“Did you know Ray moved to Miami?”
I notice his body goes rigid. “No, I didn’t know where he went. After the damage to my house, and Heather telling his attorney the costs would come out of his share, I haven’t heard a thing.”
“Well, he moved down there, and he’s dating Riley.”
“What?” There’s a noticeable strain in Jay’s voice. “Riley’s such a great kid. We have to do something.”
“Mac and Leon are already handling it,” I reassure him. “I sent them the photos of your injuries. I hope that’s okay. They’ve got reach in Miami, and they’ll take care of Riley.”
There’s a small exhale of relief in Jay’s voice. “Please tell them thank you for me.”
“I will. It’s going to be okay.”
A few days later, Mac Facetimes again.
“Please tell me some good news,” I say when I pick up.
“It’s handled. Once word got out, it spread like wildfire, and Ray’s been blackballed. He’s not finding anyone to film with anytime soon.”
A rush of relief loosens something in my chest. “Good. What about Riley?”
“I went to see him myself and showed him the photos,” Mac says. “Riley really liked Jay, and the minute he saw those pictures and heard what Ray did, he dropped him fast.”
“Jay’s going to be relieved when I tell him.”
He’s been on edge about Riley for days.
Mac laughs. “And karma did its thing. Ray violated TOS on OnlyFans and got restricted. Instagram shut him down, too.”
“What the hell did he post?” I ask.
I understand all about terms of service and the consequences of violations.
“From what I hear, hardcore fetish shit, trying to boost his reach. He’s such an amateur. He was begging to get shut down.” Mac’s disgust is loud and clear. “Plus, he had already lost a ton of followers after the split with Jay.”
That makes me smile. When Ray only got a misdemeanor with no jail time, I was pissed. I wanted more. It wasn’t justice, not the way I pictured it, but this helps. Losing his platform hurts him. There are other sites he can be on that don’t have the same level of restrictions, but he’ll have to rebuild, and he’s already lost credibility.
“Good. He deserved it.”
“We’ll stay on top of him,” Mac says. “If he so much as winks at our circles, we’ll cut him off at the knees.”
“Thanks. You’re a good friend.”
“Hey, don’t be a stranger just because you’re out of the game. We still want to be friends, and we expect an invitation to the wedding,” he adds with a wink.
“If we ever get there, and God, I hope we do, you’ll both be on the list,” I promise.
I hang up feeling lighter than I have in weeks. Maybe this chapter is finally closed, and we won’t have to deal with Ray Murphy ever again.
Chapter 18
Jay
The past few months have been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Aiden’s been traveling between New York and Oregon, handling the stress of closing on his property, meeting with contractors, and selling his condo.
When he’s in Oregon, he spends as much time with me as possible, going on hikes, taking drives along the coast, and enjoying late-night movie marathons. I love having my best friend back, and those moments with him mean everything.
But there’s a persistent thread running through everything: my desire for him grows stronger every day. Therapy helps keep me grounded and dispels my self-doubts, but with him, my old insecurities still take over.
