Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious or any of it's characters.
:}
"Wait, you had a spy in Shapiro's office?" Jade asked, staring at her employer as they sat in the back of the limo.
"Kinda." Tori blushed. "One of the interns was a fan of mine. Told me what was brewing at his show. But the boy graduated, and got a job somewhere else."
"He's still working for me." Rob announced. "Tran, right? Yea, I'm paying him to dig up stuff in the archives. Doesn't know he's working for me, just thinks he's doing boring research. But, for someone like him, it's as good a job as he was expecting. In time, I was going to use him to feed some stuff to you, let you know about the fake Arab. Beck turned out to be a better rout."
"You knew about her spy?" The dark haired bodyguard asked.
"Of course I did." Robbie replied. "Everyone tried to get spies into places where they need them, or might need them, or they want to know whats going on. You know, where they can get some use out of the spy. Beck, Tori, they all try to get their people in. I wouldn't be surprised if the Arab faker who's after Tori here tried as well. But I'm very good at my job, and know each and every spy in my employe. Use them too."
"Do you think he's trying again?" Tori asked. "The wanna be Arab, not Beck or Tran. I mean, our driver was misdirected, and a fake driver showed up with a van."
"I heard that security in South American was tight. Like the best of the tour. Makes sense that he'd try it here. Your almost invulnerable in LA, and your other appearances, they had heavy security from the moment you landed until you flew out again, so this is where you'd be at your most vulnerable." Robbie agreed. "Look, I don't have the personnel, I can't keep you safe. Contact the police, see what you can do. I'm guessing that somehow, these guys know all your movements for the next couple of days. I'd cancel, but we both know thats not gonna happen. So, be careful."
"At this rate, the kidnapper is gonna turn out to be your best friend from grade school." Jade's sarcasm only lasted a moment.
"I don't know, Emily was kinda bummed when I moved, but last I heard she was expecting her second child." Tori said, then gave an evil smile to her bodyguard.
Jade didn't let her client's ribbing get to her. She had a job to do. "Okay, make sure you drop us off inside, like it's supposed to be done, cause the last thing we need is for any of your colleagues to see her getting out of your car."
Robbie Shapiro scoffed. "Like I'm new at this." He said, smirking. "They have a secured entrance from the building next door. I'll drop you off at a secret entrance, someplace where you can be smuggle into the adjacent building, and you just take the underground entrance to the secured receptiom. They can check you in and everything."
Bill mumbled something about not being sure he could trust the gossip guru, but they all agreed it was the best course of action. "Of course, if the guy hunting you knows about this entrance, we're gonna be caught." Jade reminded her client.
"Don't worry about it." Rob said. "They only use it for dignitaries and people they want to make sure get into the building safely. Even celebs like you and me have to use the garage entrance. I only know about it cause I'm awesome like that."
"And modest." Bill added. "Lets not forget modest."
"I'm so modest, I'll bet everyone wishes they were half as pious as I am." Shapiro joked.
"And he quoted 'Amish Paradise.' He actually quoted Weird Al." Jade complained. Kasey just kept reading her pad, while Tori beamed.
"Paraphrased." Robbie said, only to shrink back from her glare. "But we won't argue that I was inspired."
Robbie dropped them off at what looked to be an ally entrance to something, only to have a couple of busboys escort them into a restaurant next door to the hotel. From there, they were shown to a not so hidden stairway near the refigerator that led to a hidden door in the incredibly clean storeroom. There was a tunnel that led under the ally that separated the building the restaurant was in from the hotel, and from there to a reception area behind a strong looking security door. It seemed that Robbie called ahead, clearing the way for them to sneak down to the tunnels from the back entrance of the restaurant. So as they emerged in the underground reception, located next to the very loud laundry used by the hotel, they were met by hotel personnel who took what baggage they carried in.
"Miss Vega, nice to have you with us again." The manager of the hotel said as he greeted, speaking loudly because the laundry machines hammering away in the next room. "Sorry about the noise, but this entrance is usually used in the evenings, when the days laundry is already done. But, as was explained to me, this is a special occasion. I can assure you, we'll do everything we can to make this as pleasant an experience as we can."
"Our luggage?" Jade asked. Each of them only had their carry-on's, and that wasn't much.
"Mister Shapiro gave it to us, and we're taking it to your rooms." The manager assured Jade. "And, as was requested, we've made sure you have one of our best suits, with three bedrooms you can use. Now if you will follow me, we'll get you checked in at the security office, then I'll personally take you up to your room."
"We have one room?" Jade asked.
"Two, but thats okay, cause Trina gets it when she's here. I stay with her, in my own room, and Malcolm shares with Kasey." Tori explained. "It's nice."
"Malcolm with Kasey?" Jade asked.
"Hello, he gay?" Bill said. "Have you forgotten already?"
"Honestly, we never interact. Trina usually just wants to speak to me alone, or has Andre there." The blue eyed girl said.
"Oh, he's there, he just tends to blend in." Bill scolded her. Kasey tried to blend in herself, not wanting to be dragged into the conversation.
"I suspect he's not there." Tori said. "Trina likes to talk security with Andre, and Jade here probably gets caught in the middle of that shit. I'd suspect Mal's out running errands for her while Jade's around."
"No, Bills right." Jade admitted. "I know he's there, in that someone of no concern is there. But I discount him, cause he's practically furniture."
They were quickly being checked in as they spoke. "Don't feel too bad." Bill assured her. "You had Tori duty. Kinda hard to get to know the guy who's always at Trina's side when your watching the star. Take Kasey for instance." He gestured. "What can you tell me about her?"
"She loves her Pearpad?" The goth guessed. The assistant gave her a critical look then went back to working on her Pearpad.
"So you don't know about her MBA, or that she's working for Tori hoping to impress Trina enough to get promoted to helping Cat, a girl with no business degree, run the office? Or how about the fact that she collects souvenirs mugs from the places we go to, often looking for ones with the date on them. Or, how about the fact that she's been dating one of the guys in the band for three years, but refuses to marry him cause she feel she's just dating him cause he's convenient." Bill blurted.
Tori was floored. "Is she dating Chuck?" She asked.
Kasey was starting to look panicked, not sure who of her companions she could, or should, kill. She wanted to speak, shut this down, but it was moving too fast. "Guys, I'm right here." She said.
"God no, Chuck is Malcolm's wingman slash fuck buddy." Bill said. "You really need to pay more attention to your band."
"Then who's Kasey dating?" The raven haired girl asked, not believing she was being drawn into gossip.
"Right here." Kasey tried again, but someone else had their attention.
"I believe that would be Mister Montandon." The hotel manager said. "Or has she moved on from that gentleman?" He looked past Tori to the assistant, as if he hadn't just let a major secret out.
"Bebop?" Tori asked. "She's dating bebop? But, he's like sixty."
"Bebop?" Jade asked.
"Still right here." Kasey tried again.
"Base player." Bill replied.
"Oh, him. Yea, sixty three." Jade said. "What, I read his personal file. Should have gotten it from the name."
"It's okay." Bill assured her. "I'm a gossip, love to know whats going on. You both had a lot of shit on your minds this last year. Now relax, cause we're here, and have a lot to do over the next couple of days. And boss, which room is mine?"
"If we're lucky, it's in another hotel." Kasey said as she glared back at her Pearpad.
"You know, I think they sell souvenir mugs here." Bill told the assistant.
"She should get one that says 'I nailed a guy twice my age, and all I got was this mug.'" Jade joked.
"Jade, please, she's right there." Tori scolded the raven haired girl. "Show some respect for your coworkers."
"Bebop has that elder statesman rock god vibe going." Kasey said as they rode in the elevator. "Plus, he's amazing in bed. Rocked my world every time."
"Then why won't you marry him?" Tori asked.
"Couple of very good reasons." The assistant replied. "One, he's sixty fuk, er, fudging three. Kinda old for me to tether myself to. I did think about having his kid, but we're on the road too much. Maybe when I get that office job."
"Makes sense." Jade said, watching the numbers fly by.
"Two, I don't think he's the marrying type." The assistant continued. "Okay, Bill, there's a room next door for who the hell knows what reason, small but comfortable. You're there."
"He can go to his room once we're settle in." Jade instructed everyone.
"But Bill said he's proposed to you." Tori pushed her assistant.
"He did, and part of it has to be the thrill of having a girl younger then half his age as a wife. But he's not Mick Jagger." The often quiet girl said. "Too bad he sleeps around like he is. That, by the way, is reason three I won't marry him."
They walked into the room. "Okay, this room has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchenette. Bill, your room has an adjoining door, in case they needed a fourth bedroom. You have your own bathroom, but no window. Sucks to be you." The assistant informed them.
Unlike Bills room, which was a small servants type room that was nestled in next to the main room, the suit Tori had was set up more like an apartment, or a condo. The three bedrooms were set up with a master suit, and two regular bedrooms that shared the main rooms bathroom. Tori, naturally, got the master bedroom, while Kasey and Jade each got their own room.
"When we fist started out, we all had to double up." Bill said out of the blue. "I remember when Ron and I would share a room with a couple of the production guys. We'd shared with the band for a while, but they partied too much, and we had work to do. Of course, Ryder shared with Andre, but as Tori moved up the fame scale, she started getting better and better accommodations."
"Most of the roadies and dancers still share rooms." Kasey said. "Only people we feel have earned the privilege get their own rooms. Long term band members, and anyone who flies with Trina."
"Lucky you, Jade, starting out with your own room." Tori teased.
"Of course, if Shapiro was right, then I could use the third bedroom while Jade did a much closer guarding of Tori's body." Bill smiled. Only his familiarity with everyone, and the fact that he prefaced it as a theory, kept him from regretting that joke.
"Um, Tori, didn't you say you had a place in the city?" Jade asked.
"It's being fumigated." Kasey said, not bothering to let Tori answer that question. Instead, they got themselves ready for an evening that would include at least one nation wide televised interview, and if they were lucky, not much else.
The interviews were almost mind numbingly boring. Jade watched as Tori managed to smile through the same questions, yet again, without blinking an eye. "Yes, Ginger Fox was such a force in music, and I felt someone had to tell her story, so that the world would know what a complex person she really was." Jade mouthed along as Tori explained to the host about her movie roll. It seemed that, no matter how much they tried to make their interviews different, it was always the same basic questions, with the same basic answers. Jade was glad they only had a short time left in the city before heading home.
'Maybe she's figured out that no, I'm not gonna show her the old neighborhood. Beck and me, we grew up in one of the less fun places in the city, over in Jersey, and you don't wanna go slumming just to see where he, or I, came from.' The goth was so occupied with her boredom, and watching the live audience for any sign that someone was gonna rush the stage, she missed the intern speaking to Tori during one of the breaks. If she'd noticed, she wouldn't have thought much of it, until she saw the look on Tori's face. Then, suspicion would have demanded she find out what Tori'd said to the intern, or more importantly, what the intern said to the pop star.
But missing that minor detail seemed like an acceptable oversight, and it should have been. Tori went with Jade back to her room to rest before the next event they'd be going too, and the bodyguard rested secure in the knowledge that they were safe in the hotel. 'Ambassadors stay here, so the security's top notch. We're safe…'
That evening, after getting out from the early dinner and awards show Tori was presenting at, the small group headed out to a discreet bar someone had recommended to Tori. "It's okay, the person who gave it to me swore they were really laid back. No one will care that I'm in show-business." Tori assured her entourage.
"I don't know." Jade said, her eyes shifting around. "This isn't the best neighborhood."
"But it's a still a safe neighborhood, right?' Tori asked. "Look at the people, all dressed nicely for the evening. They're not worried about being attacked, so we're safe, right?"
"Maybe." Jade said, looking at the bouncer as they were let into the bar. It was a smallish place, more neighborhood watering hole than club, but it had a certain charm to it that was open and welcoming. They were able to find a table, with Bill placing the order for the first round. 'Good idea, Bill, lets keep her drinks virgin.' Jade thought, smiling. "I just can't believe that someone at that awards show gave you the address of this place? I mean, most of those guys flew in. They're not locals like maybe the people at the Tony awards would be."
"But it's a safe place, right?" Tori pushed.
"Maybe, I can't be sure about that until I've had a chance to look at whats next door, and I know we're really close to the boarder to the next neighborhood, meaning we wait late enough, it's not safe at all." The blue eyed girl commented. That was the problem with some of the neighborhoods in New York, they could be perfectly safe,. and a block away, you were in a war zone. 'Even gentrification hasn't really changed that. Not yet. Can't get the poor out of Manhattan.'
"Yea, you would know, since you grew up near by. How far are we from your old stomping grounds?" Tori asked.
"Tori, thats all wrong." Jade shot back. "I lived there, once, when I first got out of my parents place, cause the rent was cheap and I wasn't too worried about dying. But even now, my place is on the other side of this bar, deeper into the safer parts of the city. Sides, I grew up over the river, across the bridge. Tori, I'm a Jersey girl, born and bread. I'm not a New Yorker." Jade was instantly on alert, looking around the club, not drinking in case she needed her wits about her. Tori hadn't had her drink yet either, while Kasey was sipping her drink, intent on nursing it for hours or longer. Only Bill had bothered to really get into his drink. "Um, Tori, what made you think I grew up here?"
"Oh, I just thought..." Tori hesitated. "Someone at the awards show told me they knew you, and that this was a place you used to hang out at." The singer admitted.
"Tori, did it ever occur to you that they were lying to you?" The bodyguard asked. Her eyes were now looking over everyone, trying to remember if any of the patrons had been at the awards show. It wasn't easy. Jade was a bodyguard, and not part of the regulars there. But back stage, she'd seen most of the people who'd interacted with her employer. "Who gave you the info about this place. And Tori, look at the people here, We have a few regulars, but most of the locals are drinking like they don't know each other that well. This is a new place."
"Really, New?" Tori asked. "They swore you used to hang out here all the time. You, and Beck, and the others, just coming here cause it was such a laid back place, where no one bothered you and you could people watch. They said you saw your first celebrity here."
"Who?" Jade asked back, keeping her voice neutral. "Who told you that, and what exactingly did they say?"
"Um, the intern, at the talk show." Tori admitted. "I didn't get his name. He just told me you used to hang out with him, and that this was a place you'd frequent. I wanted to see a part of your life, but you kept telling me that this city is dangerous."
"Crap." The raven haired girl hissed. "Tori, this might be a trap. It'd be much easier to get someone on staff, or better yet bribe someone on staff at the television station, then it would to get someone into that awards show. Too many celebrities in one place, the security was solid. No, they wanted to draw us in, and now we're out in the open, not sure what to look for. We need to get going." She looked to the others. "Bill..."
He was slumping, a dreamy look on his face. Jade snapped her fingers right next to his ear, and he hardly moved. "Drugged." She said, looking at Tori. "Kasey?" She asked.
The assistant was moving slowly, but still up. "I'm here, but the worlds kinda woozy." She replied.
"Okay, Tori, don't drink your drink. It's probably drugged. Now Kasey, give me your phone." The bodyguard instructed. One look confirmed. "They have cell blockers, and they've turned them on. We need to get out of here. Kasey, I need you to pretend to be out, and when you get a chance, hit 911 on the bar phone. Tori..."
"People are leaving." Th starlet noted. As they looked around, it was clear that several people had walked out, with others picking up their coats and following them out, guided by one of the employees. Those who remained looked to be informally ex military, with solid builds under their casual clothing.
"We need to get out of here, now." Jade said, standing up.
"You know, it'd been easier on everyone if you'd just had your drinks" One of the guys said, holding the thicker half of a pool cue. "It's not too late. You can just sit down, enjoy your drink, and no one needs to get hurt."
"Tori, ignore the back door. There's a crowd out front, so when I make a hole, run. We'll be fine. You just go, okay?" Jade squared her shoulders for the fight that was about to happen. Of the six or so men, two had weapons, bludgeons, ready to beat her down if she tried anything. They were her first targets, but not the high priority ones. They weren't likely to be the best fighters, since holding weapons made then targets. 'Take one side, Tori runs around as I distract the group, then I get to the phone, get the police, and hold hem off until I can get back to her. Our driver was just outside...'
She moved fast, striking the man in the center, and dropping her body to roll under them. The others reacted fairly quickly, trying to prevent Tori from running while containing the goth. That was their big mistake. With her center of gravity lowered, she shifted to an arm drag approach, pulling one man down into another, and then kicking a third into the forth.
The last man, the one who'd yet to be knocked down, shifted to grab Jade, trying to keep her from interfering with the others. He went down when Tori hit him over the head with a glass beer mug. There was a crack, and the mug broke, but the man was down and bleeding.
"And why aren't you running?" Jade asked, looking for a second at her charge. Tori had gone back to grab the mug, and then used it on the thug, in direct violation of her instructions. "Get someplace public, NOW!"
Five of the guys were now getting on their feet, ready to throw down. Jade drew out a stinger, a retractile baton, and papered to defend Tori. The thugs circled warily, watching her for any signs of an opening, debating on how they'd spring on her. Two of them rushed her while two others tied to get around her. Jade slipped past the two attacking her, taking down the ones trying to get Tori with a swift sweeping blow from her baton. She then shifted her stance to block more of the attacks barging in from the men standing.
Jade knew she needed to change tactics. They weren't gonna make a lot of mistakes. "Tori, go to the bar, and get behind it." Jade instructed. 'If I don't have to worry about her, I can take these jerks on without worrying about getting too banged up…' Her eyes opened as she saw the bartender holding a double barreled shotgun. 'Crap.'
Jade knew that that gun was too random if it went off. Sawed off for close in use, it was the biggest threat to her employer in the room. It was also the one weapon she didn't have a lot of fear of, given her body armor. Shotguns tended not to pierce body armor very well, unless he was using flechette rounds, and that was unheard of in a bar. She rushed the bartender.
He panicked, and as she reached for the gun, he pulled the trigger, firing both barrels into her. To Jade, it was a painful shot to the body, but she'd directed the gun to aim at her torso, letting the armor absorb what it could. The Kevlar wasn't penetrated, but the shot still hurt like a mule had kicked her in the ribs.
Jade went down. Tori, seeing her girl down, screamed "NOOO, JADE!" Rushing to the downed body.
The remaining guys closed in, including the bartender, and as one man pulled the starlet from Jade's body, the others were looking to see what was left of the busty brunette. Tori, held in the bartenders strong grip, babbled out what could have been "Please don't die. I love you."
Jade reminded herself to ask about that later as she kipped up and used the empty shotgun as a club, striking over the singers head to hit the bartender, then using the other end to strike another man. Jade had them where she wanted them, each in a vulnerable position, and took advantage, striking hard and dropping them one by one. Knowing she wouldn't get a second chance, each blow was aimed to disable, throats and similar targets. 'No time for worrying about how badly I hurt them, their going down.' Once the group was cleared, Jade grabbed her employer, and pulled the stunned starlet out of the bar. One hand held the shotgun, while the other held Tori, but Jade really wanted to hold her ribs. She was hurting, from the fight and the shotgun to the chest.
It wasn't that their driver was missing, the whole car was gone. In it's place was a van with dirty plates, and four men could be seen hiding inside it. Jade held the shotgun at the van, keeping them from popping out as she guided her charge to an ally. "We run, and don't stop until I tell you it's okay. Got that?"
"What about Bill?" Tori whined. "Or Kasey? How do we help them?"
"Bills too heavy for me to carry, so we hope that Kasey did what I asked her too, and dialed 911. But if you wanna help her, pull your phone, dial, and drop it in the dumpster." Jade instructed, watching to see if the men had rounded the corner. They were watching, waiting for them to make the next move. Tori did as she was told, and then Jade led the starlet into a building hoping she could find her way out again.
"Funny thing about new york, if you know the right streets, you head down one ally, and your in a totally different neighborhood." The raven haired girl explained.
"How different?" Tori asked.
"Those men had pocket uzies." The blue eyed girl said. "Around here, thats just wasting ammo. We're now surrounded by victims and gangs. Stay close, cause I need to find us some ground to go to. Once we're safe, we use my cell phone to call for help." They found a way out of that building to the next ally, an in it a whole new world.
The neighborhood they were moving into was far worse then anything Tori had seen in all her many visits to the island of Manhattan. Jade assured her that even this place, which was once where people who had no where else to fall wound up, was slowly changing from gentrification. "People with money need a place to live, and the poor had better get out of their way." The raven haired girl explained. "But first, you gotta do something about the gangs, the violence, the drugs, everything. We're in a bad place, and we have no friends. Even the cops might be on the take. So we keep moving, and try to find a place where we can make a call, get our asses out of the line of fire."
"So the police are corrupt?" Tori asked.
"If they even are cops." Jade informed her. "Most cops are straight forward, but it only takes one, and lets face it, this guy could have some of his people in uniforms, acting like cops, just to avoid casual suspicion."
A man stepped out of the shadows with a gun in his hand, and Jade stepped in his way, once again pulling his hand down so his gun was aimed into her body, letting her armor catch the bullet. But he shot her multiple times, scared that anyone wouldn't give his gun respect, while trying to step back so he could hit her anywhere else. Once he'd shot his load, She tossed him like a sack over her body and into dumpster. "That didn't do my ribs too much good, but this guy, he was too green. Kinda old, but still in recruiting age. That was an initiation. We have trouble, cause his buddies are gonna be here real quick."
"Jade, your limping. Did he get you in the leg? How badly are you hurt?" Tori asked.
"We need to get you someplace public, and call the police." Jade said through grit teeth. "The kid was carrying a forty five, and that gun hits hard. Right where I'd taken the shotgun, multiple shots. The weave held, but armor only absorbs so much. My ribs are hurting, and I'm not sure I can stop the next threat that comes your way." They were still moving, just slower.
Jade managed to make it another block and a half before she had to step in the way of another threat, this time a group of young me. 'What the fuck are these guys doing here?' She thought, trying to stay on her feet. But the pain was getting to her, and she only had the strength to yell "RUN!" before she blacked out from the pain. Jade vaguely remembered one of the young men rushing her, and her moving to intercept, taking a shoulder tackle in her injured ribs.
Tori watched the over half a dozen boys, looking more like men at that moment, watching the two girls. She knew she had to run, but doubted she'd be able to leave another friend behind. "Please, don't hurt us. I can give you.." She hesitated, wondering if a bribe would get them out of trouble. 'I don't have that much on me. Even the jewelry I was wearing was on loan, and is back with it's owner now…'
"Make sure Jade's okay, and lets get them off the street." One of the boys said, looking over the fallen bodyguard. She was out, but still tried to move, like she was still fighting. "Shit, Carl, how hard did you hit her?"
"Not that hard." The boy who'd dropped her said. "I figure she mist have been hurt, cause she'd never have been caught by that move otherwise."
"You… You know her?" Tori asked.
"Yea, and we need to get the fuck off the streets." The guy who was running things said. "I'm Hangman G, or as she used to call me, little Georgie. I'll explain everything once we're off the chizzing streets."
:}
A lot happened in this chapter, feel free to go back and read it again. We have the hotel, their talk in the hotel, a bit of insight about Kasey, as well as more about Malcolm. Then we have the events, and a short trip to a bar afterwords. Tori trying to find out more about Jade. After threat, there's a bit of action, but Jade fighting, and Tori admitting something. Finally, this chapter see's our girls running.
Any thoughts about Bill and Kasey? I suspect they'll be fine, cause these kidnappers don't need to be hauling around extra weight while running from the police. And why would George change his name to Hangman G? What will he want in return for his help? And any thoughts about the things that went down in New York?
Thanks for reading. Please review.