A Note to My Readers: Well there is good news and bad news. The good news is that before my computer totally crashed on me I was able to save this chapter and what I had written of Chapter 10, the Finale. The bad news if you didn’t pick up on it, but I’m sure you all did, since I have the brightest and most wonderful readers in the world, is the computer crashing part. Yep, to the tune of 800 big ones to fix it!! Anyone got 800 dollars you don’t want? Anyone got an old computer you don’t want? I’m in the midst of looking for other solutions. In the meantime I’m hustling to try to finish this story and not leave you guys hanging. I don’t want to throw it together but I also feel a little helpless without a computer at the moment. I’m begging my way through this with friends here and there. So, I must warn you all that at the end of this chapter there is a huge cliff. I am not sure when the finale will be posted. I don’t want anyone hating me while you wait or thinking I am merely trying to torture you all. Trust me, no one wants this story finished as much as I do. So read at your own risk. I think at the end of the story you will all be happy, or at least satisfied. That is my goal. Well just wanted to explain why it has taken me so long to get this up and why the next one might take longer. Hugs and Thanks for your continued support. Mouse Book 5 Chapter 9 Justin fought down the memories that flooded his body once more as he entered the dilapidated apartment building. Rushing up the stairs, he ordered Michael to wait for Horvath. Michael started to protest but knew that Justin was right. Someone had to stay behind and for the first time in his life Michael realized that Brian needed Justin more. Justin wasn’t sure what he was walking into and didn’t take the time to think about it. Hobbs’ words continued to echo in his mind. “He’s going to kill him.” Reinhold, a stupid one night stand that now alleged to be far more to his deceased partner. Some stupid delusional stalker who had shown up at their door. Justin had known. He’d known that Ethan had been lying, but had somehow managed to convince himself that Ethan had learned his lesson. Now he wondered how many others there had been and what had Reinhold spinning so dangerously out of control. “What have you done Ethan?” Justin whispered aloud as he continued to race up the stairway. “Let me explain.” Ethan’s voice cried out behind him from the landing Justin had just left, but the blonde never heard him. “It’s not what you think.. It was all for you. It was all for us.” He demanded as he watched the blond move steady away from him. “Brian, I’m coming.” Justin whispered under this breath on the fourth floor landing. Ethan was ahead of him as he held up a hand warning the blond to stop. Justin never saw him. Ethan wondered why it was that the blond could no longer hear him or see him. It saddened and disturbed the smaller man. Something had happened. Ethan wondered if perhaps Justin had finally moved on and that was why he could no longer hear his dead partner’s voice. Ethan knew what Justin was walking into. He’d been there the entire time watching as Mark broke the news of their affair to Kinney. Ethan had been surprised at first that Brian had almost defended him, but then realized it was out of love for Justin that the older man had taken his side. “He has a gun Justin! He’s crazy. Don’t go in! He’ll hurt you.” The musician pleaded to no avail. Justin was beyond his reach, walking into a situation chaotically whirling out of control toward a deadly conclusion. ************************* It was just sheer luck that Mark had been looking out when the familiar blond head had appeared from the broken down Dodge. “We have company.” Mark smiled over in Brian’s direction. “Spares me from making a call.” Brian felt his entire body tense. Mark grabbed the gun up from the coffee table giving Brian a taunting look. “How considerate of Justin.” He moved to the door leaning his ear against it. Brian looked wildly around the apartment. There had to be something, something he could use, something that would save him and save Justin from the fate that this homicidal maniac had in mind. Brian said a silent prayer that Justin didn’t have Stephen with him. He fought the gag in his mouth, but knew he wouldn’t be able to call out. He couldn’t warn Justin to stay away. He couldn’t alert him to what he was about to storm in on. This was just like Justin, bravely going in where no one else would dare, all in the name of love. Brian cursed that courage but at the same time felt strangely comforted by it. To know that someone was so willing to lay himself out for another somehow eased all Brian’s memories of feeling unworthy. He was worthy. If someone like Justin was willing to go into the storm to save him, then Brian was worthy of that love. Mark suddenly threw the door open as Justin reached it. The gun in his face, Justin came to an immediate halt. His eyes riveted on the barrel then on Mark’s face. “Well hello Mr. Taylor, so nice of you to join us.” Mark quipped, his lips turned up in an evil smile. “Brian was just saying how much he wished he could see you one last time. Well, looks like today’s the day that all wishes come true.” He gestured with the gun indicating that Justin should move deeper into the apartment. Justin and Brian locked gazes. Brian’s was filled with sorrow while Justin was still in shock. “Did he hurt you?” Justin asked concerned. “Not yet.” Mark offered. Justin moved to Brian, touching his face where a nasty bruise was forming. He removed Brian’s gag. He didn’t see Mark as he stalked angrily forward, grabbing the blond by the arm and throwing him back onto the couch. “I couldn’t warn you!” Brian offered trying to explain what he knew was obvious. Mark slapped Brian hard causing his head to snap to the side. “Stop it!” Justin shouted pushing off of the couch. Mark cocked the gun. Justin considered the action, took a calming breath and lifted his chin in defiance. Brian spat blood onto the floor but reassured Justin he was okay. “Why are you doing this?” Justin asked wearily reeling as the reality of the situation set in. He was sitting in his old apartment, along with Brian, who was tied up in a chair and a lunatic who was holding them both at gun point. It was something straight out of a B movie. “Tell him.” Mark gestured to Brian as he leaned back against the wall giving the blond a smug look. Justin met Brian’s gaze once more. He saw the regret and knew what was about to follow was going to be very unpleasant. “Justin, apparently, --“ “No!” Mark shouted. “No interpretation, just the facts!” He demanded. “Ethan was involved with Reinhold.” Brian stated soberly. Justin turned his attention to Reinhold for a moment. He gave the man a skeptical look. Mark gestured to the pictures laid out on the coffee table. Justin moved forward on the couch until he could see what it was that Mark wanted him to see. Looking down at the surface of the table he recognized that the photos all contained images of Ethan and Mark. Justin blinked hard trying to process the images. He hesitated as he reached for them knowing that once he picked them up and really looked at them, that there would be no going back. The facts would be there, raw and harsh, never to be denied again. Fidelity, the one thing Justin had wanted and apparently the one thing no one seemed willing to give to him. “It’s not what it looks like.” Ethan defended, now seated next to Justin on the couch. He noticed that Justin was keeping his composure but there was a slight tremble in his right hand. It was a sure sign that Justin was more upset than he was letting on. Ethan threw a glare in Mark’s direction. This was not the way he wanted to be remembered. He turned back to Justin, his face now softened with desperation and sorrow. As Justin flipped through one image after another, he rolled his lips into his mouth and cleared his throat. Sitting up slightly he met Reinhold’s gaze with prideful resignation. So Ethan had cheated, he’d lied and betrayed Justin, he refused to give Mark the satisfaction of seeing how much the revelation hurt. From the looks of the photos, the affair had been ongoing throughout the entire course of his relationship with Ethan. Justin was hurt but also humiliated that he’d been so easily duped by Ethan. Refusing to give in to his humiliation and pain, Justin chose to let go of the past and focus on what really mattered at the moment. He had to focus on keeping his future with Brian, a future that would be short indeed unless he came up with some way for them to escape. Justin continued to buy time as he slowly flipped through the images. He recognized so many of the locations. The ones taken outside of their apartment building were the most disturbing, as some contained images of his son as well. The thought that Ethan would expose Stephen to this man filled Justin with outrage, disgust and anger. “Like what you see?” Mark taunted him. “Believe it now?” “So he fucked you.” Justin stated dismissing the affair. “You think you were the only one? You think that makes you special?” He asked, hating the defensive tone he heard in his own voice. “Yes.” Mark stated firmly enjoying the other man’s discomfort. This was what he had waited for. He’d dreamt of revealing the truth to this man. He felt disappointed as Justin merely shrugged. “So you proved your point. Ethan was a liar and cheat.” Justin continued apparently unfazed. “No that isn’t the point!” Mark spat making it clear by the way that he held the gun that he would not tolerate anyone saying such things about the man. “The point is, “ He glared at the blond, “ that what you had with Ethan was the lie and what I had was real.” “Shut the fuck up! You were the lie!” Ethan leapt to his feet and charged at Mark. He passed through the man then cried out in frustration and despair. There was no way to stop this. He was powerless to explain or defend his actions. Justin would only know the lies that he had fed Mark to further his career. He would never know or understand how all of it had been so that they would no longer have to hide. So that he and Justin could raise Stephen as a couple, no longer having to fear losing management or income because of their sexuality. Ethan crumpled to the floor sobbing as he watched Mark continue to destroy all that he and Justin had ever had. “You are the cheat, Justin. You fucking cheated us out of the only time we had together.” He leveled the gun at Justin, his intense hate causing his jaw to clench as he forced the words through his teeth. “Oh.” Justin remained as unreadable and calm as possible. “So it’s MY fault.” “You’re damn right it’s your fault!” Mark all but screamed. “You just wouldn’t let him go.” “He didn’t want me to let go.” Justin offered in confusion. “Yes he did! But he knew you’d expose him. You would go to the press and ruin him before his career even got started.” Mark’s voice was on the edge of hysterical, deepening both Justin and Brian’s concern. “The management team would have dropped him. He would have failed. He would have never reached his full potential because of YOU.” Justin considered Mark’s words. Had Ethan really told him that? Had Ethan played Justin off as some manipulative, blackmailing, greedy bitch? “He told you that?” Justin asked finding that he needed to know. “Yes, he told me about your warnings. He told me about all your schemes and threats. All that time you kept him from having what he REALLY wanted, which was ME!” Mark’s eyes filled with tears and Justin realized he was telling the truth. Ethan had played them both, so well. Something broke deep inside Justin at that moment as he found himself realizing how little he had really known his partner. “And you took him away just like I’m going to take your lover away from you.” Mark’s voice sounded odd and distant. Justin cleared his throat. It was obvious that Reinhold was unraveling before their eyes. Justin had to think fast; he had to find a way to free Brian before Mark snapped and shot him. Mark aimed the gun once more at Brian, his hand noticeably shaking. “You ready to meet your maker?” Mark asked as he pressed the muzzle to Brian’s head. “You’re right!” Justin yelled as he stood, causing Mark to turn the gun on him. “I wanted Ethan dead. I knew he was leaving me for you and I wanted him dead. I thought I’d get insurance money, so I made certain that he would drive that night.” Justin stated, his mind racing to keep ahead of his mouth. Brian stared at him in shock as the blond confessed to something that Brian knew he was incapable of doing. “You killed him?” Mark asked his voice soft and lost. It was a possibility he’d failed to consider. “Yes, I killed him. Well, actually I had him killed. Just so you couldn’t have him.” Justin stated firmly. “So this is really between you and me. Let Brian leave and let’s settle this once and for all.” Justin met Mark’s gaze without fear. “No.” Brian gasped as the realization of what Justin was doing came to light. “Shut up Brian.” Justin ordered. Justin refused to meet his lover’s gaze. As much as he wanted to kiss Brian one last time, feel his arms around his body, whisper words of love and endearment, he knew that there wasn’t time. If he was going to save the man, it had to be now. Mark was growing more unstable by the moment. “But why?” Mark pleaded. “Why did you do that? You could have just terminated the partnership.” He continued to hold the gun on Justin. “I would have paid you. I offered Ethan money to pay you, so that you would leave, but he said you wouldn’t take it. He said you wanted more than money. He said you just wanted him.” Mark furrowed his brow trying to wrap his mind around this new revelation. If it were true it would change everything. He would have to kill Justin to avenge his lover. He continued to keep the gun trained on the blond as he moved closer to Justin. Nothing was making sense now. I Brian knew he was out of time. It was just like Justin to sacrifice himself like this. With Mark’s attention now fully focused on Justin, Brian used the opportunity to struggled harder with his ropes managing to free one of his hands. He just needed a few more minutes in order to get out of the rest of his restraints. “Why?” Justin threw the question back in the man’s face. He shook his head wondering the same question as he tried to formulate a convincing lie. He had a difficult time as he wrestled with his own questions of why. Why weren’t the police here? Why hadn’t someone come up and taken this psycho out? “Yeah, why?” Mark’s voice was firmer as he took another step toward Justin. The blond edged away, moving to the far end of the couch. Mark’s back was to Brian now, his focus narrowed to the blond who had just confessed to killing Ethan. “Because he was a lying piece of shit.” Justin stated angrily. “Oh I love you Justin.” He mocked. “I will love you foreva.” He continued. “I only want to be with you. You are my muse. You are my inspiration. After this concert everything will change, we won’t have to hide any longer.” Brian recognized the sincere pain in Justin’s tone as he imitated his lost partner. He noted it somewhere in his mind as he continued to furiously fight to free himself. “Shut up!” Mark yelled. “Shut the fuck up!” He stepped closer cocking the gun. “Sound familiar?” Justin asked his lip trembling with fear and anger. He watched as Mark processed his words. He wondered for a split second if the same pain that he saw now in Mark’s eyes was filling his own. He wondered if Stephen would remember him. He wondered if Rachel or his mother would raise him. He wondered if the little boy would ever understand why his father had suddenly disappeared just like his Papa. His heart ached as Justin realized he would never see his son grow to be a man, never be able to tell him how proud he was of him or how remarkable he was. He would never get to see his first day of school, or his first date, or be there when he married. He would miss so much. He glanced at Brian and knew that saving the love of his life was worth all that he was sacrificing. He loved Brian. He would always love Brian. It had been love from their first night together and no time, distance or relationship had ever altered or diminished those feelings. “I’m going to kill you.” Mark’s voice was low and menacing as Justin watched the man’s warm brown eyes glaze over with a cruel cold hate. It was then that Justin knew he was dead. ************************************** “I want you up on that roof.” Horvath ordered the sharp shooter. “Davis, Martinez, and James.” He pointed. “You come with me.” The four men headed up the stairs of the building leaving an anxious Michael giving Ben the blow by blow into his cell phone. They slowly ascended the stairway that led up to the top apartment. He could hear voices coming from above them. He recognized one as Justin’s. “Shut up!” He heard the other voice shout. The men picked up the pace. He’d only dealt with a handful of hostage situations in his career and none had ended well. Carl assumed that the voice he didn’t recognize was Mark Reinhold’s. He’d heard it briefly at the ceremony that afternoon. It sounded so different now. It was strained and hysterical. Carl and Davis set up on one side of the door while Martinez and James set up on the other. Carl took a deep breath. So much of it was luck now. It all depended on whether they timed the entrance for the exact right moment. If they were off, it could mean either Brian or Justin’s life. Carl gave the hand signals indicating that they would move in on three. He took another deep breath as he checked his gun, then meeting the eyes of the opposite team, he started to count. ************************************ It all happened so fast. One moment Mark was pointing the gun at Justin, the next there was a sound from behind. Mark turn in surprise just as Brian made his move. Justin watched as Brian launched himself onto Reinhold. Justin’s voice rang out, mixing with the sound of the gun as it went off with a deafening roar. “Brian!” Justin yelled as the door to the apartment suddenly crashed in and Carl appeared. Justin watched as the events seemed to freeze before his eyes. It was as if he’d suddenly been taken out of the matrix, time losing its power, as it slowed to a halt. He was knocked to the floor. He wasn’t sure if it was Mark, Brian or a bullet that landed him there. It took him a moment to realize that the gun had gone off but it hadn’t been pointed at him but instead had been trapped between Brian and Mark’s bodies. Justin scrambled to his knees and frantically made his way over to where the other two men had fallen. Carl reached Brian at the same moment. They both grabbed Reinhold, pulling his body off of Brian, who lay beneath the man. “No!” Justin shouted as his hand instinctively grabbed Brian’s blood soaked shirt. He’d failed. He’d come to save Brian and he’d failed. “No, no, no.” It was a soft mantra as he continued to rub on the soaked fabric as if somehow he might erase the stain. “Call an ambulance.” Carl shouted. Justin heard the words but had no idea who the man was talking to as he continued to stare at his lover’s face. “Brian?” Michael called from the doorway. “You need to stay out.” Carl warned not wanting his crime scene contaminated as well as not feeling prepared to deal with Michael’s reaction to his friend’s condition. “Brian?” Michael ignored the warning as he stumbled further into the shabby dim apartment. He watched as Justin’s lips moved but no sound came out. “He’s gone.” Carl’s voice startled Michael. The smaller man panicked as he urgently called to the blond. “Justin?” He waited then realized Justin was beyond hearing him. “Justin!” He called again wanting confirmation that Brian was really okay, that Carl was wrong, that any moment now Brian would sit up and they would all go to Woody’s with a great story to tell. Instead in horror, Michael watched as Justin silently lowered his head to Brian’s chest and wept. *****************************************