| Chapter 22 The next week went by quickly. The concerts were going well. �Nick's girls' were still at every show, cheering him on. Lyn had a business crisis preventing her from coming out for their days off, but promised to meet Nick in Las Vegas for the end of the tour the following week. Nick was hardly getting any sleep at all. Jered and Ephah would show up about the time he fell asleep and stay til morning. Their taunts had increased dramatically, but Nick had held strong. Tara was always there after they left to help him, and he was glad. Jered and Ephah had taken to beating Nick every time he refused them, so he was always in awful shape when they left. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to take his schedule and their constant bombardment. The show went well, and the guys made it back to the hotel in record time. Nick was so tired, he immediately went to his room. He wanted to go straight to bed, but he was still ampted from the show so he decided to take a hot bath to calm down. Nick rummaged through his bag and found a candle and some bubble bath that Lyn had put in there for when she came to see him. Nick smiled, thinking of her, and how well she planned everything. He took the candle and bubble bath into the bathroom and started running the water. He then lit the candle, placing it on the sink and turned the lights out in the room. He took off his clothes and climbed in the tub. The hot water stinging his skin, but feeling good at the same time. Nick leaned back, placing a folded towel behind his neck, and getting comfortable. He watched the candle flicker for a few moments, getting lost in the flame, and letting his mind wonder. He finally closed his eyes and let the water and the fragrance from the bubble bath sooth him. He cleared his mind of the concerns and fears that were swimming around in there, and began to pray. When he had finished, he left his eyes shut and drifted into a light sleep. Jered and Ephah appeared in the room and looked over at him. "Don't you guys knock?" Nick asked, his eyes still shut. "Whatcha doing Nicky? Exploring your feminine side?" Ephah taunted. "I was relaxing until you two showed up," Nick said, finally looking at them. Jered sat down on the side of the tub, taking some of the bubbles in his hand and blowing them in Nick's face, "Get out and put on some clothes, we're going somewhere." "Where?" Nick asked, wiping the suds off his face. "Now it wouldn't be a surprise if I told ya now would it?" Jered teased. Nick sat up and glared at him, "What if I refuse to go?" Jered leaned down, face to face with him, "Do you really want me to answer that?" Nick could see the threat in his eyes, and knew he'd suffer terribly if he didn't go with them. "Fine, give me a minute," Nick said, looking at them. Both men stayed in their spot, waiting. Nick rolled his eyes, and let the water out of the tub, standing up and turning the shower on to rinse off. He then got out, and grabbed a towel, drying himself off, and went into the bedroom to find some clothes to put on. He desperately wanted to alert Tara of what was going on. In everything she'd told him about the trials, she never mentioned them taking him somewhere, and was afraid of what would happen when he got there. "Hurry up, we don't have all day," Ephah said, pushing Nick from behind. "Alright, geeze," Nick said. He dug through his bag and pulled out some boxers, putting them on. Then found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. After he got those on, he put his socks and shoes on, walking into the bathroom and running his hand through his hair. He leaned down and blew the candle out, took a deep breath, and walked back into the room. "Alright, I'm ready," he announced. "Finally, you know I've seen girls that didn't take as much time as you," Ephah said. Nick started towards the door, only to be stopped by Jered. "We aren't going that way," he said. Nick looked at him confused, "Then how?" Jered grabbed his wrist, followed by Ephah with the other. "Like this," Jered said, as all three vanished from the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tara and Brian were in Kevin's room, watching a movie. She had felt when Jered and Ephah arrived, whispering to Brian that they were there. She knew it would be a while before Nick would need her, and dreaded the wait. Suddenly she shot up from her seat and ran out of the room. Brian and Kevin exchanged glances and got up to follow her. Tara ran into Nick's room, "Nick?" She looked around the room, then went into the bathroom, knowing full well he wasn't there. "What's wrong? Where are they?" Brian asked, coming into the room and seeing it empty. "I don't know," she said, worry in her eyes. "Tara, have they ever taken anyone like this?" Kevin asked, not liking the look on her face. She shook her head, "Never. They always stay where you are," she said, looking at them. Brian and Kevin looked at each other with great concern. "I'll go get D and A.J.," Kevin said, leaving the room. Brian looked over at Tara, "Honey, can you feel them at all?" "No, I can't," she said, "Bri what are we gonna do? If they hurt him and leave him somewhere, I'll never find him in time." Brian walked over to her, pulling her in his arms, "We have to pray that they bring him back." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Suddenly Nick was standing in what looked to be another hotel room. He could tell it wasn't the same hotel he was staying at, the furniture and fixtures were different. He looked over at Jered, "So, where are we?" Jered smiled at him, "Doesn't matter where we are, just who's here." Nick felt a lump in his throat, not really wanting to know who was there. "Aw, come on Nicky, I think you'll like this," Ephah said, pushing him over towards the bed. "What are you gonna do?" Nick asked, his fear rising. Jered laughed, "Oh we aren't doing anything, are we girls?" Just then three of the most gorgeous girls Nick had ever seen in his life appeared in the room. He wondered why he didn't feel them before they showed up, but thought that was the least of his worries right now. "Hi Nick, we've heard a lot about you," one of the girls said. Nick looked from Jered to the girls, "What's going on?" "Well you see Nicky, we've kinda been feeling bad about how we treated ya, so we got you a present," Ephah teased. "You can have any or all of them, we don't care," Jered said, waving his hand toward the girls. Nick's mouth dropped wide open, "What?!" "You heard us, take your pick," Jered said, smiling at him. Nick shook his head, "No way, not in a million years." Jered looked at the girls, "Convince him will ya?" Nick's heart was pounding so loud he could hear it, as the girls walked towards him. He backed up as far as he could, ending up in a corner of the room. "Nick, there's nothing to be afraid of," one girl said. "Yeah, we're like you. You don't have to hold anything back with us," another told him. "You're not like me," Nick said. The third girl smiled at him, "Well, we are, just on different sides of the road so to speak." "Get away from me," Nick said, as they came closer. "Nick, don't you want to feel it? To experience it first hand?" one girl asked. He stared at her, almost trembling, "No." "Yes you do, we can sense it," the second girl said. Nick bit his lower lip, frantically searching the room for some way out. He knew if all three touched him, the emotions would be to much to fight. "Nick, which of us do you like?" one girl asked. Nick looked down at the floor, not wanting to answer, desperately wanting to leave. The same girl that asked the question reached out and pulled his chin up so he was looking at her, "Or do you want all three of us?" "I don't want this at all," Nick said, wishing he knew how to disappear. The girl looked at the other two, "Give us a minute." Nick watched as they walked back over to stand near Jered and Ephah. The girl then pulled Nick's head around, so he was looking at her again. "My name is Sharla. I know you don't want this, but it will happen. Once you've felt it, you'll wonder why you fought it for so long," she said. "No, this can't happen," Nick said. "But it will, you know it. If you don't come willingly, your two buddies over there will hold you down for us," she said. Nick shuddered, closing his eyes as a tear fell down his cheek. Sharla reached up and wiped the tear away, "Open your eyes." Nick slowly opened them, looking at her. She grabbed him by the front of his t-shirt and slowly pulled him away from the corner towards the bed. Nick didn't fight her, still trying to think of a way out of this. When they reached the bed, Sharla pushed him down. Nick landed on his back, and tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down and held there by the other two girls. He could already feel their emotions, and was fighting to keep them from overwhelming him. Sharla climbed on top of him, leaning down and gently kissing his neck. "Don't fight it," she said. Nick was trembling and closed his eyes, God help me please! He then felt more hands on him, and looked up. The other two girls had joined in, running their hands over him and kissing him. The emotions where coursing through him, and he thought he was going to pass out from the intensity of them. Sharla moved up and started sucking on his ear lobe. Nick moaned, and tried to push her away. "Come on Nick, just let go," she whispered in his ear. "No," he cried, trying again to get up. The girls again pushed him back down, intensifying their efforts with him. Suddenly Nick gasped and his body went limp. All three girls stopped what they were doing and looked at him. Sharla sat up, still straddling him, and looked at Jered, "Think we over did it?" Jered shrugged his shoulders, just as the three girls were flung in various directions. Nick shot to his feet and ran for the door. Only to be caught by the arm by Ephah. Nick swung around and punched him in the face, before Jered was on him. Nick fell backwards with Jered and wrestled with him as they rolled around on the floor. Ephah came up behind Nick, and kicked him in the lower back, effectively stopping his resistance. Nick rolled into a ball, moaning from the pain. Jered glared at the girls as he got to his feet, "Leave!" All three disappeared, not wanting to be on the receiving end of his wrath. Nick looked up, having recovered somewhat. The emotions were still coursing through him, and he was having a hard time focusing. Jered looked down at him, and grinned. Nick trembled even more, seeing the wild anger in his eyes. The three stared at each other in silence. "I want to go back," Nick finally said. "Oh you'll go back alright," Jered spat, "After I'm threw with you." Nick's eyes widened as both men bore down on him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian paced the floor along with Kevin. Howie and A.J. sat quietly on the couch. Nick had been gone for hours, and Tara was beside herself with worry. She refused to come out of Nick's room. Still sitting on the bed, waiting for him to return, or some sign of where he was. Kevin stopped pacing and looked at the guys, "We've gotta call the police or something." "And say what Kev? That demons kidnaped our friend and took him somewhere to torment him?" A.J. asked. "Yeah Kev, we couldn't possibly tell them the truth, and they would know we were hiding something," Brian added. "Well what are we gonna do then? We've gotta do something," Kevin said. "We pray, just like we have been. That's the only thing we can do," Howie said quietly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tara stood up, looking around. The three appeared in front of her. Jered and Ephah let go of Nick, and he fell to the floor, badly beaten. "Tell him next time it would be wise to cooperate with us," Jered spat, then he and Ephah vanished. Tara dropped to her knees next to Nick, "Brian!" In a matter of seconds all the guys were running into the room. They stopped, looking at Nick, in horror. There wasn't a place on him that didn't have a bruise or cut. His face was a mess. His eyes black and blue, and swollen shut. His nose was bleeding, and looked broken. His lips were cut and swollen. "Oh God," Brian said, in shock. Tara didn't try to move him, but ran her hands over him, assessing the extent of his injuries. She then looked up at the guys, "It's to much for me to do all at once. Almost every bone is broken, and he's bleeding internally." "What do you need us to do?" Kevin asked. Tara looked down at Nick, fighting the tears that threatened to come. She knew he didn't need to be moved, but she wanted him out of the floor. "We need to get him up on the bed, but don't pick him up," she said. "How are we gonna...?" Brian started to ask. "I'll try and do it, but stay close to him incase I lose him," she said, "I've never done anything this big before, so I'm not sure how this is gonna go." All the guys stood around Nick, waiting for her to start. Tara closed her eyes and focused, praying for the strength she needed to help him. Brian watched as Nick was slowly lifted off the floor and gently floated to the bed. Tara opened her eyes as Nick was lowered down onto the mattress. "Now what?" Kevin asked. "Go find as much first aid stuff as you can get your hands on. I'm gonna do the serious stuff first, so it's gonna be a while before I get to all the cuts and bruises," Tara instructed. The guys went about finding what she needed, coming back in the room to see her sitting on the bed, with her hands over Nick's abdomen. "Go ahead and start on him," she said, not looking at them. "We can touch him when you're doing this?" Howie asked. "Yes, you won't feel anything. Get some ice on his face and throat. They choked him, and his throat is starting to swell," she said. "I'll go get the ice," A.J. said, heading out of the room. The guys went about cleaning the cuts, and applying ice. All the while, Tara moved from one spot to another, healing broken bones and internal injuries. Before they knew it, two hours had passed, and they were still working on him. Tara looked up, and took her hands away from him. "I have to rest," she said, moving over to a chair and sinking into it. Brian walked over, "Are you alright?" "I'm tired, and drained," she replied, "I got all the major stuff. He's in no danger of dying, but I'm gonna have to rest a while before I can finish." "What made them do this to him?" Kevin asked. Tara shook her head, "I'm not sure. But Jered was completely beside himself with anger. I have a feeling that whatever they had planned for him, he found a way out of." A.J. looked at the clock, "Guys, our meeting with Stephen is in an hour." "Oh crap," Brian said, "How are we gonna explain Nick not being there?" "I dunno, you know whatever we say, he's gonna come up here and check on him," Howie said. Tara sighed and got back up, walking over to the bed. "I thought you had to rest?" Brian asked. "No time," she said, going back to work on Nick. Brain watched her, silently praying for her and for Nick. He could tell with every passing minute just how much of a toll this was taking on her. He could actually see her energy draining from her, her face paling, her hands beginning to shake, but she still went on. Forty five minutes later, she stopped. "Brian, help me," she said, reaching out for him to take her hand. Brian walked over and helped her over to the chair she had occupied earlier. The guys looked at Nick, not a cut or bruise was visible. "Are you done?" Kevin asked. Tara nodded her head, "Wake him up." Kevin reached down and gently shook Nick, "Hey wake up." Nick's eyes slowly opened and he stared up at Kevin. "Kevin?" he asked. "Yeah man, you're OK," Kevin said. Nick slowly sat up and looked around the room, "I thought I was dead." "You almost were," Tara said, weakly. "Nick, we need to go," Howie said. "Go?" he asked. "Yeah, Stephen's meeting. It starts in a couple of minutes," Brian said. Nick looked over as A.J. handed him a clean shirt. He slipped it on, and stood up. He was a little woozy, but other than that, feeling alright. Brian helped Tara over to the bed, letting her lie down. "You sure you'll be OK?" he asked. She nodded her head, "I just need to sleep for a while and I'll be fine." Nick looked down at her, "Thank you." She smiled up at him, "Go, before you all get in trouble." The guys slowly filed out of the room, leaving for their meeting. Tara was asleep before they reached the door. Chapter 23 |