CHAPTER 55

The look on Brandi's face as she lounged confidently in Kevin's bed was a study in brazenness. Kevin knew that she was brassy. That came as no surprise but what was rapidly forcing him to his breaking point was the total contempt he felt upon seeing the insolent smirk that seemed to light her face. It was a self-congratulatory sneer of victory. Despite her carefully engineered veneer, Brandi had become as ugly and repulsive as any Hollywood-created monster. It was almost fitting because, essentially, that's exactly what she had become.

"Come back to bed, Kevvy," she smiled, patting the empty space beside her. "We have some catching up to do, baby..."

Kevin watched as she raised her knees beneath the sheet and spread them wide open. She behaved as if nothing had happened. She's trying to seduce me... If Kevin hadn't been in a hyper-emotional state, her posing would have been laughable. Still, he fought for self-control. His breathing had become labored and his eyes had narrowed to slits. He stared at Brandi for several moments - long enough for her previously triumphant smile to slide into an uncertain frown. Her eyes were beginning to flash with alarm at his silent glower and she unconsciously pressed her knees back together while hitching the deliberately and carefully draped sheet up to her chin.

She had never seen him like this. Kevin's lips were slightly parted and his breathing was harsh, as if he was struggling for air. He was sweating. Under other conditions, Brandi would have found this extremely sexy but he displayed a definite edge that she found disturbing. His fingers opened and closed in time with his breaths. Brandi tried to produce an innocent smile that she hoped would diffuse the human time bomb that glared at her from the foot of the bed.

"What's the matter with you, Kev?" she purred, trying to mask her apprehension with concern for his well being. "You seem very tense, honey... Come 'ere and let me help you with that..."

Her solicitation propelled him into actions and words that he would barely remember later on.

"I'd sooner fuck a goat..." Kevin hissed as his left hand grabbed a piece of the top-sheet.

With one mighty yank, the sheet flew from the bed and onto the floor beside him, leaving Brandi exposed, vulnerable and anything but seductive.

"I want you to get your conniving ass out of my bed!" Kevin screamed. "You don't belong here! Get out! OUT!"

Then Brandi made a grave miscalculation. She took a defiant stand against a man who, at that moment, wanted nothing more than to slam her upside the wall, woman or not. Right now, she was no more to him than a sexless piranha.

"You've been looking for me, Kevin! Everybody knows that! So here I am! I can't help it if your little red-headed piece of tail popped in here. It's obvious you weren't expecting her! It's YOUR fault! YOUR fault, Kevin! We're getting married, remember? We talked about it! You love me, Kevin! ME!"

Kevin's head spun as Brandi's words bounced through his brain. Only his new level of fury exceeded her new level of audacity. He couldn't remember ever having had the urge to strike a woman before now. As he held on to a thin thread of sanity, he realized that this was probably the first time that Brandi had ever induced any viable passion in him. Unfortunately, the fervor he felt was one of intense loathing that bordered on violence. She had demolished his hopeful expectations for a sweet reunion. She had crushed his precious lover. She had wreaked havoc on his life and was the cause of his devastation and Connie's. She may not have planned on Connie's unexpected arrival but that didn't diminish the results of her actions. Still, she wouldn't shut up.

"Don't act so goddamn noble, Kevin! You lied to her!.."

"Shut up, Brandi!"

"You lied by omission! She doesn't know a fucking thing about me, does she?"

Kevin was leaning forward now, feeling almost as if he were watching himself from a distance.

"I said SHUT UP!"

"I'll bet she'd love to know that you're keeping me, Kev. That you send me money..."

The next thing Brandi felt was Kevin's hands wrapping around her upper arms with a vise-like strength. She was suddenly airborne as he pulled her from the bed and shocked speechless when he pushed her against the wall, knocking the wind out of her and effectively erasing any self-righteousness that had previously colored her expression.

"I told you to shut the fuck up..."

His voice had gone soft and flat and seemed in diametric opposition to intensity in his face, the fierceness of his hold on her and the fact that he was trapping her against her against he will, pressing her body forcefully against the hard plaster.

"Let go of me!" she cried. "You've lost your goddamn mind, you crazy idiot!" Then she began to scream bloody murder. "HELP! HELP ME, SOME..."

Brandi's screams were cut short by the pressure of Kevin's palm pressing against her mouth. He became fascinated by her eyes, which reminded him of a cartoon. All that was needed to complete the effect was a series of question or exclamation marks floating above her head. There had also been a distinct change in her attitude, which had quickly shifted from defiant to frightened. Kevin couldn't stop his lips from curling into a malevolent smirk.

"You gonna shut up now, Brandi?" He asked with a lilt that could almost be described as sweet.

Her eyes darted back and forth across his face, measuring his state of mind. Then she nodded and Kevin slowly released her.

"You're going to get dressed now, Brandi. And then Nick's gonna take you to the airport and put you on the next plane out of this state. Do you understand me?"

Her only response as she chewed at her bottom lip, was a slight nod.

"That's real good. Now," Kevin held his hand out in front of her, "the ring..."

"But..."

"THE RING!" he screamed, interrupting her protest. Brandi reluctantly pulled the large diamond from her finger and laid it in Kevin's open palm. "It's very nice," he said seriously, holding the ring in front of his face to examine it. "How much did it cost me?"

When she wouldn't say, Kevin smiled. He had become eerily calm.

"Well, I guess I'll find out when the bill comes in, right? " He casually threw the ring up into the air and caught it again in his hand. "Get dressed now, Brandi. Quickly."

Brandi did as she was told without comment and when she was finished, Kevin called her into the bathroom. He was holding the $130,000.00 ring above the toilet.

"What are you doing?" she whispered as she glanced back and forth between the ring and the toilet bowl.

"Why, I'm putting the symbol of our engagement - the one you deliberately planted in the Times - right where it belongs, Brandi..."

Kevin answered her as if she'd asked a stupid question. Her response carried a note of insubordination. Mistake...

"You can't be serious! You're not going to flush that ring! That's cra..."

Kevin grabbed her by the upper arm once again, and jerked her over to the toilet. His rage had returned and he began to growl at her through clenched teeth as he held the ring in front of her eyes.

"Now you listen to me, Brandi, and listen well. I'm either going to feed this ring to the toilet or I'm going to feed it to you. Your choice, but I can tell you, that this thing is gonna hurt going down." He paused long enough for his threat to sink in and take effect. "What'll it be?"

Ten seconds later the toilet flushed. Ten minutes after that, Brandi was out of the door with a final set of instructions from Kevin.

"I want you to issue a statement to the Times, Brandi. Again, this is your choice, but either the news of our...engagement...will be retracted or your career will be retracted. It's up to you but I wouldn't suggest that you fuck with me right now, sweetheart..."

Chapter 56

"Jesus fuckin' Christ! Does he have any idea of what this could do to him? To the group? I can't goddamn believe this shit!"

Jeffrey was red-faced and pacing as he performed his solo rant before a silent and captive audience. The entire group was there, except for Kevin, on the veranda. Hannah, AJ and Amanda had returned from Tampa an hour ago, planning to stop by the house only long enough to change clothes and head out to St. Pete. Howie had come back to pack up his belongings and Nick had been back from the airport for some time.

Jeffrey had screeched into the drive shortly before AJ and company had returned. He had been on his way to Miami when his cell rang with news from LA about what had been printed in the Times. The Firm had tried to contact Brandi, only to discover that she had gone to Florida 'to spend time with her fiancé'. Jeffrey had been ordered to turn his car around and go back to Clearwater and try to straighten this potentially dangerous mess out in person while their spin-doctors tried to deal with it from California. They expected him to find out what in the hell was going on. As Jeffrey would soon find out, the bigwigs didn't know the half of it.

When he had arrived at the grove house, Nick and Brian had been trying to fill Howie in on what had happened. Leighanne had been sitting nearby. red-eyed and quiet - for a change. It was after ten PM. They had been unable to coax Kevin from his room. Now everyone else was present and Nick had been required to repeat the story of Kevin and Brandi after Leigh furnished the prologue.

"Not only do we have to deal with a 'surprise engagement' that's already been picked up by the wire services," Jeffrey screamed at everyone, "...we also have a two-bit actress who has been - according to Nicky - ordered to retract the announcement under duress! A woman who may very well make a public claim that she was physically assaulted by a Backstreet Boy! Aren't the tabloids going to love that..." he spat caustically. "I can see the headlines now 'Backstreet Boy Bruises Brandi' or maybe 'Richardson Roughs Up Fiancée'!" Jeffrey pushed his finger through the air as if following a headline across a page.

Hannah had heard enough. Screw the album! She was well aware of the damage that such foul publicity could cause but it seemed to her that the more obvious and dangerous consequences of the day's drama were being overlooked or ignored.

"How about this one?" Hannah stood and stepped over to Jeffrey, mimicking his finger movements. 'Deaf Woman Missing in Aftermath of Backstreet Betrayal'..." Hannah whirled around and stared accusingly at the group. "Anybody at all curious about Connie? Where the hell is she? She's vanished - no car - nothing! Why isn't anybody looking for her? I'm telling you all one goddamn thing right now! Those tabloid headlines you're so worried about are going to pale in comparison when the legit press prints 'Body of Missing Deaf Woman Identified as Backstreet Fuck-Buddy'!

"Please don't say that, Hannah..."

Kevin stood in the doorway, his eyes red-rimmed and filling. He was no longer crazed with anger; he looked weak and beaten. All eyes were on him but all tongues were stilled at the sight of him. He cast his eyes to the floor and then up again, past their staring faces, out to the lush grounds in the distance.

"I called the police...." he murmured, "...but they said they couldn't do anything for twenty-fours hours."

"What?" Jeffrey rallied in disbelief. "You called the fucking police? That's great, Kev! You know goddamn better than that! You call us when something happens! We'll take care of your messes! Jesus - so much for damage control..."

Kevin's head dropped again. His shoulders began to rise and fall with his slow, deep breaths. He was making an effort to calm down. He honestly didn't know what side of the fence he would fall on if he lost it again. He might go crazy with madness or he might collapse into tears. He was lucid enough to know that neither reaction would help him find Connie. Eventually, he raised his eyes and locked them onto Jeffrey's.

"I didn't say who I was..."

As Jeffrey breathed an audible sigh of relief, Kevin spoke directly to Hannah.

"I called the hospitals. No admissions for anybody fitting Connie's description. No Jane Does. A friend of mine in Orlando has connections at the airport and he's checking flights to see if she flew outta here. Nothing, so far. I even called her boss. He hasn't heard anything..."

It was almost as if he and Hannah were alone on the veranda. His voice cracked as he stared at her and spoke in a broken and plaintive whisper.

"I don't know what to do...."

*****

Pappy Dawson had watched the pretty red-head amble down the sidewalk below. You didn't see too many like her in this part of town. Even from three floors up, you could tell she was a looker but she see seemed a little lost. Out of place. What in the hell is she doin' 'round here this time a day? It's nightfall. She waitin' to meet somebody? He couldn't imagine who. The stores and businesses around here were all locked up, except for Pete's place.

Pappy should have been sweeping but even this small event - the unexpected appearance of a pretty stranger on the sidewalk - was excuse enough for a moment of celebration. He pulled a small flask from his pocket and unscrewed the cap. The pungent sweetness of cheap peach brandy assailed his nostrils as he brought the container to his lips. Then he stopped. The woman had gotten up. Where's she gonna go? He watched as she hesitated for a moment and then dropped something into the trash can. It didn't look like trash. Pappy wasn't sure what it was, but when she started across the street, his curiosity got the better of him. He wasn't one to be caught picking through trash cans but no one was around and sometimes you could find some pretty good stuff. This woman was dressed pretty good. Classy-like. Her jeans had looked new and clean, like her pretty hair. Whatever she tossed might be nothing to a classy dame like her but it might be something he could sell or trade.

*****

Pete's Palace of Pool was actually a dimly lit bar of sorts that housed a grand total of two pool tables and served cheap food and drinks. Connie would hardly describe it as a palace but it was warm and after a cursory evaluation by Pete himself (according to the name embroidered on his polyester shirt), she was allowed to occupy a booth alone and in relative peace.

There weren't too many pool players out tonight. Only four men, all middle aged and crusty, surrounded the tables and two others sat on stools at opposite ends of the bar. She thought that she should probably eat, but the thought of barbecued pork made her nauseous and that seemed to be the extent of Pete's menu. She settled instead, for a scotch and water - something she never drank but felt was appropriate tonight. Connie wanted something stiff and bitter to reflect her day. She toasted herself silently and drank the bitter liquid down. Then she called for another.

Two of the men, rather tough-looking blue collar types, tried to pick her up using lines that she would have blue-penciled out of even a cheap, dime-store paperback. She could tell that it was a struggle for the men not to be obviously crude. They left her alone, though, after Pete said something to them from behind the bar. Connie had said nothing.

She had never been thrown out of a pool palace before and Connie made a mental note that this had certainly been a day of 'firsts'. But Pete had been forced to politely inform her that it was closing time. Connie glanced at her watch. It was almost eleven. When she looked back into Pete's face, he seemed embarrassed and apologetic.

"I'm sorry, lady. Week night. We close up early..."

Connie smiled as she nodded and pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her purse.

"That's okay. Here - keep the change. I have to go anyway," she said sweetly as she slid out of the booth and headed for the door.

"Where? Where you headed, lady?"

Pete had an odd feeling about this one. There was a certain sadness about her and a feeling of not belonging. If she had been younger, he would have bet that she was a runaway.

Connie didn't answer Pete. She didn't hear him. She wouldn't have been able to answer him anyway. She didn't know 'where'...