AJ put his hands up into the air. “Okay man, just take it easy, okay? Don’t get all riled.”
Nick stormed off towards the exits to the awaiting shuttle van to take him back to the hotel where they were staying. As he cautiously opened the stage door, he slammed it shut quickly when he heard the screams coming from the parking lot.
“Shit,” Nick sighed as he leaned against the door. “Where’s Jay at?”
Setting the bag down onto the floor, Nick walked off in search of his bodyguard before he tried to venture out to the van.
“You’re such an wuss,” AJ teased when he noticed that Nick was too scared to walk the short distance from the building to the van.
“Sorry, but I really don’t feel in the mood to be torn apart and have my hair pulled,” Nick spat. When he rounded the corner, he nearly ran into Jay. “Good, I need to get to the van and there’s a little bit of a block out there that I need help getting through.
Jay nodded, indicating he heard Nick. As they neared the door, AJ quickly stepped behind Nick.
“Oh, so I’m the wuss?”
“I just figured I’d tag along since Jay was already here,” AJ defended.
AJ and Nick followed Jay closely. He had created a path and the screaming girls quickly parted for Jay only to circle back and reach out and touch Nick. and AJ. A panicked Nick pused Jay hard in the middle of his back. Jay stepped up his pace and all three of them barely made it to the shuttle van, unscathed.
Slowly shaking his head as the bus drove off, Nick settled back into his seat and leafed through a comic book that was laying on the seat next to him.
Seven years he had been with the group. Each time was just as wild as the last one.
As the van pulled into the circle drive to the hotel, Nick reached for his gear. He looked out the window and let out a deep sigh as he discovered a cluster of girls standing near the front entrance.
“Shit, how do they find us all the damn time?” Nick asked outloud.
“They love me so the desire to be near me is too strong,” AJ joked.
“Yeah, okay AJ, dream all you want,” Nick replied as he slung the bag over his shoulder.
Nick and AJ made their way past the crowd of girls, signing a few autographs on the way, and, thanks to Jay, were able to leave and get inot the hotel. The three men approached the registration desk.
“I need my room key,” Nick asked as soon as the woman behind the desk acknowledged them standing there.
“Are you already registered?” She smiled at them, but Nick could tell it was a pasted on smile.
“We have reservations, this is the first that we’ve been in here today,” AJ replied, the irritation was noticeable in his voice.
“I see, names please?”
“I’m Nick Dunn and this is John Alexander,” Nick replied as he watched her key the names into the computer. Nick always used the last name of his favorite player on the Tampa Bay football team as his alias when checking into a hotel. AJ’s was John, short for Johnny and then his first name added as the last name.
“Jay Martin, with the security detail,” Jay added.
The woman clicked in a few keys on her computer and then had three forms printed out. She handed a card to each and smiling, told them to enjoy their stay.
Nick glanced down at the card that had a photo of the hotel chain on the front.
Room number 838.
“What room you in AJ?” Nick asked as they stepped into the elevator.
AJ looked down at his card. “842.”
The elevator stopped on the sixth floor, letting Jay out.
“Call me if you need me, I’m in 620,” Jay stated as he left.
“How the hell did that happen? Security is usually on the floor below us, I don’t think I really like that set up,” AJ mumbled.
“It’s gonna be okay AJ,” Nick reassured AJ as well as himself. The elevator jerked to a stop on the eighth floor.
Nick narrowed his eyes as he looked down the end of the hall. He saw what looked like three girls standing there. “Shit, hey, I’ll catch ya later,” he said quickly as he grabbed at his bag and dashed for the room. It took him three tries until he finally got the cared into the slot that opened the door.
Once inside the room, he pushed the door shut and bolted it.
“Being a little paranoid Nicky?”
Nick whirled around and found Brian laying on a bed watching television.
Throwing his bag on the bed next to Brian, he stared at the TV. “How the hell did you get here before me and why the hell are you in my room?”
Brian continued to watch the program. “There was a mix up by the hotel, something about over booking so I said I would share a room with you, I figured you wouldn’t mind. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Oh.... no,” Nick sighed. “I was just looking forward to doing my own little thing, making calls and stuff, I guess there wasn’t much of a choice in this anyways.”
“Just pretend I’m not here,” Brian suggested.
Nick nodded. “Yeah... right.”
