Page 26 of Rock Hard
Those few, far between moments were what fueled her foolish fantasies. Fantasies where Rex came only toherbed. Where she, Rex, and Carly were a real family. Where Rex put the two of them first – ahead of himself, ahead of his shows, ahead of his fans.
Pipe dreams, all of them.
As this last encounter had proven, Rex hadn’t changed at all, and chances were, he wasn’t going to. He still cared only for himself. And while Alice would gladly go to Hell and backforhim, she refused to live in Hellbecauseof him.
Carly’s resigned expression flashed in her mind, and again, her conscience pinged with guilt. It wasn’t Carly’s fault her father was a narcissistic egomaniac. The girl, like her, deserved better.
Despite less than ideal circumstances, the young half-lioness was remarkably mature and aware for her age. Instead of being a spoiled brat, she had forged an inner strength and a commendable set of ethics, using her situation to determine what shedidn’twant.
Alice liked to think she had some small part in that, by being there for her and providing a female role model other than the sycophants and sex-starved groupies.
What kind of message would she be sending to Carly if she went back to Rex now? That it was okay to be a doormat?
No, she wasn’t going to do that. It would be counterproductive and send a mixed message. Instead, Alice was going to lead by example. She was going to walk the walk, even if that walk took her physically away from where she wanted to be. She could still be there for Carly every step of the way while demonstrating that it was better to get a hand up to climb out of a bad situation than to step on someone else’s back to do it.
“No,” she answered softly but firmly. “I don’t want to go back to the way things were.”
When they returned to Johnny’s place in LA, life went back to business as usual. Alice spoke with Carly daily over the next several weeks, which helped to ease her worry somewhat. Alice stayed busy, making and confirming arrangements for Johnny’s upcoming tour while he was busy in the studio.
All too soon, their hiatus was over, and it was time to get back on the road. The days became a whirlwind of traveling and performing and taking off again. Touring with Johnny wasn’t nearly as stressful as touring with Rex, but it still took a toll.
Alice was looking forward to a brief respite in Chicago. They had a few days between concerts, and Alice planned on surprising Carly with a visit. Rex was scheduled to play two shows there, so it seemed like the perfect time.
The truth was, Alice was worried about Carly. They had kept in touch through video chats, texts, and calls each day as promised, but lately, Carly seemed increasingly distant and distracted. She insisted that everything was okay when asked, but Alice wasn’t buying it.
Alice left Johnny in the posh hotel room, thinking that Carly might be more willing to talk to her if she came alone. They could all meet up later after Alice and Carly had some much-needed girl time. Except, when she got to the hotel where Rex’s band was staying, Carly wasn’t there.
