hudson, the business maven and always busily working matriarch of the Hudson family, seems to have gone into the music business. Sources say that she just bought Ryder Sumner’s entire catalog for two hundred million dollars.

There’s a story there, I bet. Like, where did she get that kind of money?

“As we all know, she and her daughters have not been faring too well in the last couple of weeks, and business has not been doing as well as they claimed, what with their stocks falling like dead birds in the Midwest skies in winter.”

‘Sources have reported that the self-made millionaire has been selling off her assets secretly in the last couple of days. Now we know why, but the question is why? Why now? And why Ryder Sumner’s catalog? What’s the connection, folks? As we all know, her two youngest daughters have been facing backlash for weeks ever since that ill-informed skit they posted on social media dissing everyone’s sweetheart Elena Gianni a few weeks ago. Do you smell the same stench in the air that I do?’

‘Is the money-hungry mom-enator trying to find a way to control the narrative? If so, she’s going a long way and spending a lot of money just to clear up what her kids claim was a minor misunderstanding. Let’s get to digging, peeps; happy hunting.’

“That bitch! That conniving bitch.” I looked down at the document Ryder had left and, for the first time, read the other party’s signature, which I’d missed earlier in my confusion.

“What the fuck? Isn’t that…?” Is she threatening me? Why would she use that name as her umbrella company? It’s been her all along? I’ll kill her, her, and those fucking cartoon daughters of hers. I was on my way out the door when I got the call. Only Chad Saunders could have lawyers on tap who worked this fast.

“Listen, I can’t talk right now.”

“You may want to. You wouldn’t want this getting out to the public; no one would work with you, the authorities would get involved, and your life would be a mess. Better to pay up now. Since Mr. Sumner seems to have a soft spot for you as his long-term manager, he’s decided to give you a few days to make the deposit. Anything beyond that, and we’ll be taking matters into our own hands. Do the right thing, and everyone comes out in the clear. You’re still making ten-mil on the deal, after all.”

Ten mil? What the fuck is he talking about? I’m not making anything; I’m losing money here. How did Mary Hudson think that she could swindle me out of this much money? And how had I fallen for it? Me, the guy who was usually on the other side of these things, had been had in the worst possible way.

But he was right. I stand to lose everything if I don’t pay up. The public is worse than any court of law. My whole life’s blood will be gone in a second if I don’t do this. I’ll have to sell my house, the house I’d fought so hard to hold onto in the divorce, along with all my artwork and the things that made me feel like someone, like a man who had made it.

I should’ve known it was someone close to me behind this. Who else would know the things they did unless they were part of my inner circle? I’ve always been very careful and always went out of my way to keep certain aspects of my life well hidden. But she’s got my nuts in a noose.

She’d fed me to the dogs, and if I didn’t pay up, my life wouldn’t be worth shit. No one will work with me again, that’s for sure. This was very well played.

***

* Mary *

I tried to enjoy the glass of wine I’d been sipping on for the last half hour, but nothing had any taste anymore. It hadn’t for weeks now, come to think of it. I wish I could go back, back to when this whole thing started, and do things differently. But there was no use in looking back at what was and what could’ve been.

It’s done. It left a bad taste in my mouth, but I got the money, and the deal was over. I lost some things, sure, but I know I can gain it all back, just as long as this MengeLiNi person keeps their mouth shut.

I wasn’t too surprised to learn that it was one and the same person who had been destroying my life in the tabloids that were behind this scheme, but I’m hoping that they’re true to their word and this was the end of it. Hopefully, they’ll find someone else to torment and leave me alone.

That bitch Rachel had disappeared, but when I find her, I’ll make her pay for what she’s done. She wasn’t in New York with Elena, I’d checked, and no one knew where she was. If it hadn’t been for her, I might’ve brokered a better deal for myself, but that name they’d mentioned was not someone to be taken lightly. He’s one of my biggest buyers, after all, and the less he knows about this, the better.

I’ve been doing clean-up duty, trying to keep this thing under wraps until it all blows over, but losing that much money has made me antsy. I need to make it back as soon as possible. Maybe I should raise the fee at the church. They’d pay whatever I ask because they don’t want their dirty laundry aired on the six o’clock news.

Still, I’d better lay low for a while not to ruffle any feathers. I’d had to burn some bridges to get that money and lost some contacts here and there, but in the end, it wasn’t anyone or anything I couldn’t stand to lose, and I still have my life. As long as there’s breath in my body, I can beat this; I can be back on top in a matter of months. I just have to make a few calls. Wasn’t there a rumor about Ryder planning another concert soon? Yes, things were looking up again. We’ll just have to make a few more sales than usual, but his concerts are always easy pickings. Only the crème de la crème of teenage beauties follow him and can afford to go to his overpriced crap. Time to get to work.

***

* Lyon *

I hung up the phone and rubbed my temple where a headache was starting in on my ass. My wife’s headache is in the bridge of my nose, and her spawn’s is in the temple. Between the two of them, I’m not sure which one is going to do me first.

“I told you she would triple it, didn’t I?” I sipped my beer and ignored him. He and my thieving ass daughter beggar belief. I’m not about to sit here and discuss how my ten-year-old daughter had Ponzi schemed her way into millions of fucking dollars.

She’d borrowed two hundred million from this clown, used fifty million to buy the catalog, blackmailed Mary Hudson for two hundred million, and was now set to get another one hundred and fifty million out of Scott.

Her plan was, if what she just told me was true, to give the catalog back to the kid and keep the one hundred and fifty million or most of it and give him a little something for his trouble, which he already got from the forty million he got from Scott for the fifty-million-dollar sale. She’d made three hundred and fifty million dollars in less than a week.

“Nothing to say?”

“When the SEC comes knocking, you can deal with that shit. Leave me out of it. I’m tired. I have a hundred other kids to take care of, as well as their pain in the ass, mother. I can’t be bothered getting mixed up with you and Bernie Madoff Jr.” I don’t know why one of these assholes I go after don’t put me out of my misery and save me from my kid.