 A few other people came through. Ian dealt with them while the night manager dealt with the phone calls that came in. Over the next few hours, Ian gave out room discounts and wiped-out room service charges. Finally, in the very early hours of the morning, Ian retreated to his office, leaving the door ajar. Taren didn’t waste any time following him, closing the door softly behind him. “It was Kevin,” Ian blurted out. His nostrils flared, and his breathing was rapid and harsh. “He admitted to it?” Taren asked. “No, but—” Ian stopped abruptly. Taren waited a few seconds for more of an explanation. “Ian, how do you know?” “You’re defending him?” “No! I’m asking how do you know it was Kevin? You can’t accuse someone of a crime without proof,” Taren shot back. “Don’t interrogate me or play cop with me,” Ian spat. “I am a cop! I’m trying to help you. Tell me how you know he’s responsible, and I’ll get his lame ass arrested.” “Help? You’re the one who brought him into our lives! How could you do that? And now you want to help!” Ian shouted. “Ian, the Kevin I knew wouldn’t do anything like this. If I thought for a second he’d hurt you in any way, I’d never agreed to meeting with him that first time.” Taren took a few deep breaths. “Recall you told me you enjoyed our threesomes with Kevin.” Ian stood, staring at Taren, trembling, fists clenching and unclenching. “He.” “He what?” Taren demanded in a soft voice. Turning away, Ian took a few steps away. “He threatened me.” “He did what?” Taren followed Ian, took him by the shoulders, and turned him so he was forced to face Taren. When Ian focused on a spot over Taren’s shoulder but stayed quiet, Taren tightened his grip. “Ian. What exactly did he do?” Ian tried to shake Taren’s hands off, but Taren didn’t let go. “Ian!” “Let me go,” Ian said in a low, shaky voice. Taren immediately let go, held his hands up, and took a step back. “What did Kevin do?” “This is my business. I’ll handle it.” Ian was looking everywhere but at Taren. “Yeah, let’s go back to the ‘I’m a cop’ part of the conversation. This is where you get me involved. I can’t protect you or help you if you’re not upfront with me,” Taren said. “I don’t need your protection, not with this.” Taren took a step towards Ian. “Look me in the eye and say that.” Ian looked up, then away almost at once. “I…he…don’t…” “That’s what I thought.” “He,” Ian stopped and swallowed hard. “Kevin, he got a little handsy. And I pushed back. That made him angry.” “Did he hurt you?” Force Majeure is available in eBook, paperback, through Kindle Unlimited and your local library digital catalog.    
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