Until November

Chapter 6

Ben 

"You're a pain in my ass," I mouth to the Cryptex, having tried unsuccessfully for one hour to open it. No cheating is allowed. That would mean Jack wins. No matter how frustrated we got opening one of these as kids, our rule was never to cheat. And that, I will honor.

The combination could be one word or an abbreviation of many. Struggling to think of things from our childhood summed up in six letters. The word list on my phone is growing along with my frustration. Words like Gotcha and Batman our favorite superhero. Marney, the babysitter we both had a crush on. Stella, his favorite model. The more obvious choice, Hannah, doesn't work. "What were you thinking, Jack? Now I have to go to your funeral. Do you have any idea..." Choked tears storm my throat. They fall. My hand doesn't wipe them away. "I hate you, Jack. I'm not ready to bury you. This wasn't how it was..." I break down completely. "...How it was supposed to be."

The knock at my door diverts my attention. Hotel staff, most likely since I'm not expecting anyone. Hopefully not another gift basket. No one is supposed to know where I'm staying. Opening the door gruffly. "Eli." A shot of dread follows. "What are you doing here?"

Oblivious to my startled reaction, we do a handshake/shoulder clap. The closest we come to hugging, our suits crinkling. "I couldn't let you do this alone." Eli slaps me on the back again. "Mia insisted on coming. She was begging to be here. I convinced her to stay home." His gaze takes in my clothes strewn over the furniture. "That's what you want, right?"

"That's what I want." It's better this way. Eli, I trust, but he's on my payroll.

He holds up a hand. "No explanation needed. Mia's heart is in the right place. Staying away is supporting you. Are you aware the press is hanging around the parking lot?" Eli's my height with more muscle. He is a publicist/bodyguard when needed and at the infuriating mention of the press sniffing around, backup is good. "Not sure how they found out."

"They shouldn't be here," I quip. "This is a private matter. Can't they understand?" My attitude drops. Eli flew across country to do something he didn't have to do. "But it's good to see you."

Eli's appearance requires some quick decision making. Nobody outside those directly involved must know about the baby. "When did you get in?"

"About two hours ago. I had a luggage issue. Literally got dropped off." He looks at his phone. "My room isn't ready yet. The front desk has my bag." His idle conversation stops as he picks up the Cryptex. "What's this?"

"A puzzle Jack left me." An annoying, irritating puzzle. "We should get going."

"Before we go," he gets right to the point, "your fans...they're feeling your loss. What do you say? A brief press conference. Tomorrow morning?"

Too risky. Too much room for some reporter springing a question I'm not prepared to answer. "No press conferences." My voice couldn't be more adamant.

Eli lifts his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. We'll discuss it later. Your brother's death came as a surprise to your competitors. To your fans. To me and to Mia. We're all worried about you. How are you holding up?"

My hands fall to my hips with a sigh. "There's a lot to do. A lot to get in order for Jack."

Eli nods encouragingly. "Anything I can do, just say the word."

I pick up my suit jacket and shrug it on.

"Looking sharp," he says, eyeing up one of the gift baskets. He rips it open and pulls out two mini bottles of Jack Daniels. "Here. Drink this."

We twist of the tops and take our shot. The burn is a wake-up call to do this. I'm not ready, I'll never be. Eli sets his empty bottle on the counter. He slaps my back and we're on our way.