FicWad

“Frank,” Brian answered his call with an exasperated tone, “I really haven’t had much time, I’m still checking things out. We have to do this right or it’ll look suspicious.”
“Brian, listen!” Frank’s voice faltered. “Bob’s been stabbed, he’s…”
“What!” Brian interrupted.
“Gee’s kidnappers sent a guy dressed as a cop with a message, he stabbed Bob, he’s on his way to hospital with Ray. I’m on my own with Mikey and he’s a wreck. Brian…” Frank’s spilled out the words at high speed until finally his voice petered out; he didn’t know if he wanted to admit, even to himself, how he felt. “I’m scared.”
Brian’s mind raced. He didn’t know what to deal with first; the new note from Gerard’s kidnappers, Bob’s stabbing, Mikey’s emotional state or Frank’s fear.
“Frank, you won’t be on your own much longer,” he reassured him. “Sam and T.J. are on their way, do you remember them?”
Frank nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Good, they’ll be there soon, now tell me about Bob?” Brian tried to keep Frank calm by talking slowly, tackling one subject at a time. Frank was always so full of energy and hyperactive; most of the time it was fun to watch the tiny whirlwind in action, but at times like this, his excess of energy could really work against him.
Frank recounted everything he knew and how the press had witnessed it all. As he finished, another knock at the door drew a muttered curse; Brian could tell he was at his wit’s end.
“If this is the press…” he began angrily.
“Frank,” Brian cut in calmly yet firmly, “look through the spy hole, if it’s not Sam and T.J. don’t answer, okay? Don’t respond at all.”
“Okay, hang on,” replied a clearly frazzled Frank.
Over the phone, Brian could hear the sound of the door being opened and sighed with relief, knowing that their security had finally arrived and that at least Frank’s fears would be allayed slightly.
“You’ve no idea how good it is to see you guys!” Frank greeted the pair as he ushered them into the house. The band had become friends with all their security guards on their previous tour; it would have been good to see them any time, but right now, the sight of them started to pull Frank out of his despair.
“Sorry it’s not under happier circumstances,” Sam replied giving Frank a warm and reassuring hug.
“They’re here.” Frank said with relief clear in his tone as he returned to the phone call.
“Will you be okay with just Sam?” Brian asked. “I need T.J. to go to the hospital to look out for Bob and Ray.”
“We’ll be fine,” Frank replied with a faint smile on his lips, comforted by their familiar presence. “But, what about the press?”
“Don’t worry, I have a statement prepared and ready to issue. We can deny the report and just say that Gerard is away taking a well earned break.”
“But they’ve seen Bob rushed to the hospital, covered in blood, and after what they’ve heard about Gee and the security arriving…” Frank was gaining speed as he spoke, barely pausing to breathe.
“Frank!” Brian interrupted. “They’ve seen Bob get hurt, that’s all. I’ll issue the statement, call in a few of the friendly press and if need be I’ll tell them the truth, but I’ll keep a lid on this. We’ll get the word out that the story is pure fiction, I promise you. We’ll do everything we can to keep Gerard safe.”
“We can’t contact them, not even to say we didn’t do this.”
Brian sighed, Frank sounded so helpless.
“No, we can’t,” he agreed. “I’m sorry.”
“Wait!” Frank shouted suddenly into the phone startling their manager and forcing him to pull the receiver away from his ear. “We can! We can contact them! Probably, anyway.”
“How?” Brian asked desperate for any ideas.
“We send a message to Gee’s cell phone! They’ll have taken it from him, won’t they? If it’s switched on, they’ll get it.”
“Frank, you’re a genius!” Frank could almost hear him smiling into the phone. “You may just have saved Gerard’s life!”

*

Gerard opened his eyes, still groggy from the drug, but aware enough to take in his surroundings. He lay on the floor of a dimly lit room. It felt like nothing he had experienced before, and he could only describe it as springy. Looking around, his heart sank as he noticed the cushioned walls of, what he realised, was a padded cell and finally his own situation, bound at the ankles and knees and his arms strapped tightly into a straitjacket.

“You took your time.”
Gerard tilted his head back to see Marty, leaning against the wall behind him smoking; it was only then that he felt the strip of tape over his mouth.
“We found that jacket in the supplies that were left here when they closed the place. They left all kinds of stuff; you’d be surprised. Some electrical equipment too. We’ll give that a go later,” he added with a sadistic grin.

Kneeling at his side, Marty noticed tiny beads of sweat glistening on Gerard’s forehead and laughed.
“Hot in that jacket or scared?” Marty reached out and pushed Gerard’s hair out of his eyes.
With an angry but heavily muffled cry, Gerard rolled backwards out of reach only to be followed. Retreating once more was enough to take him to the cushioned wall.
“Nowhere to run, Gerard.”
Gerard struggled furiously, only succeeding in exhausting himself. His sweat dampened hair stuck to his forehead as he twisted himself out of reach of Marty’s unwelcome hand once more.
From the now open doorway, Kay laughed at Gerard’s expression; a mixture of anxiety and defiance.
“Marty,” she chuckled, “don’t torment the boy.”
Incensed, Gerard turned on his side and kicked back with his bound legs, knocking Marty to the floor. To the harsh peals of laughter emanating from the doorway, Marty pushed himself back upright and grabbing a handful of Gerard’s hair dragged him away from the wall. Turning sharply he aimed a vicious kick to the singer’s side followed by a heavy punch to his abdomen, before reigning blows to his face and neck. Marty’s breathing turned to gasps as he assaulted the helpless singer, finally being dragged away by Kay after noticing that Gerard had long since stopped trying to protect himself.
“He’s unconscious, Marty! Stop it, you’ll kill him!”
“Didn’t we say we would?” he snapped back, breathless and enraged.
“Until we got this,” she replied holding Gerard’s cell phone in her hands. “They swear they didn’t tell the press. They’re desperate to get him back. They’ll do anything, pay anything.”
Getting to his feet, he smiled in return.
“Take a photo, send it back,” he looked down callously at Gerard’s bruised and swollen face. “Tell them the ransom’s just been doubled.”