Chapter 30:
Heart to Heart Talk
As soon as the door closed
Xavier shot out of his seat, grabbing Brian viciously by the arm. With one
swift blow, he smashed his fist into the blond singer’s midsection, knocking
the wind out of him. Brian fell immediately to his knees, gasping, unable to
draw air. Xavier crouched down next to Brian, his face just inches away.
"Where are
they?" he hissed, enraged. Brian wheezed heavily, his hands crossed across
his stomach and he shook his head, confused. Xavier clamped cruelly down onto
the singer’s hand, crushing it. "The pills."
Through a haze of pain
Brian’s mind screamed with fury. How the hell did he know? He looked into the
bodyguard’s eyes, refusing to answer, matching his will with that of the much
larger man. "Where are they?" Xavier repeated, applying more pressure
and Brian struggled, determined to fight.
Impatient, Xavier shoved
him to the ground, punching him once more, efficiently canceling Brian’s
resistance. Brian curled onto his side, the pain overwhelming. He felt, rather
than saw, Xavier frisk his body, hands patting down his pockets. With a grunt
of satisfaction Xavier pulled away, the small container of pills firmly in his
grasp. Ignoring the muffled cries of pain from Brian, he held the prescription
up to the light, reading the label.
"Sleeping
pills," he stated flatly. "Never thought you’d be that spineless to
commit suicide."
A choked cry of laughter
escaped from Brian as he leaned on one elbow, struggling to sit upright. He
finally managed to sit cross-legged on the floor, hands wrapped around his
stomach for support. "It wasn’t for me," he spat, glaring up at
Xavier, "It was for you."
Xavier tossed the bottle
absentmindedly up and down in his hand, contemplating Brian’s scheme. His eyes
narrowed into slits, a small smile forming against his darkly-tanned skin. He
bent down on one knee to examine the young singer more closely, then patted the
young singer’s shoulder, almost affectionately. "You wanted to kill
me," he said softly. "I’m impressed."
"Well, don’t
be," Brian snarled, rising unsteadily to his feet. "I’ll try
again."
A genuine shout of
laughter rang out and Xavier clapped his hands in enjoyment. "That’s the
spirit! I knew I could count on you! What a game this is going to be."
Brian walked over to the
nearest chair, wincing as he sat down. "How did you know?" he asked
dully. Xavier, high on the moment, raised his eyebrows in question.
"How did you know I
had sleeping pills?"
Xavier cocked his head to
one side, a sly smile appearing. "Now what kind of game would we be
playing if I told you all my secrets, huh?" He leaned against the side of
the conference table, arms crossed, studying the ashen-faced singer. "You
know, I didn’t hit you that hard. You need to toughen up."
"And I guess you’re
the one to show me how," sneered Brian. He immediately regretted saying
that when he noticed the bodyguard’s face light up.
"As a matter of fact,
yes. If you were in the right kind of shape, you wouldn’t have been in so much
pain when AJ grabbed you."
The circumstances of that
night flashed back to Brian and he felt himself filled with resentment.
"Why did you do that to AJ? I thought this whole "game" was
between you and me."
Xavier looked at Brian,
his face changed into one of loathing. "He’s an asshole. He deserved it.
Besides, you don’t need him. In fact, you don’t need any of them."
Brian sat up a little
straighter in his chair, alarmed by Xavier’s matter-of-fact tone. He tried to
compose himself, troubled by this unexpected turn. "I don’t need any of
them," he repeated blandly, hoping for an explanation, praying he kept any
emotion from showing.
The large man nodded,
warming up to the subject. "Yes. You’re so much better. You could go solo,
have your own career."
Brian shook his head.
"Xavier, where I am today is because of the Backstreet Boys. I need them
as much as they need me. Our success is because we are a team."
Xavier’s face went blank,
his enthusiasm gone. "I don’t give a shit about the others. You’re the one
I picked, remember? The game has changed. I think it’s time you got ready to
launch a solo career, with me as your trainer."
Brian rose out of his
chair, anger and defiance etched in his face. "And if I don’t?"
Xavier quickly stood, his posture imposing. Brian held his ground firmly, not
wavering. Xavier suddenly relaxed, giving him a calculating smile.
"Had a pretty busy
time in
"Well, no time to
waste," he stated cheerily. "Let’s get going with your training,
okay?"
Brian paused at the edge
of the door, his voice low, his blue eyes filled with bitterness. "I’m
gonna fight you every step," he promised.
Xavier’s grinned. "I
wouldn’t have it any other way."
***
