DAPHNE

Blake was waiting for me when I ran out of the building. Julian thought I was there to show off. Which worked for me since it gave me time to copy all his closed network files. It was one area we couldn’t get to from the outside. Julian was paranoid. So unlike Sapp he wasn’t stupid enough to believe he was safe from hackers. Julian was smart enough to know better. Which made me worry. I was sure we’d catch Sapperstien, but for years nothing stuck to Julian because he knew how to work people and the system. I knew if Julian managed to get out of this, Justin would spend his life trying to nail him. I didn’t want that for Justin. I wanted him to have this life he was building with Brian. Something I could see Brian wanted with Justin. Brian’s past of not letting people get close told me Justin meant more than anyone to Brian. I listened to all Brian’s friends, and the descriptions they gave of Brian’s friendship made me see that Brian needed Justin the same way Justin needed Brian. So I stopped sitting around searching for information and went to the source. I didn’t needed to be caught to find out anything, I needed to go to the source and let him give it to me. It was also the feeling that Julian didn’t like the stain of what we thought could have on him and his family name that made me want to do more, the bastard wasn’t going got out of this clean.

I grew up in the same world, just like Lindsay did. And one of the things I learned was they always had a patsy. Find someone to blame for the shit you did. Check. Julian had petty criminal Sapperstein for that. Be friends but always keep them outside of your own life. Check. Sapperstein was never invited to anything that would link him to Julian. Make sure to have someone in your pocket so that everything fell on the idiot who believed you were said friend. Check again. Since Stockwell sent an email to one of his pet detectives to start harassing Gary Sapperstein and to arrest him for anything they could. At that point I knew Julian was going to distance himself from anything linking him and Gary, and the only place Julian might have believed the information was safe was a system only he had access to. Which meant I needed to copy the information on the laptop he kept unplugged from the rest of the system. Which was why the power had to go. I didn’t need him figuring out what I’d been doing. I giggled about the minute he figured it out I duped him.

“What did you do?” Blake asks.

“I left Julian some dancing bunnies.” I tell him.

“I thought he wasn’t supposed to know why you were there?” Blake asks me, sounding like a parent chiding me.

“Then he’ll realize he underestimated me.” I tell him, shrugging. Even thought I told myself I didn’t care, having someone treat me like I was worthless was never fun. 

My phone rang before Blake could comment, and seeing Brian’s name on my phone said I couldn’t ignore it. Blake stopped the car when I hung up, probably seeing what I couldn’t hide, my worry about my best friend.

“Tell me.” Blake says.

“Someone took Justin. At first it was supposed to be to Julian, only I was with Julian and the whole time he seemed to be distracted, which I put off as him wanting me to see I was nothing to him. Only now I know it’s because he was waiting for Justin and he didn’t show up.” I tell him.

“Fuck. Look, I need to go, do you want me to drop you somewhere?” Blake asks.

“Justin’s missing and you need to go?” I ask. But then remembered Blake wasn’t really part of the group Justin was hanging around now.

“It’s because he’s missing that I need to go.” Blake tells me.

I looked at Blake and what I saw was worry, but for what I didn’t know. “Are you involved in this thing with Julian and Sapperstein?” I asked, since it was strange that he offered to take me when everyone else was busy.

“No. If anything I want them taken down as much as you do.” Blake tells me.

“Explain.” I demand.

“It’s goes back a lot further and connects me to Justin, not the others. Not that I realized Justin was who I’d been dealing with.” He tells me.

“That doesn’t explain anything.” I tell him.

“I’ll explain it but I don’t want to explain it twice, so let’s go meet up with everyone.” Blake tells me.

“Only if you answer one question and I want you to look me in the eye.” I tell him.

“You don’t have to ask. I’d do anything to help Justin. Because even when he didn’t know who he was helping he kept my family from losing everything when he stole back the money that their accountant embezzled from them.” Blake tells me.

“Does he know about you?” I ask.

“I told him, but then when I realized he didn’t want to be idolized I asked him to teach me how so I could help others. So I could pay it forward.” He tells me.

“Is that why you want to help him now?” I ask.

“No. I want to help him because at one time I could have been one of the kids Justin wants to find. Only I got lucky, because the night I agreed to go to one of Sapp’s parties I met Ted instead. Which is something I think I need to tell everyone, since I didn’t the night they were telling me about what Justin was looking into.” He tells me.

“Why not tell them?” I asked.

“Because it would bring up the night Ted almost died because of me.” Blake tells me.

“I’ll wait so you don’t have to tell this twice, but right now we need to find Justin.” I tell him.

JUSTIN

When Jake stopped the car for a bathroom break, I grabbed Michael and told him we were leaving. At first he looked at me like I was crazy, but followed me. We found a truck driver, Fred, who was going to Pittsburgh and was happy to have someone to talk to on his way. Michael joked if the guy was a perv we could kick grandpa’s ass. It helped that he was a conspiracy theorist and didn’t trust anyone in the government. He was thrilled to thwart the FBI, and all I wanted was to get back to Brian. I had a feeling he was blaming himself for what happened, but I wouldn’t let him do that to himself.

“He’s probably climbing the wall worried about you.” Michael whispers to me.

“Likely you too.” I tell him.

“Yeah, but I’m just his friend. You’re the guy he loves.” Michael said, and I could tell it hurt him to say it.

“You mean a lot to him. I could tell when he was warning Ben. He loves you, maybe not the way you wanted, but you mean a lot to him.” I tell him.

“I spent my whole life wishing he would want me.” Michael tells me.

“Does it bother you about him and me?” I ask.

“Only if you hurt him. He’s been hurt all his life. For once I’m going to be the friend I tell him I am and be happy he’s found someone he trusts with his heart.” Michael tells me.

“I kept trying to push him away, but it’s like it only makes him angry that I want to protect him.” I tell Michael.

“Brian’s spent his life protecting people, and having you push away from him would make him think you don’t believe in him.” Michael tells me.

“That’s true. A relationship is all about sharing not just the good times but the bad.” Fred tells us.

“My life… until I meet him was predictable… now it’s like everything is going crazy and it affects him.” I tell them both.

“If he’s sticking around than it’s obvious he doesn’t care as long as he has you.” Fred tells me.

“The people in my life aren’t the kind who care about me or him. They only care that they keep their secrets from exploding in their faces.” I tell him.

“That’s why you need Brian. So there is someone who cares what happens to you. He’s always been like that with all of us, and having the guy he’s in love with in danger will make him run into a burning building if that’s what it takes. He needs to know your okay.” Michael tells me, handing me his phone.

“You didn’t call him? Son, what the hell were you thinking?” Fred asks.

“I wasn’t.” I tell them, taking Michael’s phone.

“Michael, where the fuck are you?!” Brian yelled.

“It’s me.” I whisper.

“Tell me your okay.” Brian whispers. I can hear the love and fear in his voice.

“Both Michael and I are, we’re on our way back to Pittsburgh. We got someone to help us.” I tell him putting him on speaker.

“I can come get you.” Brian offered.

“I’ll get them to you safe and sound. Just tell me where you need me to take them. I don’t think stopping would be a good idea, they have the Feds chasing them.” Fred tells Brian.

“What about the guys who took you?” Brian asks.

“They told us they were the FBI and were taking us to Virginia.” Michael tells him.

“Why Virginia?” Brian asked.

“That was my thought, so Michael and I ditched them.” I tell him.

“They probably wanted to keep your boy. Taking him as far away as they could, hiding him in one of their secret locations.” Fred tells him.

“They said they want to help us. But I have a problem with the fact that they were watching Sapperstein and didn’t do anything.” I tell Brian.

“Why were they watching that piece of crap?” Fred asks.

“Because Sapp is a piece of shit. He does all sorts of shit that should land his ass in jail.” Michael tells him.

“You know Sapp?” Brian asked.

“Not personally. Just what I hear from other truckers looking to make a little on the side. Me, I’d rather keep my shitty pay and my morals.” Fred tells him.

“Do you know what he offers the other drivers, or what he wants them to help him with?” I ask.

“Yeah. Transportation of things that would get us a nice stay in a place I never want to visit. He never bothered with me, but it’s because I keep my nose clean if you know what I mean.” Fred tells us.

“How about you explain that when you get Justin back to me.” Brian tells him.

LINDSAY    

Until today I always hated coming to events, but for once this would help the people who mean something to me. My Dad ran interference when my mother wanted me to ask Julian to attend some of her events. She didn’t care that he insulted her or Lynette, just that he was deemed important. I found George Jr, with his wife and mother.

“I never really understood Virginia. Why punish herself and George when neither of them gave a shit about the other anymore? Virginia was just as connected as George was, they were a marriage of two dynasties. She could have quietly divorced George and gotten on with her life.” I tell my Dad.

“If he’d taken off with another woman, she probably would have. You know how people around here are; they’d eat her alive for being married to a gay man. She spent years being a bitch to others and knows George isn’t going to protect her from what the others would feel was their right for what she did to them.” He tells me.

“I just need to know about Carter, without Virginia repeating the conversation.” I tell him.

My Dad kisses my cheek and walks over to the table, I watch as he tells Virginia my mother needs help with organizing. I really wanted to kiss him for the shit my mother would give him when Virginia started disapproving of everything my mother planned. I also saw an ally when George Jr’s wife sighed with relief at Virginia’s departure. I went over and sat in Virginia’s chair to the confusion of the two of them, since they’d never met me.

“I need to ask you some questions, and before I do, understand that I’m friends with your father.” I tell them, not willing to act like George wasn’t someone I was proud to know.

“I reserve the right not to tell you anything if you think I care what my father thinks.” George Jr tells me.

“I actually wanted to know why you didn’t associate with Carter Yates.” I tell him.

George looked haunted for a second, then turned to his wife and asked her to check on his mother. She leaned into him and whispered something before she walked off upset.

“Why are you asking about him?” He asked me.

“I want to know the man my friends are up against. Their dealing with Julian, and somehow that links to Carter.” I tell him.

“He’s the fucking scum of the earth, but has a family that keeps him from having to admit what he is.” He tells me.

“By keeping him away from everyone?” I ask.

“They tried to make us accept the bastard, but my friends and I did what we could to keep him away from our families. We slammed enough doors and recendened enough invitations so they’d get the hint we wouldn’t accept his kind among us.” He tells me.

“That he was gay?” I ask, since that was why they slammed the door on George.

“You think that bothers me?” He asks.

“Doesn’t it? You left George out of your life.” I tell him.

“I left my father out of my life because I know he resents us for being the reason he stayed with my mother. He could have saved me and my siblings from having to watch the farce they called their marriage by not being a coward.” He tells me.

“You also seem to forget that at the time being gay wasn’t something anyone would have accepted.” My father tells him, sitting down. “We only have ten minutes at the most, so ask what you wanted.” He tells me.

“Why did you dislike Carter?” I asked.

“Because the bastard tried to rape me. Only he didn’t count on my friends finding us.” He tells us.

“I don’t remember anything be reported about that.” My father tells him.

“Because my mother didn’t want anyone to think I encouraged the asshole. Everyone saw me talking to him, and that I walked off with him willingly. We’d seen how Carter’s father managed to turn everything into the other person’s fault and my mother didn’t want that to happen to me.” He tells us.

“So she did what worked. Made it so Carter got cut from all events.” I said, seeing how they turned the tables on someone as powerful the Yates.

“I know how you feel about my mother, but one thing even my father will tell you is my mother would fight the devil to protect us. You asked why I don’t bother with my father. It’s because when this happened he didn’t even bother to find out why. Tell my father… be happy.” He tells us, getting up to go to his wife, who didn’t care what anyone thought and held him.

“Lindsay, do George a favor and tell him what his son told you.” Dad tells me.

“Why? It would only hurt him.” I tell him.

“Because it’s never too late to be the hero for your child. Something I don’t see Virginia as when she only slammed a door and rescinded an invitation.” He tells me.

“She protected him.” I tell him.

“And left Carter free to hurt someone else, all to keep anyone from finding out her son was almost raped. Tell me, if it was Gus, no matter when it happened, would you have just shut your door?” He asks.

“No. Mel and I would make sure the person didn’t have the ability to do anything to anyone else.” I tell him.

“From what I’ve heard people like Carter wouldn’t have lasted long in prison.” He tells me, walking me out.

“Who said anything about jail?” I tell him, kissing his cheek.

“If it was either of my children or Gus, I’d bring the shovel.” He tells me.

“That’s why we love you.” I tell him.

“That’s why your mother will have to deal with you and Mel coming to the wedding as our daughters.” He tells me.

“Neither of us want to upstage Lynette on her day.” I tell him.

“You both did that by loving each other, and I won’t hide how proud I am of you and Mel.” He tells me.

I walked out thinking I believed I was past caring about my parents approval, but realized having it was okay too. I thought long and hard about what to tell George, but in the end I knew the man his son didn’t, and knew he didn’t care about preserving his image. He’d bring the shovel too.

BRIAN

When the semi pulled up, Michael and Justin hopped down. In the past, I would have checked on Michael first, but the man who owned my heart had all my attention. Justin walked behind Michael, and I bypassed Michael to pull Justin to me. I needed to know he was whole. That he was there with me. It didn’t matter that it only been hours, I felt like I lost part of me when he wasn’t somewhere I could see him.

“I’m alright… we need to talk to Ben about…” I cut him off with a kiss.

“I need you right now.” I tell him.

“So I told Justin and Michael what I knew, and left them with my contact information. I’ll let you guys know if I find out anything else, but I need to get this haul to the store on time.” Fred tells us, looking past us.

“Fred, is that you?” George asks.

“I have to go.” Fred says, backing his truck up.

“He’s pretty cool.” Michael tells us.

“He’s the one that got away.” George tells us, walking into the house.

Justin pulled back and put his forehead on mine. He held my face in his hands and kept me from looking away from him when I felt like it was my fault this happened to him.

“Sapperstein has a warehouse, and with what Fred was saying, how much you want to bet they were transporting more than drugs for Sapperstein?” He asks me.

“I should have…”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if you were there. What matters is that your here with me.” He tells me kissing me.