After the Fall

Chapter 12




The family reconvened at Debbie’s house early the next morning. John, dressed in a Brian type suit, looked so much like his brother that the men in the room had trouble not staring. Drew had driven in with John, and for added effect, John had borrowed the Vette.

“How did you manage to convince Brian into letting you drive the fuck-mobile?” Michael asked John.

“Wasn’t too difficult. Bobby took his car into Bridgeton, Patrick’s cast may come off today. I took the liberty of spreading some of my car’s engine parts in the driveway. Gave Brian the old puppy dog look and a story about needing to look good to impress a new client and he tossed me the keys to the Vette,” John said with a shrug.

“Drew, honey, how did you get away?” Debbie asked as she handed the ex-quarterback a plate laden with breakfast.

“That was easy; I told Emm that I got a call about the store. I said I’d be at most two days. He saw no reason to doubt me. When this is over, I’m going to have to do some big time groveling.”

“Honey, what do you have to grovel about?”

“Since we’ve been living together, I’ve never lied to him,” Drew said with a frown.

“Sweetheart, he’ll forgive you, especially when you tell him why,” Debbie reassured Drew. Then turning to Carl and Hunter, Debbie asked, “So what do we do now?”

“Well, Babe, we all act like it’s just another day in Pittsburgh. We all have pictures of these guys so we can monitor their movements. Rodgers and McGinty have copies and the stolen merchandise. John will activate the security camera system, and he’s notified the alarm company about what’s going on.”

“When this is over, we’ll have the pass codes reset and new keys made for the building and each apartment including the basement and storerooms. But for now, everything will have to stay the same. We don’t want Cole and Lex to know we’re on to them,” John stated.

“They don’t seem to be aware of the alley entrance so I can slip in and out of the building like I usually do. Maybe follow them around,” Hunter added.

“Hunter, you leave that to the cops,” Carl growled. Hunter looked appropriately chastised. “Gus, did you speak with Cole yet?”

“Yeah, last night. Told him I didn’t have to work until later so I’d meet him at the Village diner this morning. I guess I’ll be buying him breakfast,” Gus grumbled. Danny took out some money and slipped it into Gus’ hand.

“Think of it as an advance on your salary,” Danny said.

“After breakfast, we’ll walk over to the gallery. He kinda freaked when he saw Bree’s painting in the loft, but when he finds out how much they go for he’ll want to go back.”

“I want to be there!” Melanie growled.

“Mel, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Carl said gently.

“Why not? Gus is my son and I want to make sure this Cole person doesn’t hurt him,” Melanie spat.

“Sweetie, no one here doubts how much you love Gus and want to protect him, but one look at you, and Cole will know something’s up,” Debbie said as logically as she could.

“But I’ll be there,” Lindsay said.

“Mom, don’t take this the wrong way but even when you’re real angry, you’re not half as scary as Mama,” Gus admitted. The family chuckled as Lindsay blushed.

“Lindsay, just play the dumb blonde and Cole won’t give you a second thought. He’s the young, arrogant type and thinks he’s smarter than everyone else. The people he’s duped are too ashamed to admit it. We’ll use that arrogance to trip him up,” Carl instructed Lindsay and the family.

“What should the rest of us do?” Michael asked.

“Just keep your eyes open and blend into the background. Liberty Avenue is always busy but even busier in the Summer. There’s always some street festival or gathering going on. Gus, you just keep to Liberty when you’re with Cole. A member of the family will keep you both in sight.”

Carl looked around at his family and puffed up his chest with pride. Squabbles and disagreements notwithstanding, the family was ready to do battle against anyone that threatened it.

“Gus, I’m proud of you, son. And I know your dad is proud of you too.” Carl took hold of the boy’s shoulders to give them a squeeze. “Okay, people, we’ve got a job to do,” Carl said.

The family dispersed to perform their assigned tasks.



*****



“So when do we go back to finish the job?” Lex asked his cousin. They were having a lazy morning. Cole was going to meet Gus at about ten. Lex didn’t have to be at work until noon. They had polished off another bottle of Brian’s wine last night and were both sporting headaches.

“Maybe tomorrow. I have to give my baby cakes a little thrill today. He wants to take me to some gallery.”

“What for?”

“I dunno! Says his dad has some show going on, some shit like that.”

“You mean the guy who painted that ugly naked man?”

“No, butthead, the guy who painted the brat on the beach.”

“Oh yeah, he’s real famous. Well, find out how much his stuff goes for.”

“I intend to. You just find out if we can sell the stuff. What good is a hot painting if we can’t unload it? Either way, I think the Pitts is getting too hot for me. We do this thing, sell what we can then I split back to New York.”

“What about your dream fuck with Brian Kinney?” Lex gave his cousin a sideways glance. Cole talked big but his schemes rarely worked out the way he planned.

“Aah, who wants to be fucked by an old geezer anyway,” Cole snarked.



*****



“Poppa, will Grandpa Doctor Dan take off my cast today?” Patrick asked his father as they sat in the waiting room.

“I don’t know. He said he’s going to take another x-ray and if it looks good he’ll cut half off.”

“Half?” Patrick had visions of someone cutting his arm in two.

“The top half, Lil Red. The bottom half is used like a brace. But you’ll be able to take your arm out, have a real bath and exercise the arm a bit.”

“How come you know so much about broken arms?”

“Seen a few in school.”

“Oh.” Just then a technician came in to take the two Morrison men to the x-ray suite. It wouldn’t be too long before they’d know if Patrick’s arm could be freed from his cast.



*****



“Dada, where’s Patrick?”

Brian and Justin were having a quiet morning. Emmett had dropped off some fresh biscuits and muffins that he had baked as a thank you to Brian for slaving over a hot grill for them the previous night. They were quietly having breakfast on the sun porch and waiting for Bree to wake up.

“Uncle Bobby took Patrick to the doctor. They’re going to check if his cast can come off.”

“Are his bones all better?” Bree asked hopefully.

“I hope so, Squirt.”

“Can Patrick go riding?”

“I don’t think so, but he can probably go into the stream if he’s careful.”

“Yay!” Bree squealed, jumping up and down. “I think I should draw Patrick a card.”

“Have some breakfast first, baby girl,” Justin more than suggested. “Then you can draw your card. You have plenty of time before Patrick gets home.”

“Okay, Daddy,” Bree agreed as her Dada cut up one of Emmett’s massive blueberry muffins for Bree. “I share, Dada,” Bree said, reaching up with a portion of muffin. Brian dutifully opened his mouth to receive the muffin. Justin shook his head, chuckling.

“She so has you wrapped around her finger,” Justin said smugly, stating the obvious.

“Yes, well, she was sharing and we encourage that behavior,” Brian stated softly as he reached for a napkin to genteelly wipe his mouth.

“Oh stop. Emmett makes the best muffins and you never eat much for breakfast. An inch worth of blueberry muffin won’t kill you. Disappointing our daughter would, so share with Bree as much as you like.”

“What are your plans today?” Brian asked changing the subject. “And are we to be invaded again by the fairies down the lane?”

“I’m doing some research on fractals but I did overhear Emm say something about a picnic by the stream later.”

“I don’t have to cook again, do I?” Brian whined.

“No, you poor baby. Emmett said he’ll be doing all the cooking. He just wants to know if they can borrow some of our picnic blankets.”

“That I can handle. It’s going to be another scorcher out there today. I am so happy to be here rather than in the city.” Brian finished off his coffee then stretched himself out on the chaise. He closed his eyes and allowed the sounds of the countryside and the contented sounds of his family lull him back to sleep.



*****



“Hey, baby cakes, you ready to have breakfast with your bf?” Cole asked with a feral grin.

“Breakfast? It’s almost lunchtime, but yes, I’m ready,” Gus grumbled, but took Cole’s proffered hand and strolled down the road to the Village diner like nothing was amiss.

Danny was already sitting at the counter, sipping iced tea and pretending to read a paperback book. The mirrored wall behind the counter made it easy for him to spy on the boys without them noticing. After Gus paid for their lunch, they left the diner.

“Come with me, Cole. Justin’s going to have a new show soon. We can get a sneak preview,” Gus pleaded and Cole fell for it.

“Sure, anything for my baby cakes,” Cole replied in a sugar glazed tone. Danny watched them leave then got on his phone.

“Lindsay? Heads up, they’re on their way.” Danny casually followed about a block behind until they turned onto Liberty. That’s where Michael and Ben took over.



*****



“That was quick. All done?” Hunter asked as John entered his apartment.

“Yeah, I told you I only needed a few minutes. Now the trick is making sure the cameras are at the right angles. That’s where the girls, Drew, and you, come in,” John said as he booted up his laptop then accessed the security website. With everyone armed with cell phones, Drew, Hunter, Lacy and Katerina each took a floor. Over the next half hour, John had the cameras on each floor calibrated. The time stamp in each frame would prove to be useful as the family continued their preparations to catch the thieves.



*****



“Patrick!” Bree screeched as she saw Patrick and her Uncle Bobby walking through the garden and into the sun porch. “Patrick, oh my Patrick, are you all better?”

“Almost,” Patrick replied, accepting the hug the little girl gave him and the card she drew for him.

“Dada, can I take Patrick down to the stream? Auntie Emm and Uncle Teddy and Uncle Allen are down there. Pleeezzzz!” Bree was practically bouncing with energy.

“Go on, but mind Beau and Auntie Emm,” Brian instructed.

“Thank you, Dada. Come Patrick, my brave Patrick.”

Patrick blushed under all the accolades as he was practically pulled out the door by the tiny strawberry blond waif. Beau was vigilantly following.

“He’s fine,” Bobby exclaimed as Brian and Justin turned their eyes on him. “He has to wear the bottom half of the cast as a brace during the day. He can sleep with it off. We go back in two more weeks. Maybe we can salvage the rest of the summer,” Bobby sighed as Justin handed him a large cold iced tea.

The three men sat in the porch, grateful their children were whole.



*****



“Hi lam… um, Gus,” Lindsay greeted Gus and Cole sweetly. She was looking the epitome of a frazzled and ditzy blond. It was about a month before the Seasons premiere and gala. There were a lot of paintings that needed to be framed and hung. And Lindsay had a bad case of the ‘dropsies’.

“Here, Mom,” Gus said as he picked up Lindsay’s clipboard to hand to her.

“Thank you, Sweetheart. Gus, I’ll be over there if you need anything,” Lindsay said pointedly then left to consult with workmen, while desperately trying to keep an eye on Gus and Cole.

Cole wandered the gallery; more than half the artwork displayed was Justin’s. He noted small colored dots were either on a corner of a painting or on the wall near a painting. Picking up a catalog, Cole casually flipped through it. A blue dot meant a painting was valued at about five thousand dollars. A green dot meant at least ten thousand. Cole was afraid of what the red dotted paintings were worth. And then there were some portraits that had black dots. Apparently those were purchased via bids. There were several nudes of Brian, all of which had black dots on their corners.

“Damn, the old man is hot,” Cole mumbled to himself. ‘Too bad I gotta get out of here,’ Cole thought. He looked over at Gus who was looking at a winterscape scene. ‘He’s just as beautiful,’ Cole thought wistfully.

When Gus and Cole left the gallery, Hunter and Nick were following.



*****



“Hi, Auntie, Emm,” Bree said batting her eyes at the tall man. She and Patrick had walked the path to the stream with Beau beside them.

“Oh, it’s my little princess and her handsome prince. Somebody has a much smaller cast,” Emmett observed as he noticed the cut down cast on Patrick’s arm. “How is your arm?”

“It’s good,” Patrick replied. “Grandpa Doctor Dan said that it’s almost all better. I just have to wear this as a brace for a couple of weeks.”

“That’s great news,” Ted said. “You guys want to go for a swim?”

Bree looked longingly at the stream. It looked so cool and refreshing. It was a very hot day. “I’d like to,” she said hesitantly, “but Patrick’s not supposed to go in there yet, so I stay with him.”

The three men smiled. “You’re a good nurse and friend,” Allen told the little girl.

“I am,” Bree stated proudly, pleased that Uncle Allen seemed to notice her sacrifice.

“What if you two were to sit on that rock over there and dangle your feet in the water? I bet that would feel good,” Ted suggested.

“Yeah!” Bree said enthusiastically.

“Yeah,” Patrick agreed. “I think I could do that.”

“I think you could too,” Emmett agreed. He walked the children over to the stream and watched as they shucked off their shoes. Beau watched the goings on and began barking when their toes first hit the water. “It’s okay, Beau. We’re right here with them and we won’t let anything happen.”

Beau gave a doggie groan and laid down beside the rock staring at the children.

“He’s quite the guard dog, isn’t he?” Allen said.

“He’s a great dog. I’d like to sic him on that asshole that Gus has been going out with.”

“The kid can’t be that bad,” Allen protested. He was always willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

“He’s causing Gus to be sneaking around, and it’s making Brian miserable. And when Brian Kinney is miserable, so is everyone else.”

“Dada’s not miserable,” Bree stated, her little ears having perked up when Ted mentioned her father’s name. “Dada’s good!”

“Yes, you’re right, of course,” Ted backtracked, wishing he had never brought up the subject.

“I don’t like Cole,” she added emphatically.

“You and everyone else … except Gus,” Ted mumbled. He shook his head. He’d have to learn to be more careful about what he said around Briana. She picked up on everything.

“Why don’t you like Cole, sweetie?” Emmett asked as he sat down on the rock with them and swung his own feet into the stream.

Bree frowned. “He wouldn’t shake my hand.”

“What?” Emmett asked with a puzzled look on his face.

“My Dada says that you should always extend your hand to a stranger and shake firmly,” Bree parroted.

“And you did that with Cole?” Emmett giggled. He could imagine Brian saying that about someone he was meeting for business purposes, but not something for Bree to do. She must have overheard Brian saying something like that. The girl had a mind like a steel trap.

Bree nodded her head. “In Nyork. He wouldn’t shake my hand.”

“The nerve of him!” Emmett exclaimed. He couldn’t imagine anyone not falling under the charms of Briana Kinney-Taylor. And having her for an enemy was not a smart move.

“I kick his ass … if I could.”

Emmett nearly swallowed himself. Bree was definitely Brian’s daughter. “Let’s leave the ass kicking to your fathers, sweetie.”

“’Kay,” Bree replied as she enjoyed the cool water running over her feet. She leaned against Patrick and smiled at her best friend. Patrick sighed contentedly.



*****



“Daddy, we’re back,” Bree called as she and Patrick and Beau came into the sun porch.

“In the kitchen,” Justin called. “We’re making salads for dinner.”

“Unca Ted and Unca Allen and Auntie Emm are having a picnic by the stream,” Bree told her father. “They said we could stay, but I thought we should come back. You might get worried about Patrick.”

Patrick blushed and kept silent.

“Yes, I guess we might if you were gone past dinnertime. Did you have fun?”

“Auntie Emm let us dangle our feet in the stream,” Bree said.

“Beau wasn’t going to let us,” Patrick added.

Justin gave the big dog an affectionate pat. “He was just doing his job.”

“Auntie Emm told Beau that we would be all right. He sat right beside us on the rock, and Beau watched us real careful,” Bree informed him.

“Really carefully,” Brian corrected as he dumped the vegetables he had been chopping into the salad bowl. “Beau knows how to look after you little imps. So, do you want to go back to the picnic, or eat here?”

Bree looked at Patrick, and they both said, “Here.”

Brian chuckled. “I thought you liked Auntie Emm’s cooking.”

“We do,” Patrick said, “but it’s hot out there.”

“Aw, air conditioning wins out over gourmet food,” Justin laughed.

“I like your food, Daddy,” Bree said with her best Taylor smile.

“Even when we give you healthy snacks?”

“Auntie Emm gave us cookies.”

Brian groaned. “I’ll have to have a word with your Auntie Emm.”

“He only gave us one, and he said not to tell you,” Bree giggled.

“He did, did he?”

“Yep, and Unca Ted said you were miserable, Dada.”

“Miserable?”

“Because of Cole and Gus.”

“Really?” Brian asked, truly surprised at Ted bringing that up in front of Bree.

“He didn’t think I could hear him, but I did. You’re not miserable, are you, Dada?”

“No, Squirt, just mildly upset and annoyed.”

Justin smiled as he finished off the salad he was making. He knew Brian was more upset than that, but he didn’t want to make it seem too bad for Bree.

“Can I tell Gus he shouldn’t see Cole no more?” Bree asked with a worried look on her face.

“Any more. I don’t think that would do much good,” Brian admitted.

Bree frowned. “Maybe we could send Beau to look out for Gus.”

Justin laughed out loud. “I think Beau would take a chunk out of Cole before he could draw a breath.”

“And with my blessing,” Brian added.

Bree grinned. “Good Beau!” She flung her arms around the big dog’s neck and kissed the top of his head. Brian could almost swear the dog blushed at her actions.

“Dinner’s ready. Patrick, go get your Poppa, and I’ll feed our canine guardian.”