And, to top it off, the top of the pictures read, “They’re engaged!”
Cripes.
Stash was going to be pulp before we even had lunch.
Brent reached for the one on the left and Cole reached for the one on the right, ripping them off with impassioned rage. Zane’s gravelly chuckle was starting to be heard over Brent’s and Cole’s plotting of Stash’s demise - at full volume – when the elevator doors opened.
Oh. My. Goodness.
Stash had really outdone himself.
The lobby was littered with those same two photos. They had been taped all over the walls, back of couches, receptionist’s desk, and the glass doors. He had even gotten some of them on the second floor’s glass railing at the restaurant. It was…unbelievable.
We exited slow as molasses and stood outside the elevator doors, turning in circles to see all his papered graffiti. Whoa. I don’t think I ever really wanted to tick that man off. If this is what he did to his best friends, I would hate to see what he could come up with against his enemies.
The concierge, waddled up – a very short, plump man that reminded me of a garden Nome – holding his arms wide, tan suit straining, and smiling great big, his rosy cheeks almost pinching his eyes closed. He stated to Cole and Brent, “Congratulations! I had no idea! We would have sent up a complimentary bottle of Champaign if we would have known earlier, but we only found out late last night.” He stuck out his bottom lip.Ew.“But we’ll make up for it tonight with a romantic dinner for two in our restaurant and a special turn down service.” He winked.
Again,ew.
Cole and Brent stared at him blankly.
Not. Good.
Zane had walked out through the glass doors by now, and we could hear his laughter from all the way back here. Everyone else was mute. Good employees. We didn’t want to tick off the angry wolves any more than necessary.
This so wasn’t good after the semi-truce we’d had last night. Now, they were going to be at each other’s throats again until I decided, instead of calm and patient. Actually, throttling Stash was looking better and better. I was game, and so were Brent and Cole.
The concierge looked over his shoulder where he could hear Zane, a look of irritation on his chubby face. Cole’s hand started creeping up toward, what had to be, the man’s neck. Brent literally growled. Uh-oh.
I jumped in front of them and grabbed Nome by the shoulders and dragged him away, sputtering and…spitting. Gross. It took two slow attempts to explain that it had been a horrible practical joke. Once he got it, boy howdy, I will never again say my face blushes red. Now,thisman’s face turnsred. I think it was safe to assume that it would all be cleaned up by the time we got back and dinner would be free for…oh, the entire stay.
Possibly anytime they stayed here.
***
I satby Cole on the way to Cape Canaveral, where we were going to Sensations port. I touched him lots and generally tried to calm him down. Didn’t work so much. Other than to tell me he was “going to toss me on the car floor and have his way with me if I kept touching him”, that was the only thing he said. I didn’t think that was a great idea with so many witnesses, so I turned my attentions to Brent, who drove. He ignored me better than Cole did, but then again, I was in the backseat and couldn’t actually get in his face.
Stash had been nowhere to be found, so we had left without him. Chloe had whispered that he probably took a cab to the port. Or ran far, far away…for a very long time.
When we pulled into a parking spot in Sensations parking lot, our silent group got out. Mr. Fresby was standing at the front doors looking tickled, along with a furious Miranda. Once everyone had their bags, we started walking toward them, only to hear Zane mutter a quiet curse. I looked at him and followed his gaze. Stash was exiting a cab. We had actually beat him thanks to Brent’s berserk, er, skilled driving.
Cole and Brent noticed and let the cab – Stash’s getaway – leave before stopping and putting their laptop bags down. They took their jackets off in silence, placing them over their bags.Where they going to fight in the parking lot?I wasn’t sure that was the wisest decision.
I started to argue, and two sets of eyes landed on me.Oh.Never mind.
Mr. Fresby rested against the wall, a small smile on his face, crossing his ankles and enjoying the show. Miranda’s furious gaze was starting to change to perplexed.Ah, sweetie. You gotta play catch up faster than that.The hotel had obviously called them to report the “engagement”. They’re the company footing the bill, after all. VIP’s receive a whole different level of service. Mr. Fresby knew they wouldn’t be engaged, but Miranda seemed to be…well, confused.
Stash took off when Brent and Cole rushed him. And,my-my-my-my-my-my. He hadn’t been fibbing. He really was F-A-S-T. He would have been a lot better off if he had gone in a straight line, though. But instead, he zigzagged through cars to begin with. And, with two against one, it was like cats playing with a mouse. I didn’t feel bad for him at all. In fact, I was wondering if they would let me get in a few good licks.
In the end, it came down to Brent creeping up on him from behind as Cole distracted him from the front. Brent tapped his shoulder. Stash jumped around just in time to be punched viciously in the face. Stash stumbled back. Cole caught him and hoisted him up, holding him until he could stand on his own, and then decked him brutally. Stash crumbled into Brent, out cold. Both lifted him and carried him some feet off. We followed.
They lay Stash down on the side of a concrete barrier. Took his shoes off. Tapped his face a couple of times. Stash came to in a hurry, sitting up and grabbing his head. They lifted a kicking and shouting Stash. And, promptly threw him over the barrier. I ran over just in time to see Stash sink beneath the ocean.Darn.I hadn’t gotten to hit him once.
We all watched as Stash surfaced, sputtering and cursing. He was bleeding from his lip and nose, and complaining about the salt stinging his wounds. Aw, poor baby.
“I take it you’re not engaged?” Mr. Fresby asked, his lips twitching fiercely. “There were a few interesting photos faxed to me.”
Cole grunted and Brent ignored him, both watching Stash try to find a way to get out of the water. They wore the most evil grins on their faces. This was a side I had never seen from both of them. It was…chilling. I shivered.
