CHAPTER 37 - BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
BRIAN AND JUSTIN’S CABIN - A WEEK LATER
OUTSIDE HOT TUB
JUSTIN
“Justin! Oh God, Sun...oh fuck...shine!” He screams before slumping down.
“Brian!” I haul his head back above water. “Hot tub, a bad idea! Let me drain it! Lean over the side!”
Ten minutes later, we are on the loungers. He is wrapped in a towel and a robe.
“Move, Justin!” Georgie orders, and begins to check a still spluttering, because he sunk again, Brian over. “What were you two thinking?!”
“About reconnecting. Lionel told us about...never mind that now. Is he OK?”
“I am fine.” Brian coughs and slowly sits up. “Come here, Mr ‘Worry-Wart’ Taylor-Kinney.” I scramble between his legs. “I promise, I am fine. You just short circuited me a bit.”
“Well that was more than I needed to know!” Georgie laughs. “But please, let me check you over, Brian. You can remain where you are, Justin, just lean forward a bit.” Fifteen minutes later, Georgie smiles. “Be gentle with him for the rest of the day. And if you could text…”
“Got it.” I smile, before texting quickly. “Where are we this evening?” My head thuds against Brian’s shoulder, partly from the intensity of my orgasm, but mostly through relief.
“Ted and Blake’s.” Georgie replies, then sniffs the air. “Smokers are on.”
“This is the only way I visit.” Brian gripes, but I know him, he is delighted to have all his friends and family in this spot with their own cabins. We all pitched in for the ones for Debs, Carl, Mom, and Tucker. “He had better have short ribs and cutlets.”
“Two things: he’s your best friend after Justin, so of course he’s going to have that as well as the smoked tuna for you to take back to Britin, the turkey wings for the boys, and then, of course, there is loaded pulled wings, fries, and double cheese pizza, with triple strawberry cheesecake just for you, which is already in your fridge.” We stare at him. “I brought it over. Now that we have keys to each others’ cabins, it was going to be a quick in and out, but then you got frisky and almost drowned him!” His phone chimes. “And there’s my cue! See you later!”
“He has a whole other level of friskiness.” Brian chortles, then tightens his hold and sighs. “Are you still mad?”
“No, I just wish you both told us what was happening.”
“It happened so fast, and you know what she’s like about Twinkle.”
“So where is he now?” I wrap my legs around him.
“Cameron?” I nod into his neck. “Frackville, along with his accomplice…”
Start of flashback
57TH PRECINCT - FIVE DAYS PRIOR
CARL’S OFFICE
BRIAN
Utter silence. Slick and I exchange horrified looks. “But how?” Slick demands. “How does a man who has been charged with attempted rape, sexual battery and assault get out within hours of being locked up?!”
“Don't know, but they had no choice but to let him go.” Carl scrubs his face.
“Where’s Casper?” I demand, relieved that Lindsay, Lynette, and Justin are in New York, separately. Him for an agent meeting, and her and Lynette to deliver an apology in person to Claire and Terez...and do some shopping!
“Well away from here.” Carl replies. “And…” The door bursting open brings in Grimm and Sandy. “What’s wrong?!”
“Cameron has just called, he says he’s got Twinkle.” Sandy sobs. “How is he even out?!”
“What does he want?” I demand.
“The charges dropped.” Grimm retorts. “I have been trying him, but it keeps rolling to voicemail. I will tear Cameron apart when I get hold of him!”
“Um…” Slick begins.
“We need to find that dickless twat first!” I bark. “Where would he go? How did he get Twinkle in the first place?!”
“Can…”
“Slick, please, we need to think! Grimm, try Twinkle again. Maybe he will allow him to pick up and speak to you.”
“You won’t get hold of Twinkle.” Slick states calmly. “Because you are calling his phone from his phone. You gave him your phone because you wanted to get the screen fixed.” She pulls hers out, puts it on speaker. “Hey, Twinkle, whatever you’re doing, stop, grab Snook, drop and roll, okay?”
“Okay.” He whispers then hangs up.
“Grimm, call Roman. You two, go to the Emporium. That’s where Twinkle and Snook will be.”
“He’s…”
“He’s okay, Grimm, I promise.” Slick smiles. “Panic makes people forget things like their car keys!” She shouts, Grimm comes rushing back, grabs them, and is gone.
“Slick?” Sandy touches her arm gently as she seems to have drifted off.
“Who does he know?” She mutters. “This cruise he was just on, can you get an attendees list, Sandy?” She nods, then Slick locks eyes with me. “I need calm muscle, can that be you?”
“Yeah.” I reply, and then we wait. Forty minutes later, we have a list and Matthias on the phone. “You’re right, having a brother as a power-sub has its benefits. Matty? Okay, you ready?”
“Go.” He replies. I read out a list of names.
“Say again!” Slick interrupts.
“Fremlick. Onision Fremlick.” I repeat, and she wobbles, Sandy helps her to sit down. “Slick?”
“He’s a judge, the same judge that wouldn’t sign off on a restraining order against Pernell...look how that worked out.” Nobody says a word, we just wait. “Matty, do you know who that is? It makes no sense for him to say he has Twinkle...so maybe it’s a Dom angle, it’s a reach, but can you check?”
“Let me call Lionel. Give me five minutes!” For that length of time, nobody says a word. I grab her phone when it rings. “He’s a sub!” Matty shouts. “And I have an address.”
HOME OF ONISION FREMLICK - AN HOUR LATER
BRIAN
“Where you at?” I ask her. She signals nine. “Can you get down to seven?” She nods.
“How may I help you?” A servant asks as he opens the door.
“Can you tell Judge Fremlick that Meredith Harriman is here and wishes to speak to him?”
“Please come in.” He bids, and five minutes later we are in his lounge.
“Meredith!” An older looking guy comes in smiling. “How lovely to see you! It’s been so long!”
“When did he find out?” Slick snaps.
“When did who find out what?” I ask.
“Pernell. He had to have found out, or you would not have been the judge on his case, so when?”
“He presided on…” I can’t believe this.
“Meredith, you are mistaken! It was a court rotational thing, and...oww!” He yelps as I grab his nipples and twist.
“Mr Fremlick, sorry to interrupt, but you need to leave soon so you can catch…” The servant trails off as he takes in the scene.
“Catch what?” I hear Slick growl.
“A plane to his home in Maryland.” He whispers. Clearly she’s back to a nine!
“Address!” I demand.
ONISION FREMLICK’S MARYLAND RESIDENCE, EARLY EVENING
BRIAN
I have used at least three tubes of the sanitiser that my bombshell puts in every pocket of my jackets after having touched that guy! You’d think a sub would be used to pain, but he squealed like a stuck and branded pig! “Where are you going?!” I hiss at a retreating Slick.
“Round the back. He sees you, he most likely is going to run...right into me. Give me five minutes!”
I set my watch and take in the grandeur of this place. Yeah, he could not afford it, but I suppose having a rich sub has its plus points. I knock on the door and wait.
“Just coming, my sweet. Have you been behaving? I do hope not!” His voice makes me want to rip off my ears.
When he opens the door, his face plummets. “Where’s Twinkle?” I push him back inside. “Bring him to me now.”
“He’s...he’s sleeping! The person who owns this place is a Judge, and…”
“Your sub, yeah, we know.”
“We?” He questions.
“You don’t think I have come here alone, do you?”
“I figured it out, you passed it on.” Slick stops his retreat. “On your knees. On your knees.”
Cameron sinks down, but there is something. “Go on, I dare you. His name was Pernell Harriman, wasn’t it? And he was kicked out, but had gotten to you first and taught you enough for you to be kicked out later, so he kept tabs on those he could. Then he met someone, so he didn’t need that world anymore.” When Slick comes to my side, it is then that I spot the knife. “Did you ever see him after he was booted?”
“No, didn’t need to. He taught me well...and I love doling it out!” He crows. “Now I am going to get up and bring Twinkle around. If I can…I might have gotten the dosage wrong.” He gets up and strides to the stairs, only stopping when the knife thunks into the wall about a foot in front of him.
“Okay, let’s end this farce. You don’t have Twinkle, and the only people that know we are here belong to ‘the world’ that you tried to conquer and failed, because eventually the sub-side of you will out.”
“Sub-side, he’s a sub?!” I don’t get it.
“Yep, a Dom would never consent to pain. Also, he called from an unrecognised number to tell Grimm and Sandy about Twinkle. I needed him to admit he ‘had’ him...and he did, which puts him on a charge of witness intimidation. And this is a fumblilation, him and Fremlick. That’s what they call it.”
“Who calls whatever that word was?” I frown.
“The Subs. It’s slang, combo of fumble and humiliation, means they try to ‘dom’ each other...he’s been doing it for years. He just picks weaker ones. Found out in Lionel that it was a bad idea.” Cameron’s face falls. “We’re going back to Pittsburgh. You are facing justice and…”
“I am not doing that! It has been years! They are clearly over it, and...”
“Nice kick.” Slick smiles down at the now unconscious Cameron.
“I thought so.” I grin. “Oh, by the way…”
“Carl was behind us, I know.” She pulls the knife out of the wall. “He said as long as the knife doesn’t hit him, it’s good. My Grandma’s.” She puts it away. “I was a small kid and quick to learn. She could always tell his mood, my Mom I mean. She would get me out of the house to my Grandma’s, but wanted to stay home to protect Matty. I think in some way they each thought they were taking it to protect the other from getting it worse. Grandma, before she moved, taught me how to throw...but it worked out...it worked out.”
“Slick, maybe you should talk to Alex too. You’re still hurting.” I embrace her tightly, then turn her away from the last vestiges of her past. “Please?”
“Okay.”
End of flashback
JUSTIN
My eyes are burning because they have been on stalks whilst he has been talking. “A sub? He’s a sub!”
“Yep, and could you blink, please? You are freaking me out!” I squinch my eyes a few times. “You okay?” I nod. “So…” He sniffs the air. “...we have about forty minutes.”
“We do?” I am all for frisky forty, but am somewhat disappointed when he carries me back inside to the bathroom. “So we...ah.” I chuckle for a few seconds. “He is also attempting what?”
“Porterhouse steaks. Ems sent me a text earlier.” He replies as he starts to shampoo my hair. “What is it?”
“There could be more people. He could…”
“No there couldn’t.” He kisses my shoulder. “Once he killed her, he was on his own, well, for a bit. In Fremlick, he got what he got, but you do not need to worry about either of them.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because they’re in solitary confinement until their trials.” He grins as he starts to massage the conditioner in, God, I love moments like this.
“How?!”
“As well as having a power-sub as a brother, it is oh-so-helpful to have two high powered attorneys as a friend and brother-in-law.”
I ponder this for a few seconds, then look up. “They’re representing them? Lynette and Casper, I mean?”
“No, they can’t, but a friend of Philip’s is.” He reaches for the loofah.
“Who?” I purr as he does my back.
“Josiah Momtalinga.” He stops me from falling as I spun around so quickly. “Like I said, there are advantages.”
Fifty minutes later, we are making our way to Ted and Blake’s cabin, hand in hand. Baloo and Baggie are already situated. I still can’t believe my life sometimes, but that is nothing compared to the misery that is going to be Cameron’s and Fremlick’s. Yes, Philip and Lionel are good, but Josiah Momtalinga is the leading attorney when it comes to human rights, especially the rights of abuse victims. I couldn't get it out of Brian, how he got they got him, but, suffice to say, I would not miss their trials for the world!