He looked worried and tired as he handed her the reciever of the phone and pressing a few buttons on the keypad.
An electronic voice filled her ear as she listened.
“Hello there, Megan. How has your week been going? Well, I hope, since it will be your last if you aren’t careful. Watch your back, little girl, because you never know when I’m going to get you. And I will get you....” The line was cut off and the receiver hit the bed as she stared at Nick.
“Holy-“
“Yeah I know... I’m saving the message and I already called sucurity. We are having a meeting with them and the rest of the guys as soon as everyone is cleaned up. So go and get ready, I’m gonna get Leigha up and cleaned up as much as possible.
Megan forced herself to get up out of the bed grab some clothes from her bag as she passed it and go into the bathroom, making it just before getting sick. Nick cringed at the sound, but he couldn’t to anything for her, she locked the door and a few minutes later he heard the water running. He relaxed a little and got Leigha up and dressed her in overalls and a T- shirt, combed her hair and washed her face. By the time he was finished with that Megan had turned the water off and had gotten sick again.
Leigha looked up at him with worried eyes. “She’s gonna be OK. She doesn’t feel very well, but she’s gonna be alright, I’ll make sure of that.”
The little girl nodded and gave him a hug as Megan walked out of the bathroom wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, her hair up in a ponytail high on the top of her head, and looking extreamly pail. “Lets go.” She said, not even looking up from the floor, and grabbing the room key off the dresser where it had been thrown the night before.
Lonnie and Frankie were waiting for them outside their room and walked with them down the hall. Five minutes later they were in the confrence room at the end of the hall, near the elevators. Waiting for them was the rest of the security team and the rest of the Boys.
“Now that we have everyone here, what is this all about?” Kevin asked as Megan and Nick took seats next to eachother at the large table in the middle of the room.
Lonnie wordlessly placed a tape recorder in the middle of the table and pressed play. “You aren’t going to make her listen to this again are you?” Nick protested.
“It’s OK, Nick.” Megan said as everyone looked at them with confused expressions.
“Hello there, Megan. How has your week been going? Well, I hope, since it will be your last if you aren’t careful. Watch your back, little girl, because you never know when I’m going to get you. And I will get you....” The electronic voice repeated once again it’s evil threat as everyone in the room listened in stunned silence.
“Another one...” Howie trailed at a loss for words.
“Yes, another one.” Lonnie said, looking at Frankie. “We have no idea how anyone got the number for their hotel room, or how they knew that she was staying their because the room isn’t in her name, it isn’t even in Nick’s name. All the rooms are in security’s names or one of the tour managers name’s. But they got the number somehow.”
“Why does that seem, I don’t know, wrong to me?” Brian said from his place across from Megan.
“We know, and we are trying to think of things to do about it, but right now there isn’t much. We are leaving in a few days and the only thing we can really do is give this tape to the Florida police so they can analyse it and make sure that we keep security extra tight around Megan and Leigha.”
“Leigha isn’t coming with us.” Megan blurted out.
“She’s not?” Kevin asked.
“No she’s not. The Portland PD is calling a case of child abandonment and are putting her in a home where there will be people to take care of her. They were going to send her to Idaho because that was the closest place that would take her, but Nancy and I talked about it last nigth while we were doing the dishes and she wants to take Leigha in.”
Everyone looked at her in amazement, even Nick. “Wow... OK, that takes care of that... we wont have to worry about the little girl now.” Lonnie said relaxing just slightly. “Now we have to worry about making sure that nothing happens to you while you are tour with us. I don’t know how anyone could have found out that we were here... no one that knows Nick lives in Portland, besides Megs.... I don’t get it... it makes no sense.”
“Unless somehow someone told Matt that we were here and then he told whoever called. But he’s in jail.” AJ spoke up.
“That might be it. Even though he’s in jail they’ll still give him a chance to make a few calls.” Lonnie said. “Well, we need to find out who he’s been talking to in Portland and elsewhere. Then we need too keep moving... I think that this is the longest stop we are going to make. After we make it through these next few days we will be harder to keep track of.”
“OK. And what about Leigha? Are we just going to leave her? I mean, if someone is watching us then they have to know about her.” Megan questioned.
“Well, there isn’t really anything that we can do. The police will be keeping an eye on her anyway because of her case, so I think that she’s pretty safe. And I hate to do this to you Meg, but I’m gonna need Frankie to be with you all the time now... he has to know where you are at all times. OK? For your safety.”
She was about to protest, but looked at Nick and saw the look in his eyes. He was scared. She hated it when he had that look in his eyes. “OK. OK, I’ll be good, I promise.” She looked at Frankie, who was sitting on floor in the corner, playing with Leigha. “It looks like we are new best friends.”
“Well, I’m off to call the Orlando PD. I suggest that you all lay low until we leave tomorrow. And remember, if you go anywhere, Frankie knows about it and is with you, OK?”
“Yes, Father.”
They woke up early the next morning. They were leaving at 9:30 and they had a lot to do.
Nick and Megan packed their clothes into their suitcases and bags and then got Leigha’s things ready to go to the Mills’ house. It was 8:30 when they left their bags in their room to be picked up by a security team member and left with Leigha and her things. Frankie was waiting for the three of them at the elevator.
“Everyone else is downstairs.”
“We just wanted to make sure that we had all of her things.”
Frankie nodded his head and smiled at the small girl in Nick’s arms, clutching the lamb that Megan had bought her, with her head sleepily resting on his shoulder. They all got on the next elevator and went down to the lobby. Once they said good morning to everyone they all piled into the van that was going to take them to the Mills’ to drop off the little girl.
She sat between Nick and Megan, resting her head against his arm, holding Megan’s hand with one of her own and hanging on to the lamb with the other. Brian looked behind him as he leaned his back against the window. The three of them looked like they were about to be put in concentration camps.
“Leigha?” The girl looked up at him and smiled. “You OK?”
The child nodded and put her head back on Nick’s arm. The rest of the trip was silent except for the quiet blare of the radio.
They reached the house and the front door was open before all of them were out of the car. Nancy smiled as Nick climbed out of the car, picked up Leigha from where she was standing in the doorway and Megan climbed out after her.
“Good morning everyone.” She smiled at the group of young people in fromt of her.
“Morning Nancy.” They all chorused, more or less together.
“Good morning.” As man said, coming out of the front door.
“Good morning Stan.” Megan smiled. “Guys, this is Kaytee’s dad, Stan. Stan these are the Backstreet Boys and company. Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, AJ, McLean, and Brian Littrell.” She pointed to each of the boys and they stepped forward to shake the man’s hand. “And these guys are member’s of the security team. Lonnie Jones, Randy Jones, Todd Dukes, Richard Douglas, Andre Person and Frankie Dumount.” The security team stayed where they were but each offered a small waved when they heard their name.
“But there are six of them and only five members of the group.” Stan looked at his wife questioningly.
“Frankie is my body gaurd because of the threats that I’ve been getting...”
“We all feel better if we know that Meg has a security team member of her own so that we don’t have to worry about her.” Kevin explained before Megan had to go on.
“I see. Well, would you all like to come in?”
Howie looked at his watch. “Well, we don’t have too much time but I guess we could come in for a few minutes.” The group followed Nancy and Stan into their house and into the living room. Once they were there Megan sat down on the floor in front of the chair that Nick sat down it, with Leigha sitting in his lap. Kevin, Brian, Howie and AJ sat on the couch while Nancy and Stan sat on the love seat. Lonnie, Frankie and the other members of security stood until Nancy told them that they could go pour themselves some coffee and talk in the kitchen. They greatfully took their leave of the group and went to get their morning caffine.
“So, how have you all been since we last saw you?” Nancy asked.
“We’ve been OK...” Megan once again trailed off.
“Why don’t I let the guys tell Stan about that while we go get Leigha settled in her new room?” Nacy offered before turning to the little girl still settled in Nick’s lap. “Would you like to see your room?”
Leigha looked down at Megan before jumping off of Nick’s lap and grabbing the older girls hand. Megan smiled at her and stood up, grabbing the bag filled with all the things that she had bought for the little girl. With her lamb in one hand and Megan’s hand in the other Leigha walked over to Nancy before smiling at her.
The three of them walked through the living room and to the stairs that lead upstairs. ‘It’s been a really long time since I’ve been up here.’ Megan thought as they climbed the stairs. They walked down the hall and to a room that had always just been full of stuff for as long as Megan could remember.
They had cleared it out and placed a small, white, four poster bed underneith the window and white dressers that had tiny blue flowers with green leaves painted along all of the drawer tops and on the very top of it. The window was covered with light blue and green curtins and the bed spread was white with embroidered pink and blue flowers on it. There was pleanty of room for all of the things that Leigha had from the hotel room, and much much more.
“Wow...” Megan said as she looked around the room. She walked in and set Leigha’s bag down on the floor. Before turning around. “This looks great Nancy!”
“Yeah, it was the best we could do on such short notice, but as soon as you all left the night wr had dinner I started cleaning out this room. Got rid of a lot of stuff that we didn’t need and the rest of it went up in the bonus room. But while I was going through here I found a lot of Kaytee’s old furnature that had been in her room when she was little girl and it all fit perfectly in this room,”
“It’s great. I think that she’ll be very happy here.”
Nancy knelt down next to the tiny girl. “Do you like it?”
When she had entered the room her eyes had grown about three sizes and she enthusiastically nodded her head now. “See, I told you.” Megan glanced down at her watch. It was about 9:00. “Well, we should go down stairs and start saying goodbye. I know that we still have a half an hour before we have to leave but I know how long it takes us all to say good bye.”
“She got another threat yesterday. Well, Nick found it yesterday, but she really got it while we were over here eating dinner. It was a phone call, but since we weren’t there they left a message. The voice was disguised, but it sounded like a female to me. Nick had Meg listen to it and then called security. They taped the recording and have sent it to Florida where they are still trying to get info out of her ex- boyfriend, Matt.” Brian explained.
“I remember him. She went out with him right before she left for Florida the last time. He had something to do with the first threat, right?”
“Yeah, he only had my girlfriend at the time deliver it to Megan.” Kevin said, shaking his head.
“But they caught him, right?”
“Yeah, after he visited Megan in the hospital because she passed out once she realised what was going on. We still don’t know what he did to her, or tired to do to her. Lucky for everyone the IV hadn’t begun to drip again before thenurse changed it to something that we knew was safe.” AJ added.
“Whoa... someone is really out to ger her, aren’t they?”
“No kidding. And the scary thing is that it’s someone that we’ve known for a really long time, and they seemed to have made friends every where. I just hope that he hasn’t made connections all over the country.” Nick spoke for the first time since sitting down.
“Well, it looks like you are taking all the right precautions to keep her safe.”
Nick looked up from where he had been staring at the carpet. “I have to, I love her.”
Stan smiled at the young man in front of him before going on. “Do you think they know about Leigha?”
“We are all hoping not, but there is a pretty good chance that they do. That’s why we have the police here taking extra special care of her, plus they are still working on her case that has to do with her parents so it’s important that they keep tabs on her, right?” Howie looked hopeful.
“She’ll be safe here, don’t worry.”
“We’re just happy that she will be staying with people that we know, so that we can keep in touch with her and find out what’s going on in her case. I wanna know what kind of people leave a 4 year old girl in an airport by herself, especailly one that can’t talk!” Nick was getting angry, like Megan had only a few nights before. He calmed down just in time for the girls to come downstairs and for Leigha to run over to him with a smile on her face. “You like your room?”
She nodded her head vigorusly.
“Well, guys as much as I hate to say this I think that it is time for us to get ready to head out.” Kevin said, taking a look at his watch.
“I think that he’s right.” Megan said, looking at Nancy.
“Wait a second! I want to take a few pictures first. One of the three of you!” Nancy grapped the camrea from the end table and motioned for Nick, Megan and Leigha to move together. Nick picked up Leigha and put his arm aroung Megan. Nancy snapped the picture and then motioned for the rest of the guys to move in. “So that she can have pictures of her first real family.” Everyone smiled and she once again took the picture.
Megan got up from where she was kneeling for the group picture and hugged Nancy. “Take good care of her for me, Nance.”
“I promise. Take care of yourself, watch your back and don’t try to run away from Frankie. He’s just trying to protect you.”
“I know, I know. Love ya! And thanks for everything that you’ve done while we were here.”
“No problem.” They moved away from each other and she moved on to Stan. She gave him a quick hug and told him thanks for taking Leigha in. Mean while Nancy was hugging Nick and telling him to keep an eye on Megan and make sure that Brian was a good boy. He laughed at the last part before going on to shake Stan’s hand. Soon everyone had said good bye to Stan and Nancy and it was time to say good bye to Leigha. Frankie and Lonnie were in the living room by then, the rest of the team was waiting out in the van.
Megan knelt down next to the little girl that she had found only the week before. “Well, I guess this is good bye for now... but I promise that the Mills are nice people, they will love you and take care of you. OK? Be a good girl for me and don’t forget that we all love you.” The girl nodded her head and squeezed her lamb. “Come here and give me a hug.” The girl walked into Megan’s arms and hugged her back.
Nick said a similar good bye and the reat of the boys each gave the little girl a hug and told her that they would see her again soon. Within tem minutes they were all done saying goodbye and being ushered out of the house by the two gaurds who thanked Nancy for the coffee and said goodbye to Leigha, promising that they would make sure that everyone came back to visit.
By 9:15 they were in the van and backing out of the driveway- on their way to try to make it to the busses before they decided to leave with out them.
They barely made it to the busses. It was a good thing that they had left all of their stuff for security to pick up because they got out of the van, turned in their room keys, and got on the bus. Megan went directly to the back of the bus and into the entertainment room.
Nick was close behind her and found her watching a infomercial when he came into the room. “Interesting?” He asked as he watched what looked like a vaccum suck all of the air out of a bag of cheese.
“Not really.”
“Megs, you look really tired.”
“Well, I didn’t really get much sleep last night.” She had been to worried about too many things to sleep, but now she was starting to feel it takes it’s toll on her body. Nick walked over to where she was sitting on the couch and had her sit up. He sat behind her and then leaned her back. Within seconds she was comfortable and her eyes were closed. A few minutes later her was breathing deeply and evenly and Nick knew that she was asleep.
It had been two hours since she had fallen asleep and Nick had long since fallen asleep as well. She woke up slowly, she felt the need to go to the bathroom. She got up carefully, as to not wake Nick up, and walked out of the room. She passed her bag on her way to the bathroom and decided to throw her hair up, so she grabbed the bag and brought with her into the bath room.
Once she was done going to the bathroom she started looking in the bag for her brush. She hand brushed a peice of paper. ‘What is a piece of paper doing in my bathroom supplies?’ she thought to her self. Preparing herslef for the worst she grabbed the paper and took it out. It was folded up.
She took a deep breath and unfolded it.
She was surprised at what she found there.
It wasn’t a threat. It was a picture that Leigha had drawn while she was at Nancy’s. Megan smiled and folded up the piece of paper again before sticking it in her pocket to show Nick later. She went digging for her brush again but she couldn’t find it for anything.
Deciding that it had probably fallen into her back pack somehow she walked out of the bath room and over to her bag. She started digging through that bag as well. She grabbed onto another peice of paper. Something about it made her pull it of the bag. She pulled it out and unfolded it. She was too shocked to speak.
It was blood. And it spelled out something.
‘NEXT TIME IT WONT BE MINE.’
She looked around her and Kevin was the first person she saw. “Kevin...” She could barely hear herself speak. “Kevin!” It barely came out as a squeak. “KEVIN!” He heard her that time and walked over to her.
He took one look at the note and the only thing that came to mind was, “Oh shit.”
