Chapter 87:
At the Hotel
Well this is just fucking great!
AJ threw his bags down in disgust,
wondering where the hell everyone was. Nick had bailed out on him at the last
moment, staying behind to talk to a creepy little stagehand, saying he would
see him later at the hotel. Shaking his head, AJ had gone around the arena,
searching for Kevin and Brian, unable to find either until his bodyguard
informed him that they had left with Xavier. The hotel concierge was no help at
all, shrugging his shoulders politely when asked about Howie's whereabouts.
Irritated, AJ repeatedly phoned Howie's room only to have the answering machine
pick up every time. Pounding on Howie's door had produced no results and so AJ
resignedly returned to his room, ordered room service, and as he waited for his
food to arrive, contemplated on what to do next.
**********************
Hands stuffed in his back pockets, Les
shifted nervously from one foot to another, looking at Nick in disbelief. Taken
aback when the young Backstreet Boy had approached him, Les was even more
surprised by his request and by the fact that Nick knew exactly who to ask.
"You sure?" Les questioned, scanning the area to see if anyone was
eavesdropping.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
Les perked up, interested. "It's not
that easy to get, ya know."
Nick knew a scam artist when he saw one
and leaned over to whisper. "Well, if that's the case, maybe I should just
go ask someone else." He emphasized the last two words by shifting his
eyes towards the other crew hands.
Les nodded, catching Nick's meaning.
"Nah. You came to the right place. I can do it." A small smirk began
to form. "It's gonna cost you."
Nick matched Les's smirk with one of his
own. "Like I'm really worried about that. Just do it, okay?" Fishing
out his wallet, he pulled several bills, shoving them into Les's hand.
"And hurry."
******************
Xavier slammed the car brutally into park,
the car shuddering to a stop. Brian dozed on, oblivious that they had arrived
and Kevin frowned inwardly, wondering for a moment what to do as Xavier exited
the car and began to unloaded the trunk. With a tentative hand he reached over
and gently shook Brian on the shoulder.
"Brian, Brian, wake up." He
shook a little harder. "Wake up. We're here." No response. With his
heart beating a little faster, Kevin hopped out and yanked open the front
passenger door, reaching in to catch Brian before he slumped over. "Brian!
Jesus! Wake up!" He hoped Xavier couldn't hear the panic in his voice,
glancing worriedly at Xavier who was talking to a bellhop. Brian moaned and
tried to swat Kevin's hand away, mumbling an incoherent reply. Relieved that
his cousin was stirring, Kevin grabbed him by the arm, forcing Brian to look up
at him. "Brian, come on, man. Get out of the car." Helping him out,
Kevin held him steady as Brian blinked several times, his hand shielding his
eyes against the bright sun.
"Okay… all right. Jeez, wait a
sec," Brian grumbled, trying to shrug off Kevin's supportive grip but gave
up when he felt Kevin's fingers wrapping tighter around him.
Clutching Brian securely, Kevin noticed
Xavier's shadow looming over them. He turned to gaze at the bodyguard, setting
his face into an exasperated expression. "X, looks like Brian is having
some trouble here. Go and get our rooms confirmed and we'll meet you at the
elevators." Kevin almost backed down when he saw the frown forming on the
large man's face. Gritting his teeth, Kevin held firm, trying his best to look
annoyed. "Go on. I can manage this." With an inner sigh of relief,
Kevin watched Xavier pushed the heavy glass doors open, entering the lobby.
Brian sagged in his arms and Kevin
struggled to keep him upright. "Brian!" Kevin switched his grip.
"Shit! Brian, stand up. That's it. Come on." He helped him over to
the covered breezeway, eying the surrounding area, glad that they had arrived
earlier than expected. Except for a few curious glances, nobody had recognized
them. Brian looked up at Kevin, rubbing his red-rimmed eyes with the heel of
his hand.
"What is God's name did you
take?" Kevin asked worriedly, his voice harsher than he intended.
"None of your business. In fact, do
me a favor and leave me the hell alone."
Kevin dropped his hand away from Brian,
shocked by the bitterness in his voice. Huh? What the …didn't Nick and AJ
explain things to him?
"Brian, listen. I don't think you
understand. Me, the guys, we know what's been going on! We all know about
Xavier. We're gonna help you."
Brian gave him a furious glare, then
struggled over to the hotel entry wall to lean against it for support.
"No, you don't understand. I don't need your help. I don't want
your help. I've had more than enough of your help already."
Kevin walked over, his green eyes filled
with a mixture of exasperation and concern. "Brian, why are you acting
this way? What's the matter?"
Brian cocked his head to one side, his
blue eyes flashing with resentment. "What's the matter?" he mimicked
sarcastically. "What's the matter? What makes you think anything is
wrong?" His voice began to rise. "And why the sudden interest now,
Kevin? You never cared before."
Brian pushed agitatedly away from the wall
and they both winced simultaneously; Brian from the sudden movement, Kevin from
the fury in his cousin's voice. Glancing for a second into the lobby, Kevin saw
that Xavier was almost finished signing some papers at the reception desk. He
turned to see the exhaustion on his cousin's face and realized now was not the
time to argue. Reaching in for Brian's arm again, Kevin gave him a no-nonsense
look.
"Come on. Let's go inside."
He ushered Brian in, letting go when he
felt Brian yank angrily away from him. They stood by the elevators in silence,
neither willing to look at one another. With a deep sigh, Kevin watched as
Xavier came towards them, noticing that the bodyguard was glancing down at one
of the room's entry cards. A slight shock ran through him. He's memorizing
Brian's room number! During the meeting, Sam had given specific
instructions that everyone was responsible for their own entry cards; that from
now on no master cards were to be given out, even to security. Kevin remembered
the tight look on Xavier's face as the bodyguard objected but Sam had cut him
off, stating that room safety wasn't an issue and that there were more pressing
security problems to address.
Startled into action, Kevin reached out
with a bored hand, faking impatience as he waited for Xavier to hand over the
cards. "Say Xavier, I can't seem to find my pager. I think I might have
left it the car. Go have a look, okay?" He saw Xavier stiffen, knowing
that the bodyguard wanted to accompany them to their rooms. Sam, in his
infinite wisdom, had situated the bodyguards on a different floor, citing that
he was unable to find adjoining rooms.
Kevin hurried on, not waiting for Xavier's
reply. "Thanks. And, oh, if you find it, you can just give it to me
tomorrow." Hearing the chime of the elevator door, he scooped up his small
duffel bag, then Brian's and steered Brian into the steel enclosure. Just before
the doors closed, Kevin nodded curtly, enjoying the frustration on Xavier's
face. "See ya."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Howie ran a nervous hand through his hair
as he strode down the hallway, impatient to find out what was happening. He had
been late getting back to the hotel, making a few stops around town with his
bodyguard before returning. Pleasantly surprised at
He rapped on AJ's door then shook his head
in exasperation when he realized it was ajar. Pushing the door open he saw AJ
reclining on his bed, finishing what looked like the remains of dinner.
"Save some for me?" Howie
quipped, coming over to inspect.
AJ snorted. "Don't I always?" He
pointed with his knife at a covered serving dish then sat up straighter,
criss-crossing his legs. "Where the hell were you? I've been searching all
over!"
Howie shrugged, his mouth full. "Had
to do a few things," he mumbled.
"You and Nick," groused AJ.
Howie looked up. "He's not
here?"
AJ rubbed his face tiredly and glanced at
his watch. "Nope. And neither is Kev or Brian. At least, I don't think
they're here."
Grabbing a napkin, Howie wiped his hands.
"So, how did it go? What happened after I left?"
"You want the bad news or the bad
news?"
"AJ, quit joking around. What's going
on?"
AJ jumped up and began to restlessly pace
the room. "I'm not joking. Everything is totally fucked up, D. After you
left, Nick and I confronted Bri about what we knew. He was furious at us."
Howie paused, his fork suspended in mid
air. "What? Furious?"
"Yeah, told us to butt out. Said he
didn't need our help, that we had only screwed things up for him." AJ
sighed heavily. "And we did."
Not liking the tone in his friend's voice,
Howie put his fork down on his plate and looked up questioningly.
"That brilliant idea of closing
Brian's bank account backfired, big time. X was trying to make a withdrawal and
it rejected." AJ turned away from Howie for a moment then turned to face
him again, his face bitter. "Seems like Xavier was going to make one last
withdrawal and then leave, disappear for good. When the bank refused the request
X totally lost it. He beat the crap outta Brian."
Howie was too shocked to notice that his
plate had slid from his lap, falling to the floor. His eyes met AJ's in horror
and AJ nodded grimly.
'I saw it, D. I saw it. Brian pulled up
his shirt. God, there were bruises everywhere! I don't know how he managed to
survive a beating like that! It was horrible."
Howie sucked his breath in with a sharp
hiss, glad he hadn't been there to witness it. "You should of taken him to
a hospital, AJ!"
"I wanted to! Nick wanted to! Brian
refused. Pleaded with us to give him a few more days and then Xavier would be
gone."
Howie snorted in sarcasm. "Right, and
you believe that?"
AJ stopped his pacing to turn and face
Howie. "Yeah, I do. Xavier didn't have to come back. He could of left
after he beat up Brian, but he came back. Remember what Nick said? That X isn't
done with Brian? Xavier wants to try and get his money one more time."
Howie sagged in his seat and closed his
eyes for a moment. "And do we let him?"
"Damn straight we do. I want that
fucker outta of here once and for all. If it takes more money, so be it. I'm
not willing to risk Brian's life again, are you?"
Howie shook his head and looked up at AJ,
a mixture of resignation, defeat and anger framed in his brown eyes. "No,
I'm not."
* * * * * * * * * *
If the silence between them at the
elevators was painful, the ride up the elevators was downright unbearable.
Kevin desperately wanted the chance to talk, to help, to make amends; hell, anything
if only Brian would let him. But, by the way he was slumped against the side of
the elevator, avoiding direct eye contact, Kevin knew that Brian was not going
to give him that chance.
He fingered his room entry card, glancing
down to read the number. 2481. Tilting his head slightly, Kevin examined the
card Brian held. 2441. 2441. Brian's room number, the one Xavier had memorized.
Kevin stared thoughtfully at Brian's number for a moment, then at his. The soft
chime of the elevator announced its opening and Kevin grabbed a hold of Brian's
shoulder, stopping him from exiting. "Here, this is yours." Kevin
held out 2481. Reaching for Brian's, he quickly swapped cards.
Brian frowned then gave in when he saw the
look on Kevin's face, too tired to argue. Taking the card he slowly tread down
the hallway, looking for his hotel door, wondering if he had the strength to
even open it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Hearing a couple of sharp taps, AJ strode
over to the door and let Nick in, giving him a curious stare.
"About time," he grumbled.
"What the hell was so important that you had to stay and talk to that
little piss ant instead of coming with me?"
Nick shrugged nonchalantly, studiously
ignoring AJ's heated question as he viewed the room service cart before him.
"Hey, didn't you order anything for
me?"
"No, I didn't order anything for
you," AJ replied, mimicking Nick's hurt tone. He reached over and plucked
a menu from the cart and tossed it impatiently to him. "Here. Order
yourself, you big baby."
Nick raised his eyebrows exaggeratedly at
AJ. "Whoa, what crawled up your ass and died?"
"You mean besides your irritating
whining?"
Nick glared at him. "Yeah! And I'm
sure there's been more interesting things than that stuck up
there."
AJ threw him a sneer. "Fuck you,
Nick."
"Really?" Nick glanced down
pointedly at AJ's crotch. "With what?"
Howie quickly jumped in between them.
"Okay, stop!" he barked, holding his hands out in either direction,
amazed at their sudden hostility. "Just stop. What's the matter with you
two?"
AJ was the first to break eye contact with
Nick, embarrassed by his sudden anger. "I…I don't know," he muttered,
turning away. "Sorry Nick. I'm sorry." He waved a hand miserably.
"Things. Things are bothering me, ya know?"
Nick relaxed, understanding all too well
AJ's vague explanation. Things. Some things. Everything. They were all
beginning to crack under the pressure, a small but significant break that was
causing them to snap at each other at the smallest of incidents.
"It's okay. I'm sorry too." In a
hurry to change the subject, Nick looked at Howie. "Did AJ fill you in
about Brian?"
"Yeah."
"All right. Good. So you know. Has
anybody seen Brian? Is he here?" Nick looked back and forth between AJ and
Howie. "We still gotta talk to him, see how he's doing."
Howie frowned, shaking his head. "I
haven't seen him. Neither has AJ. Lets go track Kevin down, see what he
knows." Picking his fallen dinner plate up off the ground, Howie tossed it
away and then opened the door for the other two, all three exiting in a hurry,
eager to locate the oldest Backstreet Boy.
***
