Chapter 49

 

Brian reached with his hand to massage the back of his neck, trying to rub the soreness out. He glanced at his watch, noting the time. It had been a long and exhausting afternoon, the band and dancers practicing over and over again to get the new song down pat. Brian deliberately ignored the undisguised looks of resentment and hostility thrown at him as he ran them through another rehearsal, wishing he could just as easily ignore the dark shadow of Xavier who sat quietly in the front row, observing. Brian didn't need to turn around to know he was being watched, he could feel the penetrating stare of the bodyguard burn into his skull. The last note of the song was a long one, and as he finished it Brian opened his eyes to see the rest of the group surveying him, waiting sullenly for him to repeat, "one more time."

 

"Uh, I guess that's it, y'all. Thanks for taking the time to work on this."

 

Brian heard mutter of "as if we had a choice" and "do we get paid overtime?" filter by him as they left the stage. Walking over to the cooler on the quickly deserted stage, Brian reached down to search for a cold bottle of water. He felt Xavier surface up from behind him and Brian took his sweet time drinking, not wanting to face him. Brian finished the bottle and with irritation turned to look at the bodyguard who had waited patiently for him to acknowledge his presence. He gave Xavier a sour look, tossing the empty away and bent down to reach a towel to wipe the sweat from his brow.

 

"Everything to your satisfaction?" he scoffed. 

 

Xavier ignored him, sticking his hands casually into his pockets as he wandered around the stage, nonchalantly examining the band's equipment.

 

Brian shrugged. "Great," replied, answering his own question. He snatched his bag and headed towards the dressing room. Fingers of steel wrapped around Brian's upper arm, stopping his exit. Dragging the young singer close, Xavier stared at him a moment, looking him over.

 

"So what happened?" he questioned calmly, his eyes searching Brian's.

 

Brian tried to wrench away, but gave up as Xavier's hand tightened into a vice-like grip. "What are you talking about?" he asked evenly, his stomach twisting with fear, wondering just how much Xavier knew.

 

"Don't fuck with me," said Xavier lightly. "Harry quits, you punched someone at Burger King…" Xavier prodded, waiting for an explanation. Brian coolly looked down at the beefy hand that was crushing his arm, then up at Xavier.

 

"Let me go." 

 

Xavier eyed him for a moment then released his stronghold. Brian moved away, massaging his arm. What should he say? His mind raced, trying to figure how much Xavier knew, how much he didn't. No one knew where the hell Harry was and Brian was positive none of the guys had talked to X. He decided to go with what Xavier had already questioned him about.

 

"Harry quit because we were all horsing around in the bus and he got angry," answered Brian simply, leaving out the real reason. "He lost his temper, took off, left us right in the middle of nowhere." Brian kept his voice steady, trying to sound bored. "All of us were hungry so we stopped at Burger King and some kid got jealous because his girlfriend was flirting with Nick. He was about to punch Nick when I decked him. End of story."

 

Xavier had hitched his hip onto the end of a massive speaker, his hands crossed in front of him as he listened to Brian's explanation. "Just horsing around, huh?"

 

Brian wondered if Xavier could see how shaky he felt. "Yeah, horsing around," he repeated, fighting to keep his expression neutral.

 

Xavier stood up and gave a massive stretch. "Hmm," he said, noncommittal. Brian watched him, unsettled by his casual manner. Did Xavier believe him or not? Ill at ease, Brian edged past the bodyguard, anxious to leave. He almost made it past but once again the quick hand of Xavier blocked his way. Xavier leaned in, his mouth brushing against the blond singer's ear. "You're a poor liar. But that's okay. It just makes the game more interesting."

 

The closeness of his mouth, the warmth of Xavier's breath against him made Brian physically sick. He yanked hard, ripping free of the bodyguard's hold and vaulted off the stage, running up the aisle. He reached the top and kept on running, unable to rid his mind of the sinister laughter that floated up behind him.

 

   * * * * *

 

Nick was in a foul mood and everyone knew it. It had been a particularly pain-in-the-ass day starting with Brian begging off a PR meeting, complaining of a headache, and asking Nick to fill in for him. Nick reluctantly agreed and left with the limo driver, only to have the driver get them completely lost. Finally reaching their destination, after an hour of confused driving. Nick's tolerance level dropped another notch when he discovered the publicity meeting had been canceled. Leaving, he had climbed back into the limo, only to get stuck in freeway traffic for two more hours due to an overturned semi. Nick waited in agony, needing to pee bad, having unwisely drank a large soda before he left. Now, back at the arena he just wanted to enjoy a few moments in the game room before starting the tedious job of getting ready for another show.

 

Nick walked along side AJ, on their way to their dressing room, when he saw their drummer striding towards them. Nick said a quick hello, his hand frozen in mid-air as the drummer ignored him, not giving Nick a second glance. Nick noticed their lead guitar guy right behind the drummer and called out to him.

 

"Hey, seen Bri anywhere around?" asked Nick hopefully, wanting to see if Brian would go a couple of rounds with him. It seemed like forever since they had played against each other. The guitarist gave the blond singer 'a what-planet-are-you-from look' and walked away with a disgusted wave of his hand. Nick turned to AJ in amazement.

 

"Damn! All I wanted to know is if he knew where Bri was. What the hell is the matter with him?" AJ shook his head tiredly as they rounded the corner to enter the dressing room. Irritated, Nick whacked the door open then slumped down dejectedly on the couch. "Get the feeling that everyone is ignoring me?" he questioned. He gazed up to see AJ not listening, his hip hitched over the edge of a chair, punching a few numbers on his cell phone. Nick sighed. "Yep."

 

***

 

 

ß Back | Next à