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Chapter 98: Unexpected Guest
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Boys of RDA Chapter 99: Cosmo's Comics and Café
I step on the sidewalk and turn back to wave good-bye to Jake as he pulls away from the curb. Aspen's already reached the door with Cosmo's Comics and Café stenciled on the glass, and the bell chimes as she walks through.Inside Marissa and Amanda are already waiting for us on the orange-ish couches in the back corner. The rest of the store is empty of customers. Sundays at nine must not be a prime time for comic buying, but the smell of coffee as I walk farther into the store continues to pull me in until I reach an empty space on the couch.Aspen stops beside me but walks around the large coffee table and sits on the couch opposite.Marissa drops her tennis shoes from where they were propped on the table. "Tell me again why we're at a comic shop for girls' brunch?""Many reasons, Rissa." Aspen stops to take off her coat and throws it in the empty space beside her."Rissa?" Marissa asks with one eyebrow raised."You don't like it?" Aspen waits for Marissa's quick head shak
Boys of RDA Chapter 100: The News
A zoomed-in picture of Trey and me as we walk out of the RDA building holding hands is placed to the right of the headline. I immediately move down on the couch to read more of the article but don't touch it. The secondary bi-line makes me hitch my breath. "Ex-girlfriend speaks out about the abuse suffered at the hands of Trey Good, Raven Digital Arts CEO.""Oh no, Simone. This isn't good."My first reaction is to say "no shit," but I bite my tongue. There are too many emotions for me to sort through first without anything I say sounding bitchy. We sit silently all reading the article at our own pace.The picture isn't the worst of it. Not by far. The story Mari shared with the Sunday edition of the local paper is so much worse. She starts with the cheating allegations, quoted as saying, "She can't handle the numerous affairs any longer," and while she doesn't use my name, the piece goes on to mention the company secretary as his latest victim.By the third paragraph they've mo
Boys of RDA Chapter 101: It's Done
"It's done, Simone. People will believe the hype from this article. It doesn't matter what the truth is.""And if you leave the company it's basically admitting her stories are true. I know the truth." Finn looks to me. "Simone knows the truth and Aspen knows the truth. We'll stand behind you.""It's not enough," Trey counters."Well I'm not taking your resignation, so find a way to deal with it." Finn stands ready to go head to head with Trey. His strong presence only tampered by the Batman pajama pants he's wearing."Finn, I've put the whole company in the spotlight. It's a PR nightmare." My head snaps back to Trey like I'm watching a tennis match between them.Finn laughs at Trey's forlorn words. "So, no one knows who we are. As much as you might think otherwise, no one knows who you are. No one cares about what we do. It's gossip and it'll pass.""He's right, Trey. It will blow over when Mari can't do anything else with it." Aspen shares her agreement with Finn and I wa
Boys of RDA Chapter 102: From Trey
** Trey **My girlfriend is hot.Grant follows my eyes as they track Simone across the room. Her bright pink skirt's short enough to give me a view of the long legs I hope to have wrapped around me later tonight. Of course the shoes with straps wrapping around her ankles will need to stay on."Those legs go on forever. You better not mess it up with her."I turn and slug Grant in the shoulder for his comment, and he sways with the force. A hand comes up to rub the spot and he shoots me a dirty look."What the fuck was that for?"Like he has to ask. "Don't look at Simone."He raises both hands in a surrender gesture. "Okay, okay. Point taken." Grant rubs the spot on his shoulder one last time and then turns and walks to where Simone's set up food on a table.Simone comes to stand beside me and I snake a hand out to catch her around the middle and pull her closer. She looks up and smiles at me. Her lips stretch across her face and cause her bright blue eyes to squint like
Boys of RDA Chapter 103:
VOLUME THREE: GRINDGrind: A form of warfare where repetitive actions are required to advance.The Ten Commandments of the Apartment1. No pets of any kind. Even those in tanks, bowls or cages.2. No music after 9 p.m. Television viewing is okay as long as it can't be heard in any adjoining room or the hallway.3. No unapproved paint on any apartment walls.4. No more than two additional people allowed in the apartment at any given time.5. No parking in any of the designated spaces. Parking can be found at a metered space on the street.6. No hallway adornments.7. No one besides immediate residents of the floor should be given any codes to access the floor.8. No sheer window curtains or any other fabric that does not completely block the view from outside.9. No personal relationships with the landlord.10. The apartment should be kept in an orderly fashion at all times.Any violation of these rules can and will result in immediate termination of the lease
Boys of RDA Chapter 104: First Dates
The wind sweeps up the street and blows my hair around behind me. I contemplate putting it up in a ponytail, but I want to look nice for this first date. A guy shouldn't see me in sweats with my hair pulled back until at least date five. If he has potential, maybe date ten.Hair whips around my face again and I reach back with both hands to tame it, holding on to the ends. It's cold in San Francisco and, while I'll never admit this to Aspen, it might be time to upgrade my winter jacket from the thick black fleece I have on today. I'd rather not walk around ready to go on an Artic expedition like Pen, but a little more warmth wouldn't hurt. I'm a southern California girl, even if I've been here almost five years now.I jump a few times and stomp my feet in a half attempt to warm them up. If my date isn't here in five minutes, I'll leave the sidewalk to wait for him inside. In order to make it here on time, I left right from work and my thin black pants offer little protection agains
Boys of RDA Chapter 105: Chompy McChompson
One hundred and ten minutes of blood, guts, and gun fights later my torture came to an end when the final credits rolled. The only plus for the movie? Repeated gunfire helped silence Chompy McChompson although I could have done without his repeated attempts to push his spittle drink on me.I caught a cab out of there as fast as possible thanks to Aspen's rescue text. With the sweetest smile I could muster, I explained to James how I had to get home to feed Aspen's new cat Mittens. There's no cat, but James graciously accepted my best friend as an irresponsible pet owner. Now I have to cross my fingers he never asks Aspen's sister-in-law about her grey tabby.My calves burn by the time I hit the fourth-floor stairwell and enter the code to open the door to my hallway. It's a few short steps to my wooden apartment door and I let out a sigh when I spot the bright yellow Post-it note stuck to the middle of it. What could it be now?I stop in front of my door not touching the note, bu
Boys of RDA Chapter 106: Grey Everywhere
Grey walls. Grey carpet. Grey desk top. Everywhere I look in my office there's grey. Well it's not so much an office as a cubical. Okay fine, it's a cubical. Why are cubical farms so gloomy? If they force employees to work on Saturdays, the least they could do is add a little color. It's depressing.The single highlight of my day thus far came from panicky texts from Aspen over Finn's talk of marriage. My bestie's so far gone for her gamer boyfriend I can't figure out why she fights it so hard. If I had a loyal and loving guy like Finn wrapped around my finger, I'd do whatever it took to keep him there forever. If my past taught me anything it's to grab on to a good one and never take him for granted."Marissa, do you have last month's figures for the Cline account?" Scott, another marketing assistant questions from his cubical three down and one over from mine.I stand with the forms and turn in his direction. "Yeah, they're right here. I'm done if you need them."The sheets a
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Boys of RDA Chapter 246: Series Epilogue
Six months later"I thought you were painting this room silver?" Hudson asks dropping his half of the couch inside of our brand-new tiny living room. That's not fair. It's bigger than the apartment when I lived with Marissa. Living here will be like me having my own special mansion. Except this time the rent is higher.I put my end of the couch down and then promptly sit at the end of it. I've done my part of moving. This is why we hired movers. I don't know what it is about men wanting to lift heavy objects. Plus, it's not like there's much furniture to move. The old apartment came furnished. This stuff is new.I look at the wall, which shimmers in the bright light from our large open window in the new living room. "I did. It's Silver Fox.""This color is gray.""No, it's Silver Fox.""It looks gray to me."I shake my head in dismay. "Gray is darker."He nods slowly. "Uh-huh. Whatever you say."Hudson and I have been living together since he made the permanent move t
Boys of RDA Chapter 245: Finn Hooked You Up
A few weeks later"Wow, Finn hooked you up." My eyes blink a few times trying to adjust to the overpowering glare of so many television screens in one room.Hudson laughs as he steps behind me. "Ridge taught me you can never have too many cameras.""Well, you definitely put his words into practice." No less than thirty flat screen TVs line a wall in the room Finn and Hudson started calling the war room. I'm pretty sure Finn has a camera everywhere Aspen may go in San Francisco. There is even one in the comic shop. The transition has gone well for the most part. Finn and Aspen had a heated debate over her bodyguard situation.Once Hudson accepted the position, he didn't waste time. It's been less than three weeks and he has a war room set up and is spying on half the residents of the city. My man gets shit done."Are you happy?" I ask turning around so we are face to face.Hudson rolls his eyes and says something silently to the ceiling of the room. He's recently taken up pr
Boys of RDA Chapter 244: Full Marissa Style
The glass automatic door at the airport entrance slides open and I saunter in with a purpose. No woman has ever been as determined as I am to put a man in his place. Full Marissa style.And then maybe win him back. It depends on his response. I've been through tons of shit the last few weeks. I need someone who can handle me and won't chicken out.Aspen and Finn checked me out of the hospital and then took me back to my apartment making me promise I wouldn't leave when I asked to be alone. My mother even listened when I told her it was a great time to visit my brother in Washington. He'll love it.Besides my shattered heart, I'm medically fine. There's no reason for people to be stuck hovering around me. Hurt or not, I've still peopled too much these last few days, so it wasn't hard to press that I needed quiet time. I promised to head right into bed and sleep for a few more days.But I've broken many promises lately. And kept secrets. I am not the same girl I was last year. An
Boys of RDA Chapter 243: Horrible Timing
I hate to be a bad friend — who am I kidding, I'm always the bad friend — but Aspen could not have picked a worse time to make her visit. And I love her. She was here all day yesterday. Getting water, refilling water, fluffing my pillow and accidentally pulling on my IV before doing it again while apologizing for pulling on the IV. Hudson and I haven't had two minutes to ourselves. I tried to fake sleep yesterday afternoon, but then they stood around the bed looking and me and whispering."Do you need your pillow fluffed?" she asks for the thousandth time. It's become her filler question. What she asks me if she doesn't know what else to ask.I shake my head, giving Finn my best "calm her down" look, but he doesn't notice. He's so madly in love with Aspen he thinks everything she does is adorable. "I'm fine, Aspen. Relax."My best friend is definitely more put together than Hudson in the last two days, but not by much. Her hair is flat on one side, a little curly on the other, an
Boys of RDA Chapter 242: A Scene I Never Want to See Again
A STEADY STREAM of beeps wakes me up to a stream of light.A hospital. It's the place I've woken up the last two days. I can't complain. It's one hundred times better than a concrete floor in an abandoned factory in Oakland. Even still I fight the panic as my brain comes into consciousness. The hospital therapist says eventually there will come a day when I don't wake up ready to flee, but I'm not sure I believe her.My awake body is heavy and sluggish. Yesterday I spent most the day sleeping as my conscious mind worked around what happened after I was taken from the sidewalk in front of Cosmo's.Hudson was shot. I watched it with my own eyes. What I didn't know at the time was the bullet grazed the side of his body and most of his injury was due to the shock of being shot. Even though my mind didn't want to believe it at the time, he led the charge to rescue me. And yes, he absolutely shot Jimmy in the head — a scene I never ever want to see again, but one that plays on repeat e
Boys of RDA Chapter 241: Kidnapped
Breathe. I hit reality with a start. Tears form as I blink my eyes to open them. My shoulder hurts, a tingling stiff sensation like I slept on it wrong. At one point I must have broken out in a cold sweat and my skin is clammy, moist yet chilled. My knuckle scrapes the hard ground underneath my body as I sit up and the events of what happened flood back. It wasn't a bad dream. I've been taken right from the front of Cosmo's. Kidnapped.They shot Hudson.I have no idea how long I slept or where I am. No longer in the van, the room is dark around me and it takes longer than I want for my eyes to adjust. Of course, there's no positive to be found when they do. Sawdust and dirt smells permeate the air. On the ground there's not only cold hard concrete but sharp pieces of wood. I wipe a few from my pants legs only to have them stick to the skin of my fingers.As I try to stand, there's a clink of metal. I tug my foot to find it doesn't move. My leg is bolted to the ground with thick m
Boys of RDA Chapter 240: Forgive and Forget
"Are you sure you won't walk in there and start crying?" Hudson asks as we stop in front of Cosmo's Comics and Café.I take a deep breath and check myself before I answer because frankly he's probably right to be worried. It's been two days since we met with Drew at the restaurant in Oakland and I spent most of that night crying. I haven't talked to anyone since then. More than likely they think I've been taking this time to apologize to Hudson. He promises he's forgiven and forgotten and even understands why it took so long.Hudson spent the last few days consoling me as I came to terms with finally admitting what happened that night and saying goodbye to Drew if only in my own mind. He's been perfect. He didn't push or yell at me to do it faster or tell me I was being ridiculous. He listened and held me when I needed him. I couldn't ask for a better man.Hudson is everything I've ever wanted in a guy. Sensitive enough to figure out when I'm hurting, but strong enough to tell me
Boys of RDA Chapter 239: Final Answers
"That's your answer?" Hudson's eyebrows lift.I hit my knee against his. "Hudson."He sighs in agitation."Well, Drew, the way I look at it Amanda doesn't have much to tell. It sounds to me as if in her story you were a friend who was there to help her out. Who didn't want to get involved in a police investigation. But before I can trust her opinion that you're a nice guy, I need proof."Drew laughs even though it's inappropriate for the time. "I don't think I'm a nice guy, but thanks, Amanda.""Um, you're welcome?""I started working construction jobs part time when Clare and I were in foster care." He stops talking right as the story gets good."But you don't do construction work now, do you?" Hudson asks the exact question I've been thinking.It's like pulling teeth to get facts out of Drew, but what he doesn't understand is Hudson will have no qualms telling Ben if he's not satisfied with his answers."Yes and no. From time to time my boss asks me for extra favors
Boys of RDA Chapter 238: Truthful Memories
"Sorry, Dean, I've got to get home. Lots of Christmas prep to do."There's no time to chase another raid with so much work to do for Aspen's Christmas celebration. They overdo it for most holidays, but the big ones are the worst.He nods, accepting the answer. I rarely take him up on offers for more raiding or the hundred times he's asked me out for coffee. "Okay, see you next time." He waves, following a large group of people making their way to cars and bikes before heading toward the wharf.I step onto the sidewalk outside the baseball stadium to look for a cab. The road is eerily quiet since there isn't baseball in December and the people from the raid snatched up the cabs. Even though Grant, Clare's boyfriend would kill me, I scroll through my phone and find the Uber app. If I have to call for a ride anyway, I should at least make it a cheap one. He'd be pissed over how close I am to his neighborhood without someone here with me, but it's too late to worry about that now.
