Silent Night-9 
By Elsa Rose 
Plot Bunny by Amanda


“ WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE’S GONE?” Brian shouted into the phone. Even Debbie recoiled from the terror and anger that screamed from the telephone receiver pressed against Ronny’s ear. For everyone standing within ten feet of the hapless bodyguard could hear Brian’s voice. Ronny’s complexion was gray with worry for the man he’d been in charge of minding.

“ Brian, I’m just letting you know. I have to go now. I need to check out a few things. I’ll get back to you.” Ronny didn’t wait for Brian’s answer but closed his cell phone effectively cutting off the shouts that were emanating from it. He turned to look at the faces staring at him. “Justin’s life is in danger. He was supposed to be watched at all times. I can’t explain and I won’t, that’s up to Brian and Justin when we find him.

“ What can we do?” Michael asked. 

“Tell us, we’ll do anything we can.” Emmett added.

“Right now I have to contact some of my agents. We need to find Justin as soon as possible. For two reasons, one his life is in danger as I mentioned and the second, his health isn’t as good as he’d like everyone to think. He really shouldn’t even be here in Pittsburgh, but he wanted to be with Brian for his birthday.”

“ We know everyone around here, we’ll start asking if anyone saw Justin being taken.” Michael said. 

Making a quick decision, Ronny nodded. He pulled out his wallet and handed out his business card with his cell number to all of them. “ Call me if you find anything out.” He said before disappearing through the open window in the rest room.

Debbie looked at Michael and Emmett “Don’t just stand there, do something. Sunshine’s life is in danger. I can’t believe that Brian has finally found somebody to love and now he’s gone.” She quickly wiped away a tear that was threatening her mascara. “I’m going to call Carl he’ll help us.” Debbie headed to the phone confident that her lover and member of the local police force could save the day.

The screech of a braking car made all their heads turn. It was Brian and he’d all but driven his car up on the sidewalk. He raced into the diner. “Mikey, tell me everything you know.” He demanded.

“Justin was eating lunch with us and then he said he needed the rest room. Ronny didn’t want him to go on his own but Justin told him it was okay. But it wasn’t” Michael stammered out his version of what had happened.

Brian’s eyes were wild as he took in the scene at the diner. “Where’s Ronny?” 

“He went out the window. I guess looking for clues.” Emmett volunteered. 
Brian pushed past all of them and despite his designer suit; he too climbed through the open window.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Justin lay in the darkness, his head throbbing, as he tried to control his breathing. He knew that if he let panic set in, he’d end up in a full-blown asthma attack. The cramped space and rumble of a car motor told him that he’d been put in a trunk. He tried to move his hands, but they seemed to be tied together behind his back. Remembering something he’d seen on television and being a rather agile bottom boy thanks to Brian’s training. Justin grinned at that thought. Justin began to maneuver himself so that he pulled through his tied hands and they ended up in front of his body. There had been moments while he did this that he’d been sure his shoulders were going to snap from their sockets. And now that his hands were in front of him, he wished he had Brian to ease the pain, something the older man was very good at.

Justin had been panting from the strain of his rather absurd gymnastic move and now he started to cough. The dust in the trunk from the carpet fibers was choking him. Panic almost set in but he closed his eyes and focused on Brian’s face the last time they’d been together. He’d awakened to find hazel eyes watching him intently as if to memorize every pore. The look of love that radiated from Brian’s very soul was something Justin would have for the rest of his life thanks to his artist’s eye.

His breathing back to normal, Justin began to work at the knots of the rope with his teeth. He wondered why they hadn’t gagged him, but was glad that it had been overlooked.

The car stopped and Justin froze. He wasn’t ready for his kidnappers to see him yet. His hands were still secured. The sound of the car door slamming shut reverberated through to Justin. 

“I thought you’d never get here.” A male voice said. “I damn near got caught.” he hesitated and then “You said he wasn’t going to be any trouble. I had to knock him out.” 

“Did anyone see you?” Another voice asked. Justin thought it sounded like his father.

“I’m not a fool.” 

“Help me push the car. No one will find it here. This section of the lake hasn’t seen any action for years.” It was his father again. Justin wondered what he was talking about. “The grounds are posted. It’s private property and I’ll see that it stays that way.” 

“Well no one will miss this car for another six months. The owner is traveling in Europe. He won’t be back for a long time. By the time he reports it missing the trail will be stone cold.” 

Justin could hear them both laughing and his heart broke again for what his father was doing to him. Only this time it not only broke but it froze in a solid lump of ice that would take an unfathomable amount of love to melt and begin beating again. As he began to give up hope of ever seeing the light of day again, his hands began to slip free of the rope that bound them. With his hands free, a tiny slice of hope began to filter through to him. And then he heard the grunts of the two men and the car began to move forward. It stopped, moved a few feet, and stopped again before tilting downward and plunging with a splash into the lake.

Molly, hiding behind a large oak tree, stuffed her jacket into her mouth so that the sound she made wouldn’t be overheard. If she had any chance of saving her brother, it would only be if she wasn’t discovered.

“Did you hear that?” her father’s assistant asked.

“There’s no one out here. It’s private property, it’s probably an animal.” Craig Taylor replied. The two men stood on the edge of the small hill and watched the car slowly sinking into the lake. It wasn’t as deep here as Craig would have liked, but it was secluded and he was confident the soft mud ooze at the bottom of the swamp like lake would cover their deed.

“Let’s get out of here. Watching this is making me sick.” Brad Lincoln said.

“I want to make sure the car is covered.” 

“We can come back tomorrow. If it isn’t covered we’ll make sure it is. Besides, we need to get him out of the trunk and into the front seat. We’ll need a body eventually or you won’t get the money.”

“I figure if I let the body sit for a year, there won’t be enough left to tell he was tied up.” Craig turned and headed toward the car he’d driven. “I agree, tomorrow will be time enough to make sure everything is set.” When he reached his car he turned back to Brad Lincoln, and taking a gun from his pocket he aimed and fired twice. Once to the head and once to the heart in a classic H and H the sign of a hit man. He wiped the gun and threw it on the ground, it couldn’t be traced to him, Craig had stolen it years before from a hooker he’d known. Now there were no witnesses. When he raised the hue and cry about Justin, they would figure that it was a kidnapping gone wrong. Especially after they discovered the ransom note that Craig had planted in the pocket of his ex assistant.

Getting into his car, Craig quickly drove down the narrow road toward the highway. He never noticed his wife’s small car tucked away in the bushes.

Molly didn’t wait to see her father’s car disappear. As soon as it cleared the first stand of trees and she knew she wouldn’t be seen, Molly raced to the edge of the water. The car hadn’t fully submerged. She could hear Justin screaming inside and the thump of his shoes against the trunk lid.

“JUSTIN, JUSTIN, SHUT UP.” Molly screamed. “Kick the back seat part. I’m going to see if I can pull the seat down.” She waded into the cold lake water and then wiggled through the partially submerged open window in the back seat. Her weight made the car settle further into the river and she stifled a scream.

“MOLLY?” Justin shouted. “MOLLY IS THAT YOU?” 

“WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP AND START PUSHING AGAINST THE SEAT, THE WATER PRESSURE IS TOO STRONG FOR ME.” She shouted back. Water was up to her shoulders and she knew that Justin would only have a small space with any air by now. Luckily the car was going under nose first and not quickly.

Justin, locked inside and forcing himself not to panic used all of his inner strength to push against what he hoped was the back of the rear seat. Between him pushing and Molly pulling the seat began to move unfortunately the water also began to pour into what little air space he had left.

As the filthy water closed over his face, Justin gave one last push. The seat began to float away. He could feel Molly pulling him out of the trunk by his feet. Later, neither Molly or Justin could remember exactly how they got out of the rear window and up on the bank of the lake, 

“Justin are we alive?” Molly asked in a small voice. She was shivering from the cold water and the shock of everything that had happened.

“I hope so.” Justin answered. “Molly I can’t believe you’re really here. How did you get here?” 

“I heard daddy talking to Mr. Lincoln. So when they left I stole mommy’s car and followed them. I sort of knew the way, but not really. It’s scary driving mommy’s car.”

“Fuck Molly, you’re only eleven years old. What in hell possessed you drive mom’s car?” 

“They were going to hurt you and mommy was sleeping. Anyway she wouldn’t have believed me about daddy. So I took two of the sofa cushions and her keys and followed. It’s not that hard to drive Justin. I mean I’ve watched mommy lots of times.” 

Justin began to cough. The dirty lake water that he’d swallowed wasn’t helping his lungs any. “Molly, where’s the car?”

“Over there,” she pointed to some bushes. “I couldn’t park very good. I think I need more practice.”

It was then that Justin noticed the body of his father’s assistant. “Fuck what happened to Brad?”

“Daddy shot him two times. It was like on TV only louder.” Molly looked at the dead man with disinterest. “I didn’t like him. He was mean to me and he always wanted me to kiss him. I wouldn’t ever do that, his breath smelled like old socks.”

“Ewwww” Justin made a face and then coughed again. Fuck he could feel the pain beginning in his left shoulder that indicated his lungs were acting up. “We have to get out of here in case dad decides to come back.” He stood up, surprised at how shaky he was. He held out his hand to help his sister up. “I’m driving, where are the keys?” 

“In the car.” She said. “I don’t care if you drive. Driving is easy but really scary.”

“I don’t suppose you have a cell phone with you?” 

“Sure, I took mommy’s purse. Her cell phone is in it.” 

“Why did you take her purse?” 

“Because her keys were in it and her driver’s license, I figured I needed a driver’s license.” They both kept their distance from the corpse as they walked to the car. Justin got into the driver’s seat and leaned back to catch his breath. “Find the phone for me will you Molly.”

“Here it is. It even takes pictures and everything.” Molly handed the small phone to Justin.

Justin dialed Brian’s number. “Hey” 

“Justin, where are you?” Brian’s voice was controlled. He could sense that something was seriously wrong.

“I’m not sure. I think it’s some property my family owns about forty miles from Pittsburgh. Brian they tried to kill me.” Justin’s control was fast leaving him. “My sister Molly, she saved me. There’s a dead guy, my dad’s assistant.” Justin could feel the tears beginning. He started the car to distract him and began to back out of the precarious parking spot Molly had found. 

“Justin, do you know where the rest stop is on the parkway?” 

“Yes” he tried to hold his breath and stop the damn tears. It wasn’t working.

“Go there and park as far away from the main area as you can, near the curve of the road. There’s a place there that’s hidden from passing traffic. Park under the trees and wait for me. Justin, is your sister okay?” 

“Molly’s doing well; it’s me that’s a sniveling little faggot.” Justin choked out. He turned onto the highway in the direction of the rest stop.

“Justin, we’ll deal with this. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Brian, can you bring my inhaler, I’m kind of having a hard time breathing.” His breath was labored and he knew that Brian could hear the wheeze.

“Already have it in my pocket Sunshine. You and your sister take care. Make sure your doors are locked and the windows up when you park. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

“Bring Ronny, things are pretty bad.” Justin said before he lost the signal. He closed the phone and concentrated on driving. 

Molly sat silently beside him. “Daddy told me and mommy that you were gone away and were never coming back.” Her voice was small. Suddenly she became an eleven year old little girl and not the Amazon young woman who had rescued him. “Justin, I knew that you were coming back. I knew that you wouldn’t leave me alone with him.”

Guilt washed over Justin. He knew what kind of life she must have had. How do you explain to your rescuer that you hadn’t even given her a thought for months and when you did remember, the memories were too painful to think about for long. “Molly, I’m sorry I was gone for so long.” He began. 

“That’s okay Justy, I knew that you would save me.” She giggled. “I saved you though. You owe me big time Justy.”

“Yeah, you did Molly by golly.” He grinned at her quickly; though his grin was tear stained and wobbly. “Sorry, I can’t stop crying. This day is completely fucked up.”

“You swear a lot Justy.” Molly commented. She put her hand on his arm and leaned toward him. “Who is Brian?” she asked. “You called somebody called Brian to help us.”

“Brian is my… “ he wondered what to say that she would understand. “He’s my boyfriend kind of.”

“How come you have a boyfriend, you’re a boy. You’re supposed to have girlfriends.”

“Well some boys like other boys. And some girls like other girls. And some boys like girls. And some girls like boys.”

“So you like boys like a boy usually likes girls?” she asked. “That’s kind of weird. My friend Stacey says that means you’re gay. Are you gay?”

“Yep.” Justin reached his sister’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“That’s cool. Stacey’s sister is gay, only she says she’s a lesbian.” Molly said. “Is Brian cute?”

“He’s the handsomest guy in the world.” Justin declared.

“What does he look like?” 

“He has hair that’s kind of dark with reddish highlights. And his eyes are like the green leaves on that bush by my window only they sparkle when he smiles.”

“He sounds like a Prince.” Molly giggled.

“He’s exactly like a Prince.” Justin was feeling better talking to Molly about Brian. “I love him Molly.”

“Are you going to marry him?” she asked. “Can I be your maid of honor?”

Justin laughed and then began to cough. He had a hard time controlling the spasms and pulled over on to the side of the road until he stopped coughing.

“Justin are you sick?” Molly’s voice was concerned.

“I think I am kind of. I’m not supposed to get wet and cold. And my asthma is acting up. Probably because of being stuck in that fucking car trunk.” Justin pulled back onto the highway. “Brian will make me better. He did the last time.”
“What am I going to do? I don’t want to go home. I stole mom’s car and her purse and daddy shot …… “ her voice trailed off. She looked at Justin. “Can Brian fix that?”

“Brian can fix anything. It’s what he does. He fixes things.” 

“That’s cool.” Molly sat back in the car seat and looked satisfied.

They drove in silence until Justin reached the turnoff to the rest stop. He drove to the spot Brian had told him about and parked the car. “Brian says we have to wait here.”

“Let’s put the seats back. I have pillows and we can sleep. You should turn the heater on, I’m still wet and I’m cold.”

“I’m cold and wet too, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to sleep with the car on.” Justin did make his seat recline. There was barely any sun shining. It was getting late in the day. He hoped Brian would get there soon.

“I’m cold Justy.” Molly whined.

“Brian has a great big apartment and he put in a bathtub so big you can almost swim in it. You can have a super hot bubble bath before you go to bed.” Justin promised.

“Cool. I’m going to have lots of bubbles. Wait until Stacy hears about this. It’s a real cool adventure.” Molly put her seat back and adjusted a pillow she pulled from the back seat. “I hope Brian comes soon. I have to pee.”

“Brian will be here soon. He said so and he never lies.”

“Never?”

“Never.” Justin closed his eyes. His eyes were feeling hot and prickly. He knew he had a fever again. Please hurry Brian he thought before drifting off to sleep.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Brian felt like he was driving on automatic pilot. Ronny sat in the passenger seat and said nothing. There was nothing to say until they found Justin. Brian had called off the search though before heading out. He hadn’t given any explanations but had told Michael he’d talk to him later. His heart was in his mouth when they turned into the rest area. At first Brian couldn’t see any car parked where he’d instructed Justin to park. But it was now deep dusk and the car Justin had been driving blended into the shadows. Brian pulled up and parked beside the car. “I don’t see anyone.” Just then a curly topped head popped up and the young girl who was in the car stared hard at Brian.

“That has to be Molly, keep an eye on me.” Brian got out of the car and walked to the car. He looked inside. Justin was sleeping, two pillows pushed against him serving as a blanket of sorts. “Molly” Brian said. “Open the door.” 

“Are you Brian?” she asked, but she knew that he was. He was exactly like Justin had described him.

“Yes, is Justin okay?” Brian asked as Molly released the power door locks. 

“I don’t think so. He’s been coughing a lot and he’s been shaking and stuff. Now he’s really hot.” Molly looked worried. “My dad put the car in the lake and Justin was locked in the trunk. I helped get him out.”

“I’m glad you were there Molly.” Brian opened the driver’s door. Justin moved and murmured but he continued to sleep. It was Justin’s way of coping. He’d always done it, retreated into sleep when he was sick or hurt either physically or emotionally. “Hey Sunshine.” Brian said. He put his hand on Justin’s shoulder and gently shook him.

“Brian?” Justin’s voice was weak and raspy.

“Time to go Sunshine. Why didn’t you tell me you needed dry clothes?” He was taking off his jacket and stripping off his shirt. “Put this on now.” 

Justin giggled and then started to cough. “You look hot standing there half naked.” 

Brian leaned in and pulled Justin’s damp shirt off over his head and began to stuff his arms in the shirt he’d taken off. Justin let him, sighing at the wonderful smell of Brian’s shirt and the heat that it retained. “It smells like you” he babbled. 

Molly laughed. “Are you driving us home?” she asked. 

“I’m driving you to my home. Get in the car. That’s Ronny; tell him he has to drive. You can sit where he is. Justin and I will be in the backseat.” 

“You’re going to sit in the back with me?” Justin sighed. “Brian I love you.”

“You’re delirious.” Brian said as he helped Justin out of his mother’s car and into the one that he’d driven up in. 

“I’m deliriously in love with you daaaaaaahhhhhhling man.” Justin drawled before bending over and emptying his stomach on the pavement.

“Ewwwwe gross.” Molly said.

“Brian, I don’t feel good.” Justin moaned. Brian pulled him close. Justin was burning up. 

“Into the car. You need to see a doctor.”

“No, my dad will find me.” 

“Yeah Brian, dad shot Brad two times.” Molly echoed.

“This doctor makes house calls.” He nodded to Ronny. “Let’s get out of here.”

The drive was tense. Ronny kept looking in the rear view mirror both to see if anyone was following them and to see if Justin was okay. Brian had him cradled in his arms and Ronny could tell by the look on his friend’s face that Brian was worried.

Molly sensing the tense situation stayed quiet though there were a thousand questions she wanted to ask. It was close to eleven when Ronny pulled the car into the underground parking of Brian’s building. “Call Gregg.” Brian said. He almost carried Justin from the back seat. Molly followed them into the elevator. Apparently Gregg, whoever he was, agreed to come right away. She smiled at Ronny, he was kind of cute.

“Molly, you can have a hot bath. Ronny will find you a tee shirt you can use for a nightgown.” Brian had helped Justin to the sofa. 

“I think Justin should have a bath first. He doesn’t look so good.” Molly stared at her brother. 

“Are you sure you can wait?” Brian asked.

“Sure, do you have any food? I’m starving.” Molly looked toward the kitchen.

“I knew Justin was coming. There’s lots to eat, help yourself.” Brian picked Justin up in his arms and headed for the bathroom. He wasn’t sure if a bath would be the right thing. So he started the shower. 

“Brian, I’m okay.” Justin protested as his clothes were removed.

“You stink” 

“Thanks, I don’t imagine you’d smell too good if you were locked in a car trunk and then sunk in a moldy old lake.”

“Lakes aren’t moldy.” Brian said with a smile as the last of Justin’s clothes were removed.

“This one sure was. Fuck I feel like shit.” Justin’s voice was weak and he hated the way his stomach felt like heaving and every inch of his bones ached.

“I’ve got a doctor friend coming over to check you out. He’s pretty hot; you want to smell sweet for him don’t you?” Brian asked as he stepped into the shower with Justin.

Justin let Brian scrub the smell of the lake from him. He leaned into the strong hands that moved over his body and wished that he felt well enough to do more than just stand there while Brian’s hands roamed to every crack and crevice. 

There were moments when Justin felt like he was in a dream. A shadowed creature that hovered over the shower and was observing the two men, one strong and powerful and full of life, the other only a wisp of what he could be. And moments when Justin lost track of the world and moved in and out of reality. So that one moment he was under the almost too hot spray and the next he was dry and tucked under the weight of cotton sheets as smooth as silk and a duvet filled with down. With no memory of the minutes in between, Justin listened to the buzz of voices out side of the bedroom and then as they came closer. He felt hands moving over his body. Not Brian’s hands, for those hands touched him with love, but rather the sure hands of someone who used them to heal. And Justin knew that the doctor who made house calls for Brian must be here and he wondered why he couldn’t wake up. 

When Brian had tucked Justin into his bed he resisted the urge to crawl under the covers with him. Things needed to be done as much as he might like to cradle the younger man against himself and keep him from harm. 

“Hey Brian, I made you a salad.” Molly called from her position on the sofa. “I had a bath in the little bathroom through there.” She pointed in the direction of the new section of the loft. “Ronny got me some pj’s.” she pointed down indicating the hot pink flannel pajamas covered with dancing kittens.

Brian glanced at Ronny with his eyebrows raised. “I had a friend drop them off.” Ronny explained. “One who wouldn’t ask any questions.”

“Did you know that you have a room with two cribs in it?” Molly asked. “It’s really cool. I love the colors. Do you have kids?” 

“You’ve been busy exploring.” Brian commented as he headed for the table where an interesting salad waited for him.

“You were taking a long time. Is that a doctor who is in there with Justin?” she looked toward the bedroom. “He looks cute. Everyone you know looks cute.” She giggled. “Ronny likes girls though, none of the others do.”

“How old are you?” Brian asked.

“Eleven but I’m almost twelve.” She giggled. “Justin says I’m smarter than the average bear.”

“And you borrowed your mother’s car to rescue Justin?” 

“It was a no brainer Brian. Justin was in trouble and NO ONE pays any attention to a kid. So I figured it was the best thing to do.” 

“Well it was a pretty stupid thing to do. You could have been killed, but I’m glad you did it. Just don’t do anything like that again. You can always call me for help. I’ll always believe you.”

“I know it was a dumb thing to do. But Justin is my big brother.” Molly turned away from Brian and studiously stared at the magazine she’d been reading. Then she looked back. “Is Justin going to be okay?” 

“Justin will be fine. But he was very sick not that long ago and now he’s sick again. Not as bad, but still sick. I’ll be taking him back to his home as soon as he can travel.”

“I don’t want to go home.” Her voice was small and Brian realized just how young she was and what she’d been through in the past few hours despite her bravado. He walked over and sat beside her on the sofa. She snuggled into his side, moving under his arm and resting her head on his chest like Justin did when he was feeling vulnerable. Brian rubbed her arm and sat there silent listening to the doctor in the other room and Molly’s breathing beside him. Ronny was as silent as ever and Brian wondered if the man actually breathed. He’d never heard him making any sounds that that Ronny didn’t want him to hear.

“Molly, Ronny and I think we know why….” He hesitated. “Why your father wants Justin dead.” 

“It really sucks Brian, tomorrow is Justin’s birthday.” Molly sniffed.

“I know it is. And if Justin had died before his nineteenth birthday, your grandfather’s estate could have gone to your father. It’s a lot of money Molly. A heck of a lot of money.”

“Why would daddy want Justin’s money?” she asked.

“Because Justin also owns the company where you father is working. And your father had always been under the impression that when your grandfather died, he would then own the company he’d been working for all these years. Instead he discovered that his son, Justin, who he despised, was now the owner.”

Brian could feel Molly’s head nod as she processed what he’d told her. “So Justin could have fired daddy.” She said. “It would have served him right. Daddy was mean to Justin and he hurt him.”

“Justin was taking steps to see that the company is being run properly. He would have seen to it that your father was compensated. But he would never have left him in charge. Justin figured that your grandfather had trusted him to do what was right. And the employees had to be looked after, the deserving ones anyway.”

“I don’t really understand the business stuff.” Molly admitted. “Does mommy know what daddy was doing?” 

“We don’t know Molly, that’s why we don’t want your mother to know that Justin is alive. We don’t want your father to know either.”

Molly turned around and looked up at Brian. “You have a plan don’t you. Just like in the movies.”

“I have a plan.” Brian admitted. He pulled her close as his eyes stared out the window on the cityscape in front of him.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“What do you think happened?” Ted asked. He slid into the seat beside Emmett. Michael and Ben were on the other side.

“I don’t know, but Brian was more upset than I’ve ever seen him in my life. It was like he turned into some other guy.” Michael said.

“Yes, like some kind of super hero.” Emmett added. “You know hard body, form fitting tights, muscles that……”

“We get the picture.” Ted said his voice dry.

“What about tomorrow night. Ma wanted us to have a party for Justin.” 

“I don’t know honey.” Emmett began. “Brian just said that Justin had been found, we don’t know what happened. I don’t think that Brian is going to want a party. He sounded….. well he sounded upset.”

“Brian always sounds like that.” Ted said. 

“I think Emmett is right.” Everyone looked at Ben. He rarely joined into their conversations and they had a tendency to ignore him. “We don’t know what went on. The guy Ronny is a body guard.”

“How do you know that?” Michael asked.

“I know Ronny, I’ve run into him at the gym.” Was Ben’s explanation. “It doesn’t matter how I know, the thing is, and he doesn’t work cheap. In fact he rarely takes on clients, he has a bunch of guys he uses instead. So for him to be with Justin, means that what ever is happening is serious.”

Michael took out his cell phone and dialed Brian’s number but it went immediately to voice mail. He tried Brian’s cell number and it too went to voice mail. “Brian’s got his phones turned off. I think I should go over to the loft. He might need me.” Michael started to move but Ben held his arm stopping his momentum.

“If Brian wanted you there, he’d ask.” Was all the big man said in his quiet voice.

Michael hesitated and then relaxed back into the booth. “What should we do?” he asked.

“We’ll wait until Brian asks us for something.” Ben replied.

Just then Michael’s cell phone rang. He checked the call display. “It’s Brian” his voice was excited. “Hey Brian.” 

“Mikey, can you do me a favor?” Brian asked.

“Sure.”

“Tomorrow is Justin’s birthday, we were going to celebrate it alone, but things have happened. He’s pretty sick, but that’s physical and he’ll get better. I’m taking him home on Sunday. Do you think you can get the gang together and maybe bring a cake or something over tomorrow night. He’s met you all and it might take his mind off of everything. Nothing elaborate, just a cake. I have stuff here you can eat. Oh and Mikey, his sister is here and she’s only eleven, so keep it clean.”

“We’ll be there about eight, is that alright?” Michael was beaming and all of them at the table were speculating on what Brian wanted.

“Eight is fine.” Brian hung up the phone. He headed back to the main part of the loft. He’d been in the new part so that he wouldn’t be overheard.
“Molly do you want to telephone your mother now?” Brian asked. “We don’t want her worrying where you are.”

“She probably hasn’t even noticed. I don’t come out of my room much. I stay there and do stuff on the computer. She has her club and her friends.”

“Can you tell her that you’re at a friend’s house? Do you have someone who would cover for you?”

“Yeah, Stacy would cover for me.” Molly said with conviction. “I’ll tell mom that’s where I am and I don’t feel like going home tonight. I’ve done that before.”

Brian left Molly making the call while he went in to check on Justin. Gregg had left a couple of prescriptions that Ronny was filling now and he’d given Justin something to ease his breathing before he left. Brian stood beside the bed watching Justin sleep. He couldn’t believe how much he cared about him. It was a foreign feeling but one that he was learning to live with.

Blue eyes opened and focused slowly on Brian standing beside him. “Hey” Justin whispered. “Remind me not to bitch about the heat in Phoenix.” 

“I’ll remind you.” Brian sat on the side of the bed and stroked Justin’s forehead, pushing his almost white hair off of his forehead. “Your fever is down.”

“Yeah, the wonders of modern medicine.” Justin joked. “Where is Molly?” 

“She’s in the other room phoning your mother. She’s telling her she’s spending the night with her friend Stacy.” 

“Mom probably doesn’t even know she’s gone.” Justin sounded sad, almost defeated with the words. 

“Well, I couldn’t let her go back to that house. We’ll have to come up with some kind of solution for her. I’m going to ask our lawyer on Monday.” 

“Thanks Brian” Justin sighed. “I bet you wish you never went looking for me last winter. I’ve really fucked up your life.” A tear trickled from the corner of Justin’s eye and rolled down toward the pillow. It was then that Brian noticed the pillow was wet with Justin’s tears.

He brushed his lips against Justin’s eyes. “Sunshine, you and I, we’ll do this together. What ever happens we’re partners and we’ll deal with it as partners.”

“But” 

“The only butt I’m worried about is yours.” Brian attempted to joke. Justin tried to grin in acknowledgment of the attempt but it came out lopsided. 

Creeping his hand out from beneath the covers, Justin placed it over Brian’s hand. “I’m glad you found me Brian.” The words were soft but full of meaning.

“I’m glad I found you too Sunshine.” Brian brushed his lips over Justin’s. “Do you want something to eat?” 

“I’m hungry.” He admitted.

“I’ll make you something and bring it in here.”

“No, I can get up.” Justin struggled to sit up, but fell back exhausted. “Or not. Maybe some soup would be good.”

“Stay there; I’ll see what I can find.” Brian stood up. He hated to leave Justin alone but he knew he couldn’t watch him forever.

“Mom says I can stay at Stacy’s.” Molly handed Brian back his cell phone. “I made it so she couldn’t see where I was calling from.” 

“How do you do that?” Brian laughed. 

“I’ll show you.” Molly offered. “Can I talk to Justin? Or is he sleeping?”

“He’s awake. I’m sure he’d like some company. I’m going to make him something to eat and then I think we should all try and get some sleep.”

“Where am I going to sleep? I won’t fit in a crib and I’m not going to sleep with you and Justin.”

“There’s a pull out in Justin’s studio. It’s the room next to the babies’ room.” 

“Cool, I never looked in there.” Molly headed off to talk to Justin while Brian made some soup and wondered where Ronny had gotten too.

“Justy” Molly poked her head in the bedroom door.

“Hey Molly, thanks again for saving my life.” Justin said. He wiggled until his back was against the headboard and he was sitting up.

Molly crawled on the bed and snuggled close to her brother. “Brian is real nice. I just know he’s going to fix everything. He’s like superman or something.”

Justin laughed picturing Brian in a form fitting costume. “An x rated superman maybe.” He laughed. “Did he call the police?” 

“No, he said he has a better plan. But I think Ronny is getting more than your prescriptions. He’s been gone a long time.” 

“Maybe he’s going to check out Brad.” 

“Geeze do you think?” Molly didn’t really seem to care much. “I hope that he can do something about daddy. He scares me.”

“He’s always scared us, so what else is new?” 

“Yeah, but I never saw him kill anyone before. Now I’m really, really scared.”

“I figure he must have done it before. He seemed to know what he was doing and I don’t think it’s because he’s watched Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote too many times.”

Molly giggled. “Cabot Cove is one damn dangerous place; people die off there all the time. I watch the reruns at five o’clock every day.”

Justin and Molly lay there exchanging anecdotes about the long running television show, giggling like two kids the way things should be, instead of the way things were.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Craig, where have you been?” Jennifer Taylor met her husband as he walked into the house.

“Busy.” He replied heading for the bar where he poured himself a glass of scotch. “Have you heard from Justin lately?” 

“No, he never calls. I don’t know where he is.” She looked at her husband. “Do you think he’ll come home for his birthday?” 

Craig snorted. “No, I don’t think so.” 

“My car is missing, did Brad borrow it again?” Jennifer asked. She watched her husband down his drink and pour another. He seemed more agitated than usual. It was a good thing that Molly was spending the night with a friend.

“On second thought, maybe I should give the boy a call. He should be here for his birthday.” Craig looked thoughtful. If he began the hue and cry over Justin’s absence and then discovered the ‘ransom’ note, he could look more like the concerned father. It would be a help to his credibility when he took the ‘new’ will with the codicil added in for probate and had the one Justin was using thrown out. 

“I don’t know Craig, it’s been so long and Justin, well Justin is rather bitter.”

“How do you know?” Craig demanded.

“He’s called, I’ve talked to him. He hasn’t changed Craig. He’s still gay and he’s rather outspoken about it.”

Craig Taylor could feel himself seething with anger. He almost smiled at the knowledge that Justin was fish food now. He wouldn’t be able to embarrass the Taylor family with his depraved lifestyle. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When Justin woke up it didn’t take him long to realize that he was all alone in Brian’s big bed. He vaguely remembered Brian waking him up to give him his medication and once Molly came in to check on him. Justin smiled to himself when he remembered Brian’s attempt at making soup. It was well meant and probably nourishing, but damn it tasted terrible. 

“I thought you were awake.” Brian stood at the bottom of the bed. “I’ll make you a bath. You can soak away any aches that are left.”

“Are you going to join me?” Justin asked. They had had some amazing baths in Phoenix.

“Sorry Sunshine, duty calls. Molly and I are working a few things out in the new part of the loft and I have a meeting with Ronny in an hour. I gave him some time off. I thought he could use a break. He was pretty shaken at losing you yesterday.”

“Yeah, weren’t we all.” Justin’s voice was dry with irony. “Will you at least come back to bed for a minute. I have something hard that needs to be taken care of.”

“Ewwwweeuuu “ Molly said from the doorway. “I know what you’re talking about Justin and that’s gross. Brian I need your help out here.” She looked at her brother. “It is almost lunch time Justy, we’ve been busy while you’ve been sleeping your life away.” She jumped on the bed and started tickling her brother but stopped abruptly when he began to cough. “Sorry.” She said and rubbed his back until he stopped coughing.

“Fuck Molly, I’m sick remember.” Justin finally gasped. Anything that was hard wasn’t anymore. He looked up at Brian hoping his lover would help him. But Brian was laughing to himself as he walked into the bathroom to run start Justin’s bath. “I’ll wash your back Sunshine.” He offered when he stopped laughing.

“How about my front?” Justin said. He was standing behind Brian, Molly having disappeared back to where she’d been. 

“Your front needs extra attention.” Brian said as he turned around and wrapped Justin in his arms. Brian loved the way Justin always seemed to melt into him, his body touching all the right spots as if they were two halves of a whole. He loved the sound Justin made when he did press against him. It was almost a purr and along with making Brian hard, he also wanted to stroke the velvety smooth skin of the younger man. 

Justin reached up and nuzzled Brian’s neck. He pressed his hardening dick into Brian’s leg, his hands clutched at Brian’s arms, his back, and his ass as they roamed frantic for release. 

“Hold on there Sunshine.” Brian pulled back. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we have to wait until you’re feeling better.”

“Briiiiiiannn” Justin whined and he all but dove into the older man. “Pleeeeese.” 

Brian moved them over to the bathroom door and turned the lock. “Well you do need a bath. And I’m sure you could use some help reaching those hard to get at spots.” 

Molly listened to the water rushing into the tub before she picked up the telephone and dialed her friend Stacy. “Stace” she whispered. “You have to cover for me. I’m not at home and my mom thinks I’m with you. Something has happened to Justin, I have to help him. Don’t tell my mom.” All this was said to the machine that answered in her friend’s room. She hadn’t talked to her friend before this and she didn’t want to alarm Brian. He didn’t know she hadn’t cleared this subterfuge with Stacy.

“Hey little one, what are you up too?” Ronny put his hand on Molly’s neck. “And don’t say ‘nothing’ because I heard you.”

“I didn’t hear you come in.” Molly began. “I had to make sure my friend Stacy knows not to tell my mom anything. I couldn’t reach her last night, but I didn’t want Brian to worry.”

“What’s happening is too important to keep things from Brian and I. Justin’s life is in danger and so will yours if your father discovers what you’ve done. I know he’s your father, but he’s the son of a bitch who tried to kill your brother and did kill his assistant.” Ronny’s voice was soft, but his eyes were hard and Molly flinched under his gaze.
“I didn’t think it would matter.” She began. “Ronny, daddy really, really was going to kill Justin. He pushed the car in the water and everything.” Her eyes filled with tears. “It was like watching television only you knew that it was real. I was so scared. I didn’t want Justin to die but I couldn’t save him because daddy was there. And then he shot Brad.” Molly started to collapse and Ronny grabbed her, holding her up and letting her cry. He’d known that she wasn’t as tough as she had been making out. Her whole world had fallen apart.

Inside the bathroom, Brian and Justin were both in the long deep bathtub that had been specially designed for Brian. Brian held Justin close to him with one arm and the other one dribbled hot water from a sponge on their bodies. Both of them sighed, contented after making love. Even Brian had to admit it was making love and not just sex. He had long given up rationalizing it and now just accepted that for some reason Justin Kinney was his and that’s the way he wanted it to be. The future was going to be anything but peaceful. But together, they would make it.