"If it weren't for Ed, I would have been the one shot. He saved my life."
I generally don't believe in hating people. It's a waste of energy, and hate doesn't solve anything. It just makes you and everyone around you miserable, and makes the world that much darker a place to live. Before you go calling me a hypocrite, I'll admit that I might not always like everyone, but I'd never really hated anyone before. But at that moment, I hated Ed Peterson with every fiber of my being. Every word that came out of my mouth made me hate him a thousand times more.
I couldn't even look at D or AJ as I spewed out the garbage that Ed was making me dish out. How was I supposed to look them in the face and tell them that Kevin tried to kill me and that he'd taken off with Nick? They would never believe it. Not even coming from me. And I knew that I would probably break down completely if I had to see their disbelief at my wild tale. They'd hate me for saying such horrible things about my cousin.
I hated me for saying them.
So instead of looking at AJ and Howie, I focused on the two people who'd come in with them. By their suits and no-nonsense looks, I had them pegged as the detectives in charge. They were the ones that I had to convince of Ed's 'innocence'...and Kevin's supposed guilt. That was going to be the hard part. Nobody would ever believe me that ole Kev would or even could do such a thing. And it was killin' me to that I had to tell them all he did.
Not that he did, mind ya'll. Anyone who knows Kev knows he wouldn't hurt nobody. Especially not one of us fellas. Sure he'd get all mad at us now and then and everything, but with him mad amounts to pissed off glares and possibly a few fightin' words, and a week's worth of groveling on our parts to get him to talk to us all again. His anger would never involve kidnapping or picking up a gun and shootin' nobody. Although, honest, I'm unsure as to how Ed did get shot so I guess maybe Kevin did do that...maybe. If'n he did, it was only because he had to. To save Nick and me.
The two detective people didn't look like they were at all surprised by my announcement. Ed had said that they would believe me without question, and he was right, that son of a bitch. Did he like have them on payroll or something? It wasn't like we paid him that much though. He made more than an average bodyguard, I figure, but still...enough money to pay off detectives? Assuming they were really detectives. I don't think anything would surprise me anymore.
"No way," Howie muttered, shaking his head. I couldn't turn to face him, but watched him from the corner of my eye. I sucked in my breath and held it for a few moments, willing myself not to give in and tell him the truth right then and there. My stomach felt like it was burning as I poured out the lies. But I couldn't tell them the truth. Not right now, anyway. It would ruin everything. We'd never get Kevin and Nick back if I ruined it now. I would never be able to find the place Ed and I left them in a million years.
AJ was shaking his head in denial, too. I didn't blame either of them, but I couldn't deal with them right now. I'd tell them everything later, when there weren't any detectives or even bodyguards around. Nobody that would go to the police. I couldn't risk that happening. I could convince AJ and Howie not to tell, but I wouldn't bank on keeping anyone else quiet.
I got to my feet and went over to the detectives, brushing off AJ's hand as he reached for my arm. I felt the anger intensifying as I felt a tear rolling down my cheek unchecked as I did what I had to do. I would never forgive Ed for this. Not that I'd forgive him anyway.
"He went crazy. I don't know what happened. One minute Ed and I were trying to get Nick out to Ed's jeep so we could get him to the hospital. His knee was dislocated again when he fell off the bridge at the concert," I explained as I'd been instructed. "Anyway we were in the hall and heard a loud bang. I didn't even know what it was until a minute later..." I paused, pretending like it was too hard to say. It was too hard, actually. Just not for the reason I wanted them to think. "Kevin came around the corner and was just...insane. He yelled at us to stop. And I turned around and...he had a gun."
I went on, telling them how Kevin had insisted that Ed give Nick to him. But Ed refused. So Kevin had pointed the gun at me and threatened to shoot. I hated telling that lie especially, but I had no choice. "Ed...he saw the gun pointed at me and he shoved me aside at the last moment. He...he took the bullet for me."
I found myself having trouble looking at the detectives either at that point, so I was looking guiltily at the ground. They probably figured I felt guilty because Ed had gotten hurt instead of me, though, so I was still okay.
The 'detectives' glanced at each other and the woman nodded as she jotted down a few notes in her little notepad thingie.
"No fucking way," AJ refuted angrily. "You ain't gonna believe that shit are you?" He grabbed my arm and turned me around. He looked positively mortified. "Why are you sayin' that Brian? Howie *knows* about Ed..."
Damn him! Why couldn't he just go with me on this? He didn't understand! One glance at Howie told me that he didn't either, but he wasn't going to say anything. He just stared disappointedly into my face as if he were trying to see the truth there somewhere. Howie would, no doubt, confront me about this later. Which was okay. Once we were out of ear range of the others maybe I could tell them. When I got the chance to talk to them and explain everything, they'd understand why I was doing this.
"So what happened after Ed was shot?" the woman asked, leaning forward. She looked so smug. Like she already knew the answer and was relishing making me tell it. I held her gaze despite my growing anger.
"Kevin came after me."
"This is bullshit!" AJ protested again, glaring at me with a hurt and angry expression. It was obvious he couldn't believe that I was turning on my cousin like this. I had to do something to let him know I was lying purposely, something to get him to bare with me until I could explain what really happened.
"When Ed fell, he landed on Nick and knocked him out. And Kevin...he came at me. I tried to stop him, with some of that um...spray stuff. Pepper spray. The stuff Geo gave Nick," I explained, emphasizing Geo's name as I looked pointedly at AJ, knowing he'd know that was a lie since it was Lon that had handed out the pepper spray. AJ scowled for a moment but then it was like I could see the light going on. One eyebrow raised as he stared at me for a moment, then he turned away, as if he were sulking. But now he knew something was up and for now he'd keep quiet. So I continued with the lies. "I tried to use the spray, but it ended up getting in my eyes, too, and Kevin got it away from me. He slammed me into the wall...and I guess I blacked out. I don't really know what happened after that."
The woman nodded. "What about when you came to?"
I bit my lip. "We were in the car. Ed was driving and I was in the front seat. My wrists were bound to the door handle thing," I informed them, glancing at my bruised wrists. "Nick was still unconscious in the back. I thought at first that he'd been shot because he...he had blood all over him." That much was true. It was among the worst moments of my life.
"Nicky!" I cried out, horrified by his prone form sprawled in the back seat.
"Shut up and sit still," Ed hissed at me. "We're almost there."
Almost where? But I knew better than to ask. I looked around, trying to gain some sort of bearings. We were on a winding dirt road that was going up into these...I don't know if they'd qualify as mountains or not, but they were close enough to qualify in my book.
"Please...Ed," I pleaded. I hated calling him by name, but maybe it'd emphasize that he was a friend. Emphasis on the word 'was'. "He's hurt. Let me help him."
"He ain't hurt. Not bad anyway," Ed laughed. "It's my blood, you moron."
I blinked and looked at him. Sure enough he had blood all over his shirt and he had some sort of towel or something wrapped tight around his shoulder.
I turned in my seat to watch Nick as we kept going wherever it was we were going. I wondered what happened to Kevin. I silently prayed he was okay. Ed had probably just left him back at the arena. Two hostages were enough to handle and all.
Finally, the car rolled to a stop. We hadn't passed a single car the entire time I'd been awake. We'd only gone deeper into the mountains. And now we were stopped before some sort of mine or something. It was clearly abandoned, and had been for quite some time. The entrance looked like it could collapse at any moment.
Ed got out and opened the back door.
"Leave him alone!" I protested as I watched him begin pulling Nick's body from the back seat. I was filled with rage as I remembered what Nick had told me about how Ed had tried to...do stuff to him. No way was I going to let that happen to my little brother. Especially he was unconscious, unable to fend for himself.
Ed only laughed, looking at me spitefully as he stopped pulling on Nick only to take a few moments to run his hand up Nick's hip and over his bared chest. I felt sick as . That fucking bastard! I began pulling frantically at the bindings on my wrists, trying to get free. Ed's eyes locked with mine and he taunted me, touching my best friend's unprotected body. After a few moments, though, he stopped.
"Don't tell me what to do with what's mine," he chided me. "But now's not the time for fun." He pulled Nick the rest of the way out of the car, dropping him unceremoniously on the ground. I heard Nick moan and was somewhat relieved. At least now I knew he was alive. I just wished I knew what Ed was going to do with us.
Leaving Nick on the ground, Ed went around to the back of the car and popped the trunk. I couldn't see what was going on back there, but I could hear him struggling with what sounded like a heavy load. I could hear him swearing and then the sound of someone getting sick.
"Get up," Ed sounded very unsympathetic. "Now move."
I winced as I saw Kevin stumbling around the side of the car. He'd been trapped in the trunk! Oh God. I've heard about people dying from monoxide poisoning from riding in the trunks of cars. My rage grew stronger at Ed for taking that risk with my cousin's life. Of course, he was probably planning to kill us all anyway, I realized. He couldn't let us go. We knew who he was. He probably brought us out to this godforsaken mine so he could kill us and dump the bodies where they'd never be found.
Kevin certainly did not look well. He was shuffling forward in an obvious daze. He was apparently having a lot of trouble staying on his feet.
"Your friend's right over there," Ed instructed Kevin. "Pick him up. We're goin for a little walk and I can't carry him."
"And that's my problem how?" Kevin snapped.
"We leave him here, we leave him with a fucking bullet in his head."
At that threat, Kevin shuffled forward a few steps then sank to his knees and crawled toward Nick. God, he could barely walk himself and he was expected to carry Nick?
As Kevin reached Nick and began trying to pick him up, Ed came around to my door. He pulled it open and quickly unhooked the wire binding my hands to the door-handle. "Get up. Don't even think about trying to make a break for it, or doing anything 'brave'." He hissed at me as he pulled the gun from his belt and aimed it at me.
I nodded and obediently got out of the car. Once I was on my feet, he instructed me to go over and help Kevin with Nick as it was quite obvious that my cousin was having trouble.
"Let me help," I murmured to Kevin as I got closer. I winced as I got a better look at him. Besides looking overly pale, his eyes were horribly bloodshot and the skin around them was red and swollen.
"Brian?" he asked, looking over at me blankly.
"Yeah. You okay?" I bit back the words 'you look terrible' because that's probably the last thing anyone wants to hear when they already know how terrible they look.
He blinked a few times and shook his head. "I'll be fine," he replied after a pause. He stumbled forward a few more steps, Nick's weight obviously throwing off his balance. I almost smiled. Same old stubborn coot, my cousin...
I lost the urge to smile as Ed aimed the gun at him. Kevin only stared blankly at him as he continued to stumble forward. Not even flinching at the gun aimed at him.
Ed forced us into the mineshaft. I wished I could talk to Kevin and organize some sort of escape attempt. It was three against one. Well, two against one since Nick was still out cold. And Ed was already injured. He'd stopped the blood flow, but it was clear that he'd lost a lot of blood. So he'd be weak. Easy to take down. Unfortunately, the gun in Ed's hand still tipped the odds in his favor. So we obediently followed along with him as he forced us deeper into the mine. I, for one, cursing him every step of the way.
Just a few feet into the mine, Ed grabbed my arm and practically flung me against some sort of cabinet. "Get a shovel and a hammer," he ordered, watching as Kevin continued shuffling forward. I glared at him for a few moments before opening the cabinet and pulling out the items he'd asked for. Great. He was probably going to make us dig our own graves with that shovel. Bastard. I was about to take a chance and try to hit him with the shovel when he shoved me in front of him and pushed me forward with the barrel of his gun, keeping it pressed to my back as we followed Kevin farther into the mine. I'd have to try that later, though, once we were to our destination. After all, it would take a while for us to dig a grave and he couldn't possibly keep his guard up the whole time. I swore the first moment he got distracted I was going to kill him.
"How far do we have to go for you to kill us, Ed?" I asked him, trying to make my voice conversational rather than accusing. While I didn't want to piss him off, I wanted this to be on his conscience.
He only chuckled a little and prodded me forward.
Finally we seemed to have gone far enough and he called for Kevin to stop. "Right there," he ordered, looking at me as he pointed the gun at the ground. I scowled. Right there, what? I looked a little closer and could see that there was only a thin layer of dirt over what looked like a big piece of plywood. I looked at Ed questioningly. He'd been here before? "Pry it up."
I dropped the hammer and did as I was told, pushing the dirt off a bit then using the shovel to pry up the board. Once I was able to lift it a little I tossed the shovel aside and reached down and pulled it out of place, revealing a small underground bunker room. Ed had definitely known about this place. How? I have no friggin idea. But it was apparent that he'd planned this all out.
I glanced over at Nick, who was still draped unconscious over Kevin's shoulder. I felt sick imagining Ed having planned to bring Nick here alone. My mind was racing trying to figure out just what Ed’s plan was. And whether or not the plan had included Kevin or I or if it had involved Nick alone. I felt sick thinking of Ed holding Nick in the basement of the hotel until we all left for the next stop of the tour. God, he may have made Nick ride all the way to Phoenix in the trunk of his car, then brought him out here to this mine alone. Do God only knows what to him. How long had Ed planned this, I wondered.
“Get in there,” Ed growled, shoving Kevin forward. Kevin barely managed to keep his footing at the push, and he stumbled blindly forward. He lost his balance completely at the edge of the bunker and he and Nick tumbled down into the room and sprawled in a heap on the ground.
Without waiting for Ed to give me an okay, I followed after my cousin and best friend. Nick groaned as Kevin rolled off of him. I just hoped that Kevin hadn’t accidentally hurt him worse.
“Nick?” I heard Kevin calling softly. He inched forward, his hand reaching out toward Nick but missing him. “Nick are you okay?” He crept forward a little bit more until he could reach Nick. He shook Nick lightly, but Nick only whimpered a little bit in response. “I’m so sorry...” Kevin whispered, sounding more distraught than I’d ever heard him. None of this had been his fault, but it was clear that my cousin was blaming himself anyway. I placed my hand on his shoulder, but pulled away quickly when he flinched.
“He’s gonna be okay,” I assured Kevin, who visibly relaxed at the sound of my voice. “We’ll take care of him,” I added, kneeling down beside them.
“Yeah yeah, ain’t that precious,” Ed mumbled as he dropped down into the room. He shoved a set of handcuffs at Kevin. “Cuff yourself,” he ordered. “Nice and tight, or I shoot you in the head.” Then he shoved a second set of cuffs at me. I started to put one around my wrist, but Ed reached out and stopped me. “No, not you. I need you with me.” I stared at him for a moment, not understanding. “Put ‘em on Nicky-boy,” he clarified as he motioned toward Nick with the gun. “Put his hands up over his head and cuff ‘em.”
I wanted to protest. I wanted to tell him to go to hell, that I wouldn’t help him hurt my friend or my cousin in any way. But I was too afraid that he’d just shoot one of them or myself if I didn’t obey. So I ignored the gnawing in my gut as I cuffed Nick’s wrists, careful to leave them as loose as I thought I could get away with. Nick’s eyes slowly fluttered open as I pulled his arms out, above his head. They fluttered shut almost immediately again, though. That’s right, Nick, just stay asleep, buddy. Don’t call attention to yourself...
I stood up and looked back at Ed, waiting for my next instruction. With any luck he’d have me go get that damn shovel and I could get another chance at taking his head off with it.
Instead, he kept the gun aimed at me as he went over to a cupboard on the bunker’s wall. He opened it and pulled out a tent bag. Dumping out the contents, he selected two tent stakes. He tossed one at me and took the other one over to Kevin. Grabbing Kevin’s cuffed hands, he stretched them up away from my cousin’s body then pushed the stake into the ground in the center of one of the chain loops. He looked at me expectantly, and then nodded toward Nick.
I shook my head. No way. “They’re out in the middle of no where,” I protested. “At least give them a chance. It’s not like they can go nowhere.”
Ed only chuckled. “Just do it, Brian. Or would you rather I shoot him?” Same stupid threat. It was getting old. Unfortunately, it was still really effective. I pushed the stake through one of the chain links and pushed it into the ground. I looked back up at Ed with a scowl. He chuckled as he picked up the discarded hammer and tossed it to me. “Make sure it’s solid.” He pointed the gun toward the stake I’d just pressed loosely into the ground. Damn it. I took a deep breath and nodded. I saw Nick’s eyes fluttering open again as I stood over him, getting ready to nail his handcuffs to the ground. I hated Ed for this.
I hit the stake a couple times, watching Ed for a sign that it was good enough. As soon as he nodded, I stepped away, staring down at Nick, hoping that he’d forgive me for this.
Ed grabbed my arm and pulled me back out of the bunker. “We can’t just leave them here,” I protested. “Not like this...they won’t have a chance!” I pictured them helpless to move and slowly starving or dying of thirst. Long, slow, painful deaths. “Please. Don’t do this, Ed,” I pleaded. “They need water. Food. Without it they’ll die.”
Ed motioned for me to move the plywood back over the bunker entrance. “There’s water down there. Two gallons in the cupboard,” he replied with a sneer. I stared at him with pure fury. He knew damn well they wouldn’t be able to *get* to that water.
“They can’t live more than a day or two like this,” I tried again. “Please. I’ll do anything you want if you’ll at least let me uncuff them. Give them a chance out here. We’re a ways out from town right? I mean...even if they got out it’d take them a long time to get back to town, so you could be gone by then.”
Ed only chuckled. He thrust the shovel at me as I finished settling the plywood in place. “Cover it.”
“They’re going to die without water,” I repeated.
“Well then, you just better hope that I don’t get detained by the police.” I kept my eyes on him questioningly as I began shoveling the dirt back over the plywood. “I need to get this bullet out of me. You are gonna make sure that we can get back out here in another day or so.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” I asked, frustrated. At least he intended on coming back. I didn’t want him anywhere near them, but I hated the idea of Nick and Kevin trapped down there in the dark for the last hours of their lives.
“All you gotta do is tell everyone that Kevin’s the one who kidnapped Nick, and shot me.”
I stared at him, incredulous. “There is no way that anyone’s going to believe that Kev did that.”
Ed laughed cockily and shook his head. “You shouldn’t have any trouble convincing them,” he assured me as he took the shovel back from me. I cursed myself for not having taken a swing while I had the chance. I wanted to beat that smug smile off his face. There wasn’t any way that I could convince anyone that Kevin had done that.
But it turned out that Ed was right, I didn’t seem to be having trouble convincing the police at all. They seemed to buy the whole story. “Kevin...he made Ed go get a van. Said that if we saw the police even drive past us that he’d kill Nick and me. So...I don’t know where he got it, but Ed got a van. I realized after he and Nick took off that I should have looked at the license plate...” I babbled, giving them the story that Ed told me I should tell. “He told me not to call the police or he’d kill Nick. He said that the police would probably be called once we got Ed to the emergency room, because gunshots had to be reported, but...we weren’t to call the police until then. He said...if the police were on to him before he got Nick across the border...”
I trailed off, unable to continue that story. It was just so asinine. I wished that Kevin and Nick were headed across the border instead of nailed to the ground in some godforsaken mineshaft bunker. A bunker I’d never be able to find without Ed’s help. He’d knocked me out when we got back to the car, so I didn’t get a chance to try and spot any landmarks that would help me find it.
He’d wakened me just outside of Phoenix and made me drive the last stretch to the hospital. All the while he outlined the story that I was supposed to tell. He also warned me that if I didn’t go along with it, I may as well sign my cousin and best friend’s death warrants.
Ed himself would go back and set Kevin and Nick free as soon as he was released from the hospital. And he said that I had better just keep my mouth shut and let him do it or I’d never see them alive again. If I went along with him, he would see to it that Nick and Kevin made it home safe once he was able to flee the country.
I didn’t believe that for a moment.
Ed had no intention of releasing them, I was certain. He probably would use them to get himself out of the country, but there was no way he’d let them go. Whether he intended to keep them like he’d kept Nick before, or if he would kill them outright, I didn’t know. But there was no way he’d just let them go.
So there was no way I could let Ed go get the guys on his own. I wouldn’t be able to find them in a million years, so I needed him. So I’d protect him for now. But the moment he was out of the hospital I was going to be ready.
Once the police left us alone, I’d even get AJ and Howie in on my plan, I decided. I’d tell them everything, and I’d get their help. That way while I got everything ready, they could stay here and keep watch over Ed to make sure he didn’t get away.
And while they kept him here, I’d be making the first move.
I’d get us a car.
And a gun.
As soon as Ed was released, we’d give him a taste of his own medicine.
It was time to turn the tables and kidnap the bastard.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This chapter was added to this fic on 1/1/09. It's from the ex-companion piece "Turning Tables" but I've decided to combine the stories into one with alternating chapters. Sorry for the confusion.
Brian POV
