Razing Ryker (Dissonance Book 1) Read Free Page A

before Disney. Before the fame found you.”
    “Before Disney I was five years old living in a tiny town in Washington.”
    Grant pointed at him triumphantly. “And there it is.”
    “What? Washington?”
    “You’re going home.”
    Ryker stood, shaking his head and turning to the window that overlooked the sweltering L.A. skyline. “No way, man. I don’t even remember living there. We pulled up stakes the second I signed on with Disney and we’ve never been back.”
    “What about Christmas?”
    He turned to look at Grant incredulously. “You mean the concert nine years ago? That was nothing. It was stupid. We were there for less than twenty-four hours.”
    “And your popularity spiked immediately afterward,” Grant reminded him. “You were growing up. People started seeing you as a young man instead of a little boy and it was hurting you. Girls had crushes on you but parents weren’t in love with you the way they were when you were a kid. You won them back with that wholesome act in your hometown. You made them comfortable with you again. People aren’t comfortable with you right now, Ryker.”
    “You mean they aren’t comfortable with my penis.”
    “And they shouldn’t be. Even girls your age are put off by it. Men go nuts for sex tapes of celebrities they want to sleep with. Most women don’t. They use their imaginations more. A picture of another woman all up on you – that ruins the fantasy for them. Suddenly they’re out of the picture and you’re less appealing to them. Even your music loses its luster because you’re not singing to them. You’re singing to Lexy now.”
    “I’m not even speaking to Lexy.”
    “Doesn’t matter. They have pictures in their face showing them how unavailable and unattainable you are. You gotta fix that if you want to keep going at the pace you were going. You’ve gotta be unattached and accessible again. Heading home and doing photo ops with locals – that will make you real to people. They’ll love you.” Grant paused, looking at Ryker pointedly. “Especially if you write some new material that we can unveil.”
    “You mean leak?”
    “You know who did that,” Grant reminded him darkly. “We all do.”
    “Yeah, I know.”
    “I was surprised by that song.”
    “So was I. It was never supposed to get out.”
    “No, I mean I was surprised you wrote it,” he replied seriously. “It didn’t sound like you.”
    Ryker feigned shock, gesturing to his body. “You mean you can’t believe I can do sexy?”
    “No, I know you’re sexy. The whole world knows it. I just didn’t think you liked singing about it.”
    “I don’t,” Ryker mumbled, dropping the act. “I did it because it’s what they wanted.”
    “They who?”
    “Everyone apparently. I thought the fans would hate it but they’re eating it up. They love the new me.”
    “Do you love the new you?”
    Ryker let his forehead fall against the cold window chilled by the endless AC in the apartment. He stared out at the city sweating and glistening under him and rolled Grant’s question around in his head. Did he love the new image emerging of him? Did he love the work he was doing? Did he love anything anymore?
    The answer was simple. No, he didn’t. Not since his mom had died last year.
    Grant cleared his throat softly. “Ryker, about the concert in Washington. We have to make—“
    “Do it,” he blurted out, not turning. “Set it up and I’ll do it, but not with any of the team we’re working with now. Roadies, dancers, musicians – everyone is fired or at least on vacation during this one.”
    “Including Lexy, I assume.”
    “Especially Lexy.”
    “A road team I can put together no problem, musicians I can find, but do you have anyone in mind for your dancers? Where do you want to start looking?”
    “New York,” he answered without hesitation. “I want to look on Broadway.”
    “Why Broadway?”
    “Because I want professionals, not partiers. I want a completely