Code blue, p.2
Code Blue, page 2
But the reports were filed, the case now open.
High profile stalking cases were all too common nowadays, though still taken seriously. The more high profile the person, the more traction, of course.
“This is to be kept secret. The press must not find out,” Arlo had threatened.
Zielinski had collected his satchel, looked Arlo right in the eye, and said, “So don’t tell them.”
I almost laughed. Maybe the kid wasn’t so bad.
We took a ten-minute break and I went in search of Jeremy. I found him on the third floor, in the dance practice studio with Maddox and Roscoe. Well, Roscoe was sitting with his back to the wall, studying his phone screen, while Maddox and Jeremy lay on their backs in the middle of the floor. They were sweaty and panting, as if they’d been dancing for hours. Knowing these two, they probably had.
“Hey,” I said, walking in. I went to Jeremy and peered down at him to where he lay on the floor. “How you feeling?”
“I was just gonna call you.” He lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his forehead, revealing a sweaty six pack, which I didn’t need to see.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“So you’d come protect me.” He grimaced. “Maddox just tried to kill me.”
Maddox snorted. “It was choreo, Jer.”
He squinted at Maddox. “A form of torture. A crime against humanity.” Then he turned back to me. “Notify the Hague.”
Okay, so he was obviously fine.
Roscoe got to his feet and nodded to the door. “Got a sec?”
“Sure.” I leaned over Jeremy again. “You’re not allowed to leave without me.”
He made a face. “Am I a prisoner?”
“Yes.”
Jeremy rolled his eyes at me and whacked Maddox. “Notify the Hague.”
Maddox laughed, rolled over, and pushed himself up to his feet. “Come on, get up. You’ve got more in you yet.”
“Oh, fuck off. You made me drink last night,” he grumbled.
“You had two beers!” Maddox cried as Roscoe and I walked out.
He wasted no time. “What did the police say?”
“It’s an FBI matter.”
“Fuck.” He gripped his forehead. “Well, good. I guess.”
“The agent in charge just got out of diapers.”
Roscoe sighed. “Awesome.”
I shrugged. “That’s probably unfair. He might be okay. Given he’s so young, he might have a better understanding of all the cyber shit.”
His eyes met mine. “How bad is it?”
“I don’t know. I’m guessing we’ll find out more as time goes on. Hopefully the feds will trace this person and it’ll all be over in a matter of days.”
“God, I hope so.”
“Me too.”
Roscoe studied me for a second. “If you need anything, just let me know. If you need these guys to take it more seriously . . .” He shrugged. “I’m with you. Whatever you say we need or we have to do, I’ll make sure they do it.”
“Thanks.”
He clapped my shoulder. “You looked pretty worried in the meeting.”
I kept my expression neutral, my tone even. “It’s my job to protect them. All of you.”
He smiled. “And we appreciate that. And just so you know, between you and me, Maddox is just distracting Jeremy right now. He was pretty shaken up before.”
I gave a nod. “Where are the others?”
He pointed upward. “Lounge.”
So they were all still here. “Good.” I checked my watch. “I better go back. I’m meeting with my team now and we’re going to work out detail. Robbie will more than likely be your security.”
He grinned. “Maddox loves the big guy.”
“I’ll be having everyone’s home security checked too. Just to be sure it’s all up to scratch.”
Roscoe’s smile died. “Yeah, of course.”
My team wasn’t too happy about cutting their rare vacation time short—they’d just finished an intense eight-week international tour after all. And they were cautious and curious as to what Mr. Kim and Neil Ambrose were doing sitting at the back of my meeting.
Until I explained why. Then they were all game-on.
I was with Jeremy, with Riko as my second. Robbie would take Maddox, and by extension, Roscoe. Ivan would have Wes, Jason would be with Luke, and Zoe would take Blake. Given Luke and Blake lived together, Zoe and Jason would double up.
The other eight on my team would rotate as needed, but there’d be two in each detail at all times, three in mine with Jeremy. Anytime they wanted to go out in public had to be planned and approved, with increased security numbers. If they went out as a group, it’d be all hands on deck. If it was a publicity or a promo shoot, we brought in additional private security.
“They have some scheduled briefings about the tour here at the head offices on Tuesday, which are still going ahead at this point. The only press event scheduled this week is on Thursday. It’s a Billboard interview, which was to be on location, but that may change. So a lot of what we’ll do will be at their homes,” I said. Thank god there were no press events. “But that could also change. You know how it is. Robbie, Ivan, Jason, and Zoe, you will receive a full schedule of your guy. Whatever it is, be it chiropractor appointments, grocery deliveries, house maintenance, studio sessions. You’ll monitor it all, and we’ll keep in constant contact. We’ll also get a list of any approved visitors to their house, and anyone not on the list does not enter.”
They were all staring at me, growing more concerned with each thing I said. I sighed. “Look, honestly, in all likelihood, this will all be for nothing. The feds will catch this . . . person.” I opted for no profanity. “For all we know, they’re on the other side of the country and pose no physical threat at all. But I’m not taking any chances, and I’m not waiting for something to happen before we put plans in place.”
They all nodded, and Arlo at the back also nodded, as if he approved of me playing it down a touch.
“Okay, guys, that’s it. Robbie and Riko, a second please.”
Robbie was a big guy. He’d once said that his dad’s side of the family were Polynesian, which was why he was six foot three and his shoulders were three feet wide. He was big. Most fanatics or overexcited fans took one look at Robbie and backed up pretty fast.
If only they knew he was as soft as a baby kitten. Well, a soft kitten that I’d seen throw a grown man like a rag doll.
Riko, on the other hand, was a tall, sinewy Japanese guy. Beautiful enough to be a model, his face was all sharp angles and I’d guess he had no more than eight percent body fat. He had the eyes of a hawk; the man saw everything, never missed a beat, and he had the reflexes of a cat. He also had a black belt in jujitsu.
Where I practiced the newer Brazilian jujitsu, Riko was trained old-school. As a test when he’d first started with us, he sent Ivan to the ground by applying pressure to nothing but Ivan’s thumb. Zero force and effort, but by using Ivan’s own body momentum, Ivan turned himself inside out and dropped to the ground while Riko never broke a sweat.
The fact I chose him to be my second, to be around Jeremy, spoke volumes about my trust in him.
“What’s up?” Robbie said with a nod.
“You got Maddox, which means you got Roscoe as well. I’m suspecting Maddox is gonna want to be around Jeremy, so we’ll double up a lot.”
Nothing ever fazed him. “Sure thing.”
“And Riko, we’ll take Jeremy. If, for whatever reason you can’t reach me, you call Robbie and you do what he says.”
Riko nodded. “Got it.”
“Between you and me, he’s never alone. Day or night.”
“Understood.”
“That’s gonna piss him off.”
Riko almost smiled. “He’ll get over it, boss.”
I almost smiled. “He’s gonna have to.”
Neil Ambrose came over. “Steve? A moment, please.”
I noticed then that Arlo Kim was gone. “Sure.” I told Robbie where Maddox was and followed Ambrose over to the corner.
“I appreciate all you’re doing,” he said.
I knew that look. “You think I’m overreacting.”
It wasn’t a question. But I wasn’t having anyone question why having Jeremy being the target of some stalker had me on edge.
“I think we need to use caution and not apply unnecessary stress—”
I wasn’t getting into a dick-swinging competition with him. “This—” I gestured to the now empty room, where my team had just been. “—is what I do. I manage security and protection of the band. Particularly when one member of the band has a stalker that triggers an FBI investigation. What I did today was nothing. Basic, even. Textbook stuff.”
“And I’m responsible for their well-being as well,” he replied.
“Good. You worry about their mental health. I’ll worry about keeping them alive. And at the end of this whole shitshow, we’ll come out just fine.”
He stared, and I stared right back until he backed down. Eventually he gave a nod, turned, and left.
Riko smirked. “Your people skills are awesome. You’ll have to teach me how you do that thing with your eyes.”
“What thing?”
“How to make people crap themselves with just a look.”
I smiled. “It’s a skill.”
“It’s a ‘I will fuck you up, don’t try me’ skill.”
“Exactly.” I nodded to the elevator. “Let’s go find Jeremy.”
Jeremy was still in the dance studio with Maddox, chugging a sports drink, even sweatier now than he’d been before. His blond hair stuck to his forehead, his cheeks flushed red, and a V of sweat darkened the front of his T-shirt. It clung to his body, his defined chest, his narrow waist, his biceps.
He smiled when he saw me and I ignored the hold it had on my heart. Like I had done for the last two years and then some, I feigned indifference.
Robbie stood by the door. I gave him a nod, then looked back at Jeremy. “Ready when you are, chief,” I said.
Jeremy straightened up, his hands on his waist. He was still breathing hard but he threw the half-empty sports drink bottle to Maddox. “Gee. I’d love to stay and die some more, but I get to go home now.”
Maddox laughed, put the bottle down, and threw a sweat towel at him. “Clean yourself up. Poor Steve has to stick to you like glue.”
I wish . . .
“Like Steve’d care,” Jeremy said, wiping the towel over his face.
Oh, he cares. He wishes he didn’t, but he does.
Then he twirled the towel and tried to flick Maddox with it, which resulted in them both having a towel-flicking fight.
I went over to Robbie. “Where’s Roscoe?”
“Meeting with Ryan and Amber.”
“Okay.”
I had no doubts they’d be in that meeting for a while, but for now, my meetings were over. If I needed to be updated on schedules or appointments, Mr. Kim or Ambrose would inform me. Or Roscoe would.
I wanted to get Jeremy’s home security checked today. I glanced over at Jeremy to find him now shirtless. His trim and muscled torso glistened with sweat. Pale and perfect.
He had the body of a racehorse. Lean, powerful, strong.
Christ.
He pulled on a shirt, and I noticed two things. Riko’s eyes went from Maddox to me, and Maddox was smiling at me.
I pretended I hadn’t just checked out Jeremy, and I pretended Maddox hadn’t seen, and I pretended Riko hadn’t caught the whole thing. “Maddox, you good to wait for Roscoe, or did you want Robbie to take you now?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” he said, smirking. “You?”
Yep, he definitely saw me looking at Jeremy.
I held his gaze. “I’ll be a whole lot better once I check Jeremy’s home security.”
Maddox grinned, surprised, maybe even shocked. “I bet you will.”
I glared at him, doing the ‘I will fuck you up if you don’t back off’ look, but Maddox just laughed.
Jeremy threw his towel at Maddox. “Hey dickbag, what’re you being a dickbag for? Like the guy doesn’t have enough to worry about.”
Maddox just balled up the towel and aimed a three pointer at the hamper in the corner, completely unfazed. “Yeah, sorry about that.” Then he turned to us. “You two have a really fun first date tonight.”
“Fuck off.” Jeremy rolled his eyes. “Robbie, come put him in a chokehold or something.”
Maddox laughed, but then his smile turned serious and he held his hand out for Jeremy. “Be careful. I’ll call you later.”
Jeremy did the brother handshake that they do and clapped Maddox on the back. “Will do.”
Maddox gave me a pointed stare. “You look after him.”
I raised an eyebrow as my reply.
“Yeah, yeah,” Maddox said, rolling his eyes. “I know.”
Ten minutes later, Jeremy, Riko, and I exited the elevator in the basement and climbed into the back of the waiting van. Me in the back with Jeremy, Riko in the front passenger side. These vans were huge, all black, with tinted windows. There were thousands of them in LA and no one turned an eye at them anymore.
I knew the Atrous offices and building were secure. Probably the most secure place on the planet for the boys to be. But leaving, being in traffic, and slowing down to enter Jeremy’s house were when we were the biggest target.
I felt safer when we were moving.
“You feel okay?” I asked.
He drained a bottle of juice and shrugged. “About as good as expected. Have they found anything else on this person?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. You’ll be the first to hear.”
“And we don’t even know where they are?”
“No.”
He stared out the window for a bit. “Uh, where are we going?”
I smiled, pleased that he was at least aware of his surroundings. “I asked the driver to swing past my place. I need clothes and whatnot.”
“Am I really getting a housemate for however long this takes?”
“You’re getting two,” I said.
Riko raised his hand.
Jeremy sighed again. “Look, I lived with four guys for a long time. So here are the rules.” He counted off his fingers. “You pick up your own shit, do whatever you want in the kitchen because lord knows I don’t use it, but keep it clean. And no snoring. Christ.”
That made me smile. “You won’t even know we’re there.”
He was quiet for a while. “I’ll need to call my mom. If the media gets hold of this . . .”
I nodded. “Of course.”
“Man, I just wanted to sleep all this week. The tour was brutal. Doing forty shows in eight weeks and six different countries was easy as taking a piss when I was twenty. Now I’m twenty-seven.”
Twenty-seven . . .
With his head on the headrest, he turned to face me. “How old are you, Steve? You did the whole tour, every concert, every hotel, every car trip, every flight.”
“I didn’t sing and dance on stage for four hours forty times.”
“No, but you still worked. On your feet, running around, managing a whole bunch of people, keeping us all together. That shit’s not easy.”
No, it wasn’t.
“I’m thirty-five.”
“Thirty-five?” He stared. “Wow.”
“Is that a good wow, that I don’t look thirty-five? Or a bad wow that you’re surprised I’m not in a retirement home?”
Jeremy laughed. “A bit of both.”
“Thanks.”
He was quiet again for a few minutes. “And you still run five miles a day? At your age?”
At my age. Jesus.
“Run, swim, cardio, martial arts . . .”
He looked me up and down. “Explains the physique.”
I kept my gaze out front. “I need to keep fit to keep you five in check.”
Jeremy laughed. “Herding cats.”
I nodded. “Herding cats.”
Riko turned around. “ETA, two minutes, boss. No tail.”
“Thanks.” I looked at Jeremy then. “You’ll come inside with me. Riko will stand point at the door.”
“Like they do in the movies?”
“Kind of.”
“Can’t I just wait in the car? I’m so freaking tired. Maddox busted me with the whole keep-him-distracted choreo thing.”
“You’re not waiting in the car.”
“I’m not a freaking child.”
“I am not letting you wait in the car unprotected, like a sitting duck, while I’m inside and—”
“Riko can stand—”
“Jeremy,” I said, my voice low. I glared at him, not breaking eye contact.
He looked away first and rolled his eyes. He stared out the window. “So this prisoner thing is a lot of fun.”
I didn’t reply.
The driver pulled up and I pointed to my place. “White stucco, tile roof, second floor. Wait for me to—”
Jeremy opened the door and got out.
“Fuck.”
I scooted out after him, but he was already striding ahead and I quickly followed.
I pulled my key fob out and unlocked the front door and let him into the lobby, quickly closing the door behind us.
Jeremy grinned like he’d won the game.
“Not funny.”
“You’re fast for a thirty-five-year-old.”
I wanted to throttle him. Or maybe kiss him. Possibly both. He had a smile that curled my insides. I’d ignored it for years. I could ignore it now.
“Stick to the plan, Jeremy.”
I started up the stairs and he followed without comment. I unlocked my front door and went in first.
“I thought a gentleman held a door open?” Jeremy said behind me.
“Normally I would. But just in case there was a guy waiting in my apartment to shoot you, I thought I’d go first.”
Jeremy stopped smiling.
I gestured to the small living area and kitchen. “Help yourself to a drink if you want.”
I disappeared into my room and threw some clothes into a duffle bag. It helped that I’d only just got them back from the laundromat two days ago from when we’d returned from the tour.
