Dirty Laundry - Part III

The sound of gunfire echoed through the loft. Tony instantly dropped to the floor, and rolled for cover behind the kitchen area breakfast counter. Shit. Was he hit? He quickly scanned his clothing for blood.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU AND MY SON!" Brian yelled out.

"YOU CRAZY BITCH, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" Tony yelled back, only to have another shot fired above him. This one hit the canister on the counter, causing a shower of sugar, and glass to rain down on Tony's head.

"How did you do it? Did you befriend him behind my back? Did you give him the attention you thought I wasn't giving him, then took advantage of his love for you?" Brian demanded to know.

"Brian, baby, listen to me. Nothing happened between me and Gus." Tony attempted to reason with him. "You know me, Brian. You know I would never do anything to hurt Tiger."

"LIAR!" Brian fired two more shots that shattered a bottle of Southern Comfort. "First you gain the parent's trust, then you move in for the kill. That's how it works, isn't it?"

Tony could hear the crazed father's footsteps coming around the counter. He quickly crawled through the mixture of sugar, glass, and whiskey to the other side, then stopped, and sat upright on the floor with his back against the counter baseboard. Tony looked across the loft at the bedroom, then over at the living room. Neither area offered much promise of cover, not to mention that a try for either place would make him an easy target. Tony also concluded that any attempt for the loft door would be suicide. By the time he unbolted the locks, and slid the heavy steel door open he would be dead for sure.

"He's just five years old. How the hell could anyone do that to a five year old?" Brian continued. "I should have been there to protect him. Fathers are supposed to protect their sons."

"Brian, you're not your father," Tony said.

"GODDAMN YOU! LEAVE MY FATHER OUT OF THIS! DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" Brian rounded the counter once again, and took aim at the man sitting on the floor. "TALK!"

Tony looked up into the cold, steel barrel of the gun, then up higher into Brian's eyes. "Gus wanted to invite me to your re-opening night at Babylon," he began. "The little shit conned the managers at a McDonald's into calling the police. Gus told them that he needed to get to The Plaza, and the police brought him to me. I wasn't feeling well that day. I had just taken my shower, and laid back down when the front desk called me. In my haste to get downstairs I guess I didn't think about my shirt. I was sure that something awful must have happened, and the only thing on my mind was getting to Gus. I was so happy to see him in one piece that I hugged him. I have no idea who snapped the photograph."

Brian kept his gun fixed on his target as Tony rose to his feet, and very carefully reached inside the inner pocket of his suit jacket. Tony's trembling hands were sticky from sugar, blood, and whiskey when he pulled out his wallet, and retrieved the invitation Gus had given him. Brian recognized the handwriting of the misspelled name scribbled in pencil. "Tonie Masey."

"Tiger was so afraid that he was going to be in trouble. He made me promise not to tell anyone that he snuck out of the house. He made me cross my heart, and hope to die." Tony took his bloody index finger, and made the sign of the cross across his chest.

Brian slowly lowered the gun down to his side. "Oh my god, I almost killed you," he uttered.

"But you didn't." Tony breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jesus, what was I thinking?" Brian laid the gun down on the breakfast counter.

"You were protecting your son, just like your father should have protected you," Tony said.

The proverbial closet door suddenly flew open, and all of the dirty laundry Brian had been hiding inside came falling out. A bewildered Tony listened to fragmented tales of beatings at the hands of Brian's father Jack Kinney, and the years of sexual abuse inflicted upon a young Brian by his uncle Frank. Brian told Tony about Joan Kinney who was always too drunk to care. He told Tony about the incident with the neighborhood jock in the garage, and the humiliation he felt when the whole school found out. Having his head stuffed into the toilet in the gym locker room, the night Kevin broke up with him, being taunted, and called sissy on the schoolyard…. on and on, Brian continued to let go until his words were barely understandable through his tears. Tony struggled to find something, anything, to say that could possibly end the outpouring of suffering he was witnessing. When no words came, the older man instinctively enfolded the wounded child in his arms, and began to gently rock him. Brian buried his face into Tony's shoulder, and the two men wept together.

"OPEN THE DOOR, THIS IS THE POLICE!" A loud voice called out from the other side of the loft door.

"Shit, the police!" Tony gasped. "Brian, Brian, pull yourself together, baby. We've got to get rid of the gun!"

"What?" Brian lifted his head, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"The gun, get rid of the gun!" Tony picked up the stolen revolver from the counter, and shoved it into Brian's hand.

"What do I do with it?" Brian asked.

"Hide it!" Tony tried to keep his voice down.

"Hide it where?" Brian asked.

"The fuck if I know, this is your house!" Tony reminded him.

"What about you?" Brian whispered.

"What about me?" Tony asked.

"Look at your hands." Brian pointed to the bloody cuts.

Brian and Tony took off in opposite directions of the loft. Brian went in search of a hiding place for the gun, while Tony headed for the kitchen sink to wash his face, and hands.

"OPEN THE DOOR, THIS IS THE POLICE!" the cop announced again.

"Just a minute, officer." Brian came dashing back from the bedroom with his shirt off. "Take off your shirt!"

"What?" Tony quickly dried his face, and hands on the dishtowel.

"WE'RE COMING IN!" The police gave their final warning.

There wasn't any more time. Brian snatched Tony's suit jacket off, and flung it across to the living room. He then ripped Tony's custom tailored shirt from his body.

Tony watched the mother-of-pearl buttons fly through the air. "What the fuck are you doing?" he protested.

Brian rushed to the door with Tony in tow. "Just follow along with me. Good evening, officers." He opened the door.

The hallway behind the three policemen was crowded with onlookers that had ventured out of their own lofts to see what the commotion was. Their curious eyes peeked around the officers' shoulders for a better look inside Brian's apartment. "We have a report that there was gunfire coming from this apartment," the first officer said.

Brian slithered around behind Tony, and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Gunfire, did you hear any gunfire, daddy?" Brian pressed his hips against Tony's ass.

Tony leaned back into Brian's arms. "Are you sure it was just guns firing, officer?" he smiled.

"Jesus Christ." A second policeman looked over at a third, and rolled his eyes.

"Do you mind if we take a look around?" the first cop asked.

"Not at all. Please come in." Brian and Tony stepped back from the door.

The three policemen entered the loft, and began to look around. "Let's see some identification, ladies," the first officer demanded.

"Of course." Brian whipped out his wallet, and driver's license from his jeans pocket.

"My ID is in my suit jacket, baby. Will you go and get it for me?" Tony turned to Brian.

"Of course, darling." Brian sashayed off toward the living room, and quickly returned with Tony's wallet.

"What happened over here?" One of the policemen noticed the broken glass on the floor.

"We accidentally knocked the canister off the counter. You know how it is when you get carried away." Brian winked at the questioning officer.

"I told you to be careful, precious." Tony gave Brian a little kiss on the mouth, and handed his license to the officer.

"Uh." The third cop sighed in disgust.

"You girls are going to have to learn how to play more quietly. If we have to come back here I'm taking you both down to the station. Do you understand me?" The first officer handed their ID's back.

"Yes, officer," Tony and Brian said together.

The loft door suddenly opened, and Justin came rushing in nearly out of breath. "BRIAN, BRIAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? Tony, what are you doing here?" He stopped short.

"Here we go, this ought to be good. Get your club and cuffs ready." The second cop whispered to the third, then waited for the jealous altercation to begin.

"I'm fine, baby," Brian said.

"Hello, princess." Tony pulled Justin to him, and gave him a long hello kiss.

The three policemen looked at each other.

"Hey, Tony!" Gus came plowing through the crowd with Lindsey, and Melanie bringing up the rear.

"Now who the hell is this?" the third officer asked.

"I'm Gus!" The precocious tyke said.

"Brian, is everything ok?" Melanie asked.

"Please pardon my manners." Brian turned to the three policemen. "This is my son, Gus, those are his two mommies, Lindsey and Melanie Marcus attorney-at-law, and this is my other lover, Justin. Say hi, baby."

"Hi!" Justin flashed his toothy smile.

"Isn't he gorgeous?" Brian grinned.

The three policemen once again turned, and looked at each other.

"Don't worry, it's ok for a guy to have two boyfriends!" Gus blurted out.

Lindsey placed her hand over her son's mouth, and pulled him close to her.

The first officer decided that he had had enough. "This shit is just a little too sick for me. Let's go, guys." He ordered his men to leave.

NEXT WEEK: Dirty Laundry, pt 4

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