CHAPTER 39 - WE MEET AGAIN...UNLUCKILY FOR YOU

TREEHOUSE -  MID-MORNING, NEXT DAY 

WORKSHOP

FAAL

When I put her beer down, she smiles, then inhales half. “I needed that. Thanks!”

“Are you alright?” I knead her shoulders. She nods before finishing the beer. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. Why are you asking?”

“Because, when you couldn’t shoot Chris, you sulked for six hours. Also, Lindsay was taken out ‘without your help’, and you couldn’t shoot Marcel. Why are you an ocean of calm...Christmas baubles, you are making baubles?! Okay, what is going on?!” She chuckles and continues to work...she knows I hate that! “ZADEN!” 

“Alright, alright!” She kisses me gently. “The nest is going to be one wasp down…”

“They already are.” I frown.

“Aiding and abetting abscondment.” 

“What?” I am about to start tickling!

“By giving her the passport, then not alerting the authorities, she aided her flight from the United States without permission, which is a bad thing. Well, for her anyway.”

“Which her?!” I gripe, then it dawns. “You didn't?!”

“I did my civic duty, once I made sure we were deffo in the clear. She chose to accept, nobody forced her to go. It was Marcel that gave me the idea, saying that she would immediately go to her aid, so asked for a welcome party!” I kiss her soundly. “Mmm, delicious! And then there is Sapperstein.” She reaches for my beer. “Cause of death, heart attack.”

“We knew this.” I start to turn off the furnace. She takes off her gauntlets and gestures to the sofa. We settle down, and I chuckle. “What did he find out?”

“All he could say is that someone collected his personal effects.”

“So?” I don’t get it!

“What is the most annoying thing you do in the mornings?”

“Fart?”

“Apart from that!” She laughs. “You read and listen to the news, all news, and especially Prison Radio…didn’t you notice something was missing?” I think about it, but am coming up blank. “We need to get out of here, the heat is addling your brain!” 

As we walk back to the house, I stop. “He’s a child rapist who just got transferred to general pop, where he was shielded somewhat, as is the norm. His sudden death would…have to be announced. They would run the obit for 30 days from death, giving those who want to, time to claim them before they are buried by the State…”

“See, all you needed was fresh air! Now bring it home!”

“His death hasn’t been announced...so how did whosoever collected his affects know he is dead?”

“Precisely! Dad is working on finding out who took them.” 

BRITIN - SAME TIME

TOY ROOM 

BRIAN

I love his back. I stroke his spine, then spread his cheeks. My cock is buried deep inside my Sunshine. “Ohm!” He whispers as he manages to almost push me through the mattress as he cowgirls his way down, then starts stroking my balls. “You...you know what I love about this position?”

“The control?” I gasp.

“Well that too, but I get to watch…” He groans and swirls his hips, I ball my fists. “...you are so close, aren’t you?” 

“Uh huh!” I arch my neck, wishing I could kiss him, but he wanted to play this way today. 

“Fast-fast-slow-slow or slow-slow-fast-fast.” He blows me a kiss over his shoulder.

“La...latter!” I manage to grind out. He leans slightly forward to show his hole in its full glory. I get up onto my elbows, changing the position of my cock, which makes him moan and ripple.

“Oh this angle is so good, so good!” My cock looks almost glassy with his juices. He positions his so it rests against my balls, then starts to move. “Now, not a sound, I just want to hear our skin.”

TWENTY SWEATY MINUTES LATER

JUSTIN

“Semond...” I mumble into the mattress.

“...which is first? Honeymoon or first time?” He kisses my back, then helps me up from around his ankles, where the aftershocks sent me. 

“How not pujjle or debbi? Was inspense.” I sigh as he repositions us so that we are spooning.

“You’re lucky I understand post-cum gibberish.” He snorts into my neck. “You said ‘get to watch’, what do you mean?” I wiggle around and we kiss languorously. “Come on, Sunshine, what?”

“Your toes.” I reply, pressing closer. “You scrunch your toes when you are close.”

“So do you.” He mutters.

“Learned from the…” I yawn hugely.

“Best...now sweep!” He chuckles.

MEL AND LEDA’S HOUSE - SAME TIME

OFFICE

GUS

“Hey, what you doing in here?” Mom looks surprised. “Everything okay?”

“Yep, all good. Just going over the plans for the dinner. Wait…” I get up and move the papers from the daybed, which Uncle Faal suggested we get, and by ‘suggest’, I mean he bought, installed, then told us about it. “...get comfy, want your body pillow?” She nods. I just get it perfect when her tears start to flow. “Mom! Mom, what’s the matter?!”

“I was so cruel, so cruel to him. Never let him have one thing...” She hiccups.

“It’s in the past, look where you two are now! And let’s be honest, Dad being Dad, he needled you to the nth degree!” 

“True, but he never got to see anything about you…” She hands me an envelope. “...so I want to give the both of you this, one for each of you.”

“What is it?” I ask, and begin to open it, but she stops me. 

“Do that together, please. They will be here soon, invited them for dinner. Jenny should be home in about an hour. She said she has some good news to share.” 

VANCE’S HOUSE - AN HOUR LATER

VANCE

I grimace at the departing back of Charles as he strides out. He has refused to entertain another article on the Taylor-Kinney’s! He actually laughed when I told him about his days as a disco dancer. When I asked what was so funny, he said that everyone knew that. During that conference debacle, there was full disclosure about his past life after we had to go to the hospital. And I can’t even say anything about him and Sapperstein sharing coke, and the latter being dead, as it has not been reported yet. But that should have him running back to me in no time. 

I hear the familiar beep of the horn, and head downstairs. I am surprised to see another person with Brutus. “Who is this?” I ask as I get in.

“Seamus, Mr Vance. He is going to be your temporary driver whilst I am on leave, so thought it would be good to introduce you to each other, show him how you like to be driven.”

“Oh, nice to meet you then. You are very lucky, Brutus is excellent!” I settle back in my seat. “Now I have a lot of meetings today. The first stop is Iggy Woolley. You have a print out of the route, don’t you?” 

“Yes, Mr Vance. First rule of driving Mr Vance is that he doesn’t like the satnav. Therefore, you have to print maps out, give them to Mr Vance, and he will guide you.”

“Got it.” Seamus smiles.

“Let us proceed. By the way, Brutus, are you going away?”

“No, just going to relax for a week.”

BRUTUS

If you think I am not going to follow you every step of the way whilst Seamus, who's also my Shorty, is driving you, you are sorely mistaken! I haven’t cleared this with Zeus or Zaden, but Luther knows. He said he will tell them. However, in the meantime, I hope we can pull this off!

MEL AND LEDA’S HOUSE -  EARLY EVENING

LOUNGE

JUSTIN

They are both sniffing. I hand Brian my handkerchief, whilst Leda gives Gus tissues. “Thank you.” Brian whispers as he goes through the pictures again. “So this is when?” 

“That was the first one.” Mel smiles. “See...there he is, your Sonny Boy.” I am not sure why she has given him copies of the sonograms, and his photos up to the age of one, but I am glad she did.

“What wood do you want?” I kiss his damp cheek. “For the frame, going to do it the same as we have for MJ.”

“Thank you, Sunshine.”

“Um, Papa, can you get the wood, but just me and Dad do the frame? Would you mind?”

“Of course not, was going to suggest exactly that!” I lean over to kiss Gus’s forehead.

“Good, as Uncle Justin is going to be that framing for Olivier and me!” Jenny chimes in. “Now, more happy news! Warden Price has told me something. Grampa Lute has been helping other prisoners…”

“What do you…sorry!” Hank backtracks as her lip curls.

“Seems on becoming friends with Archie, he’s been on the downlow, checking into any other issues like that. He’s got at least eight other prisoners to help with their statements! And Mom, I really think he could study law.”

“I thought the same.” Mel smiles. “Now all we have to do is convince…” 

“Already done!” Jenny beams. “He just needs a referee…”

“Give me that form!” Brian demands. “Tell him he needs to make my marrow proud!”

“I will, I promise!” She declares. “Now someone give me a tissue!”

ALEXANDER PIRNIE FEDERAL BUILDING, NYC - MID-AFTERNOON, TWO DAYS LATER

COURTROOM ONE

JUDGE CONNOR

“Morning, Judge, how are you feeling today?” Liz, my wonderful bailiff asks as she lays out the papers. “Did you have a good evening?” 

“It could’ve been...uh, Liz, is this correct? Case Numbers: 45789/DCJ/LP/2A and 45889/DCJ/NP/2B?” She looks at her copies, then nods. I read the notes, before sighing crossly. “Oh, I am going to enjoy them! Let’s run them together, since they relate to the same thing, thereby saving court time.”

“Of course.”

AN HOUR LATER

LINDSAY

I look across at Mother, she is still in shock. I am not sure how she is facing trial as well, but here we both are. “All rise, these proceedings are to be held in tandem, the State vs Lindsay and Nancy Peterson. Judge Connor to preside.”

That name sounds...as soon as I see her, my heart shrivels. “What is going on?” I ask my attorney, but he shushes me.

“The defendant, Nancy Peterson, case number: 45889/DCJ/NP/2B, will take the stand.” The DA intones when she is sworn in. “You are charged with aiding and abetting the abscondment of Lindsay Peterson...”

“I don’t…” I begin. 

“Just listen!” My attorney hisses.

“I didn’t do any of…” Mother whimpers.

“So how did she, whilst she was in prison, get her passport? It was not listed in her personal effects, so she got it from you. You were aware of the terms of the release, you were in court at the time. Is that not correct?”

“Yes, I was, but…”

“So you helped her to leave.”

“I had assumed she had made the necessary arrangements. It wasn’t down to me to tell the authorities! That was her responsibility!” 

“As a guarantor to her continued good behaviour, it was also yours!”

PRISON VAN - TWO HOURS LATER

LINDSAY

We are cuffed and silent. I have been sentenced to serve out the rest of my time, plus another two years for breach of restraining order, but the light at the end of the tunnel is that she has been sentenced to three years! Turns out that whilst she had given the authorities, and me, the correct information, the moment I was in the air, she closed everything down, effectively damning me to my fate. Yes, she did give me the mail, but I binned it as soon as I landed in South Africa, figuring I didn’t need it. Faal would take care of me. So they have made an example of her!

“All you had to do was open your bloody mail!” She hisses.

“And all you have to do from this point on is keep your bloody mouth shut!” I snap back. “No...now is the time for you to listen. I have experience where we are going, you don’t. I know what to say and what not to say, you don’t. Let’s face it, Nancy, your WASP is not going to sting in here. In fact, you will most likely get stung, so I suggest you shut up for the rest of the journey, because for once, you need me more than I need you!”

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