Back at the airport….
Elliot POV
Finally! Christian decided to heed my warning and agreed to back off. I was expecting him to just go to the hotel, but he surprised me when he said we're heading back to Seattle instead. Personally, I think it's the best solution for the whole situation. I know he cares about Ana, even if he won't admit it to himself. It's pretty obvious though, even the guys can see it. There's an awkward silence on the plane, no one is saying anything, and Christian has gone into the bedroom to sleep, I guess. Taylor is silent, looking out the window, off in his own little world. I decide to call Kate letting her know what's going on. I need to make sure Taylor doesn't hear our conversation so I get up and go into the bathroom that's located in the front of the plane.
K: Hey baby! I miss you!
I can't help but smile when Kate answers the phone that way, God she makes me so happy. I can't believe I'm lucky enough to have found her.
E: Hey babe, I miss you too. I wanted to give you an update, can you talk for a few minutes? I don't want to take you away from the girls but I'm hiding in the bathroom on the plane and have to keep my voice down so Taylor can't hear me.
I hear Kate laugh
K: Did you just say you're hiding in the bathroom? That's hysterical! Hang on a second and I'll join you in the bathroom
I laugh as I listen to Kate tell them she's got to meet someone in the bathroom and she'll be right back. That's funnier than shit!
K: Ok, I'm heading to the bathroom. How are things going there?
I sigh, where do I begin?
E: The most recent thing is we landed a few minutes ago but after some more talking to Christian he finally decided to listen to me and we're not staying in Vegas. Surprisingly, he decided to turn the plane around and head back to Seattle. We're getting ready to take off right now. I tell you my brother has more money than sense. How is everything going?
K: El, a monkey has more sense than Christian right about now. I wish I could see you before you leave but I'm glad you finally got through to your brother. That takes off a lot of pressure. Thank you baby you're amazing! We went to the show and now we're going to a bar called The Lounge to have a drink. We shouldn't be too long and we'll be careful. I can tell you one thing, Rhi has caught the eye of one of the strippers and appears to be sort of enjoying herself. There are times when we see the old Rhi but then something triggers a reaction and she changes completely, she's a bit moodier this trip than she has been. I'm not sure what's going on there, but we'll get through it. We might stay for a bit longer than planned but it depends on Rhi, actually. Ana and I are watching out for her but I'll keep you updated
E: That's good to hear that Rhi is having some enjoyment, but I wonder why she's being moodier? Hopefully something positive comes out of this, but only time will tell. At least try to enjoy yourselves, even with her moodiness. Lol. Please be careful. Luke, Ryan and Reynolds are there but they are keeping their distance so don't worry about that
K: Yeah, about that. You need to tell them to back off a little more. Rhi keeps getting the feeling she's being watched and it's starting to wear on her nerves. We've already had to calm her down once, the first time we interacted with them was ugly. I don't know if we can do it again
E: I'll tell Taylor and he can pass on the message. I'm sorry Kate. I wish I could've seen you tonight but it's better this way. Christian is sulking in the bedroom and Taylor is off in his own world. There's definitely a lot of tension on the plane. I'll let you know when we land. I love you babe
K: I love you too. I'll keep you updated too, probably tomorrow ok?
E: Ok have fun and be safe
Kate is really handling this well. She wasn't thrilled when I told her Luke, Ryan and Reynolds were there. She was actually pretty pissed. I totally understand but I told her it was the only way my brother would be calm enough to stay away.
Sighing, I open the door, exit the bathroom and make my way to the back of the plane. Taylor is looking at me, watching my every move so I decide to go get a drink from the bar. God he's irritating and getting on my nerves and I need to calm myself before I confront him about the guys.
Turning to him I sigh, "Taylor, we have an issue that's come up." I say, looking at him intently, waiting for a response.
He looks at me and I can see the frustration on his face. He's really upset that I won't tell him anything. I can't. I made a promise and I refuse to break it.
"What now, Elliot?" He replies gruffly.
"Dude don't bite my head off. You would do the same thing if you were in my shoes so don't even go there. According to Kate, Rhi is starting to get the feeling they're being watched. You need to tell Luke and the guys to back off and not be so aggressive." You can hear the irritation in my voice.
He looks at me like I've got two heads. "Have you lost your mind completely? You've kept enough things hidden, now you expect the only eyes and feet we have to back off? You've successfully convinced Christian to back off and he decides to trust you and head back to Seattle. What do you think he's going to do when he hears this?"
I look at him. "I get it. It's frustrating for you to deal with everything he throws at you. But I'm the one caught in the middle. Things are fine. Kate keeps me informed and she's said everything is going well. The only thing that's causing issues is Rhi keeps getting the feeling she's being watched and it's not helping her situation. If you guys ruin things, ruin this vacation for the girls, you will regret it. Trust me when I say I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't and won't. It would be detrimental and dangerous to innocent parties. Please, trust me on this." I feel like I'm begging, which is extremely irritating, but I'll do whatever I can to help the girls, even if it means everyone is pissed at me.
He glares at me, sighs and picks up his phone and sends a text. "I really hope you know what you're doing. I can't believe you're doing this for some girl we know nothing about. You know this is not how we handle things."
Frustrated I sigh and decide that I'm not going to waste any more energy on him, I'll just accept what he's agreed to and be done with it for now.
"Fuck Jason, just trust me. YOU may not know anything about her, but I DO and I can guarantee when you meet her you'll understand." I sigh and lay down on the couch, it's late and I really would like to take a nap.
Taylor POV
I really hope Elliot knows what he's doing. I can't believe he got Grey to back off and head back to Seattle. Never in a million years would I have thought that would happen. I do understand needing to have the guys back off, it is dangerous to have someone find out they're being followed. And if my instincts are correct, it would be a very bad thing if Ana found out. I wish Elliot would tell me what's going on, I could help, but he won't budge. I send a text to Luke:
T: Luke, change of plans. You guys need to back off. There are starting to be suspicions and we can't risk the girls finding out
L: I thought we were going to stay
T: You are, but do not follow them everywhere so close. Keep a distance and don't let on that you're watching them
L: How do you expect me to do that?
T: You might need to stay away a little, let Ryan and Reynolds do most of the surveillance. You physically stand out and there's not too many people who have your physique
L: What? I don't think that's a good idea. I can handle this and blend in
T: That's an order Luke, you need to back off and let the guys report to you. You can still watch, but only where you can avoid being detected completely. No excuses
L: Whatever. This is bullshit and you know it
T: I'm serious if I find out otherwise you'll risk losing your job. We'll talk in the morning
I know this is pissing Luke off, but my hands are tied. There is no way that he can blend in anywhere, especially if this girl is already feeling suspicious. He'll get over it. I text Ryan and Reynolds and let them know the changes.
Luke POV
What the fuck is this bullshit?! I'm the best man for the job and I'm being told to basically back off because I stand out too much? My height or body or what? That's ridiculous. I mean I get that Rhiann's sense of being watched is heightened but I could easily blend in. Well, maybe not as easily as I think considering she got a good look at me earlier when I grabbed her. I guess I can see it from their point of view, but it still pisses me off because I want to be the one to protect her, no one else.
I notice Ryan and Reynolds looking at their phones. Oh great, T must've text them the changes. They both look at me.
"So, what are we going to do now?" They ask.
"Well, you read the text, I'm backing off. I'm going to head back to the hotel. Text me the status and let me know what's happening. Also, let me know when they're heading back to their room. Don't fuck this up guys. I'll be pissed. Later guys." I get up and walk toward the taxi line. I fucking hate this.