CHAPTER 21: CONTINGENCY PLANS

PITTSBURGH

“Alright, so now that he’s gone, how do we want to play this?” Cynthia asked. “In truth I don’t trust the fucker any further than I can throw him. So…”

“Call Leslie Lockhart,” Brian said, reaching out to grab Justin by the waist and pulling him into his lap. “She’s one reporter who we can trust.”

“Are you sure, Brian? I mean the last time…”

“Yeah, I’m sure. That interview wasn’t her fault. Besides, we all knew that former Senator Alex Johnson was losing his mind. Although he refuted the allegations and rumors during his interview, he was still arrested in his mistress’ underclothing the very next week after she called the police on him for abusing her.”

“True, but isn’t it too soon to hold the conference? Strictly from a publicity point of view, wouldn’t it be better to let them sweat it out a bit?”

“If this was anyone but us, I would say yes and plan accordingly. But the fact that Ronald Peterson just left here and that the stinking video was released this morning, makes both Justin and me even bigger targets than before. I’ll bet my salary that one or both of the bastard James brothers are already on their way here to Pittsburgh, trying to figure out the best way to catch Justin and me unawares. The only thing we have going for us right now is that they don’t know where I live, but I know Lindsay would have told them about the ins and outs of the loft building by now. Considering that, plus the fact that they have loads of disposable income at the moment that they wouldn’t hesitate to use in order to hire thugs to kidnap or kill Justin and me, I’d say that the sooner we put our story out there, the better.”

“I agree with Brian,” Justin chimed in. “Right now, the only thing we have in our arsenal is the element of surprise. They will expect me to be off cowering in a corner somewhere, ashamed of myself- which I am to a degree. But the last thing they would expect is for me to be completely honest and open at a time like this. Doing this now, not only protects us, but it protects Mel and Gus, too. Also, having William tell the world outright that he wasn’t involved, will shine a new light on the real culprits in the matter. There’s no way William would be seen with us in public if he was really the one responsible for all of this.”

“But people lie all the time…”

“Not when fucking around with men as dangerous and unscrupulous as Brandon and Connor. Their reach is far, and if they want you dead, you will be. In my case, they want me back, so it gives me a little leverage. As for Brian, they won’t be able to touch him without coming for me, and they know it.”

“So call Leslie now and arrange the interview for this evening. Trust me, whatever she’s got going on will be tossed aside for this, since it’s the only exclusive we’re giving. In the meantime, gather all of our press associates, those whom we trust to report the truth without fabrication and conjecture, to arrange for the conference within the next two hours at Kinnetik. This building isn’t in my name, so at least we’re safe here for the time being. But like Jennifer said, we’re sitting ducks here, so we need to find somewhere else. Jenn, do you think we can have that taken care of today?”

“Sure, I might have something, but I need your specs first.”

“High-end neighborhood, wrought iron gates, all the bells and whistles we would want as if this wasn’t going on. This is one time nosy ass neighbors will serve a purpose. Also, we’ll need an area, preferably a separate building, that would have been used as servant quarters or at the very least, can be added onto quickly.”

“Servant quarters? Are we getting a full staff?” Justin asked him, turning to look into Brian’s eyes.

“Eventually. But the quarters will be used to house our full-time security detail. Ted, can you call Axel and make sure that he and his crew are available for immediate employment? Jenn, the house also has to be big enough for Mel, Leda, and Gus too. Even if they don’t choose to stay with us full-time once this is all over, they are still family and should have their own space within our home.”

“Brian, I don’t want to move again. I just moved here,” Mel complained, shaking her head.

“Look Mel, it’s not forever; just for now. I know that you and Leda are perfectly capable women, but it’s not just you alone. The condo is in your name. It would be nothing for Lindsay to tell Connor that the way to bring Justin to heel is to kidnap you and Gus. You have to remember how Lindsay thinks. You’re on record as mine and Justin’s lawyer. You have full parental access to the one person in my life, other than my husband, that I would do anything for. And most importantly, you’re our friend. We couldn’t let anything happen to you without doing all we can to protect you from the start. So please Mel, for our sake…”

“Oh alright, Kinney. I get it!”

“That’s Taylor-Kinney, if you please.” Brian smirked at her, happy to have gotten his way with the extraordinarily independent woman.

“So we have an immediate plan of action in place, but what of long-term?” Donovan asked.

“What do you mean?” Justin asked, genuinely perplexed at the question. As far as he was concerned, they were doing all they could do until Connor and Brandon made their move.

“Lindsay. We all agree that she isn’t going to stop, and this press conference in the next few hours is bound to anger her. So my question is, are you going to publicly link her to the James Brothers? Doing so is guaranteed to do one of two things: either it’s going to keep her from causing more mischief, or it’s going to drive her out into the open.”

Justin was silent for a time before shaking his head, “I don’t know. You guys are the experts on the Bitch from Beelzebub so you all decide. I’ll abide by whatever you think is best.”

“In that case, we mention her.” Brian said. “Everything we say about her can be proven, so there isn’t any legal recourse she can take.”

“Uh, Brian… knowing Lindsay like we do, she’s going to come back here on a broom,” Cynthia said.

“Yeah she will. But with the LAPD being slow to arrest celebrities or anyone linked to them, that works to our advantage in a way. We need to be able to see what the bitch is planning, not just speculate or anticipate her moves. If she’s determined to get her hands on Gus, she’ll need to make the move herself and not go through a third party. Her rights are in the process of being revoked permanently as we speak. Perhaps this interview will light a fire under the judge’s ass. The fact that we’re prominent in the community should count for something as well.”  

They all nodded at Brian’s reasoning. But that was just like him, to see the full advantage in their position. Justin cleared his throat. “Mel and Donovan, we also need you to be on camera with us.”

“Why?” Both of them questioned at the same time.

“I know that Brian, Cynthia, and Ted… even you Donovan, trust this Leslie person. But having you there will give credence to all we’re saying. Not only that, it will keep her from asking inappropriate questions about my time as Brandon and Connor’s sex slave. I won’t go into all the details of my time there, although I still plan to be completely honest. The fact that this is high-profile and will certainly make her career should be enough. Anything else will be exposed in a courtroom, should it even make it there, and not before. By doing this, we also light a fire under the police departments and judicial systems of New York, L.A., and Pittsburgh. They can’t ignore it, nor can they have anything jeopardizing their cases and creating bias among potential jurors.”

“So while you’re protecting yourself, you’re also protecting the integrity of the case.” Mel shook her head in incredulity. “I swear, you’re fucking brilliant. It’s a move high-profile attorneys and publicists use all the time.”

Justin smiled. “I know. I may have been punished for speaking with people, but I made sure that whatever conversations I had counted for something. There’s a lot to be said for looking innocent while encouraging the boastful and arrogant to bask in their own self-importance.”

“A highly useful skill in our line of work, I assure you. In the meantime gentlemen, it’s time for you to get ready,” Cynthia ordered, already tapping into her cell phone to arrange things. “I’ve already sent the emails, and a few confirmations as well. Brian, I’ve also rescheduled Leo Brown’s meeting for tomorrow but apparently, he wants to provide support to both of you personally. So he’ll be there during the press conference and this evening during the interview.”

“What?” Ted asked, his mouth hanging open. Leo Brown was notoriously conservative, although he liked Brian. It was a big deal for him to publicly declare his support for Justin.

“He said that if he had gay grandsons and this was happening to them, he would move Heaven and hell to see them safely through it. Since you both are fatherless in this matter, he said he’d be honored to stand beside you both. Besides, based on what he said, I think he can shed a little more light on the Network than what we know currently. Better to keep him close, I’m thinking.” Cynthia informs them.

“I’m fine with him being there, but this isn’t my story to tell. Justin, how do you feel about it?” Brian deferred to his life partner, who really held all the cards with how they spun this.

“If it helps, Marlon Abrams is flying out here for the exact same reason,” Jennifer added. “It seems that you had made quite an impression on him when you met him. He’s willing to lend his support in any way he can, including his name. He should be here in time for the press conference.”

Justin chewed his lip, clearly weighing out the pros and cons to such an alliance. Coming to a decision, he told him, “As long as at the end of it all, it doesn’t affect the business relationship between Brown Athletics and Kinnetik Corp, I’m fine with it. I don’t want what comes out to change Leo Brown’s opinion of me, but especially not you, Brian. Before I even arrived here, before you even knew of me, your relationship with him was rock solid. I’d like it to remain that way.”

Brian slipped his arm around the young man’s waist and pulled him close. “Pass or fail, Blue, we’re in this together. I thought we’d already established that. There is no longer a ‘you’ or ‘I’ in this, no longer simply Brian or Justin, but ‘we’ and ‘us.’ We are the Taylor-Kinneys; we are Kinnetik Corp and this is about us and our lives.”

Justin smiled brightly at him. “No wonder you are such a good Ad man, Aiden. I guess that will still take some getting used to.”

“Surely, but get there fast, will you?”

Justin laughed. “I’ll work on that. In the meantime, I think it’s time for us to get dressed. I don’t think sweats and t-shirts will give off the right impression.”

The others watched in amazement at the ease in which Brian and Justin exited the room after displaying such intimacy in front of them. It was Mel who was most affected by it. “It’s about fucking time that he realized it!” she exclaimed.

“What?” Jennifer asked, perplexed by her crowing.

“That he is not a damn island. It was one source of the many contentions Brian and I had over the years. His penchant for autonomy and control was at times unbearable, especially since it always extended to those around him.”

“Oh, he’s still like that,” Cynthia stated. “But I think having met Justin, he’s learning how to put it all in the proper perspective.”

“Without a doubt, they are good for each other,” Molly noted. “Justin’s been on his own for so long, I have no doubt that Brian will spend the majority of his time reminding my brother that he isn’t any longer.”

“As long as I’ve known him, I have to say that I agree with you. I used to think that he was just a stuck-up little rich kid,” William told them.

“And now?” Ted was genuinely curious at his answer, having been witness to the many contretemps between Justin and the junior artist.

William thought about all he was continuing to learn about Justin Taylor-Kinney for a moment. “Now I think he’s quite possibly the bravest man I know. Even with the way my life has always been, constantly scrapping and fighting just to survive day-to-day, I don’t think I would have had the courage to live under the circumstances he has... much less to find a way out of them that’s left him mentally and financially stable, even without Brian as his life partner. Yeah, he may look like a fucking marshmallow, but that man is all tempered steel. I think Connor, Brandon, Lindsay, and Ethan are about to find that out the hard way. Ron Peterson already did.”

“So you’re still convinced it’s Ethan using your name?” Donovan asked.

“I know it is, and if going public will take the heat off me and put it on him where it belongs, then so be it. I didn’t survive the fucking streets for all these years to lose my life because of a low-rent rat with entitlement issues. I finally have just about everything I’ve worked long and hard for at my fingertips; I’m not losing it!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Los Angeles

Lindsay was lounging by the pool, trying to contain her chuckle while listening to Connor still ranting inside the house. He was on a conference call with his attorney and the entertainment agent for him and Brandon. It seemed that not only had their contracts for the movie and modeling job been cancelled, but also their sponsors had pulled their support from the brothers. In Lindsay’s mind, this was a good thing, since it would give the brothers more time to focus on the most important goal… getting Justin Taylor back where he belonged and her back on track to Brian, free and clear of any outside interference.

She opened her laptop, noticing that she had received another email from William, advising her that their next plan of attack was well underway. She clicked the video immediately, recognizing the tawdry and tacky inside of the Liberty Diner. The video spanned outward to capture the familiar red wig of the head waitress and a brunet head of a small little boy, talking animatedly about what was playing on the television. The camera then zoomed to the screen where one reporter was standing outside of the Kinnetik office. Lindsay smiled in triumph. There was no place Brian and his trick would be able to hide now. She turned up the volume so that she could hear exactly what was being said.

“Thanks Franklyn… yes, in light of the potentially damaging video that surfaced this morning, Justin Taylor-Kinney has decided to issue a public statement, which will happen in just a short while. Meanwhile, we’ve found out that while they are issuing this statement, they are also giving an exclusive interview this evening to set the record straight on the matter, once and for all.”

“Do you anticipate a fallout from what he has to say?” the man Lindsay recognized as anchorman Franklyn Johns asked.

Fucking hell! He’s supposed to be somewhere licking his wounds, not giving a fucking press conference!

“I would imagine so, since this scandal involves a couple of A-list celebrities as well as others. Either way, as one of the richest men in the country, the fact that he’s even doing this speaks volumes about his character through adversity. We’re all looking forward to hearing what he has to say,” Peter Jamison states, making Lindsay roll her eyes.

“Any idea who the others in this equation are as of yet?” Johns asks.

“Not yet, but I spoke briefly with their publicist, the Chief Operations Officer of Kinnetik, Cynthia Moore, and she stated that although the press conference will be brief, their interview with Leslie Lockhart this evening will go more in depth. How in depth that interview will go remains anyone’s guess. But… wait a moment, they are coming out now!”

Lindsay watched avidly as the camera zoomed in to the live press conference about to take place. Her heart beat faster at the sight of Brian, resplendent in Armani as always, his shoulders broad and filling that suit in the most delicious way. The proud tilt of his head as he regarded and nodded at the group of reporters, showed his class and the elegance that almost made her swoon. But her jealousy skyrocketed at the sight of the blond man standing next to him in a tan Boss suit, with a midnight blue shirt and striped tie which coordinated perfectly. The blond of his hair, complimented the colors and made his peaches and cream complexion and eyes glow, when on her she knew it would have made her look sallow. The fact that Brian leaned down and placed a passionate kiss on his full lips which caused him to blush, made her angry and green with envy. The sooner she could get rid of him the better, especially since Brian looked upon him the way he had never looked upon her, even after she gave birth to his fucking child!

Stepping up to the podium, Justin made a statement that would certainly rock all of their worlds.

“The rumors and the release of the tape this morning told the truth of my association with Connor and Brandon James. It was released by a man using the name of one of my employees, William Wainwright. I have spoken in depth with Mr. Wainwright about the video. We determined that it was released as a ploy to damage my reputation, the reputation of my husband, our various businesses and affiliates, and also to recommit my person into the hands of two abusive men for reasons that will become known later tonight. It is clear based on Mr. Wainwright’s words and actions thus far, that he is not responsible for the video being released, nor is he in contact with the person who ordered it. A vindictive woman by the name of Lindsay Peterson, along with Connor and Brandon James, will be dealt with eventually within the parameters of the law, but until such time as that happens, I have nothing to hide and I refuse to do so. Later this evening in an interview with Leslie Lockhart, I will explain how all of this came to be.”

Oh fuck!