Let me take you on a trip
Around the world and back
And you won't have to move
You just sit still
Now let your mind do the walking
And let my body do the talking
Let me show you the world in my eyes
(Depeche Mode, 'World in My Eyes')
Laura jumped a moment later, jolted out of the spell she had fallen under while gazing into Ted's eyes, when she heard the tavern's front door open. There was the sound of many footsteps, but because of the partition behind her, Laura could not see who had arrived. She looked at Ted, watching as his expression changed from a seductive smile to a self-satisfied smirk. And she did *not* like the way his eyes changed too -- now it was like looking at a snake. The hold he had on her hand tightened, and when she tried to pull away, he refused to let go.
The group came up to her, Maximus in front, followed closely by Bud White, John Biebe, Peaches, Michelle & Tina. Max looked at Laura with a questioning gaze, then his eyes turned down to their hands, not failing to notice that Laura had to yank her hand free from the man's grasp.
Maximus, looking strikingly handsome in a plain black T-shirt and blue jeans, put his hands on his hips, glaring down at him. "Sid, what are you doing?"
With a smug smile plastered across his handsome face, Sid looked up at Maximus and answered with a gloating voice, "About to get into the pants of your latest conquest, soldier-boy. Another few minutes and you probably would have found us on top of the table doing the 'nasty'..."
Mouth dropping open, Laura gasped in shock, unable to speak. Maximus' face darkened ominously. "Sid..."
"What...!?" Laura stammered, diverting Maximus' attention. "You bastard...!" she hissed at Sid, but he just smiled back, obviously enjoying himself. Then she realized what Maximus had called him. "Wait a minute... Is *this* Sid? The one you warned me about?" Sid laughed gleefully, almost maniacal, as Maximus nodded. "But... but he said his name was TED...!"
"Ted!?" Tina gasped. "Oh, my god... Sid, you low-life piece of -- "
"What kind of crap are you trying to pull this time?" Bud growled, cutting her off.
"Aw, Sid, she's new here!" Peaches said. "Couldn't you have waited until we had time to, uhm... prepare her?"
"Yes, somebody *should* have warned her about me sooner," Sid said, rising from his chair to go eye to eye with Maximus, "but I guess you were too busy moving in on her yourself... General." The way Sid spat out Maximus' title made it sound like the vilest insult. "But on the off chance you *had* said something to her -- and apparently you did -- I didn't see any point in telling her my real name. That would have spoiled all the fun..."
Maximus moved closer, getting right up in Sid's face. Sid stood his ground as Max raged, "Is *that* what this is? Some pathetic game?"
"Life's a game," Sid said. Looking down at Laura, he added, "It's a pity he couldn't have waited a few more minutes to arrive, mon cher -- I could see how much you wanted me...." His hand moved towards her face.
But Laura jerked back, sickened now by the creature that stood before her, and looked up at Maximus, too stunned to be embarrassed. "Who *is* this guy!?"
When Sid reached towards her again, Maximus pushed him away. "Don't touch her."
Sid got angry, pushing back. "Keep your hands off me!"
John, wearing jeans and loose-fitting plaid shirt, quickly moved in between the two, saying, "Take it easy; don't do anything stupid..."
"Hey, nobody asked for your opinion, hockey-boy," Sid snapped. "Stay out of it!" John bristled, and started after Sid too.
"Will somebody PLEASE explain to me what's going on!?" Laura said loudly, and the men stopped.
Michelle turned to Tina. "Don't tell me she hasn't seen 'Virtuosity' yet."
"No, I haven't," Laura said. "I've only seen 'Gladiator' and 'L.A. Confidential'."
There were groans of dismay and disbelief all around. "Oh, god..." Tina said. "You mean you didn't know who he was -- but you've been sitting here *alone* with him...?"
"Yea," Laura nodded. "Waiting for Maximus."
Tina shuddered as she remembered her first encounter with Sid -- it still left her feeling disturbed, even though she had known who he was all along. She couldn't imagine the depths he might sink to if left alone with an unsuspecting victim. Especially when the 'victim' was one of her dearest friends. "Don't you remember me telling you the plot of 'Virtuosity' -- the cop chasing down a computer program that had escaped from virtual reality into the physical world...?" Laura nodded. "Well," Tina said, pointing at Sid. "*That's* the program. Sid 6.7. He's -- " She stopped, not even wanting to say it. "A computer composite of 182 -- "
"183," Sid corrected.
"Shut up, Sid," John and Bud said in unison.
Tina started to speak, then looked at Laura. She'd never seen her friend this rattled. "Jeez, I can't do this..." She turned on Sid. "What the fuck were you up to?"
Sid smiled sweetly. "If you're not going to tell her who was about to jump her, I'll be more than happy to fill her in..."
"Don't you dare!" Tina practically screamed at him.
"Look, will you just *tell* me already..." Laura insisted. "How bad can it be?"
"You have no idea..." She took a deep breath. "Now don't go crazy on me... Sid is composite of 183 serial killers..."
"Serial killers...? 183 SERIAL KILLERS!?... You have *got* to be kidding," Laura said, not believing her ears. But the others shook their heads, and she looked back at Sid, her skin starting to crawl as he studied her intently -- like she was a bug under a glass. "Ted...?" Suddenly, things clicked in her head, and she staggered back, out of her chair, trying to put as much distance between her and Sid as she could. "Ted Bundy...? Oh, my god...!" The color drained out of her face as she backed right into Bud, shaking so much that he had to hold her up. "Oh, my *god*... I think I'm going to be sick..." she said, holding her hand over her mouth. She could taste the acid in the back of her throat, her stomach churning.
Thunderclouds formed in Bud's eyes as Tina and Maximus hovered worriedly around Laura. "What the hell did you do to her?" Explosively, he launched himself at Sid, pushing him back all the way across the floor to the bar. "You little shit, what did you DO!?"
Sid literally bounced off the wooden bar rails, and pushed back at Bud. Max and John joined in the fray, each grabbing for one of White's arms. It took both of them to hold the cop off Sid.
Michelle and Peaches joined a moment later. "Guys, come on! STOP IT!"
"Damn it, Sid," Bud growled, still straining to break free from John and Maximus. "I told you before -- leave the women alone! Especially the new ones! If you hurt her, so help me, I'll hack you into little pieces, and then pull that damn software module right out of your fat head!"
Sid just giggled, smoothing out his purple suit and straightening his collar. "Oooo, I'm so scared... Wendell," he snickered. "You really are SO predictable -- the 'White' knight charging to the rescue of the damsel in distress... Doesn't it get boring?" He snickered again with a nerve-grating, maniacal cackle.
Bud tried to go after him again, and Maximus and John pulled him further back. When Max had control of Bud, John moved forward, putting himself between Bud and Sid. "Everybody... Hey! QUIET!" Everyone stopped. "Thank you," John said, the sound of his calm voice settling everyone down. "Now before we all kill each other, let's at least find out what actually happened." He turned and looked at Laura.
All eyes turned to her as she sat back down and took a long drink from the beer stein with a shaky hand. Maximus released Bud, and moved to her side, putting a consoling hand on her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she was visibly calmer now, looking up at him to say, "He didn't actually DO anything... yet."
"I could have told you that," Sid complained.
"Shut UP, Sid!" the whole group said in unison.
"Then why did you react like that?" Maximus asked.
"Yes, do tell," Sid cooed. "You know, she's smarter than she looks. Hopelessly naive, but there's hope for her yet... Especially with my *personal* assistance..." he purred in that low seductive voice, staring at Laura again, and she blanched, covering her eyes with her hands.
The thunderclouds were brewing in Bud's eyes again. "Sid, so help me, if you don't shut the hell up -- !"
Maximus raised his hand, gesturing to Bud to let it go, and Bud quieted. Max turned back to Laura, gently squeezing her shoulder. "Go on..."
"He --", Laura began, lowering her hands. "...Hell, I can't believe that I -- " Realizing what she was about to reveal, she stopped, then took another deep breath, trying to calm down again. "I just... freaked when I realized why he was calling himself Ted." Still shaking, she reached for her glass again, but it was empty. John picked it up and went to the bar to refill it as she continued. "Ted Bundy used to target women who looked just like I do right now -- young, white, with long straight brown hair parted down the middle -- I remember that because it freaked me out the first time I heard it. And it still gives me the creeps..." John brought back the beer stein and she took a stiff drink. "Thanks." She shivered as she glanced over at Sid, unable to look him in the eye anymore. "...He set me up... the WHOLE time, he was just setting me up... for the kill... He kept coming on to me. I didn't like the way he was acting, but he kept telling me he was a *friend* of Max's and that I should just wait here for him... He wouldn't leave me alone. I wanted to go, but he kept insisting I stay. I don't even know *why* I stuck around. He was just so... smooth," She stopped, then put her head down on her folded arms. "And to think I came here to relax and get away from it all..."
"Unfreaking believable..." Tina glared at Sid. "I'd really like to borrow that .38 right now, Bud."
"You won't need it -- 'cause I'll kill the asshole myself." Bud shook his head. "You really are one sick, twisted, mother-fu -- " He caught himself, glancing at the women, " -- son of a bitch."
"Thank you", Sid smiled, leaning back against the bar. "I wouldn't actually have harmed a hair on her lovely head -- you know I don't do that anymore, at least not *here*." He grinned. "But as far as jumping her bones is concerned -- well, why not?" He walked back over to Maximus, getting in his face again. "You'd already done that, pal, but I thought I'd show the lady a *real* good time..."
Maximus had been quiet up until now, evaluating the situation, watching Sid gloat as Laura spoke. "You really do hate me, don't you, Sid?"
"The great General Maximus? How could anyone possibly hate *you*?" Sid's voice still held its usual cool, polished tone, but now there was mocking, derisive edge as well. "Just because you showed up 2 months ago acting like you owned the fucking place." Hostility flared in the icy blue eyes for a moment, then Sid composed himself again. "You walk in, and the girls -- especially the new ones," he said as he looked at Laura, "practically fall at your feet, don't they? And why not? You're so brave and strong and -- honorable." Sid spat the word. "What bullshit.... But I have a news flash for you, pal -- you're not the only rooster in this hen house. I've been here for 5 years, and I can still turn 'em like that," he said as he snapped his fingers. Smiling, he strolled over near Laura -- as near as Bud would let him anyway. "You should keep a closer eye on them, you know. They're terribly fickle. She may have the hots for you, but a few more minutes alone with me, and she would have been on her knees." Sid laughed as Laura paled. "So much for being a 'champion', Stud... or should I say, 'Dud'..." Sid cackled at his own little joke.
All the while, Maximus looked like he was about to eviscerate Sid.
"I don't believe what I'm hearing," Tina muttered, then leaned down and whispered in Laura's ear, "You didn't tell him about you and Max, did you?"
She thought she was being discreet, but Sid overheard, and spoke before Laura could answer. "She didn't have to. It was written all over her face the moment she mentioned his name."
Laura put her hand over her face again, mumbling, "Oh, god..."
"Don't be angry, mon cher," Sid continued, smiling, "You just got caught in the middle of all this..."
"I wasn't talking to you, you creep!" Tina snapped, steaming over how her friend was being treated. "Will you lay off her? God, Sid, you are so freaking jealous of Max it's pathetic!"
"Jealous?" Sid laughed, lip curling up in distaste as he looked at Maximus. "Of *him*? Don't be absurd..." He turned his attention to Tina, walking over to her. "But could it be *you* that's the jealous one, Tina? That night we first met, *we* could have been so good together, my dear, if only you hadn't let the 'Three Stooges' here interfere. But now, you see your friend with me instead --", he cocked his head to the side, "could it be that you've reconsidered my invitation...?"
Tina shook her head in disbelief. "You are a real piece of work..."
"Yes, I am," he said arrogantly, and stepped closer. "Care to find out what it's like to be with a *real* man? Forget these fools..." He leaned in closer, and Tina stepped back in disgust.
John appeared between them, pushing Sid away from Tina. "Leave the lady alone!", he snapped.
"The 'lady'?" Sid's eyes narrowed as he looked at the two. "Ah, now I see," he grinned. "The two of you, between the sheets...?", he leered. "I should have known... But I still have hopes for us, Tina," he added, winking at her, chuckling as John fumed. Sid took a slow step back, the slimy smile still plastered to his face, and continued, "You are so pathetically predictable, all of you. And so easily manipulated." He turned his attention back to Maximus. "I'm grateful Laura showed up when she did, because she played right into my hands... And quite possibly into my bed, if you hadn't interrupted us..." He grinned. "It makes for a very effective demonstration, don't you think... Max?" He walked up to Maximus, going eye to eye once again.
Bud came up and patted Maximus on the shoulder. "Personally, I'd love to clean his clock right about now, but I'll leave that to you, my friend." He backed away, folding his arms across his chest, waiting with anticipation.
"You are beneath contempt," Maximus growled with barely restrained rage. "To treat a woman this way is unconscionable, even for you."
Sid waved dismissively in Laura's direction. "She'll get over it."
"That isn't the point."
"Then what is?"
Maximus drew back and decked Sid, dropping him to the floor. There was a soft round of applause from the group. "THAT is..."
But Sid climbed quickly back to his feet. "Oohhh, aren't you the tough one? Where's the sword and shield, Gladiator? Maybe we ought to go a few rounds, eh? You know, I've always admired the Romans -- bloodthirsty lot, just like me... So what'll it be -- how about some lions and tigers?"
His fist raised for another blow, Maximus' eyes narrowed as he looked at Sid, who seemed inordinately pleased with himself. Especially with the fact that he had finally provoked a reaction from the normally stoic Spaniard....
Maximus slowly lowered his raised hand and took a step back from the cyber-reject. "Games over, Sid. No one wants to play anymore." He walked back over to the table and sat down beside Laura.
Everyone was silent, stunned by Maximus' reaction. But no one more so than Sid. "What...?" Sid almost stammered. "You're just going to walk away? After what I just did to your lady-friend?"
"That's right, Sid," Maximus replied.
"But... but you can't do that!", he protested, sounding very much like a child who's toys had been taken away.
Maximus just stared coolly back at Sid, barely taking his eyes off him as he reached over and put his hand over Laura's, grasping it gently.
Shaking his head, Bud was the first one to speak. "You're a better man than me, Max -- I would have beat the shit out of him a long time ago.... But -- " he said as he took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, walking slowly over towards Sid, "that doesn't mean I'm going to listen to any of this crap anymore. Party's over, Sid. Time to crawl back into your hole for the night."
Sid scowled. "Like hell. It's just getting interesting."
Bud stared at him with a death glare, his voice deceptively quiet. "Either you go up to your room and STAY THERE, or I drag your ass up there myself and sit on you all night..."
"Don't threaten me, pig," Sid hissed.
John walked over and joined Bud. "Let me give you a hand..."
They both grabbed Sid, who protested, "Hey, watch the suit!" He looked back and forth between them. "What is this -- 'Good cop, Bad cop'?"
"Wrong," John said, "Try 'Bad cop, Bad cop'."
"You?", Sid laughed as they hustled him up the stairs leading to the second floor. "Bad cop? In your dreams... Sheriff 'Fife'. Andy let you have any bullets today?" He snickered again.
John just rolled his eyes. "Can it, Sid."
"Say good night to the nice ladies, Sid," Bud said as they reached the top of the stairs.
As Bud and John forced him down the hallway, Sid turned to Bud and quipped, "Don't you think you're taking the 'dumb muscleman' stereotype a bit too far? Then again, 'dumb' is certainly very apropos..."
"You forgot 'big, clumsy ox'," Bud said, pretending to stumble as he slammed Sid into the wall. "Oh, sorry, how careless of us," Bud said apologetically -- then John slammed Sid into the opposite wall. Sid went limp in their arms, the impression of the wood paneling etched into one side of his face, blue goo oozing out his nose. Bud and John disappeared down the hallway, dragging Sid behind them.
Below, Laura, Maximus, Tina, Peaches and Michelle looked at one another and let out a collective sigh of relief. "Thank *god* he's gone..." Laura muttered.
Peaches shook her head. "I don't think I've ever seen Sid *that* bad... I don't know what's gotten into him lately."
"I think Tina hit the nail on the head," Michelle replied. "He really is jealous of you, Max."
"You may be right... But he has no reason to be." Maximus shook his head, looking at Laura. "I just wish he hadn't dragged you into his little scheme for revenge against me."
"That makes two of us," she said.
Michelle headed towards the bar. "Anybody want a drink?" Everyone nodded, and they all got up to fix their own drinks, with the exception of Laura, who already had her beer. Then they moved to a larger table, leaving two empty seats and full drinks for Bud and John.
A few minutes later, everyone was seated, drinks in hand, when Bud and John came back down. Again, Max and the women applauded the returning heroes.
"Thanks... Prince Charming is out cold," Bud smiled. "We tied him to the bed with a lamp cord, away from anything with glass in it, and I barricaded the door from the outside. It won't hold him forever, but at least we'll have some peace for a while." He took the empty seat, picking up the glass of scotch. "Thanks, guys," he said, taking a swig. "Tell me something, though -- why do *I* always get stuck being his freakin' babysitter?"
"Because you enjoy it so much," John grinned as he picked up his beer.
Bud rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, sure... God damn pain in the ass," he grumbled, sipping on his drink. Then he looked over at Laura, his demeanor softening. "You okay, honey?"
She nodded, smiling at him. "Yes... At least I think I am. Right now, I just feel shell-shocked." She looked around at the group. "Thank you all for rescuing me, but..." She sighed, shaking her. "I can't believe how STUPID I was. I could tell he was just feeding me a line, but I fell for it anyway." She put her hands over her face, "He was so damn convincing, I actually believed he was sincere for a while there."
"You wouldn't be the first person who was deceived," Tina said. "Men like that are total sociopaths. They can seem like the nicest people in the world on the surface, but underneath -- the scum of the earth. They're masters of seduction and deception."
"But with Sid," John said, "it's also just a big game."
"A game Sid hates to lose," Max added as he moved closer to Laura, putting a comforting arm across her shoulders. "We have to be more careful about warning the new people about Sid, Peaches."
"Maybe we should making seeing 'Virtuosity' a requirement when you check in," Peaches said. "I just assumed Laura had."
"Sounds like I have a lot of catching up to do," Laura said.
"I've got some tapes you can borrow," Michelle volunteered.
"Better yet, we ought to put them on the in-house movie channel. All Russell Crowe, all the time!" Peaches laughed, and the others joined in.
"I'll see if I can scrounge up a bootleg copy of 'Gladiator'," Tina said, looking at Max.
"Sounds good to me," he chuckled.
There was silence around the table for a moment, and Laura looked back and forth between John and Bud, pointing at them. "Uhm, this is probably going to sound ridiculous after what just happened -- but would someone care to introduce us...?"
Peaches choked on her drink. "You mean you don't know *them* either?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure you're Officer Bud White," she said, looking at Bud.
He nodded, smiling. "Pleased to meet you, Laura."
"Thanks," she smiled back, then turned to look at John. "But I'm afraid I have no idea who you are."
John stood up, brushing his long hair back from his face as he extended a hand to her. "John Biebe. Pleased to meet you too, Laura."
As they shook hands, Michelle asked, "You've never seen 'Mystery, Alaska' either?" Laura shook her head. "Boy, you *do* have some catching up to do! How about 'Quick & the Dead'? Do you know who Cort is?" Laura shook her head again. "Well, you'll meet Cort later; in the meantime, we'll have to set you up with that tape too."
As if on cue, the front door opened, and Liz walked in, followed by Cort, who was carrying a case of scotch. "Speak of the devil..." Bud said.
"Hi, everybody," Liz said as she approached the table. After they all said their hellos, and introductions were made, Liz looked around the room, stepping closer to the bar as Cort set down the scotch. "Have you seen Sid? I left him in charge while I went out to get some supplies."
"THAT was your first mistake," Peaches said, and the others nodded heartily in agreement.
Liz looked puzzled. "Did I miss something...?"
There were chuckles all around. "Oh, yeah!" Michelle said emphatically. "Have a seat you two, and we'll fill you in...."
... When they had finished, Liz sat in stunned silence for a few moments. "I don't believe he did that...!" She smacked her hand down on the table. "That pig! This is the *last* time I leave him in charge!"
"Somebody really ought to string that boy up someday," Cort said in a soft Western drawl, tossing his wavy brown hair out of his eyes as he shook his head in disbelief.
Shaking her head too, Liz turned to Laura. "I am *so* sorry I wasn't here."
"Don't apologize," Laura said. "It's not your fault he's a jerk."
"Yes, but it's still my place," Liz replied. "I hope you don't let Sid change your mind about coming here again, or staying at the hotel."
"Not at all. I'm not going to let the likes of him chase me out of here. Too many other nice people around to let that happen." She smiled at Tina, then gazed warmly at Maximus. "... But the thing I don't get is *why* you let a creep like that stay here?"
The men all looked at each other. "Max, didn't you explain it to her?", John asked.
"No, it never came up," Maximus said.
"Well," John continued, "it's sort of a 'package deal'. We're *all* Russell Crowe's characters, good and bad. So along with myself and Max and Bud and Cort, you get guys like Sid -- and Hando. Now there's *another* one you need to watch out for, but luckily Hando doesn't come around much."
"But unfortunately Sid likes this place," Cort said. "Wherever you find a group of people, you'll find Sid. He loves to be the center of attention."
Laura glanced up towards the second floor landing. "How long do you think he'll be out?"
"Long enough," Bud grinned. "We made sure of that; didn't we, John?"
John raised his glass, and Bud brought his up to clink against it. "That we did!"
Laura smiled, laughing along with the others, but she was still nervous, continually glancing up at the second floor, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Maximus. "Maybe we all ought to go out and get some air," he suggested. "It's getting a bit stuffy in here."
John caught the look Max gave him. "Yea," he agreed. "That's not a bad idea... But where should we go?"
"Well, it's a beautiful evening out," Peaches said. "And it'll be getting dark soon. How about taking a walk down to the beach and watching the sun set?"
Everyone agreed it was a great idea, and Bud and Cort went behind the bar to gather some refreshments in a cooler to take along. "You ought to come with us too, Liz," Michelle said.
"It's tempting -- but I really should stay and keep an eye on the place. Not to mention Sid." She glanced at the clock. "Besides, Jeffrey will probably be here soon, and I wouldn't want him left all alone."
"Who's Jeffrey?", Laura asked.
"Jeffrey Wigand, from 'The Insider'," Liz answered. "He tends to be a loner... But he comes in here around this time every day for a drink at the bar. I don't want to disappoint him."
"Personally," Bud said as he closed the full cooler, "I think the guy's kinda odd, but," he shrugged, "I guess he's okay..."
As the group got themselves organized, Liz moved around the tavern, straightening things up. Suddenly there was a shriek, and everyone hurried over as she exclaimed, "Oh, my god!" She was holding up the half-empty bottle of Montrachet Grand Cru Red Burgundy that Sid had offered Laura earlier. "*Who* opened this!?"
Laura stepped forward, saying, "Take a guess," as she looked up towards Sid's room.
"The *idiot*!", Liz seethed. "This stuff costs $150 a bottle! I was saving it for a special occasion!" She let out a frustrated, angry sigh. "Oh, I am just going to *kill* him when I see him!"
"You're going to have to stand in line for that privilege, Liz," Bud quipped, grinning.
"Everybody ready?" Cort asked, and they all started to move towards the door. He and Bud carried the cooler between them as they all went outside. As they started to cross the parking lot, a middle-aged, white-haired man got out of a silver Audi and approached them.
Maximus stopped. "Hello, Jeff. How are you tonight?"
"Oh, not bad. The usual, you know. Not much going on these days." Wigand looked at the group, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You all leaving?"
As Maximus and Jeffrey talked, standing face to face only a few feet apart, Laura couldn't help but stare at them. They were alike, but so unalike. Maximus stood straight and tall, with tan skin, lean muscles, dark brown hair, and a soft beard. Wigand seemed to slump a little, shoulders rounded forward, a good 40 pounds heavier than Max, with pasty white skin, thinning grayish-white hair, clean-shaven, with glasses. Both had eyes with the same vibrant shade of blue-green -- but even there they differed. Wigand's seemed somewhat dull and listless when compared to the inner strength and fire that shone in Max's gaze. It didn't seem possible that they were two sides of the same man...
"Yes, we were going down to the beach," Max answered, interrupting Laura's train of thought. "Would you care to join us?" he offered, ignoring the dirty look Bud gave him in response.
Wigand didn't see it, however, and glanced over the group again, noting that the group had 'paired off' already -- Maximus with Laura, John with Tina, Cort with Peaches, and Bud with Michelle. "Uh, no," he said, politely declining, "I'm just going to have a quick drink and then call it a night. Long day, you know."
"I'm sure," Maximus smiled. "Good night, Jeff. Just do yourself a favor and stay away from Sid's room tonight. He's been even more obnoxious than usual."
"I'll remember that, thanks." He looked at Tina, smiling a bit. "Nice to see you again, Ms. Stewart." As Tina nodded in response, Wigand's eyes moved to Laura. "I don't believe we've met. You must be Ms. Stewart's friend Laura that I've heard about. Jeffrey Wigand," he said, extending a hand to her.
She shook it briefly. "Pleased to meet you."
"I hope we'll be seeing more of you too."
"Oh, I think so," she smiled politely, noticing an impatient Bud as he shifted his weight from one foot to another. "I'm sure we'll have time to get acquainted later, but right now, we have to go."
"Oh, of course. I don't mean to keep you. Good night, everyone." Jeffrey waved and went inside Crowes' Tavern.
"Nice save, Laura... Come on; let's go," Bud said, tugging on the cooler and pulling Cort forward. "Before he decides to invite Sid along too," he called over his shoulder, looking at Maximus.
"I don't see what's wrong with trying to include him," Maximus answered.
"Hey, Max -- picture this: four guys, four women. Do the math!" he laughed. "Who needs a fifth wheel? Even *he* knew it."
"He does have a point, Max", Peaches said as she took Cort's free arm.
"I think I'm getting it," he said, smiling down at Laura as she walked beside him, and the group headed down the path leading to the beach...
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