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It was three thirty. Justin popped the pill in his mouth and took a sip of his water. Where was Dru? The press conference
had probably ended at one...he didn't understand what could have been keeping her so long. Maybe Vivian had taken her to lunch?
It was a good possibility, but if that was the case, then why wouldn't Dru just call and tell him what was going on? He shook
his head. He didn't want to think something was wrong...but he couldn't help it. Dru had never been on an outing like this
without him before. He was worried about her.
His cell phone started to ring as he began to make his way upstairs.
Dru! He answered. "Hello...D?"
"J it's Lonnie."
He sighed. "What's going on? Where are you guys?"
"I'm
on my way home." Lonnie grumbled. "As for Dru...she went off on her own."
He chuckled. He was wise to Lonnie's pranks
by now. "Put her on the phone Lon'."
"I'm serious Justin."
He was. Justin's heart began to race. "What happened?
Did something go wrong? Did the media upset her?"
"No..." He paused. "Wade was there. I saw her leave with him. I tried
to stop her J, but she wasn't going to listen to me." He explained. "Do you want me to..."
"It's okay Lon'," Justin
interrupted. "It's not your problem, it's mine. I'll call you later." He didn't give Lonnie a chance to respond, before he
snapped his phone shut. He leaned against the railing, knowing that this was all his fault. He had been treating her like
garbage lately, and this was his payback. He deserved it. But Wade...he wasn't what he seemed. Dru had probably been sweet
talked by him, and most likely, didn't know what she was in store for. He had to do something. He searched his mind for a
name...any name. Somebody who knew where Wade was currently staying.
Britney...
He groaned. She was the
last person in the world he wanted to call. But he didn't have a choice. He didn't talk to any of Wade's friends...calling
Britney was the only way he was going to find Dru.
He reluctantly pulled his phone back out and dialed the familiar
digits. He trembled. It had been months since he had spoken to her, and even then it had been nothing but a screaming match.
A screaming match regarding who got to keep Cookie, a little black dog that they had purchased together. Lord, he missed that
dog.
"Hello?"
His throat went dry, part of him had been praying that she didn't answer. "Uhh..."
"Hell-lo?"
He could hear the roll of her eyes. "Brit."
There was a long pause. "Justin?"
"Yeah," he got out.
"Are
you callin' me about the damn dog again?" She groaned. "Because I gave him to Jamie Lynn a month ago. There's no way that
I'm..."
"Britney," he interrupted. "It's not about the dog."
"Oh." She sounded amazed. "Then what is it?"
"I
need a favor," he whispered.
"I have a man. What happened to Nadia?"
He chuckled. "You know, you would say that
Brit."
"I've known you since I was dancing in polka dot spandex J," she chuckled. "I know you...you would call me for
a quickie."
He began to smile, but it quickly faded. "I'm not callin' you for that girl."
She laughed. "Wow...no
dog? No booty call? What happened Timbs, somebody kick your ass or somethin?"
"You can stop anytime." He muttered.
She
stopped laughing. "Fine J...tell me what's on your mind then."
"Do you know where Wade is?"
"That's why you're
callin' me?"
"It's important!" He whined. "Dru...I mean...my girlfriend...she went off with him. You're the only one
I could think of to call."
"Dru..." Her voice trailed off. "I remember her...nice girl. How the hell did she end up
with a jerk like you?"
"This was a mistake," he snapped. "I guess I'll just go drive around aimlessly, trying to find
her and hope he doesn't slip something in her drink...or do whatever he does to seduce women."
"J...wait a sec." She
said quickly, before he could hang up.
"What?" He seethed.
"He's staying at The Palace over on Sunset." Her
voice was soft.
He rolled his eyes. "How do I know you're telling me the truth?"
"Because..." She whispered.
"That girl seemed...I dunno...different. She doesn't deserve to get shitted on by Wade. I want you to find her. Go J...go
get her."
He half smiled. "Does this mean we're sort of...friends now?"
She chuckled. "I wouldn't go that far
J...not yet."
"I never meant to hit you Brit...you know..."
"Justin," she cut him off. "We've been through this
more times that I can count. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Our time came and went, and nothing can bring it back.
But you have a chance now Justin...a chance to be a really good guy. Go find your girlfriend...treat her right. Do it for
me."
He heard her hang up. Strange...she seemed so much more mature now. He shrugged. Maybe she had always been mature,
and he had just been too caught up in himself to notice. It was the past...and there was nothing he could do to change the
past. But he could do something about the future...
He ran back down the stairs and out the door.
He was going
to save this relationship.
*****************************
Dru sat back and savored the comforts of Wade's luxurious hotel
room. It was nice, nicer than the hotel back in New York. She smiled, Justin would be pissed if he knew what she was doing.
The thought made the smile on her face grow wider.
Wade had ordered a pizza, and at the moment, was over in the kitchen
area, fixing her a plate.
"Pepperoni or plain?" He asked.
Justin's a big pepperoni eater...won't let anyone
else have any...She shook her head vigorously. Why couldn't she stop thinking about him for just a few minutes? "Plain,"
she got out.
"Cool," Wade smiled. He finished preparing the dishes and quickly made his way over to her, setting the
food down on the coffee table. "You want a coke?"
"Sure," she smiled, watching him rush back to the kitchen.
"So
Dru," he said, popping open a soda can. "What's the deal with you?"
"Deal?" She was confused.
"Well..." He began
to pour the soda into a cup. "You seemed to come out of nowhere. I mean...usually, it takes a pretty intense kinda girl to
grab Justin's attention."
She almost started to laugh. If only he knew just how intense she was. "I guess I'm intense
enough, because we're together." She smiled.
"You know," he said making his way back to her. "Justin isn't the greatest
guy for a sweet girl like you to be getting involved with." He handed her one of the glasses of soda he had prepared. "He's
actually pretty shady."
"Shady? Why?"
He chuckled. "He's cheated on every girl he's ever been with. The guy
is a dog." He picked up his plate and took a bite out of his pizza. "Can't hold together a relationship for the life of him."
Cheated?
She couldn't believe that. Justin didn't seem like the type. But then again...Justin had been with Britney, and it was obvious
that he had done something to hurt her. "What happened with him and Britney?" She blurted out.
Wade raised his eyebrows.
"You really wanna know?"
She nodded.
He sucked in a breath. "From what she told me...he cheated on her...some
bimbo named Nadia." He rolled his eyes. "If I was going to cheat on my girl, it definitely wouldn't be with a woman named
Nadia."
Dru took a long sip of her soda. Nadia...the woman from the store. He had slept with that...bitch? She
wanted to cry. Who was to say he hadn't slept with Nadia recently...cheated on her like he had Britney and probably countless
others? "I know her," she mumbled.
"I would hope so. The woman is his fashion designer." Wade laughed.
Dru raised
her eyebrows. It was yet another fact about her boyfriend that she had no idea about.
"Anyway..." Wade continued.
"She found out, and was so angry that she threatened to tell everything to the press. Justin of course, wouldn't hear of it.
I guess...one thing led to another...and she got him so pissed off that he hit her. No...he didn't hit her...he beat her up."
Wade nodded. "It was a terrible situation for her to be in, because she loved him so much ya know." He paused for a moment.
"They stayed together for two more years...but only so the press wouldn't suspect anything. That's when we started to mess
around...me and Brit," he confessed. "But he couldn't do anything about it, because if he did...she would have told the press
what he had done to her. It was a mess...and I was relieved when he finally decided to end the relationship. I told her to
tell the press what he had done, but she wouldn't. I still don't know why."
She wanted to leave right then. She wanted
to run...to get all her aggressions out of her system. She didn't know Justin. He seemed like a monster to her now. It was
only a matter of time before he would begin to treat her like he had Britney. She stood up, but sat right back down again.
She felt light headed...her legs were like jello. Then the room started to spin... "Wade..." She whispered, not noticing the
pleased expression on his face.
"You okay?" He yawned.
"N-no." She stuttered. "Everything is...turning..." She
felt herself begin to fall...or was she floating? Yes, she must have been floating, because a moment later she found herself
in a different room. She was...on a bed? She couldn't be sure...everything was blurry, and whirling around. It was...the soda.
He must have done something to the soda... "Wade..."
"Shh," he said. "Relax."
She felt her eyes begin to close.
No...open your eyes...Dru...open your eyes! He's taking his clothes off Dru! Taking them off!! She tried to move, to get off
the bed...but she couldn't. Her legs and arms felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. "Wade..." She whimpered. "What's happening?"
She felt her blouse being torn open...her eyelids closed. She felt him crawl on top of her, and forced her eyes open again.
"Wade..." She cried
He kissed her neck. "It's okay Dru."
Moments later, she felt a slight chill. She figured,
she was naked now. Wade was about to have his way with her, as countless others had... "No..." She croaked. "Please..."
He
didn't hear her.
*********************
The Palace was a really nice hotel. Justin had stayed there several times
during his NSYNC days. The service was great, very good about being seen and not heard. When you were a celebrity, there was
nothing to be valued more when you were traveling. Justin parked the Escalade and got out of the car, tossing the keys to
the valet driver. He glanced around him cautiously, looking for any sign of hysterical fans. He knew he was taking a chance
being on the Strip without a bodyguard.
Seeing that the coast was clear, he made his way inside the hotel. He approached
the desk. He recognized the woman behind it...they had called her the "hotel goddess". Joey had slept with her a number of
times. He smiled. "Hi Tanya."
Tanya looked shocked. "Justin...it's been awhile." She nodded. "How are you?"
He
sighed. "A little rushed. You think you could help me out with something?"
"Sure," she smiled. "I owe you one."
"Robson,"
he stated. "I need the room number."
Tanya typed something into her computer. "Five thirteen," she nodded. "You gonna
be alright?"
"Sure," he forced a smile. "Thanks Tanya." He started away from the desk.
"Tell Joey he better
call me." She called after him.
He would have laughed, but he wasn't in the best of moods. He got onto the elevator,
trying to prepare himself for what he was about to do. If Wade had done anything...anything to hurt Dru...he was going to
regret it. He had kicked the little bastards ass before, and he would do it again if he had to. The elevator doors opened
and he walked out into the hallway. 509...510...511...512...513...He stood in front of the door, trying to make out
any sounds of distress. There was nothing. He knocked.
There was no answer. But the knock had startled someone. Justin
heard a soft shuffle of footsteps. Something crashed, broke. Someone hissed out a curse. The footsteps turned to pounding
footfalls.
Then the door was wrenched opened.
"What the fuck do you want?" Wade stood at the threshold, one
steady hand on the doorknob, the other trembling hand combing through his disheveled brown hair. He looked like he had just
rolled out of bed. His cheeks and chin were darkened by stubble, his skin pale except for two spots of redness on either side
of his face. His grey socks had sunk around his ankles. But he was wearing dress shirt. A fancy one. Probably tailor made
by the pimp apparel factory, Justin mused, his steady gaze boring into Wade's glassy eyes.
"I fuckin' asked you
a question." The hand with the tremor made a show of smoothing the bottom of his shirt. The shirt covered most of a Wade's
jockey shorts. The fact that the bulge in his crotch was just starting to sag was not lost on Justin.
"Looks like Mr.
Johnson is a tad bit disappointed"
"Huh?" Wade's eyes followed Justin's gaze down, staring at his own crotch before
abruptly meeting the blond man's gaze again.
"Having a party, Wade?" Justin took a step forward, his gaze drifting
over Wade's shoulder.
"What's it to you?"
"Looks like you've had some excitement in your life."
"It's
none of your business what I do."
Justin clicked his tongue and shook his head in mock dismay. "Where are your manners,
boy? You shouldn't let your guest just stand here in the hallway. You never know who might mosey by. Security guards, hotel
management..." Justin smirked. "Is everything alright, sir? they'll ask. All they'll have to do is take a look at your knobby
knees and your sagging Johnson and they'll know something's up." He snickered. "When I file the police report..."
"P-police?'
"Excuse
me, I believe I was speaking," he snapped. "Those security guards and hotel management folks will make great material witnesses
when we take it to court."
Wade's jaw dropped. "For what...?"
"Who knows?" Justin pressed the flat of his palm
against Wade's chest. "Why don't we find out together?" He pushed hard and Wade fell back against the door. His head hit the
wood with a thud and he groaned, sliding down to the floor.
"Now," Justin began, looming over his pathetic enemy. "Where
is she?"
"Where's who?" Wade replied, rubbing his head.
"Short term memory eh?" Justin positioned his foot on
top of Wade's package. "No prob...I bet good ol' Johnson will have the answer." He snickered, beginning to apply more pressure
to Wade's groinal area.
"Man...please..." Wade whined. "Come on man!"
"Tell me where Dru is." He commanded.
"While you still have balls."
"B-bedroom..." Wade stuttered. "B-bed...r-room."
Justin nodded, an amused gleam
in his eyes. "Good boy," he kicked Wade in the stomach before stepping over him, grinning at the gut wrenching yowl that was
let out as he did so. In a way this was revenge for him. He was getting the b@stard back for the two years of pain he had
put him through.
But Dru...
What had Wade done to her?
He got his answer moments later, as he ventured
into the bedroom. Dru was laid out on the bed, her clothes half off. She was out cold...most likely drugged by Wade. "Dru..."
he whispered, rushing to her side. When she didn't answer, he shook her a little. "Dru, can you hear me?"
"Danny..."
She mumbled, not opening her eyes.
His brow furrowed. Danny? Who the hell was Danny? "D...it's me..it's Justin," he
told her. "Please wake up D."
After a moment, her eyes opened a crack. "Justin?"
He nodded, letting out a relieved
sigh. "You alright D?"
"I want ice cream." She sighed, before closing her eyes again.
Justin almost laughed...almost.
But the reality of the situation prevented him from doing so. This was bad...horrible...tragic. Dru had grown so much in the
few weeks he had known her, she had become so much stronger...wiser. Now, because of Wade, she would probably sink back to
the level she had been at the first time he had met her. She was going to have to rebuild her confidence all over again...and
that would take time. Time that neither of them had.
With the tour looming before them...and an important video shoot
coming up in the next few days...Justin didn't know what in the world he was going to do. He needed Dru to be strong for his
plan to work like it was supposed to.
"Justin...I don't like it here..." Dru spoke up again. "Can we go home?"
He
kissed her cheek. "We'll be home soon baby. I just gotta take care of somethin'." Of course he wasn't about to tell her, but
the "somethin'" he was about to take care of was the miserable excuse for a human being that was sprawled out on the living
room floor. Yes, it was all Wade's fault. He started for the door.
"Don't leave Justin," Dru croaked. "He might come
back..."
Obviously, Dru was beginning to remember what had happened to her. The effect the drugs had on her were beginning
to wear off. He sighed, maybe kicking the crap out of Wade was only going to make things worse. "He's never coming near you
again," Justin reassured her. "Never."
"Don't leave!" She cried, reaching out for him. "Justin..."
He rushed
back over to her, before she lost it. "I'm right here D," he squeezed her hand. "Right here."
"Home," she cooed. "Let's
go home."
He kissed her forehead. "All right Dru," he whispered. "Let's go home."
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