On the Avenue Read online

  Lex nodded. “It's beautiful. I feel right at home.”

  “How could you come here dressed like that?” Madison snapped. “You look like you're on your way to a nightclub in Queens.”

  “Queens!” Lex looked horrified. “You're just jealous because everyone's staring at me. Now point me in the right direction and I'll leave you alone.”

  “What direction?” Madison asked sharply. “Do you expect anyone to take you seriously dressed in one of your cheap designs?”

  “My designs are hot, and you know it, Madison. I just need to get noticed by the right person.”

  “Well, you'll definitely get noticed tonight, but for all the wrong reasons, as usual. Now can you just go sit down and try to stay out of trouble?”

  Lex's mouth fell open in melodramatic shock. “I don't understand why you're being so rude to me. You know how much I admire Zahara Bell and how hard I've tried to get her to notice me. Instead of helping your own sister out, you're treating me like some intruder from New Jersey.”

  “Zahara Bell hasn't even gotten here yet. Your fashion idol never showed up, despite having paid for a seat at the President's Table. Anyway, every other woman in this room is hoping to get noticed by her.”

  “Oh.” Lex pouted. “Well then, I want to meet Jeremy Bleu.”

  “You'll meet Jeremy next month anyway,” Madison snapped. “We're going to the premiere of his new movie.”

  Lex stared at her sister. “For fuck's sake, what's with you tonight?”

  Madison looked away. She knew her eyes had gone watery.

  “Theo West was here, dancing with Annabelle Christensen,” Coco said quietly. “And Annabelle even came by to insult us.”

  Lex's jaw hardened into a scowl. “That little bastard had the nerve to show up here? With Annabelle? Where are they?”

  “Forget it. I'm fine.” Madison held in her tears. She hated showing her vulnerable side, even though both Lex and Park knew about the secret relationship she and Theo had shared. Madison hadn't bothered to hide it from them because, despite their sibling rivalry, they were each other's closest friends and always kept each other's secrets. But now Madison felt downright childish. She hadn't wanted the evening to be this way.

  The orchestra launched into another classical tune, and the dance floor grew more crowded. Candles were being relit. Waiters were clearing the main course from tables and preparing the settings for sumptuous desserts. The latter action did not escape Champagne's attention; he barked and squirmed in Lex's arms as decadent aromas wafted on the air.

  “Did you have to bring the dog?” Madison said.

  Lex nuzzled his little face. “He goes so well with my dress, doesn't he?”

  “Totally,” Coco agreed.

  Without a word, Madison turned and walked to the bar. She ordered a glass of Cristal. Coco requested a vodka and cranberry, Lex a Malibu Bay Breeze. The bartender, in his twenties and marginally cute, delivered the drinks without hesitation.

  “Hey,” Coco said. “Where's Park, anyway?”

  Madison did a quick sweep of the floor, scouring the crowd gathered by the other bar across the room. No sign of Park.

  Suddenly Lex said, “Heads up! Flash alert!”

  All three girls simultaneously placed their drinks on the bar, then turned to face the photographer. In quick, practiced gestures, they linked their arms around each other and smiled. With the booze out of sight, the published picture would have no reason to stir trouble. The photographer thanked them and continued on his way.

  Reaching again for her drink, Madison let her eyes drift to the dance floor. There they were again— Theo and Annabelle, making a spectacle of themselves. This time the sight hit her hard. She couldn't stop the tears from welling up. She heaved a sigh and looked helplessly at Lex.

  “No, no,” Lex said worriedly. “Your makeup. It'll start running all over your face.”

  “Come on.” Coco grabbed Madison by the arm.

  The three of them rushed past the tables and out into the huge hall. Lex reached the ladies' room door first. She jiggled the knob, which appeared to be jammed.

  “Hurry,” Madison urged, sobbing. “I don't want anyone to see me.”

  “Just stay calm,” Lex said. “Damn thing is locked from the inside.”

  “Let me try it.” Coco wrapped her hands around the knob, but it didn't budge.

  Madison heaved as mascara-tinted tears ran down her cheeks.

  A moment later, Lex managed to bust open the door.

  A collective gasp echoed through the hall. Lex, Madison, and Coco froze, eyes wide, mouths open.

  Jeremy Bleu, superstar and hottie-in-the-flesh, was sitting on the sink. His white shirt was pulled out of his pants. His mouth was smeared with lipstick. He stared at the onlookers and cracked an impetuous smile.

  The girl half-straddling him didn't bother to move. Her arms were locked around his neck, her face flushed and caked with her own lipstick.

  “Park!” Madison screamed. “What the hell are you doing?”

  The shock hung on the air for another tense moment. No one noticed the photographer coming out of the men's room directly opposite, but they all blinked when he lifted his camera over their heads and captured the scandalous scene with a flash.

  3

  The Lights on Park

  She extricated herself from the compromising position very casually. Her long brown hair, flipped to one side of her head, fell around her shoulders as she pulled her legs back and set her feet firmly on the floor. Then she ran a finger beneath her wet, glistening lips and said, “Hi.”

  It was typical of Park. She never panicked. She assessed a situation, weighed her options, and then cheerfully tried to banter her way out of it. Positive thinking was her trademark. But as she stared back at the stunned faces taking in her every move, she couldn't quite think of anything pithy or profound to say.

  “Hi?” Madison echoed incredulously. “Is that what you just said? What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Park opened her mouth to speak. No words came out. She turned around and shot a glance at Jeremy Bleu, who was hastily shoving the tails of his shirt back into his pants.

  When he realized the silence was focused on him, he cleared his throat. “Uh …I guess we got a little carried away,” he said quietly. “Sorry.”

  Park finally let out a long sigh. “Well, what's the big deal, anyway?” she snapped, looking from Madison to Lex to Coco. “You're all acting as if you've never seen two people having fun. Jeremy and I were sharing a beautiful and heartfelt moment. We were just—”

  A second flash cut through the bathroom. It was more startling this time around, like a direct hit to the face, and Park found herself blinking rapidly in the confusion of the moment.

  Everyone was silent around her.

  Until Madison turned and looked directly at the paparazzo.

  He was a short, bald man with ruddy cheeks and fat fingers. Dressed in a tuxedo, he wore a press badge around his neck.

  “You!” Madison screeched. “Give me that!”

  The little man jumped back, cradling the camera against his chest.

  “You're in the ladies' room, taking pictures!” Madison ranted, mascara streaking her angry face. “How dare you!”

  “Pig!” Coco cried.

  “Hand it over!” Lex demanded. “Daddy will freak!”

  “Oh, shit! If those pics make it into the paper, my publicist will kill me.” Jeremy Bleu raked a hand through his wavy hair. He drew the end of his sleeve across his mouth, nervously wiping away all traces of smeared lipstick. “Dude,” he said stiffly, taking a step toward the paparazzo. “That's just not cool. You can't come in here and start snapping pics. That's not right. Hand the camera over.”

  “Absolutely not!” the little bald man replied. He tried backing out of the doorway hurriedly, but then Jeremy caught him by the elbows and started roughing him up.

  Park watched the scene with mounting concern. “Be careful!” she said.
“Don't hurt him. Don't pull the strap from around his neck—you could damage his voice box.”

  “Pig!” Coco shouted again.

  “No respect for privacy!” Madison was saying.

  “… not gonna ask you again, dude,” Jeremy warned.

  The paparazzo, backed against the wall, held the camera out and began to aimlessly snap more pictures. One flash. Two, three, four, five. “Leave me alone!” he yelled back. “Get out of my way!” Then, with a pitiable roar, he charged past Jeremy and made for the hall.

  “Stop him!” Madison cried.

  Lex tightened her fingers around her purse. She raised it in her left hand and then brought it down with a whoosh—smacking the paparazzo broadside in the head.

  He stumbled, moaned, and caught himself on the edge of the doorframe.

  “Oh, no!” Park cried. “Lex! You hit him with the magic purse? It weighs a ton!”

  “Grab that camera!” Jeremy Bleu yelled.

  Madison and Coco rushed forward. In unison, they wrapped their hands around the camera and began prying it from the strap at the paparazzo's neck. He resisted, lashing out at them with his hands.

  Lex lowered a barking Champagne to the floor. She watched as the dog sprinted toward the door, all three pounds of him, and bit down on the pa-parazzo's pants.

  “I've got it!” Coco cried triumphantly. She held the camera up like a prize, then started tinkering with the buttons.

  “No!” the paparazzo screamed. “Don't do that!”

  “It's a digital!” Madison said. “There's no film in it. Take it and get out of here!”

  As Coco dashed for the door, the paparazzo jumped in front of her. She froze, eyes wide, and nervously scanned the bathroom. “Incoming!” she yelled, and chucked the camera into the air.

  Park looked up as it swooped in her direction. Her hands shot out and the camera landed in her palms.

  “Stop!” the paparazzo ranted. He lunged forward, grabbing Park's shoulders.

  “Don't you touch her!” Jeremy Bleu appeared at Park's side like the proverbial knight in shining armor. He locked his hands on the paparazzo's, trying to free Park from the older man's grip.

  Quick as a cat, Park launched the camera into the air a second time, aiming it straight across the room at Lex.

  Lex caught it.

  The paparazzo instantly dashed after it. But he stumbled and pitched forward as Champagne locked jaws with his ankles again.

  Madison was standing not two feet away. Following the path of the paparazzo's plunge, she yanked open the door of the first stall and then jumped back.

  There was a loud smack as the paparazzo slammed into the toilet. His howl of pain was drowned out by the roar of the flush valve.

  Madison kicked the door shut, temporarily trapping the man inside. “Everybody out!”

  They filed into the hallway quickly, Champagne trailing behind them. Music played from the ballroom. Mercifully, there was no one around who could have heard the noisy scene.

  “What now?” Coco asked breathlessly.

  “We have to keep running,” Lex said, bending down and scooping Champagne into her arms. “These paparazzi are nuts! He'll follow us straight into the gala!”

  “Just delete the picture and leave the camera here,” Jeremy suggested. “That way he'll leave us alone.”

  Park grabbed the camera from Lex's right hand. It was a sophisticated piece of machinery, pulsing with a bunch of tiny lights and buttons. She began stabbing them with her fingers just as the bathroom door flew open.

  The man appeared on the threshold, looking dazed and disheveled but totally enraged. “Don't you kids move!” he screamed.

  Park hugged the camera to her chest. It was her natural instinct to dispel all traces of panic, so instead of shouting or running, she held her hand out and said, “Stop right there, sir.” She locked eyes with the little man and calmly passed the camera to Madison. Then she put both hands on her hips and tossed her head back. “Now, it's obvious that we have an ugly situation on our hands, but we all need something. We need you to let us delete the pictures you snapped, and you need us to return your camera. So if you'll kindly remain exactly where you are, we'll do what's necessary and all will be well. All those in agreement raise their hands.”

  Looking stunned but hopeful, Madison, Lex, Coco, and Jeremy all raised their hands slowly.

  “Great,” Park said with a smile. “Now, sir, I know you don't agree, but majority rules. Madison, please begin the deletion process.…”

  But as her voice trailed off, the photographer took a small step toward them. Nostrils flaring, temples pulsating, he shook his head and said, “If you don't hand over that camera, I'll kill every one of you with my bare hands.”

  No one moved.

  “Fine,” he whispered angrily. His right arm shot out and latched on to the hem of Lex's dress.

  Lex instinctively jumped back. The force of the jolt tore a jagged line down the middle of the frock.

  Madison gasped.

  Park bit down on her lip.

  Coco stepped back, bringing Jeremy with her. It was a gesture of pure concern, because the girls all understood the severity of what had just occurred.

  For a moment Lex looked as though she'd been slapped in the face. When the shock finally subsided, she stared down at herself—at her one-of-a-kind Triple Threat dress—and took a deep breath. “You little piece of shit,” she seethed, her eyes blazing at the man. “You tore my dress!”

  The guttural tone of her voice was so frightening, the paparazzo started.

  “You tore my dress!” Lex screeched. “Now it's war!” Cradling Champagne tightly against her stomach, she locked her fingers on the long strap of the magic purse and raised it above her head.

  “Reach for your stilettos,” Park yelled, crouching down as she glanced from Madison to Coco to Jeremy.

  Her teeth bared, Lex swung the heavy purse like a propeller at full throttle and then took perfect aim at the paparazzo's belly.

  The blow found its target. The little man hunched over as the purse nailed him with the force of a brick. His “Oh” came out on a strangled breath.

  “Try it again,” Lex shouted, “and I'll get you below the belt!”

  Park stood up straight again. She shook her head, looking pained. “For God's sake, Lex, you're gonna kill somebody with that thing! Sir, are you okay? Should we call the paramedics?”

  “Fuck that!” Coco said.

  “Totally,” Jeremy agreed. “Dude got what he deserved.”

  “Did I?” The man balanced himself against the wall, his voice low, angry. He was sweating and out of breath. But a determined gleam lit his eyes as he stared at Madison—and the camera in her hands. He assumed a sprinting position and let out a dramatic roar.

  “Okay,” Park said matter-of-factly, clapping her hands. “Everybody run.”

  Madison moved first. She turned left, away from the direction of the gala, and began powering down the wide empty hall.

  Lex and Coco followed.

  Jeremy grabbed Park's hand and pulled her into a jog.

  And the paparazzo gave chase. “Stop!” he shouted. “You kids! Stop! Give me my camera!”

  “Keep going!” Coco yelled.

  Lex threw a glance over her shoulder. “He's gaining on us! Hurry!”

  Madison was ahead of the pack. Holding the camera in one hand and lifting the ends of her gown with the other, she ran as fast as she could. Up ahead, the wide hallway was cordoned off by red velvet ropes, blocking entrance to another wing of the museum.

  “Where are you going?” Coco called out.

  “I don't know!” Madison yelled back.

  Just then, two uniformed security guards came out from behind the ropes. “What's going on here?” one of them shouted.

  Madison ground to a halt. She looked back and saw Lex and Coco dashing toward her. Park and Jeremy were clumsily trying to outrun the crazed man, who looked like a little bull as he got dangerously close to
them.

  The security guards began making their way over to Madison. Tightening her grip on the camera, she dodged them and made a sharp right turn down an adjacent corridor.

  “Freeze!” the guards said in unison.

  Park ran past them with a flurry of her hand. “I apologize for the commotion,” she said. “We're just having a little trouble. Thank you for your concern.” She nearly tripped when Jeremy yanked her away from the guards and forced her to pick up her pace.

  “In here!” Madison finally shouted.

  Park kept her eyes on Lex and Coco, watching as they followed Madison through an open door and into what looked like a pitch-black room. Before plunging inside, she caught sight of the bull-man and the guards barreling toward them. “Where are we going?” she asked Jeremy.

  “Does it matter?” He pulled her over the threshold and out of sight.

  It was like slipping into a dark, silent cave. The voices shouting at them from the corridor dissipated, and Park heard Madison and Lex panting nearby.

  “Where the hell are we?” Coco asked, her voice echoing through the blackness.

  Leaning into Jeremy, Park sniffed the air. A musty odor pervaded her nostrils.

  “Somebody find a damn light!” Lex said. “I can't see a thing!”

  “Stay calm,” Park ordered. She reached out her hands and took several small steps forward. She bumped into Madison, then pushed past her and felt along the wall for a switch. Finding one, she flicked it up.

  Light blasted the space. It was a big rectangular coatroom, jammed with blazers, jackets, and several poufy furs. Sweaters and boots were strewn across the floor. The sudden hum of overhead air-conditioning vents cut through the silence as a cold draft swept over them.

  “Oh, great!” Lex cried. “We're trapped in here. They'll find us in a second!”

  “What did you expect me to do?” Madison shot back. “I couldn't just keep running.”

  They would have continued bickering, but Coco's high-pitched wail pierced the air like a knife.

  She was standing a few feet away from them, in a small clearing beside an empty coatrack. Her mouth was open. Her hands were trembling. And her eyes were locked on the horrible sight that lay before her.