CHAPTER FOUR

Justin gently squeezed the tomato, checking to make sure it was not too soft or hard.

Perfect.

Placing the juicy, red fruit in his basket, he reached for another. About the same time, he felt a hand cover the front of his jeans, palming his cock.

Laughing, Justin pushed Brian's hand away. “What are you doing?” he asked, blushing, but liking the attention he was getting from Brian.

Things were going well between the two men. They had managed to flesh out a good working relationship and …well, a better than good personal relationship. Justin didn't mind when Brian gave him his 'serious' face and instructed him on his assignments. He had a job and he was paid well to do it.

Brian was amazed at how comfortable he felt working with the blond AND fucking him. He fought the urge to dig deep and figure out how such a thing was possible - the fact that he was not yet bored. After all, relationships weren't his specialty. The only reasonable explanation was that he enjoyed Justin's company. The kid made him feel things he hadn't felt in a long time. And some things he'd never felt before. But he wasn't going to go there. Not just yet.

Brian shrugged. “I’m bored.”

“I told you, you didn’t have to come with me to the goddamn supermarket,” Justin reminded him.

He had decided to cook dinner tonight, his specialty ­ pasta. Brian wasn’t thrilled at the idea of having an overload of carbohydrates, but Justin had promised they’d work out the calories after dinner. Apparently, that was incentive enough for the brunet.

“Well, I’m here and I'm queer, so get over it,” Brian returned childishly, grabbing hold of the small basket. He turned and caught the eyes of a woman walking up the aisle, her gaze taking in Brian's obvious good looks. Shuddering, he added, “Now hurry the fuck up. I wanna get out of here. This place gives me the creeps.”

“Ok, ok.” Justin smiled at the frowsy look on Brian’s face. “Why don’t you go grab me a pack of spaghetti and a bottle of olive oil? I think I’m out at home.”

Brian was about to complain, but thought better of it. At least it meant less time spent in the fucking supermarket getting sized up by lonely, straight women.

He’d been eyeing the checkout line from the moment they’d entered and he was getting more and more antsy the longer the line got.

“Be right back,” Brian said and walked away, but not before placing the basket at Justin’s feet.

Justin moved on to the mushroom section. He couldn’t decide if he wanted portabella or capped.

“Can’t decide on which way to go, huh?” someone asked from behind.

Spinning around, Justin bumped into Dave.

“I always have that problem with mushrooms, too,” Dave said with a smile.

Justin chuckled and slid his arms around his new friend’s neck, accepting the kiss on his cheek graciously.

“What are you doing here?” Justin asked, pulling out of the embrace.

Dave cocked a brow mockingly.

Justin socked the other man’s shoulder lightly. “Ok, ok. Shopping for groceries - I get it.”

“I’m glad I ran into you,” Dave said. “It will save me from going through these aisles all by myself. And then I can take you for dinner after, where you'll have to pay... to make up for the one you bailed on.”

Justin grinned. “Something came up.”

“I bet it did,” he replied, his eyes wandering down to the front of Justin’s pants.

Laughing loudly, Justin felt himself blush. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brian returning, the olive oil and spaghetti in his hands.

“Actually I can’t make tonight,” Justin told Dave quickly.

“You’re bailing on me AGAIN?” the Aussie teased.

Justin grinned. “Sorry, but we can meet up soon, I promise. For lunch maybe?”

“At this point, I’ll take whatever I can get.”

“Brian,” he said sweetly when his lover reached his side. “Got everything?”

Brian showed the contents of his hands before dumping the stuff into the basket.

“Great,” Justin said with a smile. “Um, this is my friend, Dave. Dave, this is Brian.”

Dave stuck a palm out and Brian shook the other man’s hand.

“I take it he’s stealing you for dinner tonight?” Dave asked wickedly. “Hence the reason you’re dumping on me… AGAIN?”

Justin grinned. “I said I’d make it up to you!”

“You’d better,” Dave said. “Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting you, Brian. Justin, I’ll give you a call sometime. You boys take care.”

They watched him walk away.

Brian turned to Justin. “Your new friend, I take it?”

Justin cocked a brow in confusion.

"Think: Oh, Brian, I'm so sorry - I was too busy staring at some guy's dick to complete my job!" His version of Justin was not only terribly girly, but whiny and completely wrong.

Justin was not amused. He glared. "I do not sound like that."

Brian laughed and pinched a grape off the display, popping it into his mouth, unwashed.

Justin cringed. "Don't do that, it's not clean." He shook his head when Brian ignored him and popped another grape into his mouth. "Yeah, it was him."

Brian nodded. His attention was now directed at a watermelon, his fingers tapping on the hard, green exterior. "So you gave him your digits?"

"Yeah, he seemed cool," Justin replied, his eyes trying to lock onto the hazel ones avoiding his. "Plus, he asked me out, remember? I had to give them to him."

"Ok."

"He's nice."

"I'm sure he is."

Justin licked his lips to keep from grinning. “Is something wrong, Brian?”

Brian shrugged. “What could be wrong?”

Justin smiled to himself. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Brian was jealous. Instead of pushing the topic, he leaned close and placed a kiss on his lover’s arm.

“What do you want for dessert?” he asked sweetly.

Brian wrapped a hand over the blond’s shoulder and kissed his ear loudly before steering them towards the check-out line.

“You’re all the dessert I need.”

Justin found himself chuckling.

Brian laughed too, his cheeks turning slightly pink. He’d never been one to flirt, but he couldn’t help the things that came out of his mouth when he was with Justin.

“You stay here,” Justin told him. “I’m gonna grab a couple more things. Be right back.”

Brian nodded, his eyes never leaving the boy’s ass.

Dinner was fun. The boys spent time chatting and getting to know each other better. Justin learnt of Brian’s disturbing background, growing up with an unfeeling cow for a mother and abusive drunk for a father.

Justin, in comparison, had come from a loving, happy home, which was why it made it difficult for him to lie to his parents about what he did for a living. In Brian’s case, his parents were no longer a part of his life. He didn’t see them or care to.

Justin sympathized and promised himself he’d thank God later for helping Brian to survive throughout it all. Brian was a good person, whether the brunet wanted to believe it or not.

Later that night in bed the two men, exhausted from fucking, cuddled next to each other and listened to the other’s breathing.

Brian's thoughts revolved around the blond and how quickly he was becoming attached. He liked everything about the kid and felt himself opening up unawares. He wanted Justin to be a part of his life. The kid made him... he was horrified to find himself thinking it, but... happy. Content. Fulfilled in some way.

Justin thoughts, on the contrary, were all troublesome and had nothing to do with Brian.

He was worried that Ethan was back in town. The fact that the other man had even tried to contact him was a scary concept… especially considering the way things had ended between them.

But Justin was not going to think about that.

He hugged Brian to him tighter, enjoying the warm, protective arms of his lover. Brian made him feel safe... secure. He loved that feeling.

In addition to his cumbersome thoughts about his past flame, his mind was on his phone call to Ted earlier that week. He had called the detective to tell him what he had found out about Jason Kemp, but Ted had been out of the office, so Justin had left the information with another detective. He hadn't heard back from Ted, but he hoped the other man would act quickly and find out exactly who Kemp really was. Timing was everything, after all.

Justin felt lips brush against his forehead.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked softly, scooting even closer to his lover, so he was pressed up against the other man completely.

“I was thinking that you’ve never been over to my place,” Brian responded, lazily stroking the blond’s back.

Justin tossed his head back slightly to lock eyes with Brian. “My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.”

Brian grinned. He couldn’t resist leaning down and kissing the pink lips smiling back at him. “So how about you come over for dinner Friday night?” he suggested.

Arching a brow mischievously, Justin pretended to think. “I’ll have to check my schedule and…” He laughed when he felt a palm smack against his butt, then another... yet another. “Ok, stop!” he finally protested.

“Not until you say yes,” Brian replied, smacking Justin’s butt yet again.

“YES!” Justin said through his struggles with Brian. Catching his breath, he said, “I didn’t know you could cook?”

“You don’t know a lot of things about me,” Brian said with a wink.

“Yet,” Justin added.

Brian smiled. “Yet,” he acknowledged, kissing the blond again.

Pulling apart, they both looked down at the same time and noticed the twin stiffies.

“Woops,” Justin said huskily.

“Up for another round?” Brian asked, rolling the blond onto his back and sliding in between the welcoming legs.

“I suppose,” Justin teased, mouth parted and ready for his lover's persuasive tongue.

Justin sank deeper into his coat as he felt the raindrops begin to fall against his face.

It was late and he was back in the Village’s hot spots searching for any sign of Jason Kemp’s existence. He'd given Ted enough time to get back to him, but he'd heard no word from the detective. Which could only mean that Ted had disregarded his information.

Well, fuck him. Justin was not going to sit back and do nothing.

Taking a deep breath, he walked into yet another bath house, hoping for the best.

He spotted a big, surly guy behind the counter, his pale body clothed in leather.

“Hey,” he said.

The man looked up, his steely eyes meeting Justin’s. “We’re full,” he said slowly.

“I’m not interested in coming in,” Justin explained. “I’m… looking for someone.”

Leather man snorted. “Who isn’t?”

Justin slid the photo of Jason across for him to see. “His name is Jason Kemp.”

Leather man nodded. “I know him.”

Justin’s eyes lit up. “Do you know where he lives?”

Leather man shook his head. “He came in once or twice with the regulars. That’s all I know.”

Justin sighed. “Maybe I could… talk with one of the... regulars?”

“No way,” Leather man snapped. “Now I’ve got stuff to do.”

Justin took his hint and left.

Outside, he put his hood back on and dug his hands into his pockets. It was time to go home. He had tried his best tonight and he was getting tired.

Walking towards his car, he felt as though someone was following him. Quickening his footsteps, he tried to focus in on his surroundings, but it was too dark and the rain was not helping matters.

On reaching his car, he inserted his key into the lock and opened the door. That was when he felt the hand on his shoulder.

Moving with surprising speed, Justin turned and had the other person pinned against his car in one swift motion.

“Please don’t hurt me!”

He was staring into the eyes of his young hustler friend - the one who'd been kind enough to give Dumpster Boy back his given name.

Justin eased up on his hold, but kept his hand against the younger boy’s neck.

“Why the fuck are you following me?” Justin asked angrily.

He felt the kid tremble below him. “I saw you and… I remembered who you were.” He started to cry.

Justin let him go, watched him crouch into his weathered jacket. He felt sorry for scaring the kid, even though he’d been just as afraid.

“Are you hungry?” Justin asked.

The boy nodded.

“Get in.”

Justin opened his door and waited for the kid to get in through the other side.

He drove them to a 24-hour McDonald’s. Sitting opposite the boy in the empty restaurant, Justin watched him wolf down two cheeseburgers and a hamburger and slurp on a strawberry milkshake. His two apple pies were still in the boxes waiting to be devoured.

Quietly, Justin sipped on his coffee, waiting for the boy to talk to him. He didn’t have to wait long.

Through a mouthful of fries, the boy asked, “Are you trying to find Jason’s killer?”

Justin pulled his lips into his mouth, pressing them together, deciding how much he should tell the kid. “I’m trying, but it’s hard.”

“I want to help you,” the boy said.

Justin cocked a brow.

The kid stopped chewing long enough to say, “He was my best friend. I want to find out who did this to him!”

“What’s your name?” Justin asked.

After hesitating, the boy said, “Anthony, but my friends call me Tony.”

“I’m Justin.”

“Ok.”

“Where do you live, Tony?”

Tony swallowed, his green eyes suspiciously looking over Justin’s face.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Justin reassured him.

Tony chewed on his bottom lip before slurping up more of his milkshake.

“Did Jason live someplace?” Justin asked instead.

Tony nodded. “He lived in the Vaseline Towers with his mom and younger brother.”

“Do you think they’d talk to me if I went to them?”

“No, she’s a cunt and Jay doesn’t know anything,” he spat.

“Do you know what happened the night he went missing?”

Tony shrugged. “The thing is, he’d been talking about getting away from here for a long time. He’d met someone and…” He paused.

“What?”

“This guy… well, he must’ve promised Jason stuff ‘cos Jason was really excited about him.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Jason wouldn’t say,” Tony replied. “But I knew he was gonna be leaving soon… which is why I wasn’t worried when he wasn’t around for a few days.” He snorted. “But I got pissed. How could he fucking leave without saying goodbye?”

But he hadn’t left. He’d just been killed, that was all. After being raped and tortured.

Justin pushed the sickening thought out of his head. “It’s not your fault,” he told Tony softly.

Tony shrugged.

They were silent for a long time and then Justin remembered something that had been bothering him ever since he had read about it.

“Did Jason dye his hair blonde recently?” he asked.

Tony shook his head. “He’s too pale to even think about it.”

Justin raised a brow. That was definitely something to ponder over later.

Although Justin had tried, Tony had refused to let him drop him off anywhere and further snubbed his offer to come home with him. Justin didn’t want to leave the kid on the streets in the cold, but Tony said he’d be fine. He was smart enough to take the money Justin had given him though. It was enough to keep him off the streets for the next few days. Justin hoped he didn't spend it on crack.

With a heavy heart, Justin left the kid at McDonald’s and headed home.

As he was pulling into his driveway, his cell phone rang. Checking the caller-id, he saw Brian’s number.

“Hey,” he said, a grin already forming on his lips. It was amazing that Brian had the ability to make him happy for no apparent reason.

“Did I wake you?” Brian asked as if the thought had only just crossed his mind.

Justin inwardly groaned. If Brian only knew what he was up to.

“Nope,” he answered instead. “Did you have fun watching hetero sex tonight?”

Brian snorted. “They went at it for hours and hours. Her husband is going to shit bricks.”

Justin laughed. “But think of all the money we’re going to make off him for the next couple of weeks!”

“Always a good thing.”

Justin got out of the car and locked it, started walking towards his front door.

“Are you in bed already?” Brian asked, his voice getting deep and husky.

“Naked,” Justin confirmed, his voice getting low. “With the covers off. I’ve gotten so used to you covering me that the duvet doesn't provide enough heat anymore,” he teased.

“Fuck you,” Brian growled.

“I’d rather you come and do it.”

“Give me fifteen minutes?”

“I’ll give you five,” Justin said before hanging up and going inside.

He’d taken a quick bath and changed into his robe before heading downstairs to grab himself a glass of orange juice when he heard a knock on the door.

Smiling to himself, he called out, “I hope you didn’t knock anyone over in your rush to come and fuck me!”

Opening the door, he froze on the spot.

Standing outside, a sly look in his eyes, was Ethan.

July 15 - 2003

- top - [ Authors Notes ] [ Introduction ] - home -
[ Case 1 ] [ Intermission 1 ] [ Case 2 ] [ Intermission 2 ] [ Case 3 ]
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