The Fixes (26 page)

256.

The movie star is just setting the drinks on the coffee table when Paige calls his name from the bathroom. She pokes her head out. “Can you help me with something in here?” she asks.

smiles. There's nothing in the world he'd like better. He hurries over to Paige. Paige and Haley lock eyes, and Haley reaches for her handbag.

(Plan B is a little concoction Jordan cooked up. “Just like a roofie, except faster,” he told Haley and Paige. “It should knock him out cold in, like, five or ten minutes.”

“Five
or
ten?” Haley said. “How accurate are your estimates? I don't want to be stuck with this asshole longer than I need to be.”

“Ten minutes, tops,” Jordan assured her. “You can handle yourself for that long, right?”)

Haley pours Plan B in
's vodka soda. Stirs it around until the powder dissolves clear. Picks up her phone and texts Jordan.

Go time.

257.

This is where things start to go sideways.

For starters, the movie star doesn't touch his drink. Not even once. He comes back and sits down and makes small talk for a minute, and then he looks at Paige and Haley with that sick smile again, like,
Put up or shut up
.

And Haley tries to stall by pretending to be distracted by the, like,
amazing
view, and
takes the bait and stands behind her and points out the city landmarks, his hand on her hip in the grossest way possible.

(And he still hasn't touched his drink.)

And Haley tries to stall some more, wanders around like an airhead, admiring the art on the walls and the furniture and, like, the freaking
fridge
. And
plays along, but he
still
never touches his drink.

And finally, Haley's out of ideas, and the movie star has her cornered, and he calls Paige over.

“No more bullshit,” he says.

258.

Paige and Haley look at each other.

leers at them.

Haley wonders how far Paige is willing to go for this Fix.

(Not much further, it turns out.)

    
Paige shakes her head. “I can't do this,” she tells Haley.

laughs a mean laugh.

“Just what I thought.”

259.

“There was a room key on that end table,”
tells Haley and Paige. “Which one of you took it?”

Haley and Paige look at each other. Paige's eyes go wide.
Play dumb
, Haley's thinking.
Deny everything.

walks over to Paige. “I'm guessing it was you. Probably on your way to the bathroom, am I right?”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Paige says. “I didn't take your room key.”

“Bullshit.”
reaches for Paige's handbag. “Let me see that purse.”

Haley starts to interject.
stops her with his hand. “You stay right there,” he tells her. “I'll deal with you next. I'm
dying
to know what you put in my drink.”

He smiles at Haley, a cold smile, and beyond him, Haley can see Paige is panicking. Shit.

“You thought I didn't notice?” The movie star laughs. “Try again. Now, do I have to call security, or can we settle this ourselves?”

He leers at Haley, and then he turns and leers at Paige, so smug and self-satisfied it makes Haley sick.

She telepathically screams at Paige to distract the little pervert. Reaches into her purse for her cell phone.

260.

E is in the lobby of the St. Regis when Jordan comes through the front doors. He crosses the lobby quickly, and from the look on his face under his snapback, E knows something's wrong.

E starts to stand up from the lounge chairs where he's been pretending to read a newspaper—

(Sample story:
CAPILANO POLICE STILL STYMIED IN CÔTE D'AZUR BOMBING
.)

                      
—ready to follow Jordan, but Jordan catches the movement and turns and shakes his head slightly.
No
. E sits back down. Watches Jordan disappear onto the elevator. Tries not to worry about what's going on upstairs.

261.

The next few minutes are ugly.

grabs Paige's arm, rough. Paige screams. Haley reaches out, tries to stop
.
pushes her away with his free hand, sends her sprawling to the floor.

“This could have been easy,”
is telling Paige. “Now it's gotta be hard.”

He's pushing her toward a bedroom. Haley picks herself up off the floor. Scrambles for her phone. Texts Jordan again.
911. 911. 911.

Jordan texts back immediately.
Open the door.

Haley hurries to the door. Can hear Paige fighting
behind her. She opens the door, and Jordan's on the other side. He pushes past her and across to where
is struggling with Paige. Grabs him by the shoulders and wrenches him back.
spins, smirks when he sees Jordan. “Who are you supposed to be?” he says. “The knight in shining armor?”

“Something like that,” Jordan says. He swings at
. The movie star ducks it, does some martial-arts bullshit that leaves Jordan on the ground.

“Good thing about making movies,”
says, smirking. “Plenty of opportunity to learn new skills.”

He turns back to Paige, pushes her, drags her. Fends
Haley off with one hand as she fights him. He's
laughing
, the bastard.

“Just forget it,” Paige is saying. “Just call the cops, Haley. Just forget the Fix.”

“Bullshit,” Haley tells her. “It's three against one.”

She launches herself at
again.
swats her away. Haley's just about to stand up and attack the sucker again, maybe aim for his balls this time, when—

                      
Jordan rushes past her with authority. He's holding, like, a gigantic stained-glass vase, and, as Haley watches, he lifts it high in the air and brings it down

on
's head.