Famous Most Wanted

At five past seven, there was a knock on the door. Johnny and Taylor glanced nervously at each other. Taylor crept to the door but she didn't have her gun on her. She contemplated hurrying to get it, but who could seriously be at the door? It was only the police who knew they where here. But saying that, the gang had found them last time, and that was in the middle of Wales.
Taylor turned to get her gun when a voice called through the door.

'It's just me, Taylor,' it reassured. She frowned and across the room, Johnny's eyes narrowed.

'Vinny?' she asked, stepping up to the door.

'Yeah, open up.' Taylor opened the door and Vinny smiled at her. Taylor just continued to frown, looking around, unsure.

'Um, what are you doing here? Has something happened?'

'No, course not,' Vinny smiled. Johnny appeared at the door behind Taylor and caught Vinny's eyes. Something in Vinny's expression faltered for a fraction of a second. Taylor looked over her shoulder at Johnny and he walked away. Clearly he'd made the impression he intended to and gotten the reaction he wanted.

'Mind if I come in?' Vinny asked in a bold voice, standing taller than before. Taylor nodded and felt her stomach drop. She could see exactly where this was going tonight, and the last thing she wanted was for two grown men to fight over her, trying to out man the other.

'Is this really a good idea, Vinny?' The doubt in Taylor's voice was clear and Vinny looked over his shoulder to see her still stood with the door open.

'Nah, it's fine,' he dismissed with a wave of his hand. Taylor glanced at Johnny for help. He wasn't giving any. He was slouched in the sofa, his guitar resting crookedly in his lap as he tuned it. He didn't look up.

Taylor sighed and shut the door. 'Fine,' she accepted in defeat. Vinny took a bar stool at the kitchen counter where her and Johnny ate and patted the stool next to him. With another glance Johnny's way, to see him aimlessly strumming some chords, she slipped onto the stool beside Vinny.

'So how are you?' he asked. Taylor could see Johnny across the room but wondered if he could hear their conversations. She turned her stool so her back was to him. Vinny was sat sideways, facing Taylor.

'Fine,' Taylor answered guardedly. 'You?'

'Can't stop thinking about you,' he admitted. Taylor's eyes widened and she looked mortified.

'Shhh,' she hissed, 'Not in front of,' she darted her eyes towards Johnny, sat meters away in the living area. Vinny laughed.

'He's not a child over hearing a dirty conversation, Taylor.'

'I want to stay professional,' she insisted with narrowed eyes. Vinny rolled his.

'Fine . . . but it's true. I can't stop thinking about you. Did you think about what I said?' Taylor stared at the kitchen counter, painfully aware that Johnny had stopped playing guitar and was now quietly lighting up at cigarette.

'Not yet,' Taylor said in a hurried whisper. 'I've been distracted.'

'How do you feel about us?' he pressed.

'I don't know,' Taylor sighed, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her. She could feel Johnny's eyes on her back and hated the feeling of betrayal that ran through her.

'Taylor, if I-'

'Really, Vinny, I don't know. Look, can we not talk about this now?' she looked desperately up at him and he sighed, somewhat annoyed he was getting snubbed.

'Yeah sure,' he agreed. Taylor nodded and walked him to the door. They said goodbye and Taylor shut the door. She span and glared at Johnny.

'And where were you when I needed you?' she accused. He exhaled a lungful of smoke and stared at her. 'The one time I want you to make a scene or insult Vinny and you just sit in the corner. Why didn't you try to get rid of him?'

Johnny ground his fag into an ashtray and stood, resting his guitar across the sofa. He strode confidently over to Taylor and swept the hair off her face as he leaned in to push his lips on hers. His hands danced down her back as her hands slid up his chest. Taylor's fingertips tingled as Johnny's lips worked over hers. They held each other in a comfortable embrace when they broke apart, Taylor's head fitting neatly under Johnny's chin.

'Wanted to see if you'd actually get rid of him on your own. If you'd chose me over him.' Taylor frowned.

'It was a test?'

'Yeah,' Johnny confirmed. 'And you passed.'

***

Grace caught Kevin and the band off guard when she entered their rehearsal space with her two PA's, Cheryl and Cherice, as backup.

'What the fuck are you doing 'ere?' asked Curtis while the others simply stared with open mouths or brows furrowed.

'I've been doing some hard thinking,' she informed. Kool-Kevin rolled his eyes.

''ere we go,' sighed Zach.

'I think it's in the best interests of the baby if we stop these petty fights.'

'Um, the best interests of the baby?' echoed Kev incredulously.

'Yes,' nodded Grace firmly. 'With Johnny no longer around, I think the baby will need strong male roll-models and-'

'Johnny ain't dead y'know?' said Kev.

'Then where is he?' questioned Grace.

'You think he's dead!' accused Zach. 'You actually believe that Johnny's dead. Read the papers lately? He's been in fucking Wales.' Grace looked at Zach, ignoring his rant.

'I want you to be the baby's Godfather.' Zach shook his head and glared at the wall.

'And I'm sure that would look great for you in the tabloids. After all our rows, you making me Godfather will be great press for you, Grace. Johnny ain't dead. He can raise his own fucking child.'

'Why do you think I do everything for money and magazines?' she quizzed angrily. Everyone just silently stared at her. 'You can't talk to me this way,' she spat. 'Like it or not, I'm not going anywhere. Not when I have Johnny's baby.'

'I'm so sick of you saying that,' grunted Kevin. 'How long will you milk that one, Grace?'

'It's not milking. It's called being a mother!'

'So indefinitely then?' Kev guessed with a sigh.

'Look, Grace,' Tommy spoke up. 'I don't know if you're doing all this as an attempt to worm your way back into Johnny's life and try to win his affections, but women are like buses, if you wait long enough another one will come along. Or in Johnny's case, they all come at once. Why would Johnny ever get back with you and your baby when he could have some young, childless piece on his arm? You realise having babies can mess up your body, right?'

'Knew this was a waste of time,' Grace huffed and turned on her heel, marching out the rehearsal space. Her frightened looking PA's hurried after her. All four men breathed a sigh of relief.

'That was weird,' commented Zach.

'She just wants new stories to sell,' Kevin dismissed.

'Do you think you put her off the whole baby thing?' Curtis asked, looking over at Tommy. He shook his head.

'I don't think a natural disaster could stop that woman having Johnny's kid. She's fucking determined.'

'She's the bane of my existence, that's what she is.' Kev heaved a sigh. 'Just wish she'd go back to being the bane of Johnny's.'

***

That evening, Johnny shared his latest lyrical masterpiece with Taylor. It was her song. She managed to get Johnny to play it to her, despite how terribly cheesy he insisted it would be. Taylor assured him she like cheese which only made him comment further on how cheesy that line was. But when he eventually played her the song, she was gob smacked.

'It's us,' she said.

'It's you,' Johnny corrected, looking down at his guitar as he fiddled with the strings.

'No but it's real, y'know? The things you sing about, they actually happened. It's not a song about me. It's a song about our time together in Wales, and you constantly trying to win me over.' Taylor rolled her eyes and Johnny smiled lightly, lifting his eyes to hers. One particular line from the forth verse suck in her head, forcing her to lower her eyes.

'Do you really think we'll never be as happy as we were in Wales?' Johnny sniffed and licked his lips.

'Nah, I dunno,' he said eventually. 'I just think we had it pretty sweet there is all. You're not the first person to call me a liability, y'know? I guess it's true,' he shrugged, strumming again at his guitar. 'Maybe I just reckon that in the real world, I'll just fuck up anything good we could ever have. Don't trust me, Tex. I wouldn't.' Johnny held Taylor's eyes for an intense few seconds when the sound of a heavy knock on the front door made Taylor jump. Her eyes darted back to a frowning Johnny, guitar still in his lap, though no longer being strummed. They waited silently a moment. Surely it wasn't Vinny? Taylor wondered. Not at that hour?
As if reading her mind, Johnny said quietly, 'Vinny would have called out by now. Told us it was him.' Taylor knew he was right and hurried into her room as the thud on the door sounded again. She opened a drawer and stuffed the mobile in her pocket and seized the gun in both hands. She dashed back into the living area and pointed the gun at the door. Johnny stood, looking worried.

'Hey, Tex, you don't think its-'

'Shush,' she hissed as the fist pummelled the door again. She took a step forward, readying herself to open the door, when a heavy foot booted it open instead, the force knocking her gun out her hand and sending it skittering across the kitchen floor. Taylor gasped and watched as it hit the floor. She looked back at the broken front door and the man stood there. She tried to think of what to do but nothing came to mind. No plan. No rational thought. All she could seem to muster was 'Save Johnny.' Her eyes widened when the intruder stepped in and pulled a gun on Johnny.

'Noo!' Taylor yelped. 'Don't hurt him!' He drew the gun on her instead and she shut up.

'I wont have to if he behaves.' In the back of her mind, Taylor wondered whether all these gang members were as patronising as each other.

'You've been quite the fly in the ointment, you.' He directed his statement at Johnny, nodding him to step forward. His terrified eyes caught Taylor's and she nodded. There was nothing she could do. She had no weapon. No way of protecting herself, let alone Johnny.
He stood beside her and gently curled his hand around hers. With his gun still pointed at them both, the man ordered them out the flat and into the lift and out of the building and into the back of a van.

'Let's just get this over with,' muttered the man as he shut the door, plunging Johnny and Taylor into darkness. Taylor put her head in her hands as the engine started up.

'I'm so sorry, Johnny,' she whispered, trying hard not to cry. 'I've failed you. I can't believe I've failed you.' Taylor felt an arm drape across her tense shoulders and heard a heavy sigh from beside her. She couldn't see Johnny, but she could feel his presence and warmth through the darkness.

'S'not your fault, love. I've had this coming a long time. Shoudda known it would catch me up eventually.' Taylor pushed herself against Johnny's side and gripped tightly to his top.

'They'll kill you,' she groaned through her teeth.

'Yeah,' Johnny agreed. 'But hey, guess I'll be in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame thirty years sooner.'

'How can you joke at a time like this?' she quizzed, angry and upset with Johnny's blatant defeat.

'What do you want me to do, Tex? Worry? Cry? Wonder about what could have happened or what I could have done with the rest of my life?' Taylor said nothing as a tear slipped from her eye. 'Like I said, I've had this coming a long time. I've escaped these guys three times now. I've been lucky to live this long. And I'm so glad I did. It's been a pleasure to know you, Taylor.'

'Stop it,' choked Taylor. 'Stop talking like that.'

'Why?' said Johnny gently.

'I don't want to lose you.'

'But there's no way out of it.' Like a bolt of lightening to her brain, Taylor remembered the mobile stuffed in her pocket and ripped it out in a gasp of realisation and hope.

'Tex?' asked Johnny, worriedly. 'What's wrong?'

'I have a phone,' she whispered, turning it on. It's dull light eliminated their faces and Johnny saw the tears on Taylor's cheeks.

'Oh, Tex,' sighed Johnny, pain in his eyes. Taylor ignored him and dialled the only number on the phone. Norris answered a moment later. Taylor babbled to him in a hurried whisper what had happened and begged for help. She asked if the call could be traced to where ever they were being taken and Norris said it could. He said he'd get right on it and get them out of there. Taylor sighed with relief and left the phone on, hiding it in the van under some old sacks so the call could be traced.

'You shouldn't be here,' whispered Taylor. She was huddled against Johnny again. 'You should be in America, living the perfect lifestyle. You shouldn't be locked in a van, being driven to your death.'

'Do you think he'll drive us into a river?' Johnny asked numbly. Taylor shuddered at the thought.

'No, I think that's too impersonal. I think whoever's in charge wants to meet you and kill you himself.' Taylor shuddered again. That thought seemed even more terrifying.

'Maybe I will get to America,' he mused after a moments silence. 'If Norris gets here in time. Hey, maybe you could come with me,' he half laughed. 'Be my bodyguard.' Taylor wanted to humour him but it was so difficult to even attempt a smile. She couldn't joke about their futures when she didn't believe they'd have one.