Chapter 7
Kevin,
Howie and Nick waited anxiously for the squad car that was sent to pick them up
and take them to the scene. It’s not like it was a long walk, you could almost
see it from the hotel, but the police wanted to take no chances. Kevin agreed
to this, despite Nick and Howie’s heated objections. They did not want to wait.
As
soon as the squad car pulled up, two cops got out and headed over to them.
“I’m
Lt. Daniels, and this is Captain Tate. We’re here to escort you over to the
crime scene,”
Kevin
extended his hand. “Kevin Richardson.” He pointed to the other two. “That’s
Howie Dorough and Nick Carter. Can you tell us what is going on?”
“We’ve
sent a small force over to assess the situation, and more are on the way,”
Daniels explained. “From what we can tell, two unidentified men tried to rob
the store and wound up taking the customers hostage.”
“Any
casualties?” Kevin asked hoarsely, trying not to let his voice break. If he did
so, Nick and probably Howie could kiss their composure goodbye.
“We’re
still not sure exactly how many people are in the store, but it is more than
just your friends.”
“Are
there any casualties?” Kevin asked, his voice rising.
“We
believe there is one, possibly two.”
Nicks
eyes flew wide open, and he tried to make a run for it. Kevin made a grab for
him, pinning his arms by his sides. Nick may have been taller, but Kevin could
still hold him if he needed to. His actions threw them both off balance, and
they crashed down on to the concrete.
“Get
off me!” Nick yelled. “Kevin, get the fuck off me! I have to get to them. They
could be hurt!”
“Damnit
Nick, hold still! You can’t help them, and neither can I. Let the police do
their job!” To see and hear Kevin this angry was usually more than enough to knock
sense into any of them, but Nick continued to struggle. All his mind’s eye
could see were horrifying images of what could be happening to Brian and A.J.
“Nick!
You haul off and do something this stupid and you will get them killed!”
This
time Kevin’s words hit home, and the younger man stopped thrashing. Cautiously, Kevin let him up. Nick winced as
pain shot up and down his leg, centered on his knee. He glanced down and saw a
red stain showing through his jeans where he had banged it when he fell. He
looked over at Kevin, who was nursing scraped knuckles.
“Sorry,
Train,” Nick said shakily. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Are
you going to be able to control yourself?” Tate demanded. “’Cause if you can’t
you are going to have to stay here. We can’t risk you putting the hostages in
any greater danger than they are right now.”
“Yes,”
Nick said sulkily, brushing himself off. “I’ll be fine.”
“We’ll
keep an eye on him,” Howie murmured, looking shell-shocked.
“Right,”
Tate muttered. “Come on.”
A.J.
sucked in a breath as the sound of police sirens greeted his ears. He was
somewhat surprised that they were being so bold in announcing their presence,
but he figured the element of surprise was not exactly an advantage in this
situation anyway. Unless they freak and get a little trigger happy, he thought
nervously.
The
“barrier” they had been ordered to put up was in place, and A.J. was forced to
admit that it would do its job. It would be hard for anyone to get a look at
what was going on inside. That’s going to suck for us if they decide to come
blasting through here. He pushed the thought out of his head. That was not
something that he wanted to think about.
“Everybody,
move to the back of the store, behind that shelf there,” the ringleader ordered.
He and thief number two bickered for a moment. They were definitely amateurs,
their squabbling proved that they were absolutely winging this. They had no
idea what to do. That could work in their favor, but it could also get them all
killed. Despite this observation, A.J. could see that the “leader” was crafty,
and a quick thinker. This worried him.
He reluctantly obeyed, along with the cashier
and the other woman. He looked over for Brian, and saw the torn look on his
face. He didn’t want to move his “charge.” He could see the fury threatening to
overflow from thief number two, and quickly came to the rescue.
“B-Rok,
let me help you with her. We’ll do it really gently, so we don’t hurt her
anymore, ok?” His eyes were pleading, and Brian could read what he was saying
almost better than if he had said it.
Come
on, man. I know you’re stubborn, but don’t let your hard head get us in any
deeper than we already are.
A.J.
turned his head to where thief number 2 was glaring at them. “That ok with you?
Can I help him with the young lady y’all shot?”
Brian
cringed at his insolent tone. He’d better know what he’s doing. He waited to
see what the thug’s reaction would be, and to his surprise, all he got was a
violent thrust of the gun, signaling A.J. to get on with it.
Brian
slid one arm behind Lila’s back, and brought the other one down to her knees,
preparing to lift her up. She tensed, preparing for the new pain he was about
to introduce.
“I’m
not going to move you until he gets over here to help us. We’re going to try to
make this as easy as possible, ok?”
She
nodded tightly. “Is ‘he’ who I think he is?”
“Yeah.”
“Unreal.”
She closed her eyes, sudden exhaustion making it difficult to keep her eyes
open.
“Hey.
Hey there,” Brian reached his hand up and cupped her chin, shaking her head a
little. “Lila? Stay with me now, you hear?”
Her
eyes fluttered open again, and she focused in on him. Was her mind playing
tricks on her, or was that a halo over his head? She blinked, and the image
vanished. Snap out of it, she told herself. Just because you are being rescued
by a Backstreet Boy. No, make that two Backstreet Boys. A.J.’s face was
suddenly looking down on her from overhead. He looked just like his pictures,
except for the plain old baseball cap. If I didn’t hurt so damn much, I might
consider this the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me.
A.J.
noticed the way she was looking at him, and glanced quickly over at Brian, who
nodded in confirmation. He smiled at her uncertainly, and she smiled wearily
back.
“Let’s
get you moved to the back,” Brian said gently. With A.J.’s help, they scooped
her up and made their way slowly over to the others.
A.J.
had to give her credit, she was tough. He could tell how much she hurt, but she
was determined not to show it. She never made a sound. They set her down gently
on the floor in the back. A.J. glanced down at his shirt, and was shocked at
the red stain that had manifested itself there. She was hurt worse than he
thought.
“Maybe
we should lay her down,” A.J. said, his voice betraying the nervousness he
felt.
Brian
had his focus on her, trying to make sure the move hadn’t caused her too much
pain. He could sense the alarm in A.J.’s voice, and gave him his full
attention.
“What
is it?” he asked. A.J. pointed to his shirt, and Brian’s forehead wrinkled in a
deep frown.
“I’ve
done my best to get the bleeding to slow down. I’ll just have to try harder.”
“We
have to get her to a doctor, and fast.”
***
