by J. M. Dabney
"Yes, I have to meet up with Moffett, and then we got a few people to see. You'll be fine with West. If you do kill him, make sure to keep his gun."
"Yes, sir."
"One way or another, this will be over in a week. Either we'll keep you hidden until you walk into court before they declare a mistrial or—" He kissed me to cut me off.
"I don't want to think about leaving."
"Josh, just because we don't talk or think about it doesn't mean it's not going to happen. You have to be ready."
"I'll deal with it when it's time."
I let it go. I didn't want to argue before I left. I wanted to make sure he was calm while I was gone. Procrastinating wasn't an option, so I gave him a quick kiss, made sure West was set, and I left by way of the back door.
It wasn't a neighborhood to be walking around after dark without causing suspicion. I was armed, and while normally my identification and concealed carry permit would get me out of trouble, I still didn't know if they had a Be-On-the-Lookout issued for me. I was to meet Moffett on the other side of the city. There was a bus stop a few blocks away.
Three transfers and a few blocks later, I walked into a dark Jazz club. Soft music played from a jukebox in the corner. A few men were seated at the bar, and I looked around until I spotted Moffett in a back booth. He had an open laptop and several files spread out on the tabletop. He was tapping an empty rocks glass beside his computer.
"What can I get ya, hun?"
The bartender called out as I passed, and I ordered a double bourbon neat, and whatever Moffett was having. She nodded, and I continued until I could slide onto the bench seat across from him. His steel-gray hair was sticking up in all directions, and his eyes were glassy from lack of sleep or too much alcohol, maybe both.
"I was wondering if you were showing up." He didn't look up as he picked up a manila envelope and tossed it in front of me.
"What's this?"
"If we can't get the younger Cross, we can make his old man squirm a bit." He stopped talking when the bartender stopped beside the booth. "Put it on my tab, sweetie."
"You going to finally pay that tab or get me fired?"
"Don't I always make it worth your while?"
"If you're talking about that exciting five minutes including foreplay, I'll take cash or credit when you're done here."
"Ouch, hit a man where it hurts."
I chuckled as she flipped him off and disappeared. I bent the clasp up and then opened the flap. The stacks of pictures I pulled out were definitely not going to do Senator Cross' Presidential run any favors. I flipped through the images, and each one showed the younger Cross in a compromising position with about a dozen different men, three in the same photo.
"I think Cross knows what a bastard his son is."
"What he doesn't know is half those boys are underage. Street kids. Vernon appears to have a habit of finding boys on the street and then doing whatever he wants with them. I got my hands on a few medical reports…” He pointed at the stack. “Those are included. Those are just since the trial started. I dig deeper, and I'm sure I can find more.
"How much of an exclusive would I get if I said the God-fearing Senator isn't above getting a blowjob when a pretty boy is ready and willing to kneel?"
That would change everything. Rumors started to come to light when I started to dig that said the Senator had bailed his son out several times to keep his company going. Vernon was going through his profits quicker than he was making them. Sooner rather than later, bankruptcy was going to be Vernon's only out—or jail for embezzlement from his company. Some cushy Federal Prison was too good for the bastard. I wanted him in General Population of a State Institute. "You have evidence?" I took a sip of my drink and waited for him to answer.
"Maybe…what do I get?"
"What do you want?"
"I'm in need of a new investigator…pro bono."
I was expecting a steeper price, but that was yet to be seen. "You got it."
He tossed me another envelope. The image was grainy as if taken from a distance from a cheap camera and through opened blinds. The man was insane, but you'd think a Senator living a double life would make smarter moves.
"Cross is going down fast. His drug use is out of control, and his violence is increasing. I don't think he's got anything to do with trying to take out your boy. The Senator is pulling the shots on this one. Although I don't think the Senator knows just how deep of shit his son is in. Cross owes a few shady people quite a bit of money for fronted drugs."
"They're both making some fucked-up decisions."
"True, but if you get rid of Cross' backup by getting the Senator to back away and stop all assistance, he has no one to run to. On the outside Cross is protected by his name and standing, inside he's fair game to any organization he owes money to. Right now, he's got all the aces in the deck. Doesn't mean we can't make his old man scared enough to force distance between them."
"How would you play it?" I knew what I'd do, courier service and a letter to Senator Cross, with a possible meet.
"Not a lot of options for you in this. Getting near him is going to be a nightmare. We can go for an old favorite, have a letter delivered and arrange a meet. Right now, you and Josh are dead men as soon as you show y'all's faces. It might be an idiotic move, but time is quickly running out."
"Wasn't too far off what I was thinking. We need to move fast. You got another copy of this?"
"Several. I haven't made many friends in my business. I always keep backups."
"I'll send this tomorrow morning."
"I'll keep an ear out, but I have another thing for you."
"What's that?"
"I went through all the names you gave me; your friend, West, made for interesting reading. Seems he's under investigation for witness tampering and destroying evidence. They put him on desk duty about the same time your hotel was hit. My informant says he was trying to destroy a high-profile case."
That tightness and tingling was back at the base of my skull. I'd trusted him, and now he was fucking me over again. He was also alone with my boy. I demanded Moffett's keys and the location of his vehicle. My heart was beating its way out of my chest. I barely remembered grabbing the information he brought me or running from the bar. All I cared about was getting across the city. I could deal with my ex-partner betraying me, but when it came to putting my boy in harm's way, that was something I was going to make West pay for.
Twenty-Two
Josh
I tried not to touch anything as I paced the lower floor of the construction zone. The no-tell-motel seemed healthier. Daddy had left a weapon in case I needed it and I wondered if I could hit a mutant rat when it came for my throat. I checked the time on the antique pocket watch he'd given me for luck. He'd told me it was the one thing he had left from his childhood. His mom had passed it down to him on his sixteenth birthday and said it had belonged to his grandfather.
He'd told me a lot about his life. Things he said he'd never shared with anyone. I was the only one who knew about his mother and father, and that life had been good when his father hadn't come around. Happiness filled the stories he'd shared, but he also shared the horror of seeing his mom lose herself as soon as the bastard decided to show up. I sympathized with his mother. There was a need to be wanted even if it was just to be used as an object.
She was the reason he took the protection job. He sought atonement for a sin that wasn't his. He believed that if he saved at least one person that it would make up for not saving her. Decades of guilt weighed him down, but I'd seen a different side of him after the hotel—a caring and nurturing man, a gentle Dominant—a Daddy.
I'd learned a lot about myself in such a short time. I'd had well-meaning people offer advice and guidance before and after Vernon, none of it had meant anything until him. He showed me what I deserved in the way he spoiled and touched me. Our futures were perilous at best. Yet for the first time in my life, I felt hopeful that everything wou
ld work out. Maybe that was naïve, but I didn't care.
I wanted to hold tightly to it while I could. Although, the pessimistic part of my brain wondered if I was addicted to him as much as I was the pain. I tried to remind myself about the difference between abuse and correction. I'd handled my natural submissiveness as if it were a flaw. Even if Yuri and I parted ways when this was all over, he'd given me the example of what I needed. That didn't mean I wasn't hoping his talk of a possible future wouldn't come true.
A floorboard creaking drew my attention to West entering the main room. Comfortable wasn't a word I'd use about how I felt in his presence. He put me on edge like a predator. I'd spent most of my life as prey sensing danger. Instead of running, I froze. He wasn't a large man. Tall and slender, a bit too good-looking, the type of looks that made you self-conscious just by existing.
"How did you wrap Sorenson around your little finger, huh?" He was staring at me with his arms crossed over his chest.
His gaze moved over me from top to bottom, then back to my face. I resisted my natural urge to retreat.
"What do you mean?"
"In the years I've known him, he's never let a piece of ass control him."
"We haven't done anything." My voice quavered as I mentally thought of my escape options. Yuri had walked me around the house and showed me the best ways to get out fast. He even made me up a go-bag with phone, money, and a change of clothes.
"Now, why don't I believe that?" he asked as he took a few steps. "The kisses. The sitting on his lap. And you're not too particular about who you bend over for."
He closed the distance until he was within touching range and that's when I did retreat.
"Yuri won't like you talking to me like that."
"I'm not going to tell him about getting a blowjob from his pretty, little boy."
I bent my arm behind me, flipped open the strap, and I heard the pop of the button securing the revolver in the holder. I was told not to pull it unless I was willing to use it. Fear choked me as he reached for me and I pulled the weapon. My heart was beating too fast, and the weight of the gun was awkward. I curled my finger around the trigger, took a deep breath, and started to tell him to back off when the windows at the front of the house exploded.
"Down," West yelled, and I hit the floor.
I nearly dropped my gun as I was crawling across the floor. Adrenaline taking over as I grabbed my bag and shoved the weapon inside. I kicked at West as he seized my ankle and I fought my way across the rough, hardwood planks. Chunks of drywall and thick dust filled the air as more rounds tore at the walls.
He was saying something to me, but all I could think of was to run like I was told. A loud grunt sounded when I looked back to take aim at his nose. When I connected, he covered his face with both hands, and I took my opening. When I reached the kitchen, my brain cleared, and I stared at the backdoor. Were there more men waiting out back? Were the shots through the front windows just a ploy to make it easier for them to catch me?
I was confused, but Yuri told me to run. Think, Josh, think, I screamed at myself. I suddenly remembered the break in the side fence. The dining room window was close enough to the ground I could jump. Briefly I darted a glance into the main room to find West returning fire. Maybe he wasn't one of the men trying to kill me, but I wasn't taking any chances.
I yelped as I surged to my feet and a shot hit too close to my head. I felt the nausea building. The terror threatening to take my legs from me, but I ran to the other room. I cursed as I fought the sticking window until it opened enough for me to slip my small frame through. I stuck my head out, and no one took a shot, so I jumped out and squeezed through two off-set fence boards.
I swear I could feel my heartbeat in my head as I stayed low. Dogs barked, and I heard sirens in the distance. I didn't trust anyone but Yuri, and I wasn't taking the chance of waiting on him from the shadows. I moved through yards, the people starting to fill the sidewalks to gawk at the police presence, and as quickly as chaos reigned, everything went quiet. I slung my backpack onto my shoulder, flipped up my hood, and made my way through the night hoping to find a payphone.
I couldn't use the cell. No one answered if it wasn't an assigned location with a familiar number. My legs shook as I checked the address and realized a bus station was nearby. I could find a phone there to use. Bus stations were typically pick up points. There were always people around. Vehicles dropping off and picking up, I'd make my call and wait there. I didn't want to leave Yuri, but I promised I would take care of myself first. He'd know where I went. He had the numbers and codes too.
All I knew was that I was tired, my hands were beginning to shake as the adrenaline wore off, and I was in need of some lethal amounts of caffeine to ease the crash. I didn't want to worry about West. Maybe he was in on it, maybe he wasn't, but I wasn't sticking around the find out.
The walk was longer than I anticipated, and I swung my bag around to dig out some money for caffeine and break it for some quarters to make my call. I darted into a convenience store, grabbed what I needed, including a few snacks and candy bars to hold me over for a while.
Should I go back? Yuri hadn't left long ago. He told me not to expect him until late, but I could hide in the bushes until he returned. I instantly vetoed the idea. I didn't want to break the rules, and if the cops were still there when he arrived, he'd leave. Me going to Arianna's was the only option. At least Yuri could call and make sure I was there.
I walked into the cavernous building and voices echoed, the wheels on luggage clacked over the grouted seams of the flooring. I quickly found the bank of payphones and checked the receiver before pressing it to my ear. I inserted a few quarters and dialed the number. A clipped voice answered, and I gave them the code for the location. They told me to wait outside in twenty minutes and hung up. I found an uncomfortable wooden bench and sat down. I bounced my legs up and down on my toes. My nervous energy was increasing as I took inventory of my surroundings.
It was an overwhelming symphony of annoyed grumbling and a baby crying. People glanced around, but everyone avoided eye contact to stave off unwanted attention or conversation. Was West dead or was he one of the people setting me up? My thoughts were a frenetic stream of what-ifs and second-guessing. I'd followed the rules, and all I could hope was I didn't have to wait long to hear Yuri's fate.
I checked the time and got up to head outside. The night air was cool, and fall would be coming soon. Even after years off the streets, my brain calculated how much time I had to find a sanctuary for winter. The best soup kitchens. The safest abandoned buildings or shelters, one year I'd spent the whole of the freezing weather at the compound.
I stepped out of the shadows as a familiar van with a star painted just below the side mirror pulled up to the curb and the passenger door opened. I ran and jumped in as fast as I could, the man behind the wheel was unfamiliar, but the symbol on the van showed me I was safe. We didn't share any conversation as we made our way through the evening traffic and out of the city. The closer we got, the more the adrenaline high eased. I ate a candy bar and chugged a double of canned espresso, then another.
Usually, we'd wear a blindfold, but I'd always known the location of the compound. I just respected the rules. The gate creaked as it opened and as soon as we parked, Arianna appeared from the front door.
"Yuri called. I told him we had you."
"Is he okay?"
"Yes, he just has to take care of a few things, and then he'll call for a pick-up. Let's get you inside. Have you eaten?"
"Candy bar and coffee."
"Not ideal and Yuri made sure to order me to feed you."
I sank into Arianna’s arms as she wrapped me in them, and for the first time since the bullets started, I let it go. She half guided and half-carried me inside the house. Yuri would be there soon, and until then I was safe. I could only hope he stayed the same.
Twenty-Three
Yuri
I was seething as I waited outside
the emergency room waiting for West to appear. I'd seen the paramedics loading him into an ambulance. He was bitching the entire time that it was only a flesh wound. Federal agents and cops had questioned him for nearly an hour before they'd allowed him to be treated with more than a bandage. He'd lied to me for the last fucking time.
It wasn't as if I'd completely trusted him, but he'd done some pretty shady shit over the time we’d worked together, and I'd gotten caught up in it after the fact. He loved his job, took pride in it but now he'd gone too far. I'd tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. A case like Cross' could quickly move you up the chain of command.
All I could be thankful for was Josh being safe. I'd found the nearest phone after I'd arrived and seen the house surrounded, lights flashing and everyone in the neighborhood checking out the excitement. When I'd heard the click, I'd demanded to speak to Arianna. It took three tries before they'd put her on. All I asked was did she have him? When she'd said yes, I said I'd call later for a pick-up. I knew it wasn't protocol, but I didn't give a fuck when it came to my boy. The call wasn't long enough to cause issues for anyone. I'd be there soon enough, but first I had to take care of West and setting up a meeting with Cross.
I resisted the urge to meet up with Vernon and take care of ridding the world of him myself. No one would mourn him. Just one less sick, rich fuck to prey on innocent people. I kept checking my watch and then the door. Each minute that passed was another notch my rage and frustration rose. West would sign himself out against doctor's orders if needed. If I knew one thing about the bastard, he hated hospitals and doctors.
All I wanted to know was what went down. My boy wasn't an option to ask. I also had several more questions for my former partner to answer. He'd planted evidence a time or two, but he never tampered with witnesses. Hell, he pocketed the occasional loose cash, but I hadn't thought him capable of attempted murder or an accessory to one. I hadn't had any choice but to bring him in. I couldn't have found the information I needed at the local library or through the Information of Freedom Act, especially on an open case.
