Absolutely Famous (16 page)

Someone is watching me
.

I pretend to stretch, glancing around from behind my sunglasses so I won’t seem obvious. Unfortunately, there are a lot of tourists and people hustling to work through the plaza in front of the palace so it’s impossible to pick out anyone specific. I don’t see anybody with a professional sized camera either, so I know there’s not any paparazzi following me. Creeped out, I
make my way back to the Warren.

“Allie!” I call out, letting the door to the suite slam behind me.

“Ugh! Be quiet.” I hear her moan from her bedroom.

Giggling, I walk over to her bed and see her curled up under the covers, just her tangled mahogany hair visible on the pillow. “Did you have a little too much to drink?” I ask, trying to hide my amusement. She was completely bombed last night, downing shots like they were water. She deserves to feel like this.

“Stop, don’t talk so loud.”

Taking pity on the woman who single-handedly saved my relationship, I go into the living area and call the front desk. “Can I get a bottle of ibuprofen, three bottles of sparkling water and a large orange juice?” I also order some fruit and coffee for myself and take a quick shower, throwing on a gold and white striped Proenza Schouler T-shirt and my dark skinny jeans just before room service arrives.

Allie wanders out of her bedroom as I pour a cup of coffee and sit at the table. “Here, I got you some juice and ibuprofen.” I grab the bottle of pills off of the room service cart and hand them to her as she slumps dramatically into the chair across from me.

“Ugh, I feel awf
ul. My mouth tastes like dirt!”

A flair for the dramatic must run in the family, I think to myself. I hide my smile behind my coffee cup and take another sip. “
Was it worth it?”

“Actually, yeah,” she says, surprising me. Noticing my
expression she explains further. “I haven’t had a night out like that in a while, Syd. Especially not with a hot guy like Dex.” She blushes when she says his name.

How cute, she has a crush!

“Why not? You’re young, you’re hot, you live in Boston which has a great nightlife, you should be living it up!” I’m confused as to why someone as beautiful and friendly as Allie Forrester doesn’t have a busy social life.

“Syd, I’m not all that different from you
. I don’t tell anyone that I’m Drew’s sister. I’m never sure who is using me to get close to him.”

My mouth falls open in shock. “I never thought about it before. God, Allie, I’m so selfish! I fe
el like such an ass.” I bury my face in my hands, ashamed to look at her.

“Sydney,” Allie snaps. I look up and meet her vivid green eyes, so much like Drew’s. “No one has ever stalked me or tried to kill me. It’s similar for me, but it’s not the same. I’ve never needed a bodyguard or had someone arrested for stalking me. That’s probably all you’ve ever known
.”

“Yeah, it is
.”

“Well don’t feel bad f
or me. I don’t feel bad for you. You have parents who love you, a great career, a great best friend you can trust, and don’t forget,” she waggles her eyebrows, “the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’,” she laughs.

I can’t help but laugh with her.
“I’m going upstairs to do a little work; will you be up for some exploring later?”

“Hell
yes! I didn’t fly 3000 miles to sit in my hotel room hung over.”

“I’ll see if Leah wants to do some sightseeing and shopping
. Although, she may be at the studio with Ryker today.”

Allie’s eyes brighten when I mention the movie
set. “We could always stop by the set and visit.” She has a wicked grin on her face.

“Visit Leah, or visit Declan?”

“Both of course!” Allie responds, then has a fit of giggles so long I thought she was going to suffocate.

Rolling my eyes
I get up and head for the door. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Giggles.”

Chapter
21

“I did not fall down on the dance floor!” Allie yells, the giant smile on her face contradicting the anger in her voice.

“You totally did,” Dex says from next to her on the couch.

After an afternoon of sightseeing and shopping, Allie and I met up with Leah on the
Quantum Stranger
set. The guys just finished their scenes for the day, so we’re hanging out in Declan’s trailer while Ryker showers and changes his clothes.

“So, where are we eating?” Leah asks as she bangs through the trailer door and sits on the arm of the sofa.

“Don’t care, I’m starving,” Declan answers.

“Me either,” I tell her.

“No British food,” Allie says, crinkling her nose up in disgust. “Not a huge fan, sorry.”

“I’ll text Brittany.
” Leah whips out her phone and types a message. “Just because she can’t come with us tonight doesn’t mean she won’t help us out, right?” Leah’s phone beeps a second later and she reads the text out loud. “Birdie’s Pub & Ale, off Leicester Square.”

“Sorry, Allie, sound
s like British pub food tonight.” I apologize.

“Great. Well, I’ll li
ve. I’m sure they’ll have fries. I mean
chips
.” She rolls her eyes at the British word for French fries.

The trailer door opens again and Ryker comes in, his
unruly hair still damp from cleaning up. Leah bounds over to him and they kiss like they haven’t seen each other in a week. “Ewwww, calm down guys,” I say, shielding my eyes with my hand.

“Like you wouldn’t do the same if Drew walked in right now!” Leah jokes back.

“Yeah, you’re right. I totally would.”

“Gross! That’s my brother!” Allie screams, covering her ears.

“Oh, is he?” I say innocently. “I forgot.”

Allie chucks
a pillow at my head and laughs. “You suck!” The five of us laugh and carry on like young adults should, and I love every minute of it.

Birdie’s Pub is exactly what you would imagine a London pub would be like. Dark, small
, and old, the five of us cram into a booth in a back corner away from prying eyes. Not that you’d find a person in this place who would recognize a single one of us. The patrons are just as old as the pub, hunched over their pints with their eyes fixed on the soccer game playing on the televisions hanging in the bar.

“So, how’s the nightclub coming along?” Ryker asks me as he takes a giant bite of his sandwich.

Ryker Bancroft is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He grew up in L.A. like me, but unlike me, his parents did not have money. He appreciates every single thing he has in his life and works hard to earn all of it. He’s gorgeous of course, and he knows it, but it actually makes him uncomfortable when anyone talks about it in front of him. He’s also super-protective of his friends and family and fiercely loyal which is important when it comes to Leah. Loyalty might as well be her middle name, I would know since she’s there for me whenever I need her no matter what.

“It’s going great, thanks Ry. They’re installing the flooring and the furniture is all being made. I love the location and the view is to die for. It’s perfect
.” He smiles at me as I finish talking. “What?” I ask.

“Nothing, you just obviously love your job. It’s cool. I know just how you feel
.” Ryker shifts uncomfortably. “Do you mind if I ask you what it was like growing up with famous parents?”

I still for a moment, my hand hesitating on my half-empty pint glass.

“You don’t have to, Sydney. I’m just wondering what it will be like for my kids someday, that’s all,” he says with a regretful expression on his face. “I don’t mean to pry or make you uncomfortable.”

Exhaling, I take a big sip of my beer. “It’s okay Ry, I don’t mind telling you. It was … difficult. And lonely. I was always surrounded by people, but not people I knew or who cared about me. Agents, directors, bodyguards, nannies, even other celebrities.” I look away from his eyes and across the bar, watching the bartender chat with a patron. “My parents were gone a lot. I know they loved me, but it’s hard when you’re a kid.” I shrug like it doesn’t matter.

“That sounds depressing, Sydney.”

“It wasn’t all bad. I saw the world, traveled in private jets, went to the best schools, but the worst was the loneliness. My advice to you would
be to have more than one child.” I look back at his concerned face. “It would have been nice to have someone else who knew what it was like that I could confide in.”

He pats my hand and gives me a small smile.

beep beep beep beep

The sound of the Google Alert is barely audible from my purse with the noise of the crowded bar surrounding us. Whatever soccer team the old men in the pub are rooting for must have scored, because the place erupts in cheers.

I decide to ignore the alert. New Sydney doesn’t care, right? I’ll check it later tonight or tomorrow. It’s not going anywhere and neither is whatever article it’s referring to.

beep beep beep beep

Frowning, I realize that those sounds aren’t coming from my purse. I look around the table and see Leah whip out her iPhone. She pales as she reads the screen and my heart drops into my feet.

“What? Leah, what is it?” I ask her, anxiety
coursing through me.

She takes in my
expression and hurries to speak. “Syd, it’s not anything bad like that. I have Ry set to Google Alert on my phone.” Leah looks at him. “I figured if they’re bugging Syd they might be bugging us too and I wanted to know about it right away if they were.”

Ryker and I nod in agreement. Allie and Declan have stopped flirting for two seconds,
thank God
, and are listening to our conversation.

“So what is it?” Allie asks.

Leah scowls as she taps on her phone. “It’s that stupid
CelebSpot
app. Someone posted Ryker’s location on it. That means the fans know that we’re here.”

If it weren’t so disturbing to find out there’s an app that lets a total stranger put your current location up on the internet, our reactions would be downright comical. All four of our mouths drop open when Leah tells us about the alert. I glance around the bar, but don’t notice anyone who could have recognized Ryker.

“Are you telling me that anyone could put my exact minute by minute whereabouts on the internet and everyone who wants to can read it?” Panic fills my body, and its presence is unwelcome. I’ve enjoyed living without the sweaty palms, the erratic heartbeat, the numbness in my hands and feet, not to mention the feeling like I can’t breathe.

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying,” Leah says with
her teeth bared. “No privacy! I’m so pissed off.”

I’m about to freak the hell out when Allie’s phone lights up from its place on the table. It’s so loud in here right now, we didn’t even hear it ring.

I vaguely register parts of her conversation.

“Yeah.”

“Yes, she is.”

“Because it’s loud as fuck in here, that’s why!”

“No, don’t you yell at me!”

“What!”

Allie shoots out of her seat to a standing position, her face drained of color. Her eyes dart from Declan to me then down at the floor.

“It’s not like that asshole!”

“Shit, I can’t believe it.”

She sinks back into her chair and holds the ph
one out to me. I’m sure I look shocked as hell because she quietly says, “Drew wants to talk to you.” I notice her eyes are glassy, like she’s either trying not to cry or she’s so angry that tears are forming.

I take the phone from Allie and bring it to my ear.

New Sydney can do this. She’s not a weak chicken-shit.

“Sydney!”
Drew says anxiously. “What the hell is going on?”

“What are you talking about Drew? We’re at dinner
.”

“Jane just showed me another one of those damn
CelebCas
t articles.” My blood runs cold when he mentions that website. “It’s about you and Allie and … Declan Foster,” he growls.

“What did it say?
” I’m surprised that I can keep my cool, but I am. I refuse to let this shitty tabloid ruin my life.

“It’s about you and Allie not being able to trust anyone because of you
r
famous
relatives.” Drew spits out the word famous like it’s poison. “How my sister and you can’t have real friends because of people using you to get to me or your parents.”

“What?”
Okay, now I’m not calm. How in the hell are these people doing it? They’re recording my private conversations and I can’t seem to find the listening device.

“It also mentioned that you were all partying in Ryker’s suite last night and Allie was hung over this morning from partying all night and getting drunk with
him
. What the fuck is going on over there?” Drew’s voice has risen and he’s now yelling through the phone.

Jesus, she’s t
wenty-five years old. Chill out!

I’m ready to respond with exactly that when the loud bar gets even louder and I hear a commotion over by the door.

“We have to leave, now,” Ryker whispers in my ear as he throws a bunch of money on the table.

I turn around and see a few, no not a few, a
couple dozen or so young women coming into the pub and eagerly combing the crowd with their eyes.

“Shit
!” I say, forgetting that Drew is still on the other line.

“What’s going on Sydney?” I can already picture him pacing his room and tugging his hand through his hair in frustration.

“I gotta go, there’s a bunch of girls here. They found Ryker. We have to leave, I’ll call you later babe.” I grab my purse and stand up with everyone else.

I hear Drew swear and
yell out my name as I hang up and hand the phone back to Allie.

“What the fuck, dude,” Dex says when he sees the mass of shrieking females pushing through the narrow aisles toward the bar.

“Stay here, they haven’t seen us yet,” Leah hisses. She stalks over to our waitress, a fifty-something year-old with bright orange hair, and has a quick conversation with her. They both return to our table. “Come on, guys. Beatrice is going to take us out the back.”

Beatrice smiles brightly, making her lack of dental care quite obvious. But teeth or no teeth, this lady is going to get us out of here and we won’t have to swim through the sea of hysterical piranha waiting on the other side of the room to take a bite out of Ryker.

“Right,” says Ryker. “Let’s go, I prefer my skin to be unscratched by their claws and my clothing intact.”

Ten minutes later, we’re back on the street next to the Warren, having avoided the nightmare of Ryker’s fans.

“Damn, I thought Drew’s fans were bad,” I say to no one in particular.

“It’s the film,” Leah says. “People are obsessed with it and the books.
”

“And it took me from nothing to that,” Ryker point
s his thumb behind us. “Literally overnight.”

“I can’t believe there are websites dedicated to telling people where you are,” I mutter.

“Yeah, me either,” he responds.

My phone
rings from my purse. I stick my hand in and attempt to grab it, but can’t find it in time.
Ten
missed calls from Drew?

Allie’s phone starts ringing from her pocket. She plucks it out and hands it to me without even looking at the screen. “You know it’s him again,” she says matter
-of-factly. I just stare at her. “I know how he is. Now answer it before it goes to voicemail and he calls Leah.”

I snatch it out of her hand and answer the call.

“Hello?”

“God dammit Allie! Wait, Syd?” Drew asks, expecting to yell at his sister and not me.

“Yes.”

“You haven’t been answering your phone
. I don’t like having to call my sister to reach you, Sydney.”

I sigh.
“It was really loud at the pub. I didn’t hear my phone ring. Allie only answered hers because it was sitting on the table and she saw it light up and just now it was in her pocket.” I speak evenly and don’t get upset. I’m hoping some of my composure will transfer to him or at least let him know that we’re okay.

“What the fuck just happened?
I’m freaking the fuck out!”

“Drew, really?” I
was hoping he’d let it drop. No such chance.

“Yeah
really. Don’t push me right now Sydney. You scared the shit outta me!” Bossy, over-protective Drew has come out to play.

“Okay, well someone put Ryker’s location up on a celebrity finding app and a …”

“A what app?” Drew interrupts.

“If you spot a celebrity, apparently you can put their location up on the app
.”

“What the fuck?” he roars.