CHAPTER 19
Kevin could hardly believe the nerve of this asshole. The
muscles in his face tightened and his arms dropped to his side as
the driver's door opened and Terry Mitchell climbed out of the convertible.
He could hear Connie struggling for breath and felt her hand at
his back, clutching at the fabric of his tank. Terry strode willfully
to the steps as if prepared to take some sort of stand.
"Jesus, man! What in the hell happened to you?" AJ cried when
Terry got close enough for all of them to have a good look. "You
look like you've been run over by a truck!"
"Train's more like it…" Terry sneered, cocking his head towards
Kevin. His jaw was badly bruised and his lip was cut and swollen.
His right eye was almost closed and there was a butterfly bandage
on his cheek. "You mean Kevin didn't tell you about going fucking
nuts last night and trying to beat the shit out of me?"
"Tryin'?" Nick said skeptically. "Looks like he succeeded to
me…"
"I've been pissin' blood for twelve hours!" Terry spat.
Kevin's eyes narrowed. This is one stupid motherfucker….
"You must have liked it Mitchell…" Kevin said evenly. "You come
back here to get more? 'Cause if you come one goddamn step closer,
you won't be pissin' at all…"
"I'm not worried about you, Richardson…" Terry took a step forward
but when he saw Kevin stiffen at his approach, he hesitated. "Look
can't we talk about this…privately?" Terry raised his arm and
gestured towards the rest of the group.
"No…" Kevin murmured in response. "There's nothing to talk about…"
"Fuck you, Kevin!" Terry shouted. "I want to talk to Connie
- alone!"
Connie had been watching Terry's lips from her spot beside Kevin.
When she saw Terry say that he wanted to talk to her, she began
to shake her head wildly. She needn't have worried. Kevin's eyes
never left Terry's as he instinctively reached for Connie and
pushed her behind his back. The gesture implied protection and
didn't go unnoticed by the group on the porch, especially Leighanne.
Connie pressed her forehead between Kevin's shoulder blades and
closed her eyes. He could feel her trembling against him.
"You're not talking to Connie, ass wipe - alone or otherwise."
AJ and Brian glanced at each other uneasily. They didn't know
what had happened between Terry, Kevin and Connie but they knew
Kevin. His soft spoken and even demeanor under confrontational
circumstances was a dangerous sign. If Terry didn't back off,
Kevin's slow simmer would soon turn into a rolling boil. They
suspected that Terry had only had a taste of Kevin's fury. He
had better leave before the dinner bell rang or he would be served
up a plate full.
"Oooooh, Kev! Look at you! The great protector!" Terry clutched
at his heart, sarcastically feigning fear. "Why, you're a regular
Sir Galahad! Please spare me! I'm soooo fucking scared."
Kevin smiled, trying to control his temper. "You seemed a little
scared to me last night, Mitchell. I particularly liked your graceful
exit on all fours."
Terry’s histrionics quickly faded. "You're a God damned nut
case, Richardson!" he screamed. "I ought to bring you up on charges
of aggravated assault! God, Jive would love that!"
Kevin put his hands on his hips, looked at the floorboards for
a moment and then let out a large and audible sigh. It wasn’t
a sound of contrition. It was the sound of a man trying to control
himself. Kevin slowly raised his head and then turned to look
at Hannah.
“Why don’t you take Connie in the house, Hannah…”
Hannah nodded, rose, and stepped over to Connie who still had
her face buried in Kevin’s back. When she touched her arm, Connie’s
eyes flew open. They were filled with something that Hannah hadn’t
seen in a long time - fear.
“Come on, Connie..” Hannah smiled gently. “Let’s go inside.”
Connie just stared at her friend, unable to move until Kevin
turned to her and bent down to her face.
“Go on in, baby… it’s alright…” he nodded reassuringly. “We’ll
be finished here in a minute.”
Howie, AJ and Brian once again cast sideways glances at each
other as Hannah took Connie inside. Leighanne just stared at Connie’s
retreating figure in a bit of a shock. They all had the same thoughts.
Baby? Did Kevin call Connie ‘baby’? He’s never even used that
term with Brandi! What the fuck…? Nick was the only one among
them who seemed unruffled by the small display.
Kevin watched until Connie and Hannah had disappeared into the
house before slowly turned to face Terry again.
“Terry, Terry, Terry….” Kevin exhaled the lawyer’s name in a
sigh of disgust. “Please tell me that I misunderstood you. You’re
not really threatening me, are you?”
“You could go to jail, Kevin! I mean it!….”
Kevin casually kicked a stray pebble and watched as it bounced
down the porch steps. Then he began to march deliberately down
the steps behind it. Terry took a step back.
“Listen, Terry - I got a legal question for you…”
“W..What?” Terry stammered, suddenly unnerved by the closer
proximity of Kevin’s body.
Kevin looked thoughtful for a moment before he framed his question.
“What do you do more time for - aggravated assault or…..let’s
say….. attempted rape?”
Terry became visibly flustered.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Richardson?” he shouted
indignantly. “I didn’t attempt anything, if that’s what you’re
implying! Jesus! Connie is a consenting adult!”
“I didn’t hear her consenting to anything..” Kevin snarled.
His face was growing pinker by the second and the edge to his
voice was becoming more pronounced. Still, Terry didn’t know when
to quit.
“Shit…she wanted it man! She begged me for it! Said she wanted
me to scream out her name! She even wanted me to talk dirty to
her, Kev… She said it makes her…”
Terry didn’t get to complete his sentence before Kevin’s fist
smashed into his mouth. He was momentarily airborne before he
fell back against the hood of his Porche with a sickening thud.
He tried to speak but his words were garbled. A foreign object
was caught in his throat and when he began to choke, blood sprayed
out of his mouth along with two broken teeth.
“Holy shit, he’s gonna kill him!” AJ whispered and dashed down
the steps to try and prevent the next blow.
He had never seen Kevin so furious. When he reached Kevin’s
side, AJ pulled at his arm, trying to keep him from further trouble
but Kevin pushed AJ away and walked towards the bloodied figure
struggling to stand and defend himself. Kevin aided his victim
by pulling him up by the collar. He was practically holding Terry
Mitchell up off the ground. Kevin spoke in low and intensely sinister
tones. These words were not intended for the ears of his audience.
“Now you let me tell you something you lyin’, cocksuckin’ son
of a bitch… Connie didn’t want you and the only thing she begged
you for was to leave her alone and get your damn hands off of
her. She didn’t want to hear you scream for her and she didn’t
ask you to talk dirty. She’s fuckin’ deaf, you cunt-faced
pussy!” Kevin had to stop and catch his breath. He was not, by
nature, a violent man but it seemed to him that Terry Mitchell
was just begging to have his neck broken. “Now I would strongly
suggest you sit your ivy-leagued ass in that over-priced status
symbol and turbo yourself down the road and out of my life, ‘cause
if I ever see, hear or smell you again, I’ll see to it that you’re
the one brought up on charges.”
As soon as Kevin let go of his collar, Terry scrambled to the
door of his car, his eyes wide with fear. That terror prevented
him from looking into Kevin’s face and humiliation kept him from
glancing towards the observers on the porch. The sound of squealing
tires punctuated by changing gears drowned out the screeches of
nearby gulls as Terry disappeared around a corner and out of their
lives. Kevin stood still, watching the road although he could
no longer see the silver sports car. He didn’t move until AJ broke
his trance.
“What the hell happened last night, Kev?”
“Nothing I want to talk about. It’s over…”
“Is it over for Connie?”
“It will be, Alex…” Kevin said as he began to walk back to the
house. "It will be.”
CHAPTER 20
“What in the hell is going on here, Kevin? I
think we need to have a serious talk.”
Kevin smiled grimly at the pushy blond. Her mouth turned down
at the corners and she was tapping her foot in a show of impatience.
Obviously, Leigh had not approved of his behavior.
“What you mean is, you need to have a talk and I
need to have a listen.” he shot back. “Well you can forget it,
Leighanne. Believe it or not, the entire universe doesn’t revolve
around you and your opinions. Brian is my cousin and I care about
him but that doesn’t mean I’m like him. From this moment
on, my personal life is off limits to you. Do you understand me?”
“What about Brandi?” she hissed.
“I guess you didn’t understand, Leigh. Don’t make me
repeat myself. You’re tolerated only because Brian cares about
you. Don’t push your luck.”
With that remark, Kevin turned abruptly on his heel and continued
into the house, slamming the screen door behind him. Leigh was
confused. How could she have missed all of this, especially when
she had been making it a point to stay alert? Four days ago, Kevin
and Connie were barely speaking to each other. Although she hadn’t
heard them, she had witnessed their hostility at the party the
other night. Kevin had left town the next day. Hannah had told
Nick, who had told Brian, that Connie was calling her boss for
a replacement. They had been clashing since the day she arrived.
Now, all of a sudden, Kevin had become her personal defender.
He had treated her gently and protectively to the point of physically
offering himself as a barrier of sorts between her and Terry Mitchell.
He had called her 'baby'. Baby! The term was widely used
in a casual manner but these circumstances had been anything but
incidental. Kevin was not one to use such phrases lightly.
Leighanne was kicking herself from here to Sunday. She sure
as hell couldn’t approach Kevin about this again - not after the
lecture he just gave her. It was too late to try and befriend
Hannah. That was okay. Hannah gave her the creeps anyway. Brian
had already warned her to stay out of Kevin’s life and the rest
of the guys seemed to distance themselves from her. She’d seen
their disapproving glances when she tried to guide Brian down
the proper paths of life. No, she would have to gather information
on her own.
One of the first things Leighanne had to determine was just
how far this relationship had gone. Maybe Kevin was just being
chivalrous. Surely he wasn’t fucking Connie! Sure, he had slept
around some. Brandi had, too. They had an ‘open’ relationship.
Leigh didn’t really get it but as long as there was a gold band
and certificate of marriage at the end of the journey, who cared?
Results were the important thing. Those liaisons had been one
night stands for the most part. She had seen women coming out
of Kevin’s room when they had been on tour and doing promotions
but Leighanne never remembered seeing the same woman twice and
didn’t recall ever seeing any show of affection on Kevin’s part.
Brandi seemed only slightly more particular. She might see one
man several times but she wasn’t stupid. Brandi knew what side
her bread was buttered on and was extremely discreet.
Leighanne's concerns were not unselfish. In fact, they were
totally self-seeking. She got along well with Brandi - they were
cut from the same cloth and each considered herself a ‘starlet’
on the verge of a big Hollywood break. The fact that their credits
consisted of mostly non-speaking roles and local car dealership
commercials didn't seem to affect their egos. They were both ambitious
but were taking different routes towards success. Whereas Leighanne
had latched onto a 'good thing' in Brian, Brandi hadn't seemed
to realize Kevin's potential for helping her establish herself.
She chose, instead, to win the influence of casting directors,
screenwriters, cinematographers and anyone else who might have
influence with a director - or better yet - a producer. Brandi
needed to get back to Florida for awhile - at least long enough
for this 'Connie Connection' to be wiped away. Leighanne would
never be close to Connie. They were too different. Connie was
more independent and seemed reluctant to use feminine wiles to
get what she wanted. Leigh couldn't admit to herself that what
really set her and Connie apart was Connie's guilelessness and
class. Kevin's apparent attraction to the redhead disturbed Leighanne
on another level, too. She felt it threatened her relationship
with Brian. She didn't want him getting any ideas. Besides, she
had worked long and hard to push Brandi and Kevin together. Leighanne
refused to let a woman that Kevin had known for only a few weeks
undo all of her influence.
****************
Connie's door was closed now, not cracked. Kevin stood outside
and tapped lightly, worried about her state of mind. Thankfully,
she wasn't alone. Hannah answered her door and Kevin stepped inside.
Connie stood at her window, looking out into the back yard. She
had her arms wrapped around herself and she was rocking slightly.
She made no sound.
"How is she?" Kevin inquired as he watched Connie at the window.
He had made no attempt to ask quietly and Hannah wasn't sure
how to respond so she didn't. She noted the fact that he had directed
his question to her and not Connie.
"Well?" Kevin asked again. "Is she alright?"
It was obvious that Connie was unaware that Kevin had entered
the room and Hannah became a little agitated. She felt compelled
to explain Connie's apparent withdrawal.
"She.. She seems to be in a bit of a daze.." Hannah said softly.
"What?" Kevin more loudly. "Speak up, Hannah! I can't hear you."
Hannah looked nervously towards Connie and then back at Kevin,
still looking for words and waiting for Connie to become aware
that there was a third person present. Kevin ended Hannah's confusion
by walking over to the night table, picking up a small ceramic
vase and then hurling it across the room and against the wall
where it shattered upon impact. Connie never flinched.
"I know that Connie can't hear, Hannah…." Now Kevin spoke softly.
Hannah seemed almost relieved. "I see." She murmured. "How did
you find out?"
"It doesn't matter, does it? What I want to know is why she
kept it hidden. Was she afraid that we'd be uncomfortable or that
we'd doubt her abilities? I don't understand."
Hannah sighed and shook her head. She understood why Connie
didn't tell them at first and she understood why she felt it was
impossible to tell Kevin later. She had somehow missed her window
of opportunity.
"Do the others know yet?" she asked avoiding Kevin's inquest.
"Besides Nick, I mean?"
"No."
Hannah walked over to the dresser and retrieved her camera before
going to the door. Kevin was looking at her expectantly but Hannah
felt that Connie should be the one to answer any questions that
Kevin had. She didn't feel it was her place to continue to run
interference for her friend. Not anymore. She stopped at the portal
and turned. Kevin was staring at Connie's back.
"Kevin…” Hannah asked, "Do you think that Connie's deafness
was a factor in what happened to her last night?"
"No…" Kevin shook his head slightly, still looking at Connie.
"Kevin?"
Her voice was hesitant and this time Kevin turned to face her.
He found that Hannah was staring at him intensely as if she was
trying to evaluate him in some way. Her eyes seemed almost clouded
with a mixture wariness and hope.
"Yes?"
"Are you in love with Connie?"
Surprisingly, the question didn't upset Kevin, probably because
he knew that it came from concern and not curiosity. Hannah was
the only other person, besides his mother, who had ever asked
him such a bold and personal question without raising his ire.
Maybe that was because this was the first time he could answer
such a question without doubt or defensiveness. His solid and
serious reply was direct and unaffected.
"Yes, I am."
Hannah nodded slightly before opening the door and backing out
slowly. God, she had so much that she'd like to say to him, to
explain to him. All she could do was pray that Connie wouldn't
be hurt again and that Kevin was in love enough to withstand the
impediments that came along in a relationship with a disabled
partner. She also hoped that Connie would find herself able to
trust again.
*********************
When Connie spun around at the touch of Kevin’s hand upon her
shoulder, the first thing she saw were the tiny spots of Terry
Mitchell’s blood scattered across his chest.
“Dear God…” she murmured, reaching out to touch the dark specks.
“You’re hurt…” Her eyes began to fill with tears. “I’m so sorry…”
“No, no… I’m fine. This isn’t my blood,” he reassured her. “Mitchell’s
gone. He won’t be coming back. Okay?”
He tried to encourage a positive response by offering Connie
a small smile but she remained silent.
“Connie?” Kevin lifted her chin and looked into her face, trying
to read her thoughts. “He’s not coming back. I promise…”
“Thank you, Kevin…” Connie whispered and backed away. “But I
still think it would be best if I leave here.”
She turned her back to Kevin as she continued to speak and brace
herself for any reaction on his part. If he seemed apathetic,
she would be hurt. If he were ambivalent, she would be hurt. If
he were in agreement, she would be hurt.
“It seems that Stephen has been trying to contact me. When I
came up here, I had a message from him. Hannah had gone to the
bathroom when I read it and answered it…”
Kevin felt his stomach begin to churn. No…. Don’t say it…
“…. I had written him before. I think I told you that….”
Kevin watched Connie’s shoulders move as she spoke. He noticed
that the stretchy thing that held her ponytail was the same color
as her top. What do they call those things…? Scrunchies?
“Anyway, I guess there were problems with the mail. He said
he had somebody to replace me. He’ll be here tomorrow. You’ll
like him…”
Kevin’s pulse was pounding in his ears. I like you… I love
you….
“His name’s Adam…. Adam Koch…
Don’t go, Connie… Don’t leave me…..
“He knows your music…. He’ll be better for the book…”
Fuck the book….
Connie finally summoned up the courage to turn and face Kevin.
His face was void of any emotion or expression and his eyes were
hard. He almost seemed to be looking through her. He had yet to
utter a word and the silence was growing increasingly uncomfortable.
Connie made an attempt to appear lighthearted as she forced a
chuckle.
“I just don’t know how you’re gonna make it without me around
to give your days that special zing! No more banged up trucks,
cut arms… no more fights… Peace at last!” Tell me to stay Kevin….
Tell me you don’t want me to leave…
Again, soundlessness reigned. Connie waited for Kevin to say
something. Anything. Finally, he spoke.
“When are you leaving?”
Connie blinked several times. This was not the response she
was expecting. She quickly lowered her head and looked at the
floor. She didn't want him to see her trembling chin. She wasn’t
going to appear ‘needy’.
“There’s a flight to New York in three hours…” she whispered
as she closed her eyes.
After several breaths, she raised her head once more. Kevin
was gone.
Back to Bronwyn's Books
|
