Ruby Redfort: try not to scream

Dressed in gold, Ruby Redfort made her way down the Greenwood House steps. Her mother smiled at the sight. Ruby Redfort was most definitely one of the most gorgeous teenagers in all of Twinford and, dressed like this, she looked almost angelic. Hitch grinned to see her face. The smile on Ruby's lips was very obviously a fake one. Dan caught sight of her and beamed. She was very attractive and that night she looked particularly perfect. The Crew's were coming to pick them all up in limos. One for the children and another for the adults. After a lot of persuasion, Ruby had convinced Hitch to come with her.

As they slipped inside the huge, black car, Ruby hugged Clancy. His sister giggled and Clancy rolled his eyes. Hitch slid in next to Ruby and greeted the Crew's.
"You know Hitch, you do kinda look like James Bond," said Olive. The youngest of the Crew children at eight years old.
"Yep, you do sorta look like a secret agent," added Minie, the oldest at eighteen.
Hitch shot Ruby and Clancy a grin and merely smiled at the others. The conversation was very casual yet Ruby's mind was preoccupied. All she could think about was the fact that this could be her last night. It was either her or The Count. Either way, Spectrum would never be the same. All she knew was that she would not let anyone else she loved die. If she didn't kill Count Von Viscount, he would kill her. Like a battle between two monarchs. If one fell, the other was victorious and the war was over. She tried not to think about her parents. What would they do if she died? No. She couldn't think that way. She was going to live and if she didn't then at least everyone she loved would. She felt her eyes sting slightly. Get a grip Rube, she told herself. Hitch sensed her distress and sent her a message on her watch. She looked down at her wrist and read:
You're some agent, kid - H
She smiled and sent him a message back:
And you're some butler, Zach - R
He shook his head slightly. In a way, when Ruby said his real name he began to like it. He had been Hitch for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was like to be Art. As he had said himself, only his mother called him any different. Ruby grinned at him and, for a second, she forgot about her worries. She felt safe with Hitch.

As the car pulled into the Stellar Ballroom, Ruby took a sharp breath. For all she knew, The Count was already inside. They entered the room and they were swarmed with cameras. Clancy rolled his eyes; he hated this part of being the ambassador's son. Ruby took his hand in her's and he relaxed. The photographers noticed the way Clancy was looking at Ruby and pointed all of the cameras at them. They were bombarded with questions like:
"Are you two a couple?"
"How long have you two been together?"
"Are you here together?"
Clancy looked over at his father and, for once, saw him smiling at him. For his entire life, Clancy had been trying to impress his dad and now he was with Ruby Ambassador Crew was finally proud of him. He grinned and kissed Ruby's cheek softly. The cameras ate it up and continued to photograph them.
"Kiss her," shouted Minnie.
Ruby turned to Clancy and smiled. She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him gently.

Once the cameras had gone away, Ambassador Crew came over to the pair.
"Nice job, son," he said, shaking Clancy's hand.
Clancy pulled a face and hugged his dad. For a second, Edward Crew looked shocked. Then he smiled and hugged his son back.
"And welcome to the family Ruby," he said when Clancy let go. "You're a lucky kid Clancy. Don't let her go,"
"I think I'm the lucky one, Ambassador. I'm a lot more imperfect than I seem but I don't think I've ever felt more at home than when I'm with Clancy. He's the perfect gentleman," she smiled. Ambassador Crew nodded and walked off.
Ruby was about to hug Clancy when she noticed something.  She saw the back of a man in a dark suit. He was very tall and his hair was very dark. She knew instantly who it was. She activated her earpiece and spoke into it.
"We have a situation. Count spotted. Operation using me as bait is a go," she hissed.

Ruby left Clancy and walked into the direct eyeline of Count Von Viscount. Being an incredible actress, Ruby managed to make it seem like she had no idea he was there. After making herself look suspicious enough, she slipped through a back door. It was barely visible and opened up to a side staircase that led to the roof. As she had expected, as Ruby walked up the stairs, she heard the tap tap tap of italian leather shoes on the stairs behind her. As she opened the door into the warm summer air, she heard his breath as the door closed. She discreetly clicked a button on her watch, alerting Hitch that she had been followed. The earpiece was still active, meaning everyone still in the ballroom could hear her conversation. The door slid open and Ruby found herself staring into the void.
"Ms Redfort," came his voice as a smile spread across his face. "The fearless Ms Redfort returns. Well, I hope you're feeling lucky tonight,"
"Hello to you too," Ruby grinned.

Meanwhile...
Hitch received the message from Ruby. Although he wanted to follow her immediately, he knew that the plan was to convince The Count that Ruby had no backup until the last second. He twitched slightly and looked about the room. Dan and Clancy were standing by the buffet table, talking. LB was in the corner of the room, looking at the artwork. Blacker was talking to some other Twinfordites. Froghorn was alone, his finger placed on his right ear.
"Myles, stop touching your ear," hissed Hitch into his earpiece.
"Huh?" said Froghorn, continuing to touch his ear.
"Put your hand down," murmured Hitch.
As he did, a shot was fired across the room at Froghorn. Luckily for the potato head, he stepped sideways and dodged the bullet. Shrieks and screams came from all corners of the room. Dan flicked his gun out of his pocket. Hitch identified the man who had fired the shot as Christian Haraman, an associate of Victor Von Leyden. As his eyes darted across the room, Hitch also noticed Norman West, Paul Cross, William Bates and Lorelie Von Leyden. For once, she was not wearing a disguise. It was almost as if they were a decoy. Dan and Clancy were now stood by Froghorn. Ruby's parents were looking frantically around the room for their daughter. Lorelie approached Hitch, smiling viciously.
"Well, well, well," she sneered. The room went silent. Everyone had their eyes on the Redfort's house manager and the strange woman.
"If it isn't little Art Zachery," she spat at him. His expression turned sour. LB, Blacker, Froghorn, Dan, Clancy and M all pulled out weapons. To the horror of Ambassador Crew, Clancy aimed at Lorelie.
"Clancy, what are you doing?" he bellowed but Clancy ignored him.
Lorelie put the barrel of her gun on Hitch's temple.
"So, where's Bubblegum Girl got to now?" she jeered. "It's a shame. She was such a talent but her protector doesn't do his job well enough,"
Hitch lashed out at Lorelei, sending her sprawling to the floor.
The perfumer's smile only grew at his courage.
"Little Ruby Redfort will be so proud,"
Sabina and Brant stepped forward.
"What is she talking about Hitch?" asked Sabina.
Lorelie laughed cruelly.
"Go on. Tell them,"
"Ruby wasn't kidnapped exactly. She knew the man. She knows this woman. Let's just say they're not exactly friends. And she got shot at Ambassador Crew's party not when she was kidnapped," Hitch sighed. It obviously wasn't what Lorelie wanted him to say. She wanted him to reveal Ruby's employment with Spectrum but Hitch wouldn't give up that easily. LB walked slowly towards Lorelie.
"Let him go Von Leyden or I'm gonna bust your ass," she yelled.
"What? Just like my mother busted your dear Bradley," snarled Lorelie.
LB's fist clenched and with one kick she sent Lorelie flying. She had obviously underestimated the skills of the Spectrum 8 boss.
"Hitch, where is my daughter?" asked Sabina.
"We'll find her, Mrs Redfort. We've just gotta deal with these numbskulls first."

Security flooded the room and evacuated the guests. Hitch fired a shot at Norman West. His aim was true and the man was dead. After a few minutes all of the bad guys were lying either unconscious or dead on the ballroom floor.
"Well, that's my cover blown," sighed Hitch.
"Don't worry. Twinfordites are generally stupid. They will fall for it if you say that they killed a friend of yours and came after you next. As for Ruby, they came for her to get at you," said Clancy. Hitch nodded. That excuse would work.
"We need to find Ruby," said Dan, heading for the door to the stairs.

As they entered the roof, they saw a dishevelled looking Ruby fighting a very evil looking Count and his four pals.
"Ruby?" shouted Hitch.
"I'm a little busy here Zach,"