There were people everywhere as I tried to study him, but after a few people passed between us, he was gone, like a flash of light.
Nick pulled me in closely as the alarms were shut off and all the floors were searched. All of the guests, including us were taken outside in the cold winter air.
"It's never a quiet day with the Backstreet Boys," A.J. muttered as he walked past us and sat down next to Kevin.
"Maybe it's me, I'm like a curse or something," I mumbled. Nick glared at me, cursing me in his head for saying such a thing about myself.
"I have to go to the bathroom," I replied, trying to get away from his glare.
"I'll go with you," Nick offered.
"No it's okay, I'm sure one of these guys will follow me," I said as I walked back into the hotel, sure enough one of the security guards followed me.
They stood outside the door as I went to use the ladies room. When I was washing my hands I heard a shuffle in the corner of the large fancy bathroom. I turned around just as I was slammed into the wall. My eyes were wide and his hand was against my mouth.
"So we meet again," he said as I tried to scream and began to squirm underneath him. Mind you I still had the comforter wrapped around me and I was trying to keep it up.
I breathed heavily as he smiled at me.
"It's been too long Kaitlyn," he said as he tore at my comforter, his hands trying to roam my body.
"LET GO!" I tried yelling through his other hand, but it sounded so muffled and with the fire crews and everyone rushing around outside the door, no one could hear me.
"So how was it being held hostage, exciting?" He snickered.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I tried yelling as I kicked and pulled to try to keep his hands off of me.
Suddenly his cell phone rang. He reached back for a knife and held it to my throat.
"If you yell or move I'll slit your throat and then pretty boy will never see you again," he threatened.
"Yeah?" He answered the phone.
"Well, did you find her?" Kaylee yelled.
"Yeah she's right here," He said coily. "She's lookin' pretty hot too," he laughed.
"I didn't say cop a feel you stupid moron, I -"
"Yeah yeah, I got it, ciao," he said as he hung up.
I tried to listen, but there was too much noise, I couldn't make out who was on the phone.
There was a knock at the door.
"Ms. McBride are you okay in there?" One of the security guards asked.
"Say you're fine," he whispered to me.
"Yes," I mumbled, glaring at him.
"Now we're gonna have a little talk. Listen carefully, if you don't quit your job at the Times I'm gonna take this knife and gut you from limb to limb, you got that? I know where you live, I know where loverboy lives and I know where you work, don't fuck with me McBride," he said, the blade piercing my skin.
I didn't say anything, I just nodded.
"One more thing," he persisted.
I looked at him with questioning eyes.
"Dump lover boy," he insisted. I shook my head back and forth.
"If you don't I will cause the biggest media scandal on this side of the Mississippi, you hear me?!" He yelled.
"Kate?" Nick yelled on the other side of the door. Suddenly I was thrown to the floor and he was gone. Nick came in and saw me sitting on the floor.
"Kate what happened?"

~AT THE SAME TIME~

"Felicia, you ready for the interview?" Kaylee asked Felicia over the phone.
"Yeah, I guess," Felicia stuttered, still unsure about this whole thing. In fact over the past few days she'd been thinking more and more about Brian and everything that happened and she really needed to talk to him.
"Well you better be ready. Oh wait, I have another call, I'll see you tomorrow," Kaylee said as she hung up.
Felicia put the reciever down and then picked it back up again. She slowly dialed Brian's cell phone number.

~AT THE SAME TIME~

"Did you get her?" Kaylee yelled.
"Stupid security broke in, but she knows the deal, now we sit back and watch," he said snickering.
"Did you scare her?"
"I scared the shit out of her Kaylee, she was near tears. I mean, held hostage two times in one day, poor girl," he laughed.
Kaylee chuckled.
"Keep in touch, I've got some other business to tend to, ta, ta," she said as she hung up.

~AT THE SAME TIME~

"Oh I just got dizzy for a minute there, so I, uh, I uh, I sat down," I lied as I stood up and wrapped the comforter around me more.
Nick looked at me oddly as we walked outside.
There everyone stood on the curb.
"Hello?" Brian asked into his cell phone.
Felicia couldn't speak at first, she didn't know what to say.
"Is anyone there?" Brian asked, his eyebrows pulling inward in confusion.
Felicia suddenly slammed down the reciever and then stared at it. She couldn't talk to him, not just yet.

"That was weird," Brian replied quietly.

I sat down on the curb to get my thoughts together. Why did he want me to quit the Times, what did that have to do with him? Why did he want to cause a scandal? Why did he want me to leave Nick? All of my questions were flooding through my head when all of a sudden they came to a hault...KAYLEE.
"Brian can I use your cellphone?" I asked politely. He handed it to me apprehensively, still a bit confused about who had just called.
I quickly dialed Kaylee's number.
"Yes?" She answered.
I walked away from the crowd of people from our group and plugged one ear.
"What the hell are you trying to pull?" I asked rudely.
"Oh hello Kate," she said sweetly.
"Kaylee, what are you up to!?" I yelled in frustration.
"What are you talking about?" She asked snidely.
"You sent him here, didn't you?" I asked.
Silence.
"DIDN'T YOU!?" I shrieked.
"Who Kate?" She played dumb.
"Just wait till I get back into town Kaylee..." I threatened as I hung up.
"Ha, ha, ha, Kate, I can't wait," she laughed as she set down the reciever.

I shoved the phone back at Brian and followed everyone inside. We were now allowed back in our rooms, although they were wet. We were told to get all of our stuff and they would accomodate us with another room at another hotel.
Luckily most of my stuff was in my suitcase so nothing got ruined. Thank God for waterproof suitcases.

~THE NEXT MORNING~

The hotel we were sent to wasn't as nice, but once we all got to bed we fell asleep without caring where we were...well all accept for me. I stayed awake half the night thinking about what he'd said. Should I ignore his threats? What should I do? I couldn't tell Nick, we'd finally got back on the right track.

After we all got ready I went down to have coffee with the other PR people as the Boys went to the arena to do brush up rehersals.
I sat drinking cautiously, almost waiting for him to come out of any corner, but he didn't. I spent the day with the other PR people doing paperwork and phone calls and preparing for tomorrow's interview on yet another talk show. Hopefully this one would go smoothly though.

By the time it was show time that night I was dragging my feet. I sat in the audience and watched the concert with my eyes half opened from sleep depravation. No matter how loud the music was, I was still almost nodding in and out of sleep.
I watched the Boys move around the stage with energy and happiness, but I wasn't inclined much. I was looking over my shoulder, wondering if he would follow me to make sure I went through with his threats.

~AFTER THE SHOW~

The Boys, their dancers, band and tour managers all decided to go out for dinner. I wasn't feeling up to going so I stayed behind in the hotel room.
I laid with my head propped up on the pillow, CNN on low on the television, looking over some paperwork for tomorrow.
My cell phone rang on the low mode.
"Hello?"
"Kate?" I heard a voice say.
"Oh my God, Felicia, where are you?" I asked.
She was quiet for a moment.
"I'm in New York," she muttered.
"Why did you call me?" I asked, confused.
"Ummm," she stalled.
Felicia really wanted to tell Kate all about Kaylee's plans, but she just couldn't. Kate still had betray her and Felicia didn't owe her anything.
"I just wanted to see how Brian is doing."
"Oh ummm, he's fine. It's been a little more than a hectic week I guess you can say. They went to dinner, but I can tell him you called," I offered.
"NO, that's fine," she insisted.
"Oh, okay," I agreed. The line was silent again.
"Kate, umm, I..." she started.
My eyebrows raised.
"I have to tell you something," she stuttered.
"What is it Felicia?" I asked.
"Ummm.." she started. Then I heard a scaffle and then the line went dead.

~AT THE SAME TIME~

"What the hell are you doing!?!" Kaylee yelled, practically throwing the phone down on the hook. "I just got you a job and this is how you thank me?! You will NOT tell Kate my plans and you will NOT tell her you work here. I want to see the look on the ignorent little sluts face when she gets back here!"
Felicia huddled in her office chair, nodding like a hurt puppy before Kaylee bounded down the corridor.

~AT THE SAME TIME~

"That was odd," I said to myself. I sat their looking at my cellphone. That's when I looked at the numbers on the screen. It was the number to one of the departments at the New York Times. Felicia had been calling from the Times. But why was Felicia calling from the Times? What was she doing there this late? It was after eight there, only...reporters...stay...that...late.
"Oh my God, she's working with Kaylee," I muttered, my eyes peeled open and my mouth hanging low.

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