~ Chapter 15 ~
Germany....2 weeks later...
After Paris, the group had gone on to do several concerts in England. Things were going as well as could be expected. The hidden tension was still there, but everyone was pretending that it didn't exist.
Ever since their exchange in Kevin's room in Paris, Kevin and Nick barely had barely spoken two words to each another. Kevin seemed to be coming around slowly and was starting to laugh again. He joked around with Howie and AJ, but didn't seem to have much to say to Brian.
Loreto still hadn't spoken to Kevin, but she planned on it. And soon. She wanted to get to know him better. She also knew something was wrong. She asked Shae-Lyn if any of the guys or Leighanne had mentionned anything, but Shae-Lyn just said no. She wasn't about to betray Nick's trust in her.
As for Shae and Nick, the step forward she had taken in Paris was followed by two steps back in England. Nick went back to his usual quiet, moody self. It was as if they had never spoken. It saddened her immensely. She tried to talk to him, but he pushed her away. She didn't know what more to do. There was one thing she could say. But that could end up doing more harm than good so she kept quiet. She hoped that he would eventually come around.
Howie and Shae hadn't spoken much either. She was nice to him, but didn't have the guts to apologize. Maybe it was better this way.
Fatima congratulated Kevin on keeping his word and laying off the booze. He hadn't messed up since their conversation three weeks earlier. She was leaving the tour after England. She had other obligations that she had to take care of.
Loreto was waiting for Denise outside the hotel in Frankfurt. She giggled inwardly as she stared at the throngs of young fans that stood huddled near the hotel emtrance in hopes of catching the tiniest glimpse of a Backstreet Boy. The Boys had an interview and photo shoot with Bravo Magazine in 45 minutes. She went into the hotel to inform one of their bodyguards about the fans and told him to let Denise know that she would be waiting for her at the side entrance.
"Hey Lo!" she heard a few minutes later as Shae and Leighanne sauntered out of the side door.
"Good morning. Where are you two off to so early?"
"Shopping!" Leighanne exclaimed happily. "Brian gave me his Gold AmEx and told Shae and I that we could shop to our heart's content."
"Sounds like fun," Loreto commented. "I wish I could go with you, but Denise and I are meeting some German marketing dudes who want to try and sell us their idea of German BSB dolls."
The two girls laughed. "So I take it you're enjoying the job thus far?" Leighanne asked.
Loreto sighed in contentment. "It's a dream come true. There may be some boring meetings, but overall I like it. I just wish I had more free time to spend with Shae." She looked at her friend apologetically.
"Don't worry Lo. I know you're busy and Leighanne's glad to finally have a female she can dish and shop with. So everything's fine."
"Even with Nick?"
Shae's face saddened immediately. "I'll talk to you about that tonight."
Loreto nodded. "I'd be a lot happier if Kevin was friendlier towards me. If he was more responsive to me instead of giving me mono-syllabic answers."
"Hon, it's not just you," Leighanne sympathized. "He treats all of us the same way. Brian's been trying to get Kev to confide in him, but he won't."
"Nick's been trying, also," Shae said. Leighanne shot her a look of surprise, but didn't say anything.
A limo pulled up. "Mi Lady, our chariot awaits," Shae said to Leigh in a fake British accent.
"It's rather posh looking, is it not?" Leighanne mimicked Shae's accent.
"Toodles!" Shae called out.
"Cherrio!" Leighanne sang out.
Denise was running late. Loreto sighed and was about to go back inside the hotel when she noticed Kevin coming around the corner. It looked like he had come out the hotel's back door. He crossed the street and started walking in the opposite direction.
Before she even had time to reason with herself, Loreto found herself following him. She stayed on her side of the street and kept pace a few feet behind him. Kevin glanced here nor there. Loreto looked at her watch. The guys should be leaving for their interview right now. A gnawing feeling settled in her gut. She tried to shrug it off. Maybe the interview got postponed or cancelled and Kevin was taking some air.
They must have walked eight blocks before Kevin stopped. He stared at a store's window display until a man emerged from the store. Not even looking at each other, they strode side by side unil they reached a deserted alley.
Loreto waited until they disappeared from view then she crossed the street. She pressed her body up against the side of a building and tried to peek at them without being noticed. Kevin and the man stood facing one another. Loreto could see both their profiles as they were sideways to her line of vision.
As if in tacit agreement, Kevin took a wad of bills from his wallet and handed it to the man. In return, the man took a small package out of his pocket and handed it to Kevin. No words were exchanged.
The man suddenly glanced in Loreto's direction. She shrank back quickly trying not to breath. Hoping he hadn't seen her, she ran across the street and darted into a souvenir shop. Her heart was thumping erractically. What if he saw her and described her to Kevin? Kevin. Her mind tried to block out the images of what she had just witnessed. She refused to jump to the obvious conclusion. Trying to change her mind, she browsed through the souvenirs picking something up for her and Shae.
Ten minutes later she left the shop and headed back towards the hotel. She was over 40 minutes late. Denise would be mad. What was she suppose to say to her? The truth was certainly out of the question. What was she going to do about Kevin? Before she could ponder further, a hand gripped her arm tightly. She yelped out in pain before another hand clamped down on her mouth. Her assailant dragged her to the side of a building and pinned up against the wall. As she focused in on him, she gasped. It was the man she had seen with Kevin. She was trembling and her throat felt hollow.
"Why were you spying on me?" he hissed. His mouth was mere inches from her face. His breath reeked and she almost gagged.
Thinking quickly, she said, "I'm looking for someone."
"Looking for who?" he hissed.
"Someone who can get stuff for me."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What exactly do you need? What kind of stuff? And how did you know to look for me?"
"Kevin told me."
"Who's Kevin?"
Loreto blanked out. Of course Kevin wouldn't give his real name. What was she going to do now. "Uh, the man you were just with." Lame. But that's all she could think of.
"His name's Scott, not Kevin. Don't play games with me little lady. You could get yourself seriously hurt."
"I'm not. I want whatever you just sold Scott."
"Oh you do?" His smile was pure evil. "Do you know what that was?"
Loreto swallowed. "Drugs of some sort. Marijuana?"
The man burst out laughing then grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back. "Don't fuck with me! This little innocent act you got goin' on isn't working. I came here from the US to make a living and I don't plan on having one little girl screw it up for me. I happen to know who this client is. Mr. "I'm-a-Backstreet-Boy-Kevin Richardson." I know every celebrity because most of them end up coming to my boss for stuff and he calls me. You want to know why your "friend" was here? He bought Cocaine. Pure Colombian. It cost him a mighty penny, too. Now I wouldn't go telling anyone about this here exchange we just had. If I get hauled in by the cops, your friend is going down with me." He stroked her cheek. "And you know what will happen to you?"
Loreto shook her head, barely able to breath. "You'll die," he said coldly. "A very slow, agonizing death. Drug dealing is a hefty business and we don't like strangers sticking their noses into it." He grabbed her purse and rummaged through it. He took out one of her ID cards. "Now I know your name and social security number. I'll find you anywhere. Remember that."
He threw her purse on the ground and walked away. Loreto stood rooted to the spot for several minutes then picked up her purse. She was shaking so bad that her ribs ached. She started towards the hotel in a panic, wondering who might jump out at her next when she noticed a shadow on her left side. Her heart started beating faster. She clutched her purse and picked up her pace. Then she heard his voice. "What are you doing out here?"
She slowly turned to face Kevin. He didn't look happy.
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