In all the years the boys had dealings with Jive records. The amount of times they had been to this building for meetings and interviews and even fights with attorneys present. This was the first time that Howie could remember coming here three times in two days. It almost embarrassed him a little. Especially when it came to Jessica. He was sure she would think he was stalking her or something.
Nick fidgeting brought his gaze back towards the blonde. AJ it was easy to get rid of, all he had to do was tell him to go back to his room, this one on the other hand, would have followed him. He had learned that the hard way once when they had first started. Kevin and Howie had frantically been searching for a missing thirteen year old who took it upon himself to follow the older men out on one of their excursions. Finally he had turned up at a police station, having the common sense to walk in and say how lost he was. After that, all the boys were careful to make sure that Nick stayed where he was told to stay. Even though he was seventeen, he still tended to think like that thirteen year old from time to time.
"So, why are we going back to Jive?" He asked resting his head on the basketball which he had strategically placed on the window as a bouncy pillow.
"I don't really know. I just think Jessie can answer my questions"
"And what questions are they?"
"I don't know exactly" That made Nick laugh, "D, you better stick to singing because detective work doesn't suit you so well"
"I just think that whatever the heck is going on, Jessica is behind it some way. Not directly as a bad guy.."
"Oooh I love bad girls" Nick wasn't taking this seriously at all. "Oh holy crap!" Howie exclaimed placing his hand to his head, "We forgot to tell Dave where we were going again"
"Ooops" Nick cringed, not looking forward to a long lecture from the security man.
"Maybe Rok and AJ will cover for us"
"I hope so, otherwise this is all your fault Howie" Nick smirked.
This time around, the offices seemed dead. How quickly things could go from flat out busy to almost stagnant. The two boys walked over to the main desk where one of the other receptionists was sitting reading a book. Nick's ball bouncing had her look up, "Oh my goodness" She said smiling, "Back again?"
Howie nodded, "And I see you brought in reinforcements this time" She said winking at Nick who actually blushed. The kid was such a push over.
"I'm looking for Jessica, is she around?" The woman's happy face took a sudden turn, "Oh...no I'm sorry Howie, she just left"
"To go to lunch or for the day?" Howie had hoped it wasn't the latter.
"Permanently"
"She quit?" He asked a little louder then he had intended to. This made the receptionist tense and she stood up motioning for him to come closer, "Between you and me Howie, I think she may have been fired. She was called into Fink's office and then about a half hour later, she came out crying. I asked her what happened and she wouldn't answer me, just took a box, threw her pictures and everything in there and took off" Howie was shocked, this was so strange. He had a hard time grasping the situation.
"How long ago? I mean it couldn't have been that long ago. I just saw her"
"It hasn't, actually maybe twenty minutes or so"
"Wait a minute, I thought Fink was out of town on business. Isn't that why he canceled all of our appointments?" Nick asked now joining Howie over at the desk. He gave Nick credit. That was a good point.
"Shhh, keep your voice down or else I will get fired too, but yeah, he is actually here. Has been all day but he has also been busy in meetings so he probably wanted us to let all of his clients know he was out of town to avoid calls maybe"
"Maybe" Howie said shrugging. Then behind her, he spotted the form of Jessica standing there and watching him talking, he glanced over her way as she slunk back behind the cover of a big cherry wood door.
"Excuse me a minute"
"Sure thing" The receptionist said picking up her book and letting it carry her away. He looked over at Nick, "Go sit and don't move!" The tone in his voice made Nick just roll his eyes and bounce his ball to the waiting area. Content to see Nick sitting in his own little world staring out the window and bouncing his basketball, he turned his attention back to the room where Jessica was hiding. He had hoped that she was still there by the time he got over to her.
Happily she was.
He walked into the small office and once he did she whispered, "Close the door"
He did as he was told and she walked over and locked it. She looked awful. Her eyes swollen from crying and her face pale. This was definitely not the happy and joking Jessica he had seen only an hour or so ago, well before he had inquired about that blonde.
"Why are you back?" She asked sitting down and hugging her box of belongings to her, like a shield of protection.
"I don't know exactly, I think I have questions"
"You think?" She laughed, never raising her voice louder then a whisper.
"Were you fired Jessica?"
"Howie, you need to just leave things alone" She started to bite her bottom lip nervously.
"Leave what alone?"
"Everything. Trust me okay?"
"I don't understand, what am I supposed to leave alone?"
"For one stop asking questions about everything"
"I only asked about that blonde"
"Forget about him"
"So you do know who I'm talking about then!"
"Howie, you have to forget about him, forget about this conversation, and forget you know me"
"Why?"
"Just do it or you will end up getting hurt" There was that threat again, but then she continued, "Or someone you know will"
"Jess, I don't understand...Should I call the police? Is your life in danger?"
"Howie, no! No police...look, I have to go, just promise me you'll stop!" She stood up and tried her best to fix her hair by brushing her fingers through it.
"Just tell me if he's dead Jessica I want to know"
"Bye Howie" She said walking out the back door of the room, closing the light on her way out and leaving Howie even more confused then he was before.
What the hell was THAT all about?
He sat there in the dark trying to process all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. First there was the crying Nick double who was standing on a ledge of this office building, which no one happened to know anything about, then there was Jessica arguing with this guy who she then swore she didn't know. Then Bolten losing his job now Jessica losing hers. It seemed like anyone the boy came in contact with either disappeared or got fired.
What the hell was going on?
He sighed and headed back towards the main lobby to pick up Nick and head back to the hotel where he was sure they would catch hell from Dave. He stopped by the desk and smiled at the woman who was still busy reading her book, "thanks" He said winking at her, "Your welcome doll" He then walked towards the waiting area, stopping dead when he saw nothing but the ball that Nick had been bouncing laying in the middle of the floor.
No Nick anywhere in sight.
He frantically walked back over to the desk, "Excuse me, did you see where Nick went?" She looked up from her book, "No, I didn't even know he was gone.
"Maybe he went to the bathroom?" He didn't mean to sound alarmed but Jessica had him spooked, and it was unlike Nick to leave a basketball in the middle of a business lobby. His room yes, not here though.
"Maybe"
He found himself running towards the restroom and crashing through the door. "Nicky are you in here?"
When there was no answer he walked up and down the stalls to check for feet. "Nick?"
He walked out of the room in a near panic and back towards the receptionist who was no longer sitting at her desk. The ball was still in the middle of the floor. He went to go grab it, not knowing what the hell to do next, then his cell phone rang again...
