CHAPTER 53

Even as he screamed at her, Kevin knew that his words were useless. For one thing, he had no explanation. He had no idea what was happening or how Brandi got into his bed. Even if he did, Connie was beyond comprehending his words or even his expression. Her eyes were wide but unfocused and she looked bewildered, as if she was in a strange place. She didn't want him to touch her and had started backing towards the door when he reached for her. Still, he tried to talk to her - to plead his innocence - hoping that she was able to see at least a few of his words. When he turned to make a grab for some clothes, she bolted.

Pure instinct drove Connie down the stairs and out of the back door, leaving behind what she had brought back to Clearwater with her, including her heart. She hadn't seen Leighanne standing at the foot of the stairs, staring wide-eyed at her fleeing figure. Kevin was no more than fifteen seconds behind her but those precious moments were enough to give Connie the head start she needed. She flew into the back yard of the main house, past the pool, to the far side of the guest quarters. She hadn't stayed on the walkway and by the time Kevin reached the veranda, she was out of sight. Leighanne had provided her with an additional bit of time when Kevin had paused to bellow at her like a crazy man, trying to pull information from the tongue-tied actress who cold only point to the back door. Shirtless and shoeless, he took off, pushing through the door, taking a split second to choose a direction and then running in pursuit of his wounded lover.

God, how it must have looked to her... Although he had done nothing wrong, all evidence had pointed unquestionably to Kevin's guilt. He ran towards the studio, praying that he would catch a glimpse of her but the grounds were still and quiet except for the sound of his own cries that he knew she wouldn't hear even as he screamed her name.

The studio was empty and so he started for the beach, hoping to see her trying to escape along the shoreline. If he could just see her, he could catch her. By the time he reached the sand, his lungs felt as if they were on fire and he had to stop once more. Kevin jerked his head to the north and then south, frantically searching the horizon bu......nothing. She had disappeared. When the realization came that he had missed her, he fell to his knees, swallowing great gulps of air along with the bile that had risen in the back of his throat. Kevin's eyes closed, but burned into the back of his eyelids was the expression he had seen on Connie's face as she stood inside the door and stared at him and Brandi, naked in the bed.

It had been so difficult for her to trust him. He had a sexual 'history' that she had to contend with and he had said cruel things that had hurt her deeply. Yet, as hard as it might have been for her to surrender and trust him, it was harder still for her to trust herself. She had judged very poorly when it came to men. Why should she think that her acumen had suddenly improved - especially now? For her to have made the decision to move her life to Florida to be with him had taken a huge leap of faith on her part - one that Kevin wanted desperately to restore, affirm and nurture.

As his fears and realizations took hold, he began to feel physically ill and he had to lean forward as dry heaves began to rock his body. If she had only screamed or cried or hit him - if she had only reacted in some physical way to what she must have been feeling when she saw them in bed together - in theirbed together - he might have been able to rescue himself. But by the time Brandi had awakened him and he was aware of exactly what Connie was seeing, it was too late.

What made Kevin so sick was his memory of the haunted look that filled her unfocused eyes. There was no anger or even hurt. There hadn't even been real surprise, shock or disappointment. What tore at Kevin's heart was the fact that Connie looked as if she had expected it.

*****

As Kevin knelt in the sand and cursed the Gulf waters, Connie was finishing her twisted journey through the remnants of the overgrown citrus grove that flanked the property. She soon found herself at the edge of the road and when she saw a car approach, she automatically stuck her thumb into the air, never considering any potentially dangerous consequences. She wasn't thinking about anything other than getting away, any way she could. The car that stopped was occupied by two young men who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. Connie climbed into the backseat without forethought or hesitation.

"Car break down?" The driver was looking at her through the rear view mirror. When she didn't answer, he squinted and glanced at his friend.

Connie's eyes were fixed on the passing landscape but she wasn't really seeing it. Images of Kevin lying with the blond woman visually replaced the palm tress and billboards that flew past the car window. Written dialogue accented the images like sub-titles. Idiot... What did you think? He's Kevin Richardson, for God's sake! You think he's gonna wait around for you? The world really is his damned oyster and that makes you pretty ordinary! You think you're special? You're less than normal, you fool! Jesus, I can't believe you fell for his load of crap but you bought it all, didn't you? You'll buy anything! You were handy... convenient. Grow up, Connie! You just don't have what it takes. You just don't...

"Miss?"

Connie was startled by the sudden appearance of a hand waving in her face. She jumped and then jerked her head towards the young man seated directly in front of her. He had turned in his seat. She could see his face.

"W-what?"

Connie was breathing rapidly through her mouth and her eyes sparked with alarm. For a split second, she had forgotten how she even came to be in this car with two strangers. The passenger, who had been smiling, suddenly frowned with concern.

"You alright, Miss? You're not in some kind of trouble, are 'ya?"

"No. No trouble..." Connie swallowed.

"Where are 'ya headed, then?"

Connie glanced nervously out of the window. From the position of the sun, she gauged their current direction.

"North..." she answered vaguely.

She watched as the passenger's head turned quickly towards the driver. She could see the driver's eyes in the mirror. He looked as if he were speaking to her. From the position of his reflection, she couldn't see his mouth. She had no idea what he was saying.

"I'm sorry," she said with a faint and unfelt smile. "My ears are a little stopped up..."

Thankfully, when the driver repeated himself, he instinctively tilted his head back a little as he raised his voice making his lips visible in the mirror.

"I said that we're going to Lakeland. If you're not going that far, I can jump off of the interstate at an exit and let you out."

"No, Lakeland's fine..." Connie nodded.

She had no idea if Lakeland was fine or not. She didn't even know where Lakeland was. She didn't much care as long as it was away from Clearwater.

*****

Kevin's confusion and panic were quickly evolving into red-hot anger. He made a feeble attempt to try and think calmly and rationally but it was difficult. He wasn't even sure how long he had been out on the beach. As he rose slowly to his feet, one more wave of nausea swept over him and he thought for sure that he would throw up. He didn't. After several cleansing breaths, he began to formulate some plan of action. First, go back to the house and see if Connie came back... His gut screamed at him that she wouldn't be there. On to step two... Find out what the fuck is going on. What is Brandi doing here? Why was she in my bed? Kevin made his way back to the house slowly and deliberately. He had to find out what had happened before he could figure out what to do next.

*****

Connie couldn't believe she had fallen asleep. She guessed that her body was trying to compensate for the extreme and unexpected stress that her brain had been subjected to. When she awoke, they were off of the interstate and stopped at a traffic light in the downtown section of a small city.

"We're here?" she asked timidly, unsure of where 'here' was.

This time the driver turned to face her. Thank goodness.

"We're here - in beautiful downtown Lakeland!" he joked. "Where did you want to go, Miss? I can drop you off somewhere..."

"No, thank you. You can just pull over here. That'll be great..."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

At least Connie had her pocketbook with her. That was a small miracle in itself but she'd had it on her shoulder when she... Well, at least she had it.

"Let me give you gas money." She said as she began to pull her wallet out of her purse.

"No, not necessary. We were coming here anyway," the driver grinned.

Connie wished she could return his smile. They were nice boys but the fact was that she was running on empty. It had been a real struggle for her to speak to them at all. The brief rest had done nothing to ease her pain or enable her to see things more rationally. As the driver pulled over to the curb, Connie pulled a fifty-dollar bill out of her wallet, took her pen and scribbled 'Thank you' across its face, and put it on the seat beside her. Then she climbed out of the car and began to walk.

Chapter 54

When Kevin returned to the grove house, Nick was sitting on the porch steps. He stood as Kevin approached and nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He had been trying to figure out what was happening but he was unable to connect the bits and pieces he had collected. All Nick really knew was that Brandi was in Kevin's bedroom, apparently waiting for Kevin to come back and that Connie's bags were in the foyer but Connie wasn't here. When he and Brian had come in from Busch Gardens, Leighanne had been almost hysterical. The only words she spat out that he could understand were 'Kevin', 'Connie', 'Brandi', 'engaged', 'bedroom' and 'gone'. Brian had grabbed Leigh's arm and dragged her into the media room before slamming the door. After that, all Nick could hear was shouting and arguing.

Nick was, by nature, curious but also smart enough to know that whatever had happened here that afternoon wasn't good. He had decided to go outside to the porch and give Leigh and Brian some fighting space. That's when he had spotted the folded newspaper on the foyer table. The picture and short column had leaped off of the page and into his eyes. He still couldn't believe it. The rolled-up newspaper was in his hand when Kevin started up the stairs. The blurb had pissed Nick off considerably but he wasn't sure where to lay blame. Kevin looked like holy hell as he stomped past Nick without so much as a glance in his direction. He was a man possessed.

"Brian and Leigh are fightin' in there..." Nick warned cautiously when Kevin reached the door. Kevin said nothing. His hand had pulled the door open to enter when Nick added, "...about you..."

The words caused Kevin to freeze in his tracks. He turned slowly back to face Nick with a look of such rage that Nick swallowed and took a step backwards. When Kevin's piercing glare intensified, Nick took another step. He looked absolutely maniacal as he continued to stare at Nick in silence, waiting for him to clarify his statement. Then Kevin's eyes fell to the newspaper that Nick held in his right hand.

"Uhhh... Did you see this, yet?" Nick timidly held the paper out to Kevin as if he were trying to feed a boa constrictor. Kevin still said nothing. His eyes locked onto Nick's again as he snatched the paper from Nick's outstretched hand and then he let his eyes fall back to the small print that captioned the picture of Brandi. "It says you two are engaged..."

Kevin raised his eyes again. His brows had furrowed into an even deeper 'v' than before as if issuing a warning yet, still, he did not speak. Nick, unable to look away, stared back open-mouthed - so transfixed that he could actually see Kevin's pupils dilate as his faced darkened to a deeper hue of anger. Finally, Kevin growled three words from behind clenched teeth.

"She still upstairs?"

"W-who?" Nick asked, licking his lips.

Kevin responded by slamming the newspaper to the porch floor.

"Brandi?" Nick whispered.

Kevin stared.

"I don't know - I ain't seen her! But I saw Connie's suitcase in the.... Oh my God!... Connie saw you! She saw you with Brandi..."

Kevin didn't respond to Nick's conjecture as he turned to enter the house. Nick couldn't remember ever seeing him angry in quite this way. It was unsettling but he risked a final question.

"Is this true, Kev? What the paper says?"

Again Kevin stopped. He looked back over his shoulder at Nick before his body rotated as well. He looked into Nick's face for a moment and then at the newspaper that lay between them on the porch boards. The answer to Nick's question came in the form of a wad of spit that unexpectedly sailed from Kevin's mouth and landed with an audible splat on the newsprint. Nick watched the dark circle grow as the cheap paper absorbed Kevin's phlegm. When he looked back at Kevin's face, he could see that a small smile, sinister and ugly, played at the corners of his mouth and Nick wondered for a moment what Kevin would be capable of if he was pushed past his emotional boundaries. He seemed pretty close to the edge right now.

It occurred to Nick that Kevin had always been a master of speaking volumes without saying a word. During this exchange, Nick had learned that Kevin was bathed in fury, that Brandi was involved, that Leigh seemed to know what might be going on, that Kevin wasn't engaged and that he knew nothing of the article which, apparently, had been planted. He had also ascertained that Connie had been here and had probably seen Kevin and Brandi in a compromising position. All of this, and yet Kevin had only uttered three words. Kevin speaks without talking - Connie understands without hearing... Shit. I hear AND talk and I still don't know what the fuck is going on...

Nick didn't ask anything else - he didn't dare. Kevin had issued that silent command with his eyes before he turned for a final time and went through the front door.

*****

Connie wasn't sure how long she had walked. Although being in strange places didn't usually frighten her, these circumstances were unlike any she had ever experienced. She didn't really know where she was, didn't know where anything was, didn't know where to go or what to do. Worst of all, she was entirely alone. Not only was she afraid, but she was also tired, confused and heartbroken. This was one of those times when she was grateful for her deafness. She was struggling to hold herself together as it was and any extra stimuli might have sent her over the edge. Her pride had already been mortally wounded. A public breakdown in a stange city was a scenario she couldn't consider.

She rounded dozens of city blocks lined with office buildings and small shops that were already closed. She needed to find a place to stay but the small hotels that were squeezed between butcher shops and bars were sleazy and uninviting. Judging from the clientele, some of whom sat otside of the doors on ripped lawn chairs, she wondered if these weren't 'residence' hotels of the sort that housed the disenfranchised and mentally unstable. A shiver ran down her arms and she unconsciously wrapped them around herself. It was getting dark and she was cold. Connie tried desperately not to think of where she was supposed to be right now - where she thought she would be. At this moment, for all intents and purposes, she was virtually homeless.

Just a few yards away, she spotted a bench that had been placed between a dented mail box and a wire trash can. Maybe she would just sit and rest for a moment. Decide what to do... She couldn't walk the streets all night. Wearily, Connie lowered herself onto the splintered seat. When she did, she felt something hard press into her abdomen. My pager... She unhooked the small box from the waistband of her jeans and stared at it for a few moments. It had become such a part of her daily dress that she often forgot she had it until she felt it vibrate against her waist or in a pocket. It hadn't vibrated at all today. He isn't looking for me. He's probably back in his bed by now - with her. Maybe he'll go back to Orlando tomorrow and take her with him...

Thankfully, her brain was shutting down a little. She looked across the street at the gated storefronts. They were sad and ugly little stores - a dry cleaner, a shoe store, a used book shop, a barber shop... Connie's eyes continued to travel down the block until she spotted a blinking Stroh's sign under which was written - in red neon tubing - 'Pete's Palace of Pool'. Underneath the gaudy sign, painted on the glass was 'Bar-B-Q, Beer, Billiards'. The editor in Connie groaned Pete - the master of alliteration..but she rose from her spot and aimed herself toward 'Pete's' after pausing for a moment to drop her pager into the wire trash basket. She was unaware that she was being watched from the third floor of the wholesale office supply store behind her.

*****

Nick counted to ten and then walked into the front door behind Kevin. Brian and Leighanne were just coming out of the media room. Brian was red-faced and pissed. Leigh was red-eyed and crying. No one was talking.

Within seconds, a bedroom door upstairs slammed with the startling sharpness of a gunshot. The sound frightened Nick, not only because of its unexpected strength but also because he knew that the fierce slam resonated Kevin's fury and he didn't know what Kevin might do.

As the three of them stood looking up the stair case, Kevin stood at the foot of his bed, his torso shimmering with perspiration and his fists clenching and unclenching in an attempt at self control. Brandi hadn't moved. She still lay against the pillows Connie's pillows..., naked underneath the now contaminated linen.