by Brandi Bell
I grabbed my Kindle, and cuddled up next to Grady while I read another book about a girl and her many boyfriends, then I wondered if Ruby ever read my books for tips. I snorted out loud at that thought. Three heads turned towards me at that sound. “Just a funny thing in the book,” I said, while blushing. I wasn’t about to admit to these guys that I was curious about their sex life with Ruby.
We finally arrived in Phoenix, so we could get off the bus for a little bit, we went out to eat. We found a pizzeria and the four of us stuffed our faces. About halfway through the meal, I started getting the creepy watched feeling again. I was so sick of this. I stood up and walked to the bathroom to see if the feeling would follow me.
Grady got up to follow me, I shook my head no, but he followed me anyways. When I entered the bathroom the feeling was gone. At least stalker didn’t want to watch me pee. I stayed in there for a couple of minutes, then washed my hands. When I exited Grady stood across from the door, and I didn’t feel the creepy eyes anymore.
We got back to the table to continue eating and the feeling came back. I tensed up enough all three guys realized what was going on this time. We hurried up and got a box for our leftovers and headed back to the bus.
By the time we returned I didn’t have time to write a note, so I hoped the guys would let Ruby in on what happened I thought as I walked up the steps, and I was gone.
I was standing in the kitchen when I came around again. That felt odd, guess it was Ruby’s payback for arriving on the stairs.
“It’s really weird that your body doesn’t need sleep,” Grady commented.
“It’s normal for us,” I shrugged, “I’m going to go take a shower, then join you for coffee?”
“I’ll be waiting,” Grady said, with a hunger in his eyes.
I hurried through my shower and dressed, wanting to get back to him fast. I wanted some of that hunger I had seen. I stepped into the kitchen and wrapped my arms around him and pulled his lips to mine.
“Good morning to you too,” he said in a gravelly voice.
“Where are we headed?” I asked, as I grabbed the cup of coffee he had poured for me.
“California leg of the tour,” he replied as he sat some eggs and sausage in front of me.
My stomach growled loudly, so I dug in. It tasted so good. Not sure why I was so hungry, but glad Grady was feeding me. I finished my food way quicker than he did. I didn’t realize I was eating so fast.
The bus was pulling into a parking lot of a hotel as I finished washing up the dishes. I got all excited. I would get a bath again, and we weren’t going to be on a bus, so Grady and I should be able to manage some great private time.
“How long are we staying here?” I asked excitedly.
“Only two nights, but it’s always nice to get off the bus,” Grady replied with the hunger back in his eyes again.
I ran back to the room and packed a bag for me and one for Ruby. I was so excited. I grabbed the bath bombs I didn’t use in Florida and hoped I would get a chance to soak again. I walked back to the front of the bus to go to the hotel and Elias grabs my arm, “Jade, we need to talk real quick.”
“Ok?”
“They scheduled us for a signing, with a meet and greet afterwards. We have some red contacts for you and a copy of Ruby’s signature. It was just thrown on us. I’m sorry.”
“When?”
“In two hours, but we have to leave half an hour before to get there on time though.”
“Well thanks for letting me know. Guess I'll go practice my Ruby makeup.”
I walked off after that, less excited about the hotel. Hopefully I could still soak in a tub before I had to pretend to be Ruby.
I walked into my room and it was as nice as the one in Florida and thank the Goddess it had a huge soaker tub in the bathroom. I filled it up and dropped in a bath bomb and set an alarm so I had time to get ready. It was so nice to soak away the tension I didn’t realize I carried.
The alarm went off and I begrudgingly got out of the tub and turned myself into Ruby. I started with the make-up. She loved to wear a heavy face with a smokey cat eye. Once I decided the make up was good enough, I put in the red contacts. Woah, that was creepy to see, my face with different colored eyes! The final thing I needed to figure out was what to wear. I picked the outfit I had on when I woke up in the club, knowing it was one of her favorites.
I’d just finished getting dressed when I heard a knock on the door. Grady was standing there with an odd expression on his face. “Think I can pass for Ruby?” I asked tentatively.
“Only if you can pretend to be a bitch for the next few hours. Just don’t over play it,” he replied.
“Fine, uh let’s just go before we'll late,” I said haughtily.
“Exactly like that!” he said with a grin on his face.
As we rode down in the elevator I was gaining confidence that I could actually do this.
We all traveled in silence to the venue where the signing and meet and greet would take place. I think everyone was nervous on whether I could pull this off or not. I was apprehensive, but confident I could fake it for the most part. I looked just like her at least.
We arrived to the venue and I was shocked by the sheer number of people waiting out front trying to get a glimpse of us. The band was a bigger deal than I’d realized. Of course I should’ve known they wouldn’t be on tour if they didn’t have a following.
We were escorted into the building by security and then the real acting job began. We were seated behind a long table and fans stood in line to have us sign everything from t-shirts to cds. The good thing is I didn’t have to put on a fake smile, because Ruby would have never bothered, but I did have to think up snarky things she would have written to fans to personalize things.
It felt like we sat there all day just signing things. We took a short break for a snack and then were back to signing things for a couple more hours.
Finally, the manager excused us from the signing, then lead us to a back room to brief us on the meet and greet. Thankfully all I had to do was sit there and think up bitchy answers that Ruby might give. There were no reporters allowed at this, just fans who paid for the privilege.
There were seats scattered for them to sit in, and a table full of food and refreshments along one wall. I chose a seat in the corner, hoping that made me seem aloof and less available. Then let the band surround me. Hopefully they would be able to field most of the questions.
Once we were settled, the band manager lead the fans into the room. As soon as the last person entered the room, I felt the creepy look. We only had ten people here so we should have been able to find him. I thought that I was finally going to catch him. None of the people in the room were focused on me at the time. How was this guy hiding from us, I wanted to know.
I tried not to let the creepy feeling get to me, so I stayed in the corner while the fans peppered us with questions. I just used a haughty tone and answered as vague as I could, since I really didn’t have a clue how to answer like Ruby.
It was nearly sunset by the time the meet and greet was over. The band got ready for the performance since everyone but Felix was already there. I learned they all had stage outfits picked out for them by the label for each performance, even Ruby. I sat around and waited so she could put it on herself.
“Hey, Grady, creepy stalker guy was at the meet and greet, but it wasn’t any of the fans. Could there be someone on the crew that is doing it?” I wondered.
“No, that’s the first place we checked. No one gave Ruby the creeps at all.”
“Damn, I guess it was wishful thinking.”
“we'll catch this guy, we just need to figure out how.”
“I hope so.”
That’s the last conversation I remembered before everything went black for the night.
Chapter 11
I felt a surge of adrenaline when I became aware. I was on a cold concrete floor. My hands were duct taped together and tape covered my mouth.
I tried to move my feet and they were taped together as well. I started panicking and hyperventilating. What the hell happened while Ruby was in charge.
I reached for my magic to try and get the tape off, and I felt cut off, like it was never there to begin with. It was as if a part of me was missing. My surroundings were fairly dark, with only a hanging bulb in the center of a large concrete room. I was inside a metal cage with thick bars on all sides and across the top. I guessed we were in a basement judging on what I observed, and it felt cold and damp.
I didn’t see anyone around. I tried to scream with the tape on my mouth and just a muffled sound came out. I wondered how long I would be here in this position. My bladder felt full, and despite my circumstances, I was worried about peeing myself.
The next thought I had was about Grady and the other guys. They were so protective of Ruby and me, that I hoped they were ok. I had no way of knowing if whoever took me hurt them, or if they snuck off with me.
If they didn’t hurt them, then maybe we had a chance they would find me. I could only pray to the Goddess that was the case.
I scooted to the back corner of the cage. I wanted to be nowhere near whoever took me when they came back. I sat there lost in thought, for what seemed like hours, but I had no way of knowing the time. The only thing I had going for me is at sunset it would be Ruby’s turn to sit here. That thought made me feel guilty at first, but then I got angry because she is the one who got us in this situation.
I heard a door creak. My heart sped up, and my stomach was in my throat. I was terrified of what was going to happen. I heard heavy footsteps going down stairs, which confirmed my suspicion that we were in a basement. Then a man walked towards me in the shadows.
When he was close enough for me to see him I was shocked that I recognized him. It was the man that confronted me in front of the store looking for Ruby before she ran off on the tour. My shock quickly turned to anger. How did this human manage to get the jump on Ruby and what the hell was this cage.
“Hello again, Jade. You fooled me once, but now I know your secret,” he started laughing maniacally, “I’ve been watching you both for a long time. I told you both to come to me willingly. Now I know I have to get rid of the brainwashing that bad band did to you.”
This guy was seriously crazy and creepy. I had so many questions, but I was unable to ask them. That might have been a good thing with as crazed as he looked.
“Ruby left me in the cold that night in the alley, all I want to do is love you,” he said, getting more manic by the second, “Why won't you let me love you!! We were made for each other. I even confirmed it with a powerful witch. He even gave me a jacket that made you not see me so I could follow you. you'll realize how much you love me soon.”
He calmed a little, “IF I remove your tape will you behave?”
I nodded my head yes, there wasn’t much else I could do.
He started by ripping the tape off my face. It hurt so bad, I screamed! He gave me a dirty look like he believed that was misbehaving, then decided to ignore it. He used a pair of scissors to cut my legs loose, but he left my hands taped up.
“There that’s better now we can talk, love.”
“What do you want from me?” I barely whispered, scared of setting him off.
“I told you already, Jade, we’re made for each other I just have to remind you how much you’re supposed to love me.”
I winced when he made that comment. I didn’t know how to respond, afraid of the manic look in his eye. I decided to play nice and see if he would let me use a toilet.
“Ok… If you care about me so much, can I use a toilet?” I said gently.
He gave me a calculating look, then walked away. Well, that didn’t work the way I hoped for. I struggled to move my legs to help them wake up.
A moment later he returned with a bucket. “I don’t believe you love me yet. You can’t leave the cage until you love ME,” he emphasized.
He placed the bucket in the cage and pointed at it.
“Can you undo my hands so I can pull down my pants please?”
He thought about it for a second, “No, I’ll pull them down for you. Don’t worry I won’t touch you until you beg me to. Oh no, you'll beg me to come to you. I'll not follow you anymore!”
I shook with fear and embarrassment as he unbuttoned my pants and slowly pulled them and my panties down to my knees. I tried to squat over the bucket but was about to fall, my legs were still not fully awake from being taped together. My kidnapper grabbed me and held me above the bucket. It was hard to force myself to go, but I finally did not knowing when I would get the chance again. When I finished he pulled my pants up without letting me clean up. I felt disgusting and I retreated to the far corner and he left with the bucket.
I paced back and forth in the cage once my feeling returned to my legs. The nervous energy I felt made my stomach feel like it was taking over my chest. I was having a hard time breathing. What was this crazy man going to do to try to “unbrainwash” me, I wondered.
I’d paced for quite some time before I heard the door creak open. The sound made me stop like a deer in the headlights. I sat down in the corner and tried to get myself under control, so I could somehow survive this situation.
“Why are you sitting back there? Come forward!” he demanded.
I didn’t want to make the situation worse, so I did as he asked.
“How did you convince a witch to make the invisibility spell for you? I’ve never heard of such a thing?” I asked before I thought.
“He offered it to me when I told him you were brainwashed. I just owe him a favor,” he said with a huge grin, very proud of himself.
“That’s nice,” I said.
I hoped to earn his trust so I could escape somehow.
“Now it’s time to start on your rehabilitation,” he said with a crazed gleam in his eye.
“My name is Jake and you love me. Repeat it!!”
“My name is Jake and you love me,” I said automatically.
“NOOOOO!!!” he roared, “You say your name is Jake and I love you.”
“But I can’t say that because I don’t know you yet. All I know is you grabbed me in front of my store. Now you’ve kidnapped me and I woke up in a cage. Ruby and I don’t share memories,” I hoped this explanation threw him off of the rehabilitation for a while.
“Then I need to rehabilitate Ruby, and teach you to love me. I can do that,” he grinned and chills went up my spine again.
“I’ll be back later, is there anything you need?” he asked, almost sounding reasonable.
“It’s really cold and the floor is hard. A mattress or pillows and blankets would be nice…” I said, trying to act like I didn’t mind staying.
He nodded and disappeared up the stairs again. I started pacing back and forth again. It felt better than sitting and doing nothing, not that the pacing helped anything. I hoped it would wear me out so I could sit and rest and not think. My mind wandered to the guys and I hoped they were all ok. I wondered if they had to cancel the rest of the tour. Ruby had made a name for herself. Maybe the news reported on the disappearance of Ruby Stone lead singer of Mz. Hyde. It wouldn’t help me if no one saw where I went though.
After an indeterminate amount of time I heard the door creak open again, this time I heard something falling down the stairs. Briefly I hoped it was Jake, but then I realized I would be left to starve in this cage if it was him. I was relieved when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, then full of dread again because he came back.
As he approached he drug a twin mattress behind him. It didn’t look too rough, and was wrapped in a mattress protector so I hoped I wouldn’t catch anything if I had to sleep on it. He dumped the mattress in front of the cage and walked back upstairs without a word.
A little while later I heard him coming down the stairs again, this time he carried two bags of stuff with him. He set them down in front of the cage. “Are you going to be a good girl, Jade? I don’t
want to have to get angry with you,” he said, while staring creepily at me.
“I don’t know what you want from me right this minute, but I'll try to comply,” I said, as I tried to keep him calm.
“Turn around and stand at the back facing the wall. As long as you don’t move until I tell you to, we won’t have a problem.”
I did as he asked, and heard him open the cage and start to drag the mattress in. I made the split second decision to try to get past him while he was busy. I turned and ran as fast as I could towards the door, but he was ready for that. He caught me by the waist and pushed me down on the mattress he had pulled in.
“I told you to be good!! You just couldn’t listen at all! How am I supposed to help you if you can’t listen to basic fucking instructions. Bad girls get punished, Jade. You don’t want to be a bad girl!” he roared.
“Ok, I’m sorry, I’m just so thirsty I couldn’t think straight I needed water.” I hoped my excuse distracted him from his anger.
“Get on the back wall now and don’t fucking move!” Was the only response I received.
I stood up and went back to stand facing the back wall, tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t decide if I cried because, I was frustrated, scared, or just overwhelmed. It was probably a mixture of all of those things. I shook so hard by the time he closed the cage door, and said I could move, I collapsed to the ground and just cried.
I was so wrapped up in what I was feeling that I didn’t even notice that he had left the basement again. I turned around and there was a mattress made with sheets and a blanket. He had even brought a pillow. It was all new, the packages laying outside the cage still. Beggars can’t be choosers I decided, and laid down on the mattress to feel sorry for myself, while the fear was pushed down for a moment.