Man of Mystery – 2 Justin slipped into his hoodie, turned the car on and reversed out of the parking space. No doubt Gus would be dealing with a rather irate father who would see that he was returned home. Justin hadn’t missed Brian descending from above or the look on his face as he zeroed in on the two of the dancing. It was partially for that reason he’d kissed Gus. Let his old man chew on that one, Justin snickered to himself. He reached down and turned the heater on. It was cold in the night air despite the heat he’d generated on the dance floor. The short time inside Babylon had refreshed him and he gave thought to checking out what Molly and Gus had told him, but first he wanted to change out of his father’s clothes. He wondered what Marco would have said if he’d known that he’d worn sweats to a club when he had a closet full of club things back home. Oh well, it didn’t matter, Marco was long in the past and it was just as well, he had been too needy, demanding attention all the time. Attention that Justin wasn’t prepared to give him. Checking in at the Plaza went smoothly. The suite he had been given was larger than he’d thought it would be. It was definitely great for entertaining should he want to. He unpacked quickly glad he preferred dark colors since apparently he was going to go exploring tonight. Maybe his father had been some kind of spy or even funnier a mysterious cat burglar. Justin laughed out loud at that thought. The prim and proper Craig Taylor who wouldn’t say shit if his mouth was full of it, climbing into people’s homes to steal – the whole idea was ludicrous. He washed his face and hands, and then slipped on a pair of dark jeans and a charcoal gray silk turtleneck. His hair shone with luminescence every since his month long stay at his villa on the Mediterranean. The sun there always managed to bleach it and ordinarily he loved the look, but tonight he didn’t want anything to draw attention to what he was up to. He looked through his clothing and the only thing he could come up with to cover his hair was a black and red patterned silk scarf he’d picked up as a gift for a friend and then left it tucked in a pocket of his suitcase. That would have to do. Justin tied it over his hair like a pirate. He made some slashing moves watching in the mirror and wondering if he looked better than Jonny Depp whose smoldering good looks were always a turn on and great to fantasize to. Time for some adventure. Brian sat in his car contemplating his next move. He couldn’t really fault his son, though he was sure the boy had more to do with Justin being at Babylon than he wanted to admit. It hadn’t taken much to discover which hotel Justin was staying in, or that he’d arrived back. Maybe he should just confront the blond and make sure that it was crystal clear that his son was off limits to anyone with no exceptions. Gus was too young to get involved romantically or otherwise, despite what the teen thought. With his hand on the door he paused, movement from the corner of the hotel caught his attention. It was Justin and he was dressed differently than when he’d last seen him. And for some reason he had a damn pirate scarf on. Intrigued, Brian got out of his car and began to follow. Shit the blond was running silently down the sidewalks, he didn’t look like he was traveling fast, but damn it he was disappearing. Brian sighed and began to take chase. Somehow running a couple of miles every morning didn’t quite cut it when chasing Justin who had to be as fast as an Olympic sprinter. Brian almost stopped. He didn’t need this shit so late at night and after a long and tiring day. But damned if he’d let the blond win the race so he continued his late night run along the cold and shadowed streets of Pittsburgh hoping all the while that he wouldn’t be stopped by an enquiring cop. Justin loved to run, it freed his mind of everyday bothers and let it seek some of the fantasy subjects he so loved to paint and write about. It was his secret muse and he’d done well with it over the years. Using many pseudonyms he published his works, or painted his pictures and even designed computer games. All of which were ultimately owned by his company. That way he never fell into a niche he could be a person of many talents yet known only for one, his production company. It worked for him and it kept luxury seeking tricks away. Brian damn near ran into the blond before he realized and managed to stop running and slip behind a tree. Justin was standing, hands on hips and staring at a group of old warehouses in a rather seedy area of the docks. Trying to catch his breath without making too much noise, Brian was irritated to see that Justin didn’t even seem to be breathing hard. He watched while Justin walked up to the middle building and tried the door. It appeared to be locked, but that didn’t stop the blond who fiddled with the padlock releasing it. “You know instead of lurking in behind that tree, you might as well come and give me a hand.” Justin’s voice was a combination of bored and amused. “That is once you can breathe.” “You knew I was following you?” Brian asked. He walked toward Justin. “How?” “Hmmm, it could have been the fact that you are as light on your feet as a moose, or maybe that you appeared to be gasping your last breath.” Justin laughed. “You really shouldn’t smoke.” “I don’t anymore.” “Then stop hanging out at Babylon. The smoke will kill you.” “Thanks for the advice. What the fuck are we doing here in the middle of the night?” Brian looked around. This wasn’t the nicest place to be. “I’m looking for something.” Justin continued to study what appeared to be a solid metal door that had been revealed when the less sturdy wooden one had opened. “No shit. I hope it’s not love.” Brian glanced over his shoulder. “This place gives me the creeps.” “Go home, it’s not far.” “We ran fucking miles.” Brian glared, but he was becoming interested in the metal door. “Why doesn’t that thing have a lock or something on it? It seems kind of high tech considering that this place is a dump.” “I was thinking that myself.” Justin said as he ran his fingers over the seams around the door frame looking for what he didn’t know. “I want to get in here.” “And do what; use your x-ray vision to see in the dark?” Brian asked. “In case you haven’t noticed, there is no connection at the electrical pole.” “That doesn’t mean anything. My father’s middle name was sneaky. He’d have electricity somehow.” “Do I want to even know this shit?” Brian asked out loud. “Hey, I didn’t drag your ass down here, you came voluntarily. And you might want to explain just why you were following me.” Justin reached a small nub on the very bottom right hand side of the metal door. He pressed it and the door slid back silently. “Holy shit, you opened it.” Brian put his hand on Justin’s shoulder. “Don’t go in there until you check for traps.” “Oh this is why you showed up. You’ve decided that I need minding.” Justin shrugged off Brian’s hand and stepped inside. Immediately he was hit with a barrage of hard pellets felling him to the floor. Brian didn’t hesitate; he reached inside and pulled Justin out, allowing the door to slide back in place. “Shit, shit, shit.” He mumbled while he tried to check out Justin’s injuries in the dark. The blond wasn’t conscious. Brian tried not to panic. He couldn’t feel anything broken and he couldn’t see any blood. One of the pellets was lodged in the roll of material of Justin’s shirt. Brian fingered it, holding it up to what little light there was from the full moon. It was a rubber pellet, designed to take someone out, but not kill them. Well thank gawd for that. He fished in his pocket for his cell phone and hit a speed dial number. “Hey” he said when someone answered. “I need to be picked up right away; I’m on the left side of the docks near some abandoned warehouses. I have an injured man with me, could you bring Doc or better yet have him meet me at the Plaza. There should be a room in the name of Justin Taylor, find it and wait.” Brian disconnected. He knew that Seiji would be here sooner rather than later. Seiji had been an asset to his team of investigators. He was young, barely twenty, but he’d packed a lot of living into his twenty years. Brian had set him up in his own business with an apartment in the back. He taught tai chi to old ladies and young men and women who found the Eastern exercise a new and exciting way to relax. It kept him busy and available should Brian need him. And gave him time to study, he wanted to be a lawyer. Seiji’s father had once saved Brian’s life and in doing so, lost his own. Brian would honor the debt and make sure his son prospered. It was the correct thing to do. The Irish thing to do…where family honor was a debt never to be forgotten. That was unless beating the crap out of your wife and kids weren’t involved. In that case there was no honor among the Irish. All this was going through Brian’s mind as he held Justin’s head so that it wouldn’t lie on the dirt encrusted cement. The fifteen minutes until Seiji arrived seemed to take hours, but finally the headlights of his SUV showed in the distance as the vehicle made its way down the hill to the river docks. “What happened?” Seiji asked while running to Brian and Justin. “Some asshole booby trapped the door.” Brian nodded his head in the direction of the building. “Close up will you. I don’t want anyone knowing we were here until I can find out what the fuck is going on.” “How bad is he injured?” Seiji closed the wooden door and slipped the rusted padlock shut. He kicked some debris in front of the door to make it look unused before joining Brian at the SUV. “I don’t know why he’s unconscious. It shouldn’t have put him out like this. I couldn’t see where the damn pellets hit him, but they weren’t meant to injure this severely.” Brian had placed Justin on a rear seat, belting him in before joining Seiji in the front. “Who is he?” Seiji asked while he drove up the hill. “Is he someone important? Is he a client?” “He’s a friend of a friend.” Brian said. “Not a client.” His eyes kept returning to Justin who was beginning to stir. “Did Niko get into the Plaza with Doc?” Brian nodded to the radio head set that Seiji wore. “He’s in. He said the guy is staying in one of their best suites. He must be rich.” “I wouldn’t know.” Brian sighed with relief when a few minutes later Seiji turned into the ally behind the hotel. “He’s starting to wake up. “ “Where am I?” Justin tried to sit up but was restrained by the seat belt. “You’re at your hotel. Hold on, I’ll help you up.” Brian slipped into the back and released the belt. “Seiji is going to park while I get you up to your room.” “I don’t want anyone to see me.” Justin muttered. “No one is going to see you. We’re going in the back way.” Brian helped him out of the car. “Niko has already made sure the surveillance cameras won’t be recording this, don’t worry.” “Who’s Niko?” Justin asked, his mind returning to normal though he still felt shaky. “A friend.” Brian opened a locked door and ushered Justin inside. He hustled him to a service elevator and punched in a code that took them to Justin’s floor at the top of the grand hotel. In moments they found themselves inside Justin’s suite. “Hey, who are these guys?” Justin asked eyeing Niko and Doc with suspicion. “Doc, Justin was hit was a number of these.” Brian held out the rubber pellet. “For some reason they knocked him unconscious. I need him check out.” “Brian, I don’t need to be ‘checked out’.” Justin looked around in exasperation. “If you guys don’t mind, I just need to shower and get some sleep.” “Too bad there Baby Boy, you are going to let Doc examine you.” Brian led Justin to a sofa. “Sit. It won’t take long. Think of this as a free medical.” “I don’t need a fucking free medical.” Justin glared at Brian. “Who the fuck are you to tell me what I need.” “I’m your guardian angel.” Brian laughed. He headed to the mini bar and found a bottle of JB. “Here, drink this.” “No you don’t Brian. I want to know why he was unconscious. He may have a concussion and he shouldn’t be drinking if he does. The man called Doc walked over to where Justin was sitting. “Hello people, ‘he’ is in the fucking room and ‘he’ isn’t fucking deaf.” Justin glared though lost the effect when he winced when his forehead wrinkled. It was then that Brian and the doctor both noticed a faint scar almost three inches long near Justin’s right temple. “What’s that” Brian asked reaching out. Justin pulled back from Brian’s fingers his head wouldn’t stand even the lightest of touches. He knew he was in for one of his migraines which he didn’t need at the moment. “Don’t touch me.” He gasped. “Brian, if you don’t mind, I’d like to examine Justin. Perhaps we can go into the bedroom.” The doctor had seen the signs of pain as the headache began to wash over the young man. Justin looked at the man, grateful to get out of the limelight. He should have his medication in his kit bag. Which unfortunately was in the bathroom and he wasn’t sure he was going to make it without puking. “He’s sick.” Brian reached down and picked Justin up. He carried him into the darkened bedroom. “Do you have something you take?” Brian recognized the signs of an oncoming migraine, Ted had them occasionally. “Kit… bathroom.” Justin felt the cool bed sheets under him. He closed his eyes to stop the room from moving. “Fuck” “Not now Baby Boy … I like my men to at least enjoy part of it.” Brian smirked but quickly found the pills that were required. “Can he take these considering what he’s been through this evening?” Brian handed the pills to Doc. “Would you let me do my job Brian?” Doc took the pills and then gently pushed the other man out of the room. “Justin, I’m going to ask you a few questions before I can give you this medication. Do you understand?” The barely perceptible nod told Doc all he wanted to know. Gently Doc began to remove Justin’s clothing, idly noting the quality and expense that had gone into it. All the while he asked questions, taking a medical inventory of the man who lay in pain on the bed. Bruises were forming all over Justin’s upper body where the hard rubber pellets had hit. He was going to be a lot of pain in the morning from the beating his body had taken. Doc quickly determined that the migraine had come from stress and wasn’t an unusual occurrence. He slipped a dose of the medication in Justin’s mouth and under his tongue. Sublingual medication always worked fast and he knew that Justin would soon be receiving some relief. Though the only way to cure a migraine is to ride it out, the meds were just to help him do that. Doc applied a series of hot and cold compresses to the worst of Justin’s bruises in welcoming silence as far as Justin was concerned. Justin lay with his eyes closed doing his best to put himself in a state of complete relaxation. A technique taught to him years ago when the migraines had threatened to overtake his life. In doing so, he zoned into another realm of reality where he could be in charge of his destiny with out interference from anyone. It was his favorite place to go and had been since he was a child. “How is he Doc?” Brian asked when friend walked back into the living room area of the suite. Doctor Marlow Anderson had been Brian’s friend since they were six. It was a long time friendship based on the love and trust that could only be forged when one was young. They’d gone their separate ways a number of times, but life had always managed to keep them together as friends. It was nice to know that there was always someone that you could count on no matter what curves life threw you. Someone who never asked for anything in return. “He’ll be fine.” Doc headed for the mini bar and pulled out a beer. “I’m going to stay here while he sleeps.” “I can stay.” Brian offered. “I don’t think so Brian. Something’s going on. I need you to do what you do best and investigate.” Doc sat on the sofa. “He’s been beaten before, I could see old scaring.” “I’ll stay with my husband.” Niko said he smiled up at Doc, they’d been married for only six months. It was always like that. Though Brian owned the company that provided their livelihood, it was actually a joint effort by them all with no one person being completely in charge. They were such a close team that it had worked perfectly for them for years. “Okay, Seiji and I will head back to the shop. We could probably do a bit of work or at least start the wheels rolling before morning.” Brian put his arm around Seiji’s shoulder and the two of them headed for the door. “Brian, there’s something about him isn’t there?” Doc asked. He didn’t have to name who he was talking about. “Yes Doc, there is, though damned if I know what it is.” Brian laughed, his laughed rueful as he walked out the door. And it was a mystery as far as Brian was concerned. He’d had many one night stands and even a couple of almost relationships since he’d become sexually active. But nothing had ever affected him the way the sight of blue eyes flashing anger or a quick smile that lit the day up, had done. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ “Molly, wake up.” It was Gus; he was sitting cross legged at the end of Molly’s bed. “Who let you in here?” she mumbled and buried her face in her pillow. “Your mom said I should wake you up. She thinks you sleep too much.” “It’s Saturday. I’m allowed.” She groaned. “But I need you to help me do something.” Gus tried not to whine, but he sure felt like whining. “What?” Molly sat up and rubbed her arms and then stretched. “Well you know how much you like me sneaking you into Babylon?” They had often done that during the hours Babylon was closed. Only quick peaks at the leftovers from the night before. And once Gus had turned on the flashing lights and some music. They’d danced for almost fifteen minutes in the center of the dance floor before laughing and shutting it down once again. “So?” “I kind of have to clean up there today and tomorrow. I need some help.” He admitted. “I’ll really, really, really love you forever if you help.” “You will anyway.” Molly moved so that she was sitting opposite of Gus with her legs crossed. “Why do you have to clean? I mean you dad can afford to pay someone.” “It’s better than being grounded for two weeks and having him follow me around.” Molly laughed. “What did you do?” giggling “It had to be a good one.” “I took Justin to Babylon and we danced…. Whileitwasopenlastnight.” He ran his words together, hoping she wouldn’t notice. “Holy shit, are you out of your mind?” Molly asked. She looked hard at Gus. “Yeah, I guess you are. Justin is never going to fuck you so deal with it. He’s too old for you and besides he knows better. “ “Yeah, well I guess I wasn’t thinking.” Gus looked down. “Help me please. It should take more than a couple of hours if we work together.” “I’ll help you but you are soooooo going to owe me.” Molly got out of bed. “Uh, Mol, don’t wear anything good. We can come back and shower. It was then that Molly noticed Gus was wearing worn and paint stained sweats. ”I’m not wearing anything that gross.” Half an hour later, Molly was being let into the back door of Babylon by Gus. He flipped on all the lights before they stepped inside. She’d been there before, but never with all the lights on. “This place is disgusting.” She peered around. It did look rather tawdry and worn. The back door opened behind them. And both teens turned around startled. “Dad.” Gus grinned. “What are you doing here?” “Making sure that you were cleaning to my standards.” “By the looks of this place they’re kind of low.” Molly muttered. Brian shot her a glance, but ignored her. “The cleaning equipment is in the janitor’s closet. Bill will be in later to finish up and give me a report on how you did.” It was now he looked closely at Molly. “Did Gus persuade you to help?” he asked. She grinned but didn’t answer. “Well Molly girl, I suspect he did ask. But if I let you help him, then he wouldn’t be getting the whole point of his punishment. You and I can go up to my office and we’ll watch television. Gus television, it’s going to be fun.” “Awwwww dad.” Gus whined. He hated being watched and he knew all about the close circuit television Brian had through out the building. “That’s the way it’s going to be Sonny Boy.” Brian held out his arm for Molly who ginning widely at Gus, linked her’s threw Brian’s. “That’s no fair.” Gus stomped toward the janitor’s closet. “Gus we had a long talk about you coming to Babylon while you’re under age. Many talks for that matter. I can only assume that maybe the next time you show up, you’ll remember this. It’ll only increase with each visit until I finally won’t have to pay any janitor company. I’ll have my own little slave boy.” Molly was fascinated by Brian’s office. Gus had never taken her up there. He always referred to it as ‘God’s office’. “Geeze Mr. Kinney you even have a shower in here.” She was peeking into his private bathroom. “Why do you need a shower in your office?” Brian ignored her question. “Call me Brian.” “I can’t, ‘cause you’re Gus’ dad.” She shrugged “It would make me feel funny.” “Well think of something because I’m damned if I’m going to answer to “Mr. Kinney from Justin’s baby sister.” “I’m not his baby sister.” She huffed. She stared out the bank of windows that overlooked the dance floor. They were one-way glass and usually were used for movies to play across them during the evening. No one knew they were being watched. “Hey Gus doesn’t look so good. I think he just threw up on the dance floor.” Brian joined her at the window. He hit the intercom button. “Make sure you add the dance floor to what you have to clean Sonny Boy.” They could hear Gus groan even up where they sat. “Mr. B. I want to help him.” Molly looked down at her friend. “I’m sure you do, but he needs to learn responsibility. He doesn’t think before he does things. He reacts rather than acts.” Brian put his hand on Molly’s shoulder. “I’ll let him work through the bathrooms and back room, but Bill is coming in shortly, he’ll be helping Gus. But that’s just between you and I.” “Gus always said you were a softy. I guess he’s right.” Impulsively Molly stood on tiptoe and kissed Brian’s cheek making the older man flush with pleasure. “There is a computer over there that you can use if you want to check your email or play some games. I’m going to do some work.” Brian showed Molly the computer before heading to his own desk. “So we really aren’t going to watch Gus.” Molly said. “No, that wouldn’t be nice.” Brian smiled. “I rarely use the closed circuit monitors. Though they have come in handy on occasion.” His smile was soft as he remembered some favorite moments in the past. Meanwhile Gus was in the main rest room. On the surface when you walked inside it was elegant with black marble floors, red enamel stalls and even black porcelain urinals. There were mirrors everywhere and the sink area had free standing brushed steel sinks. Brian hadn’t wanted the surfaces around the sinks to be used for cutting drugs, so he eliminated the need for having any kind of countertop. But when you unlocked the main light switch and flooded the large room with light, you became painfully aware that what you saw earlier was only the icing on a shit, piss and vomit cake. It had been this room that had driven Gus back out on the dance floor where he had vainly tried to control his stomach. Telling himself that it would all wash off, he gamely put on heavy rubber gloves, a face mask and topping it with a ball cap to cover his hair. He was determined that if his father and Molly were watching him, that they would never see how grossed out he was as he started in one corner cleaning and disinfecting every surface. He did his best to keep his mind focused on the job and not on the fact that there were three other restrooms not to mention the back room with its various nooks and crannies that had been designed for semi privacy, but that would hide a multitude of sins. The only bright part of his day was the discovery that in their haste for a quick fuck or a blow job, a good number of the men managed to drop their pocket change and any wadded up bills they might have shoved in their pockets. Gus managed to glean almost sixty dollars by the time he’d cleaned the back room. Bill from the janitor company had shown up and between the two of them the bathrooms, back room and various hallways were quickly put in shape for that nights onslaught of men and women. Gus left Bill cleaning the main dance floor while he trudged up to his father’s office. He was surprised to find that Molly was napping on a sofa with his dad’s leather jacket over her and his father was working out on the treadmill, head phones on, listening to whatever geezers listened to. “Hey, don’t mind me; I’m going to take a shower.” Gus said no one seemed to notice or care, though his father looked at him when he crossed in front of him on his way to the bathroom. Molly opened her eyes after Gus left. She sat up but didn’t say anything until the sound of the shower could be heard. “Is he going to put on his dirty clothes?” she wondered. “I have stuff in a closet there. I’m sure he plans on raiding that.” Brian continued his workout. “I should go soon. I haven’t heard from Justin yet today. I have to talk to him about Dad.” “What about your dad?” Brian asked. “Oh just some stuff, Justin is going to help me with it, Gus too. He’s a good friend.” “Maybe I could help.” Brian got off the treadmill and walked over to where Molly was sitting. “I’m not that much of an ogre.” “It’s okay. It’s kind of personal.” Molly shrugged and almost ran over to Gus when he appeared wet and dripping in the doorway. “Gus, I do have towels.” Brian said looking at his son in horror. “Molly is here.” “I know she’s here. It’s not like I’m going to jump her bones or anything. I couldn’t find any towels. Can I borrow your 501’s?” “You are soooooo rude.” Molly laughed. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at Gus. “I so don’t want to see your pathetic dick.” “It isn’t pathetic, it’s cold in here.” Gus defended. “Put some pants on Gus.” Brian shook his head. His son never did mind if he was naked. It was something they both had in common. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Justin woke in the darkened hotel room. He could hear quiet conversation in the other room. At first he wasn’t sure where he was. It reminded him of the years he spent in the Military Academy where someone was always awake. It was a place of homesick boys and bullies. But it was also a place that Justin grew to respect as he learned more there than he had ever imagined. It had been hard at first, but he was damned if he would give anyone the satisfaction of breaking him. It wasn’t long before he earned the respect of his peers as well as his instructors. But that was then, this was now. His body ached where it had been bombarded by whatever his asshole father had put as a booby trap. Justin couldn’t believe he’d fallen for such a thing. He knew better, he’d been trained better. He gingerly rubbed the scar on his forehead. It was something that was going to haunt him forever, this weakness for migraines, thanks to the ‘accident’ which wasn’t an accident, but rather a homophobic slap in the face, literally as well as figuratively. He checked the clock beside the bed. He’d managed to sleep most of the night and though his head still ached, it was more of a residual ache than a full-blown migraine. He could live with it as long as he made no sudden moves or put himself in a stressful position. He wondered why he was undressed and then the memory of Doc helping him with his clothes came back. “Hey, there, you’re awake.” Justin looked … it was Doc. “Yeah, barely.” He sat up and put his legs over the side of the bed, careful to move slowly. “I can’t function well if the migraine hits full on. I have something to take when I feel them start, but I guess I missed.” “You were hardly in the position to take anything from what Brian tells me. You stepped into some kind of booby trap.” “Yes like the booby I am.” Justin tried to joke. “I’ll know better the next time I get near anything of dear old dad’s.” He stood up heading for the bathroom. “I’m going to shower, you don’t have to watch me any longer.” “I’d like to give you the once over, just to make sure there isn’t anything internal. You took quite a hit.” Justin’s hand went to his forehead, it was an automatic response, he saw Doc watching him. “Sorry, old war injury.” He joked. “It’s the cause of the migraines or at least that’s what my doctor tells me.” “Want to talk about it?” Doc asked surreptitiously examining the blond. “No.” Justin noticed another man in the sitting room as he passed the door. “Who’s that?” he asked with a nod of his head. “My husband Niko, he works for Brian and likes to keep an eye on me when I do an overnighter.” “And you, do you work for Brian?” Justin asked wondering why in hell Brian would need someone who was obviously a bodyguard type of guy not to mention a Doctor on call. That is if this guy was an actual doctor and not just nicknamed Doc. “I have my own practice, but I do work for Brian when he needs something. Brian and I go way back.” Doc smiled. “Oh,” Justin had heard about Brian Kinney and his reputation from others as well as Gus. This guy had to be one of his ex’s. “Well nice to have met you. I appreciate you taking the time to watch over me. Not everyone would have.” “Well Brian wanted to stay, but I figured you wouldn’t need the aggravation when you woke up. He’s a bit persistent when he wants information. “ Doc laughed. “Niko and I will let ourselves out. You really should take it easy today and don’t do anything strenuous. Migraines of the type you get can repeat.” “Believe me Doc, I know all about it.” Justin smiled. “I plan on going to my mother’s and sort through paper work today. Slowly.” He started toward the bathroom. “Thanks again.” Niko and Doc watched Justin close the bathroom door. “Brian is going to have to work if he wants this one.” Niko commented. “I think he knows that.” Doc shrugged. “It’s about time Brian found someone who was his equal mentally.” The two men left the suite checking that the door locked behind them. Justin stood inside the bathroom. He hadn’t started his shower and he’d heard what Niko and Doc had said. Brian Kinney can go fuck himself. He wasn’t falling for some damn slut. That lesson had been learned long ago and Justin didn’t forget. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Molly and Gus left Babylon refusing the ride Brian had offered. They had their own agenda and it didn’t involve Brian. “I have to pick up something at Seiji’s.” Gus explained to Molly. She’d never been to Seiji’s dojo, where Gus had been going since he was twelve to learn tai chi. He usually had his lessons at dawn and she wasn’t interested in early morning exercise. “You can come if you want.” “Okay.” Molly had always been curious about Gus’ time spent there. She figured it was a guy thing, though Gus didn’t always do guy things. “Were the bathrooms really gross?” she asked. Gus hadn’t said anything yet about his mornings activity. “They were disgusting. I am never and I mean never going in them again without a full body condom.” He laughed. “Men are pigs.” “A common thought among women.” Molly laughed. “But,” he pulled out his wallet and opened it up. “Look what I got off of the floor. Don’t worry, I washed it all even the paper money. That’s what took so long; I was drying it with dad’s hair dryer. I used his good soap on the stuff. Everything stunk.” “You washed the money?” Molly asked with a laugh. “Well I wasn’t going to have a shower and then touch this stuff. You have no idea where I found some of it.” He put his wallet back in his pocket. “We can go somewhere nice for lunch, my treat.” “Let’s go to that spaghetti place near the Gay and Lesbian Center.” She linked her arm through his. “You aren’t going to be long at Seiji’s are you?” “Not long. I left my good jacket there.” “I was wondering why you were wearing your dad’s jacket.” “Do you think he noticed?” Gus asked. “He’s so anal about me wearing his clothes, but damn they’re cool. Your brother has some cool stuff too.” “Your dad was on the phone, you know what he’s like when he’s talking business. We could have walked out with the safe if there was one.” “There is.” Gus laughed. “But I bet Uncle Teddy would notice, I think he’s got it tied to one leg.” Molly giggled. She’d never really met the man, but she’d heard a lot about him over the years. He’d been Gus’ father’s accountant since Gus was a baby from what she gathered. They were still giggling when they walked through the door of the dojo. It was an almost hidden doorway beside a clothing store. A decorative Greek column managed to hide the door from casual passerby’s. Gus opened the door after entering a code on a key pad. He let Molly go in first and she stood blocking the way not sure what she was seeing. “Fuck Mol would you move.” Gus pushed her gently. “Why was the door locked?” she whispered her eyes wide as she looked down the hallway in front of her. She could hear running water and birds singing. The hallway was wider than usual and dimly lit, though not dingy. The lighting appeared to glow from the walls that were painted with a large mural on both sides to look like they were walking through a forest complete with Kodama or forest spirits from the movie Princess Mononoke. “Seiji doesn’t like having it locked, but dad insists. There was some trouble here once a few years back and you know dad. Once he goes into protective mode heaven help us. Gus had regaled Molly with tales of his father for as long as they’d known one another. Though she rarely had met the man, she knew a lot about him. No doubt more than Brian Kinney would want her to know. “Gus” Molly backed up into him. Someone dressed completely in black, like some kind of evil ninja was walking toward them. “Hey Seiji, what’s with the get up.” Gus asked with a laugh. He started to laugh even harder when he noticed that Molly and Seiji were looking at each other as if they’d never seen another human being before. “Seiji, this is Molly, Molly this guy in a Halloween costume is my friend Seiji.” “Since I’m Sensei while in my dojo, show some respect.” Seiji said to Gus without taking his eyes off of Molly. “Honorable Sensei, I’d like you to meet my best friend Molly.” Gus bowed low and Molly wasn’t sure if he was mocking tradition or meant it. “Molly, pleased to meet you. Why has my young friend Gus kept you hidden all these years?” Seiji pulled off the hood he’d been wearing showing Molly a freckled face with laughing green eyes and shock of black hair that reminded her of cat fur. “I was tending my garden and truthfully was playing a role in my head.” He held out his hood and laughed. “I have iced tea or soft drinks if you’d prefer.” “I just want my jacket. We can’t stay.” “Iced tea would be great.” Molly answered ignoring Gus. “Is you garden back there?” “Yes, would you like to see my dojo? It’s surrounded by garden.” He led the way to the end of the hallway. When they reached the light Molly was again astonished. It was an anomaly of the city in that an arborarium had been created almost a hundred years before at the back of the old building. It reached four floors up and held trees and plants that hadn’t ever grown outside the protective glass. And in the very center were the mats that were an essential part of the dojo. The matted area in itself was larger than Molly would have expected. Seiji watched Molly and smiled. “This building used to be owned by an insurance company. It’s been all cut up into stores and apartments, but the back was famous in the city for years and the pride and joy of the owner. When Brian bought the building, he restored it to what you see today. My dad was a gardener and this was his masterpiece, something of a legacy for me and of course for Brian who he admired. I work here and live here.” “Do you look after all of this?” Molly asked as she walked around this secret garden. “It’s amazing, there’s even birds here.” A brightly hued macaw flew past her to land in the branch of a tree followed by his mate. “It’s a way of honoring my father, keeping everything going.” Seiji replied. “He is dead but not dead as long as this place lives.” “Well I think it’s amazing.” Molly had found a hidden pool of water filled with golden koi. “Look the fish are watching us.” She giggled. “They like to watch us humans.” Seiji laughed. “Gus here doesn’t like them much.” “They are too creepy for words.” Gus shuddered. He had his jacket over his arm. “Oh, where did you get the jacket?” Molly looked around. “There are lockers and a change room built under that mound over there.” Gus pointed. “Again kind of creepy.” “I think it would be like living in a magical forest.” Molly twirled around. “That’s what I think too.” Seiji grinned. “Come on over to my place. I have that iced tea.” “Don’t you have to teach a class or something?” Gus asked rather perturbed that his friend Molly was being wooed by Seiji. “No, not for another hour.” Seiji laughed. “Come on Gus, don’t be such a poop. I want to hear all about Molly. It isn’t often a beautiful young women finds her way into my secret garden.” “You have women here all the time for classes.” “But not Molly.” Seiji replied and Molly blushed at the implied compliment. Gus rolled his eyes but followed behind the two, wondering when Seiji had begun holding Molly’s hand or for that matter why Seiji was holding her hand.