Nature's Gift

“Oh no!” Kevin groaned as he and Night watched the videos play on Beth’s computer.

“Damn, honey… you two sure have fun in the sack, don’t ya?” Beth winked.

“I’m not believing this… Night… I… I didn’t know…” Kevin pleaded, afraid that Night would be upset with him.

“Its ok, Kevin. This was not your doing. But I think we know what the intruder was after now… the only question is why?”

“And who…” Beth interjected.

“Perhaps, Beth… perhaps not…” Night said mysteriously, causing Kevin to look at him with one eyebrow raised. Kevin, however, decided that it might be best to pursue that conversation at home.

“You gotta admit, though… we’re pretty damned good together!” Kevin grinned wickedly.

“That is one reason we are together, Kevin. Do you always state the obvious?” Night teased.

“All I have to say is… if either of you decide you need the comforts of a woman… remember me, ok?” Beth winked at them.

“Beth, darlin’… don’t you know you’d be the first one we called?” Kevin said in his most seductive voice.

“Stop talking like that… you’re gonna get me all wet…”

“Beth!!!” Kevin said with mock embarrassment.

“Kevin… look at that frame… Beth… can you go back just a little? There! That one…”

“Hmmm… he looks familiar somehow… But he seems to be our boy, anyway! Wonder how he got in without setting off the alarm?”

“Probably used this…” Beth said absently as she held up a set of wires with clips on the ends.

“Huh?”

“Its simple, Kevin… He gets into the house with a key or a pick… makes it over to the alarm before the timer sets it off… and cross-wires the control pad with this… alarm temporarily out of order…”

“Then why did I pay that all that money for the alarm if it’s that simple to defeat?”

“To protect your house from honest people… same reason there’s a lock on the doors, hon.” Beth answered matter of factly.

“Fuck! Look… its getting late… is that film ready yet?”

“Right here, hon!” She said, handing a large envelope to him. He briefly looked through the pictures as Night looked over his shoulder. Most of these were pictures of them making love by the pool on that first day. Kevin’s anger was boiling now. Photos and videos of the two of them in their most intimate moments… how dare anyone to invade their privacy like that? How dare anyone to invade their home?

“Beth… thanks a mil, darlin'! We need to go… are you busy tomorrow night?”

“Just call… If I’m busy, I’ll get un-busy…” She smiled.

“Thanks!” He said again as he kissed her cheek on the way out the door. The two of them rode in silence all the way home, each lost in his own private thoughts about the situation. As they lay in bed holding each other, Kevin’s curiosity got the better of him.

“Night?” He said softly.

“Hmmm?”

“Who do you think it is?”

“I have nothing but suspicions to go on, Kevin. I’d rather not make accusations until I’m sure…”

“I know, honey. I just want some place to start looking…”

“Look first to those closest to you, Kevin. I believe you will find some direction there.”

“That was cryptic…”

“No… that was clear… think about it, my beloved…” Night said simply as he cuddled closer to Kevin and fell asleep. Kevin lay awake thinking about his words for some time before he, too, drifted into an uneasy slumber.

***************************************************

Four weeks later, the new album was almost ready to drop. As the five of them began making unscheduled appearances around LA, Night took this time to get everything together for Kevin’s studies on the road. He was still getting used to the TV, having avoided them for many years, but each time he saw Kevin on there, it made his heart swell with pride. Of course, the first news to hit the media was about Kevin filing for divorce from Kris. As soon as the news broke, it was all over the TV, spreading like a wildfire. Each telling of the story saw more and more distortion to the truth, and this disgusted Night. Soon, the press were setting up camp in Kevin’s front yard, which really annoyed Night. After only a couple of days of this, Night decided to do something about it. Summoning his shadow totem, he created a small infestation of snakes in the front yard, which chased the press away. Not far away, mind you… they set up across the street. But that was far enough to get them out of Kevin’s hair, and Night’s as well.

Two days after the divorce story broke, Night was taking inventory of herbs and other Shamanic items when he heard Kevin’s name mentioned on the TV again. Looking up from his task, he watched the story with interest.

“Today, a devastated and tearful Kristin Richardson spoke to the press about the divorce, from the set of her new movie “Hell’s Keeper”…

        I don’t know why he’s doing this… I thought we were happy together. He won’t take my calls… he won’t answer my pages… I… I’m afraid… he’s just not acting like Kevin anymore. I don’t know what’s going on… I can’t even go to my own house!

Kristin… what would you like to say to Kevin?

        I… I just want him to know that I love him. I’ll always love him… and if there’s something wrong, I’m here for him. All he has to do is talk to me… I… I don’t know… he’s just been acting like he’s hiding something… like he’s on some kind of drugs maybe… I don’t know. But whatever it is… we should face it together. I’m sorry… I.. I can’t do this…

That was Kristin Richardson, responding tearfully to questions about her impending divorce from husband Kevin Richardson, of the Backstreet Boys, whom some say, is fighting a loosing battle with drug addiction…”

Night’s face grew red with anger as he clicked off the set. She was lying. She was deliberately trying to hurt Kevin’s name, and she was lying to do it. She hadn’t tried to come to the house, nor had she called. And she had no grounds to say that Kevin was hiding anything, or that he was doing drugs. Kevin had to know. Night picked up the phone and dialed Kevin’s cell number.

“Hello…”

“Kevin… I just saw Kristin on the news…”

“Why? What’s she doing on the news?”

“Kevin… she’s lying about your divorce. She’s saying that you won’t answer her calls or let her into the house, and that she thinks you’re on drugs and hiding it from her.”

“Damn… I didn’t think she’d go that low…”

“She’s trying to damage you, Kevin… she’s trying to damage your public image… I do not like this woman, Kevin. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants.”

“I guess you’re right, honey. Look… I’m on my way home right now. Just calm down and we’ll figure this out when I get there. I need to call my attorney first…”

“Ok… just be aware that those people are across the street again… and there’s more of them this time…”

“I’m sure there are. I gotta go, baby. I’ll see you in about 15 minutes.”

“Ok, Kevin…”

“Night?”

“Yes, Kevin?”

“I love you baby…”

“I love you too, Kevin.”

****************************************************

Across town, Kristin was sitting in her own limo, smiling smugly to herself and her companion. As she downed another glass of champagne, she took the envelope from him.

“ This is all you got? I paid you $40,000 and this is all you got?!?” Her eyes flashed angrily.

“Like I was sayin’… I had more… real juicy stuff… but there was some trouble…” He stammered.

“I don’t care if there was trouble, jackass! I paid you to get something substantial, and all you got was this!!!” She was screaming now.

“Look, lady… I got chased by a crazy wolf, I lost two cameras, four lenses, and four video cameras… digital video, that is… something strange is going on in that house, and I almost didn’t get away! You’re damned lucky to get what you got, you snotty bitch!”

“Don’t you EVER speak to me like that again! I paid you to do a job, and so far, you’ve only proven your incompetence! You low-life, smelly excuse of a man! You get back out there and do what I paid you to do, or I’ll have both your balls ground into dust before you can blink those smarmy eyes! Do you hear me?! Now get out of my car and get to work!!” She screamed at him from across the limo as she placed one spiked heel dangerously close to his groin. The man jumped out of the car looking very pale, and hurried off in his own car.

Kristin laughed at him as he drove away… and she gloated over her performance for the media earlier. She was going to make sure that Kevin was ruined. How dare he do this to her? How dare he make her look bad to the press when her career was just beginning to take off? No… he would never work again if she had anything to do with it. And he would never be happy again, either. Who ever he had living with him at the house would be history soon enough. She was going to make sure of that…

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