The White Party

Chapter 6

Emmett stared at Brian's angry face. Feeling the cold fingers of death tickling his neck, he remembered a call about an hour ago.

Kinney didn't take the bait, Brandon told him. Instead, he took off, I don't know where.

I didn't expect that, Emmett was surprised. Usually, his competitive nature takes over if he is challenged. I wonder what's happened since I last talked with him.

I guess, Justin happened, Brandon suggested. Before Justin returned the hoodie to me, he spent more than an hour on the beach.

He did?

Yeah. All that time, he was with Kinney. I guess your plan worked.

Are you sure it took that long?

Sure. I know because I took care of Darren for that hour.

What? Emmett exploded. That wasn't the plan!

I thought that if Justin needed some time, it wouldn't do that Darren would go looking for him.

Well, you're right, but still… I'm not sure that was a good idea.

Why not? It kept Darren busy, and let Justin reconnect with his man. What's the matter?

I don't know… I have a bad feeling about this. But, what's done is done. Where will you be for the rest of the night? Is it a sleeping time or a play time for Brandon?

Definitely a sleeping time. Tomorrow night, I need to be at my best, for the White Party.

The call had ended leaving Emmett smiling, but the feeling of something gone amiss had lingered. Now, Justin lying unconscious in Drew's arms, and Brian a hair's breadth away from exploding into killing fury, he knew that he should have listened to his instincts. He had to do something.

"Brian, Justin needs to get somewhere safe," he said, trying to refocus the man. "Your room?"

Brian slowly turned his eyes from Justin's pale face. "Mine? Maybe… Did Bradley do this to him? What happened?"

"Justin called me," Emmett told him quickly. "He needed to get away from Darren: the man had turned violent. A lucky knocking on the door had saved him from worse. Darren left with whoever was at the door, giving Justin a chance to escape. I came to help. Justin had his things packed and we were about to leave, but when he noticed this," he pointed at the bloodstain at his shirt, "he collapsed. It's his blood, but the cut at the side of his head has already stopped bleeding, so I don't think that it is a life threatening injury."

"That crazy bastard," Brian growled. "He will be looking for Justin. The first place he'll check is my room, so no, we can't take Justin there. And, he knows about the four of you, too. But…"

Brian took his cell phone from a pocket and pushed a button.

"Theodore Schmidt, get your ass off the bed and get decent with your wife," he barked at the recipient. "We're coming." The phone went back to the pocket. "What's the number of Ted's room?" he demanded.

"408," Emmett blurted out, eyes showing the white all around the irises.

He wasn't the only one. The dangerous man that occupied the lift with them had suddenly disappeared, but the Brian they now had to deal with was every bit as scary.

"Emmett, you're going to your room," Brian ordered. "You'll dig into your wardrobe and put together a disguise for Justin. Then you'll bring it to Ted's room. Clear?" Emmett could only nod.

"Drew, you'll be with me. We'll take Justin to Ted's room," Drew nodded a yes, "and the rest of you, get to your rooms. Pack your things: we'll move to another hotel right now. Now, get moving," he commanded as the doors of the lift opened at the floor four.

"But, what about Bradley?" Emmett asked as Brian was stepping out of the lift.

"Don't worry about him. I'll take care of Mr. Darren Bradley." The smile on Brian's lips didn't warm anyone's heart. "He won't spoil your party weekend."
 

*****
 

In no time, Drew and Brian were at room 408, knocking on the door. Ted opened, and after one look at his boss, stepped aside, letting the men in.

"Ted, Justin is hurt," Brian said, his tone of voice stone cold. "His bastard of a boyfriend attacked him. We need a safe place for him for a little while, until I take care of the situation."

"Okay, he's safe with me and Blake." Ted knew better than to argue when Brian was acting in this mode. Blake nodded his head in silent agreement.

"Pack your things; we'll move out as soon as possible. Darren Bradley will have no chance of getting his hands on Justin again. Let's get going, Drew. You'll need to pack your things and, help Emmett with his mountain of clothes."

"Where do we find a place to stay?" Drew asked as they walked to the lifts. "It's the White Party weekend. Every hotel must be packed."

"I'll call in a few favors," Brian said distractedly. "I know people here in Miami. The perks of being a backroom whore," he then said bitterly.

Drew got off at his floor, leaving Brian in morose thoughts. A moment later Brian left the lift, too. Walking down the corridor, he shook himself free of the thoughts that weren't helping anyone. He made some phone calls on his cell. The first person to be disturbed in the middle of the night was the owner of the Acumus hotels, Mr. Parnes. He had been a client of Kinnetik for about nine years, and during those years his one hotel business had grown into a chain. The man was happy to help Brian rescue Justin, whom he knew well, too. Brian and Justin had stayed a number of weekends at his first hotel, the one in New York. The Acumus Miami would have rooms waiting for Brian and the company, Mr. Parnes promised.

The second call Brian made to Carl Horvath. He remembered Darren's words: I'm a man who doesn't like to share, Kinney. You fuck with me, and I'll end you. And him. You have no idea what I'm capable of. Brian asked Carl to use his connections in the police force to check on Mr. Bradley for a history of domestic violence. Carl promised to make the inquiry as soon as possible.

The third of Brian's calls was also a brief one.

"Grizzly?" Brian asked. "Brian Kinney."

"Brian! It's been awhile! You're in town for the Party?"

"Yes, but I'm not calling you because of the Party. I need your help with something else."

"Name it."

"Darren Bradley. I need him out of the picture for the weekend."

"A bastard?"

"Domestic violence."

"Sounds like the good old times, Kinney!"

"Exactly," Brian grinned.

The fourth call Brian made after packing his own things and leaving them in Ted's care, to be brought to the Acumus Miami, was even shorter than the three previous ones.

"It's Kinney. Meet me at Oravo, now."

"What? Where? Why?" a sleepy voice asked.

"The next building to the left, the bar Oravo, NOW! Don't make me wait, Brandon! Justin is hurt, and you've got things to explain."

"On my way."
 

*****

 

Brandon got to the bar in a fairly short amount of time, but it wasn't fast enough for Brian. As soon as the man sat down, Brian started to grill him about his involvement with Justin, bringing up the issue of one certain piece of red clothing.

Blushing, Brandon murmured, "It was just a silly way of getting your attention."

"I understood that. You didn't stuff the hoodie under my nose to get my attention, though. Why are you involved?"

"Do you know Justin's partner, Darren Bradley?"

"Former partner. Yes, I have the displeasure of knowing the bastard."

"Former? What has happened? You said that Justin was hurt?"

"The bastard attacked him tonight. Fortunately, there was a distraction, and Justin was able to escape. He didn't get out without injuries, though."

"I'm sorry, Brian, I really am," Brandon said, with apparent remorse. "Partly, I'm afraid, it is my fault."

"Meaning?" Brian demanded.

"I know Darren Bradley. I know him way too well. He's also my former partner... or something of the kind."

"What the hell?" Brian couldn't believe it: there were way too many coincidences.

"About four years ago, I was sent by the company to settle a dispute in the New York office, and while there, I met Darren. He was good company and a good fuck, too. However, as my secondment was coming to the end, he turned difficult. He wanted me to quit my job and move to New York, to live with him. I didn't want to; I like my job in Pittsburgh, and I like the town, too."

"Are you crazy?"

"What? Fuck you," Brandon huffed as he saw Brian looking at him with a smirk, his tongue in the cheek. "Anyway, I was never in love with the man, and I knew that he didn't love me either. When he started to make these demands, I reminded him of the facts. He didn't like it one bit. He started to accuse me of cheating on him, but I told him that I couldn't cheat on a cheat. He thought that I had no idea of the other men he fucked, but I did. He didn't like to be called on his bullshit either. He got even more angry and lost control. He threw a punch at me. I decked him with one blow."

"So, you knew about his tendency to violence," Brian commented coldly.

"Yes, and I warned Justin about it. He believed that he could handle Darren, though."

"He is a bit of a pitbull, that one," Brian admitted with a reminiscing little smile. "More courage than brains."

"Maybe," Brandon said neutrally.

"How do you know Justin?" Brian asked after a brief pause as the waiter refilled their glasses. "I didn't know that Justin and you had any kind of a relationship."

"We were brought together by a mutual friend: Emmett Honeycutt. Emmett caters to the company I work for, and I've known him for years. We have become friends. About a month ago, Emmett called me and hauled me over the coals for hurting his friend Justin. I had no idea what he was ranting about, until he named Justin's partner. A couple of weeks earlier, as I visited New York, I ran into Darren. Although we had parted ways in less than warm feelings, the meeting was quite amiable. We hooked up for a drink, then another, and at the end of the night, we ended up in bed. He didn't tell me that he was in a relationship, and sorry to say, I didn't ask."

"Apparently, Justin found out, and he didn't take it well," Brian said quietly.

"Apparently."

"Justin told Emmett," Brian said slowly. "And, what did Auntie Em do with the knowledge, I wonder? Why did he introduce Justin to you? And why were the two of you sneaking around, showing me glimpses of the red hoodie. I smell a fucking rat."

Brandon blushed again. "Emmett wanted to help you get Justin back," he mumbled.

"Help me?" Brian cast a long look at the blushing man. "And you got involved because?"

"I didn't want to, at first when Emmett told me his idea, but then I met Justin. With my thoughtlessness, I had hurt him, and he didn't deserve to get hurt. As compensation for my lack of discretion, the trip to the White Party and a couple of times being seen in a red hoodie didn't seem like too much to ask."

"And, what was that talk about the challenge all about?"

"Don't ask," Brandon pleaded, again blushing furiously.

"I insist."

"Ask Justin!"

"You're here."

"No, no. You ask him."

What the hell have Emmy Lou and Sunshine cooked up this time? Brian wondered with a hint of a smile. Aloud he asked, "Something set Bradley off tonight; do you have any idea what it might have been?"

"Some. Darren is a pathologically jealous person. If Justin has told him about you, about his long relationship with you, who knows what the man has cooked up in that addled brain? In particular, after he was caught cheating and Justin expressed his feelings about that."

"I see," Brian said, nodding in agreement. "Justin would be thinking about ending the relationship, and that would bring to the surface every possessive tendency in the man."

"Fuck," Brandon breathed. "Emmett was right!"

"What are you talking about?" Brian asked, alarmed by Brandon's suddenly pale cheeks.

"I made things worse! Tonight, you met Justin on the beach, yes, yes: I know about it. While you were with Justin, I was with Darren. I fucked him into the mattress, for you."

"Damn! You thought to keep Darren distracted, but at the same time, you made him guilty of cheating, again. And, I'd venture to bet that he got caught, again. Justin would notice your cologne lingering in the air."

"Not my wisest decision," Brandon apologized.

"Don't kick yourself too hard, pal. Your less than wise decision wasn't the only thing that set him off. I'm also to blame. Considering the things he said to me tonight, something about me has been haunting him for a long time. This weekend, he expected to screw me up: personally, by parading Justin in front of me, but also professionally, by playing games with my business. Instead, Justin has been more interested in me than him, and I noticed his game before he could blow it in my face."

"I agree; Darren wouldn't like that."

"No, he didn't: he was seriously pissed off." Brian emptied his glass. "I'm afraid that there's more to all this than just his jealousy about my relationship with Justin. It seems to me that he has been in the same situation before, that there has been a lover, and it didn't end well with him.

"The man is dangerous. I've done my best to shelter Justin and my friends; we're moving out of the hotel. I would like to invite you to join us. Here's the address of the hotel; it's your call."

Brian stood up, nodded to Brandon, and left. On his way to the Acumus Miami, he called Ted.

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