We drive in silence. Justin is trying to decipher something on the lap top. Glancing his way, I smile softly. This wasn't how I expected my life to be, but I wasn't complaining. Let me give you some background: Nick was a good friend of mine. He went to some preppy high school...probably the same one Justin attended, I never paid attention. In any case, Nick was a good friend. We had a lot in common and his father loved having me over-- almost as much as Debbie did. Nick's father had an interesting business. I didn't really understand it at first. I just knew they had a lot of money and he was in charge of a lot of people. He was grooming Nick to take over the family business. He and his wife, Janie, treated me like a second son and often would invite me to come along on family trips. It was great. As we got older, Nick began doing jobs for his dad, and I got to tag along. It was then when I realized what Nick, Sr.'s business was. I got into it. The rush of it was amazing. Nick, Sr. was pretty proud of "his two boys." Everything was going great...and then Nick was murdered. It was hard for everyone. Poor Nick, Sr. was heartbroken, and I guess you could say he latched on to me...I was all he had left of his son. Don't worry though, the murderer got what he deserved. I saw it. I helped do it. Revenge never tasted so sweet. And then it was all on me. More jobs, more meetings, more responsibilities. I knew what he was doing. He was grooming me to take over. I didn't mind it at all. In fact, I loved every minute of it. Power can be a dangerous thing, and I craved it. Now of course I needed a "real job." I knew what I was good at, so after college I joined an ad agency and soared. Whatever I touched turned to gold. So as I found myself climbing up the ladder at the agency, I was doing the same with my "other job."
"Found it." Justin's voice brings me back. "So now what?" I ask, already knowing the answer. "He's home." His voice is flat. He isn't sad, which is a good sign. I think he's just annoyed that it had to come to this. But we always knew there was a chance. Turning the corner, I park in front of Ethan's apartment. Justin turns off the lap top. Without a word, I leave my jeep and start walking. I was going to enjoy this.
Making my way up the stairs, I almost feel sorry for him. Almost. The guy deserved what was coming to him. But it didn't have to end like this. He could have just kept his mouth shut. There had been some activity in the city. Activity that Nick, Sr. did not approve of. Some guys were trying to push their way into our turf. That was unacceptable. Fights broke out, it was pretty messy. But then we got wind that someone with information was arriving to PIFA as a student. He wasn't part of the group, but he was linked. And that was all that we needed. The plan was simple. Have Ethan seduce Justin. That was easy, who wouldn't want to seduce Justin? But we had to stage a break up...a believable break up. Because honestly, who would ever want to break up with me? A few weeks prior, Justin, being the curious kitten that he is, discovered that our phone was being tapped. After some searching, he found another "spy bug" underneath the dining room table. So, though we had our loft checked weekly thereafter, we needed to start arguing at home...just in case. That was hard for Justin. I was pretty cruel. But I had to be, and Justin made it so easy when playing his part. So finally the Rage party came and Ethan took the bait. Everything was going as planned and as soon as Justin was able to get all the information we needed, I called in Peter to seduce Ethan...which was pretty easy because Ethan didn't love anything more than having someone fawn over him. Justin was pretty pissed at how easy it was for Ethan to cheat on him. But that's life. And everything could have continued going to plan...until Ethan opened his mouth. He must have figured it out somehow. Maybe Peter told him? Hmm...note to self: have a "talk" with Peter. Reaching the top floor, I take Justin's set of keys and open the door to Ethan's apartment.
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Five minutes later, I am walking back to the jeep. Justin is in the driver's seat now, smoking. I'm a bit disappointed: Ethan was stoned out of his mind. That was no fun! So I shot him in the head and staged it to look like a suicide. Returning to the jeep, I close the door and smile. Justin smirks, "Have fun?" I shrug. "Where to now?" He asks. "Home." We had a lot of talking...and fucking...to do.