I lead them through a hallway onthe first floor, to Terry’s room. Terry’s one of the guys Roeder teamed us upwith. When we reach his room, I pound on his door. A few moments later, Terryopens it. In a sleeveless shirt and cargo shorts, he holds a newspaper in onehand and runs his other through the dark brown locks in his widow’s peak. Hegazes between us with his narrow blue eyes. His sharp jawline flexes. He lookslike he’s about to beat the shit out of us for intruding upon his privacy, butfrom what little interaction we’ve had these past few days, I realize that’sjust how he looks most of the time.
“Keep an eye on Roarke,” I say. “I’mheading upstairs to check out a possible sniper.”
“Bryce,” Tad says. His toneassures me that he doesn’t want me to investigate, but this is my job. We don’tget to dick around about this anymore. Not after what happened last time we wereslack.
Terry fetches a gun from the roomand passes it off to me. “I’ll call for backup,” he says, handing me anotherphone since I left mine at the pool and am still just in my box-cut swimsuit. Itext Jamison on my way, and she assures me that she’s already on the thirdfloor.
When I step out of the stairwell,she rounds the corner on the other side of the hall. She has her gun out,tucked low.
Her black-as-night hair is tied ina ponytail. Like Terry, she wears a sleeveless t-shirt. Her expression isintense. And despite that she’s nearly two feet shorter than me, I don’t doubther ability to castrate any man who questions her authority.
We approach Room 322, movingslowly, steadily, cautiously. As we settle on either side of the door, we pressour ears against the wall. After a few moments, I shake my head and she shakeshers. I hold up three fingers. She nods. I count down until I rush to the doorand kick it in.
“Freeze! Don’t move!” I shout as Ihurry in, my gun before me.
A guy squatting in front of thewindow on the other side of the room raises his hands over his head. And I see thatwhat I thought was a gun is actually a camera with a telephoto lens.
On one hand, I’m relieved. On theother, I’m annoyed as shit. It reminds me of the day I tackled that fan who wasjust hoping to get an autograph from Tad.
Fucking A.
Thirty-Six
Bryce
“Well, all wasn’t lost after all,” Tad says as he savesEnrique’s number into his phone.
After the false alarm, we headedback out to the pool, and though I wasn’t able to shake free of my anxiety frombelieving Tad’s life was in danger, Tad didn’t seem to have any problem pickingup where he left off with his new trick, who was quick to give him his digits.
We head down the hallway, back toTad’s room. Tad sips on a Mai Tai as he begins a text to Enrique.
“Have you considered,” I say, “thatif you fuck Enrique and the media gets wind of it, you’re going to look like anass who’s cheating on me?”
“Do you expect me to just sitaround and be a prude through our fictitious relationship to keep out oftrouble? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I’m just telling you—”
“Something that’s not any of yourgoddamn business. Me making money or getting the next major ad campaign doesn’thave anything to do with you. Your job is to make sure I don’t die, and to keepup the appearance of this relationship to have an excuse to be around.”
“Whatever. I warned you.”
We approach the elevator and waita few moments before the door opens and we step in together. As the doors close,we stand in awkward silence.
“If you were fucking me,” he says,“then I wouldn’t have to be looking for it somewhere else.”
I want to throw him up against thewall and give him exactly what he wants.
“I’m not discussing this again.You know I have good reasons for what I’m doing. But you obviously don’t give ashit about your career any more than your life.”
“You can’t keep giving me shit forjumping in front of that gun, considering you were about to do the same forme.”
“That’s my job.”
“And what kind of job is that?What kind of guy takes on a job where he knows he could be gone tomorrow?”
“I don’t have a good answer foryou.”
“I didn’t imagine there was agoodanswer, but I was just wondering if there was any answer.”
