“Only until he screws up. Then, he’s out of here.” She looked at the management executives.
“Just be sure it’s done by the book, and he can’t come back at us for breach of contract.” Jack looked at Meredith, making sure she understood him.
She nodded, and they left. She was left alone with the guys, and they looked at her. She had taken all of their guards and placed them on band and dancer security until she could figure out who to trust. The boys wanted to know who would be watching their backs. She stood up and opened a door, letting the five men waiting outside file in.
“Since Ramos and Leary were discharged a couple of months ago, I figured I could call on them to help keep y’all in line, and I think y’all already know Marcus.” Laughter filled the room at her statement.
Kevin, Nick, AJ, Howie, and Brian stood up and greeted Ramos, Leary, and Marcus. Ramos knocked fists with Nick.
“I hear you did good. Hell of a way to bust your cherry.”
“I think I much prefer the other way, to be honest.”
“Let me have your attention for a minute. Guys, this is Mike Sullivan and David Collins. Curran and I have both worked with them, so they’re good.”
The five men shook hands with the new guys and made small talk as they checked each other out.
“Let’s get the boys back to their rooms. I need to go over some things with you guys.” She looked at her team and nodded.
Once the group was settled, she gathered the men together to go over some things. When she finished covering schedules, what she expected them to wear while at the hotel and venues and what to wear while actually escorting the group out in public, time off, and pay, she folded her hands together and looked at the guards.
“One more thing before I let you go. Since I can’t get rid of Winston until he screws up, under no circumstances are you to leave any of the guys alone with him.”
Marcus grinned. “Afraid of what’ll he do?”
“A bit.” She smiled. “I’m more concerned with the fact that the guys are pissed at him, Nick especially. I’ve already had to corral him once. Now, thanks to us,” she indicated herself, Ramos, and Leary, “they know how to deal with the problem with minimum effort and maximum damage. I don’t want to have to clean up any blood, okay?”
They nodded, but Marcus was a bit skeptical that they would do anything that bad. He was going to be proven wrong.
***Backstreet Boys***
Meredith made a quick trip home on Tuesday to get more clothes, arrange to have her mail picked up, and close up the house. Stasi would be staying with Irene, once her sister returned from a business trip and picked the dog up at the kennel, until after the promo tour, at which time she would figure out what she was going to do.
When she flew back into New York, Marcus met her at the airport. She smiled at the big man as she strode towards him.
“He’s in the car?”
“Yes, ma’am. Anxiously waiting your arrival.”
Meredith grinned. “Any problems?”
“Nope. We kept Winston far away from the boys. Everything’s been cool.” He smiled at her as he opened the door to the large SUV parked at the curb.
“Thanks, Marcus.” She patted him on the arm before climbing into the backseat.
The moment she had her seatbelt buckled, AJ took her face in his hands and kissed her soundly. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“Me, too.” She kissed him, resting her hands over his.
Marcus looked into the backseat before he pulled out into traffic. He chuckled quietly to himself.
***Backstreet Boys***
When the group was finally ready to resume the trek across the country, Meredith rotated Winston among the guys so that no one was stuck with him for any longer than necessary. When she relayed the schedule for that day, she assigned Winston to Kevin and Ramos. Kevin took it with his usual aplomb, just nodding at her. The men left to get ready for a photo shoot and separate interviews, and Meredith pulled Ramos aside.
“Don’t let him get too close to Kevin, okay?”
Ramos nodded before he grinned. “You got it, boss.”
Things went well. The photo shoot moved smoothly, each man in a good mood and hamming it up for the cameras. After two hours of makeup touchups and wardrobe changes, Howie, Brian, and Nick left for an interview, while the others headed for theirs. Again, things flowed smoothly until AJ and Kevin were leaving the studio and discovered the throng of fans waiting. Each singer took a few moments to chat and sign as many autographs as he could. Kevin, as usual, was bringing up the rear, when two girls suddenly flung themselves at him, sending the three of them to the ground. Kevin groaned as both girls landed on him, but the sound wasn’t heard above the female shrieks that surrounded him.
Ramos grabbed one and pulled her off. Winston took his time to remove the other one, smirking at Kevin’s attempts to keep the young woman from groping every part of him.
When they made it into the second van. Kevin turned and looked at Winston, quirking an eyebrow. The former security manager blinked innocently.
“Sorry about that, Kevin. I thought I saw someone else about to jump into the fray, and I was afraid we’d have more than just the two fans to deal with.”
Kevin just gave him another look then turned to stare out the window until they got back to the hotel. He escaped to his room as soon as he could, grimacing as he lifted his shirt and looked at his ribs. He saw the beginnings of a bruise where the brunette’s elbow had caught him in the side. Gently pressing his fingers against his skin, Kevin winced and lowered his shirt.
Sighing heavily, he rested his hands against the curtained window and tried to stare through the sheer curtain at the city below them. Some days, it took everything he had to go out and smile and be a Backstreet Boy. He loved making the music. He loved the singing. He loved being with his brothers on stage. He did *not* love the hassle of people reaching out and pulling on hair or clothes or skin. In the beginning, it had been heady stuff when he saw the number of fans who stood outside hotels or venues just to get a look at him, who were more than thrilled to get a smile or a hello or a quick touch. He loved the fact that the fans continued to support them, but sometimes…just sometimes…he wanted to be left alone.
Sighing again, he straightened, winced at the pull in sore muscles then schooled his face into a smile to keep the others from worrying about him. Despite the fact he knew that he didn’t always have to be the big brother, he found it hard to show them his vulnerability for fear it would frighten them. An irrational fear, he knew, but one he still carried.
Heading back to the lounge, he heard the announcement they would have to stay in that night because of the number of fans surrounding the hotel. Sitting on the sofa, he took a breath and slowly released it. AJ dropped on the sofa beside him, and Kevin tightened his grip on the sofa arm.
“Hey, man, whaddaya want for dinner?”
“Vegetables. If I have to look at one more cheeseburger, I’m going to start mooing.” The older man grinned, settling back into the corner of the sofa. As long as he didn’t move too much, he felt okay.
AJ got up and wrote down the order then walked back towards the sofa “Any idea when the others will be back?”
Kevin looked at his watch. “Half hour or so, unless the fans get to be too much.”
“Kewl.” AJ moved to drop back onto the sofa but wobbled and crashed into Kevin instead.
“Sorry, man, I...” The young man looked up into his friend’s face, and his eyes opened wide at the sheer pain he saw there.
“Oh my God. Kevin, what’s wrong?”
Meredith looked up at the worried tone, took one look at Kevin’s face, and was moving across the floor before AJ even finished speaking. Kneeling in front of him, she laid her hand on his knee.
“Where does it hurt, Kev?” She kept her voice soft.
“My right side. When those two fans took me down, one of them got me with her elbow.” Taking as deep a breath as he could, Kevin opened his eyes and looked at Meredith and AJ.
“I’ll be okay, guys, really.”
“I need to take a look at it.” Meredith reached for the hem of his t-shirt and looked at him.
Recognizing the “don’t argue with me” look, he nodded and shifted forward a bit. She lifted the shirt and stared at the bruise.
“Shit.” AJ just looked at the array of colors starting to decorate Kevin’s skin.
Reaching out, Meredith gently pressed her fingers against him and was not surprised when he jumped in pain.
“Fuck, that hurts.” Kevin blew out a shaky breath as she continued to check for anything broken.
“Trouble breathing?”
“No, just very sore.”
She leaned back and pulled his shirt down. “Leary will need to check you out, but I think it’s just a really bad bruise. Where was Ramos?”
“He was right behind me. Winston was up front.” Kevin stopped speaking, just looking at Meredith and knowing she would be able to connect the dots.
“He’s pushing his luck.” She chewed on her lip.
AJ snorted. “He’s asking to get his ass kicked.”
“Well, yeah, but until I catch him doing something that is clearly negligence I can’t get rid of him.” Meredith looked up into Kevin’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Kevin.”
“I know, Merry. It’s gotta be clear cut or he could sue the hell out of us, and he’d enjoy every minute.”
She nodded. The others returned a few minutes later, and she discreetly sent Leary and Kevin into his room so that the medic could get a good look at the other man. He returned several minutes later and pulled Meredith aside.
“How is he?”
“Okay. A few bruises, nothing serious, just a little painful. What are you going to do about Winston?”
“Nothing I can do until he clearly steps over the line. Just make sure to keep an eye on him.”
“You got it, boss.” Leary smiled and winked at her before leaving the group alone in the lounge and taking his turn at guarding the hall.
“How’s Kevin?” AJ looked at her when she sat down.
“What’s wrong with Kevin?” Brian looked up, a worried expression filling his face.
“A couple of fans got to him and bruised him a little. Leary checked him over. He’ll be fine.” Meredith patted her friend’s hand.
“Let me guess, Winston.” Nick spat the name out as if it were poison. “When are you going to kick his ass to the curb?”
“When I can do it without him coming back to sue you for breach of contract.”
“I still say you should’ve let me take care of it earlier.” He crossed his arms over his chest and rocked slightly on his toes.
Meredith stood up and moved to stand in front of Nick. When he didn’t look at her, she grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her.
“Don’t even think about doing anything, Munchkin. Understand?”
He stared at her, and the other three men watched the battle of wills taking place in front of them. Meredith narrowed her eyes.
“I said, do you understand me, Nickolas?” Her voice was pleasant, but they could hear the steel determination lacing it.
He nodded, and she shook her head. “I want to hear you promise that you won’t go looking for a fight.”
He bit his bottom lip for a moment then sighed. “I won’t go looking for a fight.”
She released his chin and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back.
“But if he starts it, I’m gonna finish it.” The words were whispered against her hair.
Meredith sighed.
***Backstreet Boys***
AJ wrapped his arms around Meredith as they snuggled in bed. “Love?”
“Hmm?”
“What’s up with Nick and Winston? There’s got to be more there than just the problems he’s caused.”
She thought about it for a moment. “I think Winston is an available target for all of Nick’s anger. All the stuff with Jane, he can’t really strike out at her, not without hurting his brother and sisters. The problem with Winston lets him refocus his anger and pain on this situation. I’ve just got to make sure he doesn’t do something stupid.”
He nodded, agreeing with her assessment of his friend’s emotional state. “I’ll try to keep an eye on him.”
Sighing, she turned around and rubbed her hand over his chest, gently caressing a nipple with each stroke of her palm. “Thank you, mine. Leary knows to keep a tight rein on him, too.”
AJ chuckled. “I think you’re doing a great job all by yourself.”
Meredith laughed with him. “Well, I think I intimidated him enough in training that I might be able to get him to stop long enough to keep blood from being spilled.” She took a deep breath and then sighed.
“I’m afraid that I won’t be able to stop him when this comes to a head.”
“I have faith in you, love.” He kissed her forehead.
Pressing a kiss against the hollow of his throat, she listened to the rumbling groan she caused. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Like what?” The seductive tone made her smile. Their fingers had been stroking each other as they talked, and she felt his erection against her thigh.
“Oh, like how good it would feel if I…” In a swift move, Meredith pushed him onto his back and straddled him, “…did this.”
He groaned louder as she sank down onto him, taking him deep into her body. “Oh, yeah, let’s talk about that.”
She chuckled, rolling her hips as she gently rode him. He brushed his fingers over her thighs, her hips, up her arms, down over her breasts to tease the hardened nipples, then back down to slip a thumb between her folds. Soft touches made her gasp, and she sped up just a bit.
AJ looked up at Meredith, watching the curls tumble over her shoulders as her body undulated. He loved watching her when they made love, the way her skin flushed and glowed as she came, the languor in her eyes as she watched him, the way she touched his body as he touched her.
Feeling his body tighten, his release approaching, he rubbed her harder and listened to her moan her approval. His hand tightly gripped her hip as he filled her, the sigh of pleasure spilling from his lips as she arched her back. Her head fell back, and her body shook as she rode the delicious waves that washed over her.
They remained that way for several moments, their fingers knotting together as their hearts calmed. AJ sighed as he slipped from her, hating the feeling of loss that swept over him. Meredith sighed, slowly stretching out beside him and resting her head on his shoulder.
“I love you, mine.”
“I love you, too. More than anything and anyone.” He punctuated the statement with a kiss to her head.
Sated, they quickly fell into sleep.
***Backstreet Boys***
The next day was full of more interviews. As much as she hated to do it, Meredith assigned Winston to AJ, giving Marcus a look as she did it. Nick sat in the corner of the room, hands steepled in front of him and tapping his fingertips together. At nine, everyone left to head toward their respective appointments.
While AJ was sitting in the booth, he adjusted his headphones and closed his eyes, thinking about Meredith. Every moment he spent with her made him fall in love even more. Even the quiet moments, when he was writing and she was reading, he could feel that love surround him, protect him, make him feel like he could do anything.
The sounds of the DJ talking brought him out of his daydreams, and he focused on the conversation.
“So, AJ, you guys are gearing up for the release of your new album.”
“Yeah, man. It rocks—got a little rock, a little Latin vibe, some ballads. It’s great.”
The DJ continued to ask questions about the rest of the promo tour and the upcoming tour to support the album. Then, as all interviews do, it veered into personal questions.
“I understand you’ve got a new lady in your life.” The man smiled.
AJ plastered a fake smile on his face and wondered where the conversation was going. “I do, but I’m not really talking about it.”
“So, you don’t want to comment on this picture?”
He held out a photo of Meredith and AJ lying next to a pool with him gently stroking the artwork on her belly and her running her hand over his back. Taking a breath to calm the anger, he studied it for another minute.
“Got any extra copies?” The younger man stared at the DJ.
“Huh?”
“It’s a great picture, and I’d like a copy. Do you have any extras?” AJ just smiled.
“You can keep that one.”
“Thanks.” He tucked it into his pocket.
Thrown by the lack of confrontation, the DJ continued with his list of questions and took some calls from fans. AJ finished the interview, smiled and shook everyone’s hands, then hit the door with Marcus and Winston. The moment he cleared the studio, a scowl replaced the smile.
“What’s up, man?” Marcus knew the many moods of his friend and realized that AJ was seriously on the way to being pissed.
“Gotta talk to Meredith first.”
The big man nodded as they reached the outside door. He looked at Winston, gave the man a serious “don’t fuck up” glare, and pushed open the door. The crowd of fans screamed at the sight of a Backstreet Boy, and the two guards tried to hustle him through without too much fuss. AJ managed to sign a couple of autographs before he felt a hand grab his sunglasses, a ring cutting into his cheek. He pressed his fingers to the cut and kept on moving, smiling and waving at the crowd. When they got into the van, Marcus saw that the singer was bleeding and immediately pressed a napkin to the cut. After a couple of minutes, he removed the cloth and stared at AJ’s cheek.
“Nothing serious. A little antibacterial ointment, a band-aid, and you’ll be good to go.”
“Thanks, man.” AJ stared out the window and chewed on his lip as he thought about the picture.
When they got to their floor, Winston went off to his room. Marcus was heading down the hall when AJ stopped him. “Did you see where that hand came from?”
Marcus stared at him, finally registering the question. “Other side of you, man.”
“That’s what I thought. Thanks, Marcus.”
The bodyguard nodded and watched until AJ entered the lounge. Howie looked up when he heard the door.
“What happened?” He moved towards his friend, pulling the cloth away to inspect AJ’s cheek.
“Exuberant fans, what else?”
“Better get it cleaned up before Merry sees it. She’s gonna go ballistic.” Howie followed the young man to the bathroom and watched as AJ cleaned the cut and smeared some Neosporin on it. He dug around for a band-aid, finally pulling out neon green and neon pink bandages that were small enough. Applying them, he looked at his reflection.
“I just don’t think the colors suit me.”
Howie snorted. “Like that’s ever stopped you before.”
AJ cut his eyes over to his friend and grinned. “True.”
They walked into the lounge to find Kevin and Brian draped over the furniture. Kevin sat up quickly when he saw the bandages.
“What happened, Bone?”
“Someone reached for the glasses, and I caught a ring in the cheek. It’s cool.”
“Has Merry seen it yet?” Kevin narrowed his eyes.
“Nope, and that’s gonna be the least of my worries when I talk to her.”
“What’s wrong?” Brian looked at AJ.
“I’ve got to talk to Meredith first. Then, I’ll tell you guys.”
Meredith and Nick walked in, laughing loudly. She stopped abruptly and was at AJ’s side in a matter of seconds when she saw him. Reaching up gently, she touched his cheek.
“What happened?”
“A fan reached for my glasses, and I caught the edge of her ring.” He smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Looking at him, she knew something else had gone wrong. “What is it?”
Pulling her into their room, he removed the picture from his coat pocket and passed it to her. “DJ asked me about you this morning.”
Meredith stared at the picture, a sense of dread filling her. “I guess he didn’t say where he got it.”
“Hell, no, but he was looking for me to lose it.”
“Did you?”
“Asked him if he had an extra copy ‘cause it was a good picture.”
“It is.” She smiled briefly, tapping the picture against her lips. “You know this came from somewhere inside.”
“Yeah, I know.”
He walked over and wrapped her in his arms, pressing his face into her neck. Sighing, he relaxed against her as she pulled him closer in her embrace.
There was a knock on the door, and AJ reluctantly walked over to open it. Brian smiled apologetically. “We’re getting hungry. Want anything?”
“Yeah, we’ll be right out.” He turned and looked at Meredith then held out his hand.
They walked out and joined the group, placing their orders with Howie. When the meal was ordered, Kevin looked at the couple.
“Okay, what else happened?”
Meredith handed him the photo, and the others crowded around him to look at him. Ramos and Leary also stood behind Kevin and studied the picture.
“I didn’t know you had a tattoo.” Leary looked at her and grinned.
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Leary, I’ve got a tat.”
“Do we get to see it?” He cocked his head, blinking his eyes.
Sighing, knowing she wouldn’t get any peace until they saw it, Meredith lifted the hem of her t-shirt so that the two men could examine the tattoo.
“Nice artwork.” Ramos grinned at her, then looked over at AJ, who was grinning as well.
“Why does this look so familiar?” Brian continued to study the picture.
“It was taken the day I got the tat, when we went down to the pool to celebrate me signing the contract.”
Four sets of eyes looked at her, and she stared back at them.
“But, no one was down there…” Howie started speaking.
“…except for our people.” Brian finished the sentence.
“It was Winston.” Nick’s voice was low.
“We don’t know that for sure.” Howie looked at the young man and was momentarily silenced by a glare. “Okay, we can’t prove it was him.”
Nick just moved to a chair and leaned back in it, narrowing his eyes as he stared out the window. AJ looked at Meredith, who just sighed and shrugged. The food arrived, and everyone grabbed their plates. In a deliberate attempt to lighten the atmosphere, Brian began talking about the comedy of errors that had been his interview. Soon, almost everyone was laughing. Nick smiled, but he never really laughed.
When he finished, he hung out in the room for a while then got up to leave. He told everyone he was going to his room, and Meredith nodded at Leary for the guard to follow him. Nick did go to his room and remained there for half an hour before walking out into the hall. He wasn’t surprised to see Leary standing near his door.
“C’mon, man, let’s go to the gym.” Nick sighed and shifted the duffel bag he carried onto his shoulder.
Entering the quiet room and checking in with the attendant, he finally saw what he was looking for in the corner. He dropped the bag and pulled off his shirt before he began to stretch and warm up his muscles. Leary watched the young man, wondering what he was going to do.
Nick had finally realized that he had not had a chance to get in a good workout since they had been on the tour, and he felt the difference in his mood and saw the chinks in the wall he had built around his emotions. Finding out the gym had a punching bag was a definite bonus.
Once he was warmed up, he opened the duffle and pulled out some tape to wrap his knuckles. When he finished, he pulled on his foot guards and sparring gloves. For an hour, he worked his way through the combinations Damien had taught him. Leary just watched him.
When he finished, he took a deep breath, held it for several seconds, then blew it out in a noisy rush. A towel appeared in front of him, and Nick took it, gratefully wiping his face. He smiled at Leary.
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem.” The bodyguard waited until his charge had bagged everything and redressed before leading him back upstairs.
The workout had done such a good job of helping Nick release his frustration and anger that he barely looked at Winston when they passed the checkpoint on their floor. Leary made sure Nick was safe in his room before getting ready to leave.
“Leary?”
“Yeah, Nick?”
“Can you not say anything about the kickboxing? I don’t really want anyone to know right now.”
“Sure, man. By the way, you looked good down there.”
Nick grinned. “Thanks.”
“Goodnight, Nick.”
“Goodnight, Leary.”
Nick jumped into the shower before climbing into bed. As always, the hard workout cleared his mind and gave him a chance to get a good night’s sleep.
***Backstreet Boys***
Nick’s good mood the next morning was tested by the fact Meredith assigned Winston to his team, but he held his tongue and just smiled at Meredith. She gave him a look that wondered what he was up to, but he just grinned wider. She looked at Leary, who nodded in understanding.
That afternoon, Nick exited the magazine offices to find a large crowd of fans cordoned off by metal barricades. Obligingly, he came over and signed autographs and posed for a few pictures, thanking fans for their support and returning hugs.
The “oh, shit” to his left caused him to quickly look up in Leary’s face. Seeing the bodyguard looking over his shoulder, Nick swung his head to the right to see a flood of fans pouring through an opening in the barricade.
“Run!” Leary pushed the young man in front of him, not bothering to check and see if Winston was behind him. He wasn’t particularly surprised to see Winston pull ahead of Nick to avoid the surging crowd of rabid fans who wanted a piece of Nick Carter.
They all practically dove into the limo, which took off like a bat out of hell before the door was completely shut. Nick was sprawled on the floor of the speeding car, while Leary was lying half on the seat. Winston had jumped into the front with the driver.
Nick took several deep breaths, covering his eyes with one hand. He didn’t move or speak until the driver stopped and informed them they were at the hotel. Leary and Winston escorted the young man through the service entrance and up to their floor. The young man didn’t stop at the lounge, which surprised both bodyguards, but went straight to his room.
He nodded at Leary before walking in and closing his door behind him. Grabbing a pillow, he dropped into a corner and hugged the pillow to his chest, resting his head on it. He took several more deep breaths until he felt better. The sight of uncontrolled fans had brought back a memory from their early days in Germany. He had gotten separated from the group when a crowd of fans had caught them off guard outside their hotel. He had been afraid he was going to be crushed by the girls who all reached out and touched or grabbed him. For several terrifying moments, he thought he was going to die. A couple of bodyguards had waded in and actually picked him and lifted them over their heads to carry him out. Burying his hands in his hair, he tried to stop the trembling of his body.
Brian knocked on the door and quietly opened it. “Nick?”
There was no answer, but the older man wasn’t surprised. Hearing the description of the day’s events from Leary told him what he needed to know. Walking further into the room, he saw Nick in the corner between the bed and the wall. Settling himself on the bed, he waited for the tremors to pass.
Nick finally looked up and saw his best friend sitting here. “Hey, Frick.”
“Frack. Heard you had a little trouble.”
Nick shuddered. “You could say that. Reminded me of Germany.”
Brian moved to the floor in front of the younger man. Reaching out, he settled his hands on Nick’s arms. “You’re okay, right?”
Nick smiled. “Yeah, they didn’t touch me. I’d like to know how they managed to get through.”
The other man grimaced, catching the blond’s attention. “What?”
“Leary has a theory, but it’s just conjecture.”
“I get three guesses, and the first two don’t count?”
Brian nodded. “Pretty much. If someone gets seriously hurt, I don’t care how much proof there is, he’s going out of here feet first.”
Nick looked up at his friend’s vehement tone, his eyes wide with surprise. “Whoa. Didn’t expect that.”
The older man shook his head and stood, holding out a hand for Nick. “He’s had several chances to straighten up. Enough is enough.”
The two men headed for the lounge, and the remaining band members surrounded the young man and hugged him, knowing how much the incident had scared him. Meredith held back until they were done, then hugged Nick.
“You okay, Munchkin?” She brushed the hair out of his face.
He nodded. “Yeah, Mom. I’m good.”
The continued large presence of fans outside the hotel prevented them from leaving again, and the group didn’t even have to look at the menu to decide what they wanted. Kevin ordered their dinner, and they ate it to the sounds of light jazz from the stereo.
After the dishes were cleared, everyone disappeared into their rooms to change into more comfortable clothes to watch a movie Nick selected. Meredith decided to take a quick walk around the hallway to make sure everything was quiet.
***Backstreet Boys***
“You know, I don’t think you’re supposed to be up here.” Meredith crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the three teenage girls who had been sneaking around in the hall.
They looked at her from eyes caked with makeup. “And what are you going to do about it?”
Meredith grinned. “Me? Nothing. It’s the guys behind you you’ve got to worry about.”
They turned around to find the five guards standing there with arms folded across their chests. It was an impressive sight. As if they had been deflated, the girls were led back to the elevator and escorted downstairs.
When Marcus returned, he knocked on Meredith and AJ’s door. AJ opened it, dressed only in a pair of shorts.
“If they’d made it this far, we’d have heard those girls in Orlando.” The big man grinned. “Can I talk to Meredith?”
“What’s up, Marcus?” She appeared behind AJ clad only in a terry-cloth robe.
He motioned her outside into the hall. After she stepped through and pulled the door almost closed, he shook his head.
“They got up through the back entrance.”
“Wasn’t…?”
“Yeah, he was. He’s pushing the line, you know.”
Meredith took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling. “Pull Jackson from the second team and make him a first line defense on the floor below. Try not to let Winston know about it, ‘kay?”
Marcus nodded, liking this woman more and more the longer he worked with her. “No problem, boss.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks, Marcus.”
Meredith headed back to the room, shutting the door carefully behind her. She walked into the living room and dropped down onto the couch next to AJ.
“What’s up?” AJ wrapped his arm around her as she settled in to watch the movie.
“Found out those three fans got by Winston.”
“Got by or let by?” Howie looked over at Meredith.
“Don’t know. Jackson is going down a level to try and stop them there.” She grabbed some popcorn from the bowl and began to munch.
Behind her, Nick stared out the window of their suite, looking at the lights of the city. He turned abruptly and walked toward the door, moving quietly.
“Nick.”
He froze in mid-step. Taking a quick breath, he tried to calm the tone of his voice. “Yeah?”
“Don’t even think about it.”
He collapsed in the nearest chair, blowing hair off his forehead.
“How do you do that?” Kevin stared at her, amazed at her ability to catch them when they were about to do something stupid.
She grinned and winked at him. “It’s a gift.”
***Backstreet Boys***
The pattern continued for a couple of more days, with Winston doing just enough to piss Meredith off, but nothing to cross the line and get himself fired. Despite the fact that most of the group wanted to just get rid of him and bury the body, she managed to keep the peace. However, there was a little voice in the back of Meredith’s head that told her something would give soon. She just hoped that no one would be seriously hurt when it happened.
Table of Contents
Chapter Nineteen