Authors: C. Kennedy
The creases at the corner of Rob’s eyes deepened, then smoothed.
“You know, Rob, I have to say something. The more I learn about what Christy went through, the less I know about the human race. It’s barbaric.”
Rob sighed. “Christy’s case is extraordinary, Michael.”
“That’s just it. It isn’t. That’s what makes it even more horrible.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Kids suffer this… hell all the time. I looked it up on the net. There are tons of kids out there who endure chronic abuse and suffer in silence. They can’t trust anyone, they can’t tell anyone, and they have no idea how to get away from it. It’s freakin’ hideous. Man, all of it is so far outside of my sphere of reality. And Christy isn’t a case, he’s a person.”
“Christy’s case
is
extraordinary, Michael. You take him to lunch every day, and his food is an entitlement, not a reward for enduring twenty-four hours of torture. He goes to a classroom or sits in a library to read and hasn’t had to earn the right to learn in sexual favors. He bathes because it’s his right, not a requirement in preparation for further sexual slavery. He makes love to you because he wants to, not because he’s your entertainment. Do you have any idea what that means to him?” Exasperation was plain in Rob’s voice.
“Now I do.”
“I apologize. That was unprofessional of me.”
“No, it wasn’t. I wish someone would tell me the whole story.”
“You know nearly as much as any of us do.”
Michael gave him a disbelieving look.
“We’ve received incomplete medical records and police reports from Greece and, so far, Christy hasn’t been able to speak about what happened to him. We only know what certain people, like Sanna, did to him because there was physical evidence, and Sophia could tell at least part of the story about the man.”
“What happened to his neck?”
“No one knows.”
“What do you mean, no one knows? How can that be? The hospital would require an explanation.”
“The
Ipolochagós
, the Lieutenant General of the
Ellinikí Astynomía
, the Hellenic Police, didn’t require it.”
Michael was incredulous. “Please don’t tell me Christy was abused by some police general on top of everything else. That would just be—”
“I can’t say. Christy is only now opening up to me, and I can only think it’s you who’s made that possible.”
“Maybe. Help him with foundation. Make him explain the words on his hand. I’ll see you in the morning.” Michael bent and kissed Christy’s forehead.
Try to have sweet dreams tonight, baby.
M
ICHAEL
rubbed his neck as Jake drove and The Butterfly Effect’s “7 Days” played softly in the background. His inner ears hurt, and his neck was starting to bother him.
“Tired?”
“Yeah, and a death threat and nearly being blown to smithereens puts a damper on an otherwise damn good day.”
“No kidding. You think Christy will go for the self-defense class?”
“I think he’s seriously considering it. I think it’s interesting that he challenged us tonight about the dessert thing. He’s never done anything like that before. He always sits back and lets things happen to him. He’s never the aggressor. Well, except in one area.”
Jake grinned. “Good for you, bro. Otherwise you’d still be a virgin.”
Michael chuckled. “Man, I never realized I was so shy when it came to my personal bubble. It’s kind of a revelation.”
“You’re kidding, right? You’ve always been shy. Do you remember when we spent a week at swim camp? You wouldn’t change in front of anybody but me.”
“That wasn’t because I was shy. That was because I couldn’t keep my eyes off everybody’s dicks. It was embarrassing. You didn’t care if I looked at your dick.”
“God, Michael, you’re killing me.”
“It’s true, bro. You have a great-looking dick. Live with it.”
“If you ever tell Sophia that, I’ll choke you.”
Michael laughed. “No worries. Hey, what’d you mean tonight when you said sometimes guys like other guys until the right girl comes along?”
“Nothing. It’s true.”
“You think if the right girl came along, I wouldn’t be gay?”
“You? No, man, you’re gay through and through. Nothing’s ever going to change your spots.”
“Did you think I was gay before I told you I was?”
“No. I thought I was.”
“Ha, ha.”
“Not ha, ha. It’s true.”
Michael turned, resting half against the door so he could look at Jake in the dim light of the car. “Why?”
“Do you remember when we spent that whole afternoon in the tree house practicing kissing so we could impress girls? I realized then that I had a huge crush on you.”
Michael’s jaw dropped. “Don’t mess with me, Jake.”
“I’m not. It’s true. We’ve always been close, and there’s always been this cool comfort between us. Until Kelly came along, I was pretty sure I was gay.”
“Why didn’t you say something when I told you I was?”
“Back then, at twelve? Partially because I was scared, and partially because I kind of wanted to see where it would go all on its own. Then, by the time Dad asked me if I was into you when we were fourteen, I was comfortable with the idea but had started seeing Kelly.”
“So close, yet so far,” Michael said softly as he looked out at the passing lights.
“What do you mean?”
“I was madly in love with you.”
To Michael’s amazement, Jake grabbed his hand and held it. “I know.”
“Do you think things could have been different for us?”
“For a little while. Then I would have met a girl, realized I wasn’t gay, and broken up with you. It would have left all kinds of emotional baggage between us, and I would have lost my best friend. I like the way things turned out.”
“It was hard for a while, seeing you with Kelly.”
“I know. It was awful. I’d see you at school first thing in the morning, and your eyes would be all puffy from crying yourself to sleep the night before. God, it used to rip me apart.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. In a weird way, it made me feel closer to you, less afraid to love you aloud.”
“Did Kelly know?”
“Sure, she knew. She also knew I had feelings for you. She was cool about it. You remember how she was, Michael. She was sweet to the core.”
“Yeah, she was. Do you still talk to her?”
“Did ’til she got engaged.”
“Engaged?”
“In Nebraska only three months, and she falls in love with some redneck and gets engaged. Guess it’s all that fresh air.”
“Wow, that’s disappointing.”
“Doesn’t say much for what we had, does it?”
“Don’t go there, Jake. You were great together for more than three years.”
“I thought so. Only shows to go ya, everything happens for a reason. Now you’re in love with a great guy, I’m in love with his cousin, and we’ll be together for the rest of our lives. It’s the best of all worlds.”
“Yeah, Jake, it is. I just hope we survive Jason and Yosef.”
Jake blew a long breath. “It’s intense, bro. My dad said to tell you the SUV he gave you is bullet resistant, glass and body.”
Michael turned to Jake again. “That’s why he didn’t want me to rush out and get another car.”
“Yep. It’ll feel weird to drive it. It’ll be a lot heavier and have a more powerful engine than your SUV had. Gas mileage is about nine miles per gallon. It’ll take a day or two to get used to driving it.”
“Okay. What are you going to be driving? This?”
“Naw, I think we’ll be driving like SUVs for a while. I think my dad even made your parents change cars.”
“Where does he get all these cars?”
“Some service that specializes in dignitaries, politicians, celebrities, those kinds of people.”
“It has to be costing a fortune.”
“Oh please. Do you know what it would do to my dad if you or your parents refused him? He’d have an apoplectic fit. The money is the last thing you need to worry about.”
“What did he say when you asked him about telling Detective Davis about Yosef Sanna?”
“He doesn’t want to for a couple of reasons. First, he’d have to tell Christy that Yosef is here. That would cause all kinds of head trips for Christy. Second, nothing can be done about Yosef until he makes a move, meaning he has to be a true threat to Christy on US soil. Third, the reason my dad was able to get a restraining order against Yosef was that he’s in good with the judge. The only evidence he had to put before the judge was a declaration from Rob saying what Yosef did to Christy. Dad convinced the judge that Rob was an expert in his field and had personal knowledge of the events because he was in possession of Christy’s medical records and police reports from Greece. It’s weak, at best, and the order could be set aside if someone wanted to make a stink about it.”
“So, we have to wait until Yosef surfaces?”
“It’s more than that. He has to surface and make trouble.”
Michael sighed as he looked out the window. “It’s so unfair to Christy.”
“I know. Though Dad didn’t want to tell Detective Davis, he did notify the FBI that they had a child molester in their midst and asked them to talk to the Hellenic police. He said the FBI was thankful for the heads-up.”
“Slick.”
“Dad’s good at his job.”
“God, I just had a horrible thought.”
“What?”
“Did your dad tell my parents about Yosef being here?”
“No. Why?”
“Thank God. Mom’s hanging on by a thread. This thing with Jason has her taking sleeping pills. She’d totally lose it if she knew someone as dangerous as Yosef was here and after Christy.”
“My mom’s not doing much better.”
“Does she know Yosef’s here?”
“Yeah. She actually thought my dad was powerful enough to order the police to search for him.”
Despite the circumstances, Michael laughed softly. “I don’t know. I can see your dad organizing a posse.”
“It’d be more like a pitchfork-and-flail mob. Like the one that went after Frankenstein.”
Jake rounded the last corner to Michael’s house.
“Check it out, Jake. Your parents are here.”
“I’m sure they’re trying to convince your parents to stay at our house for a while.”
“Man, Jake, did you ever think something could make us so paranoid?”
“No. The thing that gets me is that Jason isn’t after you because you’re gay.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s after you because you’re gay and still have a normal life, or at least a more normal life than he does, and you have several things he’ll never have.”
Michael studied Jake as he parked the car and turned the ignition off.
“You’re right. I have a best friend who doesn’t mind that I’m gay. I have two cool parents, I’m captain of the team, and I have lots of friends and a boyfriend.”
“And you’re intelligent and have a scholarship to one of the best universities in the world.”
“Who would have thought being fortunate was a crime?”
“Jealousy can be a very powerful thing, bro.”
“‘For jealousy is the fury of a man, and he doth not spare in a day of vengeance.’”
“Who said that?”
“Proverbs, 6:34,
Young’s Literal Translation
.”
“How do you remember crap like that?”
“I don’t know. Jealousy is nothing more than an expression of self-doubt, and I thought it a sad commentary on the human race that self-doubt could lead to violence, and the proverb popped into my head. It’s how my mind works.”
“You have to stop thinking so hard, man. One day you’re going to sprain something.”
“My brain’s regularly in a sling.”
“More like a hammock.”
“Thanks, bro. Come on, let’s go pull our parents back from the fringe.”
“H
EY
,
Mom, Dad.” Michael gave his mom a giant hug, lifting her from the floor.
She cupped his cheek. “My beautiful boy. Are you all right?” The tears started.
Michael’s heart broke when his mom cried, particularly when it was over him. He hugged her tightly. “Don’t cry, Mom, don’t cry. I’m fine.”
Jake shook Mac’s hand. “How’s it going, Dr. S?”
“We’ve certainly had better days.”
“No kidding. Papa, Mama.” He bent and kissed Anna’s cheek. She pinched his in return and kissed both of his cheeks.
Michael released his mom and wiped her tears away with the flat of his hand before turning to give his dad a hug. “You okay, Dad?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine, son. How are your ears? Let me have a look at them. Both of you.”
“The EMT said we’re fine.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. Have a seat. You too, Jacob.”
Michael knew his dad found purpose in being a physician and didn’t blame him for using it as a crutch in this horrible time of need. He plopped into a kitchen chair, and his dad examined each ear carefully with an otoscope. How many people could boast an otoscope at home?
“All right, Jacob, your turn.”
“I’m fine, Dr. S, really.”
“Hey, bro, if I can do it, you can do it.”
Jake plopped down in the seat next to Michael, and Mac examined his ears equally as thoroughly.
“All right, you both look fine. Do either of you have any aches? Pains?”
“No,” they said in unison.
Michael continued, “We were inside Mr. Santini’s Mercedes. It’s, or it was, airtight and might as well have been as safe as a presidential limousine.”
Mac considered both of them seriously. “Tell me about this Jason character, boys. What do you believe he will do next?”
Jake and Michael shared a concerned look, and both began to speak at once. Michael clammed up and gestured for Jake to go ahead.
“We have no idea, Dr. S. He’s doing stuff we never thought he’d do. As far as we’re concerned, he’s armed and dangerous and not afraid to go after anybody we care about.”
“Mr. Santini, Jason isn’t into things like bombs. He’s hooked up with someone else,” Michael added.
Nero studied Michael for a long moment. “Jacob?”
“He’s right, Papa. Jason couldn’t pull something like this off. I doubt he’d even think of it. Someone had to have suggested it to him.”