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Backstreet Mania

To Find A Way


written by Jessi

Chapter 8

“This alternative tracking deal is bogus.” the man on the other end of the line snorted. “He doesn’t do anything except sing, dance, eat, and sleep! Occasionally he reads a book or goes out clubbing, but there is definitely NO lead here!”

“Keep on him. I don’t want to give this up yet.” a husky man with an authoritative tone replied. He leaned back in his executive chair and began to stroke his trademark mustache.

“She hasn’t been in contact with him since she disappeared with the FBI personel! We got a lock on their Seattle location a couple of days ago, but they’ve since vacated the premises-”

“Yes, yes, I know.” the man in the chair replied impatiently. “The same orders still stand. I want you to keep tracking him. If she should contact him in any way, I want to be there. I want her delivered into my hands, is that understood?” without waiting for a reply, he hung up his end of the phone line. Settling into a more comfortable position, the man propped his polished shoes up on the corner of his desk. Neatly pressed black slacks clad his legs, above which was a white men’s dress shirt. A black blazer hung on the back of his chair. Silently, he gazed at the ceiling and let his mind contemplate the vixen who had been eluding him for the past two years. She was a wily one, that woman. Those Feds didn’t help his cause either, always keeping her just out of his reach. Just then, his secretary poked her head into his office.

“Mr. Guerelli? Your brother in Orlando is on line two. He says it’s urgent.” “Thank you.” Anthony Guerelli replied, plucking the reciever off of it’s cradle. “Mickie? It’s Tony. What’s going on?”

*****

“Oh my God. Amy, I thought we were heading for the wardrobe department, not Prince’s closet!” Miranda giggled. Amy snickered.

“They call him ‘The Artist’, now. Hey, take a look at some of this stuff. This are definitely NOT women’s clothing. It’s too wide in the shoulders.”

“Yeah, and too tall! Look at this! This guy must be a giant!”

“Probably around six three.” Amy shrugged. “So I guess that’s the upside Harris was talking about.” she muttered to herself.

“What?”

“Oh! Harris casually mentioned there was an upside to him not coming along on this mission. He said there’d be too much eye candy for the ladies, and he’d drown in a sea of drool or something. I thought he was nuts and maybe slightly hung over, but now I understand. We’re dressing a male band. This should be fun, as well as provide hours of entertainment.” Amy’s eyes glinted with mischief.

“I don’t believe you!” Miranda laughed and shook her head. “Wait a second...” she paused, confusion covering her features for a moment. “Do you smell that?”

“Smell what?” Amy sobered immediately, and narrowed her eyes at the woman she was supposed to protect. “What’s wrong?” she persisted.

“Nothing...that smell. I know it. I...it’s his cologne.” Miranda finished in a whisper.

“ Who’s? Kevin’s?” Amy pressed softly.

Miranda nodded. “ He used to wear it all the time.” she replied, breathing deeply, letting the scent from a particular rack of clothes wash over her.

“Is this it?” Amy asked, holding a bottle to Miranda’s nose. The younger woman smiled in pleasure.

“Yes. That’s it. He always used to smell so good, Amy.” Amy sighed sadly, and placed her hand on Miranda’s arm reassuringly. Miranda opened her eyes and handed the bottle back to her. She didn’t have to say it. Amy knew. She still missed Kevin just as heartwrenchingly as the first day they were apart.

*****

“Hey guys, we’re gonna be late for our appointment if we don’t quit now and head to wardrobe.” Kevin warned after glancing at his watch.

“Aw! No way, the game’s almost done!” Nick whined, and passed the ball to Brian, who dribbled it expertly. The guy’s were used to Kevin’s commanding tone and his punctuality. To make up for the turmoil which had invaded his life two years ago, Kevin kept himself on a tight schedule. Everything was organized and precise, unlike his emotions. Brian made another shot and let loose a loud cry of victory. Nick protested the move, and turned beseechingly to Kevin, pleading for a call on the rougue shot. Kevin only gave a good humored smile and grabbed the basketball, passing it to a nearby grip. “Come on you two. It’s our turn for wardrobe. Howie and AJ will go later, for now, it’s just the three of us.”

*@*

“We’d better quit goofing around, and be ready. They’re supposed to check in with us soon.” Amy warned, peering at Miranda from beneath the brim of a leopard print cowboy hat. Her partner in crime giggled, then stripped off the pair of goggles she had snapped over her eyes.

“How can they wear this stuff?”

“I don’t know, but I really like that midrift shirt over there.”

“You would.” Miranda grinned cunningly. “And it would be for Harris, right? A sexy little thing like that?”

“Hey!” Amy cried with shock and laughter. “Don’t go there!”

“Too late!” Miranda retorted in a singsong voice. “You think I don’t see the way you two look at each other? There’s chemistry there....”

“I hated chemistry!” Amy shot back. Miranda laughed again loudly.

“Sure ya did. All those elements mixing, boiling to the point of heated explosion....” she teased.

“Oh! I’ll get you back one of these days, girl....”

*@*

“Did you guys hear that?”

“What? The laughter? Yeah, it sounded kind of like it was coming from down this way.” Brian shrugged in answer to Kevin’s question. A frown creased Kevin’s forehead. He knew that laugh. He hadn’t heard it in more than two years, but it was still the same as he remembered. His mind whispered a name that was never far from his thoughts. No, it couldn’t be.....

*@*

Miranda had just replaced the last hat when they heard several male voices outside their door. The portal was pushed open to reveal three men. The first was a tall, young, blue eyed, blond man. The second, a man of medium heighth with sandy brown hair and vaguely familiar features. And the third......Miranda gasped and starred at the tall, dark man with disbelief. Amy’s head whipped in her direction, quickly gaging the shock and pain filling Miranda’s features. She looked from the third man to Miranda and back again.

“Hello.” The sandy haired male smiled, his tone friendly, as he extended a hand. “I’m Brian.”

“Amy. Hi!” Amy returned, gazing questioningly his two companions.

“My name’s Kevin, and this is Nick.” Amy was careful not to let her facial expression give away her surprise at hearing the Kevin’s introduction. No wonder Miranda looked as though she’d seen a ghost. Her face had turned white as a sheet, and Amy caught a glimpse of her hands and legs shaking slightly. Hands were clasped all around, before Kevin realized they hadn’t been introduced to Amy’s counterpart.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.....” he raised an eyebrow. Miranda’s mouth opened and she struggled to find the words to say, when she realized something important. She didn’t know her name. Anxiously, she shot a glance at Amy who caught on quickly.

“Bethany, where did you put the checklist Denise gave us?”

“On the counter.” Miranda replied, her voice only slightly hoarse. Turning to Kevin, “My name is Bethany. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Kevin breathed. Her voice was so.....familiar. Agonizingly so. He watched as she tucked a strand of straight ebony hair behind her ear. Her complexion was pale, and her eyes a clear blue. She kept her gaze downcast, and Kevin got the impression she was a shy one. But there was something about her..... “Bethany...” he began hesitantly. “Have we met before?” Startled, she risked a glance up at him. It was a mistake. His eyes were just as gorgeous as she remembered them, and his strong jawline and facial features were as dashing as they appeared in her dreams.

“No. No, I don’t believe so.”

“Hmmm.” he frowned slightly, then shifted his attention to Amy who quickly looked to Brian and began to speak. Within minutes the two were laughing like old friends as Nick attempted to explain his style preferance, leaving Kevin to listen in, and Miranda to focus on not throwing herself into her lost lover’s arms.

*****

“What are we going to do?!” Miranda wailed. The two women were finally left alone in the refuge of the wardrobe room, and Amy sat calmly by while her charge over reacted. As Miranda paced, Amy thought, occasionally motioning to Miranda to keep her voice down.

“It would blow our cover if we left without so much as an explanation. Not to metnion the fact that we have no other cover set up. We’re supposed to be here for the next five months; we can’t just skip out and expect to reschedule everything. In an emergency, of course, we would but.....”

Miranda halted her pace, and starred at Amy astounded. “This doesn’t qualify as an emergency?!”

“No.” Amy responded quietly, holding up a hand to silence Miranda’s protests. “It doesn’t. You’re not in any immediate danger, which is my first concern. The FBI knows where we are, our status, our vitals. If we left, they wouldn’t know for at least 24 hours. That’s too much dead time. We came away from our encounter with our covers intact, and Kevin doesn’t seem to suspect who you really are. The only problem here, is your emotional comfort, which quite frankly, isn’t enough to blow an entire set up for.” Miranda’s jaw worked, open and shut. She didn’t say a word before turning away from her friend and protector to hide her tears.

“You’re right.” came the muffled reply to Amy’s words. “I’m just being selfish. You have no idea how hard it was to keep myself from pouncing on him, shouting an explanation at the top of my lungs, and showering his face with kisses.”

Amy moved forward to place her arm around the woman she had grown so close to. “I understand you’re hurting. It’s horrible to see you this way, but you’re going to have to be strong.”

“I’ll try....I promise, I’ll try.”

*****

“So, they were cute, huh?” Howie asked with an amused quirk to his mouth. He had yet to visit the wardrobe department. AJ arched an eyebrow.

“Very. you should have seen them, D. The blond one...I think her name was Amy. She’s definitely my type.”

“She’s a loudmouth, then?”

“I resent that.”

“Hmm. What about the other one?”

“I didn’t really notice her.” AJ shrugged. “I guess she was nice. Real quiet.”

“I did.” Kevin finally spoke. The other two men turned to him.

“You what, Kev?” Howie questioned.

“I noticed her.”

“And?” AJ smiled crookedly.

“And she’s pretty.” the older man confided.

“I thought she was too pale.” AJ observed.

“It’s her hair.” Kevin returned, then shifted his gaze to Howie. “She’s got this beautiful black hair. It’s so shiny and cut short around her face. Kind of whispy.”

“I take it brother Kev found something he likes?” Howie teased. Kevin’s expression hardened.

“No. It was just an observation. I didn’t see anything I’d want to persue.” he finished with a scowl. AJ and Howie exchanged a glance. It was obvious Kevin found this new woman attractive, but felt guilty. His loyalty had always been to Miranda.

“It’s been two years, man.” AJ reminded softly, laying a hand on the other man’s shoulder. Kevin stood abruptly.

“More like twenty. And I don’t need you to refresh my memory.”

*****

Miranda starred in the mirror, swiping the last of her tears from her cheeks. Night had fallen, and she and Amy were nestled in a tour bus on the way to the first venue. She had snuck from her bed, and closeted herself in the bathroom where she left her emotions flow freely. The source of her tears was the pounding ache within her heart. It had always been there, but since her encounter with Kevin, it had become ten times more pronounced.

She had, for as long as they’d been apart, entertained thoughts and dreams of their reunion. Fantasies of what it would be like once they reappeared in one another’s lives. None of them had gone like this. In her mind’s eye, she had always seen Kevin and herself flying into one another’s arms, ready to take up where they left off. Covering every inch of her face with kisses, Kevin was supposed to look into her eyes and say.... “You haven’t changed a bit. I love you.” But that was the problem. She had changed.

Visually, Miranda was an entirely different person. Her formerly long, red curls had been cut, dyed, and straightened numerous times. Along with each new home came another new look. This time, her hair was layered softly around her face, none of it longer than the nape of her neck. It was much shorter than she was used to, in addition to being black. The color did not suit her as well as her own, and as a result, it washed her complexion out, leaving her much paler. The ivory white skin off-set her now crystal blue eyes, which were changed with the help of colored contacts. Miranda rubbed irritatedly at her eyes. That reminded her, the contacts had become a bother, leaving her eyes either too dry or too wet. They also irritated her eyes to an angry red. She had to speak to Amy about that.......

Mental and emotional change were inevitable at the start of this journey. Miranda was no longer the organized, precise, list-maker she had once been. Her hectic lifestyle had seen to that. Miranda had to be ready to pick up and move at the drop of a hat, something which had had a profound affect on her. It simply hadn’t been her nature. She had also learned to adjust to new situations more readily than before, and had come to realize that not everything could be in her control.

Kevin’s appearance had altered more than Miranda had been prepared for. His dark hair had been cut shorter, no longer hanging around his ears, but was spiked with gel. The look suited him, as did his clothing, which showed off the strength he had aquired through the rigorous routines he had been performing. His eyes remained the same, even though they weren’t quite as expressive as they used to be; they were shadowed. The fact that he was a Backstreet Boy was somewhat of shock. Miranda hadn’t been living in a cave as she had suggested to Amy two years before, and it was impossible for her to have NOT heard of the boyband. However, she hadn’t known Kevin was one of the most sought-after men in the world. She had always hoped he would become successful, and had recognized deep down that someday, he would be.

Sighing, Miranda returned from her daydreams. Looking in the mirror, she saw what Kevin saw. A vaguely familiar, washed out woman, who bared little to no resemblance to the person she had once been. No wonder he hadn’t recognized her. She hardly recognized herself.

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