Chapter 16

Brian couldn't help but chuckle a bit to himself as he made his way back to his Jeep with his newly acquired information. He found out that the other person Angela was with had used a credit card to pay for her food. With the credit card number and and address, he could find out everything about this person. He had to turn on the old charm with the waitress though. He had given her his phone number. Little did she know that the scrap pice of paper she had pocketed wouldn't get her Brian Littrell, but it would get her his dry cleaner. Brian chuckled again, in spite of his mood as he turned on the ignition to his Jeep. He glanced at the piece of paper, and noted the address. His next ambition was to make it on over to Windy Row and see what was going on there.

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The door was briskly opened by Carl "C'mon kids, we're relocating. It's not safe to stay here."

"Kids?" Nick whispered to me after Carl had disapeared. "He looks like he's probably Brian's age."

I nodded and grabbed Nick's hand "he probably is."

In the main room, Christina and Carl were putting on their rain gear. Carl tossed a couple of ponchos in Nick and my direction.

Christina approached Nick "how's the head sweetie?" Nick just glared at her "oh, just swell. I was just telling Ange here how much I'm looking forward to the next round. Perhaps a cinder block this time alright?"

"Watch your mouth there!" Carl was immediatly in Nick's face. Nick shrank back ever so slightly.

It had begun to rain again outside, and I was still a little damp from my fall into the mud earlier, so I shivered uncontrollably when we stepped outdoors.

"Would you mind explaining what the hell's going on?" I asked for the second time that evening as I settled into the backseat of the car, next to Nick.

Carl sighed and flopped into the front seat, rocking the car in the process. "We're singers ya know."

Nick and I looked at eachother perplexed.

Carl ruffled his hair "you probably don't recognize me without my blonde locks.

My heart skipped a beat as I pictured Carl with blonde hair. I gasped "you're them! I accused.

Carl and Christina laughed heartily.

I didn't find any humor in the subject.

"3 Make Harmony!" Nick and I said at the same time.

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"Holy cornballs from up above!" It was as dirty of a phrase as Brian could ever muster. He jerked the wheel to his Jeep in order to avoid hitting a very fast moving vehicle that was coming from the opposite direction. The road was already narrow enough without having to worry about lunatic drivers too.

The car honked a few times and then sped on its merry way.

"I can't believe they let people like that on the road," Brian said to himself, still a bit shaken from the near-collision. He continued to drive up the steep hill, keeping an eye for Angela or Nick. With each second that passed, he grew even more frightened for their well-being. His gut told him that something was wrong--terribly wrong.

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Christina hit Carl on the shoulder "You frigging idiot! You came like two inches from hitting that car! That'd be a nice way to screw up our plans!" She sighed heavily and layed her head against the windshield.

Carl cleared his throat. "Anyways..care to hear our plan?"

I perked up and focused as best as I could on the back of Carl's head.

"Sweetie, the original plan was to borrow you for a while, that's it," Carl said meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror.

I cringed when he said "sweetie," but nodded, urging him to go on.

"We were going to present you with a business proposal, that is--before you freaked out at the diner tonight."

"I was scared!" I said hotly. "I think it was called for too!"

"Maybe so, but listen up if you know what's good for you," Christina said.

I rolled my eyes. This girl had seen one too many detective movies. Obviously, if I knew what was good for me, I wouldn't have gotten myself into this situation that required sitting in a vehicle with two psychopaths.

"Nick, you scared me! I hit you over the head because I was frightened," Christina said. Wow! She almost sounded...sympathetic!

Nick was silent, and continued to stare out the window.

"Now," Carl continued . "Chris' phone has been ringing off of the hook--people have been requesting you guys, oddly enough."

Amazed, I turned to look at Nick, who looked just as amazed.

"Why the hell didn't he say anything?" Nick asked.

"It's amazing what a few small photos can get people to do!" He turned on the interior lights breifly, and held up a photo. I looked closer, and moaned.

"Awwww..... man that's nast!"

From the corner of my eyes I could see Nick silently gagging. The photos were very graphic--sexually. It looked like Chris had been seeing some streetwalkers on the side.

My stomach bagan churning.

"There's more where that came from..." Carl laughed.

" NO!!!!" Nick and I said in unison.

"Awwww...I'm not going to ask where you got those..." I moaned.

"Friends in the business." Carl said simply.

The prompt response was another chorus of moans and groans from Nick and I in the backseat.

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"Auughhhhhh!!!!!!" Brian screamed upon his arrival to the small cottage that Nick, I and the others had just occupied. He could tell from the fresh tire tracks in the mud that they had left only recently. And, chances were the car that he had almost collided into moments earlier, contained all his answers. He gunned the engine to his Jeep and left the cottage--full speed ahead.

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"So what do you think?" Carl asked seriously.

Nick and I exchanged "boy-is-this-guy-insane" looks. Carl proposed that Brian, Nick and I all get together with Carl, Christina, and Kevin (the third member, who's house we were presently driving to) to form 6 Make Harmoney. Then, Carl reasoned, they could ditch Chris. Was he for real? What kind of question was that?

Nick shook his head, as in an effort to make sense of all that was just presented to him.

When neither of us answered, Carl said: "well, think about it."

I shook my head. Why would Carl need to ditch Chris? Was he worried about his image? No....it must be because Carl thought of us as a real threat. Which was definitly a good thing....or so I thought. I guess Chris wanted to stick with Bri, Nick and I all along.

"C'mon, kiddos...you don't have much time!"

"Time for what?" I spat angrily. "We owe you nothing...absolutly nothing!. " I was just getting started. "Maybe, you know things would be a little different, had you approached us like civil people...instead of tricking us and taking advantage our vulnerability!" I looked pointedly at Christina. "You know, while we're on the subject....I would like to know exactly what you expected to accomplish by deceiving us! I mean, you blackmailed Chris so that he would invest his time in you guys.....which of course infkuenced our infant careers!"

From beside me Nick chuckled slightly in spite of himself, "Infant carrers?" he mocked. A cuff aside his head was sufficient to shut him up.

In the back of my mind I was vaguely aware of Carl picking up speed. I glenced out my window and noticed that we were riding along the edge of a cliff--without a guardrail. Instinctively I bucked my seatbelt, and then reached over to buckle Nick in too.

"Awwww.....is Angie taking care of Nickie?" now that Nick realized these people were really no threat, he was back to his old antics.

Promptly I reached over to unbuckle the seatbelt that I had just buckled, but his hand stopped me. He pointed to the speedometer. We were near seventy miles per hour in what I would guess to be a forty mile an hour zone. I cleared my throat, "ummmmmmmm......perhaps you could slow down?"

Carl's response was to pick up even more speed. My heart skipped a beat as I heard the tires squeal on a curve in the road.

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Chapter 17