�What!?� Justin, Joey, Lance, and JC all screamed at the same time. Chris had been very blunt about Chloe coming on tour, and it didn�t look like there was any room for argument. Chris nodded and motioned towards the �stage�.
�Look at it, it�s a piece of crap. She deserves better. She could come out and play during the concert. It would be great!� Chris insisted. Lance and JC both looked a little skeptical. Justin and Joey, however, nodded.
�It would be cool, but what about Johnny?�
�And Chloe? She has to have a say in it.� Lance brought up the girl in question. They all nodded.
�We can go ask her after the show.� Joey confirmed. The guys nodded just as the lights began to dim and Chloe stepped out. They applauded, and Joey whistled. She gave a brief introduction before she began to play.
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The concert had been going on for a half hour, and she was just finishing up her last song. Chris watched her, mesmerized not only by the sound, but by her. Her hair was pulled up into a neat bun at the top of her head, a few pieces escaped and were framing her face. She swayed slightly as she played, her eyes glued to the piece of music before her.
�She�s good. Real good.� JC pointed out as she finished off her last piece. The guys nodded and stood, clapping and whistling. Chris could see a faint blush tint her cheeks and he grinned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall man dressed in all black stand and make his way behind the curtain. He shrugged it off and turned back to the guys.
�I�m gonna go ask her now.�
�Yo, Chris, we didn�t even ask Johnny yet.�
�Yea, but she needs to know before we ask Johnny. It�s only fair. It�s her life.� Chris reasoned. The guys nodded and Justin stood, stretching his arms above his head.
�I�ll come too.� He said as he followed Chris towards the back. The others nodded and agreed to wait for them to return.
�Dude, you think she�ll do it?� Justin turned to the older man. Chris nodded as they continued their walk.
�I think she will. She always wanted to perform in arenas and stuff like that, so why not?�
�Stop it!�
Chris� eyes widened as he heard Chloe cry out. Chris began sprinting, with Justin following soon after.
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Chloe wiped the sweat off her brow as she disappeared behind the curtain the restaurant had provided and into her room. She carefully slipped her violin in its� case and loosened the bow before putting that in too. After she finished, she pulled her hair out of her bun and ran her hands through it.
�Hello, Chloe.�
Chloe spun around and came face to face with a man dressed in black with a cap pulled over his face. She raised an eyebrow and slowly backed away.
�Who let you back here?�
�No one.� He took a few steps forward, trapping Chloe in the corner. She felt her heart leap to her throat and her hands began to shake.
�Y-you can�t be back here�I-it�s not aloud.� She stuttered. Where was Mike? Didn�t he say that no one would get past security? The man deliberately adjusted his cap so Chloe could get a brief glance at her features. Almost immediately, Chloe froze. Her whole body shook and her complexion became a sickly shade of white. Her eyes were filled with fear. Pure fear.
�Y-you!?� She squeaked and pressed herself against the wall. Her breathing came out in short gasps. He smirked and nodded.
�Nice to see you too, Chloe.� He replied, gently running a finger down her cheek. She slapped at him.
�Stop it!� She screamed, praying someone would hear her. The man scowled and backhanded her across the cheek. She whimpered and hid her face from him.
�Bitch, do you want someone to know I�m back here!?� He hissed angrily, placing his hands roughly on her shoulders.
�Please stop.� She whispered hoarsely. She couldn�t deal with him again. Not after all the pain and abuse he had put her through. Not after he threatened to kill her.
�Chloe!?�
Chloe�s head shot up as she heard a voice draw nearer. Her heart leapt with hope. She watched the doorway as Chris and Justin skidded to a stop in the room. Chloe�s eyes filled with tears of relief. Surely they wouldn�t let him do anything to her.
�Hey, who are you?� Justin watched the guy carefully. The man ignored him and turned back to Chloe.
�I�ll be back.� He whispered only loud enough for her to hear. Then he roughly pushed her to the floor and sprinted past the two Nsync men and out the door.
�Stop!�
Mike ran past the door and after the man. Chloe just sat there in shock, shaking. Her breaths were short and her eyes were still wide. She could almost feel his hands still on her.
�Chloe? Hey, are you okay?�
She jumped and hid her face in her arms. She whimpered when she felt someone pulling her arms away from her face.
�Chloe, it�s okay, it�s only us. Me and Justin.� The voice soothed. She slowly looked up and sure enough, Chris and Justin were kneeling in front of her, concern etched on the their faces.
�Chris?� Chloe asked uncertainly, as if in a daze. The man holding her arms nodded. Chloe collapsed into his chest as sobs wracked her body. Chris was shocked, but then wrapped his arms around her waist. Chloe tucked her head under his chin and wept. She was vaguely aware that Justin was gently rubbing her back as she cried.
�Chloe?� Mike walked in the room. Chloe refused to look up. He had promised her that she would be safe. He lied. Instead, Chris looked up at Mike and decided now would be the best time to find out what happened.
�Who was that?� Justin beat him to it. Mike looked down at the ground and sighed, running a hand through his hair.
�It�s not up to me to tell you.�
�Like hell it�s not! Who the fuck was that!?� Chris snapped. He felt Chloe tense and he whispered a few things in her ear before turning back to Mike.
�Frank.�
�Who?� Chris looked down at the girl in his arms. She was still shaking, but not as bad as before. Justin backed up a little, sensing Chloe was doing a little better now.
�Frank.� She repeated, still hiding her head in Chris� chest.
�Who�s Frank?� Justin looked up at Mike. Chris did the same. Mike hesitated a second before sighing.
�Frank is the man after Chloe.�
�Why? How is he?�
�I can�t tell you that. It�s up to Chloe.� He shook his head and kneeled next to Chris and Chloe. He tucked some loose hair behind her ear and she swatted his hand away.
�Chloe�.?�
�You lied!� She glared at him through puffy eyes and sniffled. Mike felt his heart break as the girl he had always loved lie a little sister snapped at him.
�No, Chloe, I didn�t, I swear I�.�
�Go away! You let him get here! You said he would never get through security!� She began to sob again and Mike winced. Chris and Justin just sat there, listening to the fight. Chloe abruptly pulled away from Chris and stood up. She glared at Mike before running out the door.
�Chloe!� Chris immediately got up and ran after her, followed closely by Justin and Mike. Chloe ignored their cries for her to stop and continued running. She ran past the people in the restaurant and out the front door.
�Hey, wasn�t that just Chloe?� Joey looked over at Lance and JC. The two looked after her and nodded. This time a blur of two people ran past them.
�And wasn�t that just Chris and Justin?� He asked again.
�Yup.� Lance nodded again, looking after them.
�Should we go stop them? I mean, it looks like something is wrong.� JC stood and quickly threw some money on the table. Lance and Joey jumped up too and followed Justin, Chris, and Mike out onto the streets.
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�Chloe! Chloe! Stop it!� Mike exerted the last of his strength and grabbed Chloe around the waist. She struggled against him as he pulled her with him onto a side street. Chris and Justin soon followed.
�Let me go!� Chloe turned around so she could face him. Her eyes were filling with more tears and she began to beat her hands on his chest.
�Let me go! Let me go!� She continued to hit him until she realized it was getting her no where.
�Let�.me�..go�� She stopped her assault and if Mike wasn�t there to catch her, she would have fallen to the floor. Lance, JC, and Joey at this point came around and joined the group. They watched in confusion.
�Shhh, Chloe. I didn�t mean for that to happen. I was running sound today and I didn�t realize he got in until I heard you scream.� Mike held her tightly to him as she cried.
�Who?� Joey turned to Chris. Chris just silenced him.
�Do you believe me?� Mike asked Chloe. She sniffled and nodded slightly into his chest. She couldn�t blame him, it wasn�t his fault. She heard Mike sigh in relief as he held her.
�C�mon, let�s get you back to the hotel.� He kept one arm around her as he helped her walk back to the restaurant. He motioned with his free arm for the guys to follow.
Once they returned, Mike helped Chloe into the van and shut the door, then turned to the five confused men before her. At least two of them had an idea of what was going on.
�Guys, I�m sorry. Chloe isn�t�feeling well right now. I�m gonna take her back to the hotel.� Mike informed them. They nodded understandingly.
�Can I come?� Chris asked. Mike looked at him for a few seconds before nodding and opening the door.
�Chloe? Chris wants to know if he could drive with us?� Mike looked over at the young woman curled up in a ball on the seat. She nodded.
�Okay, Chris, go ahead.� He moved out of the way and let the man hop in.
�Guys, I�ll meet you in our room.�
�Sure, no prob. Take your time. We have a free day today, remember?� Lance assured his friend. Chris smiled in gratitude as he got in next to Chloe and Mike got in the front. Chris hesitated a second before wrapping his arm around Chloe�s shoulder and drawing her next to his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder and he smiled. He would help her get through this.
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