“You look amazing,” Michael said.

Brian looked at himself in the mirror. He never thought he’d see this day. Nobody did except maybe Justin. The day he married the love of his life. In fact, he swore never to get married. After watching his parents slowly destroy each other along with him and his sister, he wanted no part of something like that. Brian Kinney, married man. It sounded so wrong, yet so right. To think he had let Justin slip away so many times. All that was over now. He would say his vows, Justin would say his and that would be it. Together until the end of time.

“Can you believe this is really happening, Mikey?”

“Michael snorted. “Not in this lifetime. I’m so happy for you.”

There was a light knock on the door. Causing them both to jump a little because they weren’t expecting anyone.

“What?” Brian yelled. Couldn’t they give him a minute with his best man in peace.

Justin was spent the night in his apartment and Brian in his loft. Justin had insisted on the stupid tradition. Because he rarely could say no to Justin about the big things, he folded. That meant him and Michael drank most of the night, only getting up an hour ago, Mikey looked a little rougher than him but that was to be expected, he wasn’t used to the drinking anymore.

He watched as Daphne slid open the door and walked in. She had an envelope crushed in her hand. She was dressed for the wedding, but her face showed like she was ready to go to a funeral. His stomach clenched.

“Yes?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn’t need her to say anything. A little part of him had been expecting it. He knew in his heart he wasn’t meant for a happily ever after.

She didn’t say anything when she handed him the crinkled unopened envelope.

“What is it?” Michael asked Daphne.

“It was on his bed when I went to get him this morning. He left almost everything in the apartment, that means he’s not gone for good, right?”

“Leave,” he told them both. Michael opened his mouth but seemed to think better of it. They both left, without another word.

Brian walked up to his bed and sat down on the edge. For a few minutes, he debated just burning the damn thing. What was he going to do now? First thing was first he guess, see why Justin left this time. He slowly opened the letter and began to read.

Dear Brain,

This is hard for me to write, but I can’t marry you. I remember the day I met you like yesterday. You dancing inside of Babylon, like the king of the castle.

…wait. Brian reread that sentence. They didn’t meet inside of Babylon, it was outside. Justin tells every damn person he meets that story. Brian continued to read.

My life has been a roller-coaster since that day. Some good, some bad, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Don’t close off your heart because of me. I remember the man with the twenty-foot wall around his heart. That night though you let me and Gus into your life and heart. You, me and Emmett running down the hospital hallway to meet your son for the first time.

He reread again. Another fact that was slightly wrong. It was him, Justin and Michael not Emmett. The feeling he had when he opened the letter had turned from numb to confused. Why would Justin write things that wasn’t true? Brian had been the stoned one, not Justin. He had a perfect memory of all these times, he would tell Brian in detail.

Please, don’t look for me. I need time to myself. One day you will find someone that loves you the way you are. I’m sorry that couldn’t be me. Tell everyone that I’m sorry. I wish you the very best.

                                                                          Love always, Justin.

P.S. Tell Zephyr sometimes Morphisto wins.

Brian reread the whole letter several times. Justin outright lied in two sentences. And what the hell was that about Morphisto? Who the hell was that? It sounded familiar but he couldn’t place it.

Grabbing his phone, he called Michael. He answered after only one ring.

“Brian, are you okay? What’s going on? Do you need me to come back over? I’m not far away.”

“Who is Morphisto?”

“Why are you asking about Morphisto?” As concerned Michael sounded just a second now he sounded pissed.

“Who is he?”

“Morphisto killed Captain Astro, don’t you remember?”

“Did you talk about him with Justin lately?”

Michael was quiet for a moment before a shuffling noise. “Yeah, we were talking about the new issue of Rage. I was telling him about not ever doing what they did with Captain Astro. I told him that Rage would always win, that no villain would ever beat him. Justin argued the fact that the villain would have to win sometimes or it wouldn’t be exciting.  

“Come back to the loft. Something isn’t right here.”

Not a few minutes later Michael was already back at his door. He guessed he hadn’t left the building.

“Read that,” Brian said handing Michael the letter.

After a moment, a confused look came over his face. Then when he finished he was pale. That was when Brian noticed Michael was shaking.

“What?” he demanded.

“We have to call Carl,” Michael said pulling his phone out of his jacket.

“What’s going on, Michael?” He was ready to throttle his best friend.

“It was a stupid conversation. When you’re collaborating on something like our comic book, you talk about weird things. One day, years ago, we talked about what we would do one of us was in danger. In one comic book, I showed him, the damsel in distress was made to write a letter to her lover. She put small clues in the letter that no one else would really notice. Justin said that that wouldn’t have someone know that she was being kidnapped by the demon Arrigo. I asked him what he would put in a letter to let the person know. It was just a silly talk. He said we should work out a code that wouldn’t be caught by anyone else. I laughed it off and said mine would be Sometimes Morphisto wins. Brian, Justin didn’t leave on his own.”

Having his suspensions verified didn’t make him feel any better. If anything, he felt like he was going to be sick. “Call Carl,” he forced out.

Justin tried again to get his hands out of the zip-ties. He couldn’t see much of what he was doing, because it was dark in the trunk of the car. He had kicked and hit until his driver pulled over and said that he had other ways of shutting him up. It had terrified Justin more than he was already.

How could everything go so wrong on what should be the happiest day of his life? He wanted to spend his last day as a bachelor alone. It was next to impossible to get Daphne to leave the night before. Luckily for him, her boyfriend wanted some couple time. He had wished Daphne had stayed, if she had…things wouldn’t have happened like it did.

He’d gone out after she left to grab something to eat. It was when he left the deli down the street he felt someone watching him. That wasn’t so unusual because usually he was with Brian, and Brian drew everyone’s attention.

By the time, he got back to his apartment he was on edge. He never wanted to admit it, but he always feared Chris would come and try to finish the job he started at prom. More so since the gun incident. He should have run the first time he saw Cody; the boy was a mess.

As he opened his apartment door he thought he was safe. He wasn’t, just before he shut the door a giant man pushed him inside the apartment. Before he had time to react the man pinned him to the floor, a gun shoved under his chin.

“Don’t say a fucking word,” the man growled.

He didn’t, he hoped the stranger would take his wallet and leave. He didn’t have have much money but hopefully it would be enough to satisfy the man with the gun.

“What’s your name?”

Justin, guess he could talk now. “Justin Taylor,” he said, his voice strained.

“Well, Justin Taylor, you and I are going for a little trip.”

“I’m getting married tomorrow,” he said weakly. He saw something once that you’re supposed to make you attacker see you as a human being.

“Don’t lie to me, boy. I know what you are. I knew the minute I saw you.”

“I’m not lying. I’m getting married. His name’s Brian. Please, just take my money,” he whimpered.

“Then I guess you need to write your fella a letter, huh? Make it sound good.”

After that he had forced Justin to write the letter. A small part of him worried that the guy already knew who he and Brian were, and was playing with him. So, he kept his letter as close to the truth as he could. He hoped the mix of the wrong information and that dumb code for Michael would have them looking for him. He had no idea where they were headed, but they had been driving since the man put him in the trunk. Besides the gun being pointed at the him he hadn’t been hurt, but people didn’t abduct people to give them ice cream and tickets to the ice capades.

One thing he really hope was Brian to keep his sanity. This stress wasn’t good for him. Justin always feared the cancer would come back. It was funny, his biggest worry was to lose Brian in some tramatic way. But it seemed that that was Brian’s past, present and future. Why couldn’t they just live happily ever after in their country manor with a stable and a pool.  

“It looks straight forward to me, Mr. Kinney. Mr. Taylor chose to not get married, it’s there in black and white,” Officer Holloway said, pointing at the letter.

“No, read the letter. He got key facts wrong. What about the code for Michael? Justin is in danger. Get off your fat, useless asses and find him,” Brian growled.

Officer Holloway was taking his statement while Carl was trying to calm frantic family members. Jennifer, Debbie and Emmett were the ones losing their shit.

“Sunshine, would never just run away like that!” Debbie yelled from across the loft.

“I’m sorry, but didn’t Mrs. Taylor say just a moment ago, that he ran away to New York at seventeen?”

“That was different, he just trying to get Brian’s attention,” Debbie said hotly.

“And it looks to have worked once. Maybe Mr. Taylor is just trying to get Mr. Kinney’s attention again.”

“Justin was supposed to marry Brian today. What better attention is there?” Daphne asked, a scowl on her face. “He’s wanted this since he was seventeen years old, he wouldn’t have left without actually speaking to Brian…or me.”

“I understand this is a difficult time. But you’ve all said this is Justin’s handwriting. The letter is a Dear John letter. I’m sorry Mr. Kinney but you’re not the first to get one.”

“Now hold it, Ruben. I understand the need to be cautious. But I’ve met the young man, I know him. He’s told me how he and Brian met, in too much detail I might add. Also, Michael has pictures of the night Gus was born. It’s Brian, Michael and Justin, there was no Emmett. He had to have purposely got these wrong. I believe he was trying to let us send a message,” Carl said

“What it looks like to me is a young man deciding he didn’t want to be tied down to a man twelve years his senior,” Officer Holloway said.

“Carl, if you would be kind enough to show Officer Holloway out. Some of us have to find my son,” Jennifer said, her cheeks flushed with anger.

It seemed Carl knew best not to argue with a WASP mama bear. She was holding herself up amazingly now, but soon she would crack. After Carl walked out with Officer Holloway, it was like free reign to yell.

“Shut the fuck up!” he yelled.

“What are we going to do?” Debbie sobbed.

“I’m sure Carl will make sure Justin’s name and picture is distributed around to other precincts. Emmett, do you think you can get Justin’s picture on the news?”

“Of course,” he said, his voice hitched a little.

‘Daphne, can you make sure everyone knows if they see Justin to get into contact with us?”

“Sure thing, I’ll head over to Auster Drive now.”

“You take care of everyone else, Daphne. Leave him to me,” Jennifer bit out.

It took a moment to realize they were talking about Craig. He wouldn’t put it above Craig Taylor to have kidnapped his son to try to turn him straight.

“Hold it, Jennifer. I want you take Tucker to go with you, look for anything suspicious.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Like, if he had anything to do with his Justin’s disappearance.”

“Dad wouldn’t. Not because he’s above it. He’s just doesn’t have the brains for it,” Molly, Justin’s thirteen-year-old sister, said.

“Molly, you shouldn’t say such things about your father. Although, I would have to agree with her reason. But I’ll look hard, I’m an expert on seeing through his lies now.”

“Michael, I need you and Ben to check on Hobbs. If we send Carl and he does have something to do with Justin disappearing, he could kill him.”

Emmett and Debbie gasped.

“Make sure he doesn’t see you,” he told Michael and Ben.

“Are you sure this is necessary. We haven’t seen Hobbs in years?” Mel asked.

Brian didn’t know exactly what happened last year, but he knew it involved Hobbs.

He didn’t think Justin had seen the piece of shit. The only reason he didn’t think so was because Justin had been a basket case last time he had. Last year though, he was angry. Angier than Brian had ever seen before. That was saying something because for years Brian had been to pushing Justin to the breaking point.

“Maybe I should go alone. I wasn’t around then. So even if he sees me he won’t bulk,” Ben suggested.

“Fine,” Brian agreed. “Hunter, I need you ask the hustler brigade to keep an eye out. They will be greatly compensated if they do find him.”

The boy nodded. “You bet.”

“What about me?” Ted asked.

“I need you and Cynthia to handle Kinnetik until Justin comes back.”

“You were already scheduled to be gone a month. Hopefully, Justin will be he home by tonight,” Ted said.

It was a nice dream but Brian’s life wasn’t in some fantasy land. And Justin’s life had been anything but flowers and butterflies, no matter what his usual sunny disposition said about him.  

Brain went to the bathroom so he could breathe. Everyone was off doing the jobs he’d given them. Except for Debbie, she was sitting by his phone waiting for Justin to call. He couldn’t take it anymore and left her there. When he got up today he thought his biggest problem would be keeping Justin’s feet on the ground. The only bad part in their future was Lindsay and Mel taking the kids to Canada, although Mel had said they weren’t going anywhere until Justin was home.

Turning the water on, he splashed his face. Looking in the mirror he remembered seeing Justin drying off once. A bruise on his back. His first instinct was wanting to find the guy. But Justin had admitted to starting it. For a few scary weeks, he thought Justin had lost what made him Sunshine. Then just one day, he was back. Brian decided not to ask that many questions, because he was sure he didn’t want the answers to them. He was just happy to have his brat back.

But then Brian had to try and stay the Stud of Liberty Avenue. He knew a lot of it was because of the ego punch he took when he got sick. It took a bomb for him to realize his mistake, he had almost lost Justin for good. The kid had way too any near death experiances for his young age.

“Brian.”

It seemed his breather was over. Opening the bathroom door, he saw Carl looking at him stonily. Whatever the man had to say he knew he wasn’t going to like it.

“Detective,” he said warily.

“I called in some favors and had crime scene look at Justin’s place.”

“And?”

“You got your wish.”

“Meaning?”

“This is officially a kidnapping.”  

“Daddy, look what I made you,” Justin said, running up to his father.

He was so excited to show his dad the Valentine’s Day card. His mother had gotten hers when she picked him up from school. She said it was the best card she had ever gotten. That made him beam at her. He hoped his dad loved his card too.

“What do you have there, Button?” his daddy asked, smiling down at him. He loved when his dad called him Button. It was his special name from him. He said it was because when he was born he was small like a button.

“I made you a card in class. Happy Valentine’s Day!”

His dad reached for the card, looking at the front, then opening it. Justin bounced a little on his feet, waiting for what his reaction. Suddenly, his father reached down and lifted him up.

“You made this? Are you sure you’re not telling tales? This looks like a professional made it.”

“I made it, I promise.” He snuggled into his father’s embrace.

“I believe you, I hope you made one even nicer for your mother.”

Justin sat up a little straighter in his dad’s arms. “I did. Hers had flowers all over it because she likes flowers. Yours has me because you said I’m your favorite boy in the whole world.”

“That you are. I wouldn’t trade you for any other boy. You are my boy.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too. Come on, let’s give Mommy the present we picked out last week.”

“Yay!”

“Get up!” the harsh voice of his kidnapper said. Justin blinked away his memory.

He had been in the trunk of the car for what seemed like forever. After trying to get out of the restraints, he only had time to think. Funnily enough, the one thing that kept coming back to him. He never made peace with his father. At one time in his life all he wanted was to make his dad proud of him. For the first sixteen years of his life, his dad was a great dad. When he was little he would carry him around on his shoulders, it made Justin feel ten-feet-tall.

What if this was the last day of his life? He would die with his father not acknowledging that he had a son. Justin knew that maybe with more time his dad would accept him. His dad was just too caught up with having to be right. Even with his father having him arrested, he wanted to see him again. If he got out of this, that was what he would do. He would make the effort to understand his father, and maybe his dad would do the same for him.

His kidnapper pulled him out and dropped him on the ground. They were in front of a small cabin, it was dark out already. What caught Justin’s attention was the stars. There were so many stars in the sky. He didn’t think he had ever seen so many.

“Well, look who it is.”

He froze, his eyes still locked on to the sky. The voice was vaguely familiar but the voice was cold. He didn’t want to look behind him, where the voice originated from.

“Aren’t you going to look at me, Justin? Remove the tape from his mouth. I want to hear him, it’s not like anyone else is going to out here” the voice hissed.

Only because he was desperate to know why he was taken, he looked.

“What the fuck?” he demanded, his throat was dry causing his voice crack.

There standing by the front of the car, was someone he didn’t think he would ever see again.

“Don’t you remember me? You ruined my life.”

“I didn’t ruin your life. You tried to ruin Brian’s, all I did was even the playing field.”

Kip Thomas walked up to where Justin lay on the ground. He didn’t look like the young professional underling he had been at one time. He looked older now than even Ted, really, he looked very much like Ted had when he was using. Maybe he was using too. When Justin had scooped him out before, he saw the guy as a Brian Kinney wannabe. That wasn’t going to happen, he didn’t have the talent or the brains Brian had. He thought he could sleep his way to the top, unlike Brian who worked his ass off.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve. Did you know that after I dropped the suit, I was fired and labeled a troublemaker? No agency worth anything would have me. I couldn’t get a job in an advertising agency’s mailroom. The best I could do is working for my brother here, shoveling shit at his horse track. But do you know what is funny. Last time I went to visit my mother, you’ll never guess whose engagement announcement I saw. That’s right, Brian fucking Kinney and his boy toy, Justin Taylor. It was a whole fucking spread. Why wouldn’t it be, Kinney can afford the best. He is the owner of Kinnetik, a up and coming Ad Agency that seems to get whatever they want.”

“Brian’s worked hard for what he has. He didn’t lay on his back thinking that would get him the life he wanted,” Justin snapped.

“No, but you did. After all what else could a seventeen-year-old offer?”

“I’m not seventeen anymore.”

“No, that you are not. You are an unemployed leech though. At first, I wanted to ruin Kinney like he had done to me. But he wasn’t really the one to ruin me, was he? No, that was you and your underage ass.”

“You do know that this is stupid. What do you expect to happen? Brian will come and look for me.”

“No, he won’t. That’s why you wrote him the letter. You aren’t going to see the light of day for a very long time, Sunshine.”

Justin shivered. He was only with Kip for maybe an hour of his life, and he hadn’t been called Sunshine then. That meant that either Kip had been watching him or his brother. He tried not to pay attention to the part about not seeing the light of day. Kip had to be just spouting off at the mouth. No one in their right mind would kidnap someone and locked them up because they got them fired.

“Just let me go, I won’t tell anyone. I’ll just say that I got cold feet. Please, you don’t have to do this.”

“I’m not going to be doing anything. You see, my brother has a fondness blondes like you. Usually, they are women but he agreed to make the exception for you.”

Justin looked up at his kidnapper. He was looking at Justin with some look Justin couldn’t decipher. The only thing he could think that was close to that look was the night the Sap drugged him. Struggling to his knees he grabbed at Kip’s jeans. “Please, don’t do this.”

Something hit him in the back of the head then. Just as he fell on his side, he saw what it was. Kip’s brother had kicked him. Because of his brain injury he knew the risks of blows to the head. He decided to stay on the ground, he pretended to be so disoriented by the kick that it wouldn’t happen again. They must not have believed him, he couldn’t move away from the next kick either.

“Why are you now sure it is a kidnapping?” Brian asked Carl.

“The crime scene guys ran some fingerprints they found on the envelope you gave me. It matched the fingerprints on three unsolved murders.” Brian could see Carl hesitate about something.

“What? Tell me.”

“It was three women, all blonde but women. It’s unusual for serial killers to change targets. But that doesn’t mean Justin is safe. This person took him, I’m almost sure of it. His building isn’t the most secure and security is a joke. There’s no video of building but it’s safe to say, Justin didn’t leave on his own. But Brian, these women were tortured for weeks before they were killed. If this man really does have him, it’s not good.”

Brian couldn’t breathe, he tried to take a breath but it was impossible. He looked pleadingly at Carl. “Can’t. Breath,” he barely got out.

“I think you’re having a panic attack,” Carl said. He was still talking but Brian couldn’t hear him anymore. He was going to die, he just knew it. He grabbed at his shirt, it felt too tight. Thankfully, everything went blissfully silent.

Kip looked down at the blond, who was now passed out on the ground.

“Dammit, Lee!”

His brother just shrugged. Lee had always been a little off. Lee had been with him when he read the stupid engagement announcement. He had been so angry that the twink and the asshole were getting their happy ever after. That was something he didn’t want to see, not after what they had done to him.

Lee had grabbed the paper to see what had upset him. Kip had told him years ago about what the blonde had done to him. When Lee suggested getting even with them, he was intrigued. At first, when Lee suggested the kidnapping, Kip bulked. It seemed a little extreme, but then Lee pointed out what crap his life had been for the last five years. Not only that, Lee threatened to withhold his paycheck. He needed that money, he could already feel his need for his next fix.

“What are you really going to do to him?” Kip asked.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“You’re just going to keep him for a couple days and let him go though, right? He’s not like one of your ‘girls’.” Kip shuddered. He didn’t know exactly what Lee did to them but he suspected how bad it was.

He only wanted Justin to hurt a little, not maimed or dead. He had found out about Lee’s ‘girls’ when he was a teenager. He was spending the weekend with his brother when he heard a female scream. He followed the noise to his basement. There had been an emaciated young blonde woman in a cage. The cage looked like it was made for a large sized dog. He remembered her begging him to save her. That was when Lee walked in and told him to leave.

Once he was out of the room, all Lee said was to keep his mouth shut. He hadn’t though, he told his grandmother, who Kip had lived with since he was two. She let him know that families take care of one another, and that was the end of it. Lee had been raised by his father and his stepmother, him and Kip had different fathers. When Lee’s father died, he left Lee his horse track.

“What I do with him isn’t any of your business. I am helping you out here. You should be thankful. Leave now, or you get to join him.”

Kip looked down at the blonde who was still passed out. A little drop of blood rolling out of his ear. For the first time, he knew he made a mistake. He should have tried to dissuaded Lee from this idea.

“Why do you want him so much? He’s not your type.”

“He’s a fag; my reasons are my own.”

He was used to his brother talking this way. When he had told his family why he lost his job, Lee said he deserved it. Lee hated anyone he thought was weak, and he thought of gays as being weak. Women on the other hand, Lee thought they were hell spawn.

“I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ll just strip him and dump him out in from of the hospital,” Kip said reaching down the pull the blonde to his car.

He had seen the girl in the basement, he had been able to convince himself it was just some kinky sex thing. But he knew she was dead now. He knew it in his heart. The guilt of not helping her weighed heavily on his soul. This was different though, he had handed Justin Taylor over on a platter.

“Get in your car…alone. Go home and get wasted on your new supply. If I were you I’d think long and hard if you want to go running your mouth. Just remember, you knew about Martha Preston. That’ll land you in the pen with me.”

He had been so strung out when he agreed to this, he had made himself believe the blonde deserved it. Fuck!

With one last look at the unconscious man, he turned and walked to his car. What was he going to do?

“Where’s the brat?” his brother asked before he got into his car.

“Asleep on the couch.”

When Brian woke up a EMT was kneeling over him.

“Shit,” he said. His head felt funny, like he had been drinking too much.

“Are you in any pain, Brian,” the EMT asked.

“Just my fucking head. Would you mind backing the fuck up!” He didn’t like strangers near him while he was out. It’s why he usually kicked tricks out.

“Brian, calm down. You took quite a hit to the head,” he heard Carl say.

“What’s going on?” he asked the detective.

“Do you remember what I told you?”

Justin was in the hands of a killer. Yeah, he remembered. “Why are you here? You should be out there looking for him.”

“Brian, this man having Justin changes everything. They have been looking for him for over ten years. There have been three bodies but they believe there are more. That means this is top priority to the department.”

“We have to find him.” There was no other option. Justin had to come home, alive and well.

“I promise we will do our best. Now, let the EMT check you out.”

When Justin woke up his head was killing him. He was laying on a hardwood floor. It was freezing, in fact the whole room was freezing. As he moved his legs, his left leg felt heavier than the right. Opening his eyes, he looked at his legs. There was a leg shackle around his left leg. It was attached to a long chain.

“Good, you’re awake.”

Jumping at the voice Justin hit his shoulder on an ugly, old end table. His kidnapper was sitting in raggedy chair and staring at him. Justin didn’t want to risk another kick to the head, it looked like he may have escaped further injury this time. He might not be so lucky another time.

“I have to get back home. I’ll be back in a month. Now don’t go thinking you can get help, ain’t no phone or internet here. Closest neighbor is over three miles every way.”

He didn’t understand what was going on. Why kidnap him, just to leave him alone in a cabin by himself. For the first time, he felt hope. Kip had to be just fucking up Justin’s wedding. He wasn’t planning on having his brother kill him. Or do whatever he had threatened when Justin arrived.

“When can I go home?” he asked.

“Home? Boy, this is your home. Listen, Kipper was right, you’re not my type. You might be pretty for a guy, but guys aren’t my thing. That doesn’t mean that if you don’t behave, I won’t slice up your smooth skin. You’d be begging me to just end your life. I told you I knew what you were the minute I saw you.”

“What am I?”

“Mine.” That simple word made him want to vomit. This man didn’t want him but he seemed to want to own him. How did that make any sense?

“Why am I here?”

“Long answer is because you hurt poor little Kipper’s feelings. Grandmother was too soft on him, she spoiled him. He never had to grow up. Short answer, I own you.”

Something caught Justin’s eye. On the couch was a small toddler wearing only a diaper. The baby’s hair was tangled and matted against her or his head. Justin couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl, the toddler was filthy.

“What’s going on?” he asked looking from the baby to the monster in front of him.

“You see, I’ve found myself in a little predicament. My whore of an ex-wife decided to blow her brains out. That left me with this thing,” he said, gesturing to the frightened baby. The baby was quieter than he had ever heard a child be. The baby looked to be trying to make itself look smaller than it was. “I would have just tossed it in the dump, but my ex-bitch’s parents might want to see It. They’ll get suspicious if I get rid of It.”

Justin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Gus and Jenny were treated like royalty and here this baby was being treated like garage. In fact, the man talked about throwing him or her away. “Why don’t you let your wife’s parents that the baby?”

“NO!” the man roared. The toddler curled itself in a ball. “They raised that whore to begin with, they would only do the same to the brat. Now I don’t give a good goddamn if it dies. But they’ll start sniffing around if It’s not around when they want to see it.”

“What is going to happen?” he asked, hoping the man would tell him what the hell was going on.

“You’re going to take care of that thing. I figure who better to take care of a girl than a queer. I can’t bring it to my house, I have to entertain.”

A chill went up Justin’s spine at that word. The man really was a sick individual. “What about giving her up for adoption? I’m sure a family would love to raise her.”

“Did you not fucking hear me? If she’s raised by a woman she’ll be a whore just like every other woman. I’d rather see her dead.”

Justin gulped. “So, you want me to take care of her for a month?” He had said he was leaving for a month.

“No, I’ll be back in a month with more food. You’re going to be here until she’s big enough to take care of herself.”

“Why not let Kip raise her?” he tried.

“Kipper? Kipper would end up giving her to that bitch of a mother-in-law of mine. He’s weak, just like every other fag. But you, you don’t get that chance. Everything you need is here. The chain will allow you to move around anywhere in this cabin. But remember before you get any smart ideas. This is place is out in the middle of nowhere. If you dare, try and send her out for help, she’ll die of exposure. Not that I really care, at least then I would have an explanation. ‘I left her with the babysitter. I didn’t know he would let her wander around outside alone.’ You’d be dead and buried before anyone came around to question you. I would just say you ran off.”

Now Justin had two jobs to do. Save himself and save the little girl.

“What’s her name?”

“The whore named it Barbara Jo,” the man said, sneering.

“What if there is a fire?” he asked.

“Then I guess you’ll burn.”

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to want to stay around. After smacking Justin one last time, he left. It was the first time Justin felt he could breathe. Then he looked at the malnourished little girl on the couch. What the hell was he going to do?

Standing up, he wobbled to the kitchen, his legs hurt from the drive. The man was right, the chain gave him plenty of room to walk around. There was no way he was going to get his foot out of the leg shackle though. The thick chain was wrapped around a beam in-between the kitchen and living room. After he took care of the baby he would try break the chain or the lock.

In the kitchen, the pantry was sparse, but the man was right. If he was careful, it would last all month. The fridge had a gallon of milk that would expire in nine days, a tub of margarine and a bag of carrots. In the freezer were three big bags of frozen chicken legs. He found some instant oatmeal in the pantry. He pulled it down, hoping that the girl would eat it. He was lucky there was a lot of pastas up there too.

Going back into the living room he found the girl still curled into a ball. “Are you hungry?” he asked softly.

The little girl didn’t move. What was he going to do? Where was Brian? He hoped someone found them soon.

“Uh-huh,” the quiet reply finally came.

“Let’s make us some oatmeal then.” Walking over to the couch he picked the little girl up. She was way too light. “First things first. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Thankfully he found diapers and a few pairs of clean clothes. He washed her up and changed her.

Once he sat the oatmeal in front of her she looked at it hungrily. “It’s okay, you can eat.”

That seemed to be all the assurance she needed because she started eating it with the spoon. It looked like the mother taught her how to eat before she killed herself. He didn’t know how long the man had her but it looked to be too long. Kip had looked at this child and left her here. He hadn’t done a thing. It was so much worse than what he had done to Justin, Justin was an adult. This was a helpless child. Kip and the monster would pay if it was the last thing he did.

The atmosphere at Kinnetik had been somber in the week following Justin’s disappearance. Ted and Cynthia were doing their best to hold everything together. In fact, Cynthia was having a meeting with a potential new client. If everything went well, she would have Anton come up with a presentation.

Cynthia walked into his office an hour later looking pissed. It took a lot to make her mad, she had put up with Brian for over ten years after all.

“What’s got you upset?” he asked, as she threw herself down in the chair opposite him.

“That potential client I had the meeting with, he was a complete creep. Makes me miss the days of handsy bosses.”

“Geez, what did he do? Do I need to call Eugene?” Eugene was their head of security.

“No, I told him we didn’t need his business. I already called Eugene and put Mr. Lee Hunter on our ‘Do Not Allow Access’ list. Damn, I’m going to have to shower three times to get the man’s presence off me.”

It sounded like it was a good thing Cynthia barred the guy. They didn’t need that kind of person associated with Kinnetik.

“You want to go to lunch with me?” he asked, hoping to cheer her up.

“Sure, we can pass out pictures of Justin at some more places.”

They did that every time they went anywhere. Pictures of Justin plastered most of Pittsburgh.

Lee Hunter watched the blonde whore walk out of Kinnetik with a short, dark haired man. What did she see in him, he was short and plain? He had just been testing the waters when he asked her to lunch. But the she-beast had shut him down, like she was so damn perfect. He was just being nice, but now he wanted her to pay. This would be the first one of his toys that he had a connection to besides his stepmother. That bitch would never be found; his father died thinking she had left him. It felt good to watch as her life slipped away. There was no better high in life. Looking back at the cunt in the business suit, he smiled. It had been too long since he had some entertainment. It was good that the queer was watching the brat, that meant he had time to play.

“Where, oh where is Bobbie Jo?” Justin called out playfully.

It had been a long week but finally he had gotten Bobbie Jo to trust him. She had also put on weight, which was great news to Justin. He had been glad for all the babysitting experience he had gotten with Molly, Gus and Jenny.

A light giggle came from under the bed in the only bedroom.

“Oh, no! Bobbie Jo is missing, what will I ever do?” It was an innocent, fun game to play. He kept the doors locked and made sure she knew not to go outside. If she did, he couldn’t go out and find her, that thought terrified him.

“I guess Bobbie Jo isn’t hungry. That means more for me,” he said teasingly before walking into the hallway.

“NO!” came a shriek.

The little girl ran past him, heading into the kitchen. She climbed up on the makeshift booster seat he made her. He walked to the sink and filled up some water from the tap.

His first idea was to turn on the taps in the house and let them run. Hoping that the water company would come out to see if there was a leak. That idea he shot down because he suspected the house had well water. He couldn’t set a fire hoping someone would see, it would just kill him and Bobbie. The first two days he had spent hours and hours trying to find a weak spot in the chains, he found none.

Soon he just decided to wait until the police found him. He had all the faith in the world that Brian wouldn’t let them let up until he was found. He didn’t like the idea of being the damsel in distress but what other options did he have.

So, he made it his job to get Bobbie Jo healthy and happy. And it seemed as long as the ‘mean man’ wasn’t there, she was. She didn’t refer to the man as her father and he was glad about that. At least she wasn’t scared of a man she called her dad.

“Sing,” Bobbie Jo said after lunch.

To keep her mind active and to help her learn he sang…a lot. They would sing the alphabet song and other songs he had learned throughout his years. She was quite smart for such a little girl. She had told him she was three, he would have thought two. Since sometimes kids get their age wrong he would just have to wait to find out but decided to go with three.

“What song?” he asked her.

“Sea song.”

He groaned. He was never going to forgive himself for singing Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid.

“The seaweed is always greener

In someone else’s lake”

By the end of the song she was jumping around and dancing. It seemed to be her favorite song. After a few more requested songs she started to yawn.

“It’s time for a nap, Little Miss.”

“No nap,” she pouted.

“Yes nap. Justin needs to work on Bobbie Jo and the dragon.”

She jumped up and down at the thought of the book. When he was looking through the cabin to find things of use, he found three notebooks. He gave her one, so she could draw. The second one he used as a diary, in case he was found after it’s too late. He wanted people to know about Kip and his brother, he wanted people to know about Bobbie Jo. The third notebook was used to make a book for her. So, with some color pens he found, he started on the book. She would look through what he did every morning. After he put her to bed he walked back into the living room.

Looking outside he saw something that terrified him, there was an orange glow over the trees. One that had nothing to do with the sun. He knew what it was, some camper in the woods let a fire get away from them. If it was close enough for him to see, then it was too close. There were several things he worried about. Even if the fire never reached them the smoke would. He wasn’t the healthiest on the best of days. With his allergies combined with his permeant brain injury, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

There was the option to try and pick the lock again. It had been a complete waste of time so far, because it took a steady hand. After fifteen minutes, he was done, his hand started acting like it had a mind of its own.

Cynthia was walking to her car in the car park. Ted had offered to walk her to it but she declined. The creep earlier freaked her out but she didn’t want to seem paranoid. Ted walked to work today, he was trying to lose a little weight. She wished he would see himself the way she did. She saw a sweet, gentle man who has overcome his demons. If he wasn’t gay as the day is long she would make a play for him herself.

Just as she reached her car she felt someone coming up behind her. She had just enough time to scream before she was punched in the side of the head. The punch made her crumble to the ground. Even with as much pain she was in, she screamed.

The man leaned down to grab her up but suddenly he was knocked over onto the ground beside her. Eugene, the head of security had his knee on the guy’s neck. She recognized him as the man she had a meeting with earlier in the morning.

She looked up and saw Ted talking on the phone. She stood on shaky legs and walked towards her friend.

“How did you know?”

“I didn’t, I asked Eugene to follow you out. Something just didn’t feel right, so I followed him. I’m glad I did, you won’t make me feel bad about this.”

Wrapping her arms around her friend, she just let go. She started crying uncontrollably. Never one to cry it surprised even herself. Ted just held her while they waited for the cops to arrive.

The call came in when Carl was setting down to dinner with Debbie. It was Ted, telling him about his co-worker being attacked outside of their work. Ted said the man had creeped the woman out earlier in the day. Another detective was at the hospital getting the woman’s statement.

He headed to the station to see what was going on. Debbie’s lost boys and girls were like his family now. It didn’t matter that he didn’t know Brian’s employee. At least this he could do, with Justin’s disappearance he felt so impotent.

He found Detective Rollins running the man’s prints. Detective Locke was interrogating the guy.

“Fuck!” Rollins said suddenly.

“What?”

“We got a hit.”

“He’s got a history?”

“Carl, this guy’s prints match the killings of those women and the kidnapping of Justin Taylor.”

This was what they had been hoping for, a lead. Hell, not just a lead but the preparator. Luckily, the man, Lee Hunter, had been taken into interrogation room, three. That meant Carl could watch from the observation.

He watched through the glass as Detective Rollins gave Locke the report. Rollins left and Locke read over it, Carl saw the moment he got to the prints result. Laying the paper down, he looked back up at Lee Hunter.

“Mr. Hunter, where is Justin Taylor?”

They were on a time crunch because every minute that passed more likelihood Justin was dead.

“Who? I’m sorry, I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“What about Ingrid Lomax? Or Martha Preston? Freya McInnis?”

“Nope, no clue how they are either,” the man said, he had a goddamned smirk on his face.

The interrogation would take several days. Luckily, they had him on his attack of Cynthia Potter. That meant they wouldn’t have to let him go. Carl only made one mistake, he told Debbie why he was staying at the station because they had a lead on Justin. He didn’t go into any details but thirty minutes later, Brian Kinney was standing in front of him.

Brian had been at the hospital with Ted and Cynthia. She was shaken up; her sister was on her way and she’d be staying with her. That made Brian feel better, Cynthia was more than just an employee.

When Debbie called him about a possible lead about Justin, told Cynthia he needed to go. She understood, he thought she didn’t like people thinking she needed help. She was a rough and tumble kind of woman. He cringed at the sight of her bruised face when he’d seen it. After telling her he would be back, he left.

Once he was in front of Carl the man groaned. “Brian, I don’t have anything to tell you yet.”

“Carl, just tell me what you do have.”

After Jason Kemp’s murder and Brian’s involvement of his murder being solved, he had some leeway with the police. Just as long as it was the people not sad to see Stockwell gone.

“The man we brought in regarding Cynthia’s attack, his fingerprints match the prints on the envelope.”

“Well, where the hell is Justin?”

“Brian, he’s not budging. We must do this right. If he keeps his mouth shut, we may never find Justin.” Or his body, Carl left unsaid.

“Make him tell you.”

“I’m not doing the interrogation. I’m running his history right now.”

“What does it say?” Brian asked, as he leaned over trying to look at Carl’s computer.

“No criminal history, if that’s what you’re asking. Runs a horse track in New York. I just found out he has a half-brother. I’m going to have him interviewed now.”

“Let me come with you.”

Carl laughed bitterly. “You’re not a cop, Brian. Anyway, he lives in New York, they have to do the interviewing. Just let us do our job. Go home. I need to get an interview of Kip Thomas.”

Brian’s head jerked up. “Kip Thomas, what the fuck does he have to do with anything?”

“You know him?”

“Of course, I do. The fucker worked at Ryder with me. After I fucked him and told him that didn’t make a difference in the Ad game, he sued for sexual harassment. But he thought better of it I guess, and dropped the case.”

“Starting right now, you have to stay out of everything to do with the investigation. It has to be done unbiasedly.”

“You fucking find Justin then,” Brian snarled before leaving.

Carl had to call the state police in New York. They had to go interview Kip. Because of the severity of the case, they were heading straight to Kip’s house.

Two hours later, Carl was still sitting in front of his computer. He was going over every piece of property Lee Hunter owned. They were waiting for a judge in New York to sign a warrant to search his horse track and house.

His phone rang. “Detective Horvath,” he answered harshly.  

“Detective, this is Marquez with the New York state police. We found Kip Thomas. Looks like he’s been dead for a couple days.”

“Suicide?”

“Not unless he can stab himself in the chest, torso and neck over twenty times.”

Fuck, this just got a whole lot more difficult. With Kip, he had hoped that he could get Justin’s location. When Brian talked about their history, Carl suspected it was connected. Lee Hunter wasn’t going to crack, at least for a long while, and Justin didn’t have that kind of time. That was if he was still alive at all, which Carl had his doubts. Not that he would tell Debbie or Brian that.

Just then Locke came out of Interrogation. “Fucker asked for his lawyer.”

Just what they needed. Debbie was going to lose her damn mind.

“Hey, Carl,” Rollins said, he was looking at something on his computer.”

“What?”

“Lee Hunter’s ex-wife committed suicide two months ago, that left him with the custody of their three-year-old daughter.”

“Where the hell is she?”

The fire looked like it had either been put out or just fizzled out itself. They had a week before Kip’s brother was due back with food. It was getting kind of tight now. There was still powdered milk, some pasta and a bag of chicken.

“Daddy, I don’t feel good,” Bobbie Jo said, laying down in his lap.

When she started calling him that, he didn’t have the heart to tell her no. But what he had done, was talk about her grandparents who probably wanted her to live with them. She shook her head and said that she was staying with him. He let it go, first they needed to get out. They had started to go outside each day. He was less scared of her running away now. She needed sunlight and fresh air, not to be kept hidden away.

The saddest thing that Justin thought was how his chain was just so normal to her now. At first, she would trip over it while running. Now it was like it wasn’t even there. Like it was a part of him. Something that was always there, and that would always be there. He had started doing leg exercises on his right leg. He didn’t want one muscled and not. The shackle and chain were quite heavy, and his leg was getting a workout.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her as he brushed her red hair off her forehead. Her forehead was burning up. She had been quiet that day but he just thought she was overly tired.

There was no medication in the cabin at all, not children’s or adults. He remembered when he was younger his mother would give him a sponge bath with tepid water.

He only had a rag but it would have to do. He filled a bucket with the water and stripped her of all but her shorts. He had been potty-training her because they had run out of diapers over a week ago, she didn’t have any underwear so he switched between two pairs of shorts. Making sure to keep up with washing and letting them dry on the porch. He could only step four steps outside but she would put them on the banister for him.

Sadly, her fever hadn’t broken by that night. He didn’t know how high it was but he was starting to get worried. One time when Molly was four her temperature had gotten so high she had a seizure. He had to get them out of there, even if he had to cut his foot off. Maybe it was the only way.

Carl had personally gone over every property that Lee Hunter owned. His properties included his horse track, a separate stable, a house, and a cabin in Vermont. When he found out about the cabin, he had hope. Debbie wanted to go with him, but he was able to talk her out of it. If Justin was dead there, he didn’t want her to see. Vermont state police met him there with a warrant from a judge. The cabin was empty. They used cadaver dogs but couldn’t find anything. The cabin was very fancy, high priced electronics and furniture but it was clear no one had been there in a while.

No evidence of the murders had been found in any of his properties. That meant that he had to have properties in someone else’s name. They looked under Kip Thomas’ name, their mother Karen, their grandmother Louise. But they came up empty each time. The mother was keeping her mouth shut. It seemed she didn’t have much of a relationship with either of her children. Lee was raised by his father and Kip by his grandmother. The grandmother had a heart attack when she was told about Kip’s death, she slipped into a coma. The doctors weren’t optimistic.

Carl looked over coworkers and family but couldn’t find anything that sounded like a good place to hide someone. That only meant that Justin was dead and they were waiting for someone to find his body.

Lee was keeping his mouth shut, the lawyer was working to get Lee a deal. There was no way he would be getting out of a life sentence. He left semen, hair and blood on all three of his victims. Their goal now was to find Justin and Barbara Jo. The girl’s grandparents were finally able to came in to be interviewed by Carl. They lived in California, it had taken a while for them to get a flight. It had been three and a half weeks since Justin had been seen. They were going on that Justin was alive.

When Lee was asked about the whereabouts of his daughter. He had told them that his brother was watching her. The man was trying to play them, acting like smug. He held all the cards now and he knew it. Now finding Barbara Jo was the primary goal. The funny thing was, Carl thought Justin would tell them to find her first too. He was such a tender heart with Gus and Jenny. Brian on the other hand, while he loved his own son and goddaughter, he didn’t care looking for anyone other than Justin. It had taken all his life to fall in love, and he wasn’t about to lose the man that dared to love him back.

“Detective Horvath?”

Carl looked up to see an elderly couple.

“Yes, may I help you?”

“I’m Richard Franks, this is my wife, Linda.”

They looked older than their sixty-something years. But if his daughter had killed herself, and granddaughter was missing he would age too.

Standing up, he walking in front of his desk. Holding out his hand, he shook their hands.

“Let’s go, into the conference room and talk.” It was procedure not to take witness into the interrogation room. They didn’t need to feel any more scared.

As they sat down at the table, Carl could feel the unease in the couple.

“I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances. I just want you to know that we are doing everything we can to find your granddaughter.”

The woman sniffled. “I knew he was bad news. When Barbara Jo was born, he just lost all interest in having Annie around. So, Annie took Barbara Jo and moved into an apartment near us. He sent divorce papers and gave her full custody. I thought she was lucky to have escaped but Annie didn’t see it that way. She insisted he was the love of her life. She had been sinking further and further depression for the past few years. Finally, I guess she couldn’t take it anymore. I really don’t know where Lee would have Barbara Jo. He never showed any love or affection for her.”

“If you don’t mind me asking. Why didn’t you take the girl if he didn’t want to be a father?”

The woman looked down at her hands, tears running down her face.

“We thought it was best for her, I hoped that he would come to love her. We weren’t the best parents to Annie. Maybe that’s the reason she was so desperate for love. Our son, Darren, died twenty years ago. I can barely get out of bed on a good day, it’s been worse since we lost Annie. I didn’t think we could raise her, Barbara Jo was always a sick baby. She was always getting an ear infection here and there. She needed a clean environment and there are the problems we are having with the house. It’s been labeled a hazard. I’m not a hoarder, that’s not true. I just like to have my things close.” She shook her head, stopping her rambling. “I never thought he was capable of what he’s been accused of.”

Damnit, Carl suspected even if they tried to get custody of the girl she wouldn’t be able to stay with them. They had too much going on in their life, probably mental illness of some sort.

“Do you have any idea where he would be keeping Barbara Jo?”

The man shook his head. “No, Lee’s always been an odd one. His father was just like him. That man was a son-of-a-bitch. It’s not surprising that Lee turned out the way he did, the only person I knew worse than Harold Hunter was that wife of his.”

“You knew Lee’s father and his wife?” The man had died almost ten years ago, this was surprising.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Richard, please,” the woman said, tears running freely now.

“Hush, woman.” He looked at Carl then. “Kathy, was my ex-sister in-law. She married my brother about thirty years ago. Divorced him, leaving him almost destitute. But they had a daughter, Maureen. Then Kathy met Harold and got married. I don’t know what happened in that house, I just know that Maureen ran away when she was fourteen. Nobody’s seen her since then. Kathy took off a year later, then the old man died a few years later. We thought that maybe the Harold was messing with Maureen, but we couldn’t find her to ask. My brother died never knowing where he daughter was. I can’t live not knowing where Barbara Jo is.” His voice cracking with the last sentence.

His head was spinning a little at the information he was getting. That meant their daughter had married her own step cousin-in-law. That would make things make sense a little more. It seemed the whole family was full of secrets. As interesting as all this was, it did not help in finding Barbara Jo.

“One last question, do you know of any friends of Lee?”

They had done searches of all Lee’s employees, it seemed they didn’t like the man. They did their job and went home. If fact, Carl had yet to find any friends of Lee’s.

“Just one, the guy was a creep, but that seems like birds of a feather now. An ex-lover of his brother Kip’s, Gary Sapperstein.”

The food was almost out, he had just been feeding Bobbie Jo for the last day. Her fever had lowered finally, but she was still sick. That seemed not to slow her down much though. She had all but demanded they go outside. He stood at the door of the cabin and watched her playing in the grass in front of the cabin.

Suddenly, something caught his attention. Something large came lumbering out of the tree line. It took him a second to recognize it was a dog, a collie he thought.

“Come inside,” he said firmly.

“I’m playing,” she whined.

“Inside now,” he said. The dog was getting closer, he was worried about its temper. He had seen on the news more stories about dogs killing children than he should have.

She stood up, but the dog chose that moment to bark.

“Doggie, Daddy, it’sa doggie.”

She started to run in the direction of the dog. “Barbara Jo, you come back here right now!” he yelled.

His heart was beating out of control, envisioning her being ripped apart by some rabid animal.

“You promised,” she cried before running towards the dog. He had promised, he promised never to yell at her like that again. The first time was when she tried to cook something on the stove, she almost burned herself. He had just been napping for a moment. He would have never forgiven himself if she had burned herself.

Suddenly, the dog lifted his head up in the air, paused, then turned on the spot and ran back to the tree line. Bobbie Jo was running after him.

“Please, come back! I won’t yell again. Don’t!”

“I be back, I get doggie.” And then she was gone, through the tree line.

He yanked and pulled at the chain, he could feel it ripping into his skin. It didn’t matter though, only she mattered. Anything could be in the woods, animals that would tear her to pieces.

A noise filled the quiet outside, listening hard he realized it was a car. A car was driving here up. Lee was a little early, he didn’t care. The man would go and find her. Justin would do whatever the man asked.

A black sedan pulled up, it wasn’t the car that Lee left in. But it wasn’t Lee that stepped out. It was Gary Sapperstein. What the hell was Sapperstein doing there. Then he remembered Bobbie Jo, and it didn’t matter.

“Please, Gary, the child I’m taking care of just ran into the woods. Please!” Little girls were never Gary’s thing so he didn’t have to worry about that.

“What would you for me if I do?” the man said with a leer.

Bile rose in his throat. He didn’t matter though, only Bobbie Jo. “Anything. I’ll give you anything you want, just if whatever you want it is from me.”

He wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone, the Sap was a creep.

“I guess we have a deal, I’ll hold you to it. Not that you can run away again anyway. Where’d she go?”

Justin pointing in the direction she ran. After the Sap took off Justin realized he hadn’t said the child was a girl. What was Gary doing out here? Justin closed his eyes, he knew what he was doing here. Lee and Gary were in this together. He didn’t know how they knew each other but stranger things had happened. Like Brian Kinney proposing marriage.

It had been almost a month since Justin disappeared. Days ago, they found out that Lee Hunter, Kip Thomas’ brother, took Justin. That didn’t help anything though. The man wouldn’t tell them where he was. Brian had been banned from the police station after he caused a scene. He wanted to get his hands on the man that took Justin, that hurt Cynthia. Hell, it looked like he killed his own brother, even though they said there wasn’t any evidence that it was Lee that had done it.

Justin was in the hands of a murderer for some time. They didn’t know how long exactly. A reporter had made a point in telling Brian that it was most likely Justin was dead within the day he was taken. He wasn’t Lee’s type, so there was no reason to keep him. But it didn’t make any sense. Why take him to begin with? They suspected it had something to do with Kip wanting to get even with Brian. But it wasn’t even Brian that got Kip fired. That happened because Marty thought he was too big of a risk and none of the talent.

Since Justin had been gone, Brian had been staying in the loft. Hoping that Justin would find his way back to him. Melanie and Lindsay had sold their house but weren’t going anywhere until Justin came back. So, Brian let them stay at Justin’s country manor. He made sure they knew to treat it well. Brian told them that they could help fix it up and make it homey for Justin. They tried to say that might not be a great idea…getting it ready for Justin. They thought it would be too hard if Justin didn’t come home. Brian told them to fucking do what he said, because Justin was going to fucking come home and paint in his goddamned studio that Brian fixed up for him.

Just as he reached for a bottle of Jack Daniels his phone rang. He snatched both off the counter.

“Kinney,” he answered.

“Brian, do you know a Gary Sapperstein?”

“Yeah, he owned Babylon before I did. He didn’t like to pay taxes so I got it for a steal.”

“Shit.”

“What?”

“Did Justin know him or have any contact with him?”

Brian tensed up with memories of Justin dancing on the bar at Babylon.

“Justin worked for him for a very short time. Dancing.”

“But it was a good work relationship?”

Brian sighed. “I don’t think so. He was always shoving drugs up Justin’s nose. The last time Justin worked for him he worked a private party at this house. I don’t know what happened there, Justin never told me. But he did change after that. He used to be open to a little bondage. But after that he almost freaked out at the idea of being tied up. He seemed to get over it though.”

Brian hated the that Justin wouldn’t tell him. But if the way Justin acted was any indicator, he would have killed the Sap if he knew.

“I think our situation just got more complex.”

“What do you mean? Why are you asking about him?”

“Seems like for a time, he was Kip’s sugar daddy. Not only that a close and personal friend of Lee Hunter. Maybe we can’t find Justin because we are looking in the wrong direction.”

“Fuck!” Brian yelled, throwing the bottle across the room. It smashed into the door.

“We are running Sapperstein’s properties. I promise you. I will do everything I can to find Sunshine.”

Despite himself Brian smiled. He had never heard the gruff detective call Justin by his nickname.

“You better,” he said before disconnecting. Looking through his phone he made another call. “Get over here, Mikey, I don’t trust myself right now.”

If Justin was in Sapperstein’s hands, he would either be dead now or wishing he was. Brian was tired of letting everyone else look for Justin. He knew of one place the police probably didn’t or wouldn’t for a while. It was rumored that Sapperstein had a place up in North Carolina. Luckily, Brian had a very good memory, and remembered where it was supposed to be at. At least a general location. It had to be better than sitting on his ass here.

They had been driving for hours, with Brian at the wheel of a secretly known about sedan that he bought to take Gus places. Gus had been the only one to know about it, and he was good at keeping the secret. Not that he cared about any of that now, he didn’t care how anyone saw him. He just wanted Justin back…happy and whole. The thought of what Sapperstein could be doing to him, just at this moment turned his stomach.

“Brian, slow down,” Mikey said, gripping the overhead bar, over his door.

“Mikey, I can pull the fuck over and you can get the fuck out, if you want.”

“Geez, Brian. I just want to arrive to help Justin while I’m alive.”

“Over five hours, Mikey. It’s been over five hours since we left the Pitts. Justin has been in Sapperstein’s hands for almost a month. I can’t slow down.”

“Ok, I get it.”

Michael leaned over and turned the radio on. They had lost reception a while back.

“We have a small update on the little girl found by the Fire Chief Russ Rio. If you are just joining us, three hours ago, while Chief Rio was checking the area of after a small wildfire broke out earlier in the week. He found a child approximately two-years-old. The police have told us that the girl is speaking now. Hopefully her parents will come forward soon. If anyone has any information on the child, please contact Cheap Hill Police Department.”

“Turn that shit off, Mikey. I have to concentrate on where I’m going. We’re getting close.”

Michael shut the radio off. “How do you even know where we are going?”

“After I bought Babylon a few of his former dancers wanted to work for me. They had left because of the Sap’s parties.” Brian shuttered, trying not to think of Justin being at one. “Anyway, one of the guys said that Sapperstein had a cabin out here in North Carolina. It’s in the Alleghany Mountains. I called him when waiting for you to get more of directions. He gave me crude directions but I’m confident I’ll be able to find it.”

“What if he’s not there?”

“He will be, I can feel it.”

Michael was quiet for a moment. “What if it’s too late?”

“Then he’s still coming home, this will not be his last resting place. But I can still feel him, it’s hard to explain. I think I would know if he wasn’t alive anymore.”

Michael had the good sense to be quiet after that. Finally, Brian saw the long driveway to the cabin. Pete said that it had a broken down mailbox with a red rose painted on the side. This had to be the right one, the number was faded out but Brian knew it was right.

“Fucking kid,” Gary cursed.

He had been looking for the brat for hours. The woods were kind of creepy now, even to Gary. He had hoped he found Lee’s brat fast, he had plans for Justin. When the twink got away from him years ago, he thought his shot was gone. He knew he was lucky to escape Kinney talking the kid into going to the police. That made him just leave the whole situation alone. But now, Justin Taylor was his.

A branch scraped his arm as he passed by a fallen tree. The further and further he looked, the further he got from Justin. He couldn’t remember the brat’s name so he couldn’t call her. She probably wouldn’t come to him anyway. The few times he saw her, Lee shoved her in a closet and locked it.

The woods were kind of creepy, even to Gary. He hoped he found Lee’s brat fast, he had plans for Justin. When the twink got away from him years ago he thought his shot was gone. He knew he was lucky to escape Kinney talking the kid into going to the police. That made him just leave the whole situation alone. But now, Justin Taylor was his.

A branch scraped his arm as he passed by a fallen tree. The further and further he looked, the further he got from Justin. He couldn’t remember the brat’s name so he couldn’t call her. She probably wouldn’t come to him anyway. The few times he saw her, Lee shoved her in a closet and locked it.

“Fuck it,” he said. The twink and Lee would just have to get over it. He did what he could do to find the brat. He headed back to the cabin, ready to finally enjoy the blonde. It didn’t even matter if the fucker fought, in fact Gary was in such a pissed off mood he hoped the twink did. He wanted him to hurt and beg for mercy. Mercy that wouldn’t come.

“Cheap Hill Police Department,” a cheery voice answered.

“Yes, this is Detective Carl Horvath with the Pittsburgh Police, I was hoping to talk to your chief of police.”

“One second, Detective.”

Carl was put on hold, he hated that he was stuck in Pittsburgh. He would have rushed down there if he thought they had time. Lee finally cracked with the threat of the death penalty hanging over him. The DA told him that if he gave up the location of Justin, Barbara Jo and a list with the woman he killed with their location. He refused on the women but said he would give them Justin and Barbara Jo. He had told them about taking Justin to his friend’s cabin and chaining him to a beam in the cabin. That he left his daughter there with Justin while he was unable to leave the cabin. If anything happened in that place he would be a sitting duck.

“Murray,” a gruff voice said, interrupting the list of numbers being read off while the phone call was on hold.

“Yes, my name is Detective Carl Horvath with the Pittsburgh Police. We have a suspect here that told us he left a man he abducted and the suspect’s daughter in a cabin in your area. The man was chained to a beam unable to leave the cabin. I’m worried that something has happened in the month that the suspect has been gone.”

“A daughter, eh? How old?”

“Three, her name is Barbara Jo.”

There was shuffling noise on the other side of the phone. He could hear talking but not any words. Finally, he heard the man speak again.

“Ask her if her name is Barbara Jo.”

Carl held his breath, it sounded like they may have her. Did that mean they had Justin too?

“Well, looks like we may have Barbara Jo. Our fire chief found her wandering the woods, chasing his dog Roxie.”

“Was a man with her?”

“Nope, just the girl.” That meant Justin hadn’t gotten out of the house. Was he dead? Was that why the girl left him?

Carl told the chief all the information he had, address included. The chief said he would head out there himself with some of his people. For the first time in almost a month it felt like he could breathe. The girl was safe and sound, and soon he would know whether they were having a wedding or a funeral.

Night had fallen quickly as they drove up the winding dirt driveway. His heart was in his throat, he knew one way or the other he would have his answer. There were lights on in the cabin in the distance. A car in front of the cabin, he shut off his lights and turned off his car before getting too close to the cabin.

“Why are we stopped down here?” Michael asked.

“Because I don’t want the Sap to know we are here.”

They trudged up to the cabin, he could hear blood rushing in his ears. His hands were clinched, ready for a fight. As quietly as they could they stepped up on the porch.

“I thought you were going to find her?” Justin cried.

Sapperstein had come back a few minutes ago, without Bobbie Jo. All the man said was there was a lot of ponds around, she probably found one. Justin had run into the kitchen and grabbed his carving knife. He would kill Gary before he let him touch him.

“How about this, pretty. You put down the knife and spend a little time with me.” He paused and pulled something out of his pants pocket. It was a small key. “And I let you go, then you can look for her all you want. Of course, you might be a little sore.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I can.”

Justin looked down at the knife in his hands. He could fight Gary and maybe could even win. Get the key and go and find Bobbie Jo, he didn’t care the sun was setting.

Gary must have read his mind. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep this key nice and safe.” He walked back to the bedroom and put the key in the closet. It was the only place Justin’s chain couldn’t reach, too many corners. “There, safe and sound.” He turned to Justin who had followed him.

There was only one choice now, he dropped the knife just outside the bedroom door. Walking in he stood in front of Gary, sucking in a breath he dropped to his knees.

“I can’t hear anything,” Michael said, ear to the front door. Brian was peeking in the front window. He saw an almost empty cabin but a thick chain was on the floor, leading into a hallway.

Brian started going around the medium sized cabin, looking in windows. He hit the jackpot with the third window. He saw the grimy back and hair of the Sap. Angling his body a little to see past the creep. It was then he saw Justin, on his knees in front of Sapperstein, who was holding out his measly cock, rubbing it on Justin’s face.

The window was too high to quickly break and get in before Sap could hurt Justin. Instead, he ran back to front door, just as he was about to kick it open, Michael tried the knob. The door opened without incident. Quietly, he walked down the hallway following the chain. He picked up a dropped knife on his way.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Sapperstein yelled, looking at him in front to the doorway.

Before Brian could move, the Sap grabbed Justin by the hair and pulled a pocket knife out of his pants. The man’s dick was still hanging out of the unzipped zipper. One second Brian had the upper hand, the next Sap was holding the knife to Justin’s throat.

“I wouldn’t move any closer if I were you, Kinney. It’ll be hard for Justin here to blow you without a head.”

Brian looked in Justin’s eyes. He saw how relieved Justin was, here he was at knifepoint and he was fucking relieved. Justin had that much trust in him. How had it taken this long for him to see it? He had been so close so many times just to say fuck it and let him go. It was only mercy of a god he didn’t believe in that Justin was still here. He would be damned if Sapperstein took that away from him.

“Why have Justin, when you could have me. You’ve been after me since I stepped foot in Babylon. Now you get your chance.”

“You think I believe that, once I move the knife you’re going to run at me. Sorry, no ass is worth that.” Brian’s attention was drawn behind the Sap when he was talking. As the guy rambled, the bedroom window slid up in silence.

“Why don’t you want me, think I’m too old?” he said trying to keep all attention on him.

“Listen Kinney, you are older than I go for, but if I thought for one moment that it was possible I would be fucking the living hell out of you. You wouldn’t walk for a fucking month. But I do have that chance with Justin here.”

As slyly as he could he glanced behind them, trying not to move his eyes. What the fuck? Climbing through the window like a fucking pro cat burglar was Michael. Michael who could trip over his on fucking feet. How the hell did his short ass get through the window without making a noise.

“You don’t want Justin, he’s not great in bed. He just lays there really.” If looks could kill Brian would be six feet under. Because Justin was glaring at him…like there wasn’t a knife to his throat.

“Hey, asshole,” Michael said from behind Sapperstein.

The Sap’s hand jerked away from Justin, causing the knife to nick Justin’s throat. Brian took the moment of surprise to grab Justin and pull him away from the Sap. The man turned towards Michael, plunging the knife into Michael’s shoulder.

Michael went down just as the cabin seemed to crash in on itself. Cops came out of everywhere. One was climbing through the window Michael had and four came up from behind Brian. The cop through the window tackled Sap and cuffed him. Another following the man through the window.  

“Mikey,” Brian called to his best friend. There was blood pouring out from his shoulder.

The cops wouldn’t let Justin or Brian get close to him. Before Brian could piss off the cops he heard Michael speak.

“I’m ok, Brian. Just take care of Justin. By the way, that was a pretty Zephyr move, wasn’t it?”

Justin laughed a little weakly. “Sounds like we have our next issue written already.”

“Yeah, Zephyr, the dumbass who gets his self stabbed,” Brian snapped.

Michael laughed, even weaker than Justin, though Brian suspected it was because of blood loss not shock like Justin’s. Well, maybe Mikey had both. “Knew you’d see it my way,” Michael murmured.

“I knew you’d come for me,” Justin said in his ear.

Brian turned to him. “Sorry, I took so long.”

“I guess I can forgive you. It’s not like we had anything planned this month.”

“I’m going to get my wedding and honeymoon,” Brian said firmly. After fighting it for so long, he wanted it more than anything.

“I had my doubts before this, but now I can’t think of anything I want more than to marry you. Just because you’ve changed doesn’t mean anything. If when we are finally married, you don’t hide your true self from me, we’ll be fine.”

“Couldn’t agree more, Sunshine.”

Suddenly, Justin gasped. “Bobbie Jo, I have to find her. She ran away hours ago, chasing some dog.”

“Don’t worry, son. Our fire chief found her in the woods a couple hours ago, She’s safe. I talked to your Detective Horvath and got the full story. He’s on his way down right now. Probably won’t be here until morning,” a big-bellied cop said. He looked in charge, so Brian assumed he was.

“Can someone get the key on the board in the closet over there. It will unlock my shackle.”

A petite blonde cop, who had come through the window second, walked over to the closet, grabbing the key.

“This?” she said holding it up.

“He said it was,” Justin said, pointing at Sap.

“Murray, we’re going to take this one to the main road. The ambulance will meet us there. The drive is too rocky for them to get up here,” another cop said, this one was putting pressure on Michael’s wound.

“You better not let anything happen to him. He’s mother scared God once, trust me, that’s her baby, you don’t want to be on her bad side,” he said, trying not to let his worry overtake him. He couldn’t lose Mikey after all of this.

The petite blonde unlocked the shackle. Justin sagged a little when it fell away. His ankle was blistered and there was skin rubbed off, also some blood.

“Why don’t you both come with us. We’ll take your statement at the hospital. Then we can find out about your friend.”

“Bobbie Jo, can I see her?” Justin begged.

“Well, all this is crazy anyway. She’s been crying for her daddy though.”

“That’s what she calls me. She didn’t think of Lee as her father, he was too mean to her. Please, I have to see her.”

“I’ll case Rosa, she’s the social worker. She’ll bring her for a little visit but at the hospital. Come on,” the petite cop said.

Brian grabbed Justin’s hand, swearing to never let go again.

“We did it, I can’t believe it. Finally, you’re my husband and you’re never getting away from me again,” Justin said, pulling Brian down for a kiss.

They had just entered their wedding reception. It had taken two years to get to this point. After his kidnapping everything had been so up in the air. First there was straightening out what had exactly happened.

Sapperstein was convicted of killing Kip and being an accomplice in Justin’s abduction. Lee’s trial had just ended, he only escaped the death penalty with the deal he made. He had five consecutive life sentences, one for each of the murders he committed. Two woman were found buried on Sapperstein’s land. Kip and Lee’s grandmother passed away…never regaining consciousness.

Then there was Bobbie Jo. The state of North Carolina put her into care after she was found. Her grandparents along with Justin were able to get her out. He cried when he said goodbye to her at the hospital. The grandparents had gotten an apartment close to their home, one that was safe for her.

After she flew away with her grandparents, Brian held him when he cried all night. It felt like a piece of him was being ripped away. Every night he talked to her on the phone, she would ask when he was coming to get her, that she was done visiting.

A week later he was shocked to find Bobbie Jo and her grandparents on his doorstep. They had told him that they couldn’t take care of her. She cried every night for him, begging them to let her come back to him. All they asked was for them to be allowed to see her. Since Lee’s paternity rights were removed, it was just a job for lawyers. He had his daughter back though, that’s all that mattered. At first, Brian wasn’t that excited about the idea of having a child live with them full-time. But when Lindsay and Mel decided to stay because they wanted Gus to know his other sister, he had changed his mind.

“Dad, do I look pretty?” Bobbie Jo asked, twirling around in the reception dress that his mother had gotten her. She was five now, and so smart it was scary.  

“You look beautiful,” he told her, breaking away from Brian.

“Papa, do I look pretty?” she asked, turning those baby blues to Brian.

“For a girl, I guess you’re okay,” Brian said with a smirk.

Never one to be beat by snark from her father. “That’s okay, Papa. You’re so old, you’re eyes probably don’t see too well.”

Justin laughed at the offended look Brian gave her. She had flourished in the past two years. While she loved Justin, and wanted him when she wasn’t feeling well. Brian was the one she copied, the one she wanted to be just like. She already made Gus sign a paper saying Kinnetik was hers when Brian was dead. Brian asked her if he had any say, since it was his agency and his life. But no, she quite firmly told him he would be dead, it wouldn’t matter to him. Brian had nothing to say to that. That was when Justin pointed out that a paper they signed as kids wouldn’t hold up in court in forty years. Bobbie Jo had eyed Brian for a moment, then said twenty at best. That night Brian suggested locking their door every night. Justin told him he was being silly. Brian feared she was taking after Lee, but anybody could tell him she was just like him.  

“Justin,” a voice said behind him.

Justin turned around and smiled at his father. After two years, they had a relationship more than a phone call here and there. When he was taken, he promised to himself that he would try with his dad. He had done that, it was slow going but his father had finally started to behave like he had wanted since he was seventeen. Justin had invited his dad and his new wife to the wedding, but he was shocked as hell when his dad sent a yes back with his RSVP. He made sure that Emmett put his dad and mom on the opposite side of room of each other, there was no reason to tempt fate.

“Dad, I’m so glad you and Shelia could come,” he said, holding his hand out for his dad to shake.

His dad shocked him even more, pulling him into a quick hug. That made Justin smile more. His father didn’t even shoot Brian a scathing look…this time.

“Who are you?” Bobbie Jo asked him.

“Bobbie, this is my dad. Dad, this is my daughter Bobbie Jo Kinney.”

“Your sister told me about her, she really is darling.”

“She is standing right here,” Bobbie Jo bitched. She was her father’s child.

“My apologies. It is nice to meet you, Bobbie Jo.”

“You can call me Barbara Jo,” she told him before sticking up her nose and crossing the room to his mom and Tucker. Justin watched as she hugged Tucker, after she let go she looked back at Craig and glared.

“Give her time, she’s not great with strangers. It took weeks for her to stop glaring at Brian.”

“To be fair, Sunshine, it was weeks before she stopped plotting my death.”

“I told you she wasn’t serious,” Justin said.

“Sure. Anyway, she knows you’ve been upset about not having a relationship with him. She’s just trying to protect you.”

“I’ll make it up to her and you, I promise,” his dad said.

“Thanks.”

The music started and it was time for Brian and Justin’s first dance as husbands.

Save the last dance blared through the speakers. “Did you?” Justin questioned.

“What can I say, It’s terribly romantic.”

“You’re terribly romantic.”

“Bite your tongue.”

“I’d rather bite yours.”

“Love you, Sunshine.”

“I love you too, Mr. Kinney.”

The end.