Chapter 18:
The Next Morning
Beating AJ by a heartbeat, Howie jabbed
his fork at the last waffle on the serving tray and placed it on his plate.
"Hey!" complained AJ, nudging
his friend, "that was mine!"
Howie ignored the protest, going over to
the serving cart to look for the maple syrup. He found it next to the other
condiments and reached for it, drowning his waffle. He turned and found a seat
next to Nick who was already working on his second plate of eggs.
Kevin, already done with breakfast, leaned
back in his chair and sipped his coffee. "Anyone see Brian?" he
questioned.
Nick, mouth full, waved his fork in the
air, to indicate he hadn’t. AJ sat down next to Kevin, but not before snagging
a piece of Howie’s waffle on the way over. He gave Howie a victorious smirk and
then answered Kevin. "Nope."
Kevin glanced at his watch and shook his
head. "Alright, who is going to get him?" The three continued eating,
not listening to the request. "Howie?" pleaded Kevin.
"Why me?" grumbled Howie.
"I just sat down. You go get him, you’re done." Howie turned to AJ,
who was trying to sneak another piece. "Don’t even think about it
Bone," he warned, brandishing his fork like a weapon for effect. AJ
shrugged and slumped back into his chair, continuing his meal.
Kevin downed the rest of the coffee in one
quick gulp, got up and stretched. "Ok, guess I’m elected," he said
dryly. He edged around the cart trying to get to the door. The room service had
been decent for once, but Kevin hated the confusion it caused by always having
it in his room. AJ declined his, complaining that everyone practically lived
there anyway, and Nick’s and Brian’s were a constant mess. Howie wisely never
offered his.
"Save something for Brian," he
warned Nick.
"Yeah, don’t hog it all," came
Brian’s tired reply as he entered the room. All four glanced in his direction
then stared at Brian as he sat down in Kevin’s empty seat.
"Damn!" swore AJ, tilting his
sunglasses to get a better look at his friend. He noticed the red marks on
Brian’s neck and face. "I sure hope she was good! Can I have her
number?"
"Me first," chimed in Nick,
getting up to inspect Brian. Brian waved off Nick’s curious stare and got up to
see what food was left. Howie and Kevin glanced at each other, then at Brian,
concerned. Something was wrong, and both Kevin and Howie recognized it.
Brian slowly spooned some eggs onto his plate,
then grabbed a piece of toast before sitting down back down. He kept his head
down as he ate. Kevin walked over to Brian and placed a hand on his shoulder,
feeling his cousin flinch under his touch.
"Brian, look at me."
Brian continued eating.
"Brian!"
He stopped and looked up at Kevin.
"What?" he said flatly.
Kevin and the rest of the guys stared at
Brian, amazed. Brian looked exhausted, his eyes weary and bloodshot. Kevin got
a closer look at the angry marks on Brian’s neck and the splotch of red that
was covering the left side of his face. He drew a swift breath, astonished,
then signaled to Howie. Howie walked over to Brian and crouched down, coming
eye level with him. "Okay, give," he demanded, worried. The others
waited quietly for his reply.
Brian had been dreading this moment; at
best, he was a lousy liar and he knew it. Unable to rest after going back to
his room last night he had wracked his brain for a believable story. Now that
the time had come, the lame excuse he invented disintegrated before him as he
looked into Howie’s concerned face.
Uncomfortable, Brian lowered his head and
mumbled, "I don’t wanna talk about it, ok?"
"Huh?" came Nick’s reply.
"What do you mean, you don’t want to talk about it? Look at you! You look
like shit. Come on Bri, wassup?"
Brian felt his heart racing as he glanced
from one friend to another. What could he say? That in a span of 8 hours his
life had turned completely upside down? That the bodyguard they all trusted was
a complete lunatic and their lives were in danger if he didn’t quietly obey
Xavier’s insane game? Panicking, Brian felt his resolve crumble before the
guys’ intense stare, and afraid he might break down before them, he jumped up,
knocking over his plate of food.
"Damn, what is it with you?" he
yelled. "I said I don’t want to talk about it! Is that so hard to
understand?"
The guys were taken aback by Brian’s
outburst. "Jeez, Bri, chill out, okay? We were only wondering. Excuse us
for caring!" Angry, Nick turned away from Brian giving Kevin a disgusted
"who cares" look.
Brian sighed heavily.
"Nick...hey...I’m sorry. It’s just that last night..."
"Brian and I had a rough time last
night," interrupted Xavier coming into the room unannounced. All five
Backstreet Boys turned towards the door. Xavier walked over to the breakfast
cart, calmly surveying the remains while Kevin, Nick, AJ and Howie gawked at
the bodyguard before them. The left side of his face was scattered with a
colorful mass of red and purple bruises. AJ swung his attention from Xavier, to
Brian, then back to Xavier again.
"Okay," he said firmly.
"I’m not leaving here until you guys tell us what the hell is going
on." He crossed his arms defiantly, glaring at the two. Xavier turned away
from the cart empty-handed, and caught Brian’s eye, holding it for a commanding
second, then looked at AJ. On edge, Brian felt a small bead of sweat trickle
down the back of his neck as watched Xavier.
"Last night Brian and I encountered
an intruder in his hotel room. He tackled Brian by the throat, knocking him
down. I managed to drag him off Brian, but not before he gave me a couple of
pretty nasty kicks to the face." Xavier turned to look pointedly at Brian.
"Holy shit!" exclaimed Nick.
"Who was the guy?"
Xavier shook his head. "I don’t know.
The kick stunned me pretty hard, and he escaped before I had a chance to stop
him."
"Do you know what he wanted?"
questioned Howie.
"As for what he wanted," Xavier
continued, "I’m not sure. Robbery is a possibility. However, there is
another problem. A few days ago, management started receiving some anonymous
threats against Brian; I’ve been checking them out. That’s why I came to see
Brian last night. I’m thinking this intruder might be linked to the
threats."
"Did you call the police?" asked
AJ.
Xavier looked at Brian. "No, Brian
doesn’t want any. Reporters, TV and such. Right, Brian?"
Brian was caught off guard. "Uh,
yeah. Too much publicity," he mumbled.
Kevin sat down next to Brian and shook his
head, trying to absorb it all. "Do you know how he was able to get into
Brian’s room?"
Xavier shook his head. "No. I’m
looking into that, maybe a master entry key, possibly a maid. However he
managed it, he won’t get in again. Believe me, I’m right on top of it."
Brian was stunned at Xavier’s composed
manner, the ease at which he lied to the guys and the skill and cleverness of
his story. He bowed his head so that the guys couldn’t see him, fearful of what
his expression might reveal.
Xavier dug out of pocket a group of cards,
passing them around and announced, "Okay, I’ve taken the liberty of
changing everybody’s code, here are your new cards. Only I have the new access
number." He handed the last one to Brian. Brian reluctantly reached out to
take the extended card only to discover Xavier holding firmly onto it, forcing
Brian to look up at him. The bodyguard’s dark eyes bore into Brian’s as he
spoke.
"I’ve talked to management and the
other bodyguards and they are in agreement that I will be acting as Brian’s
chief bodyguard during the rest of the tour. Obviously I’ll need and expect
your complete cooperation, okay guys?"
Brian choked down the bile he felt rising
in his throat. Not only had Xavier expertly managed to gain access to
everyone’s room, he had made himself look like Brian’s personal savior. Brian
felt the now familiar anger and resentment building up inside him.
Nick came over to Brian, placing a
sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "God, Brian, I’m sorry. You gonna be
okay for tonight?" He pointed to the red marks on Brian’s throat.
"Sure, Frack. My throat’s just a
little sore. I’ll be okay." Howie walked over to Brian, handing him a
glass of orange juice with a "want it?" look. Brian accepted it with
a small smile, grateful for his concern.
Kevin stood up from his chair, relieved
that nothing worse had happened to his cousin. He studied his new entry card
before pocketing it. He was disturbed about the threats and attack but knew
without a doubt that if anyone could handle the situation, Xavier could. Kevin
walked over to where Xavier was, slapping an appreciative hand onto his
shoulder. "Thanks for all your effort, Xavier. We’ll help in anyway we
can."
Kevin turned to Brian, joking. "Hey
Bri, you need to give Xavier here a huge raise!"
It took all of Brian’s willpower not to
choke on the O.J. he was drinking. "A raise."
Xavier grinned, enjoying Brian’s
discomfort. "Naw," he said cheerfully. "But I do need a watch.
How about a Rolex?" he questioned in a joking manner, but glanced
significantly at Brian. Brian understood the game. It was not a request.
Kevin and Howie whistled, joining in the
fun. "Yeah, like one of those Presidentials,
right?" Howie turned to AJ. "Hey man, you should buy yourself one of
those. Then maybe you’d be on time."
AJ was playing absentmindedly with his
card, still slumped in his chair, and ignored Howie’s dig. There was something
not quite right here, a feeling he couldn’t shake. Since meeting Xavier he had
felt uncomfortable around him; he still felt uneasy even after Xavier had saved
their asses at the radio station, then kept Brian from being seriously injured.
The guys all seemed at ease with Xavier, which confused things further.
Experiencing an unshakable gut feeling that Xavier was not all he seemed to be,
AJ rose from his chair, eager to leave. He put his shades on, grateful more
than once for the cover the glasses gave him. He didn’t want Xavier looking
directly at him right now, unsure of how perceptive he might be. He considered
talking to Brian later about his feelings but then dismissed it. By the looks
of his friend, he needed one less worry right now.
He slapped a reassuring hand onto Brian’s
back, giving him a thumb’s up signal. "I’m bailing. See you tonight,
okay?" Brian nodded, also standing up. "Later, Bone."
Kevin and Howie decided to leave with AJ, each
giving words of encouragement to Brian before they left. Nick came over to
Brian, a playful grin on his face. "Hey Bri, wanna come with me to the
airport? I’m picking up Aaron."
"Aaron’s coming here?" Brian
looked at Nick in disbelief. He hadn’t seen him in quite awhile.
"Yeah, just for a short visit. He’s
been whining to come visit, so I said okay."
Brian smiled, thinking about Aaron. He
could be a real handful. "Sure, why not," he agreed.
"Let me go get him."
Nick turned to Xavier, surprised at Xavier’s
offer. He didn’t notice the look that was exchanged between the bodyguard and
his best friend. "No, that’s okay, X. I don’t mind," Nick said,
refusing his offer.
"Nick, think this out. You don’t have
a car, you don’t know the area, and if you and Brian go, you’ll probably create
a scene at the airport. I know this area, and I can pick up Aaron easily. It
would be no problem."
"Well..."
Brian thought furiously, wondering how he
could stop Xavier from getting Aaron. The idea of Xavier near Nick’s brother
sickened him. "Xavier, I thought you had to go check on some security
problems at the arena."
"All taken care of." Xavier gave
Brian a sly grin, which Brian didn’t return.
"Well, we don’t mind picking up
Aaron. Thanks for the offer, anyway."
"I insist."
Brian caught the dangerous tone in
Xavier’s voice but Nick shrugged, unaware. "Well, ok, sure. Guess you’re
right about the airport scene. Thanks. Aaron’s coming in on United. Around
1:30. Flight 202."
Brian wanted to scream, except he felt
more like throwing up. He watched as Xavier walked to the door, turning to face
them before he left.
"What time is it?" he
questioned.
Nick looked at his watch. "
"Great, thanks. I don’t have watch on
me." Xavier explained, then smirked at Brian as he left.
Nick picked up a small backpack, flinging
it over his shoulder. "Guess we’re free. Wanna do anything?"
Brian was still looking at the door, lost
in thought.
"Rok?"
"Huh? Oh, uh...let’s go
shopping."
Nick raised his eyebrows in surprise. AJ
was usually the shopaholic. "Cool. Where
to?"
***
