The two officers escorted Nat toward their patrol car. He caught my eye on his way past and mouthed, “Fuck you.”
I just smiled and said, “See you in court, Nat.”
He growled and briefly struggled against their hold on him until the male officer barked a sharp word.
After they were gone, I looked back at the slur painted on the white wall of my hotel and sighed. “Christ. Of course, he used red paint. And it’s Memorial Day weekend. No one’s going to want to come out to fix this.”
Tony put his arm around my shoulder. “I know some people. We’ll have this fixed for you before breakfast.”
Warmth filled me. “Really? That’s so nice of you. I mean, I’ll pay for it, of course. I could call Chris in to help.”
Tony shook his head. “Nah. This is a little job. Consider it community service. You’re good people, and you take good care of Jeremy.”
“It’s easy to take care of him,” I replied with what was probably a goofy smile.
Tony smirked. “Yeah? Good. He deserves that after that asshole Pierce.”
I looked at my watch. “I should get back inside.”
With one last look at Nat’s “artwork,” I turned to go back to the fundraiser. Tony, Marco, and Dante walked in with me. Dante stayed at the front door, and Marco went toward the kitchen to get something to eat. Tony and I headed for the dining room. As we walked down the back hallway, I asked, “So what’s this plan you and Michael have for keeping Brian off my back?”
Tony didn’t answer right away. Finally, he said, “It’s probably better you don’t know.” He must have seen my shocked expression because he added, “It’s nothing illegal, but it’s better if you can honestly say you didn’t know about it.”
I took a deep breath. I liked Tony, and I really did trust him. “So it’s gonna piss Brian off?”
“Oh yeah,” Tony answered with an evil smile. “But it’ll also make him back off. He’ll try to pin it on you, but he won’t be able to.”
I let out a breath. “Okay.” I shook off the niggle of worry. I had a sexy concert pianist to look after. “I’m going to check on Jeremy.”
* * *
Jeremy
“So,who’s complaining about me not being out there,” I asked Evan.
My bestie rolled his eyes. “Do you remember Wallace McKeon?”
“Oh God,” I groaned. “He’s here?”
“He’s a major donor at Juilliard,” Evan said, “Of course, he’s here.”
“But he always tries to grab my ass,” I complained.
Evan stopped in his tracks, nearly causing Raphael and Ellie to run into us.
“You said ass,” he mock whispered in wonder.
I shoved at his broad shoulder. “Shut up.”
Evan burst out laughing. “That boy is good for you.”
I couldn’t help the big smile that came to my lips. “Yes, he is,” I replied.
When we got back to the dining room, people were milling around, enjoying drinks and dessert along with lively conversation. I’d only gotten a few feet into the room when I heard Maya yell, “Mr. Jeremy!”
A moment later, a small body barreled into me, and I nearly lost my footing. Thankfully, Evan kept me upright. I put my hands on Maya’s shoulders to steady both of us.
“Hey, Maya, I’m so glad you came. Did you like the music?”
