Chapter Thirty-nine

Kevin lay in his hotel bed, an open book propped up on his knees, but he wasn’t reading. He was thinking about Megan. She’d called AJ to let her know she’d made it to Phoenix, and she was going to stay until after the reading of the will. She would meet up with them again in whatever city they happened to be in.

He decided he wasn’t getting anywhere in his book, marked his place and set it aside. Earlier, when he tried grilling Carlos about what happened at the airport, he wasn’t told much. Carlos was intent on keeping his mouth shut.

And then there was Nick. The guy had been trailing after Kevin ever since Megan left, asking him questions about Dana, and trying to start a conversation about Megan.

Did he know? Kevin couldn’t help but wonder.

When Kevin asked him point blank to spit out whatever it was he was trying to get at, Nick pleaded innocence and backed away. Kevin could almost see the wheels turning in the younger man’s mind.

Sighing in disgust, Kevin got out of bed and decided to go down to the hotel gym to work out. He pulled on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and some sneakers before leaving his room. Marcus was wandering the hallway.

“Going out?” he asked.

Kevin shook his head. “Nah, just down to the gym.”

“Want some company?”

A glance at his watch told Kevin it was after one in the morning.

“That’s okay. I think I’ll be safe.”

“You sure?”

Kevin smiled. “Do you ever stop being a bodyguard?”

“Nope.”

They parted ways and Kevin continued on down the hall. He took the elevator down to ground floor and easily found the gym. It was closed, but not locked. He flipped on some lights and went straight to the weight machines. He stayed there for an hour, until he was exhausted and dripping sweat.

He thought working out would make him feel better, but he was wrong. He really, really wanted to call Megan, to ask how she was doing and let her know he was there for her if she needed him. On the ride back up to his floor, he let himself recall their elevator experience, how he had kissed her, and she’d liked it.

That, he believed, should have been the turning point in their relationship. But she had refused to let it happen.

The elevator dinged, signaling it was time for him to get off and drag himself to his room. Just up ahead, a door opened. Kevin realized it was AJ’s. Much to his horror, out stepped Amanda, tucking a pair of nylons into her purse. She paused and looked up.

“Hey, Kev,” she greeted him with a smile.

He wanted to say something, but his mouth had gone dry. He could only stare at the bruise that shaded the left side of her face, the evidence of Megan’s outburst at the restaurant.

Amanda slung her purse strap over her shoulder and walked past him, patting him lightly on the chest.

“Take it easy, will ya? See you later,” she said, and then went on her way, humming to herself.

Kevin’s hands balled into fists and he was suddenly overcome by the urge to hit something...like AJ’s face. He waited until she had left their floor before pounding on AJ’s door.

“Hang on,” AJ called out. A moment later he peered out. “You forget something...oh, hey, Kev, what’s up?”

“Can I come in?” he asked gruffly.

“Sure.”

AJ stepped aside as Kevin entered. Kevin’s eyes went to the opened bottle of Jack Daniels and the two glasses sitting on the coffee table, one of them stained with red lipstick. A single candle trailed smoke in graceful curls from its holder beside the bottle, obviously having just been blown out. He turned to AJ and saw he was only wearing drawstring pajama bottoms.

“What the hell happened here?” Kevin demanded quietly.

“What do you mean?” AJ asked, going over to the couch and picking up his cigarettes and lighter from one of the cushions. He lit one and sat down.

“I mean, why did I just see Amanda coming out of your room?”

“She’s a friend, Kevin. Why? You think I’m messing around with her?”

“That’s exactly what I think. Are you?”

AJ leaned forward and poured a small amount of whiskey into his glass.

“If you think I’m going to ruin a good relationship by messing with another woman --”

“You’ve done it before,” Kevin interjected. “We’ve all seen it.”

AJ rose to his feet, holding the lit cigarette to his side. “Amanda and I didn’t do anything but talk, and that is the honest truth. If you think otherwise, that’s your problem, man.”

“Would you have ‘talked’ with Amanda if Megan were here?”

AJ puffed on his cigarette. “No,” he answered. “Because I know that Megan doesn’t like her.”

“Are you going to tell her Amanda was here?”

AJ tilted his head and stared at Kevin. “What’s it to you, Kevin? What goes on between Megan and me isn’t any of your concern. You’re not a part of this.”

But I am! Kevin wanted to scream.

AJ pointed to the door. “Don’t let it kick you in the ass on your way out,” he said, picking up the bottle and heading off towards the bedroom.