Another Twist 1
Katie Gibbs was sure that she couldn't be happier. She had her recording contract with Kensington Records, she had her boyfriend Luke, and she was getting ready for yet another Concert on her first tour. That is what brought her to Arlington, Virginia.
The only wrinkle that she could see was some crackpot who had been posting these weird, almost obsessive comments on her online message boards. Then to make matters worse, at her last concert in Cincinnati, Ohio, when she walked into her dressing room she found an almost psychotic love letter spray painted on the wall!
Guy and Luke had been fit to be tied. The security agency that had been doing all the security for the Concerts up until then had been Canned!
This meant that Katie was going to have to get used to a whole new batch of Security guards. Nothing else she could do but chalk it up to the list of things someone in her chosen profession has to put up with.
After a sound check in the Auditorium and a little rehearsing, Katie was relieved to finally have a couple hours or so of down time before the concert. She walked into her dressing room and was relieved at the lack of graffiti on the wall. Then she saw something that made her breakout into a wide smile. There on the table was a long stemmed red rose and a note from Luke. The note said that he was going to walk around the building to check on the security set up for himself and that he would be back in a few minutes.
Katie smiled and happily sniffed the rose. Just then she heard footsteps approaching in the hallway outside.
"Luke," she said running to the door and shoving it open. There was a loud Thump on the other side of the door and the thud of something hitting the floor. Katie peered around the door to find a tall guy about her own age with unruly dark hair laying spread eagle on his back holding his nose.
Katie realized to her horror and embarrassment that she had hit him when she shoved the door open!
"I am so sorry," she said Rushing to his side as he sat up, "are you okay?"
"I think so," said the boy sitting up and shaking his head as if to clear it, "you swing a mean door, lady."
Katie turned red again. And the boy smiled. She grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet.
"I'm Katie Gibbs," she said
"Jason Steele," replied the boy
"If you don't mind my asking," said Katie, "Why are you here? It's hours until the concert?"
"My Uncle Ethan is the head of the new Security Company hired to protect you," replied Jason, "He called me to come down here because his little daughter my cousin Sadie is one of your biggest fans and she was so determined not to be late to this concert that she stowed away in her daddy's car. She almost gave her babysitter a heart attack!"
"What about her mother?" said Katie
"it would have scared her too if her father had called her before the babysitter did to let her know what was going on." Replied Jason
"So anyway," continued Jason, "I'm down her to look after Sadie while her dad's working."
"That's good of you," said Katie
"Oh we all love the little Munchkin even if she is a bit of a stunt puller." Jason said with a smile, "and believe it or not, she'll generally behave better for me than she will for her babysitter."
"I'd love to meet her," said Katie
"Oh would you," said Jason, "That would make her day!"
"Sure," said Katie, "Where is she?"
"Uncle Ethan, said to come to the office." Replied Jason, "This way." After closing the dressing room door, he led Katie down the hallway, around the corner, and down a flight of five steps to the arena office. When they walked in they immediately saw Sadie she was a wiry six year old tow head with blue eyes. She was laying her stomach on the couch against the wall playing on her tablet.
"Hi Sadie," Jason called out to her.
When Sadie looked up and saw Katie Gibbs standing there next to Jason, her eyes nearly popped out her head.
"Katie Gibbs!" she squealed. She jumped off the couch bolted across the room and threw her arms around the bigger girl, Katie graciously returned the hug.
"Hi Sadie," she said, "Your Cousin told me you like my music."
"Oh yes," said Sadie, "I'm your biggest fan! Wait, you know Jason?"
"We've met." Katie smiled. Sadie turned to Jason
"Jason, is she your girlfriend?!"
"Sadie!" Cried Jason mortified. Now it was Jason's turn to blush.
Katie laughed as she saw the blood filling Jason's face.
"No I'm not Jason's girlfriend," she said
"Why not," asked Sadie, "he's good looking, and he's got muscles too, see."
She grabbed Katie's hand put it on Jason's bicep. By now Jason was face-palming and his entire neck was red.
"Sadie, stop that!" he protested
As quick as she brought up the subject, she changed it. She ran back and picked up her scrapbook, in it was a copy of one of Katie's recent publicity photos.
"Will you sign this?" she said
"Sure," said Katie
On the picture she wrote: it was nice meeting Sadie, hugs and kisses,
Katie Gibbs.
While she was signing the picture Jason looked up to see his Uncle, a dark haired man in his mid-forties, standing there in the doorway that led to the inner office.
"How long have you been there," he said
"Long enough to see Sadie trying to play matchmaker," Chuckled Ethan.
"You could have stopped her," said Jason
"What," said Ethan, "And miss seeing your face turn as red as your shirt?!"
Jason glared at his Uncle.
"You're no help at all," he said
Ethan laughed again, And shook hands with Katie as Jason introduced them.
"I'll stay with Sadie," he said, "Jason; you'd better walk Miss Gibbs back to her dressing room."
"Well, that was embarrassing," he said, when he and Katie were alone in the hallway again.
"No, no," said Katie, "Sadie's adorable."
Jason smiled. Just then, before either of them could say anything else they reached the door of Katie's dressing room and they found the door unlatched! As they good closer they could hear the sound of rapid footsteps inside.
Jason held up a finger to his lips and flattened himself against the wall right next to the door. Katie followed suit. Jason cautiously eased the unlatched door open and they peeked around the door framed and looked inside.
Inside Luke was pacing furiously and looking at his watch over and over again. Katie breathed a sigh of relief,
"It's my boyfriend, she said stepping around Jason and into room.
Luke looked up and saw her.
"Katie," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Where have you been? I've been texting you for twenty minutes!"
Katie ran over to the couch, pulled her phone out of her handbag, and saw all the messages.
"I'm sorry, Luke I went down to the office with my new friend Jason to meet a fan, and I left my phone here." She said apologetically.
Jason cleared his throat nervously,
"Well," he said, "I'd better be getting back to the office; it was nice meeting you Katie."
"Bye, Jason," she Replied, "It was nice meeting you too."
After Jason had gone Luke turned to Katie.
"Katie," he said, in an almost accusatory tone of voice "What is going on here?"
"What are you talking about," said Katie, "I told you I went down the hall to the office to meet a fan."
"Yeah," said Luke motioning toward where Jason had been standing a moment ago, "some fan. The minute my back is turned you sneak off with another guy!"
"Luke," Said Katie beginning to get her hackles up, "The fan I went to meet was Jason's six year old cousin Sadie! She was down at the office. And I didn't sneak off with Jason! we walked down the hallway to the office together! And why are you mad at me? Is it because, the person, that I walked down the hallway with, just happens to be a guy."
Luke didn't answer he just looked away from Katie's searing gaze.
"Luke," said Katie, "You are giving me the distinct feeling that you don't trust me!" without waiting for an answer she walked over and stood looking out the window.
Luke ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.
Katie stood there thinking how in most moving scenes like this the girl would stand a window and cry or something similar but right now she was still too mad to cry.
Luke's arms went around her.
"I'm sorry Katie," he said in much more docile voice, "I guess I got a little jealous. I don't want to fight with you, but please be careful, for all we know he could be that lunatic that's been stalking you!"
"Jason," said Katie, turning around and putting her arms around Luke "Don't be silly, that guy doesn't have a vicious bone in his body."
"Ok probably not," said Luke, "but it's hard to tell, psycho's can seem like nice guys until they slit your throat."
Jason had taken Sadie out into the underground car garage at the south side of the building. During concerts and such this smallest and most seldom used Car garage was often cordoned off and used as the VIP entrance to the arena. They emerged from the elevator playing catch with a big blue ball. The only Car that was parked there now was the white stretched limo that Katie Gibbs had arrived in, so there was plenty of room to play ball. They had just gotten the game going good when Sadie suddenly stopped and pointed the Limo.
"Jason Look!" she said, "Somebody broke one the windows of that Limo!"
Jason turned and looked. She was right it looked like someone had walked up and smashed the window right out of the left passenger side door.
"Wait here, Sadie," he said, "I'm going to take a closer look." Jason approach the car slowly mindful of the glass fragments we he got closer he saw something that made him stop short. He pulled out his phone and texted his uncle.
JSTEELE: Uncle Ethan you'd better come down to the VIP entrance and take a look at this!
There in the ground by the door was a framed copy of one of Katie's concert posters it had several slashes through it and scrawled on it with a red felt tip marker were the chilling words "Mine or Nobody's!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
Well there it is folks the first Chapter. If you like it please let me know, review, review, review, I thrive on feedback.
