Chapter 15:

The Rules

Grimacing with pain, Brian clutched his left wrist as he struggled to sit upright on the floor, his eyes opening wide with fear as he saw Xavier looming over him. He backpeddled furiously with his feet, frantic to get away, but Xavier leaned down and hoisted him up like a rag doll, dumping him roughly into a chair. Trying to ignore the pain that shot through his arm, Brian concentrated instead on Xavier who was calmly walking through the room, double checking the window, telephone, and door latch. Satisfied, he dragged up another chair, sat down, then leaned towards the young Backstreet Boy.

Brian turned his head away from Xavier’s stare, unwilling to meet him eye to eye. After a few moments of silence, curiosity got the better of him and Brian spun his head back around. Xavier was still silent, hands clasped under his chin, studying him.

"Well now, Mr. Littrell, where do we start?"

Brian ignored the question and asked one of his own. "What kind of a sick joke is this?" he hissed, angry. "Did Nick put you up to this? You’re fired!"

Amused, Xavier stood up, laughed, then turned away. Brian seized the opportunity and shot out of his chair, racing for the door. He succeeded in grabbing the handle only to feel Xavier ripping him bodily away from it. Once again a massive hand clamped down around his throat and Brian began choking, clawing frantically for release.

"Please...please..." Brian cried hoarsely, his blue eyes begging.

Xavier relaxed his grip and watched as Brian slowly sank to his knees, coughing violently. Greedily sucking in great gulps of air, Brian cried out as Xavier brutally wrench the singer upright by his hair, flinging him back into the chair. Exhausted, Brian leaned over gasping, still breathless.

"I take it you won’t try that again."

Brian flopped back in his chair, looked at Xavier’s questioning face, and nodded a reply, too hoarse to speak.

"Good." Xavier rose, went to the bathroom and brought back a glass of water. He held it out to Brian. "Here." Brian accepted the drink, swallowing painfully as the cool water slid down his throat. Xavier lowered himself back into a chair, his demeanor calm and quiet as he waited for the blond singer to finish his drink.

"What do you want?" asked Brian finally, subdued.

"What do I want?" Xavier smiled, spreading his hands wide. "I’ve got what I want."

Ransom, thought Brian wearily. "So, it’s about money," Brian sighed, glad to know at least where he stood. "How much do you want?"

Xavier leaned over and reached out towards Brian’s head. Brian flinched as Xavier’s hand came in contact with his hair but was surprised when Xavier tossled his hair, almost affectionately.

"Brian, Brian," he scolded. "It’s not always about money."

"Everthing’s always about money, Xavier!" spat Brian, angry.

Xavier cocked his head to one side as if considering it. "True," he conceded. "But before we discuss that I need you to make a phone call." The bodyguard walked over to the phone, picked it up and carried it over to Brian, setting it in his lap.

Brian stared at the phone in his lap, then glanced at Xavier who was sitting in the chair next to him. "To who?"

"Oh, how about your mom."

Brian felt a shock of adrenalin burn through his body, scared where this was going.

"My mom…," he stated weakly, unable to speak further.

Xavier’s massive hand grabbed the receiver and shoved it at Brian.

"Yes."

Brian looked at Xavier’s calm face and felt a surge of hatred course through him. "No way. Fuck you."

Xavier sighed, shook his head, then leaned close to Brian. His mouth pressed up to Brian’s ear, and whispered, "I would if I were you. Your mom needs to talk to you. Bad." Xavier let his words sink in, then relaxed back into his seat, watching with a smirk as Brian began punching numbers. Shaken, Brian messed up the first dial, then redialed, holding the receiver to his ear as he waited for the connection.

Xavier reached out and took the receiver away from Brian’s hand, pressed the speakerphone button, then set the receiver back in the cradle. Both waited as they heard the ring, then the click of the phone being picked up. "Hello?" came a soft voice.

"Mom?" choked Brian, his voice catching. He repeated himself. "Mom?"

"Brian, is that you? Thank God! I’ve been trying to reach you! Don’t you ever listen to your voice mail?"

Brian closed his eyes, fearful. "Sorry Mom, I forgot. Is everything okay?"

Brian and Xavier heard her sigh over the phone. "It is now. Your brother was in a terrible car crash. Terrible. He’s in the hospital."

Brian’s eyes flew open to see Xavier wink and smile knowingly at him. "A car accident? Is he alright? What happened?"

Brian’s mother sounded distressed. "We don’t know for sure. Apparently some crazy driver cut him off and he crashed into a utility pole. Harold shattered his left femur and hip bone. The breaks were pretty bad, but the surgery went well and the doctors are very pleased with the outcome."

Overcome with rage, Brian could barely listened as his mother described the rest in detail. "Brian, Brian, honey, are you there?" It took a moment for him to reply.

"Yes, Mom, I’m here. I wish I could be there for you." His voice shook as he glared at Xavier.

"Oh dear, I know. But really, everything is under control. You sound ill, Brian. Are you okay?"

"Fine, Mom, everything’s fine."

"Good. Well, I’ll let you go now, get some sleep. Call me in the morning. And oh, by the way, say hello to that nice man, Mr. Delgado."

Brian froze. "You’ve met him?"

"Oh yes, he stopped by just as we were leaving to go to the hospital. Introduced himself, said you guys were all on a short break. Wondered if there was anything he could do for us. Such a nice man! I’m so glad he’s your bodyguard, Brian."

Brian looked up to see Xavier grin and he felt a wave of nausea overcome him. "Mom," Brian began, hardly able to get the words out. "Is everyone else okay?"

"Sure. Aunt Ann sends her love. Oh, I just remembered. Don’t alarm Kevin, but Sam is missing."

"Sam? You mean Kevin’s dog?" Sam was Kevin’s black lab, a dog that Kevin had bought as a puppy for his Mom and himself after his Dad had passed away. Sam had been a God-send for the grieving family and Kevin was just crazy about him.

"Yes, we think he ran away, the same day as Harold’s accident. You know how attached Kevin is to that dog, so please don’t say anything to him just yet. Aunt Ann is trying to find him."

Brian was about to reply when he saw Xavier slowly waving something back and forth - it took a moment to recognize what it was. A red dog collar. Enraged, Brian managed a quick goodbye before slamming down the receiver and launching himself at the bodyguard. His driving force caught Xavier off-balance and they both tumbled backwards, Brian landing heavily on top of him. Xavier managed to kick him off, but not before Brian delivered a stunning blow with his fist to Xavier’s jaw.

"You sick bastard!" screamed Brian, staggering up from the ground. He eyed his room wildly, hoping to find a weapon of any sort. Realizing he had none, he turned to run for the door but fell hard to the ground as Xavier seized his right ankle and pulled. Brian turned on his side, kicking viciously at Xavier’s face with his other foot. Xavier grunted with pain but held on, dragging Brian away from the exit.

In one swift move, Xavier stood, lifting Brian up at the same time. A solid punch landed in the middle of the singer’s stomach and Brian doubled over. Xavier pushed him onto the bed and Brian curled up in the fetal position, moaning. Walking into the bathroom, Xavier turned on the faucet and wet a small hand towel. He examined his face for a moment in the mirror before returning to the room. Sitting down on the opposite bed, he placed the cool towel to his cheek.

Struggling to a sitting position, Brian drew a ragged breath as a sharp pain shot through him. He found the bodyguard studying him. "Not bad for a Southern white guy," Xavier drawled, impressed with the singer’s fighting instinct.

"Why?" panted Brian, his eyes darkened with pain and fatigue. "Why did you try to kill my brother?"

"Kill?" Xavier jumped up, insulted. "If I wanted to kill your brother, I would have just put a bullet in his brain!" Brian watched as Xavier paced, startled by his sudden agitation. "No, this was just to get your attention, to show you who is in control."

Brian rubbed his injured hand, trying to massage away the pain and ignoring the ache he felt in his stomach. Fatigued as he was, Brian again felt anger rising up in him. "Cut the crap, Xavier. Just tell me what this is all about."

Xavier reached over, grabbing Brian’s hurt wrist. Brian tried not to cry out as Xavier twisted it. "Okay, pretty boy, here’s the plan. You do whatever I tell you, whenever I want."

Brian, shaking from the pain Xavier was inflicting, tried to wrench his hand away. "And if I don’t?" he snarled, his blue eyes glaring with determination. Xavier released his hold then smiled at Brian as he sat down to face the singer. Now completely calm, Xavier began to recite a mass of confidential and intimate information regarding the Backstreet Boys’ personal lives and the lives of their families. Brian was aghast by the detailed amount of knowledge he possessed. He sagged in his seat, placing his hands over his face as he listened fearfully to Xavier explain in graphic detail the possible "accidents" that could befall his loved ones. Overwhelmed, he could only whisper, "Why? Why me?"

Xavier rose from his seat and crouched down next to Brian. The young singer slipped his hands away from his face to stare at Xavier, now eye level with him. The bodyguard placed a hand on the young singer’s shoulder and gave it a shake. "I’m not sure myself," admitted Xavier, almost sympathetically.

"You’ve done this before, to other people, haven’t you." It was a statement, rather than a question.

Xavier nodded, then stood up. "Of course, it’s my job."

"Your job. And what exactly is that?" asked Brain dully. "Extortion, terrorism, what?"

"My job is what I want it to be. And this time it’s about a game - between you and me."

"A game?" Brian looked at Xavier in disbelief. "I don’t understand."

"You will." Xavier’s voice was serene, soothing, as if trying to calm a frightened child.

"You’re mad."

"Just a little."

Brian’s voice shook a little. "Dear God, help me."

Xavier smiled generously. "By all means, ask." He winked at Brian. "But don’t expect an answer."

He paused for a moment. "Want to hear about our game?"

Brian said nothing, not wanting to answer.

Xavier went on, animated. ""The game is about fear and control. Your will against mine. Yes, it’s really quite fun. And you’re my new player."

"And you want to know the best thing about it?" Xavier hurried on, not waiting for a reply. "Yes, the best thing is who wins and who loses. I usually don’t like the people I pick, but you’re different somehow. I’m not sure why, but I like you Brian. And that’s why I’m going to give you a chance. Most people break quickly, but I think you’ll be a fighter. You manage to play the game right and maybe, just maybe no one gets hurt. It’s really up to you…"

Brian watched apprehensively as Xavier walked to the door, unlatched it, and pulled it open. He stepped into the doorway, then turned to face Brian, a smile of anticipation on his face. "I can see you’re a little confused, don’t worry, all my former clients were too. We’ll talk more in the morning. Get some sleep, ok?"

Brian didn’t answer. His mind raced with the possibilities of revenge and Xavier, as if reading his mind, frowned, his face darkening.

"Don’t even think about it. You so much as breathe a word of this to the police, your friends, anyone…"Xavier strode back in and grabbed Brian, lifting him roughly off the ground, "and I’ll make sure you and everyone else suffers. Got it?" He waited until Brian nodded, then with a hard shove pushed Brian away from him.

He walked back to the door. "Remember who is in control," he hissed, then shut the door behind him.

***

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