“No joke this time,” he croaked out, remembering the last time he had called for her. He felt like laughing, and knew he was on the verge of hysteria.
Rachael breathed in deeply and came over. The pale moonlight made her look more dangerous then ever. “What happened?” she asked tightly.
Nick wondered of the woman ever slept. She was still in her jeans and shirt. His mind skipped away from the question, clinging desperately to anything else but that. Anything…
“Nick.” She said gravely, crouching in front of him so he couldn’t escape the penetrating gaze. “What happened?”
“I…” he stared down at the phone. Amazing. He was still holding it. What for? He wondered absently. “Um…”
Rachael looked at the phone. A faint hollow beeping told her that the line was disconnected. She reached down and tried to take it, but the fingers were wrapped around it so tightly his knuckles were white with the force. She looked up into his wide, blank eyes. The kid was in a shock.
“Nick,” she said calmly, “just give me the phone.”
He just stared at it, shaking his head. Rachael reached out and pried the receiver away from his tight grip and placed it back. As soon as the phone left his grip, it went limp.
“She…she called…” he mumbled. “I…tried to hold on…but…”
“Nick?”
Rachael’s head snapped up. Aaron was standing there in his pajamas, his eyes huge with worry and fear. He ran over to the bed and started to shake him. “What’s going on? Who called you? Are you okay? Nick?”
“He’s in a shock, Aaron,” Rachael said gently, restraining him. Aaron stared at her, then at his brother, trying very hard not to cry, realizing for the first time that this wasn’t a joke.
“I’m going to make some calls,” Rachael continued calmly. “Do you think you can hold him up there?”
“What do I do?” Aaron pleaded.
“Just talk to him. About anything. Whatever you do, don’t stop talking. Got it?” she said, picking up the phone.
Aaron nodded and climbed on to the bed, then wrapped his arms around Nick. Rachael watched for a while, then dialed.
“Receptionist? Yes, A call arrived about a few moments ago to this suite. Could you check it?…thank you…”
Nick watched blankly as she talked. Don’t use that phone, he thought numbly, it’s used by a stalker…my stalker…
Aaron’s voice continued, “…I think Simba’s a little sick. I told mom to check on him. You know how he eats anything…”
Rachael was talking. “…I see. Any possible way of tracking it down?” she paused, then snorted softly in disappointment. “…I see…yes, is it local or public…”
Aaron. “…did you know Angel’s got a new stereo? She’s bragging about it….”
Rachael was saying, “…thank you. Yep. I see. Thanks.” She hung up. Aaron’s voice stopped too. The next thing he saw was a pair of grim blue eyes. “Nick?”
He looked up dully.
“Good. Now they can’t trace the phone call, because it was made from a public phone.”
He swallowed. What did that mean? “Meaning…?”
“All we know is that it was made from outside the hotel. It’s not much, but I’ll look into it in the morning.” She paused. “You okay?”
He nodded numbly. Outside? It could be anywhere! “I…” he swallowed. “…thanks.”
She examined him silently for a while, a small frown on her forehead. Then she stood up to her full height. “I think I’ll look into it right now. Will you be alright?”
Alright? Hell, he was fine! He felt like laughing again and actually chuckled. So this is what hysteria is, he mused. Now I know how the fans feel…the fan. I love you…to death. What a joke…
Aaron looked up helplessly. “Is he alright?” he asked in a small voice.
Rachael gave a sigh. “No, Aaron. He’s still in a state of shock.” She told him. “I think he should try to sleep it off. I’ll just be next door if-”
Aaron looked panicky. “Um…could you stay? I don’t think…” he swallowed. “I don’t think I can take it if the phone…rings. This is freaking me out.”
Rachael stood there for a moment, undecided. Then she nodded. “All right.” She walked over to the nearby couch and sank down, wearily rubbing her aching shoulder. She glanced at the two blonde heads and shook her head wryly. Baby-sitting job. Jesus. Who would have thought it would be true in the real sense?
The signal had hit her as soon as she had turned off the bedside light in her room. Her first reaction was something happened. That was when she had grabbed the gun and quietly left her room. Then another thought hit her. What if he was playing games again? Especially with his brother… nevertheless ready, when she opened the door soundlessly and entered, she knew it was serious.
She gazed at the two of them, both sleeping now, then passed a hand across her eyes. Tomorrow, she promised as her eyelids began to droop with weariness. Tomorrow.
In the chilly dark room, the silhouette of a person shifted restlessly in the narrow bed. It was cold. The shadow shivered, then raged at itself for doing it. It must endure anything…for him. It had to. I have to keep my promise… a shrill, croaky humming broke the silence. “..I’ll go anywhere for you…anywhere you want me to…I’ll do anything for you…anything you want me to…your love as far as I can see…is all I’m ever gonna need…there’s one thing for sure I know is true…baby I’ll go anywhere for you…”
A mindless, cackling shriek of laughter filled the cold air.
Nick slowly opened his eyes and squinted against the bright sunlight. He felt like he just finished a promo tour- he had a pounding headache at the back of his head. Then it hit him like a bag of bricks. Last night. He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing it never happened, wishing in futile.
“Slept well?” Rachael’s voice asked dryly.
He sat up so quickly that he nearly fell off the bed. “What…what are you doing here?” he asked weakly, staring at the woman lounging carelessly in the chair nearby, watching him behind hooded eyes.
“I think that’s fairly obvious,” she drawled in that soft voice of hers. “Unless you developed amnesia again.”
He sat there, rubbing his face as if to erase the memory of it. “Man…” he looked up. “Where’s Aaron?”
“He’s downstairs. So is your mother. Aaron convinced her that you were just tired from last night’s show.”
He blinked. “You mean…?”
Rachael nodded slowly. “I told him not to mention what happened.”
“Oh great,” he muttered angrily. “First it’s me, now it’s Aaron?”
There was a silence. “I don’t understand,” she said coolly.
He glared at her. “It’s bad enough I go around with a big mask over my face. You have to make Aaron a liar as well?”
“He doesn’t have to lie,” Rachael informed him stonily. “As far as I know, he didn’t make up any stories. He left out some truths, that’s all.”
“That’s all? You call last night’s incident ‘that’s all’?” he said heatedly. He didn’t know why he was going ballistic on her. She didn’t do anything.
Maybe that was the problem. Or maybe, it was just the whole thing.
“I don’t see the point of this,” she said coldly, standing up. “They’re expecting you downstairs in five minutes.” She stalked out of the room, closing the door.
Nick fell back in his bed, punching the unoffending pillow. “Aaargh!” he ground out in frustration.
