Chapter 9 – The ghosts that haunt me

"You have two minutes to tell me everything that happened the night of your cd release party." Darius said, red in the face. He closed the door as Jude walked into his office. He wanted answers, and he was going to get them.

"Umm, I don't know, I just needed to get away, why?" Jude said, confused. Why was he suddenly interested in what happened? Nobody had asked her, and with the exception Kwest and Sadie, nobody knew. Even they didn't know everything, because truthfully, Jude didn't even know everything that happened.

"Jude, now. Everything." Darius said harshly, looking her straight in the eye. He wasn't going to fool around anymore. He couldn't.

"Ok, umm, well Tommy had asked me to meet him for dinner." She said, her mind rewinding to that moment. "When he got the he told me he was leaving, but he wouldn't tell me why. He just left. I ran after him, but he just got in his car and drove away. That's when I lost it." Images of her collapsing in the street, watching the taillights disappear played before her, blurring her vision for a moment. Darius nodded, sympathy wearing down the anger in his eyes. Jude slowly continued. "I was a mess; I felt like I had lost everything, my music, my best friend, my-" She stopped herself. Don't go there. She thought. "I couldn't sing, so I went looking for Mason, I needed someone to talk to. He was in the middle of the concert, so I waited. There was this guy, a fan, who wanted a picture with me. We started talking and he offered to buy me a drink, but that drink turned into several drinks, and I was wasted before Mason even finished his set. I remember the guy offering to help me into Mason's room, but after that, nothing." Jude finished, taking a deep breath. She had struggled to remember all of that. It was blurry, but she had tried not to leave anything out. She glanced at Darius, afraid of what his reaction would be. Surprisingly, his eyes were soft.

"Well, it certainly wasn't nothing, Jude. Far from it in fact." Darius said, trying to keep his cool. He picked up an envelope, handing it to Jude. "Take a look at those."

Jude pulled out a stack of pictures, rifling through them one by one. He face went blank as she tried to control the tears welling up in her eyes. These pictures, they were all of her, passed out and in a very compromising situation. The pictures fell from her hands, scattering on the floor as Jude struggled to keep her balance. Darius rushed over, guiding her to a chair. Head in her hands, Jude began to sob.

"They kind of fill in the blank spots in the night. I just thought you should know what the rest of the world will see in the next day or two." Darius said, attempting to break the news to her as gently as possible. Jude's head immediately shot up, her tear filled eyes locking on Darius.

"What do you mean the whole world? Why? Where did you get these pictures? Why would you let the rest of the world see them?" Jude cried, her voice rising with every syllable.

"We wouldn't, Jude, but he is." Darius paused when he saw a confused look cross her face. "The guy you met, the one from the bar," Realization dawned on Jude as Darius continued. "He sent us the pictures, or at least that's what we think. He also sent a demand for fifty thousand dollars; otherwise he will release the pictures." Darius said, a pained look in his eyes.

"Fifty thousand, there is no way I have that kind of money."

"We know, and even if you did, it wouldn't help. I have dealt with people like this before, it wouldn't be enough. They would keep demanding, and the first time you resisted, they would take the pictures straight to the press. Jude, it's inevitable." Jude put her face back into her hands, crying harder now. The whole world. The whole world is going to see me like this. My career is over. "Jude, look at me. I know this is bad, but here's the thing. We might be able to catch him."

"What? How, if you can't stop him from publishing these photos, how can we catch him?" She asked, glancing at Darius through her tears.

"Well, I have made some calls. There are a few people in the newspaper business that owe me some favors, and well, if the pictures show up, we will know. Our lawyers will take care of the rest. Believe me; he won't see daylight for a while after this." Darius finished.

"Thanks, D. I am so sorry this happened."

"Its ok, just take the day off, and write something amazing. You are going to need something big to make up for the bad publicity. Just so you know, G-major hasn't seen these. Not even Liam. I am going to keep it that way. They can find out with the rest of the world. We don't need anymore tension around here." Jude nodded, relieved that she was not going to be stared at in horror when she left Darius' office.

"Thanks, D." She couldn't believe how well he had taken the news. Though she had a feeling that things would have been different if she had been here when he opened the letter. She remembered his voice when she had been on the phone with Kwest. She didn't know where the anger had gone, but she was glad it hadn't been directed at her. "Do you think I could have a moment alone, before I go back out there?" Jude asked, a pleading look in her eyes. Darius nodded, slowly walking out the door.

When the door closed, Jude felt the numbness start to seep through her body. She sat in the middle of the floor, the pictures all around her. No. She thought. No, no, no, no! I can't, I can't be numb; I won't. No. Not again, no. She struggled mentally to push the numbness out of her body, willing herself to feel something. She continued to scream within her head, not realizing that she was also screaming on the outside. Moments later the door creaked open. Jude jumped, turning around to see Kwest. He quickly walked over to her, letting the door close behind him.

"What's wrong, Jude? Talk to me; tell me what-" Kwest stopped as his eyes connected with the pictures on the floor. He glanced back up at Jude, his jaw dropping. She dropped her head, fresh tears falling. Kwest put his arms around her, sensing that she was about to break, and that is exactly what she did.