CHAPTER 48: FEAST OF THE GOLDEN GEESE Part 3

Jules smiled that enigmatic smile of hers that let Justin know she was in fighting mode. They heard an argument happening just outside of the doors, which made Julienne’s smile widen. Justin couldn’t tell what was happening, but apparently she knew everything that was being said. Before Justin had a chance to question her, the doors were flung open.

“You two get the fuck out of the van and help me with these two,” Shelia demanded.

Justin looked at the driver and passenger, who had accompanied Evangeline to kidnap them. Both were knocked out, but there wasn’t a visible mark upon their bodies. “How the fuck?”

Shelia smiled, but it was Julienne who answered, “You finally learned how to do it, have you?”

“What?” Justin asked, amazed and genuinely confused.

“Cut off their air supply without leaving a mark. How the fuck did you get here, Shelia?” Julienne asked.

“I was parking the car when that bitch came out of the bank with you two in tow. I called and let Sarah know that she had you both. So I followed you. We can’t stay here though, even if I’m flummoxed about how to get the fuck out of here now. The car is hidden in the brush over there, but to move it now would draw too much attention.”

They looked in the direction of her gaze to see Evangeline emerge from what looked like an old factory, with several men behind her.

“There aren’t too many places to hide out here, unless it’s inside the factory. That was one of the big draws to having the steel mills here. And the tide will be rising soon, so the tunnels and quays are out of the question. Fuck! We’ll have to split up.” Justin informed them.

“Are you out of your mind? There is no way we can do that! If one of us… that boat is en route to take us to whatever fresh hell that bitch has planned for us. If we split up, there’s a more likely chance that they will find and capture both of us before any of the others get here.” Jules protests.

“Well we can’t take all of them at the same time. There’s like thirty of them!”

“Fuck that! We’re not running. We’ll do as many as we can before they get here,” Shelia said. “Jules, do you still remember how to hotwire a car?”

“Fuck yeah I do! You, Benny, and Gareth drilled me on that after those idiots almost got me on that plane, remember? We had to get the fuck out of there fast. Too bad we don’t have a fire extinguisher right now.”

“I know, but you get the van started while Justin and I take on as many of these fuckers as we can. You’re sure he’s good?”

“He’s one of the best I’ve sparred with Shelia. Don’t worry about him. You take care of yourself and when I can, I’ll run interference with this.”

“Make sure you close and lock the inside window Jules. The assholes in the back are bound to wake up at any time. Is it locked?” Justin asked. Shelia held up the key, a big mischievous grin on her face. “Great. Let’s get this shit started then.”

Justin and Shelia followed Jules over to the driver’s side of the truck, waiting until over half the line of Evangeline’s followers passed them. Creeping around towards the front, Justin kicked out at the man nearest him, causing the resounding crunch of a breaking bone as the man yelped in pain and crumbled in a heap, clutching his knee. Justin stomped on the appendage again for good measure, incapacitating the man permanently. For Shelia’s part, she effected the same move on the man behind the one Justin attacked, with the same results.

“Two down… only twenty eight more to go plus the big bitch.” Shelia giggled, before she and Justin split up.

All out mayhem ensued as Jules worked on the van while Justin and Shelia continued to fend off their assailants, sometimes five and six people at a time. Evangeline’s voice could be heard screeching, as she too dove into the fray. The sirens in close proximity added to the noise level among moans, groans, and loud cursing during the fight.

Sarah noticed what resembled a dust storm up ahead. Paying extra close attention, she recognized the wild, whirling woman swinging a belt, buckle first, and nearly laughed aloud. If there was one thing Shelia was adept at, it was delivering first-rate, homestyle ass whippings courtesy of a leather belt. It was how she had punished Celene’s ex-husband, James, a few short years ago. It was comforting to see Shelia hadn’t lost her touch.

“Can you see Justin anywhere?” Brian’s strong yet nervous voice asked her.

“Not yet, but don’t worry, Brian. All that dust kicking up isn’t just from Shelia or that van driving around. I’m pretty sure your hellraiser is somewhere in that fracas as well.” As soon as she said it, they each caught a flash of blond hair jumping off the back of the van to fell three men. The blond delivered three stomps to his assailants groins in quick succession before climbing back into the passing van again. “See? Hellraiser, thy name is Justin! Nice move!” She shouted as Justin once again hopped off the back of the truck, scissor-kicking one guy under the chin and immediately dropping down to trip and stomp the nuts of another, before climbing on again.

“What the fuck?! Where the hell did he learn to be a stunt man?!” Brian was gobsmacked, eyes wide as saucers...

“From what Julienne told me, your Justin learned a lot about surviving when he was living in New York. Let’s face it... he’s a pretty little fucker, and if the Sappersteins are anything to go by, some men- gay, straight, or confused as fuck- have a problem with the word ‘no.’ It’s the conquering gene most of you have; it causes most of you to take what you want, instead of accepting that everything ain’t for you. Well Justin had no problem teaching them the difference between him being coy and him meaning what he said several times.”

Brian nodded in acknowledgement of what Sarah was trying to tell him. He’d always known that Justin could hold his own, but he’d never wanted him to have to. Today, however, Brian realized that he had to let Justin fight his own battles, even as he helped him. He couldn’t fight the battle for Justin, no matter how much he longed to. The car stopped, just as Justin hopped back onto the truck.

“Let’s Rock and Roll people!” Sarah called into her walkie-talkie.

Brian was the first one out of the car, the vehicle barely stopping before the man alighted. Running right into the fray, Brian landed his first punch to the man trying to grab onto Justin’s outstretched foot. As he stood over the man, landing a well-aimed kick to the ribs, he felt the presence of another assailant at his back. Timing his approach just right, Brian crouched down, causing the man to miscalculate his balance as he swung his fist to connect with the back of Brian’s head. Quickly rising to his full-height, Brian took advantage of the man’s misjudgement, flipping him to land on the already-felled man.  The sound of a SNAP had Brian turning to his left just before he heard the man he’d just taken care of groan. Shelia stood there with a look of maliciousness in her eyes, the likes of which he’d never seen, as she raised her belt to deliver two more blows to the man’s midsection, buckle first.

“Good God woman, remind me never to piss you off!” Brian exclaimed, before grabbing her by the waist to pull her away from the man she was beating into near-unconsciousness.

“He was old enough to know better, but I’ll hold you to that!” She replied, just before another blood-curdling scream rent the air.

They looked in the direction of the sound, one with admiration in their eyes, the other with a look of begrudging respect and horror on his face as Justin and Jules were back-to-back, fighting in hand-to-hand combat with more men than Brian could count. “I guess we’d better get the fuck over there.” He said, already in moving in that direction.

“Right behind you,” Shelia called before turning back to aim her belt buckle, hitting the man she had already beaten like he stole something, in the genitals. Leaning down she whispered into his ear, “You were a lousy fuck, Darius. Consider this my duty to women everywhere that you’ll never use your dick again for anything other than pissing. Gotta go!”

She ran across the yard at top speed, belt swinging, to join in the fray. Lining herself up with the three already fighting in such a way that would protect the others, Shelia got busy. Meanwhile on the other side of the yard, Sarah had just punched another assailant in the throat. Before the man could hit the ground, she latched onto him, using him as a shield to block another who was trying to hit her with a fire extinguisher.

“Phoenix,” Brandon called, causing her to turn just in time to move slightly to the left.

The object coming at her was so close that she actually heard the knife Brandon threw slice through the air to land deep into her attacker’s skull. Using her booted foot to hold the head in place, she wrenched the weapon from the man’s head, using it to defend herself against the others. It was an all out war for survival as they all thought to attack her at once. Sarah crouched down in the middle of the circle, using the knife to stab and slash wherever she could. Knees, genitals, ass, feet, femoral arteries… no place was safe as she continued to defend herself. The cacophony of screams of pain was almost deafening as man and woman alike screamed in agony at Sarah’s unseen attack. Sarah was so driven by bloodlust that she didn’t realize when the last of them fell beside her until she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.

“Nice job, Phoenix. Now stop being lazy and playing with corpses. It’s time to go find that bitch!” Brandon smiled down at her.

As she was about to answer with a snide remark, the ground at her and Brandon’s feet gave a pfft of a sound, causing both of them to jump back. “Fucking sniper! Where the hell...?!” Two more landed at their feet sending them in opposite directions in the hunt for the person shooting.

As Brandon ran in the direction of the Pittsburgh Police Department RV to let them know they had a rogue sniper to deal with, Sarah joined Brian, Justin, Jules, and Shelia to inform them. “Keep fucking moving and when able, crouch low!”

“Any idea where Evangeline is?” Brian asked, as he threw yet another punch, quickly dispatching his intended target.

“Not yet, but she can’t be that far away from the bitchass doing the sneaky shooting. That’s just like her!” Sarah answered. “Jules, catch me!”

She launched herself at the other woman, who seemed to know just what to do. Sarah then kicked her legs out, while Jules spun her around. Brian grabbed Justin and moved him out of the way, each still fighting the other attackers. “Brian, duck down!” Justin called and as he did, he felt the weight of his partner’s body roll over him, scissor kicking the two men who were aiming guns at Brian’s head.   

“Fucking hell! Someday you will teach me that move!”

“Count on it, Big Guy.” Justin said with a smile in his voice, even while kicking two more people trying to get at him.

While the fight on the ground was in full swing, Carl and Manny were in the RV, diligently trying to find the trajectory of the sniper’s bullets being aimed directly at the brawl. Looking simultaneously at four screens, Carl yelled out, “THERE! That’s where the bitch is hiding!”

On the very top of the compound, what would ordinarily be considered a blind spot from the ground or a peaked roof from far away, Carl noticed what appeared to be a little hole. Within that little orifice, was the outline of a silencer. Speaking quickly into his walkie-talkie, Carl gave instructions to his men while Manny alerted Ty, who was already on the inside. Ty quickly sent the files he had on his phone of the layout of the inside of the compound. The two men scanned the information quickly, noting that there was only one point of entry in and out of the building at ground level, but there were several underground tunnels, which led to the center of the building on the inside. As for the inside itself, it was shaped like a hexagon, in which taking the wrong hallway would lead away from the sniper’s lair, instead of directly to it. Making copies, Carl alighted from the RV to find the Director of the FBI and the Swat Team.

“Jacobs, what do you make of this map?” Carl asked the twenty-year SWAT veteran. Five years into his career, Martin Jacobs was handpicked for the team to train and was chosen carefully by his predecessor to take over the team ten years later. As far as Carl was concerned, if there was one man who could point them in the right direction without all the hoopla of wasting time, Martin Jacobs was it.

The SWAT captain looked through the pictures carefully, analyzing its setup, noting the distance between each of the hallways and their staircases. Finally he looked up from the stack of papers and smiled. “You’re not going to find the point of entry within the hexagon, Carl.”

“What do you mean? And why are you smiling like that?!”

“Because the bitch behind the bullets is smart,” Josiah said, as he analyzed the stack of papers himself.

“You’re fucking right, she is. Carl, in answer to your question, the reason you aren’t going to find the point of entry in there is because she put a direct route underwater.”

“You’re shitting me, right?” Carl asked in shock.

“No, I’m not. Fortunately my guys and gals are trained aquatically. It’s the one thing she wouldn’t expect in this backwater town.” Turning to Josiah he asked, “Who do you have on the inside?”

“Ty Mason, but all of our agents are trained in water search and rescue, too. I made it a requirement to be on my team. You just never know… Anyway, I’ll put in a call to Ty and get him geared up to accompany your guys.”

“Fine, but I want him to work with the person who I put in charge. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t share power, but if it’s as I suspect with this broad, it’s the only way all of them will come out alive, including her.”

Josiah and Carl nodded, both acknowledging that Evangeline Charles wasn’t only a criminal, but a cop as well. That made her even more dangerous. True to his word, Josiah began to rattle off fast and furious instructions, while the SWAT Director did the same. Both were coordinating their efforts, discussing the pros and cons of each decision. Finally, with a plan in hand, they each met with their teams. As the water mission was getting underway, Carl’s cellphone rang.

“Horvath.”

“Carl, oh thank God! Michael’s been arrested!” Debbie screeched into the receiver.

“Yes, I’m well aware that he has. Deb, I can’t talk now. I have to go.”

“Don’t you dare hang up on me Carl Horvath! What are we going to do about Michael?”

“Nothing! We are going to let him sleep in the bed he’s made for himself. It’s the least he can do for all the drama and trauma he’s caused. I can’t believe you! Even after you’ve been told more than you should have about Michael’s involvement in all of this, you’re still looking to rescue him?”

“But Carl…”

“NO! No, Debbie! And there is no point in arguing with me either. Now, I have to go!” He hung up the phone before she could say one more word. He was surprised to see the sympathetic eyes of Manny regarding him.

“You can’t help who you love,” he said, shaking his head.

“No you can’t, but you can control what you allow them to do to you. I think after all of this is over, I have to decide…”

“Decide what?”

Carl shook his head sadly. “I love Red, God knows I do, but I just may be deciding to live my life without her.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*VOLII

Back at the Precinct…

Debbie was in shock. Carl had never hung up on her before! She was tempted to get him back on the line, but she had to deal with Michael first. Marching over to the booking desk, she waited while Detective Miles finished with the people in front of her. She was fuming as the people in front of her were trying to talk to the man about some missing dog. Before she could make another move, she was physically wrenched out of the line.

“What the…”

“Debbie, what the hell are you doing?” Jennifer asked, frowning into her eyes.

“Jenn, now isn’t the time.”

“You’re right, now isn’t the time. It’s not the time for you to, yet again, rescue your ignorant son from all he has done!”

“Deb, for once, you have to accept the truth of things,” Mel told her, eyes puffy from all the mother had endured that morning.

“I don’t believe any of it! My Michael wouldn’t be mixed up in all of this!”

“Well that’s the point isn’t it?! He is! And because of him, my daughter is lying in a hospital bed while you’re standing here trying to justify his actions. There is no reason or excuse he could possibly give for why he chose to get mixed up with the fucking people trying to kill Brian and Justin!”

“There is a reason, but I won’t get it while he’s locked up in here! He told me that when he called as I was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital,” Deb defended herself.

“And you believed him?” Jennifer laughed bitterly. “Let me tell you something, Deb. Your son is playing you again. There is no way that once he gets released, even if he could get out of here, that he will admit to his part in any of this. He can’t! Michael has never been held accountable for his own actions, nor has anything ever been his fucking fault. He’s playing you and you’re letting him! AGAIN!”

Debbie opened and closed her mouth several times, not knowing what to say as Jenn stood there continually berating her for her part in this whole mess. Jenn told her that she was just as guilty as Michael, for allowing him to constantly pawn off his mistakes and poor decisions on Brian. While he got to maintain his squeaky-clean, boy-next-door image. Debbie felt bothered by every single comment the blonde woman made. “What the fuck, Jenn?! You act like your son is so fucking perfect. I know for a fact that Justin isn’t!”

“No, he’s not! But I’ve held him responsible when he was, not letting him misplace blame or blaming his indecisions on someone other than himself, from the age of twelve. Would it have killed you to grow a fucking spine and do the same for your son?! Now, because of your insecure, inferior offspring, mine is once again fighting for his life!”

“That’s enough, both of you!” Mel yelled at them. She was trying all she knew to do at this moment to hold it together, and here they were, about to tear each other apart. She couldn’t deal with that right now. “Let me tell both of you something… Michael is not getting out of this.” When Debbie went to interject, Mel held up her hand. “No Deb, he’s not. I’ve seen the paperwork and there is a money trail leading back to him as long as a city block in New York. And even if by some miracle he was to beat the charges against him, he still wouldn’t get out of this unharmed. I know that the man who shot Jenny was in contact with the bastard, and that Michael had texted Jenny this morning before she went out with Gus. Because of Michael, Kip Thomas knew where to find my children. So you better pray to God with all your might that the law takes care of Michael, because if they don’t, I WILL!”

“Jennifer, Debbie, and Mel, with me now,” Tuck had come upon them while the three women were talking. Dragging them back into the office where John and Peter were, he sat them down while Leo Brown was explaining a series of emails he’d just received from his secretary.

“I don’t know how much this will help, but Marcie just sent these documents to me. They contain the latest bank transfers that would’ve been posted this afternoon,” Leo tells them.

“How did you get them?” Tuck asked.

“It pays to know someone within the government. In this case, it happens to be Roy Russo’s ex-wife. She divorced him right after she found out what happened with the Justin Taylor case. Margaret Russo was also the one who helped his most recent mail-order bride Svetlana escape from him, although Russo didn’t know that. Between the two of them, they were able to obtain all of his old financial records before his incarceration and subsequent release. They were waiting for the perfect time to expose him. But while they were waiting, they were also keeping an eye on the major players in this crap. And because they are turning State’s evidence, they aren’t being charged with Withholding Critical Information from Law Enforcement. Because of Margaret’s place and title in government, she has already gone to the ambassadors in international countries of the men also involved in the Human Trafficking ring, leaving their justice in the various ambassador’s hands. All of the men involved had Diplomatic Immunity due to their own positions in government or business travel. As we thought, obtaining Justin and Julienne were the keys to all of this,” Leo finished, his head reeling at all the implications in this.

“So what happens now?” Debbie asked. “And how does this affect Michael?”

“Are you serious? Why are you so fucking hung up on Michael?” Jenn exploded.

“Because he’s my son!”

“Who paid to put my son in danger and ultimately end up enslaved!”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean…”

“YES. HE. DID!” All the occupants of the room yelled.

“Debbie, when are you going to accept that Michael is not an angel?” Caroline Brown asked. She had been sitting silently as her husband explained the information he received. “Look, I know it’s hard, but honey, the evidence of his guilt is irrefutable. You have to accept this, not for our sakes, but for your own.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*VOLII

Back at the Compound…

Drew, Emmett, and Jason were awaiting the arrival of the boat to take Justin and Julienne away. They had decided, with Carl’s blessing, that this was the wisest course of action. Each of them had rationalized that someone on the boat had to know all of the particulars of the transaction which was supposed to take place. As they watched the boat approach the shore, Jason turned to Emmett.

“You’re sure about this?” The man was skeptical that Emmett’s plan would work.

“Honey, if I didn’t make it as a caterer, I could have been Lana Turner- Drag Queen edition,” Emmett flipped the long tresses of his wig away from his shoulders, delivering a sultry look reminiscent of the decades-spanning starlet.

“Be that as it may, it’s not me you have to convince. Did either of you manage to glean who’s supposed to be in charge on the ship?”

“A man by the name of Steven Brandt. At least that’s who the boat is registered under according to Manny,” Drew answered.

“Oh for the love of fuck! Do you know who that is?” Emmett asked, shaking his head.

“No. Should we?” Jason replied. Something about this was feeling off to him. He watched as Emmett pulled out his cellphone and quickly dialed.

Having placed the call, he quickly put it on speaker and turned down the volume so that only the three of them could hear the responses. Once the phone connected, Emmett jumped right in. “Lindsay, I need to know the name of your brother-in-law. I know you told me he was in shipping. What’s his name?”

“Steven Brandt. Why?”

Emmett’s eyes grew wide as Lindsay confirmed what he already knew. “Do you know where he is?”

“Sure. He’s still in critical condition and as of a month ago, he slipped into a coma. Again, why are you asking this now, Em?”

“Who’s running the company while he’s incapacitated?” Jason asked her, already dialing his phone.

“As far as I know, Lynette was the one running the company, in conjunction with his business partner, Oscar Miles. Has there been any word on Justin’s whereabouts yet?”

“Yes and no, but Lindz, how did he end up in the hospital?”

“Emmett, what has this got to do with anything?!”

“Please Lindz, it’s important. I promise to fill you in later.”

“Fine, but I’m going to hold you to it. From what I understand, he and Lynette were in the middle of an argument and when he went head-first down a short flight of stairs. Ordinarily, it could have just made a person have to recover from a headache, but it turns out he was having a stroke while he hit his head.”

“So she couldn’t be held responsible for his accident?”

“I don’t know if they ever had a reason to suspect her. But why are you asking me this?”

“Because apparently the boat that Justin was supposed to be placed on is from her husband’s company. Lindsay, she’s on the list along with your mother.”

“Oh fucking hell! Em, I have to go. Let me call my father. Maybe he can put a stop to this now!”

“I don’t know how much good it will do, Lindz.” He said as he watched a silver-haired gentleman alight from the boat’s lower deck. “But whatever you do, hurry up!” He disconnected the call as the man along with two others, whom he assumed were bodyguards, came towards him.

“Justin Taylor, I presume,” the deep voice called out.

“Well I don’t know, but who’s asking?” Emmett said, as the man stopped in front of him.

He chuckled. “Looks like we have ourselves a live one, boys. We’ll be sure to teach him how to mind his manners once he’s aboard. To answer your question though, my name is Oscar Miles. I’ll be escorting you to your new home in just a bit. We’re just waiting for one other person.”

“If you mean Evangeline, with luck you’ll be waiting a long time. I know for a fact she’s otherwise engaged at the moment.”

“No. I’m talking about your little playmate, Julienne McKay. Kevin, you did say that she should be along any minute now, didn’t you?”

It was then that each of the men noticed the fourth man coming upon them. Emmett ducked his head as did Drew, but Jason looked at the man approaching them with narrowed eyes. Looked like although Julienne had taught the fucker with hand-trouble a lesson that morning, he still hadn’t learned. “Yeah, the bitch should be on her way by now. I owe her a good turn for the shit she pulled on me this morning… and I’ll make sure she gets it.”

“Excellent! So while I’ll spend my time with Taylor here, you’ll be educating your own whore… well at least until we deliver them to their rightful owners. It’s going to be a fun trip!”

Emmett cringed at the maniacal laughter of the two men. No way in hell were they going to get their hands on Baby, he thought as the laughter continued. With a nod both to Drew and Jason, Emmett raised his head. By the time, Dickhead Dixon realized what was happening, Oscar was flat on his back, a combat boot repeatedly kicking him in the stomach. He looked to the right and left of him to find the other men engaged with the two men who were flanking Justin Taylor. But that…

“That’s right! I’m not Justin, and you’ll never get your hands on him or Jules.” Emmett didn’t waste time or words, as he commenced to beating the hell out of Dixon. Even after the man was unconscious, Emmett sat on his midsection, delivering punch after punch to the man who had bullied Justin for so many years. As far as he was concerned, Dixon didn’t deserve to inhale another fucking breath.

“Emmett! NO! No Son, don’t kill him!” Carl’s voice rang out.

Emmett kept punching, tears streaming down his face. Even though he’d heard Carl, he couldn’t stop his fists from punishing the unconscious man. He remembered all the times Justin had come from school to the Diner with black eyes, bruises, or busted lips, but most of all, Emmett remembered the bashing that this bastard had fomented. As he continued to punch, he felt hands gripping him. He fought them off in his determination to make the man pay for what he’d done to his friends, both Brian and Justin. Because of Dickhead Dixon, Brian held himself responsible for what happened to Justin for years. Because of Dickhead Dixon, Justin had to struggle to regain use of his extremities and himself. Because of Dickhead Dixon, Justin lived in fear for most of his adult life. He had to pay! And he had to pay NOW!

Finally the hands that were gripping him found their purchase and managed to pull the still-struggling Emmett to his feet. The tall queen fought hard against the person holding him back, continuing to use his arms and legs to lash out. “Emmett, you have to stop NOW!” Drew roared as Em’s flailing elbows connected with his solar plexus on each side.

That bellow was finally what had gotten through to Emmett. The fight left his body as he reached up to snatch the blond wig off his head. Turning around, he found himself caught up in Drew’s arms as he broke down into gut-wrenching sobs. Drew stroked his hair, letting the man he’d come to love cry, both in anger and despair. Knowing his Emmett, there were so many feelings about Justin’s situation he’d held in over the years, in an effort to always remain positive and hopeful. He couldn’t imagine what they all had gone through as a result of senseless violence and hatred. And now undeserved greed and revenge could be added to the mixture. It was grossly unfair.

“I came to tell you guys that it’s over. Evangeline Charles has been apprehended.”

“That’s great! That means Jules and Justin are safe.” Emmett grinned, but was met with silence. “What? It does mean they’re safe, right?”

“They are, but not without some issues, Em,” Carl said quietly.

“Wh-wh- what issues, Carl? Please tell me!”

Inhaling a deep breath, Carl answered. “Both Brian and Justin have been shot. They’re on the way to AG now. Before we were able to get her out of her sniper nest, Evangeline offloaded two bullets. One hit Justin in the back, while the other hit Brian in the femoral artery within his thigh.”

“Sarge, we have to go. There’s another situation, this time between Phoenix and Evangeline.”

“Carl, we’re going to head on to the hospital,”’ Drew said, holding onto Emmett’s trembling form. Have any of the others been informed yet?”

“I don’t know. Josiah may have put in a call, but I… I just don’t know,” Carl’s voice cracked.

“Go on, Carl. We’ll take care of Emmett and meet you there,” Jason said with surety, seeing Drew and Carl both frozen in shock. There was some kind of silent communication going on between the two men that he wasn’t sure about, but time was of the essence.

Grabbing the car keys from inside the ex-football player’s pocket, he ushered them to the car. Not bothering to wait for directions, Jason punched the key in his phone for the nearest hospital. Listening to the list, he pressed the selection for Allegany General and prayed like hell that this was the right AG they had mentioned. Taking off like the hounds of hell were behind them, he drove like a madman until twenty minutes later, he was pulling up into the Emergency Room parking lot. Entering the Emergency Room, it was to hear the raised voice of Detective Horvath.

“You listen to me, I don’t give a flying fuck what the rules are. They have each others POAs. Until they are out of surgery and able to make their own decisions- or decisions for each other- I’m assuming the roles for them. Now you do whatever you have to to get them back up and running, you hear?”

Jason left Drew and a distraught Emmett to head over to Carl, who was clearly breaking down. He looked at the charge nurse, standing belligerently with her hands on her hips. “Listen, Nurse Jones, Detective Horvath is more than the officer in charge, he’s basically a father to Brian and Justin Taylor-Kinney. Whereas we all know that you can’t give out certain information, surely you can certainly understand our position in this. They are our family. Others will be on their way here in the near future, and if you don’t want outright pandemonium on your hands, you’ll do as he says. I know that Doctor Chanders is on duty, so have her work on Brian and Troy to work on Justin. They are the lead surgeons in this hospital and we demand the best to deal with this. Get on it!”

“Mr. Whomever-you-are, as I told Detective Horvath, they are up in surgery right now. We cannot just take the surgeons who are in the process of saving their lives off the job.”

Jason raised himself up to his full height, staring the obstinate woman down. “You can and you will, or if anything happens to either of those men, not only will the hospital be sued, but so will you personally. Are you prepared to take that chance?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*VOLII

Back at the Precinct…

Jennifer’s cell phone with an unknown number blinking on the display. She was tempted not to answer it. They were still trying to reason with Debbie, for all the good it was doing them. In her mind, she was only doing this for Michael so that she could get direct answers. However, Jennifer and all that were assembled knew what Michael’s game was. Debbie would once again move heaven and hell to rescue him and he’d repay her by disappearing, instead of simply ignoring her as he was wont to do when he’d gotten his way. It was not to be borne! She ignored the call thinking that it was probably Craig ordering her to help him out of the mess of his own making. Well he could rot in hell for all she cared! So with a push of a button, she sent the call to voicemail.

By the fourth time the phone rang, she had lost patience with whomever it was trying to get her attention. “What?”

“Jen-Jennifer… it’s Carl.”

“Carl? Why are you calling me? Are you looking for Deb? If so, your wife is here at the precinct with me trying to bail her son out on the promise that he would tell her what’s going on. We’ve all told her that he’s lying but as always, she refuses to believe that Michael’s incapable of telling he the truth. Can you…”

“It- it’s about Justin…”

“Justin? What about him? Is everything alright? Did you find him? And why do you sound like that?” She fired questions off at him in quick succession, her heart speeding up with every question that went unanswered.

She heard the deep breath inhaled on the other end of the phone before Carl spoke again. “Jenn, I need you to listen to me. Justin... and Brian… are in surgery right now. Justin was shot in the back, the bullet just missing his spine by a couple of centimeters. Brian was also shot in his femoral artery. The perp has been apprehended, but not before she offloaded the two shots.”

“Oh my GOD! Carl, I’m… where the fuck are you?!”

“At Allegheny. They’ve been in there now coming up on two hours.”

“And you’re just calling me NOW?! What the…”

“Hold it, Missy Ma’am! If you are about to accuse me of not doing my job, think again! I have been here fighting for Daphne and Troy to perform the surgeries. So don’t you dare think that I have been twiddling my fucking thumbs and forgetting to call you!” Carl roared.

Jenn took several deep breaths, trying to get her emotions under control. She was their mother- and yes, she thought of Brian as her son, too- but Carl was as much a father to them as Craig and Jack were not. She knew she had to honor that. “I’m sorry, Carl. It’s just…”

“I know, Jenn. I know. Look, get here as soon as you can, okay. Emmett, Drew, and Jason are here with me now.”

“And the others? Where are they?”

“On the way there with the bitch who’s behind all of this. Josiah Higgins and Sarah Morrissey are the people in charge of the case. So if you have questions, ask them. But get here, okay? And tell Deb to leave Michael’s rotten ass right there!”

“We’re trying but you know her. In the meantime, I’m on my way!” She disconnected the call, grabbing her purse and heading out the door.

“Where the fuck are you going? We have to discuss this!” Deb demanded and grabbing Jennifer’s arm, only to be slapped for her tone and efforts.

“I’m going to the hospital. That bitch shot my sons and they are in surgery. Still think your fucked-up offspring is innocent, do you? Well fuck you, Deb!”

“Jennifer, wait! I’m going with you!” Mel called out, bypassing the woman still holding her face in the palm of her hand. “Deb, I think it’s best that you don’t come if you’re still going to be an asshole about Michael’s culpability in all of this. Jenn, and the rest of us, don’t need to hear you sing his innocent praises when he’s just as responsible as the rest of them who have tried to keep Brian and Justin apart. Even if his part was small, every little action had an impact that led to this. Think about that!”

By the time Melanie reached the lobby of the precinct, all hell was breaking loose… again! This time it involved the well-mannered, always-elegant Jennifer Taylor being restrained by six officers while the perpetrator of untold crimes, Evangeline Charles, was doubled over in pain.

“What the fuck happened?” Mel asked.

“We had just entered the building when Jennifer, lady extraordinaire, noticed me,” Sarah told her. “Before I could stop her, Jenn began screaming, punching and kicking, and the bitch doubled over. I guess Horvath must have called her?”

“Yeah, we’re on our way to the hospital now. You need to have the officers let her go.”

“Hey look lady, guilty or not, this woman can’t go around hitting people!” One of the officers said. “She’s going to be arrested and charged with assault.”

“Like fuck she will,” Mel answered. “That woman- as you call her- just received word that Ms. Charles fired two bullets which hit her sons, who are now in surgery. As her attorney I will warn you that if she isn’t released immediately, she and I will sue the fuck out of this place where the only job you’ll ever be eligible to get is at the local Dunkin’ Donuts. Am I making myself clear?”

“You heard her, Tubby,” Sarah backed Mel up. “Let Mrs. Taylor go. It’s clear that she’s emotionally distraught and there are mitigating circumstances. I think you know what will happen if you persist in this…” she narrowed her eyes at the mouthpiece for the cops still holding onto the distraught woman. “Come on, Man. It’s already a madhouse in here. What is it gonna cost to show this woman a little compassion and let her go scot free to deal with her sons?”

“Let her go, Kowoski. I have children myself, so I know what I would do if this chick had shot mine,” another officer said as he unhanded Jennifer. When the others did the same, only then did Officer Kowoski follow suit.

“Fine. But I can’t be held responsible or called as a witness if the perp decides to file a civil suit,” he said adamantly.

“Don’t worry about it, Tubby. I doubt that Ms. Charles is going to have time to assuage her bruised ego with a civil suit against Ms. Taylor. No. She’ll be too busy fending off all the people she’s put in jail throughout her career while being a prisoner herself. Now that’s justice, right Evangeline?” Sarah gloated.

“Fuck you! And yes, I will be filing a civil suit! I hope your son and his lover DIE!! It’s long overdue!” Evangeline yelled, her voice carrying through the entire ground floor of the building. Many of her minions agreed with her, as did the people waiting to find out if their family members would be released.

“Well, I guess we can surely add Hate Crime and Attempting to Incite a Riot to your long list of charges as well. Let’s go!” Sarah said, as she grabbed Evangeline’s arm and began to shuffle her through the crowd.

As they passed by a gaggle of officers, trying to control the crowd, Evangeline launched herself at one of them and reached down. While it looked as if she had tripped, Sarah knew better. Without missing a beat, Sarah seized her gun from the inside of her boot. Taking aim just as the other woman stood, brandishing the weapon, she fired two shots: one hitting Evangeline in the pelvis, the other in the shoulder, inches away from the carotid artery. Josiah caught Evangeline before she could hit the ground, checking for her pulse, while the other police officers removed the crowd from the inside of the lobby area. The desk sergeant was already on the phone to the EMTs, ordering for them to hurry. He screamed into the receiver ‘Officer Down’ causing Sarah to wonder just how he knew that. It wasn’t as if they had told anyone within the Pittsburgh P.D., other than those working the case directly, just who Evangeline Charles was. It was then that she’d realized where she’d seen him before.

“Officer Imes, please arrest Desk Sergeant Maloney, on the grounds of accessory to murder, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting to start,” she called out to the young officer that had helped her earlier at the hospital.

“What?! What is the meaning of this?!” Officer Maloney paled, looking at the still supine figure of Evangeline Charles.

“I think you know the meaning all too well, Maloney. You were at the hospital earlier when Jenny Rebecca Marcus-Peterson was brought into the Emergency room with a gunshot wound.”

“Yeah, so what of it?”

“Although you looked to be following the car which was driving her there, you were already on your way there, weren’t you? Manny, check the phone records for Officer Maloney and make it quick.”

Manny did as he was bid, checking phone the records. He was about to call out that there was nothing amiss when he ran across a number that didn’t follow the previous patterns of incoming and outgoing calls. Writing down the number and handing the sheet of paper to Sarah, she smiled. Dialing the number, they were all surprised to hear the ringing going on inside an evidence bag within Josiah’s hand.

“Well, that sheds a whole new light on things, doesn’t it?” the FBI Captain said. “How did you put that together, Morrissey?”

“We never told anyone other than the people working this case that Evangeline was a cop. Maloney wasn’t part of the team, but I did recognize him from the hospital. He was there to try and find Brian and Justin Taylor-Kinney, who we had hidden away in there after the latter dealt with the business of his sperm donor and ex-lover’s accident. The only way Maloney here could’ve known that she was an agent was from the bitch’s mouth herself.”

“I want to speak to my attorney,” Maloney demanded.

“Sure thing, after you’re Mirandized. We’re not playing the Acquittal by Technicality game. Imes, read him his rights please and quickly.” Sarah said smugly, even as the ambulance arrived to take Evangeline to the hospital.