Chapter 85:
Finally Alone
As soon as he saw the conference door
closing, Nick swung his attention to Brian who was still quietly sitting.
Throughout this whole ordeal, his main objective had been to find Brian, to
reach him. Now that he was here, alone with him, Nick felt tongue-tied,
embarrassed, uncomfortable. An awkward silence filled the room and Nick glanced
nervously at AJ, who seemed to be as ill-at-ease as he was. They both had been
stunned by Brian's severe glare, hoping instead to see the forgiveness in
Brian's eyes, to know that everything would be okay, that their bond of
friendship was not forever shattered. They received no such acknowledgment.
Brian sat in his chair, leaning over, his hands covering his face as if in
pain. Frightened by his manner, Nick threw a concerned look at AJ then took a
few tentative steps towards his friend.
"Brian," Nick spoke softly,
scared.
Brian pulled his hands away, a pained and
resigned look on his face. "What?" he replied harshly. He began to
rise from his seat, grimacing and swaying as he struggled to stand upright.
Nick was there in a split second, grabbing
Brian, crushing him into a fierce embrace. He felt a sob rising in his throat
and choked it back, still clinging to Brian, not sure who needed the support
more. Nick felt them both shaking, trembling, Brian's muffled words lost as he
hugged him harder.
"Nick! Nick, let go of Brian!"
shouted AJ, yanking on his arm. "You're hurting him!"
Shocked, Nick let go of Brian instantly.
Brian's face was pale, his mouth contorted in pain. Leaning heavily onto the
edge of the table, Brian waved off their alarmed looks.
"Just give me a second," he said
weakly.
AJ nodded, watching him like a hawk, ready
to catch him if he fell. He nervously glanced at the closed door, knowing that
Kevin was doing his best to keep Xavier occupied but not sure how long that
would last. Reaching out, AJ placed a hesitant hand on Brian’s shoulder.
"Bri, are you okay?"
Brian stiffened at his touch,
straightening up. "Yeah, fine, just great. Couldn’t be better!" he
snapped. "How about you?"
Stung by the harshness in Brian’s voice,
AJ pulled his hand away and took a step back.
Nick spoke up. "Brian, listen to me.
We finally figured what’s been going on. Kevin, Howie, AJ, me, we all know.
We found out about Xavier…."
"Wow, I’m amazed you could figure it
out."
Desperate for relief, Brian sarcastically
cut Nick off. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with an unsteady hand,
wondering how long it would take to locate Xavier and the pills. Shaking from
the pain, he gave a contemptuous laugh.
"Hey, it’s not because I always
looked and acted half-dead, right? The bruises and cuts couldn’t have possibly
tipped you off, could they?"
He glanced down at his watch, trying to
remember how long it had been since he had taken a pain pill. Damn Xavier for
not giving him another! He looked up to see the stunned expression on Nick and
AJ’s face then glanced longingly at the door.
"That’s it," announced AJ
firmly, forgetting about their plan when he saw Brian trembling. "Come on,
I’m taking you to the hospital."
AJ’s statement shocked Brian out of his
insolence and he retreated, backing away from AJ’s outstretched arm.
"No," he whispered.
"Please, no. No hospital. I…I just need some pain pills. I’ll be okay once
I get some." Brian turned pleadingly to Nick when he saw AJ shaking his
head, unconvinced.
"You don’t understand! I only need a
few more days. Just a few. Then Xavier’s gone. He promised. He promised."
Brian knew was babbling but he couldn’t stop, grabbing Nick in desperation.
"Nick, come on! All he wants is the money. That’s all! Just the money.
Then he’ll be gone. Please."
"Well, he’s not gonna get it,
Rok," explained AJ calmly. "We had the bank freeze your account.
Xavier can’t touch it."
Brian froze at the announcement, stunned.
Hardly believing AJ, he turned to see Nick nodding his head. Oh God, if what
they’re saying is true… a wave of pain flowed up and down his spine and
Brian winced, reminding him vividly of the merciless beating he had endured
because of their decision.
He spun on them both, livid. "Who
said you could do that? Do you have any idea what you just did?"
Grabbing at his shirt, Brian raised it up past his shoulders, ignoring their
shocked looks as he turned once around to give them full view. "Courtesy
of Xavier," he spat, pulling his shirt back into place. "Just a
little present because he wasn’t able to get his money." Exhausted and in
pain, Brian lowered his voice, sounding defeated. "Nick, he was going to
leave, take the money and leave. He was going to stay in
Nick could barely stand to hear the hurt
in Brian's voice, the misery, knowing that their hasty scheme had backfired,
causing him so much suffering. It also took all he had not to gasp out loud
when he saw Brian's injuries, stunned by the massive and ugly bruises.
Determined that Brian was not going to
suffer one minute more, Nick shook his head firmly. "Bri, AJ's right. We
need to get you to a hospital. You'll be okay, now. Xavier can't harm you
anymore. We're here."
A sharp, cynical laugh escaped from Brian,
his blue eyes dark. "You just don't get it, do you? Xavier won't stop
until he gets his money." He sucked in his breath, trying to ignore a
sudden stab of pain. "He doesn't care who's in his way. If he has to kill
you, he will."
AJ frowned at him, stubborn. "Brian,
we can stop him, I know it."
"Knowing and actually doing it are
two different things, Bone!"
Brian wasn't sure how much longer he could
stand and argue; his knees felt weak, his back throbbing in earnest. "Well
I'm not willing to bet anyone's life on it. All I want is for Xavier to
get his money. He'll leave, I'm sure of it. It's what he planned to do in the
first place!"
AJ snorted in disbelief and Brian grew
tired of trying to convince him, wanting to scream in frustration and pain.
Gathering up what little strength he had left, he narrowed his eyes, his mouth
set into a firm line. "I've come this far," he said, trying to keep
his voice steady. "I can wait two more days. And so can you." He
turned to leave, feeling a fine thread of panic beginning to envelop him. He
needed to find Xavier right now, knowing it wouldn't be long before he would be
crawling on his knees from the pain.
Nick's fingers wrapped around Brian's arm,
forcing him to stop. "Brian, X is never gonna let you go," he stated,
his voice low. Nick saw a quick flicker of fear in his eyes before Brian stared
down at the hand that was clenching him tightly.
"Nick, let go."
Brian felt the slow release from his arm
and began to back away carefully, heading for the door. " Stay away from
me," he warned. "Don't get involved. If you really want to help me, just
stay the hell away."
Nick looked at AJ in disbelief and then
turned back, only to catch the fleeting form of Brian running down the hall.
He hung his head in despair.
***
