by Tammy Coons
“This is amazing!” Steph yelled over the crowd. Still in shock, Cheyenne watched Steph dart past her. Scrambling onto the roof of the limo to get a better scope of the crowd, she almost slipped, and laughed heartily. All the hysteria unnerved Cheyenne, but to Steph it seemed to be just another photo op. David and Cheyenne climbed in to the limo. Cheyenne watched as a beefy security guard plucked Steph off the roof and tossed her into the limo onto Phillip’s lap; Steph scrambled away from him as if he were a rattle snake and Cheyenne noticed Phillip’s jaw tighten.
As they sped away from the airport in their 10 passenger limo, Nathan bounced in his seat and began chanting.
“Dance Party! Dance Party!”
Soon the other band members took up the chant. Cheyenne and Steph exchanged concerned glances. David fumbled with his IPOD and music began to play softly.
“Ladies and gentlemen, for your listening pleasure…” David said theatrically and then cranked the music, which turned out to be You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC. His band mates cheered and began playing air guitar and banging their heads.
“Care to share?” Cheyenne eyed the band as if they’d lost their collective minds.
“Ah, forgive us ladies. You are unfamiliar with our strange ways,” Nathan began. “This is one of our only traditions. We call it Dance Party with DJ Dave.”
Steph, Goddess and Cheyenne giggled; Cheyenne wasn’t sure if he was serious.
“We never listen to our own music. It’s a major tension breaker. Dave puts together a compilation of our influences and sometimes just guilty pleasures. I like to think of it as music therapy.”
Cheyenne watched the ensuing anarchy and made notes for her article. Three songs later, she felt she had unexpected insight into the collective psyche of Fury.
The fourth song began and it was (I’m Gonna Be) 500 miles by The Proclaimers. Steph turned to Cheyenne and squealed in delight.
“Whoo hoo! I love this song! If you can’t beat ‘em…”
She and Nathan pretended to dance together and sang obnoxiously off key. Cheyenne’s side hurt as she and Scot laughed uproariously. Soon, Nathan and Steph were standing with their heads outside the sunroof. Cheyenne watched nervously, very concerned at the speed they were traveling. She glanced to her left and saw Phillip staring at Steph’s backside. She waited until his gaze met hers; he was suddenly very interested in the sites of Paris.
When they arrived at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Cheyenne’s scalp still throbbed from the hair pulling incident. Steph continued to snap photos, smiling from ear to ear. As she entered the eight story hotel, Cheyenne forgot all about her sore head.
Taking her breath away, it had the appearance of a palace. The opulence of the lobby carried over to their suites. Momentarily disappointed that their rooms were on the opposite side of the hotel from The Eiffel Tower, she had a change of heart when she saw the interior. The palette of lavender and lace could have been hand selected by her. The king sized bed called her name and she was overjoyed with the breathtaking view of the courtyard.
She spun around her suite in a circle, like a kid at Disneyworld and flopped onto her bed. Ravenously hungry, she made her way to Steph’s door. Stephanie had an adjoining suite which was decorated in a completely different fashion, but equally gorgeous in pale pink linens. To Steph’s disappointment, Goddess was placed in the room on the opposite side of her. Cheyenne had hoped that the time away from Goddess would improve their working relationship. Goddess had spent the entire flight on the other plane with the road crew but unfortunately, the break didn’t seem to be enough. The two friends unpacked and called for room service.
“I am locking this door.” Steph’s face was serious as she fiddled with the door that connected her room to Goddess’s. “That girl is going to give me a migraine.”
“Just sit down and eat something. Don’t forget your pill. Have you been having a trouble with the time difference?”
“I haven’t slept much…but so far so good.” Steph popped a pill and washed it down with water.
“By the way,” Cheyenne started. “I caught Phillip checking you out.”
“Whatever.” Steph fixed her with a doubtful stare.
“No really. I think he wants you.”
“Yeah, like a raging case of Herpes.”
They cackled together.
“Things are going pretty smoothly. At this rate we are going to have a lot of free time on our hands.”
“I’d actually like to do a little sightseeing while we’re here in Paris.” Steph bit into her sandwich. She made a decadent face and took another larger one.
“Me too,” Cheyenne agreed. “I would love to visit the spa.”
“And shop….” Steph interjected. She nodded at Goddess’s door. “Maybe we can get away from you know who.”
“That would be nice,” Cheyenne said. “We haven’t had much time to ourselves.”
“We probably won’t.” As her phone rang, Steph waved a hand like an assistant at a magic show. “Do ya see what I mean? Hello, Dad.”
She placed him on speaker phone.
“Bonnie.” Cheyenne knew Adam used this nickname for Steph when he wanted something or when he was trying to soften bad news. “I just wanted to let you know I had lunch with Kevin. I gave him your itinerary.”
“You’re killing me here, Dad.” Steph’s deadpan tone made Cheyenne stop chewing mid-bite. She took a swig of wine, suddenly engrossed in the conversation.
“I thought you’d want to see him. He said he’s going to Rome to see your brother first.”
“Why would Kevin go see Cedric?”
“You know him a lot better than I do.”
“I cannot deal with this right now, Dad. I’m trying to do a job...”
“And doing it well I presume?”
“My very best attempt. Thanks for the assistant by the way, she’s a real pro.”
Adam laughed. “Call me soon.”
“Luv ya, Dad, even though you make it very hard.” Steph hung up. “Yay…Now we can expect him to turn up like a bad penny.”
“Or a Jack in the Box with bleached teeth and a spray on tan…” Cheyenne shook her head. “What was your Dad thinking?”
Goddess stumbled into Steph’s room, landing in a heap on the floor.
“I thought I locked that,” Steph stated, without missing a beat. Steph and Cheyenne sprung to their feet and leaned over Goddess. “What the hell happened?”
Goddess looked up and Cheyenne gasped. She had a cut on her brow bone that was steadily bleeding.
“We have to get her to a hospital.” Cheyenne rushed to find a phone book.
“No, I don’t need to go.” Goddess stood up carefully, as if she was trying to keep her feet. Cheyenne worried that she might have a concussion.
“You have a gash on your face the size of the Grand Canyon.” Steph seemed at a loss for what to do. “Do we call 911 in Paris?”
“Oh. It just needs a band aid. Sorry to barge in. I thought this was my room” Her eyes darted from Cheyenne to Steph as she stepped back toward the door.
“Are you sure?” Cheyenne asked
“Yeah.” Goddess opened the door and was gone as quickly as she’d appeared..
Cheyenne and Steph exchanged a perplexed glance.
“Well…we knew the girl was weird,” Steph offered.
“Don’t you think she seemed a little more strange than usual? She’s never apologized for barging into our rooms before…” Cheyenne’s pensive expression deepened.. “And how in the hell did she get a cut like that?”
“Probing again?” Steph raised an eyebrow.
Cheyenne shot her a dirty look.
“She probably hit her head on the doorway.” Steph threw a towel over her shoulder and pointed to the clock.
“I’m going to take a shower. Have a nice meeting with Ian.”
“Oh shit!” Cheyenne hurried out the door, somewhat light headed as she walked down the hall. The sight of blood always had
that effect on her. Goddess’s little visit disturbed her. The mammoth intern had seemed horrified that they’d seen her in that state.
She stepped off the elevator on the floor where Ian and the band were staying. They had a cluster of presidential suites and their rooms were on the Avenue Montaigne, a fashionable street lined with mature chestnut trees.
“Good morning.” Nathan’s melodious tone interrupted her thoughts.
“It’s noon.”
“Is Steph around?” Nathan asked, glancing past her.
“Sorry, I don’t have her in my pocket,” Cheyenne joked. “She’s in her room.”
Nathan graced her with an appreciative smile. His eyes lingered on hers and his confidence caused Cheyenne to clear her throat.
“Your pictures from last night turned out great.”
“I imagine you look good on film too,” he said slyly. Reaching out, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Cheyenne’s suppressed a gasp, startled by the intimate gesture. Without another word, Nathan walked on. After watching him a moment, Cheyenne shook her head and continued onto Ian’s room.
As she neared Ian’s hotel room, she witnessed an unfamiliar man exiting it. His piercing blue eyes met Cheyenne’s; he smiled softly, giving her a nod. Cheyenne silently wondered if he worked for the hotel, as she knocked on Ian’s door.
No one answered; she glanced at her watch to check the time and then knocked again.
“It’s open.” Ian’s voice resonated.
“Ian?” Cheyenne called as she entered the room.
“Ah… yes… Cheyenne, how are you?” Ian looked genuinely surprised to see her. .
“Fine, I’m here for the meeting.
“Oh. I forgot about that little meeting. I’m joining the boys in the Marie Antoinette Room, would you care to join me?” Ian barely looked at her. He seemed distracted and stressed, though he was putting on his best unflappable act.
Puzzled, she blinked at him. “Ok, I guess.”
“Great.” Ian turned to her and flashed his dazzling smile. Duplicity seemed to be his forte. She decided it was time to keep a closer eye on Ian, suspecting the real story of Fury would be found with him.
The moment she shut off her blow-dryer, Steph heard someone pounding on her door.
“Who is it?” Steph called out, as she wrapped her robe tighter around herself.
“Prince Charming,” Nathan’s voice called back. She looked out the peephole. He crossed his eyes, a goofy look plastered on his face.
She laughed and flung open the door wide.
“Hi. I heard the photos are fabulous.”
“Yeah, they are.” Steph guided him to the table and opened the file on her laptop. Leaving him to peruse her work, she disappeared into the bathroom to finish dressing.
“You know,” Nathan began when she returned. “You have an excellent eye. These are brilliant. I think for my next lesson you and I should—”
A huge crashing sound interrupted his thoughts.
“What the…?” Nathan jumped to his feet and quickly looked around.
“It came from Goddesses’ room.” Steph darted to the adjoining door. “Shit. It’s locked!”
“Try the one in the hall.” Nathan pushed past her.
“Hey! Stop!” she heard Nathan exclaim. She followed him into the hall. To her surprise, Nathan bolted past Goddess’s open door and ran full speed down the hall. She peered after him straining to see where he was headed.
The door was ajar, and Steph couldn’t help but think of her first encounter with Fury. She pushed the door open and entered the suite. Goddess sat on the edge of her bed, a phone to her ear. Steph was ill prepared for the disaster she encountered. The bedside table on its side, the dining table up was ended, and the room looked like it had been tossed. Goddess spotted her and slammed the phone down. She had a red mark that looked like a hand print on the right side of her face and the gash on her eyebrow hadn’t stopped bleeding.
“I…was tired and I got dizzy…” Goddess mumbled. She seemed to search for the words.
Steph glanced around the room. “Did you lose something?”
“I couldn’t find my camera and I freaked.” Goddess seemed to become aware that she was bleeding and immediately applied pressure. Steph felt her own brow furrow as she noticed the camera bag on the table near the balcony and she was about to suggest that the explanation made no sense when Nathan entered the room panting.
“Someone….took off down the hall.” He gasped, bent over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “I tried to catch up to him.”
“Did you get a good look at them?” Stunned at the turn of events, Steph turned numbly from Goddess, who avoided eye contact with her, to Nathan.
“No.” Nathan stood upright and put his hand behind his head. “Shit, I really need to quit smoking.”
“I think we better get you to a hospital.” Steph attempted to help the towering female to her feet.
“No. I just need to rest,” Goddess said. Once again her eyes darted back and forth, making her resemble a trapped animal.
“You could have a concussion; you should really get that checked out. “Steph’s words were firm. “I’m sorry, Goddess. I have to insist.”
“Ok.” Goddess sighed. “But can’t I have the doctor come here? I hate hospitals.”
She sat back down on the bed.
“Who the hell did this to you?”
“I told you, I fell.”
“Do doctors still make house calls in Paris?” Steph asked Nathan, ignoring Goddess’s blatant lie.
He shrugged.
“Listen, we’ll have the driver take you to the hospital. I’ll go with you.” Overwhelmed with empathy and cursing herself for being such a bitch, Stephanie decided to step up and take care of her intern.
“I’ll call them and tell them you are on your way. Let me help you to the car.” Nathan took Goddess by the arm and began out the door.
“Really I think I can manage!” Goddess snapped, shoving Nathan away. Though it looked like Goddess put no effort into the shove, he toppled to the ground.
“Jesus! I was just trying to help.” Nathan looked astonished. Steph stifled a giggle and helped him to his feet. They proceeded to the elevator.
“Oh crap! I forgot her passport!” Steph exclaimed. Her nerves were shot and she saw a couple of flashing lights in her peripheral vision. She knew that spelled trouble; she felt a migraine coming on. Not now, she begged and prayed for it to go away.
“Does she need it?”
Steph shrugged.
“Go ahead and take her to the lobby. I’ll get the passport.” Nathan lit a cigarette with shaky hands.
Goddess glared at Nathan; Steph thought it was strange that she seemed so hostile toward him and wondered if she was going into shock. As they sat in the car, Goddess fidgeted with her phone, and glared out the window. A range of emotions crossed her face and Steph made note that pain wasn’t one of them. Beginning to agree with Cheyenne that Goddess’s behavior seemed odd, Steph chewed on her nails and wondered what she should do about it. Relief overwhelmed her when she saw Nathan hurrying toward the car. Steph climbed out.
“Sorry.” He bent down to the car window. He handed Goddess her passport. “I called the hospital and they will be waiting for you.”
“What? Why?” Goddess spat. Her face contorted with annoyance. Nathan gave the driver the address. “He’ll take you.”
Steph shot him a look. “I don’t think she should go alone.”
“It’s Ok.” Nathan’s eyes locked with Steph’s and she was painfully aware he wanted to speak with her privately. Whatever it was he had to say, it seemed he didn’t want Goddess to hear it.
“Here you’ll need money.” Steph shoved a wad of cash at Goddess. Nathan grabbed her arm at the last second as if to stop her. Goddess snatched the money.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” she grumbled.
“Call us if you need anything!” Nathan yelled a
s the driver sped off. He turned to Steph and the set of his draw stopped her in her tracks.
“We need to talk.” He pulled out a bag.
Steph looked at the baggie of white power and felt her stomach twist.
“Where did you find that?”
“Sticking out from under Goddesses’ mattress. It’s cocaine.”
“No shit,” Steph sassed.
Nathan stuffed the bag into his pocket.
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to keep that on your person?” She looked over her shoulder and gave him a concerned sideways glance.
A troubled look crossed his fine features. Glancing around in a paranoid manner, he tossed it in the nearest trash can.
“Someone was in that room with her, probably looking for the drugs or money. When she didn’t give either, they gave her a sound thrashing.”
“This morning she barged into my room with that huge cut on her face.”
“She’s in some sort of mess, Stephanie. She’s dodgy. You need to distance yourselves from her.” Nathan looked like a nervous wreck.
“We don’t even know her. This is her first assignment with us.”
“Don’t you make people give urine samples to be employed in The States?”
“You watch too much TV, though I think I’ll write Dad a memo about instituting the policy.”
“I was coming to see you to let you know we’re having a private soiree in one of the conference rooms. I know I’m going to get pretty wasted after all of this,” Nathan commented as they walked back inside the hotel.
Steph nodded emphatically. She glanced at her cell phone clock and popped another pill. “I could use a drink… or six.”
Two imposing security guards flanked a sign stating ‘Private Party’. They nodded to Ian and Cheyenne as they entered the Marie Antoinette Room.
“Good afternoon Mr. Cornelius, Ms. Carson.” The guard opened the door for them.
“Hello and thank you,” Cheyenne replied smiling.
She barely contained a gasp as she took in yet another amazing space. Mirrored French doors, blonde engraved wood, and stunning chandeliers were a feast for her eyes. There was a long table set for lunch, and an enormous set of French doors were propped open leading to an adjoining room with a fireplace, wet bar, and lounging sofas. The weighty curtains were pulled back to reveal that they were street level and Cheyenne wondered how long they’d be able to keep them open before encountering trouble. For a moment she envisioned Fury fans as zombies in a movie, pounding and slobbering on the glass. Her smile quickly disappeared as she recalled the attack on her hair earlier that morning. Perhaps the comparison wasn’t that far-fetched.