Page 101 of Nothing to No One

“But now?” Magnus asked, still focused on Struan. “You know how precarious his sobriety is. He’s lost Sway. A lot of his old friends aren’t interested or just want to get him high again. He needs this role and your support. This is all he’s got. He can’t do it without you. He needs you.”

“Not according to him. It’s his life, his house, his rules. Let him live it. I wish him well. You too, go do your thing with him.”

Which was Struan’s way of telling his uncle the man’s loyalty could stay with the other Lowe twin.

“You think you can just walk away?” For the first time, Magnus glanced at her. “Because a woman crooked her finger?”

“Uh, just—” Roxie was cut off when Zairn caught her raised index finger from behind and pulled her back to him.

The blonde wasn’t known for her restraint, but this was a conversation uncle needed to have with nephew, audience or not.

“This is about more than Bambi. Yes, I want to be with her, I will be with her, but like Tripp said, this is a long time coming. Whatever Roman needs in life, he can’t get it from me, just like he couldn’t get it from Sway. Whatever he’s looking for, he hasn’t found it. He hasn’t found his happiness.”

“There’s no chance of that if you walk away from him now, because that’s it, his career will be over.” Magnus shouldn’t put that on anyone except Roman. His choices, his future. “What else will he have? Something’s going on with him. You know it is,all that shit on set this week, I thought it was Sway, now I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?” Tripp asked.

“I’ve kidded myself that he doesn’t see this.” Magnus raised his arms toward the couple. “Maybe he kidded himself for a while too. We all did, but they say twins sense this shit, he must have known you were pulling away. He’s freaking out because he’s losing you.”

Tripp was quick to defend and protect his friend. “Doesn’t explain why he was like this on the island.”

It was nice to see someone in Struan’s life put him before everything, and everyone, else in the room.

The Lowes’ uncle was as vehement in his position. “He went to rehab to get his life together. He came out to no woman, no home, and half an idea about the island thing. I battled for months to get himUndercover Ops. He wasn’t even on the short list. You have no idea what I had to do, but he’s got it now, and this is his chance for stability. Except it’s not just the role he needs. He needs the one thing he’s had his whole life, since before he was even born.”

“If Roman valued his relationship with his brother, he wouldn’t have kissed Bambi last night. That’s what it was.” Tripp glanced back at Struan. “His brother went out there in front of the entire world and humiliated him.”

“The world don’t know—”

“It’s not the humiliation that stings. You think I would ever do that to one of my brothers?” Did Tripp know this from Struan or just know his friend that well? Tripp was fierce in his certainty. “None of us would step out like that. And for one man to do it to his twin, a brother who’s always stood by him—Roman doesn’t have the discipline for this role. That’s why he needs Struan, because he’s willing to get up and do the work, do the action, do the stunts, do the shirtless shots that have the teenagegirls drooling after Roman, and he repays that allegiance by assaulting his brother’s girl?”

“You don’t think I’m aware?” Magnus spat. “I’ve known these boys longer than they’ve known themselves. They’ve always lived in parallel—”

“To live in parallel, there has to be equality.”

“Tripp…” Struan said, maybe trying to calm his friend.

“No, I’m sick of this shit, and he knows it. Roman takes advantage of everyone and then blames them for walking away. And the one puppet he’s always had to manipulate, instead of appreciating and valuing that loyalty, he lays one on the woman he loves, takes advantage of her, hurts her, knowing Struan is not there to step in. We saw the truth of him last night. No illusion, no fantasy. The bloom is off the rose, no more kidding ourselves.”

Magnus returned his appeal to his nephew. “If Roman loses you, he’s finished. He’ll get high and throw everything into the addiction because it’s all he’ll have left. How long do you think it’ll last before he goes to excess? You know what it’s like. How many late night calls were made to doctors when he went off the rails? How much did we pay them to keep quiet? Sway won’t be there to see it. You won’t. God knows if he’ll let me near, but I won’t be able to stop him. You take this from him, and it won’t just end his career. It will be the end of his life.”

Her fingers tightened between Struan’s. How could Magnus guilt him? Play with his conscience?

“Roman’s choices are his own,” she said, understanding Tripp’s impulse to defend. “Nothing Struan, or anyone else, does will force him down that path. It will be his choice. His.”

“So we should let him die? Shouldn’t we try to save him?”

“And what about the rest of the world?” This time when Roxie spoke, Zairn didn’t stop her. “This is not the Roman Show. No one else should be expected to give up their ownlife for his and that’s what you’re asking Struan to do. You’re saying if Struan chooses his and Bambi’s happiness, Roman will throw a tantrum of his own free will and lose the role. No one in Hollywood will hire him. So he goes, scores, and OD’s somewhere, that’s what you’re suggesting.”

“You need to come home,” Magnus said to Struan. “We’ll figure this out somehow, I don’t know how, but we will. You can’t walk away from him. This can’t be the end. He needs you.”

On that somber note, Magnus went to the door and departed.

No screaming, no shouting, hostility, yes, but nothing unsalvageable. Except it was a hell of a gauntlet to throw down. Magnus threw that grenade and swanned on out. How on earth would they contain the blast?

THIRTY-SIX

“YOU WANT SOME space?” Zairn asked after at least a minute of silence.

---