Page 57 of Never To Suffer (The Hollywoodland #4)

CHARLI XCX

Stepping into the gym, I’m greeted with a wave from the receptionist and the offensive smell of CrossFit.

Normally, I don’t mind hanging out here, but those people go all out, and watching them makes me need a nap and a bag of candy.

And to decorate the room in those little tree air fresheners like that one horror movie.

“Hey, Dani!” Yells Kylie, a bubbly blonde who works for Steve’s gym. She runs around the desk to hug me. “How’s Ren doing?”

My sister came out of hiding a week ago in true Silva fashion.

A blaze of glory, blood, and gunfire. She’s been in and out of surgeries ever since.

None of them major once they got the knife wound under control.

Coop’s been with her, partially because of his own injuries, but mostly because he can’t stand to be away from her. It’s disgusting, I adore it.

“Recovering and blissfully in love. She and Coop have a trip to Europe planned once the doctor clears them both to travel again. Which means even through a psycho stalker and a gang banger ex, my matchmaking skills are ah-maze-ing. So, you need to get hooked up?”

“Nah, I’ve got a girlfriend,” she giggles and nods across the room to this absolutely gorgeous older red head that could bench press me and throw me through a brick wall any day.

“Anyhow, Steve’s between clients, so he’s probably in the break room.

If he’s not, he’s in the office. Be careful if you check in there, though.

Ethan has a key to the back so he can sneak in unseen. ”

“There’s a joke in there.”

“Yeah, there is. Craig comes up with a new one every few days. The rest of us don’t bother going back there and page Steve over the intercom to avoid the accidental walking in. Seriously, he needs to get that lock fixed.”

“Thanks for the heads up.” I head for the back area and down a long hall.

I still poke my head into the open office door to make sure he’s not in there and find it empty.

Someone starts rummaging around in the break room, so I follow the sounds.

At the back counter, facing away from me, I find a mountain of muscles with tufts of blonde hair.

The logo of a parrot stares at me menacingly from his green hat. “Stevie!”

“D! Hey stranger.” He leans back and gives me a fist bump before I pull out a chair and sit on the back of it with my feet in the seat. “How’s everything going with the new living situation?”

I bite my thumbnail as I consider how to answer, since it’s a loaded question. “It’s…weird?”

“Weird as in the stripper pole and sex swing are getting installed next week? Or weird, like you’re sleeping on the couch?”

“What? Why are those my only two options?! I dunno, it’s just weird. I’m used to always having Xander. But now? Sometimes I have Xander there, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I wake up to Skylar, sometimes they’re hiding out on the fire escape.”

“What about you and the Doc?”

“Epic make-out sessions when we’re alone, but I don’t wake up with him. So, like, even that’s weird! He wants to take it slow with Sky and I, even after he basically jumped into bed with Xander.”

“It’s only weird because you’re trying to make it fit into a social structure it’s never going to fit into.

You, them, hell, even Ethan and I, we don’t fit neatly into categories, and it pisses people off.

Screw those people. Don’t worry about what makes them happy!

They’re boring in bed. We need to satisfy ourselves before we give two shits about the people who vote against our rights and chant out derogatory shit. ”

“Yeah, I guess.” He pulses the blender a few more times before popping the top off to taste the green sludge.

I study his face, watching the different muscles in his neck shift as he evaluates the taste.

He turns to offer me a blender full of something green and toxic looking.

My lip curls up when I take a sniff and push his hand back.

With a shrug, he turns back around and pours the liquid into a cup decorated with donuts and sprinkles and pops a lid on it. “Dude, how do you drink that stuff?”

“This isn’t even for me, but it’s not as bad as it looks.

” He takes a long look at me before crossing his arms. “You’re living with three hotties who love to screw, and you’re worried about who sleeps where?

Get a bigger bed! But that’s not why you’re here.

Out with it, why are you all bummed out? Did the tour go to shit or something?”

“More like bleeding us all dry. Skylar’s even working two jobs right now, but neither one can be done remotely.

There are so many things I didn’t factor into it all.

Laundry on the road, buying new clothes to replace the stuff that got ruined doing laundry on the road.

” I hop off the counter and mindlessly follow him through the gym and into his office, still talking.

“…maintenance on the van. Connor getting high and raiding the mini bar. Helping to pay for Sky’s therapy sessions.

Xander’s back to doing what he does, but less of it. ”

“Trying to do all that shit on your talent and good looks isn’t going to work, sweetheart.

Not yet anyhow. Going viral helped for a short burst, I’m sure, but did you monetize it?

” He raises an eyebrow, and I shrug in response.

When Steve goes into business mode, he transforms into a different person, and he knows what he’s talking about.

Before he can explain, Kylie’s voice on the intercom cuts through the screaming metal music to tell Steve to come up for his next client.

He nods to the door and walks me to the back of the gym.

Before he opens the door to the parking lot where he knows my car is, he stops by a large bulletin board.

“Here, take this. It’s for an influencer I work with. They’re an enormous help with the social media and marketing of the gym been.” He unpins the flyer and hands it to me. “I’ve been meaning to pull it off for you next time you came around.”

“Bro, phrasing. I don’t ever want to hear about you pulling anything off.”

“Yeah, you don’t want to hear about it because you’d rather watch.” He grabs imaginary hips and thrusts against them. “Oh, baby, just like that, yeah, baby! Take that cock, Ethan, yeah!”

I roll my eyes and give the most dramatic sigh I can manage, channeling my inner valley princess. “How are you even married?!”

“I’ve got a big dick and I beat your boyfriend to him?” With a shrug, he pulls the flyer from the board and hands it to me. “As for the money situation for the band, the gym can totally sponsor you guys.”

“I’ll get right on that, Stevie.” It’s tempting, but the offer tastes like a handout, and I’d rather drink the green death stuff than take a handout from my friends. I hate being the only broke one in the group, and I miss the days when Coop was the only one of us with money.

“Don’t be like that, jerk. You know damn well we don’t think of you as a charity case. You’re our family. Annoying, bratty, stubborn family.” He pulls me in and hugs me to his sweaty, smelly t-shirt. “In this family, family helps family out.”

“Inspiring.”

“Shut up, you sound like Ethan. Besides, you’ll pay me back when you’re some famous rockstar by getting me backstage passes so I can post it all over socials and annoy people!

Slap some of our stickers on your equipment boxes and the van, get Connor or someone to wear our shirt a few times.

Or getting Connor and Skylar to come pose for some pics to promote the gym? ”

“You’re married, perv!” I pull away. “Ah, you’re messing up my face with your man sweat!”

“Your face has always been messed up! And I’m married, but I can still look!

Besides, I’ll tell Sweets about it, and he’ll teach me a lesson that involves me in his jersey and a belt—” There’s another page for Steve, this time louder to ensure he hears it.

They probably think he’s in his office with Ethan doing the dirty.

“Shit, I gotta go. Say hey to Sky for me, oh, and say hello to Xander, too.”

“I thought you were over your playboy ways?!”

“Tigers and stripes, baby. Go take care of Skylar and the boys. I’ll take care of your money issues.”

“Woooow!” I spin around in the hotel lobby. It’s not the Ritz, but it’s better than anything we’ve had in months. “Uhm, can we afford this shit?”

“We can, but not at every stop,” Connor explains. “I figured we could use a little pick me after making it to the top fifteen. Oh, and the sponsorship checks are all cleared, which means spending money while we’re here in Boston.”

When Steve offered to sponsor the band, I didn’t realize the gym could crank out that kind of cash.

Or that he’d get our friends Coop and Jamie to add to the total.

Even Coop’s little brother, Devin, got a collection going in the Pasadena Parrots’ locker room that earned us a few grand, a bunch of merch sales, and a roll of hockey tape that Skylar and Connor fought over.

“We also got a load of cash dropped off at the bar for us the other day. They didn’t leave a name, but bartender Bobby said she was smoking hot.”

“Bobby refers to anything with boobs as smoking hot, Connor.”

“Whatever. BAR!” Connor takes off for the hotel’s lounge.

“He’s going to get us thrown out before I even get you naked and tie you to the bed, isn’t he?” Skylar asks, their hand holding mine.

“Duh,” Noah replies as she pulls her suitcase behind her. “But it’s cool. There’s a motel down the street that’s probably more used to the noise complaints the two of you cause.”

“Touché?” Skylar replies.