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“We should.” Sam merely sounded regretful now, like they both knew there was no chance of that. And, of course, they did both know that.
For a minute or so they held each other, breathing in quiet unison, not speaking, not moving. Then Sam exhaled, raised his head, and peered at the clock.
He growled.
“Time?” Jason asked.
“We’re late.” He dropped a kiss on Jason’s forehead, sat up, and retrieved his clothes.
Jason sat up too, then walked into the bathroom. He turned on his toothbrush, listening for Sam’s answer as he called, “What have you got planned for tonight?”
“Nothing so far.” That could change, of course, and Sam added, “I’ll let you know.” Now dressed—mostly—he stepped into the bathroom, and Jason turned off his toothbrush.
Sam kissed him. “Minty fresh.” He wiped a bit of foam from his lip and said, “Be careful out there.”
“You know me.”
“I do, so be careful, West.”
“Back at you, Kennedy.”
Jason stared at his reflection, listening for the sound of the closing door, and then sighed.
* * * * *
Once again, he beat J.J. down to breakfast. While he drank his coffee, he tried phoning de Haan.
No reply.
This time he couldn’t even leave a message. Instead, he got the dreaded the customer you are trying to reach is unavailable.
It seemed a little odd. Was de Haan angry about something? He didn’t seem like a guy who would hesitate to speak his mind, if that was the case. He had not been happy with Jason the day before, but they had still been on speaking terms.
At this point, de Haan needed them more than they needed him. So again, odd.
J.J. arrived a minute later, grabbed a coffee and a Cinnabon, and said, “Head ’em up and move ’em out, West.”
“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for you,” Jason sa
id, but he was talking to his partner’s back.
They passed Travis Petty on his way into the hotel. Petty, looking handsome as hell in a navy suit with a rose-colored—Jesus, rose-colored?—tie nodded gravely in greeting.
“Hey,” Jason said.
“Hey,” Petty returned in that same expressionless voice.
“I don’t like that guy’s tie,” J.J. said as they got in the rental car.
Jason laughed and started the engine.
On the short ride to the office, J.J. said, “I know it’s none of my business, but Mari was telling me last night that Kennedy and Petty used to be pretty cozy.”
It probably wasn’t J.J.’s business, and he probably shouldn’t listen to this, but Jason said, “Mari? Is that Martinez?”
“Yeah. For Marianna.” J.J. paused to take a bite of Cinnabon. “Their whatever-it-was was widely enough known that you and Kennedy are now the main topic of office gossip.”
“Clearly.”
