Days Of St Croix

Twenty-Seven

  "Hey, Mills! What's up?" Brand crossed the gleaming marble floor of the bar and climbed up into one of the stools, resting his elbows on the polished wood. Mills was getting drunk, Brand could tell immediately. She was sitting with another girl he had never seen before. He didn't think she was a St Croixian, but he could have been mistaken.

  "Ari Brandeis! What are you doing here?" Mills slid out of her stool, stepped around Paige and sort of half tripped, half lunged into Brand. He caught her, and she embraced him, giving him a little peck on the cheek.

  "Tibby didn't tell you? I'm meeting her here after she gets done with that French director."

  "Okay, better grab a drink then, honey, 'cause I don't think she's quite ready yet." Mills giggled. Brand looked at her for a moment. Then he glanced at the other girl. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders slightly.

  "What does that mean?" Brand looked at Mills again.

  "Nothing, it's just, well, they're still busy I guess."

  "Having lunch?"

  "Not exactly." Mills giggled, then paused, as if she knew that she might already have said too much.

  "What, then?" Brand demanded. The other girl looked down at her drink; she looked uncomfortable, or anxious. Mills didn't reply, so Brand pressed her. "Mills? What are they busy with? She was going to meet me here after her lunch. That's what we agreed. What's going on?"

  "I guess they went up to his room. She just texted me." Brand stared at Mills for a moment. He felt the blood drain out of his face, and his fingers startled to tingle. "I'm sure...I'm sure they're just, like, going over some lines or something." Mills slurred. Brand hopped down from his stool.

  "She's in his room?"

  "That's what she said. Brand, don't worry about it. It's nothing."

  "Ha! Yeah, right. That sleazy fucker. Which room?"

  "Brand-"

  "Which room, Mills?" Brand pushed past Mills and was halfway out of the bar.

  "The Presidential Suite." Mills replied, putting a hand out to steady herself.

  "Thanks."

  "Brand!" Mills called out, but he was already gone.

  The elevator opened, and Jas stepped out. He knew that he needed to be quick; Mills would be arriving any minute, and he wanted to be back upstairs waiting for her. He didn't want any more disturbances that day. Just Mills and him, together, in complete privacy for a few hours. He quickened his pace down the corridor, around the corner and bumped straight into Brand.

  "Hey buddy! What are you doing here? You okay?" Jas stepped aside and paused, but Brand didn't stop. Jas watched him jog down the corridor towards the bank of elevators.

  "Brand!"

  "I'll tell you later, dude!" Brand yelled, without looking back. Jas shook his head, turned around and went into the bar.