Front Man: The Complete Trilogy (14 page)

"Did you call
the police?"

"They said
pretty much what you did, " Erica snarled, " that she'd
probably hooked up and forgotten to call. They won't even do anything
until she's been gone for 48 hours." 

"Which I think
you'll agree, is too long to wait." Jared said. 

"Damn right it
is. Shit, Sara, what were you thinking? Why would she go alone?" 

"I should have
gone with her. I knew something was going to go wrong." Erica's
voice cracked a little, and Matt put his arm around her.

"Jack, I
figured we should go down and have a look for ourselves. I've called
the security company, a couple of the boys will meet us down there
for back up. I hope you don't mind me calling you...I figured you'd
want to help. And if Laura is there, well, it's you she's going to
want to see." 

"Thanks Jared.
You did good. And Erica, look, I know I hurt Sara a lot. But please
don't think I don't care about her. I really, really do. And I'm
going to do everything in my power to get her back safe, ok."

"Let's all
just try to stay calm, okay," Jared reasoned. "With any
luck, it will all be a big misunderstanding, a flat tire or
something."

***

Sara's eyes burned
as the room suddenly flooded with light. As her vision adjusted, she
saw a tall, bulky figure silhouetted in the door way. A spasm of fear
ran through her.

"Wakey wakey
sleepy head," the man grunted, giving a low chuckle.

Sara opened her
mouth to speak, but fear made the words stick in her throat.

"Seems like
you've been asking a lot of questions. Poking your nose in where it
isn't wanted. Now I've got a couple of questions for you, missy."
The man moved closer, and Sara willed herself not to flinch. He had a
sallow, flabby face, with a pair of dark eyes that seemed to bore
into her. Dressed in a grubby tank top and ripped jeans, his muscly
arms were covered in garish tatoos. Sara shuddered as she noted the
handle of a gun poking out of the waistband of his jeans. The guy
radiated agression. She knew she was in trouble.

"So tell me,
little girl. What are you doing, barging into my club, bothering my
best dancer."

"I...I'm
sorry, I didn't mean to bother anyone. I thought she was someone I
knew, but I guess I was mistaken."

"You sure
were. Now quit fucking around, and tell me who sent you."

"What? Nobody
sent me...I just, I saw her and I thought I recognized her. I didn't
mean to cause any trouble." Sara's voice shook as she spoke, and
she struggled to keep her breathing steady as panic gripped her.

"Tell. Me.
Who. Sent. You." Her captor brought his face close to Sara's, so
she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"I told you,
nobody sent me, I was just-" Sara was cut off mid sentence as a
hard slap landed on her right cheek. Pain exploded through her face
and tears sprang to her eyes.

"Liar!"
The man screamed at her. Sara was shaking all over with shock and
pain. Her captor abruptly turned and stormed out of the room. Sara
began to sob uncontrollably. She had no idea what this man wanted
from her, or why she was being held there. He seemed like the kind
of person who would kill her without a second thought. She might
never see her family again. And all for Jack Carter, a man who most
likely barely remembered her name.

Sara heard
footsteps approaching, and tried to reign in her tears. She braced
herself as they neared the door, but then they stopped abruptly.

"Bitch isn't
talking, man. What do you want me to do with her?" Her captor's
voice sent chills through Sara. A second voice, male, answered him.

"Make her talk
Dan, that's what I fucking pay you for. I told you to get out as soon
as Laura's picture started popping up in the papers. It was a mistake
staying this close to home, it's not safe here." Sara strained
to hear. The voice seemed slightly familiar, like she'd heard it
before, but she just couldn't place it.

"The girl
didn't want to go. I didn't figure anyone would come looking for her
in this hole."

"Well you were
wrong, weren't you? And now we're in this mess. Fuck, Dan, I can't
trust you with one simple task... What exactly did Laura say?"

"She says
she's never seen her before today. But I don't know, she was being
kinda shifty, like she knows more than she's letting on."

"Interesting.
We need to know if this nosy bitch has told Jack anything. Either
way, you and Laura need to get out of here, no arguments. Did you get
the girl's phone?"

"Yessir."

"Good. If
we're going to move Laura across the country, we'll need money. This
chick's got to have family, a boyfriend, someone who'll put up some
cash to get her back. Start looking through her phonebook."

"Isn't that a
bit risky? Surely you've got enough money to take care of Laura?"

There was a stony
silence. "My funds are kind of tied up right now, Dan," the
mystery man growled.

'Right, of course,
sorry. Hey, boss...Jack's number's in here. And, this guy,
Jared...isn't that your -"

"Let me see
that." The voice laughed, but it was not a happy sound. "Well
well, who have we here? Jacky's little girlfriend, I presume? Forget
the ransom plan. I've got a better idea."

Sara gasped. She
did know that voice. The sarcastic tone, the way he spat Jack's
name...it didn't make sense quite yet, but it was clear something
truly terrible was going on. And that two-faced bastard was right in
the middle of it.

***

Jack sat in the
front seat of Jared's SUV, his stomach churning with anxiety as they
sped along the wet streets. Erica and Matt were following them in
Matt's blue station wagon.

"At least
there's no traffic. We'll be there in another half an hour, all being
well." Jared spoke just to break the tense silence that filled
the car.

"Jared...when
I got your message, I was going to call you anyway. There's something
I needed to talk to you about."

"Jack...I know
you love Sara. I knew it the moment I saw the two of you together.
And I know you've got your reasons for not giving it a try, but...if
you don't take risks, then you might miss out on a chance for
happiness."

"Thanks,
buddy, but that wasn't it."

"Oh. Sorry.
But still, when we track her down - which we will, don't you worry -
don't you think you should at least talk about it?"

"Jared, I'm
sure she's moved on by now anyway. I did the right thing. I can't
drag someone like Sara into all my shit...it's not fair on her."

Jared sighed.
"Jack, I don't know why you can't see yourself the way everyone
else does. You're a great guy. You deserve to be happy. You just have
to stop beating yourself up about every little thing, and allow good
things into your life."

"Are we done
with the psychoanalysis now? Like I said, it wasn't Sara I wanted to
talk about."

"Okay, okay,
sorry. Go on."

"I got an
email from Ellie. Ellie Tanaka, from the Herald?"

"I remember.
Nice girl. What did she have to say?"

"She said...
oh man, this is going to sound crazy. Basically, she knows the guy
who broke the story about me dealing drugs. You know how he would
never reveal his source?"

"Of course I
know, do you know hard I leaned on that guy? But he wouldn't give it
up. Journalistic integrity and all that." Jared rolled his eyes.

"Well, Ellie
took him out for a few gin and tonics and...Jared, she says it was
Michael who gave that photo to the papers. He's the anonymous source.
He's been trying to screw me."

"Holy shit,
Jack...it can't be. wouldn't do that to you. What's he got to gain?
The band would be ruined...it doesn't make sense!"

"Well that's
what I thought. But then...you know how he's been lately. Always
wanting to be centre of attention, trying to squeeze me out. And
Ellie's got no reason to lie. I don't want to believe it...but the
more I think about it, I can't help but be suspicious."

Jared was silent
for a moment. Jack could almost hear the cogs turning in his head,
analyzing situation before he dared to speak.

“Jack…of
course, I don’t want to believe it either. But I have to admit,
there’s been something a bit off about him, especially lately.
When the whole scandal broke, the rest of the boys were upset,
worried about you and about the band’s future. But y…he
didn’t seem worried at all. He was so ready to push forward. I
thought he was just trying to think positive, to keep the band on
track…” Jared trailed off. Jack could see the pain on
his face, and he felt almost guilty for raising the question. Jared
had been like a father to them all, guiding them from a naïve
bunch of kids with a little talent to the stars they had become. But
then, hadn’t Jack and Michael been like brothers? Once…it
seemed like such a long time ago now. Fame had strained that bond to
breaking point. Jack hadn’t wanted to admit to himself how far
apart they had really grown. But still. After everything they had
been through, would really betray him like that?

“Do you want
me to talk to him?” Jared said at last. “Not that I know
exactly how to broach the subject…if Tanaka’s wrong,
well, it’s not an accusation you can take lightly. There’d
be no going back for the two of you.”

“No.”
Jack said, suddenly decisive. “If it was Michael, then his
attempt to squeeze me out failed. He knows that. There’s
nothing to be gained from dragging the whole thing up. I owe it to
the rest of the boys to keep the band together, especially when
things are going so well. I’ll just have to be careful what I
say around him in the future.”

“Maybe you’re
right. Let’s just hope none of the press get wind of this,
rumour or not. You know how much they love a bit of band
in-fighting.”

“Tell me
about it. No, for now, let’s focus on tracking Sara down.
Erica’s got me really worried, I don’t mind telling you.
I just want to know she’s okay.”

Jared nodded, and
pressed a little harder on the accelerator.

“If the cops
pull us over, let’s hope they’re Compass fans. “ he
said, and Jack returned his grin. “Autographs are a hell of a
lot cheaper than speeding tickets.”

***

Sara sat in the
dark, straining to pick out sounds from above her. There were the
occasional shuffling sounds and footsteps, but nothing that would
give her any clue to her location. She could only hope that they were
still somewhere near the strip club. Suddenly, the chilling sound of
a woman’s scream pierced the air.

“Get off me!
What is wrong with you guys, take your hands off me!” Sara
recognized Laura’s voice instantly. It was hard to get her
bearings in the dark, but the sound seemed to be coming from outside,
travelling through the vent on the far side of the room. The screams
cut off abruptly as a car door slammed shut, and Sara heard the
screech of tires as the vehicle sped off. She shuddered, hoping Laura
was okay. There was no way of knowing where she was being taken.
Truly alone now, in the dark, Sara gave herself over to the rising
tears.

A noise in the
corridor made her stop. Footsteps were drawing closer, until she
heard a key in the lock, and the door swung open. Flicking on the
light switch, Michael strode into the room, a smug grin on his
handsome face.

“Well hello
there. Sara, isn’t it? I believe we’ve met. Do let me
apologize for the actions of my, um, colleague. He has a tendency to
be rougher than necessary. Here, let me untie you. “

Sara said nothing
as he released the knots at her feet and ankles. She was seething
with rage, but knew that at that moment, Michael was her only hope
for escape. She stood up gingerly, rubbing the life back into her
arms and legs.

“There,
that’s better, isn’t it? Again, I wish we could have had
this conversation under more…civilized circumstances. But
then, I wasn’t expecting you to come barging into my club and
bothering my girls.”

“You own this
place?”

“More or
less. I have business partners. These enterprises can be surprisingly
profitable.”

“Where are
you taking Laura?”

“Well well,
don’t beat about the bush. I like it. It’s time for
Laura to move on, I’m afraid. My associates will find room for
her somewhere nice and safe. Away from people who like to interfere.
Poor Laura’s been through quite enough.”

“Thanks to
you, you mean?”

Michael’s
expression darkened. Sara shrank away from him, holding on to the
back of the chair for support.

“I don’t
know where you got that idea from. Laura lost her parents young, as
I’m sure you know. And her brother, well, he’s not
exactly the responsible type. I’ve looked after her, that’s
all. Kept her safe, and out of the spotlight. You know how judgmental
people can be, and Laura has a bit of a weakness for certain
substances.”

“She should
be in rehab, not dancing in a fucking strip joint!”

“Laura’s
happy here. She has friends, earns her own money. Dan looks out for
her, keeps her out of trouble. More than Jack ever did for her. No,
as soon as fame came knocking, he had no time for his little sister
any more. She was an embarrassment, the black sheep. Sure, he acts
like the doting brother now, when the cameras are on him. But come
on, Sara, you’re a smart girl. If Jack really wanted to find
Laura, don’t you think he’d have done it by now?”

“But you’ve
been hiding her all along! Why wouldn’t you tell him? Why would
you just let him keep looking?!”

Michael smiled
again, so calm that it was extremely unnerving. Sara kept a tight
grip on her chair. She would fight her way out of the room if she had
to.

“Laura didn’t
want to see him, Sara, and who can blame her? I had to obey her
wishes.”
“You lied to her. She told me. You’ve
been lying to everyone all along.”