Brian stepped from Ted's SUV, tension creating slight lines on his face, the stress of this journey starting to wear on him. When Ted looked to speak, Brian raised his hand to silence him. "Save it, Theodore. I know I've looked better. I'm at the end of my patience here... both with Michael and my reckless blond. This needs to end quickly... and without incident."

"I'm sure it will, Brian. We both know that Michael is no match for you - physically or intellectually."

"Of course not; however, he has the advantage of sorts. He has something that I want... and what he wants from me is something I am unwilling to give. Therefore, finesse is required here." Brian took in a deep breath, gesturing for Hamin to stay close to him. "Do me a favor, Ted..."

Drolly, Ted replied, "Another one?" Flinching at the ice that immediately appeared in Brian's steely gaze, he amended, "what do you need?"

"If you have any inside connections at the club, I'd like for you to contact them and make sure everything is as it should be. I have men watching the outside in case Justin gets into trouble. However, I am more worried about the inside - at the moment."

"I'm on good terms with the bartender; I can make some inquiries," Ted told him, uncertain of exactly what Brian thought was happening there... or what he could do to prevent it, with him being away from the club. It was a gay nightclub. If Justin was going to rebel, which he assumed he was, the boy was probably already in the backroom, whether it be giving or receiving. Ted shuddered. He hoped it wasn't receiving. There wasn't a doubt in his mind how disastrous that could end.

Brian patted Ted on the shoulder, showing an uncustomary gratitude. "Thank you, Ted. We wouldn't be as close to ending this without your assistance. Once I have Justin back safely, and we are returning home, your efforts will be rewarded." Turning from Ted, anxious to get this part over with quickly, Brian told Hamin, "I want you to knock on Michael's room. You know where to go... and I'd like to enter without any attention to myself. If he sees me, he will look for the quickest escape."

"Yes, Master..." Hamin answered, smiling apologetically when the Sultan glared at him. No titles were to be used here in the presence of outsiders. It was difficult to break years of habit. And referring to him as anything else just didn't feel right. He proceeded ahead of his master, mindful to keep the same pace as his Sultan, knowing the last thing he should do was cause a separation. Michael couldn't see the Sultan coming. Once he had opened his door... then, the Sultan could overtake him.

When they exited the elevator, Brian hissed in his ear, "I'll stand off to the side. Don't knock unless the hallway is empty."

Nodding his understanding, Hamin led them to Michael's door; he turned his head to the left, then to the right, following his master's commands to the last detail. Meeting the Sultan's cold gaze, he watched as he moved to the left, out of sight, but close enough to grab the door when the time was right. He raised his hand, knocking sharply, knowing Michael wouldn't open the door without seeing someone he trusted on the other side.

The door marginally opened, angry eyes focusing on him. So confident of his control on his visitor, not bothering to look further. "Why are you back here? You are supposed to be taking care of that worthless little shit!"

Brian gritted his teeth... both at the sound of that voice and in his reference toward Justin. It would be a miracle if he didn't commit mass murder tonight. At the moment, he wouldn't care how it fell in with the bounds of diplomatic immunity. Taking one look up and down the hallway, Brian flattened his palm against the door, shoving against it with his other hand... effectively knocking Michael backwards and directly onto his ass. He snarled as he spat out, "You won't mind if I come in... will you, Michael? Especially since you have gone to such lengths to lure me to New York!"

Eyes wide, his mouth opening to elicit the most ear-piercing scream, he was made helpless when Brian ordered, "Silence! Or, I will shut your vile mouth myself!"

Awkwardly standing to his feet, Michael pierced Hamin with a direct gaze, the color draining from his face at Hamin's confident approach, the look in the servant's eyes telling him all he needed to know. Somehow Brian had reversed the hypnotic spell. How long had the slave duped him? Did Brian know everything? And if he did, what about his undeserving blond obsession? Where was he now? Holding his hands up in what they all knew to be mock supplication, Michael whined, "Brian, be reasonable. No harm was done to anyone. I can fix all that was done. Just give me a chance."

"Give. You. A. Chance." One by one, Brian spat out the words, his steps moving closer to the man he wanted to kill with his own bare hands. If they were in Al Duran, that was precisely what he would do. To hell with Ben or his feelings. This had gone too far for that now. Michael would be sentenced to death. He just had to get him on his land first. Brian shoved Michael further into the room, sneering as the smaller man once again fell to the floor. "You are pathetic and weak. Mind tricks are your only power... and your downfall as well. I cannot let someone as dangerous and depraved as you live."

Struggling to sit up, Michael venomously reminded, "What about your precious Justin? If you kill me, his hypnosis stands. What I did to him won't be as easy to reverse as Hamin's. I made sure of that."

Was he bluffing? Fuck! He couldn't take that chance. "What are you talking about?"

"My hypnosis was a bit more, hmmm, shall I say - detailed, with Justin? Yes, that's it. Your doctor won't find an easy answer for that..."

Bending down, Brian grasped Michael's collar, yanking him unceremoniously to his feet. "I am going to kill you, Michael. Only one thing will stop that. Tell me how to undo what you have done to Justin."

"Fuck you, Brian! You will kill me anyway. Do you think I don't know that?" Michael adjusted his collar, backing away from the beautiful primitive as much as he could. "He doesn't deserve this attention and devotion, Brian. You should have a man that worships the very ground you walk on. A man like me. Why can't you see that?"

"First of all..." Brian hissed, red flecks appearing in his eyes, "you are not to speak to me with such familiarity. You are nothing but an insect to me. I would step on you and crush you without a moment's hesitation. Now, give me my answer. How do I fix Justin?"

"It's very intricate, dear Sultan. I can't even do it with a snap of my fingers. Justin's hypnosis is drug-induced... and sadly I don't have the mixture to bring him out of it." Michael laughed maniacally, clearly reading the increased rage in Brian's eyes. Unable to stop himself, Michael moved closer to Brian, his hand reaching up to caress the side of Brian's face. "You are so beautiful in your anger, Your Highness. I could be everything to you - if you would allow it. I can make you forget about him... about all of them. Just give me a chance."

Brian looked away from the sinister and utterly sick man. His patience was completely gone. Only one thing kept him from killing Michael - here and now. It wasn't Justin. He didn't doubt that Michael was so diseased that no form of torture would render an answer to release Justin from the hypnosis. He would bring the best doctors in the world to his island if necessary. No, his restraint wasn't about Justin. This time, it was about Ben. He had dishonored him in how he had handled his dilemma with Michael in the past. Ben might leave Al Duran because of it. Whatever he decided, once he had given him all the facts, and Michael received his judgment, everything could change. In all of it, Ben would have closure. He should have had it in the beginning... but in this, he had made a mistake. The man that didn't do regrets had one now. "You sicken me, Michael. And your fate is sealed."

Brian looked across the room where Hamin stood guard by the door, knowing his servant was ready to follow through on any command. "Silence him now, Hamin." It was time to forge a permanent resolution. He turned to face Michael, his back stiff, face unyielding, and his eyes as hard as granite, as Hamin moved into position to painlessly render Michael unconscious. "You will be transported to my private plane and returned to your prison cell in Al Duran. On my return, I will pass judgment on your various acts of treason."

"Remain here with him until the others arrive. Discretion is your objective now. You cannot be seen removing Michael's unconscious body. Once you have him in the car, I want him taken directly to the plane, and back to Al Duran. Another plane is on the way here for me now." Brian made certain Hamin understood the instructions before he continued, "You have done a great service to me, Hamin... and for the welfare of our people. Your loyalty will be remembered."

"Thank you, Master." Hamin bowed to the waist, his eyes and head down until the Sultan permitted him to rise. "I have much to atone for falling for this monster's treachery. I will spend my life doing that."

"No Hamin. Your debt is paid in full. Without your aid, we wouldn't be where we are now. It is time to forget the past and forge a new future." Brian became silent as he heard rapidly approaching footsteps from outside the door. Looking through the peephole, he observed his men. Opening the door, he let them inside, advising them to be discreet and not to gag Michael if it wasn't necessary. "He should be unconscious until you reach the plane. I have supporters that will grant you easy access. Hamin knows what to do."

Brian shook his head as he watched them leading Michael out as if he were intoxicated and unable to move about on his own. "Fucking imbecile..." he growled. Getting Justin back in his full right mind wouldn't be tonight... and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. He had spoken the truth to Michael. His death was imminent. It didn't matter how much Ben opposed him, his decision was made. As the ruler of his nation, he owed it to not only his people, but to others that Michael's poison could continue to afflict.

Once they all returned to Al Duran, and Ben had the opportunity to say a true goodbye to his former lover, Michael Novotny would be executed.

Justin shook his head as he made his way through the club, desperately trying to understand all that had just happened. So much of it was a blur... mostly his interactions with Brian. He couldn't believe it. Not only was Brian in New York... but he had found him so quickly. He had been foolish not to expect it. Actually, he had expected it... just not so soon.

As he moved toward the bar, smiling as he ordered a beer from the bartender... deciding whether he should drink before a performance or not didn't matter. He had just been hunted down by the Sultan of Al Duran. A drink was in order. The beer he had settled on wouldn't be nearly strong enough. Accepting his drink and paying for it, Justin turned and faced the hot, dancing bodies, still reeling from tonight's events. The Sultan was here. More shocking than that... something had been so urgent it had distracted him from claiming him. What could have been so important?

Continuing to be filled with confusion... both by Brian's actions, along with his own responses while in Sapperstein's office, Justin didn't notice when Gary initially approached him - his mind trying to sift through the recent events, while feeling something was blocking him from acquiring a full understanding. He felt an inner conflict... but not as much as he had when Brian had been near him. Why could that be? Flinching when a hand touched his side, Justin turned to glare at what he initially expected to be one of Brian's subjects, only to find it to be his boss. "Uhhh, what's up, Gary? Is it about the extra set?" Justin asked, biting his lip uncertainly, knowing that the Sultan could reappear at any moment... and realizing how his territorial ex-lover would view that.

"No Justin... not exactly," Gary told the blond, shaking his head in anger that he felt compelled to cast aside the young man that he knew had the potential of being his biggest moneymaker to date. Fucking rich aristocrats... or whatever Justin's Sultan descended from - the end result was the same. The Sultan had been a commanding, menacing force. He couldn't afford to alienate him further. "Come with me to my office. I'd prefer not to discuss this at the bar."

Taking a deep swallow of his beer, Justin warily followed along, confusion continuing to swelter in him. This was a different side of Gary Sapperstein. His approach always seemed to be cold and curt... but something was different this time. There was an edge to him that hadn't been present in their previous meetings. Completing the short walk to the office, Justin silently watched as Gary moved behind his desk, his hand almost angrily ripping what he knew to be a check from his checkbook. He moved back around to the front of his desk, extending it to Justin with obvious impatience and irritation on his face.

"This should compensate you for your time lost tonight, as well as your previous shifts." Gary begrudgingly made the offering. In the back of his mind feeling that he had no choice. The Sultan was obviously extremely infatuated with the young blond. He couldn't really fault the man for that. However, he hated that this gold mine was being abruptly snatched from him. So many plans he'd had for the hot young blond. Plans that would never come to fruition now. "I have to let you go, Justin. You come with far more baggage than I need. My business... not to mention my health is worth far more than the revenue I will lose once you go."

"Brian..." Justin whispered angrily. "He told you to fire me. I can't believe him!!" Justin frowned, the more he thought about Brian, the more his confusion returned... along with an unforgiving anger. It came on so suddenly that it was easy to recognize how much it transformed him. Instantly, he became filled with hatred... along with the need to strike back.

"You would know him better than I." Gary shrugged his shoulders indifferently, knowing the expense was a small price to pay if it meant the jealous Sultan would leave him in peace. The last thing he needed was such a man sticking his nose in his private business matters. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that was what would happen - if the Sultan's favorite toy stuck around. "I have a club to run, and a replacement to find for you. So... goodbye, Justin."

Crossing his arms across his chest, Justin glared at the weak man. "You are pathetic, Gary. I told you not to take him on... but this kind of cowering will only make him victimize you all the more." Justin ripped the check up and dropped the pieces on Sapperstein's desk. "I don't need any handouts. I will survive just fine on my own. It's time a certain Sultan realizes he can't dictate to everyone. I can handle that on my own..."

"You are a fool, Taylor. Gullible and ripe for the picking. If your crazed lover hadn't appeared, I would make use of that myself." Fuck! How he hated the primitive Sultan. The more he thought of all the money he was losing by handing this prime piece of flesh over, the more incensed he became. So much so that he thought of taking a risk, but immediately thought better of it. He wouldn't win that war. A man would need to be deaf and blind not to see that.

Justin moved closer, his eyes cold and uncaring. "You can still watch me enrage him, Gary... and it won't be a risk to your lack of balls." Laughing when Gary's eyes glittered menacingly, knowing to push this immoral man this far would at least allow him to cash in on him one last time, and in doing so, put the almighty Sultan in his place. "I'll give you the chance to capitalize on me, Gary. One brief opportunity before the Sultan returns... possibly with his entire entourage. I guess the determining factor would be - do you have the balls to take advantage of it - and me."

Gary's eyes flared. "I am not afraid of your lover! I am just trying to make him leave more amicably without stirring anything up. Some things go on around here that the wrong people don't need to know about." Gary cursed at how much he just revealed about the shady... and completely illegal dealings he had eluded to in his statement. Justin didn't need to know this shit either. "I thought you wanted him gone. Why do something to enrage him further?"

"Because he needs to know that he isn't the ruler of everyone... everywhere. Now, we don't have a lot of time. Do you want to hear my idea or not?" Justin asked, ignoring the twinges in his chest at the thought of doing something that he knew would not only irritate Brian, but possibly hurt him as well. Some inner voice kept telling him it was the only way... and he just couldn't ‘not' listen. Knowing exactly what language to speak to get Gary to forget his fear of the Sultan, whether he admitted to being frightened of him or not, Justin tempted him even further. "All the money you receive will be all yours. I don't want any of it. Now... Do I have your attention?"

Seeing the interest flaring in the depraved and greedy man's eyes, Justin knew he had more than an attentive listener. Brian would be filled with rage, and perhaps enough disgust of his ‘supposed' property soiled further that he would turn his back on him. During that time would be his best chance at escape. Justin frowned as that conflict flickered in and out of his mind. He felt so uncertain of what he was doing, and yet, he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"Okay, this is what I propose... it has to happen quickly. I'm not even sure how many men you can gather at such short notice." Justin chuckled, it was hollow, feeling like it came from someone else. "This is quite ironic really. I want to put myself on auction. The highest bidder wins my company for the rest of the night."

Gary's eyes widened, large dollar signs immediately flashing in the back of his mind. Fuck! Why hadn't he thought of this himself sooner... and when he wasn't so pressured to hurry. He could make a small fortune off this kid. But was it worth the risk? As his eyes moved over Justin's hot and entirely too fuckable body, Gary made his choice. "Go wait in the private room. I will make some calls, and gather some men from the club that know how to keep their mouths shut. Fifteen minutes and your perky little ass will be sold for the night to the highest bidder."

Justin shivered, hoping he wasn't making a terrible mistake. What if he fell into the hands of some parasite even worse than Gary Sapperstein? Justin swallowed and nodded quickly. It was all about escaping Brian and getting the territorial Sultan to release him once and for all. "Uhhh, Gary... please don't hook me up with some abusive prick. I'd like to come out of this with my ass intact."

"Leave that to me, Justin. Your ass might get used," Gary's laugh was full of debauchery, "you'll live through it, though. And if it rids you of your annoying stalker, maybe we can take this a step further... when I have more time to prepare."

Justin inclined his head, not about to tell him that this was about to be a one-time thing. Tonight marked the last time he would see both this club and the repugnant Gary Sapperstein. It was just a question of it being him on the run again... or returning to his role as the Sultan's captive. One thing was for certain... if Brian didn't turn from him in disgust, this time he wouldn't be lured to Brian's homeland. He would be taken.

TBC