“Sure thing, mate.”
Jessica climbed into the cab and Sed slid in next to her.
“I’m off to find Brian at his hotel. You try calling the front desk. I’ll call you back soon.”
Eric sighed in relief. “Thanks, Sed.”
Sed ended the call.
“What’s going on?” Jessica took his hand firmly in hers.
He shook off her grasp. He should have been there for Trey, not f**king Jessica along the Vegas strip. If he’d never seen her in the first place, they’d have never been in a bar fight and Trey wouldn’t be in this life-threatening position. “Trey’s in the hospital. I’ve got to find Brian.”
“What’s wrong with Trey?”
“He had a seizure. Something about brain swelling. I don’t know. Eric didn’t explain it very well.” He leaned forward to talk to the driver. “We don’t want to sightsee, dude. Hurry up, okay? It’s an emergency.” He reached for his wallet and tossed several hundred-dollar bills into the front seat.
The cab driver hit the gas, whipping around stalled traffic without hesitation. Soon, they pulled up to the Venetian hotel’s entrance and drew to a stop.
Sed handed another hundred to the driver. “Can you stay here and hold the cab for me?”
“My pleasure, mate.” He turned on the “off duty” sign and put the cab in park.
“What can I do to help?” Jessica asked.
“Stay here. You’ll just slow me down.”
She looked hurt, but nodded in agreement. Sed hopped out of the cab and raced into the opulent lobby. He hurried to the check-in counter to find the night clerk immersed in a heated debate with someone on the phone.
“I can’t ring someone’s room at this hour, sir. I understand that it’s an emergency, but the guest in question has a do not disturb under any circumstances ord—” The clerk flushed beneath his olive complexion. “No sir, my head is not permanently inserted in my ass.”
Sed jerked the phone receiver out of the clerk’s hand. “Eric?”
“Who is this?” someone said on the other end of the line.
“It’s Sed.”
“This is Dare. Will you punch that stupid f**k of a desk clerk in the face for me?”
“If he doesn’t call Brian, then yes, I’ll punch him in the face for you. And again for me. And three times for Trey.”
“Sir, you need to calm down,” the desk clerk said, while repeatedly pushing a button to call for security.
Jessica appeared at Sed’s elbow. She took the phone out of his hand and handed it to the desk clerk. “Jean Carlo,” she greeted the attractive Roman-looking guy.
How the hell did she know him? Had she gone out with this stupid jackass? Watched the fountain with him? Let him put his hands on her? Screwed him? Had she liked it? Begged for more? Sed clenched both fists so he wouldn’t reach across the desk and strangle the f**ker.
The desk clerk’s eyes widened with recognition and he smiled fondly at Jessica. “Feather. Lovely to see you.”
Feather?
“I’m sorry my friend is a little out of hand,” she said.
“A little? Did you see what he did? He just yanked the phone—”
“I’m sure he’s sorry.” Jessica looked up at Sed pointedly.
It was obvious that he’d get nowhere with his current tactics, besides tossed out of the hotel on his ass.
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Sed said. “A guest in this hotel has a friend who’s in the hospital. He might die. Do you understand? I need to speak to Brian Sinclair. Trust me, he wants to know about this.”
“You are the one who doesn’t understand. Mister Sinclair is a celebrity, and—”
“I know he’s a celebrity. He’s in my f**king band. Jesus—”
Jessica covered Sed’s mouth with her hand.
Security had arrived. “Is this guy causing a problem, Jean Carlo?”
Jessica stared deeply into Jean Carlo’s eyes and shook her head pointedly. He mimicked her motion. “Just a misunderstanding,” Jean Carlo said to the security guards.
The four large men stepped to the side of the desk, keeping a close eye on Sed, who happened to be wearing leather pants, a duster, and no shirt. He supposed he did look even more suspicious than usual.
Jessica crooked a finger at Jean Carlo and leaned close to him. Sed’s body tensed. As if he hadn’t wanted to punch this dumb f**k in the face enough already.
The way-too-handsome clerk smiled while Jessica whispered into his ear. He scrawled something on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
She kissed his cheek and leaned away.
“I’ll see you at the club tomorrow night, Feather,” Jean Carlo said. “It’s payday.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Sed’s knuckles cracked under the strain of his clenching fists.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie,” Jessica said. “I got fired. I thought you knew.”
Jean Carlo scowled, his slim dark brows drawing together. “Fired? Well, where are you working now?”
“Nowhere at the moment, but I’ll let you know if I start dancing again.”
Jessica grabbed Sed’s sleeve and led him away from the desk.
“Wait, he still didn’t call Brian.”
“Shh,” Jessica demanded. She pulled him behind a pillar and handed him the slip of paper the clerk had given her. “This is Brian’s room number. Jean Carlo can’t call their room, but we can go up and knock on the door. And if we get into trouble, he did not help us. Got it?”
“Don’t you need a guest key to get on the elevator?”
She handed him a plastic card. “Any more questions?”
“Did he really call you Feather?”
Her nose wrinkled, making him want to kiss its adorable tip. “My stripper stage name. Any other questions?”
“Did you f**k that guy?” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the front desk.
“None of your business.”
Maybe. But he still wanted to kill him. “Let’s go get Brian now.”
Within minutes, they were standing outside Brian’s hotel suite. Sed knocked loudly. No answer.
“You don’t think they’ve gone out, do you?” Jessica asked.
“Highly unlikely,” Sed said. “He’s with Myrna on his honeymoon. If anything, he’s passed out from exhaustion.” He knocked again, more loudly this time. “Brian,” he shouted. “Open the door.”
Jessica climbed into the cab and Sed slid in next to her.
“I’m off to find Brian at his hotel. You try calling the front desk. I’ll call you back soon.”
Eric sighed in relief. “Thanks, Sed.”
Sed ended the call.
“What’s going on?” Jessica took his hand firmly in hers.
He shook off her grasp. He should have been there for Trey, not f**king Jessica along the Vegas strip. If he’d never seen her in the first place, they’d have never been in a bar fight and Trey wouldn’t be in this life-threatening position. “Trey’s in the hospital. I’ve got to find Brian.”
“What’s wrong with Trey?”
“He had a seizure. Something about brain swelling. I don’t know. Eric didn’t explain it very well.” He leaned forward to talk to the driver. “We don’t want to sightsee, dude. Hurry up, okay? It’s an emergency.” He reached for his wallet and tossed several hundred-dollar bills into the front seat.
The cab driver hit the gas, whipping around stalled traffic without hesitation. Soon, they pulled up to the Venetian hotel’s entrance and drew to a stop.
Sed handed another hundred to the driver. “Can you stay here and hold the cab for me?”
“My pleasure, mate.” He turned on the “off duty” sign and put the cab in park.
“What can I do to help?” Jessica asked.
“Stay here. You’ll just slow me down.”
She looked hurt, but nodded in agreement. Sed hopped out of the cab and raced into the opulent lobby. He hurried to the check-in counter to find the night clerk immersed in a heated debate with someone on the phone.
“I can’t ring someone’s room at this hour, sir. I understand that it’s an emergency, but the guest in question has a do not disturb under any circumstances ord—” The clerk flushed beneath his olive complexion. “No sir, my head is not permanently inserted in my ass.”
Sed jerked the phone receiver out of the clerk’s hand. “Eric?”
“Who is this?” someone said on the other end of the line.
“It’s Sed.”
“This is Dare. Will you punch that stupid f**k of a desk clerk in the face for me?”
“If he doesn’t call Brian, then yes, I’ll punch him in the face for you. And again for me. And three times for Trey.”
“Sir, you need to calm down,” the desk clerk said, while repeatedly pushing a button to call for security.
Jessica appeared at Sed’s elbow. She took the phone out of his hand and handed it to the desk clerk. “Jean Carlo,” she greeted the attractive Roman-looking guy.
How the hell did she know him? Had she gone out with this stupid jackass? Watched the fountain with him? Let him put his hands on her? Screwed him? Had she liked it? Begged for more? Sed clenched both fists so he wouldn’t reach across the desk and strangle the f**ker.
The desk clerk’s eyes widened with recognition and he smiled fondly at Jessica. “Feather. Lovely to see you.”
Feather?
“I’m sorry my friend is a little out of hand,” she said.
“A little? Did you see what he did? He just yanked the phone—”
“I’m sure he’s sorry.” Jessica looked up at Sed pointedly.
It was obvious that he’d get nowhere with his current tactics, besides tossed out of the hotel on his ass.
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Sed said. “A guest in this hotel has a friend who’s in the hospital. He might die. Do you understand? I need to speak to Brian Sinclair. Trust me, he wants to know about this.”
“You are the one who doesn’t understand. Mister Sinclair is a celebrity, and—”
“I know he’s a celebrity. He’s in my f**king band. Jesus—”
Jessica covered Sed’s mouth with her hand.
Security had arrived. “Is this guy causing a problem, Jean Carlo?”
Jessica stared deeply into Jean Carlo’s eyes and shook her head pointedly. He mimicked her motion. “Just a misunderstanding,” Jean Carlo said to the security guards.
The four large men stepped to the side of the desk, keeping a close eye on Sed, who happened to be wearing leather pants, a duster, and no shirt. He supposed he did look even more suspicious than usual.
Jessica crooked a finger at Jean Carlo and leaned close to him. Sed’s body tensed. As if he hadn’t wanted to punch this dumb f**k in the face enough already.
The way-too-handsome clerk smiled while Jessica whispered into his ear. He scrawled something on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
She kissed his cheek and leaned away.
“I’ll see you at the club tomorrow night, Feather,” Jean Carlo said. “It’s payday.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Sed’s knuckles cracked under the strain of his clenching fists.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie,” Jessica said. “I got fired. I thought you knew.”
Jean Carlo scowled, his slim dark brows drawing together. “Fired? Well, where are you working now?”
“Nowhere at the moment, but I’ll let you know if I start dancing again.”
Jessica grabbed Sed’s sleeve and led him away from the desk.
“Wait, he still didn’t call Brian.”
“Shh,” Jessica demanded. She pulled him behind a pillar and handed him the slip of paper the clerk had given her. “This is Brian’s room number. Jean Carlo can’t call their room, but we can go up and knock on the door. And if we get into trouble, he did not help us. Got it?”
“Don’t you need a guest key to get on the elevator?”
She handed him a plastic card. “Any more questions?”
“Did he really call you Feather?”
Her nose wrinkled, making him want to kiss its adorable tip. “My stripper stage name. Any other questions?”
“Did you f**k that guy?” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the front desk.
“None of your business.”
Maybe. But he still wanted to kill him. “Let’s go get Brian now.”
Within minutes, they were standing outside Brian’s hotel suite. Sed knocked loudly. No answer.
“You don’t think they’ve gone out, do you?” Jessica asked.
“Highly unlikely,” Sed said. “He’s with Myrna on his honeymoon. If anything, he’s passed out from exhaustion.” He knocked again, more loudly this time. “Brian,” he shouted. “Open the door.”
