Derek did, frowning when Jack ran a wand over him. “Looking for guns? I don’t carry. Damn, I’m just a cook, not a gangster.” He knew the tracker wouldn’t show up on the scan, but he still tensed when the wand moved down to his shoe.
Without replying to Derek’s question, Jack told Mario, “He’s clean—no weapons, no bugs.”
“You mean one of my pet roaches didn’t decide to keep me company today,” Derek said snidely as he sat back down.
“He’s got a smart mouth,” Jack commented, retaking his seat.
“Yeah, well, I’m feeling a bit leery of all this so far. I want to know what the deal is.”
“Mario and I are part of a small…consortium. We help get kids off the streets.”
Derek shot a look at Mario, replying, “Uh-huh. And what’s the catch?”
“No catch. We find ones we think are worthy, set them up in a group home, and show them how they can better themselves.”
Talk about dancing around what they really do. That sounds like a listing on the Chamber of Commerce’s business directory for charities. As if.
Aloud, Derek said, “How would I fit into this, presuming I’m interested?”
“To start with, you would be one of our recruiters.”
“Meaning you put me out there, looking for ‘worthy’ kids.” Derek leaned back, glancing between the two men. “Now do you want to tell me what you really do? Because I’m not buying into the charitable spiel you’ve been giving me.”
Mario laughed. “You shouldn’t.”
“So?” Derek turned his attention back to Jack, since he seemed to be the one in charge.
“We do have houses in several cities between Chicago and Philadelphia. We pick kids who are so desperate they’d do anything to keep it together. Our only criteria is that they aren’t drug users.”
“Then you ask if they want a place to stay.”
“You could say that, although we don’t ask. We don’t want any word getting out about us. We pick them up, take them to a house in a different city, and introduce them to their new lives.”
“Prostitution.”
Jack nodded. “Among other things. It depends where their…talents lie.”
“And if they want out?”
Jack’s expression turned icy. “There is no out.”
“For the kids,” Derek said, forcing a bit of fear into his words.
“For anyone.” Jack stared hard at Derek.
Derek gulped audibly. “What if I tell you right here and now I want no part of this?”
Jack pointed to the front door. “Go. I’m sure Tony can find a new cook easily enough.”
“Shit, man.” Derek turned to glare at Mario. “Why the hell did you think I’d be interested in this?”
“Because you are. Yeah, right now you’re scared as hell because you just heard there’s no out clause. But you like money. You want to live better than you have been. You’re greedy, Derek. Think of it this way. We’re helping to rid the streets of kids who beg, steal, and sell themselves. They make life difficult for the good people who just want to enjoy a nice dinner and an evening stroll afterwards without being bothered or afraid.”
Leaning back, Derek stared up at the ceiling. “If…if I decide to put in with you guys, then what?”
Jack replied, saying, “First we have to decide if you can fit in on the streets. We use people who look like they’ve been there, done that, to get to a kid who looks like what we want. That means you have to prove to us you can handle it.”
“Like what?” Derek said, returning his gaze to Jack.
“We give you clothes to dress the part.” He studied him. “The hair works.”
“It better. I do have a real job at the restaurant. I don’t think Tony would appreciate me coming in with it chopped up like some of the kids I’ve seen downtown.”
“Of course not. What we’ll do is have you go out there after dark. You’ll panhandle. You’ll let some john take you into an alley for a blowjob if asked, and all the time you’ll be looking for the right kid, or kids. Call it an initiation, because you won’t approach them, but you will let the guy who’ll be watching you know which ones you think might work. If you’re good at picking them then we’ll take it from there and you’ll become part of the system.”
Derek blew out a long breath. Just like we figured. Damn. But still I have to go along if we’re going to stop these bastards.
“Will I always be working the streets?”
“Actually, no. Right now we need someone here, at the house, to keep the kids in line. I just want to be certain you can handle whatever we throw at you and this is the first step.”
“If I don’t pass?”
“As I said, Tony can always find a new cook.”
“Got it.” Derek looked down at the floor. “I’ll do it,” he muttered. “Like I have a choice at this point.”
Jack chuckled. “You don’t.”
* * * *
“I’m in.” Derek dropped down on the edge of the bed, looking at Brad.
They were at Derek’s apartment. Brad had gotten there before Derek arrived and did a thorough sweep of the room to be certain the place wasn’t bugged or being watched. He also checked Derek, with a detector that was much more sophisticated than the one Jack had used. Enough so that it found the tracker in Derek’s shoe. “You’re clean, and it’s safe to talk,” he said when he finished, pointing to an acoustic noise generator that only injected noise around the perimeter of the room, allowing them to talk normally while it blocked any chance of their being overheard by a sonic listening device outside the building.
“You’re sure they don’t suspect anything?” Brad asked. He was sitting on the bed, leaning against the wall behind it.
“If they do, they’re being real coy about it. They told me what they do, the setup, my initiation, and made it real clear that I’m dead if I try to back out.”
“They said that before or after they let you in on everything?”
“After, and not is so many words. Nothing that could be used against them. All in all, they were pretty cagey about how they phrased things until they knew they had me hooked.”
“They checked you for a wire?”
“Yep. Oh, they’re also sending someone to watch me for my initiation, meaning I can’t even hesitate if some john comes on to me.”
“Will you be able to deal with it now?”
Derek nodded. “I kind of have to, don’t I?”
“Yes, and you’ll be fine. At least—” Brad chuckled, reaching to pull Derek against his chest “—you know the technicalities for real now.”
“I could always use a refresher course,” Derek said wistfully. He knew it wouldn’t happen, so he wasn’t surprised when Brad shook his head.
“Maybe once this is over, but right now we’re taking no chances. We know no one’s listening in, or watching, but we don’t know if one of them will suddenly decide to pay you a visit. They’re not stupid, even though they seem to trust you, or at least figure they’ve got you running scared enough you won’t rat on them.”
Derek glanced quickly to the door.
“Don’t worry, if anyone comes to this floor, I’ll know it and be out of here before they’re halfway to your door.”
“With a wiggle of your nose?”
“No. I’m not Samantha, and you’re too young to even have seen that show.”
“Charlie, the guy I stayed with in Denver, used to watch the reruns.”
“You’ve picked up some weird info,” Brad told him, ruffling his hair. “Now I’d better beat it before they do send someone to check on you.”
“How would you get out if someone was in the hall?” Derek asked, moving so Brad could get up.
“This place belongs to the Company, though not on paper, so each room on this floor, and only this floor, is interconnected to one next to it, if you know where to look. The other one is kept vacant as an escape route in case of trouble, or like tonight, so someone can
be in contact without anyone knowing they were.”
“Lot of good that would have done me, since I didn’t know about it,” Derek muttered, getting a wry smile, and the admission that someone slipped up, from Brad in return. “And you might tell them there’s a roach problem.”
“Adds to the atmosphere,” Brad said, grinning. He put a finger over his lips to let Derek know to be quiet then shut off the noise generator, slipping it into his backpack before slinging the pack over his shoulder. Then he pointed to the tiny closet. Only then did Derek realize that what clothes he had in there had been pushed to one end of the bar. Brad showed him how to activate the panel at the back of the closet. It slid open silently to reveal a room that was a mirror image of Derek’s.
Before stepping through into the next room, Brad murmured so softly Derek could barely hear him, “Be careful,” then he kissed him quickly and closed the panel from his side of it, leaving Derek staring at a blank wall in shock.
Now was that just to keep me on my toes or did he really mean it? Guess I won’t know until this is over.
Derek sighed, feeling very frustrated, and turned back to his room. Picking up a book he’d bought the day before, he settled down on the bed to read, hoping it would take his mind off of everything that had happened in the last few hours—especially Brad’s kiss.
* * * *
Derek sat in front of a shop next to an alley in the center of the downtown area, not too far from Tower City. It was late on a Thursday night, close to midnight, and the theater-goers from Playhouse Square two blocks away, as well as bar customers, were headed to the lots where they’d parked their cars. Vince, his ‘watcher’, was stationed across the street.
He pulled back his legs when someone snarled at him, bowing his head in thanks when someone else dropped a few coins in his outstretched hand. All the time, he studied the few other kids who stood silently against storefronts or sat as he was, begging for change. One girl, who couldn’t have been more than fifteen if that, had her head buried in her arms. Her shoulders shook and he knew she was crying. She’s the kind they want, but how in good conscience do I point her out to Vince, knowing what will happen to her. If I don’t though…He sighed as he tried to find someone else—a kid who might stand a chance. I hate this. He knew he had to do it though. Risking one kid would get him on the inside. And that will save hundreds more like them, in the end.
He heard a slight cough and looked up to see a man standing a few feet away. The man nodded to the alley then stepped into it. Getting up, Derek followed him, hoping he didn’t look as afraid and disgusted as he felt. Forcing himself to smile slightly, he approached the man, who was now well into the alley where there was no light to speak of.
“How much?” the man asked.
Derek didn’t bother to ask if he was a cop. They didn’t have to tell the truth about that. “How much are you willing to pay?”
“Twenty.”
With a nod, Derek dropped to his knees, unzipping the man’s slacks. Before doing anything more, he took a condom from his jeans pocket.
“No,” the man said.
“Then you’re shit out of luck,” Derek said, starting to get up.
“Okay, do it.”
Derek sheathed the man’s half-hard cock then held out his hand for the money. When he had the twenty in hand, he stuffed it in his pocket, and took the guy’s cock into his mouth. It didn’t take him long to come, thankfully, in Derek’s opinion. He stripped off the condom, tying it off, and tossing it away. Then he stood and hurried away as the man zipped up. Moments later, Derek was back in his spot on the sidewalk again.
Vince was now leaning against the wall beside him. With a quirk of his eyebrow, he asked under his breath, “Which one?”
Derek took another look around then very reluctantly pointed out the crying girl.
“Good choice. Now get out of here.”
When Derek did as he was ordered, he glanced back over his shoulder and saw Vince approach the girl. He forced himself to watch as Vince knelt beside her for a moment then stood, pulling her to her feet. Moments later they had gone around a corner, out of sight.
Derek fought the need to go after them. One girl versus a hundred kids. He kept repeating it over and over as he started the long walk back to his apartment building. It was the truth, but he didn’t have to like it.
* * * *
“Where are we going?” Derek asked, getting into Mario’s car.
“For a little spin. Don’t worry. You did a good job last night so I’m not going to be dumping your body in the river.” Mario laughed at his own joke.
Personally, Derek wasn’t amused but he smiled anyway.
They took so many twists and turns as Mario drove from the restaurant up a long, winding street then through a residential section of the city that Derek finally asked, “Do you think someone’s following us?”
“Let’s just say I’m not taking any chances.”
Derek nodded. By now he was totally lost and it had gotten dark enough he had trouble reading the street signs. He hoped to hell Brad was somewhere behind them, tracking him.
Eventually Mario turned onto a two-lane road with tall trees on either side. They passed a few long driveways that Derek suspected led to private homes of the very privileged. By the time Mario took a right turn onto one of them, Derek was beginning to wonder if he was going to end up buried deep in the middle of who knew where. For damned sure, he didn’t.
Finally, they arrived at their destination. It was the house, Derek was certain, although he couldn’t see it yet since it was surrounded by a tall, brick wall topped with razor wire. They pulled up to an ornate, wooden gate with a guard house to one side. A uniformed man stepped out, coming over to the car.
“Good evening, Mr. Benini. Who is your companion?”
“Derek Parrino, a new employee.”
“ID,” the guard said tersely to Derek. Derek showed it to him. “Take it out, please.” Derek did and the man went back to the guard house. He returned a few minutes later to hand Derek his ID and a plastic-encased badge with his name and a number on it.
“Don’t lose that,” Mario said. “It’s the only way you can come and go here.”
Derek nodded, pinning it to his shirt pocket for the time being. Then the gates swung open and they drove up a short lane to the house—a house that looked more like a prison as far as Derek was concerned. It was gray concrete with barred windows and one heavy, wooden door in the center of the façade. Mario drove around to the side to park in a small, fenced-in lot.
When they got out, Mario led Derek around to the back of the house. Behind it was a large expanse of lawn, broken by paths leading to small cottages painted in various shades from beige to blue to green.
“That one—” Mario pointed to a pale blue one surrounded on three sides, as they all were, by tall elm trees “—is yours.”
“Hang on a second. What do you mean, it’s mine?”
“As long as you’re working here, it’s yours. I think you’ll find it’s much nicer than the apartment you had.”
“Okay, just a minute here. You’re saying I’m going to be living here?”
“Exactly. We took the liberty of bringing what clothes you own from your old place, augmenting them with some, shall we say, much nicer pants and shirts.”
“What about my job? If nothing else, I have to give Tony notice.”
Mario smiled as he led the way to the rear entrance of the house and opened the door. “He’s well aware that you’re…quitting.”
“And I have no say in all of this,” Derek replied angrily.
“None whatsoever,” Tony said, coming forward to greet them.
“Shit,” Derek whispered.
“Surprised?” Tony asked.
“You could say that,” Derek replied dryly, once he got over the shock.
“Surely you didn’t think young men your age were capable of running an organization like this?”
Mario scowled, alth
ough his uncle couldn’t have seen that since he was still focusing at Derek.
Something to file away. Maybe I can use that, if things get rough.
Derek shrugged. “Honestly, I didn’t think about it at all. On the other hand, why not? Just because they’re young, doesn’t mean they don’t have the brains required to keep this place going.”
“Says a teenager who can barely hold a job for more than a couple of months.”
Hissing in an angry breath, Derek turned to Mario. “You were going to show me around?”
Mario nodded. “We’ll start with the ground floor.”
* * * *
Derek finally got to see where he’d be staying a couple of hours later. It was nice, three rooms and a bath, but after what he’d just been through, he’d have traded it for the ratty apartment in the city any day.
The ground floor of the house held a communal dining area, offices, and what Mario called the training room. It was obvious to Derek that was a euphemism for a punishment room. Yes, it was set up like a shop at one end, with clothes racks and counters and what have you, so the kids could learn how to shop-lift. But the other end held equipment that might have passed for something in a gym if it wasn’t for the fact everything had restraints to hold arms, hands, or feet in place. He could imagine a kid being forced to stay on the treadmill with no way to escape, even if they fell.
The second floor held room after locked room, each one with a steel door and a peephole. He peered into one and saw an iron cot bolted to the floor, a small sink, and a toilet. It was vacant at the moment and he had the feeling the occupant was out in the city somewhere doing whatever he or she had been told to.
“Do the ones you use as prostitutes work the streets?” he asked Mario.
“Not at first. We have a small home in town we use. When they get worn out then they go out on the street.”
Derek tensed to keep from shuddering.
When they were back downstairs again, Derek asked, “So what will I be doing here?”
“To begin with, you’ll oversee meals. There is no talking, no interaction at all. If someone breaks that rule, you bring them in here.” Mario took him through a locked door into a narrow hallway. Doors lined it. When he opened one, Derek saw it was a tiny, lightless cell. “They stay here until they decide to obey the rules. If they don’t then they face further punishment, none of which involves anything that will leave marks on their bodies.”
D-Boy Page 11
