Chapter Two

B elle Hair and Beauty Salon was closed for business on Mondays, but being the owner had its perks.

A few hours later, Christian clapped his hand with delight and stepped back from his handiwork.

"You, my darling, look absolutely fabulous," Christian said.

"As good as you?" Ryker snickered, gazing at his long-time friend and the manager of his salon chain. Christian was gorgeous with long dark hair and bright blue eyes in a delicate face and a willowy, slim body.

Christian smirked with a pretty pout of his pink lips and popped one hand on his own waist. "Nobody can reach this level of goddess, but you peasants can try."

Ryker laughed.

Syn's eyes sparkled when they looked at him, but Ryker was afraid to look in the mirror.

"Come on, take a deep breath." Syn placed both hands on the arms of the chair Ryker sat in and smiled before slowly turning him around to face the large, square mirror.

Ryker blinked at his reflection.

He'd never thought of going a different hair color than his original strawberry blond, but the platinum blond wig looked so natural. That, combined with Christian's expertly applied makeup, had him staring in awed shock.

"See?" Syn smiled over his shoulder at his reflection. "You look gorgeous."

He did have the bone structure, he admitted, and if he looked closer, only he would be able to make out the indention in the skin on his face, but the overall effect was a masterpiece. His eyes stung and Christian tisked at him, snatching up a tissue.

"No tears or your mascara will run," his manager scolded.

"Lift your chin," Syn ordered, taking the tissue from Christian.

Ryker laughed. He wasn't wearing mascara, but he lifted his face for Syn to dutifully dab at the eyeliner that managed to make his blue eyes look huge.

A key rattled in the door and Ryker glanced over to find Jennifer Carnegie coming through the entrance. She took one look at the scene and flipped the deadbolt.

"I thought I saw movement." Her grin was infectious. She rushed over and launched herself at Ryker.

"I'm okay, Jen," he whispered.

"I was so scared," she cried, her arms locking tightly.

Syn placed a hand on her back and rubbed up and down.

"When did you get back?" Syn murmured.

"Last night," she hiccuped, easing back before sitting on Ryker's lap.

Ryker held her slender form tightly. He gazed at Syn over her silky dark head and smiled as tears stung his eyes. The three of them had bonded during Harvard into a friendship that would last a lifetime. The last time he'd seen her had been several months ago from his hospital bed. She'd flown in from France, but had to take a red eye out that very same night.

"What are you two up to?" Jennifer took the tissue Christian handed her and dabbed at her eyes.

"We are going clubbing."

"I'll send Cohen a text," Syn said, pulling his phone out.

"Wanna go?" Ryker asked Jennifer.

"Hell yes, but we have to pick up Paige."

Paige and Cohen were from their small group of university friends. There were eight of them in total, but mostly, it was just the five of them.

"I should probably give Hailey a call," Ryker said and Jennifer made a face.

"Must you?" She plucked at the black cape covering his sparkling shirt. "You're not married yet."

"She's nice."

"I supposed…as forced fiancés go."

"She's getting pressure from her family just as much as I am," Ryker said. "You're lucky your parents aren't like mine."

Jennifer sighed and slipped from his lap. "I know you're bi, but you've always preferred men."

Ryker smiled and was stopped from responding when Syn pulled him from the chair, tossed the cape aside, and nodded toward the front door.

Stepping away from the chair, Ryker grabbed Jennifer's hand and spun her around. Her laughter filled the salon, making him smile, and he did a little jig. He hadn't been this excited in a long damned time.

"Let's get going," Syn said with a laugh.

"Will you be okay?" Christian asked Ryker, following them to the entrance.

"We won't let anything happen to him," Syn assured Christian.

The slender stylist hugged Syn first, then Jennifer, and then a gentle hug for Ryker before sniffling and backing away.

"Be safe on the roads! I almost lost you both," Christian bitched at him and Syn.

"We will," Ryker assured his friend.

They exited the store, and there waiting on the sidewalk was Syn's bodyguard, Mateo. Next to Mateo stood Brandon and Chad, still with him after all these years.

A sexy-looking stranger stood in the group of bodyguards and Ryker glanced at Jennifer. "Who's the hunk?" he whispered.

"That's Cliff…assigned by my father," she whispered back.

What wasn't waiting there were reporters. He wasn't sure how Syn had managed to get rid of all of the paparazzi, but not a single reporter had been around when they'd left his estate nor here at the salon.

Syn was part of the Brick family empire, and that family had an unbelievable amount of wealth and power. While his own Langston family had money and influence, they were nowhere near the scope of the Bricks.

It paid to have friends in high places when life took a turn for the worse.

He stopped on the sidewalk outside of the hair salon and lifted his face up to the late afternoon sunlight. Jennifer slipped an arm around his waist and waited.

November in Denver was damned snowy and chilly, but sometimes the sun came out and today was one of those rare times. Its rays glinted off the snow from the night before and the cold bit into his face.

It had been so many months since the accident that had changed his life forever and today for the first time, surrounded by his friends, he felt like there was hope.

Syn tucked him and Jennifer into the back of the black town car before walking around and climbing in on the other side.

"Aren't you glad we convinced you to come back from Switzerland?" Syn jokingly reminded him.

"I was strong-armed," Ryker pouted, putting on his seatbelt.

"Did they bully you, baby?" Jennifer laughed with a gentle pat.

"All we did was show up. I invited you," Syn reminded Jennifer, but his eyes danced with laughter.

She snickered and kissed Syn's cheek.

"Yeah, five of you showed up," Ryker huffed, but he hadn't been angry. He had been surprised and shy when Syn, Cohen, Bishop, Marshal, and Mateo had flown over and taken a car to the small villa he'd been hiding away in.

After one look at his friends, he'd burst into tears. Within two hours, Syn and Cohen had talked him into coming home. It helped that Marshal, Bishop, and Mateo had been there silently giving their support.

"Well, Cohen was a last-minute surprise," Syn grinned. "And I just got his text, he'll meet us at the club."

"Since it's almost dinner time, I say we grab some food and then hit the club after dark," Jennifer suggested.

"What about Bishop?" Ryker asked Syn. "Don't you have to go home and do honey-dos?"

Syn snorted. "No."

"Are you going to tell him where you are at least?"

"He'll find me," Syn said

Ryker ran his eyes over his friend. Syn was hands down one of the sexiest men alive and had been recently featured as just that on the cover of a famous magazine. He had no doubts that the man's sexy fiancé would show up to wherever they were headed.

Jennifer and Syn launched into a light-hearted argument about where to eat.

Ryker smiled for a second, but then he turned to gaze out the window at the passing city blocks.

That day in Switzerland, Marshal hadn't said much other than an initial greeting and that his parents would like him to come home. When the plane had landed on the ground at Denver International, Marshal had walked away.

It peeved him that he hadn't seen Marshal since. He'd tried calling, but the calls went to voicemail. The only responses he had from Marshal were one-word responses to his text messages.

The man was annoying.