CHAPTER 47: FEASTING ON THE GOLDEN GEESE Part 2

FIRST NATIONAL BANK of  PITTSBURGH- Take 2

“Fucking Hell! Look Shelia, stay with them but do not, I repeat DO NOT play fucking heroine, ya got me? I’ll be en route in a few minutes, and be sure to keep your goddamn phone plugged up!” Sarah disconnected the call, looking upon the concerned faces surrounding her but landing on one.

“She has him, doesn’t she?” Brian asked, anger and brokenness clear in his tone.

“Yeah she does. Shelia is tailing them but Evangeline has two guys with her. I know she’s going to have her hands full with the two of them but…”

“The bitch won’t hesitate to put a bullet in Justin. He’ll challenge her to do it.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think she will. Justin has too much monetary value. Out of the two, I think she’s more apt to shoot Julienne. She’s caused this kind of trouble for Evangeline and her business partner, who is behind bars, before.”

“So the two of them together…”

“As I’ve said, Evangeline has her hands full and she doesn’t even realize it.”

“It doesn’t help that Justin is angry right now though. He becomes reckless when he’s angry.” Brian tells her.

“Well then, we’d better shake a tailfeather Brian. If what you say is true, Justin is about to raise Hell in ways I don’t think even he’s prepared for.” She turned to the group. “I need you guys to take these to the station and put them into Detective Horvath’s hand. Tell him to lock them up. In the meantime, I have to call Higgins and request backup.”

“What about Sapperstein? He would know where the bitch is taking Jules and Justin.” Brian said.

“We already tried to get the information of where Evangeline had planned to take Justin from him. He said he would rather take his chances with a trial, rather than cross her.”

“No surprises there. He always was a coward.”

“Listen Brian, although I’m letting you come with me for Justin’s sake, don’t try any of that cowboy shit from this morning. This bitch is beyond dangerous, and whereas we already know that Justin is going to act recklessly, I need you to be able to keep a cool head. If you can’t do that, tell me now and I’ll take you directly to the station to deal with Joan and Claire.”

“I can’t not be there Sarah. Justin has faced too much alone, but past that, he and I- we’re eternal. Where he goes, I go. I can’t sit in safety while knowing he’s in danger.”

She looked at the worry lines creasing Brian’s forehead as he spoke. If he was anything like Benny, Anthony, and Gareth, there was no way he was going to sit idle. The others hadn’t, so she couldn’t expect Brian to. Besides she would rather have him working with her than acting independently and possibly fucking everything up in the process. She already knew there was going to be bloodshed; having Kinney with her would lessen the body count. At least she hoped so.  

Brian pulled out his cell phone, sending a quick text to Justin’s secondary phone in the hopes that it would reach him. When moments later a response text was received and the signal to the phone turned on, allowing Brian to see exactly which direction they were heading, Brian let out a huge relieved breath. “I know which direction they're headed.”

“How?” Sarah asked, but then shook her head in rueful amusement. “The secondary phone. Justin has one too, I take it?”

“Yeah. Ever since the days of the bashing when Justin would forget to charge his primary phone a lot, especially when he was working on a painting. He rarely uses it, but we still decided to keep it on for emergencies. It was also the way he and I kept in touch while he…”

“Was with Ethan?” Ted supplied.

“Yeah. I found out just how possessive that fucker was one night when I had texted Justin to tell him that his mother was trying to reach him. Thankfully, I had the forethought to use the secondary when I didn’t hear from him within minutes after the first text. No matter what, Justin and I would always be in contact, even when we were broken up. I told him that I had sent the message to his primary cell phone first when he asked why I was reaching out on the secondary. He told me to just use that one from then on. Once Justin left him, we sort of just forgot about it, even though he still kept it with him. Then when cancer came knocking, we were back to using it often. So always in emergency situations, it’s up and running. Since he came back to the Pitts, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that it hasn’t been with him.”

“Good thing too,” Sarah interjected. “I have Frankie tracking it by the satellites, in case they go into some area where the basic signal gets scrambled.”

“Smart move Agent Morrissey. Pittsburgh is a steel town and has plenty of places to build a compound or some underground hideaway without people thinking twice about it. I’ll bet that’s the part of town she’s heading for,” Quinn stated.

“The old steel mill? I know that area well. Jack Kinney spent his life in that place,” Brian sneered in remembrance of the man with whom he shared DNA. “I remember they had plenty of underground tunnels leading out to the river. Fuck! That’s exactly where they are headed!”

“What makes you say that?” Sarah asked.

“Although she probably has a compound there to keep Justin and Julienne contained, it also borders one of the only waterways in Pittsburgh. She would never think to build some place at the Golden Triangle. That would be too risky. But people never really register that all the waters where the three rivers meet has to originate from somewhere. They are always so focused on that one spot that they never pay attention to the other nooks and crannies along the river shores. The riverbank at the old steel mill has been deserted for years. It’s the most likely place the bitch will try to hide.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I know I am, Sarah. I feel it.”

“Brian’s instincts are only wrong once every decade or so Sarah, but when it comes to his JTHD, trust him,” Ted assured her.

“JTHD?” She lifted her eyebrow in question, causing Ted to snicker a bit. He had thought Brian and Sarah alike before, but that action confirmed it for him.

“Justin Taylor Homing Device. It also works as a bullshit detector. Justin also has one for Brian. He considers it part of the Brian Kinney Operating Manual. They both keep rewriting and updating the editions at will,” Ted said with a smile. It was always one of the things that amazed him about Brian and Justin.

“Fuck you Theodore... But thank you too.” Brian tilted his head in acknowledgement of all Ted said. He’d never realized how closely Ted regarded him and Justin before now. It was a relief to know that he did.

“Okay, so let’s get these files to the station, I’ll call Em and have Leo, Remson, and their wives meet us there.” Ted plowed into action before he became teary-eyed. Gratitude from Brian was rare, and never given lightly. He would put off thinking about it until they had Justin back safe and sound.

“In the meantime, I’ll call Drew, Ben, and Colby, and tell them to meet me at the old steel mill. Ted, have Cynthia meet you at the station. She’ll be able to access even more than what you have compiled into those records.”

“Right away Boss.”

“Ted, can it with that Boss shit, will ya or you’re fired.”

“Canning...canning.” he chuckled, as did Brian, which was much needed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*TUVII

PITTSBURGH 54TH PRECINCT- Liberty Avenue District

Josiah Higgins and team were astounded at the influx people being escorted in handcuffs into the building. Some were loudly protesting while others remained mute, but with malicious and haughty expressions. Josiah ordered one of his underlings to retrieve the incoming fax from the machine as well as the folder near it.

“I take it Morrissey strikes again,” Brandon says, chuckling as he made his way through the throng. “I’ve heard the rumors but to see the evidence of how she works…”

“Save it Greene. You know she’d be too much for you.” Josiah answered the chuckle with one of his own.

“She would be… but only IF she was my type. I prefer my men a bit more docile. Now if Sarah had a dick, I could make an exception. Lord, knows she has a pair of big balls to round up this crew.”

“How much do you know about them?”

“Enough that working here undercover as an attorney has been extremely lucrative. Their consultations alone were very informative. And they were all aware they were being recorded in the event I decided to take the case for them so they wouldn’t have to repeat the issue. This is one time their impatience will costs them much.”

“Nice work. Are you sure you want to blow your cover?”

Brandon bit his lip. He’d asked himself that same questions so many times since he dropped off Hobbs and his lover. “Yeah Josiah, I think it’s time. I’ve been in this business so many years past what I intended. I’ve found my parents murderers, seen them punished within the scope of the law, and by way of good old street justice. I want to enjoy my massive inheritance while I’m still able. Twelve years of doing this has taught me that life is too short not to enjoy it. But I won’t lie to you, the pull to continue this line of work is strong.”

“Well son, it’s been a pleasure working with you. Let’s finish up your last case with a bang.”

Brandon and Josiah moved across the lobby to meet with Detective Horvath. He was looking in amazement at the amount of people now inside of the relatively small precinct. In all his years on the force, he’d never seen the building this full to bursting. He wondered if, even with the rarely used unground cells, there would be enough room to house them all. Bringing himself out of his thoughts, he turned to address Josiah.

“I just heard from Sarah. Your rogue agent has grabbed Justin and Julienne. From the information Brian gave her, they’re headed in the direction of the old steel mills.”

“Why? What’s down there?” Brandon asked.

Josiah thought back to when his father used to work there many years ago. He remembered when they were closed. But there was something about them, tugging at the outskirts of his memory. His eyes lit in realization of just what that something was. “Fuck! The waterways!”

“Yeah,” Carl confirmed. “We have to go. If Evangeline is on her way there, I doubt we have long before Justin and Jules becomes unreachable unless it involves the Coast Guard. Brian called in the troops from Britin, but with this amount of arrests, there is only so much backup Larry will be able to spare.”

“Let me get changed, and I’ll be ready to rock and roll.” Brandon grabbed his duffle and started for the men’s restrooms to the left of the lobby.

“Brandon, you should probably stay…” Josiah begun to protest only to be cut off.

“No Josiah. If this is to be my last assignment, let me have it end the way I want it to.”

Both men stood there, reading each other’s thoughts. After a few seconds, Josiah nodded once to let Brandon know that he understood. “Don’t get dead. You hear me son, don’t.” It was what he always told his agents when going into the field. All of them had seen too much death together over the years, losing a few members of their core group along the way. Josiah didn’t think he could handle it again, especially if death came for Sarah, Brandon, Ty, or Frankie. They were more like his children, instead of his colleagues.

“Don’t worry Captain. I won’t. There’s too much to see and do before I turn up my toes. In the meantime, I plan on setting this world on fire!” Brandon turned and hurried towards the men’s room, looking forward to this one last assignment. After all of the trials to come, he would truly be free and clear, but this was his last field expedition and he couldn’t wait!

“What do you mean, ‘his last assignment?’ I thought he was an attorney,” Carl said to Josiah after watching the young man disappear behind the door.

“Brandon holds a law degree, so he is an attorney. But he is also an FBI agent, and has been since his parent’s death twelve years ago. Much like Julienne McKay-Tanner, who is being held hostage with Justin, his parents had some dealings in the underworld. It wasn’t much, but his mother was an attorney. So when the head of the organization she worked for was murdered, the faction who ordered the hit decided to clean house from top to bottom. Unfortunately- or perhaps fortunately in Brandon’s case- that included his parents. Ironically they didn’t know about Brandon. His parents had done an amazing job keeping his existence a secret even from the people she worked for. It wasn’t until the reading of their wills that Brandon found out what his parents were really involved in. He came to us with a video they had left for him to look at and told us he wanted in.”

“Did they ever catch the people who wiped out his family?” Carl asked fascinated at the young man’s story.

“Yes. Brandon infiltrated the organization, going deep undercover. That was how he’d met Julienne McKay and Sarah. Tamara St. Giles was the person who ordered the hit, so that she could take over her father’s organization. Unlike her, Charles St. Giles was an honorable man, which is a contradiction considering he was a leader in organized crime. Brandon’s the one who first found out about Evangeline’s duplicity. He got out of there when She-bitch St. Giles was arrested and before Evangeline could identify that he was one of us.”

“Fuck me with yesterday’s dick… and I’m not even gay!”

Josiah laughed. “From what I’ve heard of your wife, it sounds like you’ve picked up a few of her sayings. But yeah, that young man is not only sneaky and scarily smart, he’s a fucking survivor. It’s going to be sad to lose him, but I know if I ever need him, he’ll come back for me… for all of us.”

Brandon emerged from the bathroom then and strode over to the others. He reminded Carl of Brian, with his choice of attire and panther-like grace. He wondered if Brian knew of Brandon’s history. Probably not, but it was evident just how similar both men really were. White t-shirt, a pair of 501’s with holes in the knees, Prada motorcycle boots and a leather jacket, Carl could just about imagine Brian would have dressed the same way if it had been him standing in Brandon’s place. The only difference is Brandon’s blond shoulder-length hair was pulled back neatly in a ponytail, whereas Brian’s would look freshly-fucked. If the men of Liberty Avenue could see him looking like that, Carl knew pandemonium would break out. He was secure enough in his manhood to admit that.

“So are you staying or going Carl?” Brandon asked him, a dangerous and mischievous twinkle in his eye. The smirk on his lips was as charismatic as his brunet counterpart.

“Definitely going!”

“Let me just let Larry know. There better not be one fuck-up while we’re gone, or I’ll have his badge.” Josiah muttered darkly. He hadn’t been in the field in many years but this was one time he wouldn’t miss. Evangeline was going the fuck down TODAY!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*TUVII

BRITIN…

Emmett pressed the end call button, never wishing more in his life that he had a receiver to slam down. He’d just received the call from Brian, telling him that Jules and Justin were now in the hands of Evangeline. How does that bitch keep escaping. And now that she had Baby, he was feeling particularly murderous. Turning to the group at large who were awaiting news, he took a few calming breaths before speaking.

“Okay people so here’s what we know so far. The hired gun is dead. Apparently, Evangeline had a bitch-fit and offed him for shooting at Justin. A number of people from that fucked up list were at the bank at the same time as Brian and Justin. Joan and Claire Kinney, as well as Michael, have been arrested as have several notables from the Who’s Who of Pittsburgh. During the mayhem, Jules and Justin were taken. I’ve been asked via Brian to have Jen, Tucker, The Browns, Mr. Remson and the Avlossa faction meet them all down at the Liberty Avenue precinct so that you all will be protected. As for Ben, Colby, and Drew, Brian asked that you meet him down by the old steel mills. He thinks that’s where she’s headed.”

“How long will it take to get there?” Jason asked, his eyes narrowed.

“To the police station? Probably no more than a half an hour,” Emmett answered.

“I’m not talking about the fucking police station!” Jason yelled, surprising the assembled party. Squeezing his eyes shut, he exhaled a cleansing breath. “I’m talking about the steel mills. How long will it take to get there?”

“Oh no! You’re not going!”

“The fuck I’m not! If Kinney had been protecting Justin…”

“FUCK YOU! You will NOT stand in Brian’s house and accuse him of not protecting the man he loves,” Emmett exploded. “For the record, he had just finished dealing with his mother and sister and then his former best friend. So no, Brian wasn’t standing idly by watching as Justin was taken!”

Both men stared angrily at each other. The most surprising thing was that Emmett, who was usually the peacemaker, with a Southern charm that wouldn’t quit, was in fact ready to pounce on Jason, who stood belligerently staring back.

“Calm down both of you,” Drew said, coming to stand by Emmett. “Killing each other is not going to help the situation, especially because of unfounded accusations and assumptions. Now, Jason, I know you want to go but…”

“No buts. Justin is my friend and will always be. I could never forgive myself if he was in trouble and I did nothing to help him,” he interrupted quietly.

“Em…”

“No Drew. Where you go, I go. And I feel like Jason does. I owe Brian and Justin more than you can ever imagine. I won’t sit safely behind walls while one or both of them is in danger. You know me better than that.”

Drew sighed but nodded. “Well it looks like we’ll need two separate cars- one headed to the precinct and the other headed to the steel mills. Who’s staying behind to mind the house for when the others come back from the hospital.”

Anita spoke up then. “My staff and I will make all the preparations. You just go and bring Mr. Justin home safely. Don’t worry about anything here. I got this!”

He smiled at the feisty woman with her hands on her ample hips. He always did like her, but with her commanding, motherly presence just then, he loved her. He walked over to her and hugged her. “I have every faith that you’ll rule this place with an iron fist. We’ll be back soon.”

“Just bring them home,” she whispered, and he could hear the worry in her voice.

“Don’t worry Anita. We will! Let’s go people!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*TUVII  

SOMEWHERE IN PITTSBURGH…

“Do you know where we are?” Jules asked Justin quietly so that the three people in the front didn’t hear them. The window separating the front cab from small compartment in the back was slightly open. They could hear everything being said in the front seat.

“By the smell of the air, I would say down by one of the three rivers. Plus the road is a lot bumpier here.” As if to give credence to Justin’s claim, the truck hit a particularly large pothole in the road. They could hear Evangeline screeching in the front seat.

“Careful you bumbling idiot! Don’t damage the merchandise! I intend to get full price for the sales. The clients have waited long enough; I don’t want to have to put them off any longer because of your clumsy ass driving.”

“Sorry Boss. It couldn’t be helped. You would think that this road, being near the business district, would have been fixed too.” The driver said.

“I didn’t ask for a running commentary on how the Pittsburgh Highway Department do their jobs. I only give a shit about getting those fucking troublemakers out to sea as soon as possible. Jordan, is there an ETA on when the boat will be here?”

A higher pitched voice from the passenger seat answered. “Johnny said they should be entering Pittsburgh waterways within the next two hours. Apparently, there was a big shipment of merchandise heading out and it’s held up the rate that boats can enter.”

“Again, who gives a fuck about the commerce in this town? All I asked was for the arrival time, NOT excuses as to why fucking people can’t be on time. If I know Sarah, they will be looking for those two by now. I’m not losing my fucking money again because of the whore back there.”

“Which one?”

The smack that occurred from Evangeline’s hand resounded within the medium sized vehicle. “Watch your fucking mouth. There is only one whore back there and it’s Julienne. It’s what she was born to do and would have been doing if Tamara had toyed around with her so long.”

“Well I certainly wouldn’t mind taking the other one for a test drive. He’s a pretty motherfucker. Did you get a glimpse of his mouth?”

“Try it and you’ll be eating your balls before I slit your throat,” Evangeline gritted out.

“We have to get out of this somehow Justin. I can’t… I’ve worked too hard to escape that life! I wouldn’t have even been in this shit if my parents weren’t fucking addicts who owed some very powerful people money. I’ve escaped this type of shit twice now, changed my name and everything, but I don’t know if the third time thwarting Tamara and Evangeline will be the fucking charm.”

“Listen to me Jules… we WILL get out of this. I have come too far, and Brian and I have faced too much for us to end this way. We’ll think of something. There has to be something, but neither of us can afford to panic, alright?”

She sighed deeply. “So first things first…” But her thought was stopped when the van jerked to a halt.

They couldn’t see where they were but the breeze coming through the open windows from the front, was cold. Justin knew he was right, that they were down by the waterways. They heard Evangeline giving orders, not to open the back of the van until she gave the signal. Justin rose up on his knees as best he could within the tight space, signaling for Julienne to do the same. He almost laughed aloud remembering the first time they sparred in a gym when he visited her in Florida. Julienne was a revelation; he was hoping she would be again.

Justin sent another quick text to Brian from his secondary, relaying all the information they were able to hear on the way to their destination. Brian sent a text back stating that they were on the way and to try to stall for time. He leaned the phone over towards Jules for her to read it and she nodded in response. As Justin put the phone back in the zippered pocket of his cargo pants, they could hear the back door being unlocked.

“Ready?” Justin whispered, adjusting his stance the tiniest bit to give himself more sure footing for what he was about to do.