Either the bastard was staking out the hotel and perhaps downing coffee after coffee to stay awake while doing so, or else he was sleeping.

The blond man made a conscious effort not to look too conspicuous, so he somehow managed to keep his facial features neutral.  He did not want to alert Levesque in any way.

He went around the block to the rental he and Amy had been sharing, knowing full well that she would now probably ride with either Stephanie and Kurt or Torrie and Shane.

Slipping into the vehicle and securing his seatbelt, Adam placed and turned the key in the ignition, his brain working overtime as he devised a plan of action.

It was he this asshole wanted, so he was going to lure him.  If he thought like Levesque, it would be the perfect opportunity for the burly bad man to follow him in an attempt to 'off' him.

Intensely focused, Adam pulled the car out of the parking space, pressed his foot on the accelerator and sped off into the night...

*

Stephanie stood just outside the door of the hotel room, waiting, her ears pricked as she listened for any sounds within.

Frustrated, she knocked five more times, then crossed her arms under her breasts as she waited for a response of any kind.

"Adam, come on!  Please let me in - I need to talk to you..."

Still no answer.

The brunette frowned as she uncrossed her arms, then leaned forward to press her left ear up against the door - and she found it to be almost eerily silent in the room.

He must have gone out... she told herself, then realized that Amy might actually still have a key...

In a hurry, Stephanie turned and went back to her own room, feeling slightly guilty when she saw that the redhead was still fast asleep.  She didn't want to have to do it, but she knew she had no other choice.

Going directly to the bed she'd claimed as her own the other night, the brunette gently reached out to shake the other woman slightly.

"Mmm..."  At first, Amy merely murmured in her sleep, instinctively turning just a bit so as to avoid a further disturbance of her rest.

Although still feeling guilty, Stephanie shook her friend's shoulder a little more forcefully this time - enough to awaken her.

Amy's eyes fluttered open slowly, and she looked up at Stephanie, her gaze slightly glassy.

"St-Stephanie?"

"Amy, I'm really sorry to waken you...but we may have a...situation on our hands..."  The brunette swallowed hard, hesitating to use the word 'emergency.'  She didn't know why that word popped into her head, but she knew she was right in thinking that way.  Maybe it was some kind of ex-girlfriend sixth sense or something...

"What is it?" the redhead asked, stretching a bit.  She seemed reluctant to move and was in fact welcoming more sleep.  At least that gave her a little bit of a break from her current troubles.  Surprisingly, she hadn't dreamt of Levesque, or of...Adam.

"I wanted to see Adam..." the brunette admitted.  "Talk with him - but he's not answering when I knock, so...I wonder if he's even there."  Stephanie bit her lip nervously.

"Why wouldn't he be there?" Amy asked, but it was more to herself than to the other woman.  She frowned, praying inwardly that she wouldn't start crying again.  That was one reason why sleep was so welcome...

"I don't know..." Stephanie said.  "Either he's there asleep or ignoring me, or else maybe he went out..."  That last possibility chilled the brunette because she couldn't imagine the scenario if that was the case.  Where would Adam have gone?  And why?  What was he planning?

"What did you want me to do about it?"

The tall brunette was brought out of her reverie by Amy's question, and she blinked at her for a split second.

"Oh...Do you have a spare key or something?"

The redhead sat up and rubbed a hand over her face wearily.

"I think...I think I do...it's in my purse."

Stephanie did the honors, quickly reaching over by the nightstand for the other woman's bag.

Amy reached into her purse, and after a moment, came up with a hotel room keycard.  With an almost questioning expression on her face, she handed it to the other woman.

"Thank you, Amy..."

Then, the brunette rushed out of the room, leaving the redhead laying there and wondering - and hoping she would not burst into tears at any moment.