“Reeny-beanie.” She pulled her sister into a big hug. “How’s Stasi?”
Irene laughed. “She’s fine. So am I, thanks for asking.”
“I can see you’re fine, especially since you’ll be with Kevin soon.”
She sighed dramatically and linked her arm through her older sister’s. “Speaking of the boys, how’s Howie?”
“He’s doing okay. Collins got the worst of it, and he’s got a couple of broken ribs, so I’ll be pulling several shifts as a bodyguard.”
“And whose body will you be guarding?” Irene smirked.
“Howie’s.” She knew she surprised her sister with the answer and laughed as they went to the baggage carousel.
“Let’s get you back to the hotel. Kevin’s been antsy all morning.”
They climbed into the limo, sitting back and enjoying the comfortable ride.
“Well, I’ll just have to do something about that, won’t I?”
Meredith put her hands over ears. “Nope, don’t wanna know.”
***Backstreet Boys***
Irene took her pass and hung it around her neck at Meredith’s direction. The two women climbed into the elevator and went up to the fifth floor. The younger woman wasn’t surprised to find a guard at the elevator entrance, just who it was.
“Leary. She drag you into this?” Irene hugged him.
“Hey, I get propositioned by a helluva lot of women, and I get to wear the cool t-shirt.” He indicated the red t-shirt Meredith had them wear while at the hotel or in the venue, the word “Security” emblazoned in white letters across the back and their names stitched over the left breast.
“Red is definitely your color.” She gently punched his arm and followed her sister down the hall.
“I imagine they’re still in the living room.” Meredith opened the door, and Irene walked inside.
She motioned for everyone to be quiet as she snuck up behind Kevin and ran her hands over his shoulder and down his chest.
“Hey, handsome, looking for a good time?” Whispering softly, she patted him on the belly.
He leaned his head back and looked up at her, his dimples flashing as he smiled at her. “Only if it’s with you.”
“Good answer.” She leaned down and kissed him, the long fall of black waves hiding them from sight.
The kiss went on for a couple of minutes, and Nick cleared his throat. “Hello, others in the room.”
They parted, laughing at the young man. “Hi, guys.”
Irene made her way around the room, hugging those she knew and meeting those she didn’t. She sat down next to Howie and moved the curls out of the way to look at his forehead.
“Are you okay, Howie?”
He gave her a slight smile. “Yeah, I’m okay. Certainly better than yesterday.”
“Was the manager still standing when Meredith left?” She dropped her hand.
Nick snorted. “Yeah, but I think it was because she was too concerned with Howie and Collins to take a piece out of him.”
Meredith shrugged as she settled herself next to AJ, resting her hand on his thigh. “If it happens the next time, he won’t ever have sex again.”
Irene scooted over so Kevin could sit beside her, and she leaned back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her body. “That feels so much better.”
“Rough day at work, dear?”
“Oh, yeah. I spent four hours on the phone to Paris, finagling a deal for a painting. You owe me big, Merry.”
Meredith straightened up and looked at Irene. Her eyes got big as the younger woman nodded. “I love you!”
She leaped up and pulled Irene into a hug, who sputtered as she laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll store it for you until you decide where you want it.”
“Store what?” Kevin looked at the two women.
“Irene finally got me the Monet I wanted.” Meredith plopped back on the sofa and sighed in pleasure.
“Monet? As in Claude Monet?” Nick looked up from his book.
“The one and only. I’ve wanted that painting for years.” She burrowed into AJ’s arms.
“And now it’s yours. If the two of you didn’t have the same bank in Geneva, it would have taken a lot longer to seal the deal.” Irene snuggled into Kevin’s arms as well, also sighing in pleasure.
Even though Brian, Howie, and Nick had known Meredith for almost six months, they were still learning little things about her, although learning she could afford a Monet was a little bit more intriguing than learning she hated mustard. The group talked until it was time for the interview they had scheduled at two. Since it was being conducted by phone, the five men gathered around the table and put the speakerphone in the middle so that each of them could be heard. Howie had taken a pain pill an hour earlier, but planned on taking part until he either started drooling or snoring. Meredith and Irene promised to keep him from embarrassing himself. The other four made no such promise.
The DJ at the radio station patched the guys in and started with Howie right away.
[So, Howie, feeling better?]
Howie laughed softly. “For the moment, although if I have to leave, please don’t take it personally. I took some pain medication a little while ago, and if I start to act strangely, I’ll go.”
[Understand perfectly. Anything you want to say to the fans.]
He paused for a moment, his eyes sliding to Meredith before returning to the phone. “Thanks for all the support, but please be careful in those crowds. My bodyguard and I were the only ones seriously injured, but it could have been much worse.”
[Yeah, I heard you were carried out of there.]
Howie’s eyes widened, and he looked at his friends. “I think I was unconscious at that point, but I’m thankful our security team was there to get us to safety.”
The DJ continued with standard questions, going around to each of the guys for answers. When he got to the standard “girlfriend” question, there was a pause before they started answering. Howie answered with “not currently.” Brian said he was seeing someone, but that he was trying to keep her out of the spotlight as much as possible since the relationship was still pretty new. Nick also said he was single, and the DJ commented that his phone lines had lit up. Kevin looked over at Irene before answering.
“I’m seeing a wonderful woman who makes fantastic cinnamon buns.”
Irene blushed a bit as the DJ laughed.
[What about you, AJ?]
AJ leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. “I’m spoken for¾mind, heart, body, and soul.”
[Wow, that’s quite a statement. Care to elaborate?]
He turned to look at Meredith, a gentle smile crossing his face. “She’s the best part of me, and I’m very thankful I’ve found her.”
Meredith kissed two fingers and sent them towards AJ, her glance promising many things when they were alone. He winked and turned back to find his “brothers” staring at him. He gave them a “what?” glance before shifting his attention back to the DJ’s questions. After fifteen more minutes of album and tour questions, they wrapped it up with some fan questions. Most of them were filled with everything from “can’t wait to see you” to “hope you feel better, Howie.”
The women were amused and gladdened to hear how much the fans enjoyed the music and the boys. One girl asked AJ if his girlfriend had any tattoos. He laughed.
“She got her first one a week ago.”
[What did she get?] The DJ was quick to insert his question.
“She got a quarter sun and a quarter moon around her bellybutton. It’s really beautiful.”
Irene turned to stare at her sister, and Meredith winked at her.
The DJ wrapped up the interview with a promise from the guys that they would stop by during the tour if they could. Kevin hung up the phone, and Irene immediately reached over and lifted Meredith’s shirt. She studied the artwork, reaching out to touch it with her finger.
“It is beautiful.”
Meredith smiled at her sister. “Kevin wants to know when you’re getting one.”
Irene looked over at her boyfriend and quirked an eyebrow. “What makes you think I haven’t gotten one since the last time you saw me?”
“Where?” He stood up and crossed the room to stand over her.
“If you’re really good, I’ll let you look for it.” The glance they held was enough to melt ice cubes.
“Too much information.” Meredith moved away from them, taking Kevin’s spot at the table and leaning over to kiss AJ.
“Thanks, mine.” She rubbed his goatee with her finger.
“My pleasure, love.”
Nick made a gagging sound. “Yuck, too much sugar in this room.”
Howie leaned over to talk to Meredith. “I was carried out of the crowd?”
“Yeah, right after we got you up, you said you didn’t feel good, then passed out.” She looked over him. “We hustled you and Collins into the office, called the paramedics, got you to the hospital, and then got you back to the hotel.”
“Thank you.” He held her hand for a moment, squeezing it in gratitude.
She squeezed back. “You’re welcome.”
Meredith looked over to find Nick ensconced on the sofa with the book she had loaned him. “Are you enjoying it, Nick?”
He looked up, and she thought his glasses made him look older. “Yeah, it’s really interesting.”
“Captain Beach did an excellent job. The whole book kept me interested when I read it for my military history class in college.”
“Military history?” AJ looked at his girlfriend.
“Oh, yeah, me and a room full of men in ROTC uniforms. It was pretty nice.”
They all laughed at her.
***Backstreet Boys***
“Where the hell is Nick?” Meredith looked around the living room of the suite.
It had been a bad day all around, between crazier-than-usual fans, an overlong schedule, and hot temperatures for the photo shoot outside.
“He and Leary were heading down to the bar next door. He heard there were some good video games over there.” Kevin shrugged as he settled into a chair with Irene.
“I’m going to get him. Ramos, please come with me. Everyone else, stay.” She looked at AJ when she said it, a glimmer of laughter easing the solemn expression on her face.
He bowed his head, but glanced up at her beneath his eyelashes and grinned wickedly. She and Ramos headed downstairs to find their wayward charge.
Next door, Nick found the video games and was enjoying himself immensely. Leary hung out next to him, but kept his eye on the patrons. There was something about the place that rubbed him the wrong way, and years of listening to his intuition made him pay close attention to their surroundings.
“YES!” Nick managed to outscore everyone else who had ever played the machine, putting his name at the top of the scoreboard.
“Hey, Blondie, what’re you doin’ over there?” The big man swaggered towards them, and Leary immediately straightened.
Nick turned around and looked at the guy. “Just playing the game.”
The man looked around Nick’s shoulder to stare at the screen. “Hey, Tweet, he beat your score.”
“Tweet” stood up and flexed his hands as he moved towards the young man. “Guess I’ll just have to beat his ass then.”
Nick turned around and felt Leary join his side as they stared at the two large men in front of them. “Left or right?”
Leary scowled. “I think it’s more a question of first row or second row.”
Nick looked beyond Tweet and his friend to see four more guys join them. He swallowed then sighed. “Meredith’s going to be really pissed at me.”
“At both of us.” Leary shrugged as he prepared himself.
“Why don’t you pick on somebody else, Kong?” The feminine voice was definitely out of place there.
Nick looked down to see the petite woman standing next to him, and he worried that she would get hurt.
“Stay out of this, Lulu.” Kong cracked his knuckles as he started towards Leary.
“How many times have I told you not to call me Lulu?” She stepped in front of Nick and Leary, putting her hand on Kong’s chest.
He pushed her out of the way, and that was the last thing he did before he saw the floor coming up to meet him. She kicked him in the knee, bringing him down to her level before punching him in the jaw. When Kong hit the floor, Tweet and his friends joined in the melee. The three joined forces, avoiding punches and jabs for the most part, but it was inevitable that they would end up with some scrapes.
When the dust cleared, Nick, Leary, and the young woman were still standing, while the six men who had wanted to start something were lying on the floor. Nick looked up to find Meredith and Ramos staring at them. The owner of the bar pointed his bat at the trio.
“Get the hell out of my bar.”
The young woman looked at him. “You owe me for this week.”
The big man sneered at her. “I’ll use it to take care of the damages.”
She stared at him then went around the bar to grab her stuff. She stalked out of the building and stood on the sidewalk outside, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths to calm herself. Nick came up beside her and cleared his throat, afraid to get too close after seeing what she had done to the guys inside.
“Hey, need a ride home?”
She opened her eyes and stared at him, then shifted her glance to the woman beside him. “No, I can walk, thanks.”
Hoisting her backpack onto her shoulders, she tucked her hands into her pockets. Meredith looked at her.
“What’d you do there?”
“I was kind of the bouncer. It was just something to do until I figured out where I’m supposed to be.”
The older woman looked down at her and smiled. “I think you’ve found it.”
She held out her hand. “Meredith Davenport.”
The hand that grasped hers was firm, strength flowing through the fingers that returned the grasp. “Lumien Washington.”
Now that they weren’t in the dark, smoky bar, they all got a good look at each other. Nick stared at Lumien.
“You remind me of Rogue.”
She smiled back at him. “I get that a lot.”
Meredith gave her the once-over, going with her gut feeling that this woman was going to be good to have in her corner. Lumien wasn’t very tall, maybe 5’2” at the most, but there was a compact strength in the way she carried herself. The Rogue comment stemmed from the shock of white hair that began at Lumien’s temple and ran through her dark hair.
“So, Lumien. May I call you Lumien?” Meredith looked at her.
The young woman nodded.
“I take it you’re presently unencumbered and available to accept another position.”
Lumien was wary, but there was something about the other woman that gave her a bit of peace. “You could say that. What do you have in mind?”
“Ever done any bodyguard work?”
She shook her head. “Nothing other than working clubs. I spent four years in the Marines.”
“Semper Fi.”
Lumien stared at Meredith in surprise. “Marines?”
“No, Navy for 12 years.”
“Hoo-yah.”
The two women knocked their fists together, ignoring the men standing beside them “Do you have anyone I can call for a quick reference until I can run a full background check?”
Lumien thought for a moment before pulling out her wallet. She dug through it and pulled out a slightly wrinkled business card. Handing it to Meredith, she smiled.
“My former CO. He should be good for a word or two.”
Meredith took the card and looked at it. “I’ll give him a call in the morning. Can you meet us here around ten tomorrow morning? I’ll get the rest of your vitals and start the check.”
Lumien took the card back and scribbled on it then handed it back. Meredith turned it over to find a driver’s license number and social security number. She smiled at the smaller woman.
“Thanks. That should ease the process. Just come up to Suite 1412 at ten, and I’ll introduce you to the guys.”
The security team nodded at the young woman, who returned the nod. She smiled at Nick as he waved, then turned and strolled down the street. Meredith stared after her before turning back to Nick and cocking an eyebrow.
“Hey, it wasn’t my fault. I was just playing a game.” Nick held up his hands as he backed towards the hotel.
“Why do I find that difficult to believe?” She continued walking towards him, driving him towards the hotel. Ramos and Leary made sure he didn’t run into anyone.
Leary laughed as he watched the two of them. “He’s right this time, boss. He was just playing the game. Unfortunately, he was playing really well and topped the score of one of the guys on the floor.”
Meredith shook her head as Nick turned around and walked with them into the hotel. “What am I going to do with you, Munchkin?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure out something.” He looked down at her and grinned widely.
“I’m sure I will.” She pushed him onto the elevator, and they headed up to their floor.
***Backstreet Boys***
Meredith was up early, calling Lumien’s CO as soon as she figured the man was in his office. Half an hour later, she had pretty much gotten the young woman’s entire record of exemplary service. She made arrangements to get a copy of her record for her files. She also sent Lumien’s information to a friend of hers at the FBI to run a background check, but she didn’t expect to find anything. As far as she was concerned, she had just found herself another bodyguard. She hoped the guys would like her.
Since Collins had been injured and then called home on a family emergency, she had taken over as Howie’s bodyguard. It was getting harder to coordinate everything and make sure she was Howie’s shadow. If everything worked out all right this morning, she would turn Howie over to Lumien and get back to working the overall picture.
At ten minutes to ten, there was a knock on the door. Ramos opened it, ushering Lumien inside the room to face nine pairs of eyes. Stepping into the room, Lumien squared her shoulders and pretended she was there for an inspection.
“Guys, this is Lumien Washington. Lumien, please meet Kevin, Brian, Howie, and AJ. You’ve already met Nick.”
The young woman shook hands with the first four, taking in their appearance in a quick glance. The guys didn’t give much away, but she could tell she surprised them. “How do you do?”
“Good” was the general consensus.
“Hey, Rogue.” Nick held out his hand, and she got a good look at the young man she had helped out last night.
“Hey yourself, shortstuff.” She smiled at him.
He was a little surprised at the nickname, but let it go since he had already tagged her. Meredith motioned for everyone to sit down so she could explain why Lumien was there.
“Lumien, I called your CO, and he gave me chapter and verse on you. I was quite impressed.”
A soft blush crept over her cheeks at the compliment. It had been years since she had been stuck with Bruce and forced to listen to his taunts on how useless and stupid she was; but there were times when she was reminded of her past.
Meredith watched Lumien, observing the slight hunch of her shoulders, and wondered what demons the young woman hid in her past. She hoped that Lumien would resolve things, and that nothing would reach out and bite them when they least expected it.
“I’m also running a check, but I’m fairly confident I won’t find anything.”
“You won’t.” Lumien’s reply was soft, but sure.
“Good. Then you’re ready to go any time?”
Lumien nodded and looked up at the woman in front of her. “What will I be doing?”
Meredith smiled and tossed a t-shirt at her new employee. “Welcome to the Backstreet family. You’ll be watching Howie’s back.”
Both Howie and Lumien stared at Meredith, then each other. Howie wondered how this petite woman could be expected to protect him. Lumien was a little afraid of getting too close to him, to any of them for that matter.
“This isn’t a problem, is it?” Meredith looked at both of them.
Howie cleared his throat and looked back at Meredith. “No offense, but what makes you think she can do the job?”
Lumien straightened at the implied criticism, intending to give him a piece of her mind, but the older woman beat her to the punch.
“Howie, she’s a former Marine, fully trained in hand-to-hand, weapons, and counter-terrorist measures. I’ve met her CO, and I know he’s a good man who only works with the best.”
The young woman’s eyes grew wide in surprise at Meredith’s admission of knowing Captain Johnson. “You’ve met him?”
She nodded. “Yes. We met briefly in D.C. I was very impressed by his record.”
Lumien smiled. “He was great. Taught me a lot.”
Meredith turned to Howie and laid her hand on his arm. “I’ve got a good feeling about this, D.”
He nodded, turning his gaze back to Lumien, who met his eyes before dropping hers to the floor.
“Good enough.”
Kevin clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get some food.”
Irene knocked on the door, and Ramos let her in. “Everybody decent in here?’
“Well, we’re clothed.” Leary leaned against a wall and smiled.
She smacked his arm as she walked by and dropped onto the sofa next to Kevin. “Meeting over? I’m starving.”
Meredith gestured towards her sister as she looked at Lumien. “This is my sister, Irene. Irene, Howie’s new bodyguard, Lumien Washington.”
Irene held out a hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. What do you do here?” Lumien shook Irene’s hand then leaned back in her chair.
“It’s my job to make sure Kevin stays happy, ‘cause an unhappy Kevin means an unhappy boyband. And an unhappy boyband means crushed fans the world over.” She smiled brightly at the newest member of the group.
Kevin slapped his hand over Irene’s mouth. “Ignore her. She’s had way too much coffee this morning.”
Irene licked his palm, and he moved his hand away before she could torment him any more. She grinned wickedly. “And not nearly enough nookie.”
Meredith slapped her hands over her ears and groaned. “Too much information, little sister.”
Table of Contents
Chapter Twenty-One