Riding Danger (The Salinger Legacy Book 1) by Naomi McKay

Author:Naomi McKay [McKay, Naomi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

16

RYDER

Singing is the one thing I knew I was born to do. As far back as I could remember, the stage provided me with a safe space. It was the one place I felt confident and like I knew what I was doing.

My childhood and teen years were filled with choir practices and competitions. My mother would drive me from one town to the next, to enter me in competitions. Sometimes I looked forward to it, and sometimes she dragged me kicking and screaming. If the prizes involved cash, she would always insist I enter. It didn’t matter how I felt. And while I loved singing and anything to do with music, I was also a kid who wanted to play with his friends.

At ten, she forced me to participate in a talent show while I had chicken pox. Needless to say, I did not win that one.

When my voice broke, she had no hesitation in telling me how I was not pulling my weight. And then, when I could return to my music, she was elated at the fact that my voice had improved.

At seventeen she entered me into the competition which got me into The Poets. Since then, I’ve rarely heard from her. I deposit money into her banking account every month and unless she needs more, she rarely contacts me. I had also gotten too used to the fact that the only time she contacted me was when she needed more than the substantial monthly amount that I provided.

Still, seeing her name on my phone gave me a familiar jolt. A reminder that I did have family, dysfunctional as it was. I hit the green button and let out a long breath, wondering what she needed from me.

“Hey, Mom.”

Without a greeting or any other preamble, she laid right into me. “You fired Terrence.”

Too much had happened over the last few weeks for me to show her much politeness when it came to my former manager. “If you know I fired him, then you know why I did.”

“Because you believe the word of some slut over the man who has shepherded your career for more than a decade.” Her voice was high and tight, and not for the first time I wondered if there was something happening between her and my manager. “You’re an ungrateful little shit.”

I took a long deep inhale, closed my eyes and took control of my anger. A few weeks back, I would’ve argued with her, but now I knew that it wasn’t worth it. When I reopened my eyes, I spoke with a calmness I didn’t know I possessed. “Mother, you have a grandson. Shouldn’t that be your concern?” Then another thought hit me. “Was Terrence giving you a cut as well?”

“Of course he was. I deserve it after everything I did for you. I was the one who recognized your talent and who took you all over the state so you could win those contests.”

I didn’t point out that she used me and the prize money I earned so she didn’t have to work.

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