Chapter Fifteen part 2      "Where's he going?" Raul asked suspiciously. He knew the guys had been chomping at the bit, wanting to be out there helping and he wasn't sure he trusted Kevin. He was the caretaker; the older brother and he felt responsible for the other guys. "To the bathroom," AJ remarked offhandedly as he picked up a magazine and buried his nose in it. Raul seemed to buy the explanation and let the subject go. That is until enough time had passed for Kevin to finish his business and he still wasn't back. Feeling a tingling sensation creep up his neck, Raul stood and walked to the back where the bathrooms were. He closed his eyes and groaned. No feet showed from under the stalls and the backdoor, the door they all had forgotten about, stood slightly ajar.   Raul had just returned to the main room, ready to lay into the guys, when Billy came in. They quickly filled Billy in on where Heidi went and Raul had the unpleasant task of informing his boss that Kevin had snuck out. Billy glared his disapproval at the guys and cursed under his breath. "Why didn't you stop him?" he demanded "Stop him? Ha! You know as well as we do there's no stopping Kevin when he sets his mind to something. Why do you think we call him Train?" AJ scoffed. "You said they were heading towards the back hall?" "That's what Heidi said. And Kevin was going after her," Brian reaffirmed. Billy nodded his head and then spoke, "I'm going after them. You four stay here. Understand? No hero stuff, just stay put." The guys nodded the agreement to his order. They knew Billy had enough to worry about, with Nick, Heidi and now Kevin out there with a madman on the loose; they weren't going to add to it.   "Are the police coming?" Howie asked as he chewed his bottom lip.   "Yes, they should be here soon. I'll put Carlos down by the door to meet them," he answered before he left them sitting in the room.                                                      ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~    Kevin stepped into the hallway and quietly made his way away from the dressing room. He hadn't gone far when he ran, literally, into a maintenance man. "Sorry, I didn't mean to run into you," Kevin said as he read the man's name tag and noticed the keys dangling from a chain at Jake's waist. "Uh, listen Jake. I need some help and you're coming with me," Kevin said as he grabbed the man by the arm. Desperation and fear for Heidi and Nick gave him strength as he hustled Jake down the hallway. "Wait! I can't go with you! I have work to do," Jake explained. "Don't worry. Everything will be just fine. You won't loose your job if that's what you're worried about." Jake sighed and shook his head. These pop stars could be so temperamental! Kevin stepped into the hallway and quietly made his way away from the dressing room. He hadn't gone far when he ran, literally, into a maintenance man. "Sorry, I didn't mean to run into you," Kevin said as he read the man's name tag and noticed the keys dangling from a chain at Jake's waist. "Uh, listen Jake. I need some help and you're coming with me," Kevin said as he grabbed the man by the arm. Desperation and fear for Heidi and Nick gave him strength as he hustled Jake down the hallway. "Wait! I can't go with you! I have work to do," Jake explained. "Don't worry. Everything will be just fine. You won't loose your job if that's what you're worried about." Jake sighed and shook his head. These pop stars could be so temperamental!                                                   ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~    Heidi stood in the back hallway staring down the dim hall, wondering where to begin first. Cautiously, she tried the first door and found it unlocked. She peeked in and found it empty. The disappointment weighed heavily on her shoulders as she closed the door. As she took a step to the next door, a sound from behind made her whirl around and she gasped. Kevin stood in the hallway with another man, a maintenance man by the look of his coveralls.   "What are you doing here?" she asked through gritted teeth. "Are you trying to get killed?"   "No, I'm not trying to get killed," he returned in exasperation. "I figured you'd need some help. Besides, I know that some of these doors are kept under lock. You'll need help getting into them. That's where Jake comes in," he said as he waved a hand in front of the maintenance man. "He's got keys to the rooms," he expanded his explanation as he pointed to the keys still hanging by a chain at Jake's waist.   "I don't like this Kevin. You should go back to the dressing room. You're not trained for this type of situation. No, you can't stay. Leave Jake with me, and go back," she said.   "No way! I'm not leaving you here alone. You don't know what you're walking in to. At least with two of us, we'll have a chance to over power the guy."   Jake stood silently and watched the conversation go back and forth between the two very determined people. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew neither person was going to budge. He might just be a country bumpkin, but he wasn't stupid.   "You are not going with me Kevin. Go back," she demanded as she closed the space between them and got up in his face.   "Wouldn't you rather know that I'm right here with you instead of wondering when I'm going to show up? Because I'll warn you now, I'm not going back there without both you and Nick. Now which will it be? Am I going with you or am I going to pretend to go back and follow you instead?" he asked, his arms folded stubbornly across his chest.    Heidi sighed; she knew that look and that stance. It had stubbornness written all over it and she knew he meant what he said. He would follow on his own if she didn't let him go with her, and that could cause problems... lots of problems.   "On one condition, you do what I say," she reluctantly agreed. Kevin nodded his head and together, the three people made their way down the hall. SNC Index Chapter Sixteen Main Page