by Saba Kapur
“Gia!” I heard Jack call out my name.
“WHAT!” I practically shrieked with irritation, stopping and looking over my shoulder.
Jack was arguing with two burly men who I guessed were security guards. “This is getting a little ridiculous!” he was saying, “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you guys. Ask her yourself, she’s standing right there! Gia!”
Jack motioned toward the guards, as if asking me to corroborate his authorization to be backstage. I watched this unfold thoughtfully. If Jack really was on Dr. D’s team then it was probably best that the guards throw him out. If he wasn’t, well then he was still an asshole. Even more reason to throw him out.
I gave a nonchalant shrug and turned my back to him, almost immediately colliding with a guy dressed in the black backstage crew uniform. He was wearing a baseball cap that was sitting a little too low on his head as it shadowed his eyes, with a headset and microphone resting around his neck. Jet black hair peeked through the sides of his cap. He looked a little familiar, but I couldn’t be too sure if I really knew him. Behind me I could hear Jack’s angry yells growing further away. They were probably leading him to an exit.
“Oh my gosh!” I cried, putting a hand over my heart. “You scared me.”
The crewmember didn’t apologize. Instead, he held up my phone and said, “Is this yours?”
“Yes!” I sighed in relief, clutching the phone to my chest. “I was looking for this. Thank you so much!”
Finally. Something that was going right in my life. The young guy nodded and gave a half-assed smile, walking away without another word. Carol clearly had everyone on high stress mode. I had barely unlocked my phone when I heard the same voice speak again from behind me.
“Uh, Gia?”
“Yeah?”
I turned to face him, looking at him expectantly. I had definitely seen him before, but where? He seemed a little nervous, almost reluctant to be speaking to me.
“I’m really sorry about this,” he said.
And then everything went black.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Red. It’s all I could see when my eyes finally fluttered open, as if the sky had been painted in the color. At first, when I snapped back into consciousness, I was scared it might have been blood, but there were gold lanterns dangling above my head, which didn’t make any sense. Where was I? Wasn’t I meant to be at the Golden Globes, or did that already happen? It was definitely night time; everything else besides the lanterns was dark. But what day was it?
And then suddenly everything came screeching back. The red carpet, my fight with Jack, the mystery guy in the baseball cap and the overwhelming sensation of being suffocated. I straightened my head so I could get a better understanding of where I was, even though it was still spinning and I was partially seeing double.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” I heard a man’s voice say, and I turned my head in the direction of the sound, still groggy from whatever had happened to me.
“Where am I?” I croaked.
I tried to move the hair falling onto my face from my loosened bun, but found that I was unable to lift my hands. I forced my eyes to widen long enough to realize I was sitting on a chair with my hands tied together behind my back. I tried to move my feet, but the same thing had been done to stop me from running away. My gown was still on me, its fabric covering my legs so I couldn’t see my feet. It was still in fairly good condition, although it looked dirty now, and some of the netting had been torn.
“Gia Winters,” the man said, coming into view from behind the shadows. “Pleasure to finally meet you.”
It took me no more than two seconds to figure out who the mystery man was. Frank Parker. He didn’t look much older than my dad, but his face showed weariness and exhaustion. Frank Parker was definitely a man who would have had Hollywood good looks back in the day, but now the stress of his life was painted across his face. He was fairly tall, and was dressed in creased blue jeans, a white shirt and the same leather jacket he had worn at the Coco Club. His brown hair had traces of grey in it, and his smile seemed friendly. If I had run into him at the grocery store, I would never have been able to tell he was capable of kidnapping.
“Frank Parker.” I said. “Dr. D.”
“The one and only,” he replied. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
I scanned my surroundings. The chair I was tied to seemed to be in the middle of a deserted street. There were shops on either side of me, all labeled in Chinese characters, but every one of them was closed. There must have been a hundred lanterns woven through string above my head, lighting up the otherwise dim street. The sidewalks were empty and unusually clean. There was no sign of life around. No one to help me out.
“Are we in China?” I asked, my voice feeling hoarse.
Frank gave me a pleased look and said, “Close enough. I’m glad the set managed to convince you.”
I turned my attention back to him. “Set?”
“Gia, we’re on a film set. Welcome to Universal Studios.”
Suddenly everything clicked into place, and I saw things as they really were. Of course the street was deserted. None of it was real! The shops began to look like paintings and the sidewalk completely fake. The ceiling may have been shining with golden lights, but it wasn’t a real parade. I was in a movie.
I looked down at the chair I was sitting on and felt the strings that were wrapped around my feet and hands dig into my skin roughly. I tugged on them desperately, but they only scratched my skin harder. My heels were still on my feet, which felt like they were about to fall off, and the hair continued to tumble down my face.
“The Golden Globes?” I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.
“Happening as we speak,” Frank replied, pacing around in front of me.
“Listen . . .” I struggled to find the right thing to call Frank. “Mr. Parker . . . Sir. I’m really sorry about everything that happened to you. But kidnapping me isn’t going to solve anything! I swear if you let me go, I won’t press charges.”
Yeah right. I was going to go straight to Milo and the Feds and not looking back for one second.
“How noble of you,” Frank said, feigning appreciation. “But I think I’ll stick to my plan for now.”
I heard footsteps come from my right, and the guy from backstage appeared from the shadows. This time I had a pretty good idea of how he fit into the puzzle. He was the waiter at the Dumpling Hospital. He was the karate kid from the UCLA party. Ao Jie Kai. My gaze cut into him, intensely watching the almost helpless look on his face. He was trying to keep his eyes ahead of him, but every few seconds he would glance at me tied to the chair. Oh, so now you’re sorry for helping a crazy guy kidnap me? Thanks. A fat lot of help your apology will do now.
“Ah,” Frank said, patting AJ on the back. “I see you’ve recognized my right-hand man.”
“How did you even get me here?” I asked, my voice threatening to give way to tears.
“Through a lot of careful planning, and this guy,” Frank replied, proudly looking at AJ.
“You drugged me,” I said, helplessly tugging on the ropes once more.
“Uh, kind of,” AJ mumbled, staring at his feet.
“You see,” Frank began, “AJ here managed to slip backstage through the hustle and bustle. Everyone was so fixated on the award ceremony going smoothly no one would notice the people in the black uniforms. Then, when you had your little tiff with that bodyguard of yours, AJ called security and had him thrown out. All we needed was a little distraction to keep him busy while we dealt with you.”
“Yes, but how did I end up here? Someone must have noticed you drugging me in the middle of a crowd!”
“That’s the best part, Gia!” Frank exclaimed, clapping his hands together in excitement. “It was all about the timing. You turned, he chloroformed, you collapsed and
he told everyone that you had fainted due to the pressure of the awards. Besides, everyone had seen your fight with the bodyguard and how upset you were. It was such an honor to be named Miss Golden Globe. Everyone could understand the stress that came with it.”
Chloroform? This kind of stuff didn’t happen in real life. There was no way Frank’s story was true, yet the evidence was damning. I was strapped to a chair in a dimly lit warehouse with nobody to help me. I wasn’t sure if that was terrifying or impressive.
“So then . . .” I began, playing the scenario out in my head.
“So then the kind helper volunteered to help you out, get you some fresh air and some water before you went on stage. After that it was just a matter of sneaking you out of the nearest backdoor emergency exit. And here we are.”
Staring up at Frank Parker’s almost manic smile had made something very clear: he was a total nut job. And quite possibly a genius. That plan had so many opportunities to go wrong, and yet he had managed to pull it off. He had managed to snatch me up in front of a room full of people, and get away without being caught.
I opened my mouth to plead with him once more, but the muffled sound of my ringtone stopped me. Frank pulled out my phone from his jacket pocket and smiled at the screen.
“Oh look, it’s Blondie!” he said, holding the phone to show me. The screen told me it was Jack calling. “This must be call number twenty four. That’s three more times than that cop. Makes you wonder what that means.”
I had no idea how long it had been since I had been gone, but at least people were out looking for me. It was no use if I knew where I was if I couldn’t tell them. All I needed was a few seconds with Jack to yell out our location, and that was it.
“Please let me talk to him!” I cried over the sound of the ringing.
Dr. D ignored me and answered, looking at Ao Jie Kai. He cocked his head toward me and AJ walked over to my chair, putting a hand aggressively over my mouth.
“Gia’s phone!” Frank chirped in a singsong voice. I shook my head from side to side desperately, and AJ’s grip hardened. “I’m sorry, she can’t come to the phone right now. She’s a little . . .” Frank paused, taking a moment to smile at me. “Tied up.”
I’m not sure what was more painful; being tied to a chair or having to listen to Frank’s lame joke. I bit AJ’s finger as hard as I could, causing him to sharply remove it from my mouth and yelp out in pain.
“JACK, WE’RE AT—” I screamed as loud as I could, and AJ immediately pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around my mouth, between my parted lips.
Frank shot AJ a look that read get it together and turned his attention back to Jack on the phone. Tears were streaming down my cheek and I sobbed into the handkerchief. It tasted foul, its fabric brushing against my tongue roughly. The ropes on my feet and hands were cutting into my skin with every second that passed, and there was nothing I could do to about it.
“You have half an hour to bring me five million dollars at Universal Studios. And for every minute you’re late, I cut off one of her fingers. Does that sound fair?”
Oh. HELL. No. I needed my fingers, big time. What the hell was Milo going to do if he ever decided to propose? I wasn’t going to wear the ring on a necklace like some girl whose flaky fiancé couldn’t commit to a wedding date. Plus I had just gotten my nails done, so that would have been a complete waste of time. I tried to scream, but it was muted by the handkerchief. I wriggled harder in my chair. It was almost as useless as just asking Frank to kindly let me go. If I only I had practiced telepathy with Jack before I got kidnapped. All my life’s problems might have been solved.
“Oh, you’re smart. You can work that out for yourself,” Frank was saying into the phone.
I had no idea what Jack had asked him, but I knew he wouldn’t be happy with his reply. Frank thrust the phone to my ear and pulled the handkerchief down roughly.
“He wants to make sure you’re alive,” Frank told me, in an almost bored voice.
“Jack, please!” My sobbing was practically hysterical now.
“Gia! Oh my God! Are you alright? Of course you’re not alright, what am I saying?” Jack was yelling into the phone. His voice was frantic, as if he couldn’t get his thoughts in order. “Don’t worry! I’m coming. We’re going to get you out of there and we’re going to—”
The phone and Jack’s voice were yanked away from me, as Dr. D placed the phone back to his ear and replaced the handkerchief over my mouth.
“No police. Just you and Harry. You’ve now got twenty-eight minutes. Tick tock,” he said, and cut the phone abruptly. “For your sake,” Frank said, putting my phone in his jeans pocket. “I hope your boyfriend’s punctual.”
I rested my back against the chair again, wriggling my wrists around and trying to loosen the strings with no luck. I tried to steady myself but I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t care that Frank was pacing in front of me, looking completely disinterested in my pain. I cried because I was helpless. I cried because I wanted to go home. I cried because I had been immature and spiteful, and maybe Jack could have stopped this if I had been smarter. I cried because I was completely alone and absolutely terrified. But crying wasn’t going to get me out of there alive. So when I had given myself enough time for self-pity, I concentrated on composing myself as best as I could so I could review my options.
I sniffled, shaking the tears off my cheeks. Through my blurred vision, it looked like there might have been a door in the far corner of the room. I couldn’t tell for sure because it was mostly hidden by a large, red dragon; the kind used in Chinese parades which needs people to make up its body within the long fabric. If I could somehow get myself off this chair, I might be able to make it to the door and out of the studio. It was a long shot, but I had less than half an hour to try to save myself.
“You can go,” Dr. D told Ao Jie Kai, who was standing behind my chair, out of sight. “But I may need you later.”
I heard footsteps walk away into the distance, and forced myself to concentrate. AJ was clearly going somewhere, which meant there was another possible exit route behind me.
“You know, it’s pretty lucky you got chosen to do that thing at the Golden Globes,” Frank said, and I stared at him, concentrating on keeping my breathing steady. “I was going to go through with the plan with or without the whole fancy title, but I guess life throws you a bone once in a while.”
I stared at Frank silently. I couldn’t reply even if I wanted to. Not with the stupid cloth in my mouth. Clearly Frank had chosen it as a symbolic date, and had gotten lucky with me being crowned Miss Golden Globe. He was right. Sometimes luck does change. Sometimes it’s not for the best.
“I’m bored,” Frank continued, giving a small sigh. Now that I had stopped crying, he had run out of entertainment. “We’ve got all this time, and there really isn’t much to do on a half completed film set.”
I looked at Frank in disbelief. How could he just sit less than a few feet away from me and tell me he was bored, while I furiously tried to untie myself? I wriggled my hands once more, but the rope wasn’t budging. Frank looked at me thoughtfully, as if contemplating something in his mind. He finally leaned over and removed the cloth from my mouth.
“Please!” I begged, the moment I could move my lips freely. “If it’s money you want, then we have plenty! A lot more than five million. Just please let me go!”
“Easy there, kid,” he replied with a scoff. “I only took that out of your mouth so you could actually reply when I said something, and it didn’t feel like I was talking to a wall. The begging isn’t going to help.”
If begging wouldn’t work, then I would try reasoning. Either way, I wouldn’t stop trying.
“I get it,” I said slowly, carefully choosing my words. The tears on my cheeks were beginning to dry. “I understand why you’re angry. You’ve had a crap life that you didn�
��t deserve, while my dad got super lucky. Bu—”
Frank gave a humorless laugh and said, “Lucky? Winning the lottery is lucky, Gia. No, this wasn’t luck. Your father took my big break from me. He stole my life from me and claimed it as his own.”
“You must have made a mistake! My dad would never do that to someone. Especially someone who was his best friend!”
“Why,” Frank demanded, looking at me with cold hatred in his eyes. “Do you think I felt so betrayed? I was his best friend. He was like my brother! Why do you think it hurt so much, huh?”
I didn’t answer. There was no way my dad would do that to someone. Yes, we didn’t always get along. Yes, things had been the rockiest recently given all his secret keeping, and mine too, to be fair. But there was no way Dad was capable of what Frank thought he had done to him all those years ago. Frank blinked and suddenly his friendly smile reappeared, as if he had flicked a switch in his brain. I yanked on my ropes one more time, not expecting anything to come of it. Sure enough, they remained tightly wrapped around my wrists and ankles.
“Well, can I ask you a question?” I said, not giving him time to respond before continuing. “What are you going to do with the five million? I mean, how is it going to fix everything?”
“Ah!” Frank said, as if he were conducting a magic trick. “I’m glad you asked. I’m going to add it to my movie fund.”
“Movie fund?”
“Gia, I didn’t bring you to this set randomly. Everything I’m doing, everything I’ve done has had a purpose.”
