Brian throws his clothes on and runs out of the room to where Nick and Ali are. He bangs on their door and finally a sleepy Ali opens it. Brian pushes her back into the room angrily and slams the door behind him. Nick sits up in bed and stares at him.
“Hey!” Ali protests angrily and Brian glares at her.
“Have you any IDEA what you’ve done to Jade?!” he yells.
“So I called her perfect?! Big deal,” Ali sounds confused. “She’s a big girl now Brian. She’ll get over it.”
“I’m not talking ‘bout that,” Brian says angrily. “Your ex-pimp slash drug dealer kidnapped her!”
“What?!” Ali yells in shock.
“Drug dealer?!” yells Nick staring at Ali.
“Baby, I’ll tell you later,” she looks at him.
“You better,” he mutters and climbs out of bed. “What’s happened to Jade?”
“Didn’t ya hear?! She got kidnapped because your girlfriend skipped town without paying off her debts!”
“I didn’t have the money!” Ali defends herself.
“Why didn’t you tell me ‘bout him? I coulda got security for Jade,” Brian says wearily as his anger suddenly evaporates.
“I didn’t think he’d do anything like this,” Ali sits down. “And certainly not to Jade. Why’s he got her? His problem is with me.”
“I guess he just wants the money. He doesn’t give a fuck who he has to hurt to get it.”
“He won’t hurt her,” Ali lays her hand on Brian’s arm.
“She said he had a GUN Ali,” Brian says brokenly.
“Oh my God,” Ali whispers, her eyes wide and Brian sighs.
“I don’t know what to do. She said he’ll call me in a coupla hours with more information,” he paces the room. “But I can’t just sit around and wait! Do you know where he might go?”
“I haven’t seen him in four years Brian,” Ali says. Brian heads to the door. “What’re you gonna do?”
“I don’t know. Something,” he looks back at Ali. “If he hurts Jade in any way, I will never forgive you.”
“You couldn’t make me feel any worse than I would already,” Ali lowers her head.
“Oh I could. Believe me, I could,” he leaves the room and heads down the corridor. What can he do? He has no idea. He stops midway down the corridor and sighs frustratedly. That bastard had said he would call back in two hours which makes it... He checks his watch quickly, exactly 12.18pm – give or take a few seconds. He has to have a plan by then. But WHAT plan?! He groans and the elevator doors behind him ping open. He turns round and sees his answer. Kevin and Marcus, the group’s head security guy, have just stepped out. Marcus would know how to deal with this thing. Brian almost runs towards them and they stop walking, staring at his face and knowing something was wrong.
“Brian? What’s happened?” asks Kevin quickly as his cousin reaches them.
“It’s Jade!” Brian says. “She’s been KIDNAPPED!”
“Kidnapped?!” exclaims Marcus.
“What?!” yells Kevin at the same time. “Who by?!”
“Some guy in Ali’s past. He was her pimp and drug dealer,” Brian tells them as calmly as he can. “Ali owes him money and he kidnapped Jade to get it back.”
“How much?” Kevin asks.
“$50,000,” Brian says. “He’s gonna call back in two hours with details. What can I do? I can’t just sit around here for two hours while Jade is… He had a GUN,” he almost whispers, tears filling his eyes.
“Fuck,” Kevin murmurs and reaches out to squeeze Brian’s arm gently.
“I’ll handle this Brian,” Marcus says firmly. “I have a few contacts in the NYPD and I’ll go call them now. This kidnapper got a name?”
“Uh,” Brian shrugs. “Ali will know.”
“Let’s go get Ali then,” Marcus says grimly as he marches to Ali and Nick’s room. Before he can knock, the door is opened by the obviously hastily dressed couple.
“Marcus?” Nick asks. “You know?”
“I know,” Marcus says angrily and turns to Ali. “Ali, I need you to tell me this guy’s name. I’m going to call a few people I know in the NYPD.”
“Sure. It’s Jake, I guess Jacob, Flurry. He’s a native of Brooklyn.”
“Ok, what else do you know? Age? Description?” Marcus pulls out his cell phone.
“He’s about…30 now I guess. He has jet black short hair, kinda spiked up, brown eyes… He looks Hispanic. He’s around 5ft 8 I guess, medium build and he always used to work out regularly.”
“Ok, thanks Ali,” Marcus starts to dial a number on his cell and walks away from the group.
“Hey Truro, how you doin’ man?” Marcus says into his phone. “Ah, I’m doin’ ok I guess… Look man, I got a situation on here and I would really appreciate your help… I don’t wanna go into it here but it’s pretty serious. Could you come over here?… It’s the Sandhelm Hotel… Yeah, I’ll meet you in the lobby in thirty… Thanks man, I owe you...” he hangs up the phone and rejoins the group. He hears the tail-end of their conversation.
“I swear Ali, if that guy does ANYTHING to hurt Jade…” Brian threatens, getting right up in Ali’s face and then running out of a threat big enough to encompass all that Jade means to him.
“I know,” she steps away from him. “I know.”
“Brian, it’ll be ok,” Marcus claps a big hand on his shoulder. “My guy is coming right over.”
“You told him?” asks Kevin.
“No, I thought it was too sensitive for the phone. I’ll tell him when he gets here. He’ll probably want to talk to you Ali.”
“Of course,” Ali nods.
“Great. Ok, well I’ll go down to the lobby and wait for him,” Marcus turns to Kevin. “You guys got anything on today?”
“Just a radio interview and a TRL appearance,” Kevin says. “We better cancel them.”
“Good idea. I doubt Brian will be in a fit enough state and also I’m worried what this guy might try and do to you,” Marcus says in a low voice so that Brian can’t hear. In a louder voice, “Ok, well I’ll be in the lobby guys.”
“I’ll come with,” Brian says and Marcus shakes his head.
“You’ll just hold us up Brian. I will come and tell you what he said afterwards. I promise,” Marcus turns away and heads down to the lobby. He sits on a couch facing the door and waits impatiently for his friend. The friend is called Paul Truro and he’s a homicide detective in the NYPD. Marcus has known him a long time and trusts him implicitly. He knows that even though this case is not a homicide, Truro will be able to refer the case to the best detective. He just hopes it doesn’t end up being Truro’s speciality.
Twenty minutes after his phone call, Marcus finally sees Truro stroll into the hotel lobby. He hurries over to meet him and they shake hands. Truro is a big guy. He used to play football in college.
“Hey man, good to see ya,” Truro grins at Marcus.
“You too,” Marcus replies.
“Ok, what’s up? You got a face on ya like a wet Monday,” Truro says with a smile.
“Let’s go sit down,” Marcus leads him over to a couch in the corner of the hotel bar. There’s no one around to overhear their conversation. “Ok, you know I’m workin’ security for the Backstreet Boys?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re in New York for a coupla days on tour. Brian and Nick, two guys in the group, have their girlfriends on tour with them. These girls are real good friends – called Jade Greene and Alicia McNamara. Well, Alicia is from Brooklyn herself and she kinda has a real shady past…”
“Uh huh?” Truro raises an eyebrow in question and Marcus sighs.
“Mainly into drugs and sleeping around. She’s all clean now. Has been for a long time. Anyway, her ex-pimp was also her drug dealer and she owes him money, skipped the state without paying him a few years back and bumped into him yesterday in the company of Jade.”
“Bet that was a happy reunion,” says Truro dryly.
“Ya could say that – he kidnapped Jade this morning. He knows about her connection to the Backstreet Boys and Alicia, and he wants $50,000 before he’ll release her. He’s calling us back in…” he checks his watch, “roughly one hour and fifteen minutes.”
“Ok,” Truro nods slowly, processing everything he has just heard. “I’ll call this detective I know who deals with abductions. He’s the best,” he pulls out his cell phone. “What’s this guy’s name by the way?”
“According to Alicia, it’s Jacob Flurry.”
“Flurry?” Truro puts his cell away slowly.
“Aren’t you gonna call that guy?” Marcus asks.
“This is MY case now,” Truro says grimly. “Flurry is chief, and only, suspect in a homicide. We’ve been trying to bust his ass for years now.”
“A homicide?!” Marcus says shockedly. “This guy’s a MURDERER?!”
“Yup, he’s an all-round nasty. Flurry is a well-known pimp and drug dealer in Brooklyn. We’ve just never been able to catch him. Vice would arrest his whores but never him, he always kept his hands clean. Same with the drugs. And then he shot dead a guy who was going to tell vice all about his whoring business so he became my case.”
“Fuck,” Marcus whispers. “This guy’s got Jade.”
“I will do EVERYTHING to get her back safe,” promises Truro. “You have my word.” He stands up, “Now, where’s this Alicia McNamara?”
“I’ll take you to her.”