Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:12:11 -0500 From: chris james Subject: On the Wire, Chapters 2 & 3 Dear Readers: this is am adult fiction story, if you are under 18 the author does not advise you to read it. As I stated before Chapter One, this is not a sexually descriptive story but it is all about sex. Let's call it a romance/adventure story, that way you won't have to think about the horror I have begun here. Your comments welcome. Chris James drmeta4@gmail.com On the Wire (M/B) Chapter Two They had lunch at La Mesa, The Table, Alan's favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. It had been crime that first brought him here, the quality of the food and the people kept him coming back. Austin had lost the scared look he'd been wearing when they first parked the car. The area had a reputation for toughness and there were still gangs and drugs on the streets, but not today. It was a sure bet that everyone on the street knew him for a cop, but Alan had no fear in this neighborhood and they knew it. After Greg's killing, Alan had come back on duty to the streets here. His luck was holding up since he was just in time to get a robbery collar. The one family who owned several of the businesses along this strip had become the target for extortion and holdups. It meant additional patrols in a city where the squeaky wheel always gets the grease. The robber had been holding a gun to the head of Mrs. Hernandez while pulling cash from the register of the tiny grocery store. It was just good fortune that Alan had parked the squad car and was starting a foot patrol. He saw the perp through the store window and waited for an opportunity. The fool ran from the store and turned to look back. Alan broke the guy's gun hand with his nightstick and then cold cocked the man on the back of the head; it was all over in seconds. The perp was still out cold and in cuffs when backup arrived. Mrs. Hernandez was the abuela, the grandmother, in a powerful family. The Chief of Patrol received dozens of calls and letters about Alan's heroics. The perp was still in prison and feared for his life every day as he should. He would be a dead man out here on the street. As for Alan, he was grateful and embarrassed by the attention. He didn't see the occasional free lunches as graft since the family seemed to have adopted him after the incident. So now it was "Hola, mi amigo" whenever he came in the restaurant. He really liked that. Alan ordered for himself and Austin. The boy had never had real Mexican before, just the stuff they dished out at that Taco franchise. It was too soon to tell if Austin was relaxed enough to fill in more details, but he sure dug into the food on his plate when it came. "Wow...this is pretty good...thanks," the boy said. "You guys get to eat well at the apartment?" Alan asked. "I guess...carry out mostly; we eat a lot of pizza." Alan and the boy finished about the same time, and Austin sat back with a curious look in his eyes. "Why did you become a cop? I mean...well, what you like is...umm, I don't know...illegal." He immediately blushed. "Sorry...I shouldn't be asking you..." Alan smiled, "I guess you deserve an answer. I was just like you...except I never got caught." Austin's eyebrows went up. "Wow...uh...you're not just saying that to get on my good side are you?" Alan laughed, "You have a good side?" Austin frowned, "I'm not some criminal...I do what I have to...do you get that?" "You ought to be in school, doing homework, hanging with friends, going on dates...not all this," Alan said. "Not in my life you don't." "That's why I want to help you make some changes." "Hmm, I thought you just wanted to get in my pants." That smirk was back and Alan hated it. "Actually...no, it isn't on my list of things to do. You've had too much of that already...I just want you to be a kid again," Alan said. "What were you like at my age?" Austin asked. "I made mistakes, dumb things really. But I was just trying to figure myself out, very much like you I believe. I met someone that blew me away and then he burned me badly, I still think about that. So, tell me about Kevin." "Kevin...why him?" Austin asked. "He seems to know how this operation works, he's a leader, or at least an organizer in this little scam Bucky has going." "What will happen to Kevin?" Alan smiled, "You like Kevin, don't you?" The look on Austin's face said it all; he had strong feelings for Kevin. No matter how he might deny it Alan knew they had been lovers at some point. It was sad really, Kevin would take a fall from his involvement with Bucky, it only remained to be seen how deeply involved the kid was. Austin hadn't answered the question, he didn't have to. This Kevin was at least a pimp, probably arranging the boys dates...online if he was a real savvy operator. Alan wondered if he had ever chatted with the boy...probably. For Austin's sake he just hoped that Kevin wouldn't become an accessory to murder. "So...what happens now?" Austin asked. "We go back to the office and see if you can give us a good sketch of Bucky. Then we'll be looking for him. I'm pretty sure he's the one who can give us all the details," Alan said. "Kevin will wait for later, does that suit you?" "Yeah, I don't want nothin bad to happen to him." Jill Abrams was a no nonsense lady, a great cop and a better artist. It didn't take her long to win Austin over; she had a way with young people. Alan knew she'd attended some pretty rough crime scenes, but she always managed to do her job professionally and he respected that. As Alan watched, a rough face appeared on the page and Austin supplied the finer details. Slowly the features took shape and Alan saw a young man, hollow cheeks and a goatee. The eyes were hard, the nose long and sharp. He looked like any normal young man...so how did he get in this racket? Maybe there would be an answer to that after they found him. If anything he had probably been a hustler himself, the sex market being what it was. The victim turned criminal, Alan had seen it dozens of times. If the sketch did lead to an arrest then the boy's loyalties would be tested. So far he had proved invaluable but it was time to take him home. Maybe the mother wasn't that bad, Austin could be lying. But Alan knew he would check the woman out first before leaving the boy with her. Unfortunately taking him home meant Austin might be back on the street fairly quickly. It wouldn't do to have the boy warn Kevin they were under surveillance. The only way to keep the boy off the street was to turn him over to the social services people and that wasn't going to work. Jill declared the drawing finished and she handed it over. Bucky, if that was his real name, looked to be in his early twenties. He had a ring in his left ear and a small cross tattooed on his right cheek. Those features provided by Austin would be invaluable if the man was stopped for questioning. Alan left Austin under Jill's observation as he went to file the sketch for distribution with the desk sergeant. He filled out the papers for a warrant, the basic charge being child pornography and assault on a minor. Then he went back for Austin. "He's in the Men's room," Jill said, nodding at the door across the hall. "He said that lunch you fed him upset his stomach." Alan got a sick feeling in his own stomach, and it wasn't the food. He pushed open the Men's room door and felt the emptiness inside, Austin was gone. The window was still open and outside it was a short drop to the fire escape on the back of the station building. "Damn," he said to the empty tile room. Just when he was beginning to believe the boy might help out. The kid had only been waiting for the opportunity to run. He dashed out of the Men's room and threw a glance Jill's way. "He took a jump out the window." Alan didn't wait for her reaction as he pushed through the stairwell door and dashed down three flights to the ground floor. There were cops everywhere but he was sure no one had seen anything. The boy probably hit the pavement running and would be blocks away by now. Alan stood in the empty alley and knew two things had to be on the boy's mind. First he had to warn Kevin. That could be done with a phone call but then Alan figured Austin would try and do it in person. That was the only way he would be able to drag Kevin away from the apartment to somewhere safe. Second, Austin would have to get enough cash to stay hidden from the cops and Bucky. Once this pimp found out that Austin had blown the whistle there would be hell to pay, and he just hoped the boy was smart enough to stay out of sight. It was futile but Alan rode over to Jackson hoping to catch a glimpse of the kid. He cruised slowly past the arcade, but this early there were few people out on the street in that neighborhood. The apartment was close by but Alan didn't have the address. He criss-crossed the blocks around the arcade, something nagging at the corner of his mind. There were dozens of apartment buildings and the boys could be in any one of them. Pizza, yes....that was the clue. In the whole area there was only one Mom and Pop pizzeria and Alan parked up the street. Maybe it was a long shot, but what else could he do? Austin wasn't about to show his face on the street, but one of the other's might. Couldn't be that many boys carrying pizza boxes around by themselves. The afternoon waned and traffic picked up as people headed home from work. If Austin had made it back to that apartment then within the next hour or so they would be getting hungry. He settled into the seat and kept his eyes glued on the front of the pizzeria. The fact that a teenage boy seemed to be running the daily operation didn't surprise Alan in the least. Kids these days were some of the most sophisticated online operators. Kevin had to be pretty well organized and have some powerful equipment to run this kind of organization. That meant the cash flow had to come from somewhere. The overwhelming lack of information had been his own damn fault; he should have interrogated the boy. But he had been blindsided by the boy's looks and cooperative attitude. The kid had manipulated him, plain and simple. It seemed pretty obvious now; Austin had a lot of experience in that department. Five o'clock came and went. He wondered if this was just a dumb idea, maybe they were eating Chinese tonight. At least he wanted to know which building they lived in. It would give him time to plan an approach. Alan knew that getting into the apartment where Kevin ran the operation was the first imperative. No doubt the boy had his computer rigged to wipe out any incriminating files with a keystroke. It meant getting the boy away from his keyboard for a few moments and that was going to be tricky. He watched as this kid crossed the street and went into the pizzeria. Where had the boy come from? Something about the way the boy looked had caught his eye. He popped the car door and headed up the street. At first he passed the doorway into the store just to catch a glimpse of the kid sitting on a stool against the wall. Good, he was waiting for the pie to be made. Alan stopped and looked at the menu taped to the glass window. He took out his wallet and glanced at the bills inside before smiling. He opened the door and stepped inside. The boy gave him a glance but nothing more as he approached the counter. The clatter of pans in the kitchen was followed by a slam of the oven door. A man finally came forward and smiled at him. "What's it gonna be?" he asked. "Um, I'll take a large pepperoni pie with extra cheese...to go please," Alan replied. The guy wrote down the order and rang up the sale. Alan fished out his wallet and pulled out some bills, spilling a few others on the floor. "Oops," he said, handing over a twenty to the guy behind the counter. The boy on the stool was up in a flash and stooped to pick up the cash on the floor. He gave Alan a winning smile as he handed it over. "Thanks, man," Alan said. "I seem to be all thumbs today." "You're welcome," the boy replied. "Good choice by the way." "Choice?" Alan asked. "Yeah, they make the best pepperoni pies I ever ate." "Hmm, a pizza fanatic, I can tell by that gleam in your eye." The boy laughed at the comment and resumed his seat on the stool. Alan felt the eyes appraising him differently now. The kid knew he had cash and a fifteen minute wait for the pie. The boy looked down the hallway towards the back of the pizzeria and Alan could bet there was a bathroom back there. He wondered how the kid was going to begin conning him, but he knew it was coming. For a couple of those bills in his wallet the kid would go down on him in that bathroom. A five minute blow job and the kid would walk away with his pizza pie and a handful of cash. But that temptation wasn't on the agenda. Alan chose to block the kid's next move by crossing the room and picking up an old newspaper. He glanced thru the pages and tried to ignore the boy. The kid was squirming on the stool, finally spinning himself around several times...anything to gain Alan's attention and resume the game. The boy finally took out a cell phone and began to play with it. He couldn't be a day over fourteen, Alan thought. The kid's expensive clothes were tight enough to show off a lean body and a nice package between his legs. The sneakers alone cost a couple of hundred. Besides that, the boy had an air of independence bred from a lot of street time. He could never pass as one of the neighborhood kids; he almost looked out of place here. Alan tried to ignore the boy but he just couldn't. The gold loops in his ears and the hairstyle all spoke of hustler, so this had to be one of the three Austin had mentioned. He was considering a chat with the kid again when the boy's pies arrived on the counter. The kid slid the phone back in his pocket, said a few words to the counter man and then gave Alan a smile as he made his exit with four boxes. Through the glass he watched the kid cross the street and walk up a few buildings. The boy turned up the steps to an apartment house and then stopped. He looked around and Alan stepped back from the window as the boy walked back towards the alleyway and turned into it. He could see the boy walk up the darkening alley until he came to a side door which he opened with a key. Looking around once again the boy stepped thru and the door shut behind him. The kid's vigilance alone said this was someone who had been warned to be cautious. It all but confirmed Alan's assumption...this was Kevin's lair. Somewhere in that building Austin and three others were digging into that pizza right about now. There was no way he could enter unseen, he would need a warrant and a team to do that. Alan accepted his pie and walked back to his car. All the way back to the station the smell of cooked pepperoni drove him crazy. Alan dropped the pizza on the desk in front of a startled Mike Thomas, his number two man on the geek squad. 'Wow...you brought dinner?" Mike laughed. "What's it gonna cost me?" "I need a search warrant and the floor plan of an apartment building pronto," Alan replied. The smell had attracted the two others in the room, the Laurel and Hardy of the computer squad. Brett Marlow and Wilson Chambers fit that image to a tee. Brett was a tall skinny hollow faced man who chewed constantly on whatever gum he could find in the vending machine down the hall. It was annoying, but then it was better than the three packs a day cigarette habit he used to have. Wilson was the comedian in the bunch, and when he laughed his considerable gut bounced along with the joke. He was probably fifty pounds above the department's weight regulations but Alan fended off the rules to keep his computer savvy mind at work on the most difficult cases. "What's up?" Brett asked. "I heard you had a suspect bounce out the window on you this afternoon." "And I want him back before he becomes a liability to someone and disappears," Alan said. "Think I found his lodgings." "You ran him down already? That was fast work," Wilson said. "Pizza did it, the kid mentioned they ate a ton of pizza and I just followed my nose. The apartment building is at 1683 Elkins, a three story brick built, not your ordinary run down flop house either." As he told them of the find, Alan watched as Mike got into the public archives and looked up the address in the Building Inspections file. Shortly he had a schematic of the place on his desktop screen. "About eighty years old, and I bet it has plaster walls on the interior. Looking for any renovation permits now," Mike said. "We're looking for two adjoining apartments," Alan said. "One of them will have some decent electrical upgrades, DSL or cable internet access too. The other may have been subdivided, three or four bedrooms at least." "We gonna need the SWAT team in on this?" Brett asked. "I hope not, this has to be covert as hell," Alan said. He went on to explain about Kevin and his thoughts on losing the boy's computer in a large raid. "No doubt, he could begin destroying his files with a couple of keystrokes if he has the program in place," Wilson said. "Do they have a security system?" "Yes they do," Mike threw out. "Look at this, Alan." They clustered around the flat-screen monitor and watched as Mike traced the wiring diagrams in the file. The permit files were available to the police and fire departments in case of emergency, and a very useful tool for investigations of this sort. "There's a building wide system, cameras around the building and the usual fire alarm system, all off site monitoring. But here, on the third floor, there's a keypad on apartment number 304 which indicates a separate system. "And here, there's been an electrical upgrade. Wow, they even have a separate external grounding system with defaults built in. Looks like there has to be some pretty sensitive equipment up there. Are they running a website?" "I don't know...probably," Alan said. "Well I bet they have a full setup, servers...storage drives, maybe even a credit card scanning system. The phone records would show us that." Mike looked over at Alan. "What are they doing up there?" "A little of everything I suppose. We might be walking into a real big bust here, guys. I can evidence child pornography and prostitution, but if there's a larger role these boys play in some website then you can imagine where this will lead us if we can only get our hands on that computer." "The key has to be this Kevin character I suppose," Wilson said. "What did you have in mind?" "A gas leak maybe?" Brett said. "Emergency crews have access, and we have the uniforms downstairs." "I'm sorry to drag you guys into this; I know it"s late in the day..." Alan said. A chorus of protests, they all wanted in. Of course Alan had known they would, desk jockeys always looked forward to a bit of action. This couldn't be that risky, after all there were only five boys. The apartments involved were 304 and 306, back to back on the same stretch of upper hallway. Kevin had to be in 304 with the extra security, which would be their main target. Wilson would play the gas company man since Alan judged him the best one to make a quick entry and pull the plug. Hopefully if Kevin had begun to destroy files Wilson would be able to stop any forward progress. Besides, he looked the part. They commandeered an unmarked van from the garage and Brett came up with a small bottle of natural gas. Wilson only had to open the valve for a second before approaching the door and the hallway would have that telltale odor people feared so much. They rolled in the van towards Elkins, with only one stop planned. Alan wanted to visit the local fire station to see if they had an access key left by the building manager. Many property owners preferred the firemen use a key rather than an axe to gain admittance in case of emergency. Alan flashed his badge and spoke with the station chief. A quick look at the warrant they had and the man was all sorts of cooperative. A look in the books, a visit to the safe and a key was produced. The only caveat was that the chief would have to go along and open the door. 1683 looked pretty quiet as they approached up the back alley. Only Wilson was in his disguise, the others had their badges pinned on and side arms ready. They did a quick radio check before the chief unlocked the door and Wilson strode in. They gave him four minutes to climb the stairs to the third floor and then they followed. There was no sign of a security camera in this back hall and Alan was hoping that Kevin was too busy eating his share of the pizza to notice much. At the third floor landing Alan cautiously opened the door and saw Wilson outside 304. He nodded at them and then turned his head looking back down the hall. Alan could already smell traces of the gas as he peeked around the corner and saw the camera at the far end. They would have to wait for the door to 304 to open before venturing into the hallway. Alan nodded and Wilson gave the door a knock. The seconds ticked by and there was no response, Wilson knocked again. "Gas Company," he announced. Still no response. Alan looked back at Brett and Mike. "Looks like it's your turn." The two detectives stepped through the doorway and hurried down the short hall towards Wilson. Between them they carried the ram which was Plan B. Guns drawn, Wilson and Alan stood back as the two cops lined it up with the door locks. "Police...open up...we have a warrant," Alan yelled. Ok, so politeness was over, the ram hit the door and the locks gave way. "Police," Alan yelled again...and they went in. A soft beeping sounded from the security system box beside the door. It didn't matter now as the guys fanned out. Alan found himself facing the living room. Two chairs and a table, no couch, no television, nothing. Brett gave a yelp from a side room. "Wilson, in here." Wilson came out of the kitchen area and crossed the living room towards Brett's voice. Alan was still on alert as he opened a closet door. "Hey Alan....come look at this," Wilson yelled. "Secure," Mike said, sticking to protocol as he exited the bedroom. They both headed towards the source of Wilson's voice and the sudden burst of laughter that followed the summons. Alan swept into the room and stopped short, causing Mike to bump him from behind. Two tables and a desk lined the walls, all stacked with hi-tech computer equipment. The only thing wrong was that none of it was on, or so it seemed. "Son of a bitch, he pulled the plug," Wilson said. "Go search 306...now," Alan commanded. Brett and Mike ran from the room. Wilson stood back, his eyes taking in all the equipment. He shook his head and let out a short barking laugh. "This kid is a fucking genius." "You want to explain that," Alan asked. "This is the server...see the empty bays? He pulled the skuzzy drives out and took the mother board too. This setup is the modem, wireless no less. Looks like he fried everything with this switch. See it lays in a line voltage thru that box, everything is corrupted and burnt." Alan noticed the air did seem to have a burnt electronics smell to it. Kevin had sabotaged his equipment...his very expensive hardware. "I guarantee there isn't a bit of software left in any of this," Wilson said. "No programs, no traces...nothing. My guess is he did this in about five minutes and was out the door." "Can we at least figure out his service provider? They must have some records," Alan said. "Maybe, but I doubt it. He could have piggybacked off anything, see this wireless device?" Alan looked at another slightly charred piece of equipment. "You're gonna tell me he was bootlegging off someone else's system?" "Yup, looks like he sure could. The wireless scanner could pull in a signal from any one of a dozen sources. There are a lot of hot zones in this town. Clever boy, not too many people know how to do that." The admiration in Wilson's voice was getting on Alan's nerves. He walked over to the only other door in the room, probably a closet, and yanked the door open. "Whoa," Wilson said behind him. A photo of Alan's face stared back at him, but the note scrawled underneath said it all. "Find what you were looking for, detective?" The words were written on the painted plasterboard and that was all it said. The photo showed him standing in the pizzeria, newspaper in hand. The pizza kid had taken it with his cell phone. Damn. Mike and Brett returned. The other apartment had been cleaned out as well. "Damn," Mike said when he saw the photo. "They knew we were coming it seems." Brett added "This is a very talented bunch of kids, gentlemen," Wilson said. "We underestimated them." "One kid...it's only one kid that engineered all this. I suppose it's useless but call the lab and get an ID team over here for prints and anything else they can find. What's next door?" Alan asked. "Some pizza boxes, that's about all...oh and this, it's got your name on it," Brett said, handing over a folded paper. "It was inside one of the boxes." Alan took the piece of paper and slowly unfolded it. "Sorry about all this...Austin. 555-8329...call me tomorrow." "They left you a phone number?" Wilson asked, "That took balls." "Probably a throw away, we'll never trace it," Mike said. "Kevin doesn't know about this I'll bet. Austin did this on his own," Alan said. "So we have an inside to their organization?" Brett asked. "I believe Austin and I connected in some way this morning, I just don't know why. Somehow we need to get that kid back before the owners of this operation start looking for someone to blame for this little bug out. Losing all this stuff is gonna cost them." "About ten, maybe fifteen grand I estimate, but they took the heart of the system, the rest is just hardware," Wilson said. "Let's go over the rest of the building before ID gets here. I want to know how they left. Maybe Austin left me another clue," Alan said. "Mike you find the manager and explain the protocol for the broken doors. And find out who was paying the bills for this place. Pressure him if you have to, he had to know there were nothing but kids living up here. Show him the sketch of Bucky and see if he can ID that clown as well." The team split up, with Mike headed down to the lobby. Brett and Wilson went out to search the halls and head down to the basement. Alan stared at the useless equipment and thought. This was a well rehearsed move, he could feel that. Maybe it wasn't the first time they had to abandon ship. He would have Mike check the files and see if there were any other similar records of abandoned computer equipment. Ten grand was a lot of money, unless it was considered just a cost of doing business. Kevin was the point man....umm, a freaking kid ran this setup. That's what wasn't making sense. Bucky wasn't the geek, just the muscle...this seventeen year old was running things day to day. But someone was financing all this, someone with ten grand to burn up. Someone who was deeply involved in child porn and prostitution...and that meant he was someone dangerous. Alan considered there might be a mob connection and then pushed that thought aside. The organized crime guys were into preserving their assets, not killing them. Was he beginning to feel some connection between this operation and the unsolved child murders? God, he had to get Austin back before something happened to that kid. He looked at the note once again. So the boy did have some feelings about their brief encounter. The word 'sorry' stuck out, was he really sorry? Austin had managed to warn Kevin, to protect the one he loved...did that leave him with feelings of gratitude? Alan wanted to get back to the office, to his desk and the keyboard it held. Maybe he could spot which website was temporarily down, that might give him a clue. But even as he thought that he knew better, Kevin would be up and running in no time at all, they must have a backup plan...he was too smart not to. Chapter Three Austin had hit the bricks behind the station house and run. That foolish woman had trusted him, something he knew Alan wouldn't have done. Two blocks down he hailed a cab and headed home to Kevin. The cab driver had demanded to see some cash before he moved the vehicle. Austin laughed and pulled the rolled up twenties from his stash in the waistband of his jeans, urging the man to get moving. The cops were such idiots...well except for Alan. There was something about that man, something that made him feel excited inside. He didn't look or act much like a cop either. And he was a boy-lover...maybe if things had been different. Austin wasn't kidding himself; Alan wouldn't have sex with him. But maybe they could have formed some kind of relationship, something that might last. None of the men he'd been sent to perform with were worth remembering. A few were downright scary, but Kevin was protecting him from the real hardcore ones, he was sure of that now. His love for Kevin had grown out of need. The whole sex for sale business was starting to freak him out. And today, oh my god, Alan had shown him those photos and Austin had recognized the first one. He'd never met the boy, only seen the kid in the portfolio Kevin kept on the computer. In fact, he had been there when the boy's photos had been removed from the site. "He didn't work out," was Kevin's only comment at the time. Austin didn't know the boy had been killed, no one had admitted to that reality. Did he die just for refusing to be fucked by some client? Did Kevin even know the truth? He had only known the boy for eight months but Kevin acted like he knew everything. A couple of weeks after Austin arrived in town these two guys had come to the apartment to talk to them. The chatter had been about making movies, taking photos, and these guys had big plans. Ricky, Kyle and David had seemed a little upset at first, unsure what was being asked of them. Bucky had been there too, leering at David, the youngest member of the group. It was the first time Austin could remember seeing Kevin away from his computer. He was the only boy allowed in that apartment next door. But that night things felt different, like these two strange men had changed the way the rules were setup. Of course Bucky had been the man in the red hat that picked him up at the airport. The guy's eyes had undressed him at first glance and Austin immediately knew he would have to watch out for this man. But then had come the apartment with the other boys, and he relaxed when Bucky left him alone. Still there was no sign of Kevin and no one would tell him anything. Finally one of the boys had gone for pizza and Austin was told to take a box next door. The door to that apartment had opened and Austin came face to face with Kevin. They shared the food and drank a gallon of chocolate milk as they stayed up all night talking to each other. He filled Austin in on the business side of Golden Hand. At first shocked, Austin came to realize that he had expected something like this might happen. The apartment next door was referred to as 'The Nest,' it was the place where the new boys first started out. Each boy had to be taught the rules of the game and indoctrinated in the ways of the Golden Hand. Some never made it according to Kevin, they couldn't handle the sex. So now Austin knew what Bucky and his friends were all about, they were the trainers. Having Kevin tell him that sex and the photos paid for everything made the whole thing easier to accept. He trusted Kevin...he had to, the boy was now in control of his life. And if it meant he would have to allow some guy to use his body to make cash then it just had to be. Over all it hadn't been that bad so far, and then Alan came along and made him think differently. Then came the night those two guys rattled on about what would be expected of the boys when the cameras rolled. Kevin had quickly pulled him aside and Austin was surprised when he suggested they go out for dinner. Bucky was already feeling up the new kid while the other men seemed to want time alone with Ricky and Kyle. Austin was only too glad to walk out of there. That time alone with Kevin away from the apartments was like pure heaven. Away from the computer Kevin was a different person. Austin had always thought he was kinda geeky from the moment they first met, but he was still a handsome boy. Without his glasses on, Kevin had big brown eyes that made Austin feel warm and sensual. Without the electronic stimulus of the internet demanding his attention, Kevin actually wanted to talk. "You're not like the others," Kevin had said, "You won't have to put up with what Bucky and his pals do to the new ones. Hot and smart, that's how Bucky first described you to me." "He did? Oh yeah, when I first met him at the airport. I knew he wanted in my pants." "But he never got there, did he?" Kevin laughed. "I stopped him." The sound of that laughter flowed over Austin like a warm blanket. This was a different Kevin; this was the one he loved. "I sorta figured you did, he listens to you doesn't he?" Austin said. "I might do it for money...unless I think the person is special. Nothing special about Bucky I ever noticed." "I could never do it for money just like that," Kevin admitted. "I think you're pretty brave." "But you said I would have to...that the business needed the cash." "Yeah, I know, and you'll have to go out pretty soon...sorry, them's the rules," Kevin said. "Have you ever...?" Austin started to ask, but then he remembered the rules. Kevin was never to be questioned; it was like rule number six or something. The damn list was tacked to the wall in their apartment. Kevin smiled. "You want to know something about me?" "Sorry, I know I'm not supposed to ask." "Well forget the rules...I didn't write them. Tonight we forget the rules; just like we'll forget those two men ever came to the apartment...OK?" "You're the boss," Austin said, but that made Kevin frown. "I don't want to be the boss all the time. Can't you just forget that for now? Let's be friends this evening...can we?" "Yes...you have beautiful eyes," Austin blurted out. Kevin smiled, "Thank you...and while we're being honest, you're the hottest guy I've ever met." Austin must have blushed a dozen shades of red because his face felt like it was on fire. Kevin's eyes gleamed. "I mean that." "When did you know you were gay?" Austin asked "I think it was fifth grade, but I've never experienced much in the way of sex. You...you could you teach me what being gay means," Kevin said. Those eyes gazed at him, glistening with tears and Austin remembered that as the moment he really fell in love with Kevin. He could not find the words to reply, there was such a lump in his throat. Instead he reached across and took Kevin's hand, watching as the tears rolled down the boy's cheeks. "Please...please don't cry," Austin croaked...his own throat closed with the emotions of the moment. "I've never felt like this before," Kevin sniffed, wiping his cheeks with a rough paper napkin from the table dispenser. "Can we go?" They took the food as carry out, neither of them hungry for the moment. Austin remembered the feel of Kevin's hand in his as they walked back to the apartment. Kevin led the way to his door, opened it and pulled Austin inside. They both knew what was going on next door. There would be lots and lots of sex over there, but not one ounce of love. Austin was experienced with the way his body performed. The mysteries of sex with another boy had always left him yearning for more. But that first night with Kevin had erased any doubts about who he really was. Their passions reigned, until at last just before dawn they fell asleep in each other's arms. It was the most awesome sex Austin had ever imagined; he didn't know anything could be so wonderful. Nothing else mattered, it felt so right...and all because he loved this one amazing boy. But as noon came around the phone started ringing, the email requests started rolling in and the website got active. Kevin was pulled back to his duties and Austin slipped quietly out the door of 304. He inserted his key in 306, hoping the chaos was long gone. But the living room was a shambles and there was blood on the couch cushions. It could only mean that David had been broken in by Bucky. The man was a total asshole and didn't have the slightest regard for the boys. Austin truly began to hate the bastard. David was nude, passed out on his bed. Austin leaned over to examine the damage and cringed at the sight. The poor kid's asshole was torn up from the assault. If Bucky had still been there Austin might have strangled him in his sleep. He went to the medicine cabinet and found some gauze and antiseptic cream. David would be damaged for at least a week from the looks of it. Maybe it was Bucky's job to break in the new kids but this had gone too far. David had a severe hangover. It seems Bucky favored booze and poppers when he was breaking in the new boys. He cried when Austin applied the cream but then quickly fell back asleep. Ricky and Kyle were doing fine so Austin stripped in his room and showered. It was going to be different from now on...he was in love and his lover was the boss. As the oldest he had naturally taken charge of the other three. Someone needed to do that. Ricky and Kyle were fourteen and David had just turned thirteen a few days ago. What an awful birthday present. He would remember that fucking for the rest of his life. God damn Bucky. All that had flashed through his mind as the cab took him ever closer to the apartment building. He had been Kevin's lover for over seven months now, and if anything their feelings had grown stronger. The dates he had were easy ones, gentle guys, very rich guys. Kevin had made sure he was safe. The cabbie let him out the next block over and he even smiled at the five dollar tip. Austin went to the pay phone and dialed Kevin's private number. "I got busted, escaped and rode a cab back here, I"m in the alley. I had to ditch the keys and the phone like you told me. I wasn't followed...we have to talk." Kevin himself came down and opened the door, and then they dashed up the stairs. He explained everything to Kevin in one long rambling monologue, only leaving out any mention of how he might feel about Alan. He lied and said the cops knew about the arcade and that Bucky hung out there. "They even have a picture of him, I saw it. They asked me who he was and I said I didn't know, he was just some dude that hung around. I'm sorry Kevin, some cop grabbed me and they were gonna charge me with prostitution even though I didn't do anything." "The arcade is only three blocks over," Kevin said. "I bet they go there and start asking about you. Some of those street punks know you live over here don't they?" "Yeah...well Bucky kept wanting me to pimp some of them to him. That's fucked up." "Well Bucky is becoming a liability I think. OK...I have to make a call," Kevin said. "You wait right here." Kevin went in the other room and closed the door. Ten minutes later he was back and looking much relieved. "We're so outta here. I gotta strip the equipment and rig it to burn. Go get that backpack from under my bed will ya. And Austin...you did the right thing. No one is gonna blame you for this." Kevin gave him a long hard kiss and a smile which made Austin's head swim. He went for the backpack and watched as Kevin stripped the drives and pulled some other things from his computer. Carefully wrapped they went in the bag. Five minutes and he was done. "Our ride will be here in a while...do you think those cops will be outside looking for us?" Kevin asked. "Uh, I don't know...but I can't go look." "We'll send Ricky for pizza, that'll make everything look normal if they are watching." Kevin reached in his pack and took out another cheap cell phone; he always had a lot of them around. "Try not to lose this one, Austin. I never want to lose touch with you again. Now go get Ricky." Kevin moved the backpack by the door and finished off his last bottle of chocolate milk. A quick look around told him nothing incriminating was going to be left behind. Fingerprints didn't matter; there were none on file for any of them. Austin came back with Ricky in tow and Kevin explained what they wanted. Kyle and David had gathered their few possessions and were already standing in the hall awaiting orders. Austin described what Alan looked like, but any man that spoke to Ricky would be suspect. The boy was to take a photo and send it back if he could, then they would know for sure. Ricky took a handful of cash and went off to the pizzeria. Kevin led the others down to the basement laundry room where they stashed their belongings. This had been a pretty good place to roost, Kevin told them, but there was always a chance that they would be discovered so now they moved on. A van would come for them in a little while and they would be taken to a motel for the next few nights. Mr. G wasn't going to take any chances with their safety and soon they would have a new home. It wasn't the first time Austin had heard that name. He didn't know who Mr. G was, but Kevin had mentioned him before. None of them were stupid, there had to be some adult running things behind the scenes, and it sure wasn't Bucky. This had been a quiet building, mostly old folks lived here. But they used the front lobby and the elevators while the boys ran the back stairs and went thru the alley door. There had been no trouble here, no one seemed to notice them and they had enjoyed the anonymity that money can buy. Kevin's phone beeped and he opened the call from Ricky. A photo appeared on the screen and Kevin smiled, turning the screen towards Austin. The boy looked at the familiar face and nodded. "That's him, that's the cop who questioned me today." "OK," Kevin said, "they're on to us." "What can we do? Kyle asked. "Are we going to jail?" Kevin snorted. "No way...let's go eat pizza." Austin didn't know how Kevin could be so cool about all this. The cops were out there looking for him...for all of them. But they went upstairs and met Ricky in the hall, his arms filled with pizza boxes. They chowed down while Kevin went for one last look in his apartment. He shrugged and threw the switch that would burn it all up. Austin felt bad for Alan. The man had tracked him down and that was pretty amazing. If he wasn't a cop...well no sense speculating on that, the man was a cop. But what if he ever needed a friend, someone to protect him? Austin went in the kitchen and wrote a note. "Time to go, guys," Kevin said at the door. They filed out and Austin was the last to leave. Kevin took them downstairs and back to the basement service entrance. A van was waiting and Austin didn't know the driver, but at least it wasn't Bucky. The doors were slid shut and they drove off into the night. * * * * * The lab team went over both apartments with a fine-toothed comb. They got a bunch of fingerprints, a lot of hair samples and a major amount of semen swabs from the bed sheets. At least they were normal teenage boys. The lab finally came back with some disturbing answers the following morning. Apartment 306 held hair and semen samples from seven different individuals. 304 yielded only two such samples and one of those matched a sample from 306. Austin no doubt, Alan thought. That meant he was in a monogamous relationship with Kevin, good for him. But the other six from 306 was the disturbing factor here. Three boys and Austin, maybe Bucky if he was into the boys, but who were the other two? The assorted hair samples yielded further information along that line. At least three adult males had been in the apartment, hair and semen showed them that much. Alan was surprised at that; he didn't think they would ever bring strange men back to their safe house. Maybe these two guys were part of the operation and that went in his report. Somewhere down the road they would find out, the DNA profiles would go into the investigation files. Now what? A lot hinged on his connecting with Austin. He wondered when he should make the call. Would the boy be able to talk? Not if Kevin was there, that's for sure. And again he pondered just why Austin had had offered this means of contact. The boy had less than good parental care, in fact it seemed like he had none at all. The address in Belmont had been a fake; they didn't know where Austin had come from. But one thing was sure; the boy was in this over his head. Maybe that was it, maybe he saw Alan as a lifeline for some future crisis. Yes, he probably would help the kid if he could, but Austin had to know there was a price to pay, he'd already said as much. Alan was alone in his corner office, no prying eyes to see as he slid the disk into his drive. The images of Austin rolled by one by one. Not inspired photography, but then the model was everything here. The wisps of blonde hair across his face, the piercing blue eyes, the long slender nose. The kid's face was a knockout, and the rest of him...well he was beautiful just about everywhere. Why such beauty would allow itself to be soiled by this dirty business was anyone's guess. Another time, another place and Alan would have fallen in love with this creature. Now all he felt was pity, and anger...anger at the bastards that used the boy for their gain. Prostitution was a choice some people made. He knew many females had careers, boyfriends, even husbands, and yet they sold themselves. It showed a lack of concern for their true worth as human beings, it cheapened life itself. But these kids had to be outcasts, desperate for any form of acceptance, even from a master who abused them. Yes, he and Matty had talked about that long ago. They had posed for the camera because of the praise they received, and of course the little bit of cash. Sex was fun when the boys involved thought of it as play and rejected the harsh labels. No need to tell anyone that only a cock would satisfy that primal urge to mate, it was all for money. Yes Austin, I understand, Alan thought. He'd seen first hand the number of boys on the net who felt such angst about their sexuality. The teenage years were hard enough without the pressures from parents and peers. Many seemed to question their sanity, some of them acted out by abusing their bodies...too many just ended the pain in horrible ways. By noon he was on edge and Alan took out the note, using his cell phone to dial the number. If Austin didn't answer at least he would have the return number to call back later. After three rings the connection was terminated. Alan smiled. Austin had just turned his phone off after it captured the incoming number and his name. It might be ten minutes or two hours before the boy called back, but call he would. The hand of friendship had been extended and Alan was sure the boy knew what that meant. He knew he ought to arrange to meet the kid, arrest him and lock him up for his own safety. But Austin would clam up, lose faith in the one guy he thought he could trust...and all because he worried about Kevin. Kevin was the weak spot in Austin's mind. Somewhere out there the kid was plotting to go back in cyberspace and resume his domain. They needed to intensify the search for Kevin online. He had to be out there, it was what he did, and who he was.