~The Binding~
Chapter 3
Kevin was on his second solid day of being drunk.
Bron had been gone for twelve days; Christmas was two and
a half weeks away. She had dropped out of sight, literally.
No one could find her. Most of them were now overanxious,
nerved-up, and panicked. A missing persons report still
had not been filed. Webster had his own way of doing things
and his own contacts. Due
to Mc's past which always seemed to attach itself to Bron's
things had to be handled delicately.
Kevin had only spoken to Cole from management and Cole
had offered to help. It was
explicitly explained that this couldn’t go public. Kevin laughed when he hung up, “No
shit!”
On the third day of Kevin’s inebriated state, Andrew called
Jerald and Tim for help. Suzie had been there to help
with the business end of things along with Mc but the kids
shouldn’t be seeing this.
Suzie had also ripped the entire house apart searching
for something but she wouldn’t tell anyone what it was she
was looking for. The
only room she hadn’t ripped apart was Kevin and Bron’s bedroom.
Andrew didn’t say much to her about her search.
Suzie was looking for something that Bron had told
her about and she had never mentioned to another living soul.
Kevin was again passed out in the living room. “My
pit,” he mumbled in his drunken stupor when Andrew tried to rouse him.
If Andrew had to listen to Matchbox 20’s, “If You’re
Gone,” one more time he would scream.
The CD had played over and over again every single night. Kevin sang along every time it played.
Tim instructed Andrew to wait there until Tracy came to
the house to get him and the kids. “Nobody is going to know where the
kids are.”
Andrew looked at the phone, “Why? I should just
come there or go to Suzie’s.”
“Because I said so, and no you will leave your truck
right there,” Tim answered.
Tim and Tracy arrived.
Tim stood over the couch and stared down on his younger
sibling.
Tracy had followed her husband out to the house, retrieving
the kids, Andrew, and anything necessary for the baby. The kids were going to be far away from
this intervention. Tim
waited as she gather them up and left.
“Kevin get up,” Jerald stood over the couch next to Tim.
They had the advantage at the moment since 'The Pit'
was a sunken living room.
“Go to hell Jer,” Kevin garbled.
“GET UP!” Jerald yelled again.
“Fuck off,” Kevin opened one eye and then closed it.
Jerald made his way down into the pit and stationed
himself in front of Kevin. “You
fuck off!” as he dragged Kevin off the couch by his upper arms.
“Get off me!”
Kevin screamed as his limbs refused to defend him. “Get out of
my house!”
“No! You need to get your shit together,” Jerald
refused to release him.
“I ain’t got no shit,” Kevin screeched. “I ain’t
got nothin’”
Tim came towards him and Kevin threw his fists up at him,
“What? You want to
fight over coffee?”
“Go away, leave us alone,” Kevin pushed the mug away.
“No,” they both repeated at the same time.
“You need to find your wife Kev,” Tim shook his
head. His brother was a sorry mess, he could understand why but to
drink like that with the kids around was just wrong.
“I don’t have a wife, she left me, she left my
kids. She’s a shitty mother…”
Kevin was sprawled out on the floor watching the stars
dance around his head; something had just knocked him backwards.
“What the fuck?”
Tim was standing over him. Grabbing him by the
front of his shirt, he pulled Kevin to a sitting position. “I may not
like some of the things your wife does but she’s a damn fine mother and
don’t you ever say otherwise in front of me. If she left, she has a
reason for leaving. Your behavior has been questionable in the past
towards her. So if you have done
anything to cause this...”
Kevin half-dazed, half-drunk staggered to his
feet. Pointing a finger at Tim, “I’ll have you know...”
“The next hit on Mr. Hollywood here is mine,” Jerald
shouted. “Ma’s right, Bron spoiled the hell out of our baby
brother. Hell, I bet he can’t even think for himself. He has
Bron and her family do it for him now or maybe the Backstreet family, the
stylists, the wardrobe people, personal mangers, business managers, charity
directors, attorneys, and all that jazz.”
“Fuck you! I can think for myself!” Kevin tried to
focus on Jerald, he just wasn’t sure which one of the two
he was seeing was actually his brother.
“Really Kev? Do you still love your wife?”
Jerald was in his face.
“YES!” Kevin shouted back.
“Good, sober up jackass; we know where she is.” Tim
handed his stunned and suddenly semi-sober brother a mug of
coffee.
“Huh?” Kevin grunted as he inhaled steam from the
coffee.
“I told you he couldn’t think anymore,” Jerald shrugged
as he went towards the kitchen.
Kevin was right behind them. “Where Jer?”
Where’s Bron? Is she okay? Is she hurt? Where is she?”
“So, I take it you care about her?” Jerald dropped
his head.
“That’s a stupid question. I love her. She wants the divorce, not me.” Kevin followed
him around only inches separating them.
Tim and Jerald had reached an agreement on how they
would handle this. “I got a call yesterday. I didn’t recognize
the number right away, then I did. It was your old number in
California.”
Tim let Jerry handle it as he made something for Kevin
to eat. He assumed he hadn’t eaten in days by the gaunt
look and alcohol in him. Jerald had to be very careful
about what he revealed to his brother about the phone call.
“Bron is in California? At Kristin’s?” Kevin
thought his head was going to explode with the information as he searched
the cupboard for aspirin.
“No, Bron’s not in California at Kristin’s but it seems Kris
got a call from Bron. Bron wanted to know if you had called her and
maybe mentioned the kids.”
“Why would I call her?” Kevin’s head began to clear
except for the headache.
“Because your wife knows that you trust Kristin as much
as you do her.”
“So where is my wife?” Kevin bellowed. “I
want my wife! Where is she?”
Tim smirked recognizing his baby brother coming back to
life. The possessive Neanderthal was checking in for duty.
Tracy once warned him that if ever even thought about acting like that, they
would be divorced.
“Where did they not look for her Kevin?” Jerald
was amused as well to see the old Kevin back.
“Everywhere,” Kevin grumbled as he accepted the food
that Tim handed to him. “If I could just talk to her. I know this
isn’t her but I can’t tell until I see her. Even Suzie doesn’t know
where she is, she’s worried too.” A glimmer of hope began to thaw the
ice that had built around his heart over the last thirteen days.
“Everywhere but under your nose and your own domicile,”
Tim sipped his coffee.
“She’s in Lexington,” Kevin jumped up from the
table. “The boardinghouse.”
“No, Florida.
Your house in Florida.”
Jerald scratched his chin.
He had to hand it to the woman.
She only made one mistake, calling Kris.
“Dammit,” Kevin grabbed the food and flew
upstairs. Both of his brothers went up behind him.
“Hold up Kevin. We need to talk. Kris said
Bron doesn’t know that she knew where she was calling from. Bron was
wired like a two-twenty line. She wanted to know how you and the kids
were and if you were okay. She wanted to know if anyone had bothered
you. Why would she ask that?”
Jerald watched Kevin bolt around the room; undeniably sober now.
“I don’t know but that sounds like fan shit, stalker stuff.”
Grabbing a bag, “I didn’t want to admit it, but something
is wrong, there’s a reason. That reason sounds like
an overzealous fan.” Kevin grabbed clothes from both
of their dressers as he tossed things in the duffel and backpack.
“I don’t want anyone to know where I’m going or where she
is at. Nobody, not the kids, not mom, not Mc, not Suzie,
nobody. I don’t want anyone to interfere in this.”
Kevin froze in his tracks, “My kids, oh shit. Where
are the kids?” Kevin ran out of the room and down the
hall into an empty nursery and then into Kaylin's room. From
there he ran down the hall to Andrew's room. All the rooms
were empty
Kevin returned to his room, his face a ghostly shade of
white, “Where are my kids?”
“With Tracy for now,” Tim nodded as he zipped a bag
closed.
“Oh God, I’ve been really drunk,” Kevin dropped his head
in shame.
“Yes you have but they’re fine, thanks to Andrew.
You need to think, you just can’t take a flight down there.
If you think it’s fan related, and she is hiding, then they
might find out. If you don’t want anyone else to know,
we have a problem. It seems Mc can find anyone, anywhere.
Most of the time,” Jerald rambled on.
Kevin thought about it, Jerald was right. Mc could
find him; then it hit him. “Give me the keys to your old truck
Jerry.”
“You can’t drive Kevin. You are in no shape to
drive that far.” Jerald shook his head no. “You’ve been drinking for days and you haven’t slept.”
Jerald was right; Kevin was worn out and still wasted somewhat.
“Then drive me. As soon as we get there, you can crash at
Nick’s place. You can drive back when you're rested.
I don’t think anyone knows you have the beat up old thing.
Please Jerry, please?” Kevin begged. He had one thing
on his mind and that was to get to Bron before anyone else
did.
“Tell me I’m not stupid for doing this, hurry up.
I’m going to make some more coffee. Where does Bron
keep that bottomless coffee mug thermos thingy of hers?”
“Pantry!” Kevin yelled as he dashed around the
room again.
Jerald left as Tim tried in earnest to help Kevin pack.
“Do you know why?”
Coming to a complete standstill, he looked at Tim.
“Everyone has asked me and no I don’t know. I guarantee you,
my wife will be back in this house in a couple of days.
It sounds fan related to me.
It has to be.”
Tim didn’t like the tone or the forcefulness of the way
Kevin had spoken. “Kevin what are you going to do?”
“Just talk to her, that’s all,” Kevin’s eyes held an
unusual shine. Yep, they would talk, in their own special way.
“Kevin you can try but don’t get your hopes up. Try
and work it out slowly.” Tim watched him practically
run out of the room. Kevin entered and came out of the
nursery holding a backpack type bag.
“We’ll talk Tim, she’ll be back. Bron and I, we
talk differently than others, but we talk!”
“That’s what I’ve heard, that is what is worrying
me!” Tim shouted from upstairs to an empty house as the front door
slammed shut signaling their departure. Tim knew that they wouldn’t stop
to see the kids and Kaylin would have to wait for a call from her
father. Kevin was running on fear
and didn’t want anyone to know he had left town.
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The characters and events portrayed are fictitious.
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