Real Time

by Jeanine Binder

  “Kevin was waiting for me in the bathroom. I had walked into the sitting room, turned the light on for Brock, and was heading to the bedroom. He grabbed me and put a knife to my throat.”

  It was nice to have so many guys as makeshift brothers because the air in the room got decidedly more heated. Kate glanced at Nick, never before seeing such a look of controlled anger on anyone’s face before.

  “Brock and I have been busy since New York,” she added, with a smile. “He’d been teaching me self-defense moves after the altercation in New York. I was afraid Kevin would try again, especially now he knew how to find me. We had practiced for this kind of situation, ironic as that is. We had a signal which made me go limp. When I used it, I threw Kevin off balance and Brock lunged for him. Brock almost got the knife away before Kevin got the upper hand and stabbed him in the thigh with it. I lost it and threw myself at Kevin, slamming him into the wall. Sam and Kyle came in at that point and you guys know the rest. But I think he went at Brock harder because he thought I was sleeping with him.”

  “Why do you think that?” Sam asked.

  “Kevin made a snide comment about Nick. He was totally convinced in New York the only reason Nick had hired me was because I was sleeping with him and he sounded surprised when he thought I had chosen Brock instead. It was those kinds of comments, among other things, which led to our divorce in the first place.”

  The surgeon who had been working on Brock entered the waiting room, looking for family. Kate jumped up and all but ran to him to hear the prognosis, which, thankfully, was good. Kate asked to see him and the doctor agreed reluctantly. Kate walked back over to the group to let them know what the doctor had said.

  “Brock’s going to be all right,” she announced and cheers went up. “The doctor is going to let me go see him. You guys probably ought to head back to the hotel - I can follow later.”

  Kate watched Nick whisper something to Sam, who then walked over to Kate’s side. She knew he had told Sam to remain. The rest of the group wanted to stay as well, but Kate convinced all but Andy to go back, agreeing to wait with Sam while she went in to see Brock. She really wanted Nick to stay but knew it was out of the question. She was comfortable with Andy; he had assumed the role of her mentor in the beginning, helping her adjust to the touring environment, advising her with the first shows. Nick smiled at her as he walked away with the others but Kate saw it didn’t reach his eyes – she knew he was a ticking time bomb. There was no avoiding this blow out – she almost felt bad for security because they were who Nick was going to focus his anger on. Kate watched him walk out the door and then followed the surgeon, leaving Sam and Andy to wait for her.

  “Hey,” she said softly, once in the recovery room with Brock. He was awake but clearly still out of it. He looked like a machine from a science fiction movie, with tubes running in and out, including one as a drain in his leg.

  “Hey,” he answered hoarsely, taking in the bandage on her neck. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. You’re the one with all the extra work,” she teased, motioning to everything around him.

  “Glad those self-defense lessons paid off,” Brock said smiling. “Kate, please tell Sam not to call my wife. She’ll just freak.”

  “I’ll tell him,” she said, bending over to kiss his cheek. “Doctor said I could only stay a minute, but I’ll come back in the morning.”

  He nodded, closing his eyes to go to sleep. Kate left the recovery room and Andy draped his arm over her shoulders to walk her out. Andy was the oldest of Nick’s band members and had been with Nick almost since the beginning. Kate regarded him like a big brother and was glad he was there - her nerves were a little frayed. She gave Sam the message from Brock; he didn’t look like he agreed but said he would abide by it for now.

  * * *

  The next morning, Nick had most of his security people in the main room with him and told the rest of the band to go find other things to do. With his tone of voice, the band had left immediately and didn’t look back. The fact Kate’s ex was able to not only get on the floor but hide out in her room was unacceptable and Nick was more than angry. It showed on his face, in his tone, and there had been very little conversation at breakfast. No one wanted to set that explosion off.

  All the security guys, except Ryan and Mike, and, of course, Brock, stood silently while Nick raged at them about the incident for the better part of an hour. Ryan was absent as he had accompanied Kate back to the hospital and Mike was watching the floor to keep unwanted people off this level. Nick was worried about Kate; she was being extremely calm about the whole thing and this kind of silence usually meant something else was building up on the inside. The separation they maintained put Nick at a severe disadvantage last night. All he had wanted was to go wrap his arms around her and keep her safe. Instead, he spent a very sleepless and anxious night, the two only serving to fuel his temper to a mountain high level this morning.

  “So how did he get in?” Nick demanded, once he felt his point was made.

  “Maids let him in,” Sam said. “He tipped one really big and showed her a picture of him and Kate together ten years ago. She believed he was her husband, come to surprise her on her birthday.”

  “Sam, you need to talk to the hotel manager. We need to keep this as quiet as possible.”

  Sam nodded. “We talked last night; he has no interest in having a bunch of press in here asking questions. He’s also going to address the issue with the maid.”

  “What have you heard from the police?”

  “Scotland Yard still has Miles in custody. They have other stuff on him as well. Seems he likes to beat up photographers. Put his history, along with attempted kidnapping, assault, and it’s not likely they’ll let him walk.”

  “Lucky for him,” Nick said evenly. “This is his last shot at Kate. They let him go and he will deal with me.”

  Nick dismissed the five of them and they scattered quickly. This was a nightmare scene of the worst kind. And seeing Kate, her hands and clothes drenched in Brock’s blood, desperately trying to clamp off a slashed artery, was almost more than Nick’s temper could stand. He usually kept his temper down, staying level tempered, even when he was past being mad. This was something he had worked very hard on for many years – it used to take very little to ignite it. But now, when Nick was mad, people knew it by the look on his face – he didn’t have to yell at people. Today, however, was different. Two people were almost killed because of this and he’d let the whole group have the brunt of his temper.

  Mike opened the door and stuck his head in. “Nick, there’s someone here to see you.”

  “This probably isn’t a good time, Mike,” Nick answered, his tone icy.

  “He says he’s your brother,” Mike continued, managing not to cringe. “I saw his identification and he at least has the same last name. He even looks like a grey haired version of you.”

  This was all he needed. Wonder what I did to irritate them this time – just being in the same city? “Let him in.”

  Nick stood and waited behind a long table. The door opened again and his brother, Trevor, walked into the room. “Nick,” he said in greeting.

  “Trevor, today is not a good day if you’re here to start any kind of tirade,” Nick said, not sounding very friendly. “Two of my people were almost killed last night; I’ve had no sleep, and I’m not in a fit mood to deal with much - especially your nonsense.”

  “I’m sorry to hear it,” Trevor said, ignoring his last comment. “Are they all right?”

  “My keyboard player is fine, physically – my security person is still in the hospital.”

  “Nick,” he started again hesitantly, coming to stand in front of him. “I came to apologize for what happened after Dad’s funeral.” Nick stood there looking at him, not certain he was hearing him correctly. “I know a simple apology is not going to cover it, nor will it cover the other forty years of anger, but I saw the banners stating you were here. I thought I wo
uld come over and at least give it a shot.”

  “Why?” Nick asked pointedly. “And how the bloody hell did you know which hotel I was at?”

  “Mind if I sit?” he asked, and Nick motioned him over to one of the overstuffed chairs in the room and sat down opposite him. “Mum told me you usually stay here at Claridge’s or at the Millennium. The manager didn’t want to admit you were here – but I guess my identification was convincing enough because he pointed me up to your security on the fifth floor. And the why – because I didn’t think what Phillip did was right. After the funeral, he just grabbed my jacket and dragged me over to you – I had no idea he planned to slam you up against the wall. And I was shocked at what he said.”

  “It was definitely uncalled for,” Nick said. “I know I bring a lot of attention when I show up places, but I’d always thought home was safe.”

  “Well, it’s been eating at me ever since. I’ve no idea why he’s always been so hard on you but it wasn’t right,” Trevor said, pausing for a moment. “I’m sorry for what happened. And I would be open to the thought of trying to build a better relationship between us.”

  “Damn,” Nick said. “If someone had told me my brother would be here apologizing to me about anything, I’d have laughed in their face. I accept your apology, Trevor, but I’ll have to think about the other. There have been far too many years to simply wash it away clean.”

  ”I understand, Nick. I wanted you to know I was sincere.”

  The two men were interrupted when the door opened and Kate walked in. “I’m sorry, Nick,” Kate started. “I didn’t realize you had someone in here.”

  “It’s fine,” he assured her, trying to ignore the bandage on her neck. “How’s Brock?”

  “Better this morning,” she said, smiling. “Doctor thinks they can release him in the morning.”

  “And he will be on the first plane home.”

  “I don’t know he’s going to go that easily, Nick,” she said. “He knew you’d try to send him home. He said he’ll be fine in a couple of days and he’s staying.”

  “We’ll see,” was all Nick answered. “Come over here, love, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  Kate walked over and stopped short as the two men stood up. Nick smiled at her expression - he knew what she was thinking. He and Trevor looked identical, except Trevor’s hair was gray and Nick was the taller of the two.

  “Kate, this is my brother, Trevor,” Nick said. “Kate is my keyboard player.”

  “I am pleased to meet you,” Trevor said, putting his hand out for handshake. “Nick said there was an accident last night. You’re all right?”

  “I will be,” Kate said, dodging the question, clearly not wanting to talk about it. “I’ve got to go finish moving my stuff out of my old room so the maids can clean up but I wanted to get a cup of coffee first. It’s good to meet you.”

  Both men sat down as Kate left. “Pretty girl.”

  “Talented as hell, too. She trained to be a concert pianist once.”

  “Then what is she doing in a rock and roll band?” he asked.

  “Funny you should ask,’ Nick said grimly. “Ten years ago, her ex-husband pushed her down a flight of stairs and crushed her hand so she could no longer play concert pieces. Incidentally, he’s the same guy who almost killed her last night.”

  “Sounds like you had quite a scene here.”

  “He got one of the maids to let him on the floor and he tried to kidnap her. Seems he’s a bit unstable where she is concerned – he was ranting about how no one walks out on him, which she basically did. When one of my security people tried to intervene, they wrestled and the bastard stabbed him in the thigh. Kate closed off the artery to stop the blood, bleeding herself from the scratch she had gotten, and held the artery all the way to the hospital until the surgeons could get a clamp on it. She literally saved Brock’s life with her own hands.”

  “There’s something else,” Trevor said gently. “There’s something other than anger on your face. The way you feel about her is more than professional, and this scared you.”

  Nick looked sharply at him. “You’ve hardly said two words to me for the past twenty years and you can pick up on that when no one else has?”

  “I don’t see you day in and day out,” Trevor answered. “So?”

  “She is the essence of what’s good in my life,” Nick admitted on a sigh. “We were supposed to get married last week, but other things got in the way. And, until we get do, I have this crazy block which won’t let me sleep with her while we’re on tour. Right now I’m her employer and the idea smacks wrong. So to have this happen and I can’t do much to comfort her, it’s doing nothing to resolve my temper.”

  “You won’t get any negative comments from me, Nick,” Trevor said. “I’m glad you’ve found someone who makes you happy. I know the last go around with this didn’t end on a good note and you’ve been alone a long time.”

  “No, it didn’t,” Nick agreed. “I never thought I would find someone else. Someone who could see past all the glitz and the fame.”

  “I have to go,” Trevor said standing up. “I have classes this afternoon, so I need to get back. I just wanted to see you for a few minutes.” Nick stood up and Trevor pulled him into a quick hug. “Go take care of your girl. Who gives a damn what anyone thinks.”

  Nick walked Trevor out to the elevator before making his way over to Kate’s old room. The door was propped open and Nick stepped inside, coming to stand in the doorway to the bedroom. He watched while she put her clothes and things back into her suitcase; the maids usually did their unpacking. Last night, security had given her a new room so she wouldn’t have to come back to this one. There were caution cones on the floor where Brock’s blood had seeped into the carpet.

  “How are you doing, love?”

  “I’m good, Nick. Not an experience I would like to repeat,” she answered, pausing in her efforts to look at him. “And I’m immensely thankful Brock took that moment to come into the sitting room for the night – I don’t like what happened after though.”

  “I’m not too keen on it myself,” Nick replied, closing the sitting room door and coming to stand next to her. He pulled her into his arms and his mouth found hers. There was a multitude of emotions coming through, but Kate didn’t waver as she returned it. After the kiss, he continued to hold her to him. “I am still so angry. Scared and angry, actually.”

  “I had a few nightmares myself last night,” she said. “You didn’t sound very good at breakfast.”

  “It was taking all my will not to blow up until I got the band out of the room,” he admitted. “Security will probably be a little scarce today if I’m around. I don’t like yelling at people – I shouldn’t have to and most of the time a look will get the point across. I wasn’t very friendly to my brother either – every time one of them is around I’m always sure there’s an agenda I won’t like.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He came to apologize for what happened after the funeral. I was almost floored when he said it, like a dream.”

  “Why do you suppose he did?”

  “I have no idea. He said he didn’t think what Phillip did was right. And, from the sound of things, Trevor was drawn into it without any knowledge of what Phillip had planned to do. He threw out the olive branch to try to start being friends.”

  “Big step.”

  “It is. I need to find out what he told my mum – it’s how he found me here. She knows not to give out my locations when I’m touring, so he’d to have been pretty convincing for her to disclose that. And the fact he’s my brother wouldn’t have made a difference – she knows we’re not close.”

  “I’m glad he made the effort. You seemed relaxed with him,” she observed.

  “It’s a start. I told him I’d think about it,” Nick said, pausing to look at the bandage on her neck. “Can I see how bad it is?”

  “I was planning to take it off anyway before the show. Put a
scarf over it if I need to,” Kate said in confirmation.

  Nick reached up and gently started to release the tape holding the gauze to her throat. He was going slow to not irritate the skin and he was inwardly holding his breath, preparing himself for what he was going to see. Once he pulled the gauze loose, the cut wasn’t too bad – it looked much like a scratch from a cat’s claw. It hadn’t been very deep and appeared to have already started scabbing over.

  “It doesn’t look bad, love,” Nick said, smiling to reassure her. “Looks like you and a cat got into it.”

  He watched as she stepped away from him to look in the bathroom mirror. “Still going to put a scarf over it. It feels much better with the tape off.”

  “I’ll bet. I have to go call the studio and some other folks, then I might crash for a bit. You’ll be all right?”

  Kate nodded. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to see about getting a car and going out to Stuarts.” Stuarts was a London store who sold her brand of jeans. “Seems I am down a pair of jeans and a shirt,” she said with a smile.

  Nick kissed her again and ran his hand down her cheek. The terror was started to ease now he knew it wasn’t more than a scratch and it was helping to drop his anger level. He opened the door and left, going to his room and planning to get a couple hours of sleep. The remainder of the day was quiet and the band left as normal for the Hall where they were playing the second of a three night stand. Nick was out in the hallway, smoking a cigarette when Sam came over and whispered into Nick’s ear.

  Nick swore under his breath, stubbing the cigarette out. He could sense his anger coming back, seeping back into him. Nick told Sam not to say anything until after the show; he would tell Kate that her ex-husband had committed suicide in his jail cell. Nick had no idea what this was going to do to Kate’s mental frame of mind. She already felt bad about Brock – this could push her controlled emotion over the edge.

  * * *

  After the show, Nick took Kate’s arm and motioned for her to go toward the big meeting room at the hotel. Sam followed and the three of them entered the room together. Kate knew something was up – Nick didn’t usually interact with anyone after a show unless something was going on. And then it was usually one on one – so having Sam in the room did not bode well. Nick led her over to one of the over-stuffed chairs and Sam remained posted at the door to keep people out.