by Jake Biondi
On their way out they said a quick “goodbye” to Cole and Derek and then to Justin and Gino, who were taking more photographs near the fireplace.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Justin asked. “You’re supposed to be enjoying our reception. We only get one, after all.”
“You know me,” Gino said. “I’m always worried that people aren’t having a great time.”
“Look around you. Everyone’s having a blast.”
“Good. Then they won’t mind if we head out to the yacht for our honeymoon evening a bit early.”
Justin smiled. “Now that’s the Gino I know and love.”
They kissed and then headed toward the back exit of the penthouse.
At the bar at the far end of the dance floor, Max stood having yet another drink. He was leaning on the bar in order to help him remain upright. Logan noticed him from the other end of the floor where he was talking with David and Adam.
“Excuse me,” he told them as he headed over to Max.
“Well, hello,” Max said, slurring his words as Logan approached him.
“I think you’ve had enough,” Logan said, removing the drink from Max’s grip and putting it on the bar.
“Hell, no,” Max said. “I’m not done.”
“I think you are,” Logan stated. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”
“I don’t want to.”
“That wasn’t a question,” Logan said. “Let’s go.” Logan wrapped his arm around Max’s waist for support and led him to the elevator.
On the way, they passed Emmett, Cole, and Jensen.
“I’m getting this one home,” Logan said. “I’ll text Jesse and let him know. Great party and congrats again, Cole.”
“Thanks,” Cole replied. “Get him home safely.”
Logan nodded and took Max to the elevator.
Cole turned to David. “Thanks again for the suite upgrade for tonight. The presidential suite sounds amazing. Derek and I are very grateful.”
“No problem,” David said, hugging Cole. “You deserve an amazing night after this amazing event.”
“Well, we have Adam to thank for that,” Cole declared. “Honestly, you did an amazing job planning everything.”
Adam smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad it’s everything you wanted it to be.”
“Have either of you seen Hank?”
“No,” David said. “Why?”
“It’s not like him to not show up. He was so excited to attend. Excuse me for a moment. I’m going to call him and make sure he’s okay,” Cole said, walking toward the pantry.
“So I have a surprise for you,” David told Adam.
“Oh, really?”
“Since my friend upgraded Derek and Cole from the governor’s suite to the presidential suite, the governor’s suite is vacant tonight, which means it’s ours.”
“You’re kidding,” Adam said. “That’s amazing.”
“My friend confirmed with me this morning. It’s for the night and we can head over there any time we want.”
Adam kissed David. “I can’t wait. I need to hang out here until the guests leave and then I’m all yours.”
“Mmm, I like the sound of that,” David said, smiling and kissing Adam.
At the same time, Jensen pulled Emmett onto the terrace to talk to him.
“What’s up?” Emmett asked.
“I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“I need to go take care of something and I don’t want Hugo to follow me. So I’m going to sneak out and take care of it. Can you just let Hugo know that I left and I’ll catch up with him later?”
“Of course, but what is going on?”
“It’s all good. It’s just something I need to do,” Jensen said. “I don’t want you to worry; there’s nothing wrong.”
“Are you sure?”
“Promise,” Jensen said, kissing Emmett on the cheek and then rushing out.
While heading toward the elevator, Jensen passed the hallway leading to the pantry. Cole was heading down that hallway toward the pantry to get a bottle of champagne to take to the hotel with him.
As Cole approached the entry to the area, Rob stepped into the hallway behind him and hit him on the back of the head with a meat pounder from the kitchen, knocking him out. Cole collapsed backwards into Rob’s arms. He held his unconscious body and carried it toward the back elevator.
Later, Emmett found Hugo outside on the terrace.
“Hey, there,” Emmett said, putting his hand on Hugo’s back.
“Have you seen Jensen? I’ve been looking everywhere.”
“He told me to tell you that he had to take care of something and that he’d catch up with you later.”
“Where did he go?”
Emmett shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea”
“Shit,” Hugo said. “I think I do.”
Hugo ran toward the elevator as Emmett watched in confusion.
In California, the construction crew continued its demolition of the Mancini winery. Little was left of the walls and roof as the crew worked to remove the debris from the area.
Several workers used jackhammers to tear up the building’s foundation, sending cement fragments in every direction. Others used shovels to dig up the earth around the foundation.
After working on the foundation removal for a while, two crew members stopped and called out to their foreman to come over to them.
“What is it?” he asked the two men.
“Take a look at this,” one replied, pointing down into a dug up portion of the ground near the foundation.
“Holy shit,” the foreman said, kneeling down to get a closer look.
The three men stared in horror at the remains of a human skeleton buried in the earth below the foundation.
The penthouse was dark and quiet. All guests had left and the cleaning crew had restored the penthouse to its usual look. All tables, bars, and extra chairs had been removed and there was little, if any, evidence that a massive event had ever occurred earlier in the day.
Upstairs in his bathroom, Gino lay on the cold floor. Dressed only in his underwear with his wrists and ankles taped together and his mouth covered with tape as well, Gino struggled to free himself. The necklace with his father’s key no longer dangled from his neck. Having been working to get his hands free of the tape for most of the day after waking up from the chloroform sleep Marco had condemned him to, Gino was close to removing the last of the tape.
Finally breaking free, he pulled the tape from his mouth and gasped loudly for breath. Then he removed the tape from his ankles, stood up, and rushed downstairs to the living room.
Finding the room dark and empty, he quickly checked the dining room and kitchen. Realizing he was alone in his home, he rushed back upstairs to his bedroom.
He ran over to his dresser and removed a large box. Gino carried it to the desk and gently put it down. He took a small key from the top drawer of the desk and used it to open the box. He took his gun out of the box and then loaded it with ammunition also contained within.
“I’m coming for you, brother.”
Across town, Camille was being escorted to her holding cell. Her jewelry removed, Camille walked cautiously in her gown as the police officer ushered her to a cell at the end of a row of cells. Women in those holding cells called out and mocked Camille.
“You can’t leave me in here,” she pleaded with the guard. “I didn’t kill Ben.”
Ignoring her, the guard walked Camille to the open cell, pushed her inside, closed the cell door, and locked it tightly.
Camille grabbed the bars and yelled to the guard, who was already walking away. “Don’t leave me in here, dammit! I didn’t kill anyone! I didn’t kill anyone!”
Arriving back at Dustin’s apartment where Max was staying, Logan struggled to get the door open while also helping Max stand upright. Getting the door open, Logan helped Max inside. He kicked the door closed and it swiveled back, closing almost all the way,
but not quite.
“Easy does it,” Logan said as he helped Max to the sofa.
“I’m fine,” Max insisted.
“That’s what I used to say,” Logan mumbled.
Max put his hand on Logan’s cheek. “I should never have let you go.”
“Now’s probably not the best time to discuss this. You’ve had a long day.”
“You said I was the love of your life.”
“Max, please...”
Max leaned in closer to Logan. “I want you back.”
“You’ve had a lot to drink,” Logan said, standing. “I got you home. You need to sleep it off.”
Max grabbed Logan’s arm and pulled him forcefully back onto the couch. “I want you back.” Max leaned in and kissed Logan deeply.
Breathing quickly, Logan pushed Max away from him. He sat staring at Max for a moment.
Max grabbed Logan’s arms and pulled him closer. “You’ll always be mine.” Max kissed Logan deeply.
Logan resisted for a moment and then relaxed as Max wrapped his arms around him and kissed him passionately.
In the hallway outside the apartment, Jesse got off the elevator. He walked down the hallway to his father’s apartment. Finding the door slightly ajar, he peered inside.
At the same time at St. Joseph Hospital, Joyelle stood in her room beside the basinet in which her baby girl soundly slept. She smiled down at her daughter, adjusting the pink blanket wrapped around her. Then she walked to the window to look up at the bright moon.
A figure dressed in surgical mask, scrubs, and gloves entered the room silently. It slowly approached Joyelle from behind. Quickly grabbing her around the neck, it squeezed tightly until Joyelle’s body collapsed onto the floor.
The figure moved to the basinet. Reaching inside, it gently lifted the baby and wrapped the pink blanket more snugly around her. With Joyelle’s baby in its arms, the figure rushed from the room.
Walking hand in hand in Maggie Daley Park, Patrick and Emmett were also gazing up at the moon. Then they paused and faced each other.
Patrick kissed Emmett and then said, “Thanks for taking this walk with me. I know it’s been a long day.” Emmett didn’t respond. “Emmett?”
“Oh, sorry,” Emmett said, refocusing on Patrick. “You said there was something important you needed to tell me.”
“There is,” Patrick admitted.
“Sounds ominous,” Emmett joked.
“It’s not. It’s just a bit of a long story -- are you okay? You seem...distracted.”
“I’m sorry, I just feel like something is wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“The way Gino was behaving all day. Justin said he seemed...off. And the way that Justin said it, there’s definitely something wrong.”
“Is there something we can do?”
“I don’t know. I’d like to check on them.”
“Check on them? But they’re having their honeymoon night.”
“I just need to know Justin’s okay. Come with me? We’ll just go to the boat and make sure they’re okay. And then we can have the rest of the night to ourselves. I promise.” Emmett paused and smiled. “Is that okay?”
“How can I say no to that smile?” Patrick asked. “Lead the way.”
Emmett kissed Patrick, took his hand, and led him toward the lake.
As Emmett and Patrick walked toward the pier, Mateo entered Joyelle’s hospital room to check on her. He walked into the dark room and looked toward the empty bed. Then he walked over to the empty basinet.
Looking toward the window, he saw Joyelle’s body on the floor. He rushed over, knelt next to Joyelle, and turned her face toward him.
“Joyelle! Joyelle!” He felt her neck, searching for a pulse. Then he looked up at the basinet. “My God, what the hell happened here?”
Inside Michael’s bedroom, Keith and he kissed deeply as they wrapped themselves around each other. Their mouths pressed against each other, Keith hurriedly opened Michael’s shirt, letting it fall to the ground.
“I have missed you so much,” Keith whispered as he kissed Michael muscled chest.
“I love you,” Michael replied, pulling Keith’s shirt off of him. He pulled Keith close to him, their bare chests touching, and kissed him deeply. Then he stepped back as if he got dizzy.
“Are you okay?”
Michael smiled. “I’m just wound up for you, that’s all.” Michael pushed Keith backwards onto the bed and pulled off his shoes, socks, and pants. Then he did the same with his own shoes, socks, and pants. Looking down at Keith lying on the bed in only his underwear, Michael said, “My God, you’re sexy.”
Michael crawled on top of Keith and kissed his way up Keith’s abs, chest, and shoulders. Placing his hard dick strategically against Keith’s, Michael kissed Keith again.
Suddenly, Michael collapsed onto Keith.
“Michael? Michael?” Keith frantically tried to wake Michael up. He carefully rolled Michael onto his back, but there was no change. Michael lay still on the bed next to Keith, who shook him more aggressively. Michael showed no signs of life. “Michael!”
Across town in his apartment bedroom, Rob sat beside his bed looking at Cole’s unconscious, naked body. He had stripped Cole down and restrained him with chains. Each wrist was chained to the wall behind the bed where a headboard used to be and each ankle was chained to the floor next to the bed so that Cole lay in an upright, spread-eagle position.
Rob leaned forward and carefully put Cole’s penis into a chastity cage, first working his hanging balls through the metal ring and the putting the metal cage into position over his shaft. Putting the small padlock into position, Rob locked it and removed the key, putting it into his pocket.
He sat back into his chair and watched his captive’s chest rise and fall. After a few moments, Cole began to stir and eventually he woke up. He looked at the ceiling, then at the chains that bound him, then at his caged cock, and then directly at Rob.
“What the hell are you doing?” Cole asked in a rage, his muscles bulging as he tried to get free from the chains.
Rob smiled. “Don’t waste your strength, Cole. I’ve spent of lot of time working on our bedroom. You’re not going anywhere. You’re mine now, as you should have been all along.”
“Our bedroom? I’m married to Derek.”
“You are for the moment...” Rob got up and stood close to the bed, running his fingers up Cole’s leg. “Hank tried to take you away and he had to be stopped.’
“Hank? What did you do to him?
“And Derek will learn a hard lesson, too. You and I are going to be so happy together.”
“What are you talking about? He’ll find me.”
Rob held up Cole’s cell phone. “He’s not even looking for you. I -- or should I say you -- sent him this text.”
Cole read the message Rob sent Derek from Cole’s phone: “I have a surprise for you, babe. I’ll meet you at the hotel room.” Cole looked at Rob. “Damn you.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll still see him.” Rob pointed to a computer screen near the foot of the bed. “A bird’s eye view.”
On the computer screen was the image of an empty hotel room.
“What are you talking about?”
“See that room? It’s your honeymoon suite. I spent a little time there this afternoon. As soon as Derek turns on the lights...boom! You’re a widower.”
Cole began to frantically struggle to get free. “Damn you! No!”
At the hotel, Derek headed down the hallway toward the presidential suite, excited to spend the night with his husband. When he reached the door, he used his card key to enter.
He stepped into the marble foyer of the suite and turned on the lights.
“Hey, Cole,” he said loudly, but received no answer.” He took off his tuxedo jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair.
Then he walked into the gigantic living room of the suite. All the drapes were open and the windows provided a panoramic view of Chica
go’s amazing skyline. He saw the silhouette of a man standing near the window.
“Hey, babe,” Derek said, turning on a nearby lamp which illuminated the room.
The man turned around from the window to face Derek. It was Dustin.
Dustin smiled. “Hello, Derek. I’ve been waiting for you…”
One floor below, in the hallway outside of the governor’s suite, David and Adam paused as David removed the card key from his jacket pocket. Adam pulled him close and kissed him.
“You did such a great job today,” David told Adam. “Everything was perfect.”
“The best part is yet to come,” Adam teased, kissing David again.
David put the card into the key slot and opened the door. Adam wrapped his arms around David from behind and followed him into the room. As Adam kissed the back of David’s neck, he fumbled for the light switch.
From the street far below, the resulting explosion lit up the night sky. Smoke and shattered glass flew from the hotel suite in every direction and the loud noise of the explosion echoed off nearby buildings. People on the sidewalk ran for cover.
Hugo raced down the hallway toward Rachel’s room. Upon reaching it, he knocked on the door. Because the door wasn’t locked, his knocking actually pushed the door wide open.
Cautiously, Hugo stepped into the room. “Rachel?” Hugo walked past the closet and into the main part of the suite.
He stopped dead in his tracks as he observed Jensen kneeling on the floor with Rachel’s bloody body lying across his lap. Jensen’s face and tuxedo were covered in blood as was Rachel’s face and torso. Jensen held a bloody knife in his hand as he looked up at Hugo in shock.
“My God, Jensen. What have you done?”
On the deck of their yacht, Justin poured Marco a glass of champagne.
