The Pied Piper Of Maddox [Eternal Flames Maddox 9]

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

He just had no damn clue what the hell was happening in his hotel. First the refrigerator kept getting broken into, then the lobby got a makeover in the middle of the night while everyone was sleeping, and his night clerk was only gone for two seconds. Then there were the reports from guests about hearing strange noises in the corridors, but when they looked, no one was there.

And just before he left to come here, his pool guy Eli, informed him that all the chairs around the pool had been moved again, and he found what looked like a fish scale in the filter. A large one, he said. What the hell did that mean? Like a shark or something? Did sharks even have scales?

Ugh! He needed a drink. Would anyone look down on him if he had a shot of Tequila in the middle of the day? Hell, right now he just couldn’t give a damn. Baxter held up his hand to get the cute bartender’s attention. Axel turned and smiled at him as he made his way over.

“Hey, Baxter, what can I get you?”

“I could really use a shot or three of Tequila, Axel.”

“Damn, the morning that rough already?” Axel asked as he grabbed a shot glass and bottle, then began to pour.

“You have no idea.”

“Tequila at eleven forty-five? What’s wrong, Bax?” Logan asked from beside him as his friend leaned on the bar.

“Too much, that’s what. So where’s your lovely mate?” Baxter asked as he took the offered shot from Axel and downed it in one gulp, then hissed at the liquid burned his throat.

“Jensen went to grab a table for us while I came to get you. So what’s going on?” Logan asked.

“It’s nothing, let’s have some lunch. I need to go pick something up from Jagger before I head back, and I don’t have much time,” Baxter replied, then turned back to Axel, and put a twenty on the bar. “Can I get a Jack and Coke at the table please, Axel? And keep the change.”

“Sure thing, Baxter. Go on over to your table and I’ll have it brought to you,” Axel replied, then turned away as Baxter slid off his stool.

He and Logan crossed the room to the back table where Jensen, Logan’s angelic mate was waiting for them. Damn the man was gorgeous. Logan was a lucky man. If only Baxter could find someone as wonderful as Jensen. But then again, he wasn’t a preternatural like they were, so maybe humans like him didn’t get mates. Damn that thought sucked and only made him feel worse.

As they approached the table, Jensen stood and gave him a big smile as he opened his arms and drew Baxter into his warm embrace. Baxter returned the hug and chuckled when Logan gave a little growl. These shifters were very protective and possessive of their mates, but damn, it felt good to have someone hug him. God he had missed his friend.

When Jensen had been homeless and living on the streets, Baxter had offered him a room many times, but Jensen just wouldn’t take it. He said he needed to be where he was and some day he would find out why.

Boy had they found out why. Jensen was actually the son of fate, Kali, and she was a god, which made him a demigod and she had told him that he needed to be in Maddox for when a certain day came. That day was almost the complete destruction of Maddox and all of them, but thanks to Jensen, Logan, and the other paranormals that lived in Maddox and their sister city of Crystal, they were able to defeat that threat and move on.

It didn’t hurt that while all of that was going on, Jensen had found his mate in Logan, an EMT

that worked over at the fire station and also one of Baxter’s friends. He was so happy that the two of them had found one another and they were happy. Jensen and Logan were perfect together. Now if he could only help his friend Sutton with his man problems.

Sutton was such a good man and deserved the same happiness as Logan and all the other mated couples around Maddox, but Sut’s mate was being an ass and treating him like a dirty little secret. Baxter hated that the two used his hotel for their little trysts, because every time Sut left, he looked like he was wrecked emotionally. Maybe having a mate wasn’t as wonderful as he imagined it to be?

Now, seeing Jensen again was a treat and a pleasure. His friend used to come by the hotel a lot and Baxter would feed him and let him use a shower and the pool sometimes, as well as wash his clothes. That was all Jensen would allow, though, and it wasn’t every time. When Jensen came for a visit, he and Baxter would sit around the pool and talk for hours, but since meeting Logan, their weekly visits hadn’t been so often, and Baxter missed that. He missed having someone he could talk to. He missed his friend.

“Hey,” Jensen said as he released Baxter and pulled back from their hug. “I can sense your sadness. What is it, Baxter?” Jensen took his elbow and directed him to a seat as he asked.

Just as he sat, Axel brought his drink over, placing it before him, then went back to the bar. “It’s been a very long day. Heck, it’s been a long week and it’s only Tuesday,” Baxter replied as he lifted his glass, then took a sip.

“So, tell us what’s up, maybe we can help,” Logan said as he sat in the chair beside Jensen and took his mate’s hand.

“I don’t know. If I tell you, you may think I’m crazy and need to be committed.”

“I would never think that, Baxter. You’re my dearest friend and I know you’re not crazy. So what’s been going on that’s so bad it has you drinking at midday?” Jensen asked, and Baxter could hear the genuine concern in his voice.

He took another long sip of his drink before he declared, “I think my hotel is haunted.”

Both Logan and Jensen’s eyebrows rose high on their foreheads, but other than that neither one of them commented, or laughed at him, so he guessed that was a good start.

“Okay, so you think your place has some paranormal activity. Why is that?” Logan asked.

After taking another drink from his glass, Baxter told them about everything, leaving nothing out. Neither of them interrupted him, or looked at him like he was crazy, they just listened intently.

Once Baxter was done with his tale, Jensen said, “Maybe it’s a ghost, or some kind of spirit that’s trapped here.”

Now Baxter’s brows rose. “So, you don’t think I’ve gone cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs?”

“Hell no,” Logan said, with a smile. “In our world, we’ve seen some pretty strange things, but everything can be explained somehow, even if the explanation is a spirit or ghost.”

“I’ve been thinking of calling in one of those paranormal ghost chasers, or something like that.

You know the guys on TV in that show? Maybe I need an exorcist, or a medium, to come and sage the place to get rid of the bad juju.”

“From what you’ve told us, it sounds like whoever is doing these things is trying to do just that.

It sounds like they’re rearranging everything like in Feng Shui which is supposed to bring good energy and power, but also to be relaxing and give you a sense of peace,” Jensen suggested.

“That’s true, and that’s what Alice said too—that it looked like Feng Shui.”

“Whether this person or entity is trying to give you good energy, or not, I think you should really look into this, Bax. I don’t think we should take the chance of this thing going south and you being in danger,” Logan suggested.

Fear suddenly gripped Baxter. “Do you think I might be in danger? What about my guests?” he asked anxiously.

Logan reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder as he smiled. “No, man, relax. I don’t think you’re in any danger. From what you’ve said, whoever is doing this, isn’t really hurting anyone or anything. Stolen some food, rearranged some furniture, used the facilities, but that doesn’t mean this person is a threat. Why don’t Jensen and I come back with you after lunch and take a look around?”

“You would do that?” Baxter asked in surprise.

“Of course we would, Bax. You’re my best friend and if you need help then I’m there. Listen, I know I haven’t been around much lately with getting used to my new life and mating and everything, but you were always there for me and I will never forget that. You were a true friend to me always and I love you. I’m sorry I haven’t been around for our weekly lunches, but that’s one of the reasons Logan and I asked you to have lunch today. I’ve missed you and I was hoping we could start our weekly lunch dates again. Only now, maybe I can treat you once in a while,”

Jensen said, his voice and eyes hopeful, and Baxter’s heart just melted.

God, he loved Jensen and thought of him as his best friend, but to hear Jensen felt the same was the best thing ever. He never had many friends in his life and never had a best friend, so to now have one filled him with happiness.

“I really missed you too, Jensen and I miss our lunches as well. I would love to start doing them again,” Baxter beamed as he reached across the table and grabbed Jensen’s hands.

* * * *

After lunch, which made Baxter feel better and more relaxed, Logan and Jensen went with him to visit Jagger at the club and thankfully his chef Blake, the black panther, had what he needed.

Then Jensen and Logan accompanied him to the hotel to look around. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he wasn’t quite sure which, they both loved the new look in his hotel and thought it gave the place a better feel. Sadly, he couldn’t agree more, so he decided to leave everything as it was and not stress over it.

After spending a few hours looking around with his friends, greeting the mayor, then having dinner in the hotel restaurant with Jensen and Logan, spending hours talking and laughing, they all finally went home with promises of Jensen meeting him for lunch again in the hotel in a few days.

Baxter had to take care of some paperwork after they left, then talked to Shawn about the previous night, telling the young man to keep his eyes open, then he headed off to his private suite that took up the whole top floor of the hotel. By the time Baxter walked in his door he was exhausted and just wanted to drop into bed. So he locked up, took a quick shower and climbed into his big, soft bed, naked as the day he was born, then relaxed into the plush memory foam mattress beneath him as he took pleasure from the silkiness of the satin sheets against his bare flesh. He loved stripping himself of the day’s dirt and worries, which included his clothes and just being free and natural as he slept.

As tired as he was, Baxter’s mind kept racing and going back over the strange events happening in his hotel. A few times he thought of getting dressed and just going back downstairs and hiding somewhere, so he could see what was going on, but then the thought of a ghost in his hotel made him nervous and Baxter cuddled deeper into his bed and pulled the covers higher. He spent almost two hours tossing and turning, trying to figure out what he should do, then finally his eyes became heavy and he closed them, welcoming sleep.

Just as he felt the tendrils of slumber reaching out to claim him, a blaring alarm began to sound, making Baxter’s eyes snap open as he quickly sat up. “What the hell?” He listened for a moment, then it finally dawned on him what was making that sound. “Fire!”

Baxter jumped from the bed, tripping over the blankets as he became entangled in them. He hit the floor with a loud thud and felt something in his left wrist pop when he put his hands down to

brace himself for the fall. “Great, just what I need, a broken wrist,” Baxter mumbled as he freed himself, then climbed to his feet.

Quickly grabbing a pair of jeans and a tee, Baxter dressed as fast as he could, ignoring the pain in his wrist. He needed to make sure all the guests were out. Stopping for a quick second by the front door, he shoved his feet into the slippers he kept there just in case something like this happened, then he threw his door open and ran toward the elevator.

He hit the button then cursed as he remembered you shouldn’t take an elevator during a fire. He would have to take the stairs the six flights down. Baxter turned right and went the three feet to the stairwell door and opened it, then began his descent. On the way down he stopped at each floor and ran through the halls to see if his guests were leaving. He was happy that he had only had to bang on a few doors as he saw most of the guest leaving their rooms. He reminded everyone to take the stairs and to meet the night clerk Shawn outside in the parking lot and to give him their names, so he could keep a list of who was accounted for.

By the time Baxter was done and had reached the lobby, he was drenched in sweat and panting.

“Good thing I took that shower before bed,” he mumbled to himself sarcastically. As he ran for the front door, Baxter saw a little face peek at him from around the desk and he quickly went that way and dropped to his knees before a little girl of maybe four, with eyes the size of saucers, who sat curled up in a ball and was shivering in fear. He remembered her checking in with her parents just three days ago, so where were they?

“What’s your name, princess?”

“Laurie,” she answered in a small voice.

“Are you okay? Where’s your Mommy and Daddy?” Baxter asked calmly.

“Th-they not here,” she answered nervously as sadness filled her eyes.

“They’re not? But I saw you check in with them.”

“They went dancing,” she replied.

“They did? Did they go into town to do that?” he asked, and she nodded. “Did they leave you with a babysitter?”

“No. He said as long as I went to sleep and stayed in my bed that I would be okay until they got back,” Laurie replied.

God, he wanted to slap the s**t out of Laurie’s parents. f*****g assholes shouldn’t be allowed to have children. “Are you hurt, or is it just that really loud alarm that’s scaring you?”

She shook her head no as she replied, “N-no, I not hurt. I don’t like that noise though. The white man found me in my room and he told me how to get out, then he walked with me down the stairs and told me to wait right here for Baxter to find me. He said Baxter would save me. Are you Baxter?”

“Yes, Poppet, I’m Baxter. This white man, do you know who he was?”

“No. He just showed up in my room and woke me up.”

“Okay, Poppet, why don’t you and I go on outside with everyone else where it’s safer and let the firemen come in and do their jobs. I see them heading this way now,” Baxter said as he held out a hand for her and pointed toward the main doors with the other.

“Okay,” she said and took his hand

As they stood and headed for the door, a few of the firemen were pushing their way in. “Hey, Bax, is everyone out?”

“Hi, Brax. I think so. I knocked on a few doors and I think I saw most of the guests leaving.

Shawn is outside with a list of everyone staying here and I told the guest to all go check in with him for a head count. I didn’t see or smell any smoke on the upper floors, but I was a little preoccupied at the time.”

“Great, thanks. We’ll check everything out. How about you and the little princess go on outside and meet up with Devonte, he’ll be wanting to check over that list with you.”

“Okay, thanks, Brax,” Baxter replied, then he and Laurie exited the building, looking for Shawn and then Devonte.