BRIAN

I couldn’t believe when Justin moved in front of me, as if to shield me from the gun Carter was holding. Looking at Daphne, what I saw was that she was pissed, not scared. I seconded that feeling. How, in a house full of agents did the man managed to get in here with a gun? Carter barely looked at Justin, instead he was looking at me. If not for the pictures I wouldn’t have known this was Carter. It was strange how little he looked like Julian. He looked around the room while closing and then engaging a lock that surrounded the door. He motioned for Daphne and Justin to go to the computer. He then sat on a chair besides the sofa I was sitting on. I pushed Justin to go where Carter wanted him to, wanting him away from the man. 

“If I stop the decryption, it will alert the guys waiting for the information.” Daphne tells him.

“I don’t want it stopped. I want the information.” Carter tells her.

“What… for?” Justin stutters.

“To protect some very important people. I promised anonymity for the prices they paid, and they tend to react badly to broken promises.” He tells him, while sliding his gaze up and down Justin.

“You did hear the part where once we get in, guys with bigger guns will show up.” Daphne says, as if talking to a child.

“Yes. But then they have to get thru the door, which will give me time to get what I need and be gone before they can catch me.” Carter says, giggling like it's all a game to him.

“How would that protect the perverts, we'll still have their names?” Justin asked.

“You know, when Gary sent me a picture of Justin, I was excited. All that innocence completely untapped; but you took care of that didn’t you? Was he all I imagined when you took him the first time?” Carter asked me, ignoring Justin.

Justin went over to the computer and started typing, which had Carter getting up to see what he was doing. I knew Justin needed time, and Carter needed to be distracted.

“I doubt you could imagine what he’s like. In fact, for you it would have been disappointing, because he didn’t fear anything we did over and over again the first night. He showed me things that even with all my experience left me feeling like a virgin.” I tell him, leaning back.

Carter licked his lips as he looked me up and down. “You were one I almost broke all my rules for. Every night I watched you when you first started showing up at Gary’s club. You walked in like you owned the place the first night, and proved it over and over. Watching you in the backroom was a privilege. One that I’ve missed, since you haven’t been there lately. Maybe his innocence shouldn’t matter to me, since it has you changing everything about yourself.” He tells me, looking at Justin again.

“If you even think of touching him, it will be the last thought you have.” I tell him seriously.

“I couldn’t if I wanted to, Julie put him off limits. Although the rules are changing, with what he did to Gary. Julie thinks he’s untouchable. Like I give a shit what happens to my father’s little bastard.” Carter tells us.

“What, the wife wasn’t willing to play victim enough for you to get it up?” I taunt, as Daphne reached in her computer bag.

“Please, Daddy needed someone to hide his discretions. Since he knew I’d never want anything to do with a wife, it made it easier for him to make sure Julie wasn’t the bastard he should have been. Julie became everything my father wanted and it left me my freedom. Only he made it so Julie became my handler, and the little bastard got everything that should have been mine.” Carter tells us, looking at his watch. “How much longer?” He asks Justin.

“It won’t protect the names on this list you want.” Justin tells him, ignoring the question.

“Justin, Justin, Justin. Of course it will. Because of you, I’ll be the only one who has the names.” Carter says, smiling at whatever secret he thinks he has.

“How’s that?” I ask.

“Julian might own the majority share but it doesn’t mean I don’t have access to the programs Justin created to thwart people who stole files. Little Julie thought he could show off how smart he was, instead he was showing me we really did need Justin. At least in this, now I have the power and Julie will see why he shouldn’t have tried to control everything.” Carter tells me.

“You have the program that wipes out a database?” Justin asked, not looking concerned.  

“I have all your greatest hits. Julie really thinks I’m the idiot our father told him I was. Maybe I’ll take you from him too. There are a few men who would love to own what Brian Kinney and Julie want. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to deal with my brother or Brian, but don’t think I’ll forget about you.” He tells Justin.

Carter moved them away a from the computer as the screen changed and gave them access to the information. Daphne and Justin moved away, but I saw the gun in Daphne’s hand. Justin shook his head at her, since Carter’s gun was pointed at me. We watched as Carter started downloading the information to a disk, not caring when the knocking started at the door. He didn’t even flinch when it sounded like they were ramming the door. He calmly inserted the thumb drive that would erase the program, watched it until he was satisfied, and calmly walked to the bookshelf, opening it. Only stopping once he was inside of it, leaving Daphne without a way to shot the asshole.

“I’ll see you eventually.” He tells Justin, before closing the bookcase, as the door finally gave way and Hill and Caraway came through the opening. 

Daphne ran to the bookcase trying to find how to open it. Justin walked over to the computer, and started typing. Hill and Caraway went to help Daphne, but it was hours later before they managed to get the passageway opened, only to find it led to a small house outside the property, and Carter was long gone.

I sat with Justin as he worked on the computer. When everyone was back in the room, Justin had managed to retrieve the information Carter tried to get rid of. Hill looked at the names and waited as Daphne started pulling up the information on each of them.

“Jesus Christ, do you realize the who some of these people are?” Hill asked.

“They’re sleaze bags, I don’t care about anything else.” Caraway tells him.

“This is going to be nightmare.” Ben said, looking upset.

“Did you expect it to be easy?” Justin asked.

“No, but some of the people on this list we don’t have anyway of touching.” Hill tells Justin.

“Unless they come here, right?” I ask.

“Which I doubt they will when they find out they aren’t hidden any longer.” Hill tells me.

“Then let them believe they are. Carter doesn’t know I could recover this, because Julian didn’t know I built a program to counteract the one Carter just used.” Justin tells him.

“Why did you?” Daphne asked.

“Because when I sent information on the assholes to the FBI, I gave them the program so they could restore the information and link it straight back to the person. Although we have a small problem.” Justin tells Hill.

“Which is what?” Hill asks.

“Finding out who owns this house, because Carter doesn’t.” Justin tells him.

“You think this because…?” Hill asked.

“He needed us to get the password, so it means there’s someone else involved.” Justin tells him.

“Julian?” Daphne asks.

“I doubt it, because this would put paid on him being involved.” Ben tells us.

“Gary doesn’t either.” Caraway tells us.

“Why do you think that?” I ask.

“Because the guys we had inside said Gary never came to this room. It was off limits to everyone, including him. If he owned it, I doubt he would have made it off limits to himself.” Caraway tells us.

“Like Ben said, Julian wouldn’t have wanted this to touch him either.” Justin mentions.”But...”

“What?” I ask when Justin didn’t continue.

“Why would others cover for Julian when in the end they were only committing corporate espionage? The crimes are white collar, which means nothing to most of them. The small time hackers, like Hunter, he barely bothered with.” Justin tells me.

“But people he could use to fund something like this, he knew they’d take jail over this being discovered.” Hill finished for him.

“Even if all they did was finance the house and create the corporations to sell through, in the end they’d be the ones facing the charges, because no one would believe them over Julian, who looks as clean as his father.” Caraway tells us.

“Give them a deal, one that will get them to talk.” I tell them.

“You think they’ll just flip? Not with the threat of the Yates family over their heads.” Hill tells me.

“They’ll flip once they realize how much they haven’t lost yet. It’s all about how you spin it.” I tell him.

“We don’t have Yates yet.” Hill reminded me.

“You said you don’t believe in coincidences, and there is one person who hasn’t had to risk anything yet for Julian. Gardner Vance. Lie to him and tell him he’s on the list of owners of the house. He’ll likely flip to save himself. He let his son hang out to dry, so I doubt he’ll feel any more protective of his blackmailer.” Justin tells him.

“If he doesn’t have anything to do with this?” Hill asks.

“Society marriages have dealt with unwanted kids before and survived them. I’ve seen it with the people in my parents circle- they just ignore it. Something like this, trust me, they can’t survive.” Daphne tells him.

Hill and Caraway went to talk to their supervisor, Justin left Daphne to help the other guys get everything from the computer. It still bothered me that Carter managed to get past everyone, until they found a rooms hidden all over the house, with exits to get away. We found Blake helping to get the guys in cars that would take them to the hospital. 

“You know what’s interesting about this house?” I asked Justin.

“What?” 

“There’s not one camera, anywhere. They didn’t want anything recorded.” I tell him.

“Of course not, then the buyers couldn’t dispute they’d been here. The kind of shit that’s going on here wouldn’t be something you would trust anyone knowing about you.” Ben tells us.

“I doubt Julian would go along with that. He likes his blackmail too much.” Justin tells me.

“It still leaves the question of whose office that is.” Ben tells him.

“It’s Julian’s. Not that I have any proof.” Justin tells him.

“Why didn’t you say anything to Hill or Caraway?” Ben asks him.

“Because they like PROOF.” Justin tells him.

“What makes you think it was Julian’s?” I ask.

“Because the computer is set up with every program I’ve ever written to protect it. Which only Julian and Carter could get. Since Carter couldn’t get in, that leaves Julian. I didn’t want to have to defend myself again until we can prove it’s Julian’s.” Justin tells us.

“Which right now you can’t?” I asked.

“No. Because he wouldn’t be stupid enough to make it that easy.” Justin shrugs.

“How do you prove it?” Ben asked.

Justin leaned on me, not saying anything, and started through the maze his mind goes in. Ben stood waiting with us as Justin seemed lost in thought. I could feel the exhaustion he was feeling, and knew he wouldn’t rest until he figured out how to link the computer to Julian.

“All that the computer contained was purchases, time stamped and dated. It also contained the names of the kids that were sold, but not who bought them. The other list tells people who did transactions, but not who they bought.” Daphne tell us.

“Justin believes that Julian was the man in the off limits room.” Ben tells her.

“He likes control.” Justin tells her.

“He does, but he also makes others do what he wants. He wouldn’t trust just anyone to put the information in.” Daphne tells us.

“Unless he made sure the person was too scared to say anything. Who changed the information Daphne got from Julian’s laptop?” I ask.

“Someone in accounting.” Justin guessed.

“And made sure the guy would be afraid to blackmail him.” Ben tells me.

“Can you figure out who changed the numbers?” I ask Daphne and Justin.

“Yeah. Since he had to use his own account to do it.” Justin tells us.

“Tell Hill we’ll call him when Justin has a name.” I tell Ben.