Page 6 of For the Boys
“Jackpot!” he said triumphantly. “Her name is Kimber Delaney. It’s a California ID though, so that doesn’t do us much good.”
Cole wasted no time reaching into one of the pockets of the brunette. “I can’t believe we didn’t think of this before,” he said as he pulled out an ID and debit card. “Amelia Granato,” he read. “Address in Traverse City.”
Cole and Parker both turned expectantly to Brent.
Brent took a deep breath and sighed before gingerly working his fingers into one of the front pockets of the girl’s shorts, trying not to think about how incredibly tight they were or how close he was to her sensitive bits. He felt the edge of something thin and plastic and latched on, carefully sliding two cards free. One was a Michigan driver’s license, also with a Traverse City address. The other was a credit card.
“Berkley Daniels,” he said, looking down at her.
“Berkley,” Cole said. “That’s pretty.”
“She’s pretty,” Brent said dreamily.
Parker snorted. “Okay, now that they’re safe and sound, can we jet? My buzz has officially worn off, and I’m ready for bed.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if they get sick in their sleep?”
“Look, they’re fine. That girl at the bar did say they had thrown up quite a bit by the time she could leave them to get help,” Cole reminded him.
Brent didn’t feel entirely comfortable leaving them there. His reticence wasn’t entirely altruistic, but his teammates didn’t need to know that. The girls did seem to be okay though. No one had thrown up on the drive over, and all three were breathing deeply and regularly. Sleep was exactly what they needed at the moment.
As a precaution, Brent carefully turned all three girls on their sides and set garbage cans on either side of the bed.
Brent surveyed his work. “Maybe I should just stay with them,” he said.
Cole sighed and walked over to Brent, grabbing him by the arm. “Bro, no. That’s a terrible idea for a number of reasons. How would you feel if you woke up after being drugged to find a random dude sitting in your hotel room, creepily staring at you?”
“Okay, fair.”
“Plus,” Parker chimed in, “if you freak her out now, she’ll never go out with you.”
Brent really hated when Parker was right. It was rare, but it did happen.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go.”
He left the keycard on the nightstand and walked out of the room and to the door, opening it and ushering Cole and Parker out ahead of him. He took one last look at the slumbering forms.
“See you soon, Berkley Daniels,” he whispered.
Chapter Two
Berkley
Berkley woke to harsh sunlight streaming directly into her eyes through a gap in the curtains. She rolled over in the unfamiliar bed to find Kimber next to her, still passed out. Amelia padded out of the bathroom.
“Morning,” Amelia said, a yawn stretching her mouth wide open. “What in the actual fuck happened last night?”
Berkley sat up slowly and took inventory of herself. She was fully clothed, tank top and shorts still in place. She patted her pocket where she had stowed her ID and money the night before, finding it empty. Her phone was also missing. Bolting from the bed in a panic, she nearly fell over as the edges of her vision went black with the sudden movement. She took several deep, steadying breaths as she dug through her remaining pockets in search of her personal belongings.
“Looking for these?” Amelia asked, motioning to the TV stand where their cash, cards, IDs, and phones were all laid out in a line. Berkley breathed a sigh of relief.
“Why do I feel like I got hit by a truck?” Kimber asked, awake now and blinking furiously at the ceiling. “And where the fuck are we?”
Berkley walked over to the window and peeled back the curtain, shielding her eyes from the worst of the sunshine. The Detroit River greeted her far below, and off to her left she could just make out the corner of Comerica Park. “Ren Cen from the looks of it.”
“Okay,” Kimber said, slowly sitting up. “New question: how the fuck did we get here?”
Amelia sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been wondering that myself.”
