So started the biggest prank war that the Backstreet Tours had ever seen. The harder Jeff tried to separate the couple, the worse the pranks got. Though Jeff was fast becoming furious with them, he hadn’t come after them to yell at them yet. In the privacy of one another’s arms at night, AJ and Brian joked that Jeff was probably terrified of pissing off security.
But, the downside of the jokes was that it seemed to make Jeff more determined to find a way to separate them. A month after being back on tour, Jeff finally managed to do something to keep them apart. They were all in the elevator, on their way up to their rooms for the night. Earlier when they’d arrived, security had taken their bags to their rooms for them so that they could hurry to the show. Now, they were being handed their room keys.
Marcus handed AJ his room key with a sigh. “Sorry, J.” He whispered to him. “I couldn’t do anything to fix this one.”
“Fix what?” AJ asked, looking at his key and back up to Marcus.
“Management booked you a room on our floor. Says it’s because of that magazine article. They claim that they’re afraid of someone coming after you, that there have been threats and such, so they want you on the same floor as all of us instead of the other guys.”
AJ felt his mouth drop open. “What?” he exclaimed loudly. Everyone turned to look at him just as the elevator doors opened. Brian reached out and took hold of AJ’s hand while Kevin and Howie held the elevator, forcing the doors to stay open. “What is it?” Brian asked.
“I’m sleeping on security’s floor tonight.” AJ said in frustration. He looked around at them all, furious about this and unable to figure out how to fix it. He saw the same fire that he was feeling flash into Brian’s eyes. “I’ll call you.” Brian whispered to him. Leaning in close, he whispered in AJ’s ear. “Keep your phone on, and give me a little bit. We’ll meet down here and we’ll figure out something. I’m not sleeping apart from you tonight. You’ve been turning me on all day, Alexander. I mean to get what I want from you.”
Raising his eyebrows, AJ smiled at Brian when he pulled back. God, he loved this man. If there was anything that could have motivated AJ to find a way to him that night, the sexual promise in Brian’s eyes would do it. So he kissed his partner fiercely and let him step out of the elevator. AJ kept his peace as the elevator went back down a floor, and as they stepped off. He simply looked at Marcus, waiting for his room number, and totally ignored Jeff behind him.
Marcus gestured for AJ to follow and led him down to a room at the end of the hallway. Once he showed him which one, AJ silently opened it. He didn’t trust himself to speak to anyone right at the moment. Instead, he just waved at Marcus before shutting the door. Turning to look at his room, AJ wished to God there was someone there that he could pound on. Anything to release this tension inside of him. It was getting so frustrating, trying to fight off this stupid security guard.
Growling, he moved to the patio to have a cigarette. Before he even got halfway there, a knock sounded on his door. He didn’t even have time to answer it before it opened up. Who else walked in but the one person that AJ wanted to see least of all. Instinct had him bracing himself; widening his stance and loosening his muscles.
Jeff shut the door almost silently before he turned to sneer at AJ. “I’ve been trying to get you alone to talk to you for the past month.” Jeff said in an even voice.
“So talk. Then, get the hell out.”
AJ’s snarl had no effect on him. Shaking his head, Jeff walked a few steps into the room before crossing his arms over his chest. “I think you’re the most reasonable of the bunch, AJ. Well, maybe not reasonable. But practical. A kid who grew up the way you did has to be practical and logical in things, or they end up dead.”
“Are you threatening me?” AJ rolled his shoulders, letting the fury course through him. He let it fill him. Not the fury that he usually had that was inside when he’d fought with Brian or anyone else. No, this was the fury that came when that survival instinct kicked in.
Amusement twinkled in Jeff’s eyes. “Listen, AJ. You seem to have forgotten what this all boils down to. You forget what you were warned. Miss Carla wanted me to remind you that there’s more at stake here than a few sleepless nights or practical jokes. I’m here right now to try to prevent someone from getting hurt. You don’t want to push that button.”
“I ought to turn you in here and now for this.” AJ snarled at him. Everything in him ached to go over there and pound that look off of Jeff’s face.
“You won’t, though.” Jeff said confidently. “Because you know you have no proof. It’s just your word against mine, and who would management believe? It’s why you haven’t hit me yet. You know that you’d never be able to get away with it. They wouldn’t just make your life hell because of it. They’d make your little girlfriend’s life hell too.”
“Point made, Jeff. Now get the hell out of my room.”
Stepping closer, Jeff gave him a hard look. “One thing first, you little punk.” He said in a hard voice. “I’m tired of your disrespectful attitude.”
“Fuck off.”
Jeff reached AJ right then and even though AJ knew what was coming, he couldn’t do a damn thing. It was like Jeff said. If he marked Jeff in any way at all, it wouldn’t be just his life that would be effected. It would be Brian’s. The last thing that AJ wanted was for Brian to get more shit just because his boyfriend couldn’t take a few hits. What kind of man would he be then?
So AJ stood perfectly still and took the solid punch to his gut, trying to breathe through it to lessen the blow. It still bent him double. He fought every natural instinct he had to keep from flying up and beating the crap out of Jeff. His brain automatically saw all the openings that Jeff left in his guard, but AJ didn’t take a one of them. Next, Jeff grabbed AJ’s shoulders and brought a knee up, slamming it into AJ’s stomach. He let AJ drop to the ground. “That’s better. Now we understand one another.” He said mockingly.
A moment later AJ heard his door open and shut again. Wheezing, AJ forced himself to his hands and knees, then to his feet. He made his way to the door, flipping the latch and hooking the chain. God, he could definitely use a smoke now. Jeff packed one hell of a punch.
By the time he made it to the balcony, AJ had moved beyond furious. It wasn’t a cold lethality that he felt anymore. No, this was just straight temper. But as he lit his smoke, he heard voices that drew his attention. Up above his head and off to the right there was a babble of voices that he recognized. That was definitely Kevin’s voice booming out over them. He distinctly heard Nick’s higher pitched voice too.
Pulling out his cell, AJ sent a text off to Brian. ‘Where are you all at right now?’ While he waited for an answer he smoked his cigarette. It didn’t take long before he got a reply. At the sensation of his phone buzzing, AJ opened it and saw Brian’s response. ‘We gathered in my room. Y?’
A plan formed in AJ’s mind. Smirking, he replied with ‘C u soon.’ And shut his phone. Now, all he had to do was find what he needed. It had been a long time since he’d had to climb anything. Not to mention that he’d been quite a bit younger the last time he’d done it. But some skills just never left you. AJ went back into his room and kicked his shoes off, letting them land by the bed. Next he pulled off his socks, dropping them where he was at.
He looked down at his clothes for a minute before shaking his head. They wouldn’t do. Too loose. So he dug through his suitcase until he found a pair of his jeans, dark blue. He put those on it place of the baggy ones he’d been wearing. Then he switched his t-shirt for a wife beater tank top. He tossed all his rings down into his suitcase too.
The last thing he did was grab his pajamas and toiletries bag and toss them inside his backpack. Once that was done, he pulled the backpack on and strapped the single strap over his chest, buckling the belt with it as well. There, that would stay secure.
If this stupid fucker thought he was going to get the best of AJ Mclean than he had another thing coming to him. He had no fucking idea who he was messing with. As he headed back out to the patio he didn’t realize that his grin had turned sharp and slightly dangerous. So Jeff thought he’d won this round, did he? Well, he’d show him. If only he could see the fuckers face if he found out that AJ wasn’t in his room.
Since he had the room at the end of the hall, which put AJ on the corner of the building, which made his job infinitely easier. It would have been difficult if he’d been in the middle of the hotel floor. AJ shut off the patio light and the bedroom light on his way out so the patio was semi dark as he walked along it.
Looking at the railing, AJ chuckled at himself. He’d been almost thirteen the last time he’d scaled outside balconies. That had been at his mother’s apartment complex. Couldn’t be that difficult to do now, could it? Sure, he was bigger, but he was more athletic now.
No point in standing around wondering about it. The cellphone in the strap pocket of his backpack gave another buzz that AJ ignored. It was just going to be Brian, most likely asking what he was doing or what was going on. Like he’d tell Brian. His boyfriend would flip. Most especially since everyone knew that Brain was terrified of heights.
AJ stepped up onto the railing at the far edge of the balcony, right by the hotel corner. He took hold of the drain pipe that was there and tested it with a quick shake. Once he knew it was steady he grabbed hold, braced a foot on the side of it, and started to scale. He didn’t get disoriented once he was off the balcony, or afraid. It was just the same as it had always been. Easy, and slightly thrilling to be this high up.
When he got to the balcony above him, he reached over to grab the metal railing, making the switch from the pipe to the rails easily. But just as he made to lift a leg over, a voice from inside the room caught his attention. Son of a bitch! That was Jeff’s voice!
“Just checking the rooms, Mr. Dorough. Making sure that there’s nothing, sneaky, going on tonight.” He said in his surly voice.
“There’s nothing in here, and I’m not hiding AJ under my bed. Now would you mind getting the hell out of my room?” Howie snapped.
“As soon as I’m done checking this part of the room and the balcony, I’ll be on my way.”
The balcony? Oh, hell! He needed to move fast. One look showed that Howie’s blinds were open, though. If he tried to sneak across or anything like that he would be easily illuminated by the light from the room. AJ had to think fast, before Jeff came out. There wasn’t time to scale back down and hide. AJ did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed tight to the bottom of the railings and dropped his feet down, letting them dangle over open air.
Like a monkey he hung there off the edge, silently moving to the side. He grabbed the railing next to the one his hand was on, over and over, moving toward the side of the balcony that would lead him to Brian’s. Just as he reached the gap between the two, Howie’s patio door slid open and Howie and Jeff came out. AJ froze, thanking God that this side of the balcony had a chair that sheltered him from sight. He brought his feet up, bracing them on the cement that worked as the bottom part of the balcony, easing the pressure on his arms a little.
“See, I told you, no one and nothing here that shouldn’t be here.” Howie’s voice was surly sounding, and left no doubt that he wasn’t very pleased.
“Its my job to watch for the safety of you boys. I’ll check what I need to check.”
“Just hurry up and get out of here.” Howie’s voice got closer until he was right by the chair that was sheltering AJ’s hands from sight.
AJ tipped his head up, watching as Howie leaned against the railing. He prayed for his friend not to look down, not to see him and give him away. But someone up high wasn’t listening to his prayers. Howie looked down, shaking his head at something Jeff was saying. His eyes almost instantly locked on to AJ. When they did, they grew wider and wider and his mouth opened as if to gasp or shout. AJ quickly let go with one hand to gesture for silence.
Staring for a moment, Howie seemed in shock. But then Jeff spoke up. “I think everything is ok here.” He said, his voice a little closer. The look on Howie’s face changed to panic for a moment, then smoothed out to the annoyance it had been before. “I told you that.” Howie snapped, turning and taking a stipe toward Jeff. AJ couldn’t see what Howie did, but the two headed back inside the room.
AJ breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God that these balconies had spaces between them and weren’t all one long line or he wouldn’t have had anywhere to hide in. He heard the door in Howie’s room open and close again and sighed one more time. He was safe. Turning his head, he looked toward Brian’s balcony. It was close enough. After another deep breath he angled his body and threw one arm and one leg sideways, grabbing the railing to Brian’s patio and bracing a foot there. Once he was steady, he swung the other arm and leg across the space. From there it was easy to shimmy up to the top of the rail and flip a leg over.
Just as he got that leg over, Howie came back out on his patio. “You fucking idiot!” Howie hissed at him, walking right to his patio edge. He glared at AJ, who still sat straddling the railing. “Not only did you almost get caught, but you could be killed doing something like this!”
“But I wasn’t.” AJ said softly. He tried to keep from yelling back at Howie. The anger from earlier was still sitting in his system. “Jeff already hit Bri’s room or he on his way there?”
“He already went there. Dammit, AJ! What were you thinking?”
The edge of AJ’s temper was getting close to breaking. Instead of sitting there and debating with Howie and potentially exploding on his best friend, AJ just settled for a shrug before he brought his other leg over. “Later, D.”
AJ pulled himself fully on to Brian’s patio. He blocked Howie out and walked over to peek in Brian’s patio door. When he saw no one but Brian, he pulled the door open. It was priceless to see the look on Brian’s face when he spun and saw AJ walking into his room. Shock had those blue eyes going wide and his mouth dropping open. “AJ?”