Page 48 of My Bully's Crush: Vol1
“I have to get back.Elena might be in danger if I stay away too long, and they think that I’m with her.”Why didn’t I think of that before?Because I didn’t know just how evil these people were.
I jumped up from the chair, ready to head back tonight.Willing to do whatever it took to protect her from these people that I had inadvertently brought into her life.I felt even worse now than I did at any other time over the last five years because this shit was worse than even I could’ve ever imagined.All the memories that I’d recovered paled in comparison to what he’d just divulged in the last few hours.
“Wait wait wait.He held up his hand to stop me.
“You can’t just rush back there right now.You have to have a plan.Sit down.I’ll tell you what you’re going to do.”
Chapter 29
*Ryder*
“My dad is going to contact you soon.He’s going to make it appear that you two are working on a movie together.He’s gonna make it appear that that’s where you’ve been for the past couple of months.The story’s going to be that he wanted to clean you up before offering you the project.”
“I still don’t see how that’s going to work.Your family only works with the best.I’ve never acted a day in my life.Besides, my reputation doesn’t mesh with the clean-cut actors and actresses he usually works with.”
“Don’t worry about it.My dad already has a press release ready to go out about the project you’d be working on.As to your reputation in the past, everyone knows my dad’s image, and that this is something he would do, so it shouldn’t be a hard sell.”
“As to why you disappeared, that too is something he would do.He would clean you up first before he ever puts you in front of one of his cameras.So that’s the story you’re going to go with.You don’t have to do anything; just wait until after you get the heads up and head back to L.A.They’ll buy the story, trust me.”
“But what about Elena?I can’t leave her to these monsters.Knowing what they’ve been doing to her while I was too high to know is eating me up inside.This is all my fault.They’re hurting her because of me.”Because I didn’t love Janie, she and the rest of them have been making Elena suffer.
The more I showed my hatred for my situation, the more they attacked her in the press.Knowing that Mary and her brood had been behind it only pissed me off further.And knowing what part that witch had played in all of this, not to mention my so-called father-in-law, makes me want to end them all.
“If you go to her now, they will for sure kill her, so you’re gonna have to play this game for a little while longer.You didn’t sign a prenup, and your post-nup is pretty much void or invalid, so you’re going to get her to sign a paper giving up her rights to anything that belongs to you.”
“How am I going to do that?She’ll never go for it.”This was one of the things I’d been struggling with because I didn’t want to give her a dime, not even enough to get a cup of that fancy coffee she liked so much.If I thought I disliked Janie before, learning what I now have has made me despise every molecule of her demonic ass.
“No, she won’t, but we’ll let you know when and how you’re going to get her to sign, don’t worry about it.Reggie is going to be in L.A.to keep an eye out, and my dad is going to put people with you.Do not eat or drink anything from Janie or anyone associated with her ever again.”
“You know how to go about doing that.You two don’t have a very good relationship anyway, so she wouldn’t find it too strange.They’re going to try and get you hooked again; that’s the only way they can trust you.You are going to stay clean, but as I said, my dad working with you is going to be the excuse you use for being clean and staying that way.”
“Do not let on that you know any of this.Do not let on that you remember anything, OK?Do not change anything about your actions around her, do not become too lovey-dovey to overcompensate, just keep being who you were before sans the addiction.”
“I’m not sure I can do this.I can’t imagine being around her, or any of them, knowing what I know and not losing my shit.They stole my fucking life, and for what?Money?They took everything that was good from me, made me hurt the only person I’ve ever loved in a way that no human being ever should be, and you want me to pretend that I don’t want to murder every last one of them in their fucking sleep?
“You have to.If you want to get back to her, you have to swallow it all for now and do as I say.Do not show your anger or your distaste for her or the people around her, OK?We’ll be in contact through the men that my dad is going to put on you.They’ll be there to protect you, so don’t be too worried about your own safety.”
“I’m not worried about my safety.The way I feel now, I could take a bear with my bare hands.I’m worried about her, Elena.”
“Don’t worry about her.Someone will cover her no matter what they send her way.”
“What is it?Some kind of PR team?”
“No, it’s worst.It’s my nieces, and they have a grudge against your wife.Those people that you fear are going to pale in comparison to what they can do.”He smiled fondly while telling me that three little ten-year-old girls could out-smear the worst Hollywood had to offer.
I’ve been at the receiving end of smear campaigns before and know the damage they can do to one’s life and reputation.But he seemed pretty confident, and remembering who he was gave me the tiniest bit of hope that he knew what he was talking about.
“What about the church and Mary?”
“That’s not your concern.It will be taken care of.Oh, by the way.If you see this name turn up on social media, don’t interact.”
“Who’s this?”I looked down at the handle he showed me.
“That would be my nieces.You can thank them for me being here.”
“I don’t get it.You came all the way out here because some ten-year-olds asked you to?”
“No, I came here because they hacked your shit and pieced together the fact that you were in trouble.”