Part 15 (1/2)

He puffed his chest out, made a funny mouth. ”What did you think the plan was? Ask her nicely? You're the one who brought the pills.”

”Okay.”

He walked over to the sliding gla.s.s door and peeked around the curtain. ”Probably best to go right through here.”

I must not have answered quickly enough. Way out in the fields of my mind, trying to make sense of it all. And suddenly Jennings had grabbed the armrests on my chair and was in my face.

”Hey! Remember, this is all for your benefit. You were gung ho. At any time you could've cut the cord and ended this before it even started. But no, you wanted some afternoon delight. We're doing this because you want to keep your house, right?”

I opened my mouth. Nothing to say. Nodded.

”Then go outside, check to make sure no one's looking. Wave to me when the coast is clear.”

”Won't I look suspicious?”

”Smoke a cigarette or something.”

”But I don't smoke.”

”Mick!”

So I was out the door. I was already sapped of strength, and the sun made it worse. I was spaghetti. Must've looked a bit like a hippie at Woodstock with all the swaying. Worse, the reflections off the cars had me squinting, trying to get a view through my own eyelashes.

For a brief moment I forgot why I was outside. It was some kids jumping out of the church van a handful of spots away, the guys jumping and howling, the girls hugging pillows, that refocused me. Their youth leader, I suppose, hopped out of the driver's seat in his cargo shorts, flip-flops, and T-s.h.i.+rt tucked in. All the s.h.i.+rts had the same logo, marking them as Eau Clare Lutherans, but the other print was too small to read.

I looked up at the outside wall of the hotel, checking for people looking down on me. While plenty of curtains were open, no one stood there watching. And that only made sense-did anyone look out of hotel windows much? Maybe that was why so much could happen in hotels-illicit s.e.x, drug deals, murders-in veritable secret. Everyone ignores everyone else in hotels. When we're there we all want to be anonymous. Even if we did see nefarious goings on, why risk being singled out as the one who noticed?

So once the church van had emptied and the group filed inside, and once I confirmed that, indeed, no one gave a s.h.i.+t about the parking lot, I opened the back doors of the SUV and waved Jennings out.

He came through the door sideways with Alice in his arms like he was a das.h.i.+ng action hero saving her from a fire. Quick steps, no wavering. Not like she weighed that much, but still, this was Jennings. Not because he was gay or anything. Absolutely not. But because of the way he carried himself most days-fas.h.i.+onista, up on culture, jetsetter. I guess he just hid this side of himself until it became absolutely necessary.

Jennings eased Alice onto the floor of the SUV. She didn't stir. He muscled me out of the way and closed the doors. I was still standing there gawking. But once I got a glimpse of my reflection in the tinted windows, I had to steady myself with an outstretched hand against the gla.s.s.

Jennings pulled the keys from his pocket. ”Mick? Will you be okay?”

”Fine, fine.”

”So you stay here until time for dinner. Then, check out. Keep the s.e.x smell strong in there, so they'll think, you know, what they want to think.”

I nodded, couldn't look him in the eye.

”Say it.”

”It's a mistake. We shouldn't have.”

”Yeah, I agree. But this is what I do now, whatever Octavia tells me to. She told me to help you, so I did. And it's a tiny little bit too late to explain it that way to Miss Thing in here.” He slapped the back door and said, ”See you tonight.”

I shrugged. He didn't care. He walked around to the driver's seat and climbed in. Pulled away. Left me with my hands in my pockets, sweating from the intense sun but still cold all over. I turned to walk back into my room when I noticed the sliding door of the van was open, and the top half of someone's head was visible, watching me.

Oh s.h.i.+t. s.h.i.+t. s.h.i.+t. And a church kid too. A goody two shoes. My stomach tightened and I stopped breathing for a moment. Before I could stop myself, I took a few steps towards the van.

What would I say? My friend had gotten sick and needed a lift home? I mean, that was no ambulance or cab we were putting her into. Or just threaten the kid, perhaps. Pull a You didn't see anything here wink and nod. Maybe she'd already clicked a picture with her cell phone. Maybe it would be all over Twitter or Facebook or wherever the h.e.l.l these kids hung out online anymore.

What would I say?

Then her eyes grew wide and she turned her head as if talking to someone else. Sure enough, another pair of eyes appeared, blinked, dropped out of sight.

Okay, wait. I had a better idea of what this was. Even closer, there was harsh whispers and rustling. And then I was there, leaning into the van in time to see the other teen, a boy, zip up. No time to b.u.t.ton, though. The girl had her hand up her back, trying to refasten her bra. So what they'd really been looking for was their youth leaders. Maybe it was a coordinated effort, the group covering for them so they could have some make out time, which of course would give them a story to tell the separate girls and boys rooms later.

Instead, they saw me and a well-dressed butler carrying a pa.s.sed-out woman to the back of an unmarked, tinted SUV.

I gave them a big grin. The boy was hiking his shoulders, scrunching his neck, trying to hide the hickey the girl had given him. Both were scared out of their minds. If their religion hadn't been that important to their lives before-just went to church because their parents did-it sure as h.e.l.l was now.

”So,” I said. ”You guys having a good time?”

Nothing. Not a peep.

”I mean, it looks like you were left behind. The rest of your group went inside already.”

”Mister...” It was the girl. All in all, I'd say she was fourteen. It was kind of a good thing they saw us, then. Stopped her from doing something she'd regret once word got around school. ”Our youth leader will wonder where we are.”

”Sure, as soon as everyone's checked in. Maybe you guys should b.u.t.ton up and get on in there.”

They looked at each other. She was hoping the boy would be tough, I could tell. Hoping he would say something. Anything. But he was navelgazing, embarra.s.sed. Not how he expected his first b.l.o.w.j.o.b to go.

I backed away from the van, hands in pockets, as casual as the winter is long. ”Let's put it this way-you two teens from Eau Clare Lutheran Church were having a lot of fun out here. And my friends and I were having a lot of fun, too. So much fun, someone pa.s.sed out. A couple of hours, she'll be fine. You get it?”

They both nodded. Boy had a scowl on, but it was pretty sad.

I held out my hand. ”Cell phones?”

”What?” Maybe they would fight me on this, ”Let me see your cell phones.”

I didn't think they were going to do it. If it had been me caught like that by a stranger, I sure as h.e.l.l wouldn't have. But eventually the girl pulled her phone out of her pocket and gave it to me. It indeed had a camera on it. I flipped it open, hit the camera b.u.t.ton, and scrolled through pics. Close-ups of girls faces, tongues out, pouty lips. Goofing around. Then one or two in the van on the way over. Then a few of this guy. Then one of this guy with his pants down. But none of me or Jennings or Alice. I tossed it back. Looked at the guy. I gave him some Hand it over with my fingers.

”Come on, douche. You don't scare me.”

I pointed towards the hotel. ”Shall we all go talk to your chaperones together? No?”

”Man...” He pa.s.sed over a cheaper model, no camera on it. So far so good.

I thought about keeping it. A little insurance. But even the cheapest phones had GPS these days. I gave it back. ”All right. Have a good time at your conference. Remember to stick with your group.”

And I was gone.

As soon as I was inside the hotel room with the door slid shut and the curtains back in place, I crumbled like a cookie. Didn't even make it to the bed. Just sprawled on the floor and cried my f.u.c.king eyes out.