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21: And Then There’s Kevin

A/n: Hi guys. I know, I deserve a few kicks for not updating this for so long. So I sincerely apologize for making you wait and will hold no grudges if you decide to stop reading. I shall make this short and not blabber. Thank you for waiting, I really really appreciate your patience.

“Get in Mr. Richardson, you and I are going for a ride.” There were a few things that Kevin was certain of as he got into his car with the stranger and pulled out of the parking lot. Their plan was screwed, Nick would be arrested by then and the fact that they knew where he would be that day meant they probably found out that Backstreet Boys had inside help. It also meant that Andy Myers and Officer Randy might be in huge trouble right now. “I believe you have something that I want Mr. Richardson.” Kevin stole a glance over to the stranger; he knew he had seen him somewhere but couldn’t figure out where. He also noticed that on a normal day, this stranger didn’t look threatening at all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kevin said as he returned his focus to the road. “The gun powder result you have inside your jacket.” Kevin felt dizzy for a few seconds; his mind kept going back to the same question – how did they know? The man laughed, startling Kevin back to reality. “You know what Kevin, why don’t you keep that result for awhile, I’m not in a hurry. See, the plan was for me to take you for a heart to heart talk with John Klass, but we figured today is a big day for the Backstreet Boys. Nick Carter is turning himself in and the world needs to see his brothers having his back as always. You being the daddy and all…wont look good if you’re not there to show him some moral support right? Besides, Mr. Klass doesn’t want people to start asking questions.” Kevin stayed silent. He wasn’t sure how far this man was just lying through his teeth and if Kevin slipped, he might just give away information for free. “Anyway, I’m here cause we need to waste time. Nick needs to know that you’re in trouble so he’ll cave in and turn himself in instead of playing hero like you boys planned.” “Am I supposed to drive somewhere?” The man shrugged. “Not really…just keep to this road until I get my call.” “So you’re like my babysitter.” “Depends…are you a baby?” Kevin frowned, mad at himself for letting this man talk all over him. He needed some answers! “So, what do you get for doing this?” Kevin tried. The man smirked and shook his head. “You’re the smart one aren’t you? I know you’re curious and shit, you just have to wait till you meet John Klass, he’ll tell you everything.” “Are you going to kill us soon? Is that what you’re planning right now? You’re going to have Nick in jail and get some of your men finish him off and make it look like a fight? What about us? Get us in another road accident, is that it? Why don’t we just end it right now? I mean, we are on the road, I can just drive off a cliff!” Without warning, Kevin stepped on the gas pedal and sped. He wasn’t sure where that anger came from but at that moment, he didn’t think he would give a damn. “Slow down right now.” The man said calmly. “Why? I say we get this over and done with. Kill me first since I’m the oldest and all!” Kevin yelled under the screeching of the engine. “John Klass will love this plan I’m-” He didn’t see it coming but the man had made one swift move and Kevin felt a blinding pain on his chest. Struggling to calm himself down and willing for the pain to go away, he noticed that the man had expertly taken control of the wheel. “I also know how to kill someone by hitting the right spot on a person’s neck and unless you want me to put that into practice on you, don’t you dare pull a stunt like that again.” The man said. “Now, drive this car Mr. Richardson and shut the fuck up.” - It’s a creepy feeling, when you had to live every second of your life wondering if this is it, if that is the time that something will happen and in an instance, you’re a past tense. And then it gets frustrating, when you wondered what if no one knows what really happened and your death would forever remain one huge lie. The Backstreet Boys would be remembered for something that was untrue. AJ had been wondering about this ever since he stepped into the van, being escorted back to some hotel that Dave promised was undisclosed to anyone but them and selected few from JIVE. It was supposed to make him feel better but it didn’t. JIVE’s judgment has always been questionable. Their fans had proven time and again they know more about the Backstreet Boys than the Backstreet Boys themselves. John Klass is a powerful man in LA, he could get anything done by just thinking about them. No, nothing could comfort him right now. The van jerked suddenly, almost throwing AJ out of his seat saved for the safety belt Howie had reminded him to put on. That had surprised him for awhile; that Howie still had time to remind him about such things when he should be panicking. Weren’t anyone else panicking? They should. “Oh God, this could be it.” “Could be what?” “It.” AJ stressed, as if that would explain himself better. “For all we know, someone’s coming out of the car in front of us and are coming back here to shoot us all in the head while we’re sitting ducks thinking it’s just another random jerk this driver seems to make.” “AJ please.” Howie sighed. “You have to stop assuming things or you’ll go crazy.” “Maybe we should start assuming things even more Howie. Maybe we should really open our eyes and be on our guard rather than easily put our trust on these people.” “These people?” Howie whispered loudly. “These people are Brian, you know Brian don’t you? And there’s Drake, he drove us around during Black & Blue, remember him? There’s Drew, of course you know him, he’s your freaking bodyguard. And there’s Dave and Johnny at the back, you know them too. We can trust these people AJ now quit that!” “Well, okay then, why are we jerking every five minutes? I swear they paid Drake to do this on purpose and by the tenth jerk, someone will come out and pull a gun on us and-” “McLean I swear it’s your nerve working against you right now. We only had three jerks so far AJ. The first one cause some random person decided it’s nice to throw empty cans on the road. The second cause, what do you know, there’s a tiny pot hole on the road, bizarre I know. And the third one, buddy, is cause we’re on a red light.” Howie explained before pointing to the traffic light to their left. “See, the green man is blinking that means, vehicles must stop. Now we’re in a vehicle that is on the road, so…are you catching my drift here Alex?” “It’s not funny Howard.” “Of course it’s not.” “You’re afraid too.” “Yeah?” “Yeah.” “How so?” “The fact that you keep count on how many jerks we’ve had so far should say something about you dork.” Howie smiled. “Awww did Alex get Howie smiling again?” “He did and Howie shouldn’t smile, not when Kevin is MIA and Nick is…well…he’s…” “I’m worried about Nick, D.” AJ confessed. “God knows what they’re gonna do with him in…will he be in jail? Fuck, I don’t even know where they took them.” “I think right now he’s locked up at LAPD until they make arrangements for him. That asshole will be there to make sure he didn’t escape or something.” “Like he could.” AJ scoffed. “He’s sick D, I worry.” For once, Howie remained silent. The van jerked again as Drake stepped on the gas the moment the traffic light went green. “He’s going to sleep on that hard bed and worry himself to death about Kevin. That’s not a place for a sick person.” “I know this will sound cruel AJ, but at least we know he’s alive, for now.” Howie said, barely a whisper. AJ stared back at Howie, trying to read the expression on his face. There was guilt mixed with something else. “D…” “Before you said anything else, I’m just saying, you know, we have Kevin to worry too. We know where Nick is AJ, and they can’t kill him, at least not now, that’ll only make people suspicious of them even more. But Kevin…we don’t even know where he is, do we?” And then there is Kevin. AJ knew something had happened to him; it was the only reason why Nick had not went through as planned. Whatever it was that Nick had found out at the very last minute that day, it was enough to make their little brother sacrificed his own dignity and admitted to something he didn’t even do. “I understand D.” AJ said, giving him an assuring smile. “But I can’t leave it to chance and assume they won’t do something to Nick. They’re capable of doing anything right now.” The van jerked again. AJ held his breath until he realized they were stopping for another red light. Howie said nothing, both slowly drifting back to their own troubled thoughts. AJ forced himself to not listen to Johnny’s stressed voice as he softly but firmly, gave some instructions to the person on the other line. He ignored Dave’s soft tapping on the tinted window at the back. He drowned out the constant hissing of static emitting from Drew’s transmitter. Tried to not raise an eyebrow when Brian’s cell phone started to ring. And when he managed to finally push all of them out of his mind, he saw Nick collapsing soon after the so called press, and then, he imagined Kevin stuck in his seat, his car rammed into a wall somewhere out there. He was positive that Kevin had died too. “Hey.” AJ’s eyes flew open; silently grateful for the intrusion. Brian had turned around on his seat in front of them and was now looking at him and Howie. Brian was wearing a frown. AJ knew he wasn’t going to like this at all. “It’s Kevin.”