The Moon Is Shining (MjFantasy)

Chapitre 19 - The end justifies the means...

Michael was in in his studio, in Hollywood East.

He was pacing around the room while Frank and Quincy were discussing the fabrication of his next album.
He had only around ten songs for the moment that could eventually be a part of the final product.

" Okay for the moment..." said Quincy while looking at the paper in front of him with all the titles "We have 25 songs. Which one do you really want to keep, Michael ? "
Michael glanced really quickly at the paper.
He already knew all the titles by heart.

"The Way You Make Me Feel and Bad." he announced.

Quincy looked at Frank and they both nodded.
They liked those two songs, and were agreeing with Michael.
 " What will you do with Al Capone and They don't care about us ? " asked Quincy.
" I'm not sure for Al Capone and They Don't care About Us is too provocative I won't put it in this album, but I'm going to put it aside, we'll see what I'll do with it. "

"There is still a lot of other songs and we still got a lot of time. I think that we'll began the final recording in the beginning of the next year. What do you think about this ? "
Michael was about to respond when he was suddenly cut by the phone ringing.

He sighed heavily. He hated it when people were bothering him while he was working.
Quincy get up and answered to the phone.

" Yes...? Bill ?!...Wait calm down, you're speaking too fast, I can't understand what you're saying. "

Michael and Frank gave to each other a suspicious look. Bill was calling the studio only in case of emergency. 

" WHAT ?! Bill are you serious ?!...You're sure ?!...Oh good Lord...Ok I'm gonna let you talk to Michael..."

Michael was already behind Quincy and took very quickly the phone from his hand.
" Yes Bill. What happened ? "
"Oh Michael... God, I'm so sorry, if only you knew...It's a disaster... I don't know what..."
" Bill, damn it, tell me what's going on, already ! "
" I just came home and... Most of the body guards I hired to watch Moon... They are dead..."

Michael felt a lump forming itself in his throat and the temperature of his body raised tremendously. 

" Bill, please for God's sake, tell me she's alright..."
" She's nowhere to be found, Michael..."

His heart skipped a beat, and his stomach twisted violently while he was on the verge of crying.
" She ran away ? " he asked, and he could hear his voice breaking.
" Her room hadn't been touched. NOTHING is missing in it. Michael, Moon didn't run away, somebody kidnapped her. "

Quincy explained the situation to Frank and they were both looking at Michael.
They were really worried : it was the first time that Michael looked so angry and confused.
He was standing still, his eyes closed and his fingers were so tightened around the phone that his phalanges were white.
He was fighting against the urge to bang his fist against the wall and his breathing became really audible.

" I'm on my way. " he said before to hang up.

Frank and Quincy got up and followed Michael to the parking lot. He let Quincy drive the car while he was looking through the window, wondering, hoping that she was alright.

He always asked himself if she was while he was in his studio trying to find a way to save her from all those bastards and to know that one of them actually infiltrated himself in his home, killed all his bodyguards and kidnapped Moon...
It was making him sick and angry like he never have been before. Was it possible to think that a worst situation could occur ?

When they arrived Bill was already waiting for them in front of the door.

Michael didn't even stop to greet him, he went directly to her room, as fast as he could. He sat on her bed and looked around.

Everything was untouched.

Nothing moved.
It was exactly the same room he saw last time he went there to visit her, it was as if she never left it.
He got up, leaned over the desk, and took a paper which was placed there.

 It was the letter he sent her with that dress the same day. He then noticed that she kept all his letters, filing them and putting them on her desk. He became suddenly aware of something he never took in consideration before : she missed him, and most of all, he missed her.
A lot.
Much more that he should miss her.

To stay there, in her room, was for him an unbearable torture.

Everything was reminding him of Moon.

But the worst was her perfume still filling the air, and which was still really detectable : as if she was there only some minutes ago.
The more Michael was breathing, the more Moon's intoxicating perfume was invading his lungs.

He sat on the floor looking at the letters and thinking about one of the last conversations he had with her, the night when they went to his studio downstairs.

That night, he admitted it : he cared about her. He promised that as long as he was protecting her, he would always be concerned. He also remembered that day, where he found her crying on a parking lot, scared to death, he promised to Moon that he would protect her whatever happen, and that Vin would never hurt her as long as he was there for her.

He failed.

Slowly he felt one, then two tears rolling down cheeks. He failed : he didn't protect her.
He remembered her face, her voice...
He didn't see it or hear it for four days but his memory wasn't allowing him to forget her.

For the very first time, since Michael became rich and famous, he had the feeling that he was incompetent.

He stayed there during several minutes, crying silently.
He wasn't crying that much usually, but just thinking about the fact that he broke his promise and that Moon was certainly getting hurt at this moment was tearing his heart apart. 

He was pretty aware that he was growing some strong feelings for her, but here and now, it didn't matter at all.

What mattered was to find her, safe and sound, to take her in his arms and apologize because he really acted like a jerk.

Michael dried his tears and get up. He was about to go out of the room when he heard a tiny noise.
Suddenly he saw Bubbles' little head coming from under Moon's bed.

He looked really scared but as soon as he recognized Michael, he ran to him and hugged his legs, screaming.
His master let out a sight of relief and kissed his head, happy to see that, at least, his little monkey was alright.

They went together downstairs, to join the others.

Frank, Bill and Quincy were having a conversation when Michael and Bubbles appeared in front of them.
 A long minute flew by before that somebody dared to say a word. Michael's eyes were still puffy, proving that he cried when he was upstairs.

He broke the silence : 
" I'll find her. And I'm going to look for her right away."

"Mike... Maybe you should wait until tomorrow morning, don't you think ?" said Frank, taking a puff of his cigar, and exhaling it.

"I won't be able to sleep before to find her."

" Then I'll come with you !" said Bill, getting up, "It's because of me if she's in danger now. I have to come with you to save her."

Michael simply nodded and Bill followed him while he was leaving the house. He pressed discretely his hand against his pocket where he put one of his weapons : a loaded gun, his Magnum.
It could be useful.

 -- -- Moon P.O.V -- --

Cameron tied my hands together and put me next to him in his car.
He had been driving for fifteen minutes now : he needed some time to kill all the bodyguards and to steal that car. Los Angeles was a pretty big city and I didn't know where Vin was hiding himself.

Cameron was smoking.
And from the smell, it wasn't a cigarette.
How could he smoke a freaking blunt while driving ?
Was he aware of how much that was dangerous ?!
I sighed. Of course he was aware. It was precisely because it was dangerous that he was doing it.

I pulled a little bit on the rope that was tying my hands.
I had to get out of here. Michael wasn't going to save me this time.

« Today, I'll have to find a way on my own. »

Thank God, he didn't tie my hands too tight. It had been easy for me to release them.

I glanced at Cameron.
He didn't notice a damn thing : obviously, he was high as fuck at that point.

The drug was getting effective but I had to get out really quickly : I was feeling more and more sick because of the smell.
He didn't even open the windows so the smoke was getting more and more thick and I knew that soon, it could have effect on me too.

I needed to hit him with something. I looked around me then I spotted something : a kind of metal bar. I looked more closely and noticed that it was a crowbar.
It was soiled with blood.

I knew it was the crowbar he used to kill the bodyguards.

A huge chill run down my spine as I imagined Cameron sticking fiercely that crowbar in the heads of my body guards.

I had to grit my teeth because I suddenly felt the urge to throw up.
I took the tool and placed it next to me discretely.

Then I inhaled slowly, trying to relax and find enough strength to attack him.
It was now or never. 

I looked at him. He didn't remark anything yet.

Good.
Really Good.
Here we go.

"Cameron ? Can you pull off really quickly ? I need to use the bathroom..."