| Chapter Fifteen Heidi groaned and grabbed the back of her head. She felt along the slight bump and thanked God that she had worn her hair pinned in a knot at the back of her head. It was the only thing that kept her skin from splitting open and it kept the blow from doing serious damage. As it was, it hurt like crazy, but she could still see and she knew she was okay She blinked her eyes several times, trying to see through the darkness. As her eyes adjusted, she began to make out brooms, mops and buckets. 'I must be inside a storage closet,' she thought as she hauled herself to her feet. A wave of dizziness swept over her and she grabbed for the wall to steady herself. When the dizziness receded, her mind began working and she gasped out loud, "Nick." She had to get out of this room and find him; the sense of danger that had been with her since Mrs. Withers had told them of Harry was now so strong she could taste it. Groping along the wall in the dark, she found the door and turned the handle, praying the door wasn't locked from the outside. When the handle turned and she heard the soft click of the door moving away from the frame, she breathed a sigh of relief. Quietly, she stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. Taking a moment to look around and get her bearings, Heidi found she was in a hallway just off to the side from the back entrance. Moving carefully, she crept down to the end of the hall and made her way in the direction of the dressing room. She knew without a doubt that the guys would be frantic by now. No doubt Kevin would be trying to keep everyone calm and Brian and AJ were probably biting their nails to the quick. Billy would have called the authorities and he would be out with the other bodyguards searching for her and Nick. Steeling herself for the inevitable confrontation and explanation, she opened the door and stepped inside. The bright lights of the dressing room hurt her eyes and she squeezed them shut to stop the blinding pain. For one brief instant, the noise in the room halted, only to begin anew with a vengeance. Questions flew from the occupants of the room and she covered her ears, blocking out the loud voices that were reverberating inside her head. "Heidi? Heidi what happened? Where's Nick?" Kevin asked as he waved at the guys to quiet down and pulled Heidi's hands from her ears. "I... I don't know," she mumbled as she hung her head. Her heart cried out at the fear he must be feeling. She knew she was scared, but she wasn't helpless like Nick had to be at that moment. "What do you mean you don't know?" Kevin asked as he led her to the couch and sat her down. "All I remember is getting out of the car and entering the building. I'd only taken just a few steps before someone hit me on the back of my head. Everything went black after that. I woke up just a few minutes ago in some storage closet in a hall off the back entrance," she explained as her hand gingerly rubbed over the lump on her head. "Jesus, he's got Nick," Brian exclaimed, fear lacing his voice and showing in his eyes. Heidi groaned and closed her eyes, missing the glare Kevin shot at Brian. "Billy's out looking for both of you. He left a radio here for us to communicate with. Let me call him in," Kevin said as he took a bag of ice from Howie and placed it against the back of Heidi's head. Heidi listened as Kevin explained the situation to Billy. Billy said he was on his way and signed out. Kevin smiled down at her and Heidi tried to smile back, but failed miserably. They were wasting time, sitting here waiting for Billy. Anything could be happening to Nick and they just sat there... waiting. She took a deep breath and stood, amazed to find her balance in tact. She ruthlessly shoved her fear and self-recrimination to the back of her mind and determined to find Nick. This was no time to let her emotions get the best of her. The man she loved was in danger, and it was her job to see that he was safe and she was going to do whatever she possibly could to see that he was returned safely. "Heidi?" AJ asked as he watched her stand to her feet and her face took on a cold, determined light. He'd never seen her look like that before and he knew there would be hell to pay when she caught Nick's kidnapper. Heidi swung her gaze around the room and met each of their eyes. She took their looks a fear into herself and let it feed her determination. "I'm going after Nick. They couldn't have left the building, or someone would have seen them and reported it and he couldn't have taken Nick very far or Billy and the others would have seen him. Tell Billy I'm starting with that hallway down by the back entrance. I will bring him back," she promised, as once again she met each of their gazes. "Heidi, you're hurt. Just wait for Billy please," Kevin said, trying to reason with her. Heidi shook her head and headed for the door. She looked over at Raul, the bodyguard that had been left behind to watch over the guys, and she met his gaze head on. He could tell that she wanted him to keep them in the room and he silently nodded. She glanced around the room once more before opening the door and stepping through it into the hall. The minute the door closed Kevin looked at the guys and as one, they moved to the far corner of the room. "Pretend like we're praying," Kevin instructed. They bowed the heads and he said, "I'm going out the back door after her." "What? Kevin, that's not the smartest thing you could do right now," Howie said, trying to reason with his friend. "She shouldn't be out there by herself. She took a nasty blow to the head, she could have a concussion and end up blacking out," Kevin retorted. "Besides, Nick's our brother, we have to help." "Then we should all go," AJ stated. "No! I need someone here to distract Raul until I get away. You guys will do this for me won't you?" Kevin asked as he looked from one man to the other. Brian laid his hand on Kevin's shoulder and met his cousin's eyes. "Be careful Kev," he said as he squeezed the shoulder beneath his hand. Kevin nodded once and the guys broke apart, Kevin heading back towards the bathroom area and the guys to the chairs and couches. Onto Part II of chapter 15 |