The celebration party held in honor of Stockwell's defeat had spilled into the streets and lasted far into the night. Brian and Justin had danced the night away, amused at the relief on everyone's faces at the prospect of a Mayor who wasn't homophobic. No one was in the mood to admit that they had been apathetic about the mayoral race just 24 hours earlier, that is until some mysterious new group had created and aired a revealing ad concerning the Chief of Police. Only two men knew the full truth behind Stockwell's defeat, and they weren't talking.
The party was finally winding down and almost everyone had headed for their own homes or the home of the newest pick up for the night. Brian and Justin had just said a cheery good bye to an exhausted Debbie, Mel, and Lindsay. Justin started to mention Michael and his great escape with the young Hunter when a sudden pinch to his tender bubble butt from Brian, followed quickly by his patented lifted eyebrow warning, stopped him dead in his tracks. He did an amazingly swift save by declaring his regrets that Michael and Ben hadn't been able to join the festivities. Debbie was too high on happiness to catch the slight change in direction in Justin's words.
The lovers stood on the street corner trying to decide on how to get back to the loft. Michael was in possession of the beloved 'Vette and there wasn't a cab anywhere in sight. The loft wasn't that far away but the men were beyond tired (it had been an incredibly draining day) and they didn't feel like taking a long, long stroll home. Brian was just about to use his cell phone to call another cab when they heard a loud whistle behind them. Emmett was standing next to a garishly red convertible, waving like a maniac a quarter of a block away.
"Woo hoo, kiddies," he shouted down the street. "Over here!"
He pointed to an attractive young black man in drag who sat behind the wheel of the car. "My friend here saw you guys standing around and wondered if you needed a ride somewhere," he told them as the two men began walking towards the vehicle.
"We do indeed, my friend," Brian answered. He threw his arm around Emmett's shoulder and gave him a friendly squeeze. Justin leaned into the car and offered his thanks to the driver. They'd seen the man before on Liberty Avenue a few times but had never caught his name. Brian and Justin climbed into the back seat while Emmett slid into the front next to the slender newcomer.
Emmett turned around and pointed to his new friend. "Brian...Justin...this is Leonora, formerly Leo of Macon, Georgia. She's one of the featured singers at The Rainbow Club. Isn't she just the cutest thing?"
If Leonora hadn't been so dark skinned, Brian and Justin were sure they'd have seen the cabaret singer blush. Leonora turned and offered the handsome couple in the back seat a dazzling smile and then started the engine. It roared to life and the car was pulled away from the curb and onto the road. "Where to fellas?" Leonora asked.
Brian sat forward, gave directions, and then sat back against the cushions. He reached over and pulled Justin close against him. Justin willingly followed Brian's wishes and snuggled up. The wind was bitingly cold as it flew in their faces. It was invigorating and dispelled a lot of the fatigue that the lovers had been feeling. Brian leaned into Justin and put his lips up close to the blond's ear so he would hear every word.
"You just wait till I get you home, young man. I'm going to fuck you till the sun comes up, and then I'm going to fuck you again."
Justin's whole body shivered, but not from the frigid night air. "Is that a promise?"
"Scout's honor," Brian answered, holding up his two fingers in a Scout salute.
The couple spent the rest of the short trip with lots of mutual neck nuzzling and a few preliminary crotch rubs in anticipation of the night's pleasures. By the time the convertible pulled up to the loft's building, both Brian and Justin were breathing hard and carrying inflamed packages in their pants. They bid a hasty good bye and grateful thank you to Emmett and his date, then headed for the building’s front door.
Brian almost fumbled the keys in his effort to hurriedly unlock the glass door. It didn't help any that Justin continued to teasingly rub Brian's crotch while he clung to him. They made record time up the stairs to the loft, taking the stairs two and three at a time. They stood together at the loft door and began kissing furiously, their tongues exploring each other as if it was unknown territory.
Justin stopped long enough to put his lips to Brian's ear and whisper, "If you don't hurry up and get me inside, I'm taking down my pants and bending over right here, right now, and neighbors be damned."
That was enough for Brian. He extricated himself from Justin's embrace and keyed the lock as fast as he could. The giant door slipped on its tracks and the lovers nearly fell into the entryway. Brian hastily slid the door closed and turned back to Justin. In a flash, they were back together and began to remove each other's shirts. Neither one of them was aware of the movement of a shadow in the living room until it was too late.
The loft was suddenly bathed in light. The lovers broke apart quickly and stared with startled eyes towards the living room. It only took a second for their eyes to adjust and for them to recognize the bulky figure of the defeated mayoral candidate standing at the light switch on the wall. Brian started towards the man, fire in his eyes, but stopped abruptly when he saw that Stockwell had raised his arm and was holding a gun in his right hand.
***************************************************
"I wouldn't advise your coming any closer, Kinney," Stockwell warned. Brian had stopped dead in his tracks and moments later felt Justin step up beside him. Brian instinctively put his arm out and moved Justin behind him a few inches. The move wasn't lost on Stockwell.
"Very touching, Kinney. You're quite the chivalrous protector of your little 'girlfriend' there," the intruder laughed derisively.
Brian didn't bother to respond to that remark. He stared at his one-time client and asked, "What is it you want from me? I have better things to do than be bullied by a sore loser."
Brian put on a good show of bravado, but the truth was that he was scared shitless. The look in Stockwell's eyes was cold and he was sure that the man wasn't just playing games. He felt Justin step out from behind him again and grab onto his arm. The move startled Brian into realizing that Justin might be in even more trouble than himself. There was something vicious in the way Stockwell had mentioned Justin that made Brian's blood run cold.
"I want you to take your little sweetie there and move over to the cushions. It seems you believe in sparse furnishings for your home. That will do for starters. Oh, and if you are thinking of making any really stupid moves, I think you should know that I'm a crack shot and seldom miss a target even from a long distance."
Brian heard Justin whisper, "We'd better do what he says, Brian."
Brian reluctantly agreed and moved over to the section of the floor where he had left the pillows from the sofa that once occupied that space. The two men sat down side by side and waited for Stockwell's next move. Stockwell went over to the bar and grabbed a stool with one hand while holding firmly to his weapon with the other. He kept a wary eye on his captives. Once he had rolled the stool several yards in front of the couple, he settled onto the swivel chair with his elbows resting on its back, making sure to keep the gun leveled at the lovers.
"Well now, isn't this cozy? You know, the last time I was here I was interrupting some of your fun on those same cushions and it looked like I was going to do it again tonight. I certainly have bad timing where you're concerned, don’t I Kinney?"
He let out a short laugh that had no humor in it. "God, you fags are like fucking rabbits. You can't keep your fucking cocks in your pants for a minute. It's disgusting."
Stockwell got a pained expression on his face. "That's what I told Kenny when the idiot confessed to me that he had killed that punk kid, Kemp, last year. If he had learned to keep his dick in his pants, he never would have ruined a perfectly good career and made me lose a great friend. And now I have you to thank for driving him to suicide." Stockwell's voice began to rise. "The stupid jerk! I could have found a way to deflect suspicion off him."
Brian was surprised to hear genuine regret in Stockwell's voice as he talked about his old partner. "Sounds to me like you two were pretty close," he said.
Stockwell looked startled, but in seconds his face turned an angry red.
"What the fuck are you getting at, you stinking pervert? We were friends...fifteen years of working on the job as partners. You don't just drop a friend like that cause they do something stupid and completely out of character."
"What part was out of character, Chief? The part where he murders a young man or the part where he butt fucks him?" Brian asked sarcastically.
Stockwell's face darkened even more and he looked like he would come across the room and beat Brian to a pulp, but years of police training had taught him a certain degree of control and he forced himself to calm down.
"You'd like it if I lost control of myself and gave you the chance to jump me, wouldn't you Kinney? Won't happen! Ask anyone... I'm famous for my control. How do you think I always managed to stay on top of things... that is until I was suckered into trusting you. You must be good at butt fucking, you son of a bitch, cause you sure as hell gave me a good screwing over! I'll bet you didn't think I'd figure out who the fucking ‘Concerned Citizens for the Truth’ was." He paused as if expecting an answer from Brian.
He continued when there was no response. "I knew you were behind that sick ad the minute I saw it. You were the only one who had access to all the information and the tape. All I had to do was use my resources and check your credit and I found where the money was coming from for the airing of the ads. God, you really wanted to destroy me didn't you... $100,000 grand just to keep me out of office?"
This time Brian responded. "It had nothing to do with destroying you. It had to do with protecting myself and the rights of the denizens of Liberty Avenue to be whoever they want to be... to fuck whoever they want to fuck, whether they're gay, straight, bi..." Brian paused dramatically, "...or whether they're so deep in the closet they don't even know what they are." The implications were clear and not lost on Stockwell.
The man turned almost purple in his apoplexy. He jumped up from his perch on the stool and began pacing back and forth between the two men squatting on the floor in front of him. Justin had remained quiet throughout the ordeal, knowing that Brian knew this enemy far better than he did, but he couldn't hold his peace any longer.
"None of us would have been against you, Stockwell, if you hadn't made it so clear that you hated us so much. You know damned good and well that you went after us with a passion. You would have put every one of us in jail. Hell, you'd have put us under the jail if you could have gotten away with it. You forced our hand. When someone tries to destroy your life you have to fight back. Even you can appreciate that," Justin said with conviction.
Stockwell slowed his pacing and then came to a halt in front of the couple. Brian had reached over and pulled Justin closer to him when the blond had started to talk, as if he felt he might need to protect him from the deranged man's reaction to whatever Justin might say. When Justin finished, Brian leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. Stockwell stared, as if fascinated by the gesture.
After a few moments he responded, "I don't give a fuck what someone does in their private lives, but you perverts have to inflict yourselves on decent law abiding citizens by flaunting yourselves in public all the time. And I've heard plenty about the disgusting things you do in the baths and back rooms of certain places. You don't even have the decency to get a private room for your fucking. And you'll fuck anyone, anytime, anyplace. You fags don't even know the meaning of love. You call each other 'partners' and then change partners every few weeks or so. You don't even know the meaning of the word commitment, but then you have the balls to demand the rights to marry. It's sick!"
Stockwell paused to take a few deep breaths. He had worked himself into a frenzy and had become almost light-headed with the effort. The lovers prayed he'd vented enough and wondered what was to come next, but then they heard him start to ramble again.
"On top of everything else, you sickos talk about having kids... you even went and did it, Kinney! What's wrong with you? How can you do that to a kid? My boys can grow up with pride... in a loving two parent home... with a mother and a father, like God intended. What does your boy have? Poor kid will probably grow up just like you. He won't stand a chance in life, and for what? To prove you were as good as a normal man? And don't get me started on how you bastards betray everyone who cares for you. I was Kenny's friend and he betrayed me. When I found out he liked fucking boys, I gave him a chance." Stockwell stopped again as if to gather his thoughts and some strength. Then he plunged on.
"I told Kenny that it was okay to make a mistake. I begged him to give it up and get straightened out. He promised to go for help. I gave him a break and said nothing to anyone, and the next thing I know he comes crying to me about this Kemp kid. I should have hung him out to dry, but no... I had to give him a break again. And then trusting him cost me everything. "
Now Stockwell's distress was palpable. "My wife's asking questions. Fuck! Even my boys are asking me questions. And now I've lost my career and maybe even my freedom! You couldn't have done me more harm if you'd just blown my brains out!" Stockwell was puffing from the exertion of his tirade.
"And I have you sons of bitches to thank for it all! Well, if you think I'm going down without taking you with me, then you're insane."
As the angry man got to that final pronouncement, he seemed to regain some of his composure. That was even more chilling to the hapless men facing him. Brian was particularly alarmed because he wanted Stockwell to stay off balance. He had determined that it might give him the upper hand. But a calm Stockwell was more dangerous, like a coiled snake ready to strike. The silence became uncomfortable. Brian broke it.
"So just what did you have in mind for our penance for your miserable life, then?" Brian asked, as calmly as he could under the circumstances. "And whatever it is, why don't you let the kid go? I'm the one you're pissed at. Justin just followed my instructions."
Brian did his best to be casual about Justin, hoping to deflect the cop from knowing how important Justin was to him.
Justin turned to Brian with fear written all over his face. "Brian, NO! I'm NOT leaving you!" Justin grabbed onto Brian's arm and held tightly.
Stockwell let out a sarcastic grunt of laughter. "That's so touching! I know damned well that your little fuck buddy here was the one who created those libelous posters of me. He's the artist in your little twosome. Besides, it's his own fault he's here. I know he doesn't live here so he should have stayed home in his own bed, like a good little boy, instead of tomcatting with a perv like you."
That was too much for Justin.
"You're the sicko, Stockwell! You're not fit to shine Brian's shoes, let alone be in the same room with him. He did his best job for you, and it was better than you deserved, until you went too far and let your hypocrisy get the best of you. And that 'love' thing you're so proud of as a straight man... will your wife still love you when she knows the 'real' you? I KNOW the 'real' Brian and I still love him and would never leave him, faults and all. I doubt if you can say the same. That's real love, pal."
Brian had never been more proud of his Sunshine. He had to get Justin out of this mess! Stockwell had begun pacing again, holding his gun loosely at his side. Suddenly, he stopped dead.
"Shut your filthy mouth. I've got to think. You're the one who messed me up. I expected to find Brian here alone. The man was going to be robbed tonight and die tragically when he interrupted the burglar, but then you had to walk in together. Shit! I've got to think," he repeated.
There was something in Stockwell's demeanor that gave Brian a twinge of hope. The man seemed more confused than homicidal. Brian began to get the feeling that this whole thing had been unplanned... that the voting results had just stunned him and he had reacted without thinking. Nothing seemed planned out with any forethought and a long time veteran cop like Stockwell would never have been so disorganized if he had actually pre-planned his actions.
Admitting that he had intended to shoot Brian the minute he walked in the door and didn't when he saw there were two men told a revealing story. And a burglary in a place that was almost cleaned out of anything of value didn't make any sense either. And a man who was as in control as Stockwell would never give his targets so many chances to keep talking. No, Brian was beginning to think that the jerk had gotten himself into a mess and just didn't know how to get out of it. At least he prayed that was the vibe he was getting from the man.
Brian softened his voice slightly. "Look James," he said, using the man's first name to make it more personal. "If you truly believe that men like Justin and I are doomed because of our ways, then why do you want to waste your time on us? Why do you want to risk embarrassing your sons and wife any more than they have been if you get caught? If you forget this whole thing, you can at least start over... maybe move somewhere else. And like you said to me a while back... family is everything. What would your cop dad, uncles, brothers think of you if they discovered you had killed a man in cold blood? You've been a cop long enough to know that secrets like that don't always stay buried. You're smart enough to know that you could get caught."
"And what's the point, really? I'll be dead... no more suffering for me... but your suffering will just be beginning. Always looking over your shoulder. Always wondering if you'll be found out. Is that your idea of revenge, man? Is that the best way for you to get back at me?"
Stockwell seemed to be thinking it over. He moved back a couple of steps, feeling for the bar stool. He was suddenly very tired and drained of all the turbulent emotions he had been feeling for days now. He started to sit back on the seat of the stool. It was as if he had forgotten that the stool was on wheels. He began to sit without bracing himself at all. Just as his bottom touched on the seat, the stool slid out from under him. He began falling backwards with nothing to grasp hold of.
Brian's reflexes kicked in rapidly. He lunged up from his sitting position on the floor and covered the short distance between the intruder’s body and his own in record time. Brian's left hand clamped down hard on Stockwell's right wrist while his right hand did the same to the man's other wrist. Brian laid the full weight of his body on top of Stockwell so he wouldn't be able to struggle too much. Brian slammed Stockwell's right hand, with the gun still in it, hard onto the floor. All of a sudden there was the deafening sound of a shot ringing out. Stockwell released his hold on the gun instantly. Brian grabbed the gun and jumped up, facing the beaten man.
"You fucking son of a bitch! Get up!" Brian ordered with fury in his voice.
Stockwell laid there. He had seemed to shrink inside himself. He was like a lifeless rag doll. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry," he kept repeating over and over.
Brian was about to demand that the man stand again when he heard a strange noise behind him. In all the turmoil he had forgotten Justin for a moment. He turned around slowly, being careful to keep one eye on the fallen man.
"Justin?"
That's when he saw the slowly spreading red stain on Justin's upper shoulder.
"Justin!!!" he screamed.
Justin looked up from the floor into Brian's terrified eyes. Surprise was written all over his face. "I think I've been shot," he whispered.
Brian ran over and sank down next to Justin, sticking the gun firmly in his pants.
"Oh God, Justin! How bad are you hurt?"
Justin felt his shoulder gingerly. There was a nasty stinging sensation, but somehow the pain didn't seem so deep. Brian carefully and gently removed Justin's shirt and looked at the wound. A cursory glance revealed that the wound was very superficial...strictly a flesh wound. The bullet had torn a small trail of skin off as it flew by. The bullet was lodged somewhere in the far wall, no doubt. Brian had not felt this kind of soul shattering relief since the day the doctors had declared that Justin would live after the bashing to his head.
He pressed his forehead to Justin's and whispered, "You're going to be alright, Justin. Thank God! I don't know what I would have done if he'd killed you."
The lovers had forgotten all about the simpering man who still lay on the floor behind them, moaning out his apologies. Brian captured Justin's lips with his own and poured all his relief into their kiss. When he could feel the young man relaxing, Brian broke the kiss and turned to the pathetic creature that was just beginning to try and rise to his feet. Stockwell didn't even look a little scary anymore. He had become a shell of his former self in a matter of minutes. Like a lot of bullies, he was all bravado but little substance. He'd probably never even wanted to be a cop. He was probably just trying to please his family, Brian thought to himself.
Brian released Justin and rose up in front of Stockwell. He kept his hand on the butt of the gun sticking out from his waistband, just in case.
"So, should I call the cops or do you want to do the honors?" Brian asked. He paused, giving Stockwell a chance to absorb everything. Then he continued, "Of course, you could always go home to your wife and kids, lick your wounds, and accept your fate like a real man."
It took a brief moment for Brian's words to sink in, but when they did, gratitude was clear in the man's eyes.
"Why..."
"Would I let you go? Cause you've been defeated already and you have enough problems. Plus I don't think you're stupid enough to try something like this again. And in case you ever do I'll have this gun, the bullet, and a letter in my safety deposit box just waiting for the District Attorney's desk if anything should happen to me, Justin, or anyone else I know... ever! Do we understand each other?"
Stockwell almost stumbled as he headed for the loft door. He turned as he reached it and announced, "We have a deal Kinney. You'll never hear from me again. You have my word of honor. I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me, but it won't ever happen again." With that he slid the door open and stepped out. Seconds later he was on the sidewalk and rushing for his car. He couldn't get away from the nightmare he had created fast enough.
**********************************************
Brian hurried over to the loft door and quickly bolted it shut. He rushed back to Justin, who was moving slowly up the steps to the bedroom area. Brian joined him, putting the weapon on the side table. Brian gathered Justin tightly in his arms and the two men embraced for the longest time. It was as if they were afraid to let go. Finally, Brian sat down on the bed bringing Justin down with him.
"I was so scared," Justin confessed.
"You were? I thought I'd have to change my pants there for a while," Brian laughed.
"How can you be so calm? The man was going to kill us!"
"I don't know, Justin. I think I knew all along that he didn't have it in him. Okay, maybe not the whole time, but there was something more suicidal than homicidal about the man. But when I heard that shot and realized you'd been hit... now that's when I really felt the fear."
Justin kissed Brian deeply to show his gratitude for what he said. Brian began to feel that same tingle he always got when he had his Justin loving him and safe and sound in his arms. Brian forced himself to restrain his body. He needed to check out his lover's wound first. He pulled away from the blond long enough to take another look at the wound. The tiny red gash on his skin had already stopped seeping any blood and showed little damage. Brian stood back up and pulled Justin with him.
Brian took Justin into the bathroom and got down the disinfectant and bandages. Five minutes later, Justin was as good as new. A small rectangular patch was the only evidence of his ordeal. The two men retired to the bedroom and stretched out on the duvet. They faced each other, wrapping their legs together.
"I thought I'd lose you Brian," Justin sighed.
"You'll never lose me Sunshine...unless it's your choice."
Justin's heart began to swell, along with something else. He had never felt closer to this man. How did he get so lucky to have found and won back such a magnificent man? Brian held Justin's face in his hands. He could feel Justin's longing for him as it steadily grew and pressed against Brian's leg. Brian's longing grew at the same steady pace, alerting Justin to the mutual feelings.
Brian looked at the man he loved (despite his inability to say it out loud) and laughed. "So Sunshine... want to finish what we started?"
The irony of the question wasn't lost on Justin when he thought of the last time Stockwell interrupted their pleasures, but this time was even more special. He knew, without question, that Brian loved him now, and that was all Justin needed. He smiled his Sunshine smile, kissed Brian with unrestrained passion and answered, "Let’s do that."
They spent the rest of the night with repeated demonstrations for each other of how glad they were to be alive... and together!!!!
THE END
