Chapter 94:
Face Off
Leaving Howie to tend to Nick's injuries,
Brian stood in front of Xavier, his slight frame dwarfed by the bodyguard's
much larger one, rage and bitterness the only things that kept him standing
upright. He willed away the pain, the fatigue, the dizziness that he would have
gladly succumbed to if given half the chance.
"No, no more games. No more tricks,
no more pranks, Xavier. It's finished. It's over. You win. Hear that? You
win." Brian tried to keep his words blunt, his voice composed, all the
while trembling inwardly from the shock at what Xavier had in store. He tried
not to stare at the loaded gun clutched firmly in the bodyguard's hand.
"That's what you want, isn't it? To win? Well, you have."
Xavier smiled at Brian's pathetic little
attempt to pacify him and reached out with a cupped hand to caress his chin.
"Nice try," he said mockingly. "But that's not all I
want. You've been quite a challenge for me, a true fighter. I appreciate that,
I really do."
His hand clasped cruelly around the young
singer's jaw. "But no one, no one, not even you, tells me when the
game is over. Got that?" Xavier roughly released his hold on Brian, the
dull red lines from his crushing fingers noticeable upon Brian's jawline and
cheek.
Glancing down to check the gun once more,
Xavier brought his gaze up to smile happily at the five. "Okay," he
announced brightly, "who's first?"
"Me," said Brian harshly, his
eyes glittering darkly.
"You just don't give up, do
you?" declared Xavier. "No, no, no, you had your turn once before,
remember? You passed. Time to let someone else have the fun."
"Xavier!"
Xavier ignored Brian, fondling the gun in
his hand as he nonchalantly spun the chamber round and round. "Hmm, let’s
see, who’s gonna volunteer…" Xavier frowned at Nick, AJ, Kevin and Howie,
who were all sitting down, watching him with careful, wary eyes.
"What? No takers?" he scoffed.
"Come on!"
It was easy, too easy, to push Brian aside
with a single rough shove and Brian crashed into the pointed edge of a table,
trying not to cry out in pain. AJ quickly jumped up, coming over to help Brian,
but Xavier stopped him with a wave of the gun.
"Ah, our first contestant, and one of
my very favorites too," sneered Xavier, grabbing AJ harshly and
thrusting him into the nearest chair. Kevin and Howie leaped out of their own
seats shouting, coming forward, the panic and fear evident in their voice and
face. Wrapping his hand around AJ's neck, Xavier placed the gun to the young
singer's temple, signaling with a fierce glare for Kevin and Howie to back off.
He disregarded Brian's screams of no!, keeping his eyes glued to the
three before him. He felt AJ move a little and so he tightened his grip, pressing
the muzzle deeper into his skull. He had to give the little freak credit as he
glanced quickly at him. AJ was sitting still, calm, almost too calm, while
everyone around him was yelling in terror.
"Ready?" Xavier questioned to
all, his eyes not on AJ, but on Brian who was shaking, pleading for Xavier to
stop.
"Just do it, you stupid
son-of-a-bitch!" spat AJ furiously, his voice filled with hatred.
"What are you waiting for?"
Startled by AJ's vicious contempt, Xavier
jerked back a second in surprise then pressed his mouth into a grim line as he
pulled the trigger. The gun's chamber turned, the only thing being discharged
was the sound of a dull click The desperate shouts from all four Backstreet
Boys froze in mid scream as it took a few seconds to comprehend that AJ was
still alive.
Xavier abruptly released his hold from AJ
and with a grunt, gave him a hard shove forward. Kevin caught AJ before he
fell, grabbing AJ into a tight hold to try and calm the trembling that was
coming from AJ's traumatized mind and body.
"Damn, this must be your lucky
day!" mocked Xavier. He spun the chamber once more, a manic grin lighting
up his face. "Who's next?" he asked, waving the gun inquiringly in
the air. "Aw, come on, don't be shy!"
Xavier scanned the silent group before
him. "Nick?"
Hand cradling the makeshift icepack to his
face, Nick paled noticeably, recoiling away from Xavier's impatiently beckoning
hand. A second later, Brian was blocking the way, his breathing haggard, the
pain in his body evident, but his eyes and voice firm with defiance.
"No, Xavier. No! You're going have to
kill me first before …" Brian was unable to finish his threat as the bus
swayed, buffeted by a sudden blast, a howling whine that swirled around the
enclosure of the large bus. What sounded like fine particles of rock began to
hit the outside of their windows, the darkness of the night not allowing the
passengers to view what was assaulting them. Immediately shoving his gun back
into the waistline of his pants, Xavier threw a warning scowl to all five and
hurried up front to see what was happening.
Les, his small frame cloaked by the large
captain's chair, was struggling to keep the moving bus on course, gusts of
blowing dust smacking the windshield with ebbing and flowing waves. He felt the
bodyguard’s presence and sneaked a quick glance at Xavier before returning his
attention to the road. The visibility was almost non-existent as he tried to
gauge the outlines of the road. "What's going on?" Les asked
nervously.
"Slow down, slow down, you
idiot!" hissed Xavier. "It's a dust storm. You'll run us off the road
if you're not careful!"
Les began braking, slowing the bus down to
a crawl, the headlights barely able to penetrate a few feet ahead as the
clogging dust enveloped them from all sides.
"Shit!" breathed Xavier.
"Go slower. No! Forget that. Pull over. Stop. Now. You're going to get us
all killed by trying to stay on the road." Les guided the massive bus over
to the edge of the road, feeling, rather than seeing, the bus's tires bump
slightly as the smoothness of the paved highway gave way to the uncertainty of
the unstable ground beneath them.
Pleased at his driving ability, Les put
the engine into park, grinning at the agitated bodyguard. "Not too bad,
huh?"
Irritated, Xavier lightly cuffed Les on
the back of his head and then began fishing underneath the passenger's chair,
pulling out a compartmental box and grabbing a large flashlight. "Turn off
the engine, kill the lights," he barked. Seeing the confused look on Les's
face, Xavier sighed.
"You really are a fucking idiot, you
know that? Our lights, tail lights, will be visible to the other blinded
drivers behind us. They'll follow our lights and ram right into us!"
"Oh," replied Les meekly,
quickly shutting down. Xavier snapped on the hefty flashlight, its beam jumping
erratically as he swiftly returned to the subdued fivesome.
Holding the light under his face for a
second, Xavier smiled wickedly. "Anyone want to hear a scary story?"
Laughing at their sullen faces, Xavier slouched casually into the seat next to
them. "Guess not." With a flick of the flashlight, Xavier pointed
outside. "Dust storm. We have to wait it out. Shouldn't be too long."
Stretching with a large groan, Xavier settled in his seat more comfortably as
the swirling dust outside surrounded the bus like a hoard of angry bees.
"Guess it's time for another
game," he announced, enjoying the panicked look that flashed in everyone's
eyes. "Truth or dare is always fun," he announced with a smirk.
"Hmm, no objections? Good. I'll go first. Kevin." Kevin jerked at the
sound of his name, questioning eyes meeting Xavier's. "Truth or
dare?"
"Uh, truth…" hesitated Kevin,
biting his lip.
Xavier snorted. "Whimp.
Okay, truth. How did you feel when you saw that picture of your dog
mutilated?" Xavier ignored Kevin's angry, choking sound and continued.
"Boy, that dog of yours was sure a pain in the ass to kill. Took me a
while." Xavier voice drifted, as if lost in thought. "Yep, a real
pain." Raising his eyebrows, Xavier suddenly smiled as Kevin desperately
struggled to contain his anger. "Oh, not answering? All right, you lose
your turn. Howie."
Realizing that Xavier was trying to lure
them into making a rash move, Howie shifted uneasily and hesitantly looked at
Xavier.
"Truth or dare."
"Truth."
Xavier shook his head, disgusted.
"Another whimp. Tell me, how does it feel to
know that your Mom was this close to being torched?"
Howie's eyes opened wide as he tried to
regain his composure, fighting the nausea that roiled in his stomach as he
remembered the arson to his home.
"Yes, I hate having a job half-done.
Maybe when I get a little extra time, I'll see what I can do about finishing
it."
The dark-haired singer rose up from his
seat, too furious to reply. "Howie!" yelled Brian and AJ
simultaneously, their voices snapping Howie out of his bloodlust. "He's
just baiting you!" warned AJ harshly. "Sit down. Sit down!"
With his free hand, Nick grabbed at Howie,
tugging him back. Nick shook his head at his friend, his jaw throbbing, in too
much pain to talk. Letting his eyes speak for him, Nick pleaded with Howie to
sit back down. Reluctantly Howie sat, silent, glaring at Xavier.
"Well, this is no fun!" growled
Xavier. "Howie loses his turn too." A tiny grin formed as he turned
his head. "AJ."
AJ stiffened, waiting for the question.
"Truth or dare."
AJ closed his eyes for a second. Take
dare, he screamed silently. <.i>Take dare! With a sigh, he opened his
eyes. "Truth."
This time Xavier had no comment on the
choice and he pushed up out of his seat, coming over to where AJ sat next to
Brian. He leaned over slightly, the light from the flashlight emitting an eerie
glow to Xavier's dark eyes.
"How does it feel to know that I'm
gonna fuck Brian senseless and that there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop
it?" he whispered.
Xavier's pleased laughter was drowned out
as the blood rushed to AJ's head, his fury overtaking his rational thinking.
With an enraged shout, AJ shot up out of his seat, bypassing Brian's
outstretching fingers as he lunged for the amused bodyguard's face.
Xavier quickly sidestepped him, clamping
down with a massive hand upon the back of AJ's neck and wrenched him backwards
with a hard jerk. Tumbling to the ground, AJ immediately sprang up, a murderous
look in his eyes.
The sudden banging against the side of the
bus and yelling of excited voices outside startled the inside occupants,
halting the fight. Confused and in a panic, they all strained to hear the faint
but distinct cries of "Nick! Nick! Are you in there?" mixed with
girlish squeals of delight as more voices shouted out the other band members’
names.
Livid, Xavier rushed up to the front,
peering out into the inky darkness. The dust storm had lessened considerably,
making visibility a little easier and in the dim illumination of a strange
car's headlights, Xavier was able to make out the shadowy figures of several
teenage fans.
"Damn," said Les, with a
surprised whistle. "They must have followed us up from
"Start the bus," Xavier barked,
"now!"
Knowing better than to argue, Les snapped
to attention, turning on the ignition. The bus's headlights flared to life and
Xavier counted just one lone car and five overly excited fans.
With a snarl, Xavier yanked Les out of his
seat and climbed in, shifting the cumbersome bus into reverse. Slamming on the
accelerator, he ignored the screams of the girls as they scattered haphazardly,
trying to avoid the careening bus as it found its target, smashing solidly into
the girls’ small compact. Grinding the gear, Xavier shifted into drive and
floored the gas pedal, the tires spinning for just a second as it gained
traction in the soft desert ground. Xavier's foot still pressed all the way
down, the enormous sized engine rose to meet the challenge and screamed with
power, pushing the heavy bus up onto the highway in a reckless manner. The
squeal of distant tires and honks faded behind them as the bus picked up speed,
the fading dust storm being replaced by scattered drops of rain. Yelling at
Les, Xavier expertly slipped from behind wheel, shoving the startled young man
quickly back into the driver's seat.
"Get going," he ordered grimly.
"Head for the border as quick as you can." Marching down the aisle,
Xavier disregarded the five Backstreet Boys as he began grabbing several items
and shoving them into his large duffel bag. The Boys watched, looking at each
other with quiet unease.
During Xavier's time in the driver's seat,
Howie had changed positions, sitting in front of AJ and Brian while Kevin
stayed back to watch Nick. Glad that Xavier was too distracted to notice the
change in seating arrangements, Howie caught AJ's anxious look and studied
Brian with a worried eye. His complexion pale, his eyes and mouth pinched from
pain, Howie could tell that Brian was faring poorly. His attention was dragged
away by a sudden flash of lightening, followed by a heavy smack of rain as it
began to bombard the sides of the bus with a fury.
An illuminated sign passed overhead, the
spotted patches of light outside indicating civilization was near as the bus
sped on. Another signed flashed by and Howie was quick enough to catch the
wording: two more
Xavier turned to glare threateningly at
AJ, Nick and Kevin, who had jumped up with angry shouts of "no!"
Backing up slowly, Xavier sneered warningly. "I will break his arm,"
he promised, squeezing cruelly on Brian's forearm to make him cry out in pain,
"if you so much as move another inch."
"I think you have it the other way
around, Xavier. Don't you move another inch," advised Howie softly.
In the sudden silence that followed,
Xavier felt the sharp sting of a knife being pressed strategically into his
lower back. "Don't move," hissed Howie again, his voice cold with
revenge as he pushed every so slightly.
Rigid in surprise, Xavier winced as he
felt the razor-sharp blade dig into his back, a small rivulet of blood
zigzagging down his lower spine.
"You're right, you did
underestimate me," Howie said tightly. "Let go of Brian before
I…", ending his warning angrily in Spanish. Xavier's eyes narrowed in rage
and Howie took the opportunity to remind him once more with a tiny thrust.
Wincing in pain, Xavier reluctantly released his hold on Brian just enough to
let the young singer rip out of his strong grip.
Brian staggered back, his head spinning
from pain, shock, and elation. He felt AJ's concerned hand bracing him, but he
swayed again, this time violently as the bus began to squeal in protest, Les
locking up the brakes as he saw the blurry, rain-soaked form of a large animal
positioned directly in front of him. The slickness of the road, the speed of
the bus caused the tires to hydroplane, sliding, slipping as Les tried wildly
to overcorrect.
Feeling Howie stumble backwards, the
weight of the blade gone, Xavier turned with a snarl and shoved Howie
viciously. The momentum sent him sprawling to the floor, the knife spinning out
of his hand. Unable to keep himself upright with the movement of the bus’s
heavy fishtailing, Xavier staggered and dropped to his knees. Leaning as far as
he could forward, he reached out for Brian again, finding contact, and curled
his fingers around Brian's lower leg, jerking hard. Caught completely
off-balance, Brian fell on his back, the wind knocked out of him, feeling
himself being dragged forcefully into the clutches of Xavier's strong hands.
Barely sensing the bus’s collision with the large animal, Brian gasped for
breath as he wriggled frantically to free his left ankle from Xavier's tight
grip.
Miraculously, Les managed to bring
everything under control, the bus beginning to slow down. Regaining his
balance, Xavier released Brian’s left leg, quickly jumping up. Looming over the
fallen singer, Xavier bent over to yank him to a standing position. It was all
Brian needed. With perfect timing, Brian brought his right foot up, the heel of
his boot smashing squarely into Xavier's jaw. With a sickening crack, Xavier's
head snapped back and he reeled backwards, crashing into Howie who had finally
managed to stand upright. Like a domino effect, Howie was flung backwards, the
force of Xavier's body sending him directly into the backside of Les. The
momentum caused Les to lose his control of the wheel and within seconds, the
bus plunged off the side of the rain-slicked road, the sodden, unstable ground
unable to support the colossal weight of the bus. Tilting sideways, the bus
leaned precariously on two wheels, the occupants inside tumbling, tangling,
smashing into one another and any other object that came flying their way. With
a groan of straining sheet metal, the off-balanced bus finally gave way to the
pull of gravity, a mighty crash erupting as it fell on its side, the tires
still spinning wildly as the rain pelted mercilessly down.
***