Almost Famous

By Ryan Bartlett

Chapter 10

The official hotel for the tour was the Jumeirah Beach Resort. Naturally an assailant would expect Wiley to be staying with the rest of the tennis players competing in the tournament, so the men of Blackhawk Security moved him to the equally luxurious Burj Al Arab. The hotel sat across from the resort on a manmade island separated from the mainland by a narrow causeway. Yani and his men liked it because it was easily defensible; there was only one route on and off the island and, coordinating with hotel security, they would be able to monitor anyone coming in or going out.

The security detail took Wiley and Benji up to the fifteenth floor where they found two rooms, each with a guard out front. Wiley and Benji each had a junior suite, a king size bedroom and a small living room. Yani directed the boys into the first room, which turned out to be Wiley’s.

“Ok,” said Yani, “Mr. Benji is in room next door. We have command post set up across the hall, and there will be guard outside of door 24 hours a day.”

“Uh huh,” said Wiley as the view of the Persian Gulf drew him to the window.

“Hey,” said Yani. “Do not stand so close to windows, please.”

“What, you think a sniper’s going to come out of the Gulf and blow my head off?” Wiley’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes.

“You never hear of boat?” Yani retorted.

Wiley’s eyes almost bugged out of his head, but Yani started laughing.

“Relax, I kidding; enjoy view,” said Yani. “No need to be so tense, we know what we are doing. There is nothing to worry about.”

“Easy for you to say.” Wiley sighed.

“I will be across hall. Enjoy hotel. We leave for tournament banquet in six hours. Be not afraid. You are in good hands,” said Yani, before leaving Wiley and Benji alone.

“This is insane,” said Wiley as he closed the drapes.

“Relax,” Benji retorted as he reopened them. “You heard what Yani said; he was joking about the boat.”

“Not that! This whole setup. Doc said he was going to hire security, not an army of…whatever the hell these guys are.”

“Hey, at least they seem to know what they’re doing,” said Benji.

“That’s the scary part. What the hell kind of threat was made that I need this level of protection?”

“I don’t know, but I think the best thing you can do is try and relax. Think about the tournament and let Yani worry about everything else,” Benji advised.

“I guess so.” Wiley sighed.

“And call Cameron. You’ll feel better.”

“It’s the middle of the night back home.”

“I doubt he’d mind,” said Benji. “Anyway, I’m going to my room for a nap. Get some rest, and I’ll see you when it’s time to leave for the banquet.”

“Fuck,” Wiley swore once Benji was gone, and he flopped down on the bed.

He lay there for a moment and debated whether or not he should call Cameron. He already missed his boyfriend terribly, and even though he didn’t want to wake him, Wiley wanted the comfort that would come from hearing Cameron’s voice.

He pulled the phone from his pocket, pressed speed-dial 1 and snuggled into his pillow as he waited for Cameron to answer. Not surprisingly voicemail picked up on the forth ring; Cameron was a sound sleeper and probably had his phone on vibrate anyway.

“Hi, you’ve reached Cameron or rather my voicemail. You know how this works, so speak at the beep, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Buh-bye!”

“Hey Cam, it’s me. You’re probably sleeping, but I wanted to call and let you know we made it safe. That’s a lie.” Wiley sighed. “I mean yeah, we made it safe but…I just wanted to hear your voice. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the threat before I left, and we can talk about it when I get home. I miss you. I wish I was there with you. I love you. Bye.”

When he put the phone down Wiley rolled over and clutched the spare pillow to him. It wasn’t Cameron, but it would have to do as he snuggled it close and closed his eyes to sleep.

Wiley was an experienced world traveler. He’d been to the Middle-East many times in his tennis career and found that the quickest way to adjust to the time difference was to wake up a few hours before his flight landed, then nap for a few hours when he got to his hotel. When Wiley woke that evening he felt rested and relaxed despite the uncomfortable situation he found himself in with the army of bodyguards.

He headed to the bathroom, and as he stripped down he took note of his reflection in the mirror. He’d need to shave before heading to the banquet, and that struck him as somewhat absurd. He was twenty-one years old and still couldn’t grow facial hair. He only shaved twice a month. He let the shower run for a good long time, filling the room with steam before he stepped inside. The steam loosened his muscles, further relaxing him, and opened his pores, making it easier to shave when he finished.

After quickly styling his hair, Wiley went back to his room and donned a navy blue suit, crisp white dress shirt, and gold tie that made the flecks in his brown eyes stand out. He was just putting on his watch when he heard his phone beep, indicating he had a voicemail message.

“Hey baby, I miss you too,” said Cameron’s voice. “Be safe while you’re over there. You and Benji look out for each other and make sure you come back to me in one piece. Be sure and check my channel tomorrow, I’ve got something for you. Love you.”

Wiley smiled as he did the math in his head and realized Cameron had gotten up early to call him back while he’d been showering. He was worried that Cameron’s feelings were still hurt but he sounded like his usual chipper self in the message, and Wiley was curious what might be in his new video. He checked his watch, he still had a little time before the banquet, so he hit speed-dial one and Cameron picked up on the second ring.

“I thought that might be you,” said Cameron.

“Yeah, I just got your message.”

“Are you ok? You sounded so sad on my voicemail.”

“I’m ok, I just miss you, and I feel bad for not telling you about the threat.”

“Yeah, that kind of pissed me off.” Cameron giggled. “But I understand you did it out of love, so I can’t really be mad at you.”

“That’s a relief; I can’t stand the thought of you being unhappy with me.” Wiley sighed.

“Aw, that’s sweet, babe. Good thing Bobby isn’t listening, he’d probably barf.” Cameron giggled.

“Yeah,” Wiley barked a laugh of his own.

“So are they taking good care of you over there?”

“Yeah, you should see the bodyguard Doc hired me. It’s like hanging out with the Terminator and his pals.”

“Pals?”

“There’s a whole protective detail covering me,” said Wiley.

“Wow, they’re taking the threat that seriously?” asked Cameron, a touch of unease creeping into his voice.

“Yes, no, it’s just, well, you’ve met Doc, the man never does anything half-assed, you know?” Wiley explained.

“Go big or go home, huh?”

“Pretty much,” Wiley agreed.

“That’s ok. When it comes to your safety there’s no such thing as too big.”

“Thanks.” Wiley smiled to himself. Cameron loved him. Knowing that, being reminded of it, it was all it took to make Wiley grin from ear to ear. “Anyway, what’s this new video about?”

“Ah, you’ll have to wait and see.” Cameron chuckled.

“Uh oh, that laugh sounds mischievous. What did you do?”

“Nothing bad, just, well, I was upset that some asshole would dare threaten you, and I took it out on my camera,” Cameron admitted.

“This I have to see,” Wiley snorted as there was a knock on his door. “Crap, I gotta go. Benji’s knocking on my door; time to leave for the banquet.”

“Ok, have fun, be safe, I love you.”

“I love you too, and I’ll see you in a few days.”

Wiley ended the call with a sigh. He would have given anything to hug Cameron, hold him close and inhale his subtle fragrance. Instead he got to cross the room and open the door for his best friend. Not exactly a fair trade.

“Nice suit,” said Benji, when he walked in. “You look more upbeat too.”

“Thanks, I just got off the phone with Cam.”

“Feel better?”

“Yeah, I do actually. Once again you were right.”

“That’s what I thought,” Benji smirked.

“Hey, a broken clock is right twice a day, so far you’re just breaking even.”

“Fuck you,” Benji laughed.

“Ready to go?” Wiley smiled.

“Sure, you know how much I love rubber chicken, especially in an exotic locale.” Benji grinned.

Wiley put his arm around his buddy and stepped out into the hall to find Yani and his men waiting for them. He couldn’t help laughing; it was such a surreal situation. For all his good looks and high profile job, Wiley was shy and accustomed to being in the shadows. Occupying the spotlight was a new and bizarre position for him to be in.

“You are feeling better?” asked Yani, noting Wiley’s amusement.

“Sure. Guess I just needed a nap.”

“Good. Car is waiting; we go,” said Yani.

The bodyguard led them to the elevator. He’d sent one of his men down ahead of time and had him ride the elevator back up to keep it clear for the protectee.

“Ah, I am forgetting this earlier. Please to be wearing pin,” said Yani as he handed Wiley a small flag pin, a white cross on a red field.

“I’m Swiss?” asked Wiley with a raised eyebrow.

“Person who sends threatening letter is knowing you are American tennis man, obviously. I have told hotel staff you are Danish so that word does not get out American tennis man is staying here. Is Danish flag,” Yani explained.

“Ok.” Wiley chuckled and put the pin on his suit coat.

“You laugh but is little details that count.”

“You’re the boss, Yani. Just don’t expect me to sound like the Swedish Chef when I speak.” Wiley grinned. Benji snickered.

“No, no, is Danish flag, not Swedish,” said Yani. He didn’t get the joke which made Wiley and Benji laugh harder. The Israeli bodyguard traded confused looks with his men and shrugged his shoulders. Americans were weird.

When they reached the lobby Yani whisked Wiley and Benji into one of the black SUV’s while the rest of the detail hopped into the chase car. It was a short trip across the causeway to the official tour banquet being held at the Jumeirah Beach Resort.

When the car stopped, Wiley made to open the door but Yani asked him to wait. Rather than argue, Wiley watched as Yani’s men hopped out of the chase car and took up positions around the hotel entrance. He saw one of them raise a hand to his mouth and Yani press his radio piece into his ear, a second later, the bodyguard hopped out of the passenger seat and opened the door for his charge.

“Everything alright?” asked Wiley.

“Of course, we were just waiting for all clear signal,” Yani informed him.

Wiley chanced a glance at Benji who simply shrugged his shoulders and offered a reassuring smile.

“Let us be going inside,” said Yani. “Less chance of, how you say, head being blown off, indoors.”

Wiley’s eyes popped out of his head and his mouth dropped open, then he noticed Yani was laughing.

“You are seeing, Yani has jokes too.”

“Shit, you got me,” said Wiley, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Good, is good to be relaxed and have humor about situation. Now, let us go in and avoid sniper,” Yani chuckled.

Wiley couldn’t believe how relaxed he felt compared to how tense he’d been just a few hours earlier. Perhaps it was the absurdity of it all, the reassurance he got from talking to Cameron, or the giant bodyguard and his jokes, but for whatever reason, Wiley was in significantly better spirits when they walked into the hotel lobby.

“Jesus, Grace, you running for president or something?” asked Jake Carver noting Wiley’s entourage. Jake was a player from Utah who Wiley had known for years.

“Nah, according to my bodyguard I’m the king of Denmark, right Yani?” Wiley chuckled but Yani’s face was impassive as his eyes scanned the lobby for danger. “You’ll have to excuse him. His social skills need a little work.”

“What’s the deal?” asked Jake.

“I’m finally getting noticed, I’ve got a stalker.”

“Seriously?”

“So they tell me,” said Wiley. “The whole thing is a little nuts if you ask me but more importantly, how have you been man?”

“You know how it is,” Jake shrugged his shoulders.

Wiley continued to chat with his friend and mingle with the other players. Yani stayed close to him but the rest of the security detail blended in with the tour crowd. Despite the discreet posture Wiley’s guards were taking, their presence didn’t go unnoticed, but the tennis players took it with a sense of humor. They teased Wiley about finally making it to the big time.

The banquet was a great distraction. The welcoming reception and formal dinner ran late, and when it finally broke up everyone was quick to return to their rooms. The tournament would begin the next day, and the finest tennis players in the world didn’t train as hard as they did so they could drag ass on game day.

Throughout the evening Yani never strayed far from Wiley, but the rest of the detail was hard to spot among the athletes, dignitaries, tour officials and reporters. As Wiley shook hands and said goodbye to a few friends, the detail formed up around him. When the two SUV’s that would take him and his entourage back to the Burge Al-Arab pulled up out front, Wiley headed in that direction with Benji and his burly protectors in tow. That’s when all hell broke loose.

There was a loud bang and Wiley’s head snapped up.

“Gun!” shouted one of the bodyguards.