When Nick had left he had taken the back door. He couldn't have anybody noticing him. Nobody could stop him. He was on a mission. He had to get revenge. If he didn't end it, that bastard would continue on living. Nick couldn't allow that not after what he had done to Brian.
The weapon lay cold in his right hand inside the pocket of the long black coat he had decided to wear. It was good that it was winter, else it might have seemed strange to wear it. Of course it wasn't that cold, but still it was enough to give an excuse to wear warm clothes.
Gently Nick trailed his fingers along the cold metal. It had something strangely soothing about it.
Odd.
Never before had it felt so right to hold it. Nick had always felt weird handling a gun. The idea of hurting someone with it was nothing he enjoyed. That was before he found out about Lou abusing Brian. Now everything had changed. He didn't mind hurting that man. In fact that was exactly what he wanted to do. And yet it felt as if just shooting Lou wasn't enough.
When Nick entered his car he wondered about it. What did Lou truly deserve? Not a quick death, that was for sure. That was too gentle of a punishment. What Lou deserved was pain, suffering, everything cruel Nick could image. He was supposed to feel what he did to Brian.
And yet Nicks plan didn't involve torture. While he could have done that, taking along a knife and other tools, it didn't feel right. If he would have stooped so low, he would be no better than that fat bastard. Nick couldn't be that way.
Still he planned to kill Pearlman. He could already see the pictures playing in his head. He was aware that it was creepy, but it made him smile. The idea of sweet revenge was filling him up. It was still on his mind, when he opened his cellphone to make a call.
*Beep, Beep*
That was the sound of his anticipation, while he was waiting for Lou to respond. Nick took a deep breath. He would speak any second now.
"Hello Nick! What gives me the honor?", and there is was that voice. Lou had obviously seen who was calling. He sounded much too jolly for a day like this. It made Nick sick to hear him.
"Hey... can we meet? I need to talk with you about touring.", it took all of Nicks self-control to sound friendly, but in the end he managed.
Lou was silent for a moment, but Nick could hear him flipping through the pages of some book. "Yes, you can. I have time in half an hour. Can you be in my office then?"
The words made the blonde look at his watch. "Yeah, I'll be there. See you then.", Nick finally spoke and ended the call. He didn't want to exchange any more words than necessary with that monster.
Half an hour was something he could do. Lous office was located Downtown LA, not far from the place where Brian had stayed. Nick had been there before. He never had liked the place though it was much too pompous for his taste. It fit Lou though just as if it had been made for him.
The journey to Lous place seemed much longer, than he remembered it. What was not more than a twenty minute drive felt like an eternity. Images of what Brian must have been through were haunting him. It was there playing like a movie inside of his mind. Every touch, every kiss and all the sexual acts Lou had done to his Frick. It were terrible pictures and Nick could feel how tendrils made out of darkness were entangling his heart. What happened must have been painful for Brian in several ways. Physically, because he was certain Lou wasn't careful. His manager probably had enjoyed to make the smaller man suffer. But also Mentally, cause Brian hated Lou so much.
As he thought about it Nick realized, that suffering had probably been Lous goal. He had wanted to hurt Brian, perhaps even break him. It had been his way of taking revenge for a lawsuit long gone by. It had been so cruel of him. How could anybody be that evil? And Lou was good at hiding it to. If you met him, you would never guess it. He always was so nice and happy, like a huge and friendly teddy-bear. But Nick had known for a long time, that this was only his act. He had to give it to him though, he was good at it. Lous big smile came up in his mind. When Nick entered the underground-garage of the huge office building. He thought about wiping it away from his face. Slowly Nick stopped his car, petting the gun in his pocket before he opened the door.
He hoped this would go well. Of course Lou and this place had security to take care of it, but Nick hoped, they would just let him through. They knew him and they knew he worked with Lou. He had been checked here before, but there had been just as many times that they had not done it. When he made his way up the stairs to the second floor, he took a deep breath. He hoped Fortuna would be with him today.
She was.
When he entered the floor on which Lous office was located he quickly became aware of that. Security was standing close by at a desk, but Lou was expecting him. The large man waved towards Nick as he saw him coming from the stairwell.
"Nick, there you are. Come with me I don't have much time.", he said then ushered him along to the nearby office. If only he knew. When they entered Nick froze. Lous stereo was playing music, but not just any music. "I'd heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord."
It was Brians voice and Nick could feel his throat tightening. His beautiful angel singing that wonderful song. It was mesmerizing and it made him so sad, because it reminded him, that he would never hear Bri sing it live again. He couldn't cry though, he had to be strong now. So he just frowned and closed his eyes for a second as Lou made his way past him towards the desk. "I love the songs you and Brian recorded Nick. Was so happy to acquire a sample CD. You should have sent me one. How is Brian anyway?", he asked in a jovial voice causing Nick to quickly open his eyes again.
Flames were burning in them when he stared Lou down. How could he mention Brian like that? Speaking about him as if nothing happened? He shouldn't have done that. Nick didn't want him to say Fricks name ever again.
"Brian is dead.", Nick said bitterly not pulling his eyes away from Lou. He wanted to see his reaction.
"Oh no. Really? I'm sorry to hear that Nick you must be devastated. He didn't deserve that.", as expected Lou was playing his act. That response seemed genuinely caring, but Nick knew that he was faking it.
"Stop it Lou! I know what you did.", Nick responded sharply and scowled as Lous expression changed to a frown. He knew what he meant, that much was obvious. "Brian wrote it down. He wrote down that he...", the words were stuck in his throat, he didn't want to speak them, so he skipped the part, "You bastard! You abused him!", he shouted and stepped closer up to the desk.
With a swift motion he pulled the gun from his pocket, immediately pointing it at Lous head. Nick didn't feel like talking anymore. He wanted his revenge.
Lou however laughed, unexpectedly so: "Nick, think about what you do. You shoot me, you will be captured by security and the rest of your life will become hell.", he said shaking his head, "Can't say I'm surprised though. You are as dumb as your boyfriend was. Yes, you truly fitted each other. "
As Lou stood up from where he was sitting Nick kept aiming at him. Even as he slowly stepped towards the stereo, turning up the volume lightly.
"There's a blaze of light in every word It doesn't matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah."
Brians voice was running through Nicks body and made him shiver.
"He had a beautiful voice your Brian. Too bad he won't be able to sing anymore.", Lou spoke and turned to face Nick again with a grin playing on his lips, "C'mon put down that weapon Nick. I know you won't shoot me. You're a coward. Don't be silly.", he chuckled, "Let us be friends again."
Nick was silent he hesitated. Could he really shoot somebody? Wasn't that wrong? Slowly he dropped the hand holding the gun. Lou smiled as he spoke on: "See... you're just like your coward boyfriend.", with a quick motion that Nick had not expected from somebody of Lous size his manager closed the gap between them and grabbed his upper arm.
"You know Brians voice was always more beautiful than yours. But I didn't know just exactly how beautiful it was until he moaned for me.", Lou spit those words at him, half whispered with a wide smirk on his face. "Will you moan for me too Nick?"
Nick gasped, he would have loved to raise his hand now to shoot, but Lou had a firm grip on him.
Those words made him feel so sick. He thought about what had happened to Brian. In the end he had been so thin and weak that he had not been able to defend himself against Lou anymore. He was easy game for that bastard.
And now he wanted to do the same to Nick? Lou was underestimating him and that was a mistake. Nick was not the 13 year old kid anymore, that had joined Backstreet Boys in 1993. He was 22 now and he was athletic and strong.
Nick was stronger than Brian had been in the end and that was something that Lou did not think about. With a growl he pulled his leg up ramming it into Lous privates.
"And even though it all went wrong I'll stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah."
And as Brian sang the last verse of the song Nick watched Lou bend over after his kick hit the mark. In the same motion he released the grip on his upper arm. That was that bastards second mistake.
Quickly Nick raised the gun again. Lou was wrong, he was no coward.
"Hallelujah."
PENG! The first shot hit Lou in the head in rhythm with Brians voice exclaiming.
"Hallelujah."
PENG! And with every Hallelujah that followed Nick released another shot.
PENG! PENG! PENG! PENG! PENG!
And as Nick knew there was only one bullet left in the gun he stared at the bloody mess, that once had been his bastard of a manager.
He was dead.
Tears were falling from the blondes eyes, but they weren't for Lou. Now that he was dead all he could think about was Brian. He had been his one and everything. Without him there was nothing left to live for.
And as that beautiful voice sang the last "Hallelujah" Nick brought the gun up to his temple and pulled the trigger. He couldn't go on without Brian. He wanted to see him in heaven.
As the bullet shot through his skull into his brain it didn't take long for everything to grow dark. Soon Frack would be with his Frick again.
What followed was silence. Long eternal silence. It lay upon him like a heavy coat. But as he entered the nothingness there was something in the distance. It was echoing, calling for him. First it was quiet, but every second that passed it got louder and louder. When he could finally make out the words, they were echoing in his head. "Wake up Nick!", that voice, he knew that voice. Oh, that beautiful voice.