Chapter 17

Bron flew into action.  "Mare they went to interviews, what stations?" she asked her. 

"I don't know," she answered. 

"Baloney Mare, I know A.J. would have told you, now where?" she demanded. 

Mary huffed out the stations.  Bron ran to the radio and punched the buttons until she heard the boys, "Good," she murmured.  "Mary what time are they breaking for lunch?" 

"I don't know," Mary whined. 

"Bullshit tell me!  I can't leave this floor until I know.  My timing can't be off, Mc is not far from Kevin, they're up to something and you know it.  I’m leaving Mary they can’t keep me here."  She eyed Mary.

Mary glanced at her watch it was 12:00.  Thinking to herself Alex said around 12:15, but she also knew that the interviews were downstairs in the ballroom and not at the stations like Bron thought.  She had to stall her for 15 minutes.  Mary threw her hands in the air "God!  12:30 Okay," she heaved out.  Inwardly she was praying to God for forgiveness, not for her lying but for her friend’s forgiveness afterwards.  Mary didn't know how this was going to play out but hopefully in the end Bron would forgive her.

"I love you Mare!  Jake you have a half to get Bounce's shit together, get moving," Bron exclaimed with glee.  Bron was getting giddy she was going home. 

Jake took off and Bron hit the bedroom to pack her stuff.  Bron couldn't figure out how the hell all her stuff got up here anyway.  Mary turned to Gillian and Amy, who had never said a word.  They both looked solemnly at Mary.  Gillian leaned forward, "You're doing the right thing." 

Mary's misty eyes met theirs, "I hope so.  She thinks the interviews are at the station."

Amy and Gillian looked at her, "We know."

Twenty-five minutes passed quickly as Bron bolted around grabbing her things.  She asked them three times to help her but they refused.  "Fine!" she told them with a haughty attitude. 

"Ya ready babe?"  Jake asked standing in the doorway. 

"Yeah, almost," she said as she walked up to her friends, hugged them and started to cry.  "Thank you, I'll keep in touch I promise, check the website.  I have to get to Bounce and Jake will help me do that.  I know this seems crazy toyou guys and I really can’t explain it to you right now."

Jake grabbed her duffel and walked out the door.  Bron followed closing the door behind her.

Mary dashed to the phone and punched numbers wildly.  She slammed the phone down furiously.  Amy slid the door open and was watching the hallway, "They're not even half way down yet." 

Mary picked up the phone again and repeated the process.  Mary looked at Amy, "I hope we're doing the right thing, she may hate us forever." 

Amy looked at her, "We are, she’s just mad.  Come on Mare, how would you react if Mc took your kid from you," she whispered back.

Downstairs the fellas were having lunch catching up on their escapades and conquests over the last few days.  Kevin felt his phone go off in his pocket forgetting that he had turned the ringer off for the interviews.  Flipping it open he looked at it, text message, he mumbled, that's weird.  Clicking the button, he read it, "Leaving."

He dropped his sandwich and flew out the door almost flattening Mc. "Did you get a message?"  Mc gulped. 

"Yes!"  Kevin exclaimed.

Mc looked at Kevin, "I'll take the stairs."  Kevin was already banging the buttons on the panel of the elevator, "Dammit come on!"

The guys were watching everything from behind the glass door.  "Interesting," Brian laughed. 

"What do you thinks going on?"  Nick asked him.  Brian looked at him, quacked out in his duck voice, "I'd say Bron's flying the coop."  They all laughed at him.

Jake and Bron were waiting for the elevator.  "Dammit Jake, what is taking so freaking long," she was starting to get alarmed. 

"How the hell do I know?" he answered.  They watched the panel lights three floors away it stopped,  "Let's take the stairs Jake!" she begged him. 

"You can't take the stairs with those damn boots you wear and all this stuff," he grunted.

They heard the stairwell door open.  Bron started to panic and bang on the panel, "Dammit!" almost crying.

Ding the bell rang, the door was only half open and she went charging into the elevator.  She felt herself bounce off something and nearly fell on her ass.  She steadied herself, picked her head up and gasped, "OH SHIT!"

"Hi darlin', going somewhere?" she heard in a deep drawl.  Quickly she closed her eyes, she didn't want to look.  "Dammit to hell," she cursed under her breath.  Slowly Bron opened her eyes and he was right there.  She looked at his face and there was no mistaking the serious anger and intent.  Man he is pissed she thought to herself. 

Bron started to walk backwards out of the elevator as he moved with her.  He matched her step for step.  Her legs were starting to tremble.  Inside she could hear her innerself talking to her.  He's doing it again; he's scaring me on purpose.  He likes to do that to me.  I'm not afraid of him; I'm not.  He can't tell me what to do.  I'm an adult; hell I'm older than him.  He can't treat me this way.  You're not furniture Bron stand up to him. 

On her fourth step backwards she backed into something; she knew damn well it wasn't Jake either.  Nobody was talking, just glaring.  Closing her eyes, Bron thought well I'm not going forward that's for sure.  If I could get up enough steam backwards could be an option; but where the hell am I going to go.  Think Bron think. 

She felt Mc walk way from behind her.  The deep voice came back to her ear as the elevator closed and left.  Her heart sank.  "We can do this the sweet way or the nasty way, your choice," Kevin whispered furiously to her.

Bron opened her eyes to look at Kevin; he wasn't a millimeter from her face.  Those dreamy green eyes weren't so dreamy anymore.  They were a deep emerald green and frightened the hell out of her.

She turned on her heel towards the suite.  Suddenly she felt a hand clamp down so tightly on her collarbone she thought she would drop to the floor from the pain. 

"Good Girl," he whispered.

Hearing that, Bron went in to a panic as they walked closer to the suite.  It increased the closer they got to the door.  They reached the doorway and he shoved her through it with so much force she almost fell.

She glanced around the room.  Jake was getting chewed out by Mc as he sat in the chair where Mc had shoved him.  Her three friends were sitting on the couch scared to death. 

Bron quietly walked to Mary, "You bitch, you set me up."  She felt sudden pain on the back of her neck.  Oh God, that hurts she screamed internally.  She knew who it was by the size of his hand and that fact that Mc and Jake hadn't moved. 

"You don't talk to people like that who have just saved your life.  Do you understand me?" he growled in her ear.

She refused to answer and the grip got tighter.  "Yes," she whimpered. 

"That freak is somewhere in this hotel and Mc can't find him," Kevin spoke from behind her.

Bron started to cry and looked at her friends, "I'm sorry."

Kevin strode to Jake still holding Bron by the back of her neck dragging her with him.

"Do you understand what you just did?" he asked Jake in a venomous voice.  Jake nodded yes, as he looked at Kevin remorsefully. 

Kevin looked at Mc enraged, "Fire him!"

"What!"  Mc exclaimed. 

"Fire him, if he can't do the job I want him fired!"  Kevin demanded. 

"Mc don't we're friends," Jake begged.

Bron looked at Mc, "Mc, please don't, I talked him into it."  Bron felt the pressure return to her neck and figured it would be best to be silent.  She glanced at Kevin and he at her.  Her heart went to her stomach and her lips began to tremble. 

"You're fired Jake!" came from Mc.

"Come on give me a break it won't happen again, I promise."  Jake looked at Bron heartbroken. 

Jake stood up and reached for Bron but Kevin jerked her away.  "Ow! You're hurting me," she whimpered. 

As Jake reached the door to leave, Kevin spoke.  "Hey Jake I heard you lost your job, are you looking for work?"

Totally pissed, Jake spun around.

"I said, are you looking for work?" he repeated.  I need him, I really need him, but he needs to understand that smartass here isn’t waltzing out whenever she feels like it.

Jake's eyes narrowed as he looked at Kevin, "Okay Kev!  Yes I'm looking for work," he replied in a grating voice.

"Fine I'll double the salary of your last job," Kevin smiled at him. 

"What the hell are you talking about?"  Jake was bowled over by that comment.

Kevin raised his eyebrows and smiled mischievously, "I have a problem with a small package that I keep losing.  It's spoiled and has a temper.  It's use to getting it's own way, and is very disobedient.  It was given to me as a GIFT and I plan on keeping it.  I like it!"  Kevin paused smirking at Jake and Mc knowing that Bron was going to go nuts any second now as he held her out to his side.  Last night really got to her when Mc entrusted him to keep her safe.  Bron didn’t like possessives, I like possessives, he internalized.  "Do you think you can handle it?" he asked him.

Bron started to go off and she opened her mouth.  The minute she did the pressure tightened even more and she closed her mouth. 

"Yeah, I think so," Jake chuckled. 

"You now answer to me and only me, am I clear?"  Kevin spoke to him.

Jake nodded yes.  

Kevin continued, "There will be no sweet talking and you better do your damn job this time!" he commanded him. 

"Okay Boss!"  Jake smiled.

Bron heard the girls gasp.  She was a shocked as they were that Jake would change his loyalty so quickly based on money.  Now she was enraged at all three of them. 

"Fucker," Bron murmured towards Kevin as best she could.

That was it she was being dragged by her neck to the bedroom by Kevin.  Once inside he slammed the door shut, and let her go.

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