Rumor Has It: A Bad Boy Romantic Comedy (11 page)

“You know, Donny?” one of them said.

“No… I’m not from here. I was kidnapped. I need the police,” I said.

“That’s intense. You know, Donny, called the cops after a guy broke into his house and beat him up a couple days ago. It took them four hours to show up.”

“I don’t have four hours.” I looked over my shoulder. My kidnapper was standing in front of his house looking up and down the street for me. “Do you have a cell phone? I need to call my friend.”

If the cops wouldn’t come, then I’d call Theo. He’d be there in a heartbeat.

“I don’t know…”

“I’ll pay you,” I said.

“I’ve heard that one before.”

“I’m good for it. I’m an actress… Jamie Kelly,” I said awkwardly.

They gave me a hard, confused look.

“What movie have you been in?”

“I really don’t have time for this. He’s coming.” I closed the door behind me and moved closer to the stoners. “I’ll pay you whatever you want. I just need to call my friend to come get me.”

“Hey! I recognize you. You were on the TV show about paranormal investigators,” a girl with long hair said. I’ve never worked on a paranormal TV show. I had no idea what the girl was talking about.

“That’s me!” I lied.

“I love you on that show. Hey, is that stuff real or do they fake it for TV?”

“Uh… it’s all fake.”

“I knew it!” She pulled her cell phone out of her jacket and tossed it to me. My hands were still bound, but I managed to dial Theo’s number. He answered on the first ring.

“Hello?”

“Theo! It’s me. You have to help me. I escaped. I ran away and I’m hiding in a house, but he’s looking for me. He’ll be here any second.”

“Where are you?” Theo’s voice was calm, but firm.

“I- I don’t know. What’s the address here?” I asked the girl who’d handed me the phone.

“Address? There’s no address,” she replied with a laugh.

“I don’t know where I am…” My voice broke. Tears ran down my cheeks.

“Jamie, tell me what you see. What’s around you?” Theo said.

I went to the window and peered out between the cracks in the boards covering it. “The houses are all rundown. I can’t read the addresses on them. It’s too dark.”

Behind me two of squatters got into an argument.

“We’re on Thirty-Second Street.”

“No, we’re not. This is Thirty-Fourth.”

“Thirty-Second, or Thirty-Fourth Street, maybe?” I said into the phone.

“I’m on my way. Stay on the phone with me.”

I could hear the sound of traffic in the background. Theo must have been in his car when I called.

“Are you injured?” he asked.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“What did the man who took you look like?”

“He’s tall and thin with grey eyes. His skin is pale and clammy.” The thought of returning to the cellar with him gave me the chills. “God, Theo, please hurry.”

“I’m coming, sweetheart. What else can you tell me? What kind of car did he drive?”

“I didn’t get a good look at it. It was silver, I think. I didn’t see the license plate. I’m sorry. I’m so useless at this.”

“You’re doing great. Are you somewhere safe?”

It was hard to see outside. The light was fading rapidly and my view was limited because of the boarded windows. My kidnapper had disappeared from sight. Then there was a loud sound of an engine revving. A silver sports car pulled out of a garage across the street and took off quickly. It moved so fast I couldn’t see who was driving, but I was sure it was him.

“He just left!” I practically screamed into the phone.

“The man who took you?”

“Yeah. He just drove off down the street. He was in a silver sports car. I couldn’t see the license plate. It’s too dark.”

“That’s okay. Stay where you are as long as it’s safe. I’m coming.”

I glanced behind me. The stoners were laughing about something. They seemed totally oblivious to my plight.

“Can I have my phone back?” the girl shouted.

“No,” I snapped.

“You don’t have to be rude about it.”

They seemed harmless, but useless. I paced nervously.

“I’m turning down Thirty-Second Street now,” Theo said. “I don’t see you… wait.”

A black SUV slowly drove down the street. I tossed the cell phone over my shoulder and ran outside. I didn’t look- I ran straight into the street. The SUV’s door opened and Theo appeared. I fell into his arms.

“Get me out of here! Please, Theo. I want to go home,” I rambled over and over.

Theo pulled a pocket knife out and cut the ropes tying my hands. Connor jumped out of the passenger side of the SUV.

“Which house was it?” he asked calmly.

I pointed it out to him. Connor pulled his gun and went to the front of the house. The front door was still open. I watched as he entered slowly. Theo opened the backdoor of the SUV and put me inside.

“Stay here,” he said.

“Don’t leave me!”

“You’re safe now. I’m going to clear the house. I’ll be back in a second.”

Theo pulled out a large handgun from inside his jacket, then slammed the car door shut against my protests. He ran across the street quickly and entered the house. Seconds ticked by like hours. I was sure the man would return and take me, or kill Theo and Connor.

I waited and waited. The stoners had come outside to watch the drama unfolding across the street, except there wasn’t much to see. Theo and Connor reemerged from the house alone. Connor was on his phone, while Theo walked back over to the SUV.

“He’s gone?” I asked, as Theo opened the backdoor. I knew the answer to this question but I asked anyway. I wanted Theo to tell me my kidnapper was gone. I felt like a little kid desperate to hear their father say that the boogieman wasn’t real.

“Yeah, it’s like you said, he took off.” Theo looked troubled.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Backup is on the way. Meanwhile, Connor’s going to take you back to my place. You’ll be safe there.”

“No! Don’t leave me. I want you to come with me.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed. Theo looked uncertain. Anger lit up his eyes; his body was so tense I could see his muscles straining beneath his t-shirt. I knew what he was thinking; he wanted to find my kidnapper and make him pay.

“There’s nothing more for you to do here,” I said. “He’s gone. I need you.”

Theo looked over his shoulder. Connor waved to him as if to say I’ve got this under control.

“Okay,” Theo said. “I’m going to get you out of here.”

He slid in behind the wheel and quickly drove us back to his place.

13

When we reached his house, I practically fell out of the SUV. Theo had to carry me inside. My legs and hands trembled badly, not to mention the raging headache that left me feeling half dead. Theo called a doctor who came over to check me out.

Waiting on Theo’s couch, I babbled on and on. I told him about being hit over the head and locked in the man’s trunk, then my escape from the basement. Theo listened silently, but the more I told him, the more tense he became. For a second, I thought I’d misread him. Was he angry at me?

“I screwed up,” I said. “I should have waited for you at the theater. I shouldn’t have gone off on my own. I’m so stupid and useless.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. And you’re not stupid or useless. I’m the one who’s useless.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I let you slip out of my hands twice now. I’ve failed you again and it almost cost you your life.”

“But, if I’d-”

“You saved yourself,” he said, cutting me off. “You did great, sweetheart.”

He brushed my hair out of my face and behind me ear. Then he put an icepack on my head and sat beside me on the couch. Theo wasn’t to blame for any of this. If I’d taken the threat more seriously and been more cautious, I wouldn’t have ended up in my kidnapper’s hands.

Though, I have to admit, it gave me a small rush to know I’d escaped all on my own. Theo was right; I’d saved myself. For the first time in my life, I’d taken action and survived. I’d managed to keep a cool head- sort of. I didn’t totally panic, anyway. I knocked my captor down, beat him and fled.

My hands steadied.

Maybe Theo was right. I was learning to take care of myself.

The front door practically flew off the hinges. Theo jumped to his feet and reached for his gun. When he saw that it was Shonda who’d busted through the door like a SWAT team, he relaxed.

“Oh my God…” Shonda put her hands to her face. Suddenly she was at my side. She took my icepack from me and examined my head injury. She quickly put the icepack back. “I’m taking you to the emergency room,” she said.

“I’ve called a doctor. He should be here any minute,” Theo said.

“She needs a hospital. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No, I’m fine,” I answered.

“Look at your hands!” She lifted my hands to examine them. My wrists were covered in rope burn.

“I’m fine. Don’t fuss over me.”

I’m not going to lie; I loved the way Shonda babied me. As a celebrity I’m pampered, but it’s not the same as having someone genuinely care about you. Shonda is the closest thing to a mother I have.

I wanted to step back and let her and Theo take control of everything. I couldn’t do that though, not anymore.

The old me would have acted like a child incapable of handling anything this serious. The new me was going to take control of her life. I was going to help Theo catch my kidnapper if it was the last thing I ever did- even if it meant the end of my career. Little did I know then, capturing my abductor would nearly cost me my life.

“Where is he?” Shonda shouted at Theo.

I wasn’t sure who she was talking about, then Theo said: “The doctor will be here soon.”

“I’m fine. What’s important now is catching this guy.”

I ran over the events again in my head. Was there anything that could lead to his capture?

“Oh!” I said suddenly remembering he’d told me his name. “He said his name was John.”

“John… that’s good,” Theo said. “Anything else?”

“Yeah… I didn’t believe him. There was something about the way he said it that made me think he was lying. I doubt John is his real name.”

“Well, it’s a start.”

“I wish I had more.”

“You’ve done more than enough,” Theo said. “You were amazing.”

“Theo’s right, hon. I’m so proud of you. You really are a badass.”

“Oh God… I don’t want to hear about your next rebranding, PR campaign. Not now, please. I can’t handle it.”

“Alright,” she said with a smile. “I’ll spare you- for now.”

“There’s one other thing…” I said. Something had been bothering me about the house all night. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then it hit me. “The house…”

“Yeah?”

“…it was a dump. You said that he had to be rich given the way he threw his money around.” Then I remembered the silver sports car. I jumped to my feet. “And his car! How could he afford to drive a car like that if he was living in such a poor neighborhood?”

“Okay,” Shonda said. “You need to calm down. You’re getting yourself all worked up. You need to get checked out by the doctor, then you need to get some sleep.”

There was a knock at the door. Shonda jumped up to answer it. An older man wearing slacks and a button-up shirt stood in the entryway awkwardly. When Theo saw him, he lit up.

“Doc, how are you?”

“Good.” The men embraced. “I hear you have a patient for me?”

“Yes, she was hit on the head.”

The doctor introduced himself to me, then set about examining my head.

“Quite the knock to the head you took, young lady. Are you seeing double vision?”

“No,” I replied.

“Headache?”

“Well, yeah… it’s pretty sore.”

He nodded. “It’ll be fine. Just keep an eye on her. If she starts having dizzy spells, or behaving strangely, call me.”

“Yes, sir,” Theo replied.

Theo’s respect for the man was curious. They shook hands, then the doctor left.

“That’s all?” Shonda said. “I’m taking her to the hospital. She needs a more thorough exam then that.”

“The Doc knows what he’s doing,” Theo said calmly.

Wisely, he did not want to start a fight with Shonda. I took a couple of the extra-strength Tylenol the doctor left behind. I didn’t wait for Theo to get me a glass of water. I swallowed them dry. My head was pounding. I hoped the Tylenol would kick in quickly.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Shonda said, looking at me then Theo.

“I’m fine. I just want to catch this asshole.”

“I will. I promise,” Theo said.

Shonda’s phone rang. Without checking to see who was calling, she silenced it. I was in shock. Shonda’s phone was attached to her like a ball and chain. She never ignored a call. She couldn’t afford to- not in her line of work.

She must have been deeply worried about me.

Her phone made a trilling sound. Now she stopped to read the text. Maybe I was wrong. I’d been a fool to think Shonda was capable of ignoring her cell phone for longer than a few minutes.

“Shit…” she hissed.

“What?”

Shonda frowned. “It can wait…”

“Just tell me.”

“See for yourself.”

She handed me her cell phone. It was open to the front page of Gossip Guru. A giant red breaking news headline screamed: ‘Louis Injured in Jamie Kelly Rescue Attempt.’

There was an image of Louis below the headline. His face was covered in blood. It ran down his chest, darkening his shirt. A paramedic was rushing him away to an ambulance. The article below said that my status was unknown, and that many feared I’d been seriously injured or worse.

“What the fuck?”

“I’ll call Louis’s people,” Shonda said with a sigh.

“No. We’re not playing games anymore. We’re going to destroy them.”