The Escort

34 - Milan

The Château Monfort's parking lot was filled with Lamborghinis and Ferraris.
It was, without a doubt, the most exclusive and best-reviewed place to stay at, and the one Michael picked.

But he hadn't chosen it without a particular reason.

That Hotel was the closest one to the Pallazzo Serbelloni, the venue where that year's Milan Fashion Week was going to be celebrated.

He stood in front of the mirror for a little while, juggling his options in his mind, feeling his high starting to kick in.

That bitch probably had no idea about what went down back in the States. No one from La Maison could have contacted her, she had no other family members, nobody. He smirked.

She was perfectly maneuverable.

And he was exceptionally good at manipulation.

He sorted out his clothes and picked a pair of slim-fit black slacks and a navy blue Armani button-up that complimented his figure. He topped it with a tailored black suit jacket and his classic Wayfarers.

He ran his hands over his tied hair and slid a piece of gum into his mouth.

Then he grabbed his Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume and pumped it once on either side of his neck as he smiled at his reflection before leaving the suite.

***
"He needs help, Bill. He's becoming his old self again, I could see it in his eyes." Diana's voice was trembling nervously as she did her best to contain her sobs.

Bray listened with the obvious reservation, since it was her on the other side of the line. "He's been going through a lot lately. Maybe he was nervous or fatigued..."

"No, Bill! He was stoned! He's doing coke again, I could tell! He had that dead look in his eyes, a-and he pretty much ordered me to contact Freddie" She cried, pulling out another tissue from the box.

The old man searched his desk and found the cellphone he used exclusively to contact Michael.

Maybe he should take Diana's claims into consideration and talk to him.

***
"Grazie mille." Michael smiled and the waitress blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear. Their little interaction was interrupted by his phone ringing, and he quickly fished it out of his pocket, checking the caller Id before bringing it up to his ear.

"Bill, hey! 'Sup?" He said rubbing his nose.

"I'm five blocks away from your place, we need to talk. Something has been brought to my attention and we ought to discuss it."

"I ain't home right now and I can't really talk. I'll call u back soon, a'ight?"

"Where are you? Mike, I told you I needed you to stay put in case something went down with Tom's investigation."

"I had to take care of something. I said I can't talk right now." He started shaking his leg up and down, growing nervous.

After a small silence, Bill lowly spoke one more time. "Michael, son... Where are you?"

"Tsk. Dude, bye." MJ huffed and hung up, immediately turning off his phone.

A sly smile graced his face as the pretty Italian waitress brought the two coffees he had ordered to the table.

He was about to thank her when he noticed that the person he was waiting for had finally arrived.

***
Bill pulled his big key chain out of the glove compartment and hurried out of the car, searching for the copy of the hideout's key that he kept in case of an emergency.