“Fuck!” I mutter as I trip over one of my shoes.
“Huh?” Brian sits up. “You ok baby?”
“Just fell over my shoe,” I tell him. “Go back to sleep.”
“Kinda hard with a baby elephant on the rampage,” he teases sleepily.
“Well this baby elephant is gone,” I smile. “I have to meet Paul from Teen Girl in twenty minutes so I’ll be back around lunch.”
“Ok. I’ll be around,” he says.
“Cool, bye,” I head towards the door.
“Hey!” he calls me back. “You forgot something.”
“I did?” I look at him and he nods, touching his lips with a finger. I giggle and walk back over to him. I lean down and kiss him softly. “Sorry Brian.”
“I should think so too,” he chuckles as I head out of the door.
I head down into the hotel lobby and out to a taxi rank. A black car pulls up from across the street and I climb in. The driver doesn’t look back at me as I close the door.
“42nd Street and East,” I tell him and the car moves away. I sit back in the seat and hear the click of the doors locking. I shrug it off – this is New York after all. But when we drive past the sign for 42nd Street I start to get nervous. “Hey, that was 42nd Street,” I lean forward to talk to the driver.
“I know,” he responds. “We’re not goin’ to 42nd Street.”
“Uh I am,” I say. “Either turn the car around or I’ll get out right here.”
“Sorry, no can do,” he chuckles and turns around to face me just as we hit a traffic jam. “Hi Jade.” I stare at him in shock. It’s Jake, Ali’s ex-pimp.
“Jake?”
“You remembered!” he smiles. “I’m honoured.”
“I never forget a pimp,” I say dryly.
“She told you then?” he asks.
“Yes. Look Jake, I don’t know what you want but you’ve got the wrong person here…”
“Au contraire,” he interrupts. “I happen to know you are Ali’s best friend and she cares a lot about you. I also know that you are dating a Backstreet Boy who, no doubt, has a lot of money.” He starts to drive again, “And Ali owes me a lot of money. Do the math Jade.”
“You’re kidnapping me?!” I exclaim.
“Not exactly,” he laughs. “I should only have to keep you with me for a coupla hours.”
“I don’t believe this!” I sit back on the seat and remember I have my cell phone. I pull it out of my bag and hold it up so that Jake can see it. “I’m gonna call Brian and tell him what’s goin’ on.”
“Great, saves me the bother.”
“And he’ll come and rescue me…”
“God, you really ARE naïve,” he laughs. “You’re gonna say what? “I’m in a black car with a bad guy called Jake somewhere in New York City”? How’s that gonna help him find ya?!”
“Well…uh…” I stammer.
“Just call him, tell him what’s happened and that you’ll call him back in about two hours with more information,” he says almost kindly. “Jade, I’m not gonna hurt you. It’s not you I have a problem with but I need that money desperately and you’re my best chance of getting it.”
“How much?”
“$50,000”
“HOW much?!” I yell. “How the fuck did Ali get into THAT much debt?!”
“Oh, she only owes me $10,000 but I figure… Inflation, and the Backstreet Boy connection has gotta get me more money.”
“Brian’s not gonna give you that much money.”
“Oh he will if he loves you,” he says and catches my eye in the mirror. “Does he love you?”
“You’d better hope he does,” I say lightly.
“No Jade, YOU’D better hope he does,” Jake says in a dark tone that makes me shiver slightly.
“Fine, I’ll call him,” I dial his cell number and listen to it ring. After a while, he answers sounding sleepy.
“Jade, I was asleep,” he whines. “And you only just left…”
“Sorry,” I murmur. “Look Brian, I’m…uh…in a little trouble. Don’t panic or anything but I’ve kinda been kidnapped…”
It takes him a while to reply. “Kidnapped?”
“Yup. The reason me and Ali fell out yesterday was cos we bumped into her ex-boyfriend who also used to act as her pimp. Turns out he loaned her money for drugs and she skipped state without paying him back. Well uh, he needs the money and I guess I’m actin’ as guarantor that he gets it.”
“Drugs?” Brian mutters. “Fuck, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Guarantor? Ya lost me here Jade.”
“Ok, I’m in a car with Jake, that’s the guy, and the doors are locked and he’s driving me someplace I don’t know and he’s not gonna let me go until somebody gives him $50,000.”
“He kidnapped ya?!” he yells, finally waking up, and I sigh.
“Yup, that’s what I said.”
“Fuck Jade, where are ya? I’m comin’ out.”
“That’s the whole point Brian, I don’t know. It’s a black car.”
“Tell him you’ll call back with more information in two hours,” interrupts Jake as the car stops in traffic again. He leans over the seat to watch me.
“I’m not hangin’ up,” I say and Jake looks at me coldly.
“Do what I tell you Jade and things will go a lot easier on you,” he warns, opening his jacket slightly so that I can see the gun hidden in it.
“Oh fuck Brian, he’s got a gun,” I whisper into the phone.
“Oh my God Jade,” he says.
“I gotta hang up Brian. He says he’ll call ya in a coupla hours with more information.”
“Don’t hang up baby,” he begs and tears fill my eyes.
“I have to, he’s got a GUN,” I mutter. “I love you,” I hang up and Jake reaches out to take the phone off me. He turns it off just as it starts to ring.
“Well, that was touching,” he smirks and turns back to look at the road ahead.