The early morning sun streamed through the window, blinds casting bands of light and dark against the two men in bed. The sheets had been kicked away earlier the previous night, and the muscular bodies were twined about each other in a gentle and contented embrace.
Phil Zeeman woke first. He brushed his fingers lightly across the other's forehead and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. The other woke at the touch and smiled into the CHP officer's pale brown eyes. He returned the kiss and traced shapes on the other man's smooth, solid chest.
"Happy birthday, handsome!"
"That was some present you gave me last night, Phil. I don't think I'm gonna be able to sit on a cycle for a week!"
TJ Kane grinned at his lover. The grin grew into a 100-watt smile that traveled all the way to his eyes. They had been together for over six months, but it felt that they had been together for far longer. Mentally and physically, they fit together like two long-separated puzzle pieces. TJ had been a former soldier in the crime family of Don Leone, and had been instructed to infiltrate Lucio Giambi's organization with the goal of killing the powerful, young crime lord. The soldier had met Phil, and ensuing circumstances had forced Kane to admit his duplicity to his lover and to Lucio himself. Surprisingly enough, Giambi had not killed him; rather he was welcomed with open arms into the organization and had managed the unthinkable - the weapon Don Leone had aimed so perfectly at Lucio had backfired. There is nothing so unpredictable as an independent tool. Leone was dead - his organization in shambles. What pieces Lucio could use, he took. The remainder was left to rot, shrink and die away like some foul weed. TJ - with Lucio's blessing - decided to join the CHP to be closer to his lover, and in some way, atone for the blood on his hands.
"So, what did you plan for us today? You were really secretive last night."
"It's a surprise. I'm not telling!"
"Really? I guess I'm going to have to force it out of you, then!"
TJ began to tickle his lover and Zeeman tried to squirm away. Kane sat on his legs and began to hit all of Phil's sensitive spots. Phil's giggles grew into laughs and then to guffaws as TJ continued the assault. Kane laughed along with him.
"Stop! Stop! I give up! I'll tell!"
Phil took in a few ragged breaths as his laughter finally died down.
"OK, lover ... I know how much you love my SkinTightRubber suit. I got you one too."
TJ's face took on the appearance of a small child on Christmas morning. He grabbed Phil's head and planted a brutal kiss on his lips. He held it until the two were breathless.
"Plus I got some other stuff for you. And for us. Rob and Joe helped me pick the stuff out. They're throwing a party for us later."
"Well, I guess I should thank you for my present ..."
* * *
After a rather strenuous romp, the two officers hit the bathroom. They spent almost as much time in the shower together as they had in bed; the vanilla scent of the body wash encouraged them to slowly massage the other and work the material into a lather; the pulsating warm water encouraged a languorous session of intimate caresses. The two shaved and began to dress.
"Wear something easy to get out of, Teej. Rob and Joe have a great playroom. We're going to be geared up once we get there."
TJ had pulled on a pair of low-rise 2xist trunks and slipped on a pair of faded black American Eagle jeans. He grabbed a blue sleeveless Armani hoodie and pulled it over his head. He smiled at the image in the mirror. Black hair cut into a short Caesar framed a strong, handsome face. Slate blue eyes looked back at him as he smiled. He reached down and picked up a small steel crescent and inserted it into his septum. This was one of his lover's favorites - it always tickled him when they kissed. TJ sat on the end of the bed and laced up his running shoes. Someone up there likes me, he thought. After all I've done, I still can't believe I wound up with someone as incredible as Phil.
Zeeman came into the room. He was wearing a pair of dark indigo jeans that hugged his muscular torso and wrapped seductively around his tall, strong legs. He too, wore a sleeveless Armani hoodie - his was a pale, pale mauve-red and the color set off his powerful muscular arms and deep tan.
"Ready?"
"Lead the way!"
* * *
Rob Fairchilde was heir to the Norfolk lumber fortune; Joe Wolfe was the son of a forest ranger. The two had grown up side-by-side and were as close as brothers. Closer. They joined the Army Rangers together and after their stint, both had applied to the California Highway Patrol. Giaan's CLEAT modifications had been in force for several months, and the two rookies had been assigned to Joshua Bateman and the Santa Monica Division. A few months into their new career, Joe purchased a winning ticket to the Mega Millions lottery. The only nod to their combined vast wealth had been the purchase of a large home on the outskirts of Santa Monica. Because of their particular interests - latex, rubber, and gasmasks - they had furnished one wing of the home to cater to those tastes; they also were extremely generous with their fortunes in assisting other officers in SMD. The home was also the perfect backdrop for Lucio's adult film business and figured prominently in his latest string of blockbuster hits.
Phil and TJ arrived at the large home and were greeted by Joe at the door. Wolfe was in his mid-thirties, about 6'2" with the trim and muscular build shared by all the SMD officers. A pale yellow polo shirt stretched tightly across his chest and a pair of white cargo shorts complimented his strongly developed legs. His cinnamon-bronze hair blazed in the morning sunlight
Joe gathered TJ in his arms and gave him a crushing hug.
"Happy birthday, TJ! I take it Phil told you about your presents?"
Kane wrapped an arm around his lover. "Well, I had to beat it out of him, but he still wouldn't tell me everything."
Joe grinned. "As well he shouldn't! After all, we've got a lot planned for you two and the surprise is more than half the fun! C'mon in and let's get started!"
Joe's leather treads slapped quietly on the flooring as the three made their way into the house. This was TJ's first time here, and he was quietly impressed by the home and the elegant furnishings. They chatted as they walked, talking about business at the Division, as well as goings-on amongst the other officers. The three rounded another corner and entered a large sunroom. Rob sat at the table and stood up when they came in. He came over and gave each of the officers a bear hug. He nibbled Phil's square jaw. He breathed deeply and smiled.
"Damn, Phil - you always remind me of vanilla frosting - I love the way you taste!"
Phil blushed. Rob laughed and kissed the tall and striking half-breed on the tip of his nose.
Rob could have been mistaken for Joe's brother. His hair was a pale bronze with threads of copper running though it. Moss-green eyes always held a look of mischief and he wore a bright and disarming smile. He wore a leather thong around his neck and a pair of blood red Adidas compression shorts, which failed miserably in hiding the officer's bulging package.
"Want some coffee? Juice?"
"Coffee is great."
The four sat at the large table, surrounded by large potted plants and sunlight.
"TJ, Phil told us that you really enjoy rubber play, and that you've been drooling over his SkinTightRubber suit. We were able to get one for you on some short notice."
Joe laughed. "Well, for all the business we give them, they should open an outlet in the house!"
Rob spoke up. "We also know you've always fantasized about total enclosure. Well, just think of us as your fairy godfathers."
"Pun intended."
Rob looked mock-seriously at Joe. He continued. "You're going to get that wish come true today."
An indrawn rush of breath came from TJ. He looked at Phil, who was beaming at him. Zeeman took his hand.
"Just what you always wanted, hon ... and I'll be there beside you."
"There's a bit of preparation involved for this -- you haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"
The two shook their heads.
"Good. Just fluids for now. We want to make sure you're comfortable for the long haul."
* * *
The first step in the preparation was the removal of body hair. Rob brought the two into a sumptuous bathroom and told them to strip. He gave each of them a large jar of cream which smelled faintly of oranges.
"Now, rub this stuff all over yourselves - and I mean, everywhere! Just make sure that you don't touch your face or hair before you wash your hands. This stuff is powerful. It won't irritate your skin, but regrowth is very slow. You don't want to have bald spots or missing eyebrows!"
He pointed to a kitchen timer on the bathroom sink. "Keep the stuff on for fifteen minutes, and then rinse off in the shower. Use cool water."
He winked at the two. "I'll be back in about 20 minutes."
He paused. "TJ, you need to take that crescent out, too."
The two officers wasted no time removing their clothing. Phil took a large handful of the creme and started spreading it over TJ's chest. He raised his lover's arms and spread the mixture into his pits, onto his back, down his legs and onto his crotch. TJ did the same to Phil. The former mafia soldier set the timer to the allotted time and turned to face his partner.
"It's funny what Rob said about you smelling like vanilla, you know?"
"Why?"
"You're gonna smell like a popsickle when we're done here!"
The creme produced a tingling sensation on their skin and the two men spent the time slowly kissing each other; their lips and faces the only points of contact as they nibbled and nuzzled.
The timer rang and the two went into the large shower. Phil adjusted the water to a refreshing coolness and the two gently massaged the concoction off one another. Despite the temperature of the water, the two were fully engorged as they left the shower and toweled themselves dry.
"My God, you feel so soft!" Phil said as he stroked TJ's chest. Neither of them was particularly hirsute to begin with, but the creme had removed what little was there and highlighted their musculature with gleaming, smooth skin.
TJ stroked his lover's arms and then brought his hands up to caress the thick pectoral muscles and nips. "Mmmmm .... I wonder if we could get some more of this stuff for later...."
As he wrapped the towel around his waist, there was a light knock on the door and Joe stuck his head in. He looked at the two naked, hairless men in front of him and licked his lips.
"Ready for the next step?"
"Sure!" came the chorused reply.
* * *
"Now we can actually start rubbering you two up."
Joe turned back as he led TJ and Phil into another room. The house had central air conditioning, and TJ could feel the currents wash across his skin. He shivered - partially from the cold and partially in anticipation of things to come.
Rob was there with bottles of lube and polish on a table. In the corner of the room, two SkinTightRubber suits were on hangers. On the table were also several black latex items which TJ did not recognize, but made him instantly harder.
"Now, first rule of total enclosure is ..... lube, lube, lube. The more you've got on, the easier it is to get in. "
He held up a pair of shorts. TJ gasped. There was a rubber cock and ball sheath built into the pants, and when Rob turned them around, the young officer saw that there was a black pucker in the back - upon closer examination, there was an additional sheath that would be pushed up his chute. Kane was trembling with excitement. There was an additional pair for Phil.
"These are double-sheath shorts from Blackstyle. The latex is thick enough to know you have it on, but not too thick to reduce any feeling."
Rob and Joe rubbed Gun Oil into the shorts and poured generous amounts into the front sheaths as well as lubricating the inside and outside of the rear one.
"Lube yourselves up guys. This is only the first layer!"
Only the first layer? Oh, bloody Christ! TJ thought to himself. I'm gonna blow any minute!
The former mafia soldier pulled them up and on. The feeling was incredible as his equipment slipped into the sheath and the inner rings around the base of his cock and around his balls grabbed hold. A thrill - almost like an electric current - swept through him as Joe tucked the rear sheath up into his cavity.
TJ looked over at Phil who finished pulling up the shorts and was adjusting his package in the front sheaths.
Rob held up combination cockring and anal ball for Phil. The shiny steel prison glittered in the light.
"We need to make sure we keep that tool of yours under control. This cocklock has a split ring. See?"
He separated the cockring portion of the tool into two arcs. The top portion was a simple arch. The bottom portion had the connection to a curved rod and a 80mm anal ball.
"You're way too big to slide this on and pull it through."
Rob placed the top portion over Phil's heavy rubbered member and then mated the lower portion to it. A solid "click" was heard as the two pieces came together and Rob locked them in place with the attached hex screws. Finally, he bent Zeeman over and pushed the steel ball into the anal sheath. Phil grunted as the ball disappeared into him, leaving the heavy cocklock and a steel bar traveling under his perineum and disappearing into his rubbered pucker.
"That's not coming off any time soon!" Rob laughed.
Zeeman's now-ebon cock looked even larger captured in its shiny steel prison. He reached down and stroked himself.
"Feels great, Rob. That ball feels so GOOD in there!"
"Okay, now that the base layer is on, we need to lube the rest of you for the catsuits!"
The two lovers were each handed a large bottle of Gun Oil and proceeded to slick themselves up from the neck down to the tops of their feet. Once they were glistening, they were helped into the tight suits. The SkinTightRubber suits were incredible. They were cut in such a way that the fit was completely anatomical - you appeared to be wearing a second, rubber skin.
Even with the lube, the suits were an extremely snug fit. These particular models had a shoulder-zip entry, which made the wearer appear to be seamlessly enclosed within a body-hugging, ebon sheath.
Once the suits were on, the shoulder zips were left half undone. The necks on the suits were about 2" in height and once the zippers would be brought to the top, the collars would reach almost to their jawlines.
"Hey! We're not done yet!"
Joe shook out pairs of toe socks from Blackstyle and gloves from Libidex. The toe socks were given a generous coating of lube and slipped onto the two officers' feet. The sensation was one of sliding into a pool of oil and they felt amazing once toes were settled in each of the pockets. They looked amazing also. TJ stared down past the huge rubbered bulge of his crotch and saw the black rubbered feet - distinct, yet indistinct. He felt his pulse pound in his groin and the suit slide around him with every movement. He couldn't wait to undo that crotch zipper.
The gloves went on next. Up to the elbow, they were thin, but extremely strong. In fact, they were so tight that nail impressions were visible. Phil looked at his lover and was filled with a surge of lust so strong he wanted nothing more than to crush TJ against him and run his hands down his rubbered body. He wanted to throw him down and ravish him on the spot. Kane felt his burning glance and smiled seductively back. He licked his lips in anticipation.
"After everything is on, we'll polish your rubber up, too. It'll feel even more erotic."
"We're also going to leave you with some toys and some bottles of lube."
"And the final touch!" Rob took out two condom masks from Latexa. One has a red mouth, the other a metallic blue. The only openings were two small nose holes. The masks zipped up the back. "What do you think?"
Both men stared hungrily at the masks, imagining what it will feel like to have them in place. To be cut off completely from the outside world and be enclosed completely in rubber. A dream made reality.
"Let me go first." said Phil. Rob sat Phil down. Phil grinned and gave TJ a thumbs up.
Fairchilde stands in front of Phil. "Before I put on the mask, I want to put these silicone plugs in your ears. It's going to cut down what you can hear to nearly nothing. You're going to be blind AND deaf with the mask on. Phil ... are you okay with this? If not, we don't need to use the plugs, but you'll get a lot more out of the experience if you do."
Phil looked up at Rob with a combination of fear and lust. Lust won out. "Go ahead."
"Now when I put the mask on, I want to make sure you can breathe normally through your nose. Squeeze my hand once for yes and twice for no, okay?"
Rob put what looked like blue putty into Phil's ears.
"Can you hear me now?" Rob yelled.
"I can see your mouth moving but all I hear is some low murmur."
Rob unzipped the mask and placed it over Phil's head. He aligned the nose holes and tucked the condom into Zeeman's mouth. "Okay with breathing?" He grasped Phil's hand. The patrolman squeezed back once.
Rob slowly zipped the hood down and tucked it into neck opening of catsuit. "Still OK, handsome?" Rob grabbed Phil's hand. He squeezed back again - once. Joe zipped up shoulders to the top. TJ stared at the rubbery black Thing and couldn't wait to become one himself. Phil turned his blank ebon face to TJ and slowly stroked his huge member, held captive and jutting out from his body by the circular steel prison. Kane was beside himself - he couldn't wait to feel that massive black tool fill up his rear sheath.
"One last piece" Joe took a 2.5" rubber collar and put it around Phil's neck. It had 3 "D" rings - front and sides. He wrapped it around the patrolman's muscular neck, fastened it and held up a lock. Wolfe put it through the attachment point on the collar and snapped it shut. Phil spun around and looked blindly back at Joe. The patrolman clawed at collar. Everyone in the room could tell his breathing has quickened as the tight mask seemed to inflate slightly. Wolfe stroked Phil's masked face. All the zipper pulls were now securely covered - and completely unreachable - by the snug rubber restraint.
"You're not getting out of your rubber until Rob and I feel like it. This lock just makes sure of that." Phil calmed as Joe continued to stroke him.
Rob approached TJ with the condom mask. He stared - transfixed - at the red mouth.
"Ready, TJ? You want the plugs too?"
He swallowed hard and nodded.
"Phil also wanted to give you this." He held out his hand. A steel nose ring with a captive ruby bead in was his palm.
"I know you wear the crescent when you're off duty - Phil thought this would be a nice addition to the suit. Now, I don't know if it's going to affect your breathing. We'll try it once you're masked and collared, okay?"
TJ nodded.
He felt the hood being pulled over his face, his features. He welcomed the darkness with a combination of terror and pleasure. He felt Rob gently arranging the nostril holes as the mask was pulled back and the zipper pulled down. He squeezed Rob's hand once to indicate that all was well. The red condom in his mouth was indescribable - he knew that Phil's tool would be slipped down his willing throat and yet ... and yet, two layers of rubber would always separate their flesh. His mind wandered as he felt the sheath in his mouth. His attention was shocked back to the present when he heard/felt the snap of the lock on the collar of his neck. TJ fought to remain calm, but he could feel his pulse roaring through his ears. A hand stroked his face. The touch was firm, yet delicate. He moved his head to gain greater contact with that hand. It finally withdrew.
Rob's hands threaded the ring through the nostril opening in TJ's mask and the fellow officer gently probed for the opening in his septum. He threaded the ring through to the other side and out of the other nostril opening.
Rob tapped TJ's nose and grasped TJ hand. TJ squeezed once.
"Good. No problems breathing."
The mask was tight, but not uncomfortable. The darkness and silence was initially terrifying, but that frisson of fear only increased the sexual excitement he experienced. He felt Rob threading the bead in place. He reached up to feel his masked face and fondled the nose ring.
"OK, toys. We just have to get you nice and polished and you can play together for a while."
TJ heard the slight noise of a voice but deafened as he was, he failed to recognize the slightly sinister undertone. He was far too busy blindly stroking Phil's rubbered body to really care.
The two were separated as each felt a set of hands pour polish onto their bodies and began to rub them to a high sheen.
"Nice. Really nice."
TJ felt about to explode as a hand stroked his member and gave his balls a squeeze as it polished his suit. Hands traveled down his legs and stroked the inside of his thighs - rubbing the polish into the suit and making it glisten wetly in the overhead lights.
Rob and Joe completed their task and stared at the two living rubber toys in front of them. The SkinTightRubber suits followed every muscled curve of the two officer's physiques and Phil's jutting rubbered cock made the two masters burn with desire themselves. They grinned at each other. Later, they think. The fun's only about to start. Rob pushed Zeeman's huge ebon tool into the suit and closed the lower zippers.
Each man guided one of the encased rubbermen to what they jokingly called the "screw room" and set them in each other's arms. Rob forced them down on all fours.
He guided their hands to several items that were laying on the floor within easy reach of them. He placed each item into their hands and let them identify the item by touch.
"Lube. Lube. Lube. Dildo. Plug. Another dildo. Bigger plug. Have fun!"
The two pulled the rubbermen to their feet again.
"Let's get them warmed up, shall we?"
Joe took out two additional locks and fastened the ends of the crotch zippers together on both suits. The raging black rubber cocks were now completely inaccessible. He guided Phil and TJ's hands onto the locks and chuckled at their panic.
The two looked around blindly and moaned. Rob and Joe stepped back and let the two explore each other and feel their rubbered cocks trapped underneath their suits. The grasping and pulling reached a fever pitch as the two tried vainly to unzip their crotches, only to move the conjoined zipper heads around the zipper rails themselves. The hosts placed a dildo into the hand of each encased patrolman.
Phil and TJ stopped and explored the items placed in their hands. They came to the proper conclusion at almost the same time. Hands wrapped around smooth, latex-covered heads as the dildos were forced into the oral cavities. Choking sounds were heard as the two forced the large objects down their throats but soon lessened as they became accustomed to both the condom and the dildos. Soon, only moans of pleasure were heard from the two men as the massive tools were pistoned in and out of their covered mouths.
"They looked like they enjoyed that! Let's open them up and let them have some more fun!"
Rob took the keys from Joe and unlocked the crotches of the two encased men. The lower zippers were opened on the suits, exposing raging black tools and dark, rubbered puckers. Both men faced each other with raging ebon erections.
Fairchilde guided the former mafia soldier over to Zeeman. TJ and Phil began to fondle one another. The two explored each other's rubbered bodies with their hands. TJ ran his hands down Phil's chest and felt the steel encircling his rubbered cock. Phil reached through the air and found TJ's head. His hand followed the contours of the masked face to find the nose and fingered the ring embedded there.
The encased patrolmen wasted no time. They began by exploring their rubbered bodies and rubbed against each other. The condom masks served a dual purpose - as the final step in total encasement, and as a gag. Phil felt about the floor and located a bottle of lube. He explored it with his hands and located the edge of the pop-top. He guided the open bottle down to his cock and squeezed a goodly amount onto his already engorged member. It shone even more wetly in the lights as lube dripped down the shaft onto the rubbered balls and continued to puddle on the floor. He reached for and found one of the large dildos. He put it next to himself.
With frightening rapidity, the two officers stopped thinking of each other as Phil and TJ. They thought of themselves as rubber Things, living sex toys whose only purpose was to give and receive pleasure at the hands of the other. They thought of themselves as BlueMouth and RedMouth.
BlueMouth placed the open bottle down within reach and pushed RedMouth flat onto its back. The toy reached for the dildo and put it into RedMouth's hand. It guided RedMouth's hand to its scarlet oral sheath and inserted the object. RedMouth comprehended and began sucking on the large toy. It was an arresting site to see the large, black cock-shaped dildo slip into and out of the crimson cavity. A muffled moaning could be heard as the tool was again used by RedMouth.
Bluemouth, in the meantime, had grabbed the open lube and poured the slippery liquid onto its other ebon covered hand. Wet and slick, it moved to the anal sheath of its prostrate fellow toy and inserted one, then two fingers into the sheathed opening. Then three.
Redmouth writhed in ecstasy as its covered pucker was invaded. It continued to pump the dildo down its covered throat and thrashed and moaned as BlueMouth continued its examination. Bluemouth withdrew its digits from the sheathed opening and grabbed one of its partner's legs. It placed the leg onto its massive shoulders; followed by the other. Its hands located the pucker; and it drove its sheathed member into the hole.
Bluemouth's tool forced it's way into the dark recess of Redmouth and buried itself deeply. Bluemouth could feel the hardness of the steel ring press against its crotch and against RedMouth's asscheeks. It could feel its own flesh squeeze against the hard steel ball inserted into its own sheath. Redmouth dropped the dildo and now reached blindly to find something of BlueMouth to grasp. It found the other's trim waist and held tightly as BlueMouth began a brutal, pumping rhythm.
For several minutes the tableau remained the same. Bluemouth holding onto RedMouth's shoulders with the latter's rubber-toed feet in the air; RedMouth's legs on BlueMouth's shoulders and its arms gripped onto the other's waist. The lock at the back of it's neck swung back and forth, mirroring the gyrations going on below. Finally, Bluemouth shuddered as it thrust into the prone figure below it. One could tell by the quivering in its muscular covered legs that it had exploded within its suit. The toy held RedMouth for several moments and then withdrew. Bluemouth fell onto its back, spent. Panting.
BlueMouth, however, was far from finished. It crawled over to RedMouth and fastened itself onto the massively erect member. The blue toy began a steady rhythm as RedMouth's hands traveled over it's smooth head and stroked it gently. BlueMouth climbed on top of RedMouth and forced its legs apart; the better to reach beneath and to grab the firm mound of its covered ass - and plunged itself deeper onto RedMouth's shaft. It was now BlueMouth's turn to moan through the condom gag as the toy thrust the ebon sheath in and out of its cerulean cavity.
RedMouth grabbed its partner's head and held it tightly to itself. From the arching of its back to the curling of its toes, the watchers could see that it, too, had expended itself. RedMouth released its fellow toy, although BlueMouth continued to nuzzle RedMouth's equipment and stroked the ebony flanks of its rubbered companion.
Bluemouth stopped for moment. It appeared that another idea had come to the toy. It pulled RedMouth onto its side and reversed itself so its blue sheath was poised over RedMouth's rubbered cock and balls. It stroked the inner portion of RedMouth's thighs and again fastened itself onto its partner's length. RedMouth, too felt the heavy member of BlueMouth against its masked face and guided its crimson cavity onto the massive rod. The nose ring and cockring produced a faint chime each time the two collided with each other. Rubber-covered hands explored each other - RedMouth fondled the attachment from the cocklock to the anal ball and stroked the muscular ass of its partner. BlueMouth, too, let gloves explore the body of its fellow toy, stroked down the muscular, rubbered back, and again, kneaded the firm latex-covered ass. It inserted digits again into the still-lubed hole.
The gentle caressses and sucking continued for a long time. Finally, it appeared that the two toys - exhausted at last - fell asleep in each other's embrace.
* * *
Rob and Joe congratulated themselves on the transformation before them.
"The cameras are still running, right?"
"Uh-huh. We'll have to edit the four units for the best angles and shots."
"What about their faces?"
"Giaan gave me the face-morphing software. No problem. Lucio will have another blockbuster on his hands!"
"Too bad we'll have to let them out in a few hours."
Joe nuzzled his partner's neck. "Who's to say we can't find some guys for permanent duty, hmmm?"
Rob looked sharply at him. Joe just smiled back.
"Let's get geared up, lover. We're expecting company in a little while."
* * *
Unbeknowst to the toys, the two hosts had invited other SMD officers for TJ's birthday party. The other guests were told to come "dressed" for the occasion. The two arrived at nearly the same time.
Lieutenant Joshua Bateman pulled up on his Yamaha FJR1300A. The officer removed his helmet to reveal a black latex mask. Pindot openings cover his eyes; an open mouth revealed sensuous lips. The mask did nothing to hide the young man's strong jaw and the ruggedness of his face - his slick ebon visage and smooth pate only made the leather racing suit more erotic.
Jaz Romanov opened the door of his BMW convertible and stretched. Thick harness boots crunched on the gravel in the driveway. He was dressed in black leather chaps which hugged his six foot frame like a second skin. The other officer wore a black and chrome body harness - which accentuated every tanned muscle of his smooth, shaved physique and disappeared into a bulging leather pouch. Black leather armbands and wrist gauntlets highlighted his strong and defined arms. A blue stripe running down the center of the pouch was the only color on his darkly gleaming outfit - which coincidentally matched the sparkling sapphire of his eyes. A thin and intricate razor-cut black beard drew attention to his face. Without his smile, Jaz would appear devastatingly cruel; with it, he was devilishly handsome.
Josh approached the leathered officer and stroked his exposed ass. "Mmm-mm-mmm! Looking good stud!"
"You're nothing to sneeze at either, boss." Jaz grabbed the back of Bateman's head and pulled him into a brutal kiss.
"How's Perry? I thought he'd be here today."
"Ahh, he's visiting his sister up in Seattle. He'll be back next week."
The two officers headed up the walkway and went to the front entrance. After a few sharp raps, the door was opened by one of the two rubber masters. There was a indrawn rush of breath as the two were greeted by a muscled, all-white latex-clad figure. White boots, white gasmask, huge white bulge between his legs - the figure was awesome in its starkness. There were small accents of red on the rubberman - the laces of the boots and around the rims of the mirrored eyeholes of the mask.
"Hey, you guys look fucking HOT!" came the slightly muffled voice of Joe.
Jaz fingered the white gasmask - "Really nice! Never thought of that before. Where's the birthday boy?"
"Oh, he and Phil are going to be a little late. Meanwhile, I've gotten some new toys to play with. C'mon. Let me show you."
Joe brought the two fellow officers to the Screw room. Josh and Jaz stopped and stared - dumbfounded. Rob was in black catsuit with a similar gasmask to Joe's, laying on the floor, propped up on his elbows. His cock and balls were exposed - the codpiece of his suit had been popped off, and was laying next to him. RedMouth was servicing him, and in turn, RedMouth was being mounted by BlueMouth.
"Holy fucking shit!"
"Like the toys?"
"Rob! Where are you manners? Share the toys with our guests!"
Rob tapped RedMouth on the face and got up. He rearranged himself and with difficulty, snapped the codpiece back in place. RedMouth was on all fours, with BlueMouth still thrusting into him. BlueMouth dropped down and put its face onto RedMouth's back. It held the lower toy tightly as its rubbered ass quivered as it exploded. The newcomers also got their first glimpse of the steel bondage attached to BlueMouth.
Rob chuckled through the gasmask and pointed at the two toys.
"Well guys, we have two models. As bottoms, the blue one is for sucking only. You'll notice that there's a cocklock and plug in that one. And NO, I'm not taking it out. The red one, on the other hand, is for anything. The toys love to be sucked off too. Give them a chance to top you, too. Amazing. Absolutely amazing."
"Joe, let's get them slicked up again."
Josh and Jaz remained transfixed as Rob and Joe got the toys to their feet and started polishing them up again to a wet sheen. The officers noticed the captive cockring on BlueMouth and the nose ring on RedMouth as the toys slicked up.
"Let them feel you first to get used to you. If you need to indicate something, squeeze a hand once for yes and twice for no. We'll leave you two alone right now - we have to finish getting ready for the Phil and TJ." The two rubbermen - one in white, the other in black - left the room.
Josh pulled his cycle gloves off to reveal a pair of black latex gloves underneath. He unzipped his suit to show off a dark expanse of rubbered chest. "Which one do you want first, Jaz?"
"I like the blue one."
"I was hoping you'd say that." the lieutenant grinned as sensuous lips curled into a smile beneath his dark mask.
The bearded officer sauntered over to BlueMouth and stroked his hands over the toy's shoulders and chest. The toy in turn reached out and gently felt Jaz's face and ran a latex-covered finger around the cropped beard. It dropped its hands down further and felt the harness across Jaz' chest; it softly pinched Romanov's nips. They grew hard and firm almost immediately - a combination of the massage and the sexual tension of the situation. The toy slowly brought its rubbered hands down the biceps, feeling the armbands. It continued feeling the leather top, stroking the chaps, feeling the muscular ass and gently squeezing the now painfully large pouch.
Romanov's excitement reached a fever pitch as the toy sank to it's knees and held onto his waist. It looked up with its blank ebon face and cerulean mouth and moaned. Jaz could hardly contain himself; he unsnapped the blue-striped pouch as his length sprung out. BlueMouth felt the officer's manhood and moved it's oral cavity onto the tool. Jaz grabbed the back of the toy's slick head and forced it onto the massive shaft invading its mouth opening. A brutal dance was established as the leatherman's thrusts reached a crescendo. With a bellow combined with a scream, Jaz threw his head back as he exploded into BlueMouth's cavity. The toy, too, groaned as the silvery goo dripped out of its mouth and onto the floor. Jaz' legs were quivering after the session; the toy reached beneath the officer's equipment and played with his tight pucker. It made a few inquisitive grunts as it again looked blindly up at its master.
Jaz had seen the size of the rubber-covered tool of the toy and remembered Rob's advice. The only other tool he's ever seen as long and as thick belonged to Phil Zeeman, but the drop-dead handsome half-breed had never approached the subject with him. After all, the rookie was still a little shy sometimes. Particularly around him.
What the hell ... when am I gonna have this opportunity again?
Jaz grasped BlueMouth's hand and squeezed once. The toy sat back on its haunches. Waiting.
The leathered officer located a bottle of lube and came back to the toy. He rubbed a generous amount onto the huge rubber tool and licked his lips in anticipation of the experience to come. The heavy c-ring was nearly hot to the touch - obviously BlueMouth had been wearing this device for a considerable time.
Jaz got down on all fours and squirted an equally generous amount of the lube into his pucker. He slowly backed into the toy. As he bumped into BlueMouth, the object reached out and felt the other's muscular back and lightly ran covered hands down Romanov's muscular flanks. It felt the hard round curve of his ass. It got up on it's knees, located the pucker, grabbed Jaz by the waist, and thrust itself in.
The pain was intense, but fleeting. The rubbered tool - slick with lube - invaded him and the toy grasped his waist tightly as it pumped into him. BlueMouth was incredibly strong, and the leather officer reveled in the intense pistoning he was receiving. Suddenly, he felt a rush of heat as the rubbered human drove into him deeper than ever before. He could feel in the quivering of its arms that the object had spilled its seed within its enclosure. The two - officer and toy - stayed connected for a long moment - the only sound between them was the labored breathing of both.
* * *
The CHP lieutenant had not been idle during this time, either. He, too had approached his toy and RedMouth had run powerful hands across the leather racing suit, feeling the integral body armor and muscular physique beneath it. RedMouth seemed fascinated by the black latex hood. Rubbered hands delicately stroked Joshua's head and felt the latex covering the eyes. It seemed even more excited as it caressed the latex t-shirt beneath the suit and explored the triple cockrings surrounding Bateman's engorged sex. Joshua, too grew painfully aroused as he stroked the supple blackness of the toy's chest, its back and its rubber-covered manhood. He reached up and gave the nose ring a slight tug - this was no cosmetic affectation through the mask; the nose ring was firmly embedded in the toy's nose. Interesting.
When the toy felt the pull on its ring, it sank to its knees and began to search for Joshua's cock. It was about to bury itself onto Bateman's shaft, but the Lieutenant laid his latex-gloved hand over the toy's and squeezed twice. The toy stopped. Joshua had other ideas.
The lieutenant found the large plug he noticed earlier and lubed the tool up. The black plug glistened wetly in the overhead lights as the lube dripped down the shaft and onto his latex-covered hand. He approached RedMouth and applied slight pressure to a spot between its shoulderblades. Joshua wanted it bent over. The toy complied. Bateman's pulse roared in his head as he saw the dark pucker facing him and the trail of clear lube dripping out of the sheath's opening.
It was a difficult fit - Joshua needed to apply extra effort to insert the plug - overcoming the resistance of both the sheath and the underlying tight chute of the toy. RedMouth grunted and moaned as the monstrous tool was forced into it. Finally, the neck of the plug vanished into the cavity, leaving a large black circle spread across the rubbered asscheeks. The toy continued to moan as it flexed itself and the plug was sucked deeper and deeper.
Bateman rolled the toy onto its back. RedMouth was breathing heavily and grunted as the base of the plug made contact with the floor. He stroked the toy's black face and nibbled along its jawline. RedMouth reached up a hand and returned the stroking gesture. Its breathing had calmed. Joshua stood up and placed his booted feet on either side of the toy's head. He got down on his knees; he stretched himself out over the toy and lowered his mouth onto the toy's rubbered shaft. RedMouth searched for and found Joshua's insistent member and inserted it into it's own scarlet sheath.
Thick shafts, heavy with need, found willing and eager throats. Each partner in the fandango held the other's waist as they moved in and out; gloved hands explored and caressed leather and latex. The toy moaned as Joshua felt the shaft in his throat swell and grow hot. He continued to suck and nibble the massive rubber tool as he bucked and released a torrent of himself into the other's willing cavity. The two continued to hold each other as they rested from their exertions.
Joshua got up first. He chuckled. Joe had been true to his word. These "toys" had been incredible. But there was still one more thing he wanted to do.
He squatted down and pulled RedMouth into a sitting position. He grabbed the toy by the waist and turned him over, so again it was on hands and knees. Joshua himself got on his knees and attempted to pull the plug out of the toy. The effort was harder this time; the tool was firmly embedded in the toy's chute, but with a liquid "plop", the massive plug was again freed from it's enclosure. The toy grunted as its anal cavity was once again available.
But not for long.
Joshua, turgid, grabbed the toy by its waist and thrust deeply into the now-empty cavity. His member was wrapped tightly by the anal sheath and it produced an indescribable feeling as his shaft buried itself deeper and deeper into the toy. The latex gripped him tightly and at the same time, provided additional resistance for his thrusts.
The toy grunted each time the lieutenant drilled into him and the knowledge that RedMouth could not speak was in itself a guilty pleasure for Bateman. The feeling of absolute power over the toy - albeit temporarily - was a potent aphrodisiac. Joshua felt the incipient pressure mounting within him and with a shout, erupted again into the toy's cavity. He held onto to the toy as he panted from his exertions. The toy, also worn out, slumped onto the floor.
* * *
"Damn, we should have these on hand all the time!"
"Oh, HELL yeah!" Jaz was leaning against the wall of the room, with BlueMouth cradled in his arms. The leather cop was playing idly with the cocklock as BlueMouth snuggled in his embrace.
Joshua pulled RedMouth to him and followed Jaz' lead. He held the toy against his chest and a deep sense of contentment filled him. He nestled the muscled bulk of the rubber body against his and felt the deep steady breathing and heartbeat of the toy.
He hugged RedMouth closer. "I wonder where TJ and Phil are?"
"It's not like them to be this late. I wonder if everything is okay? Hey ... wanna switch?"
"I'm beat. Besides, we should let these fellas rest up for the birthday boy and his lover."
At that point, Joe walked into the room. He had removed his gasmask and hood, but was still in his white latex suit. He looked at the tableau before him and smiled.
"I see you've enjoyed playing with the toys ... Rob and I were talking about something before ... we're thinking we should try and get some permanent toys for the Division ... what do you think, guys?"
"I like it! I like it a lot!" The leather cop hugged BlueMouth closer. "What about these two?"
"No, these were only temporary. In fact, they've been at it now for ..." he looked at the digital clock high on the wall.
"... about 10 hours. It's about time to let them out."
Joe took a keyring off the wall near the door, approached Jaz and BlueMouth and knelt down beside the two. He took a hex wrench and unfastened the cocklock around the toy's equipment. He gently pulled the large steel ball out of the anal sheath. Wolfe then located the correct key and inserted it into the lock in the back of the toy's collar. With a twist, he snapped open the lock and removed it. He partially opened the shoulder zips and exposed the zipper on the condom mask. He slowly undid the mask zipper and removed it from the toy's head.
Weary, exhausted, but with a tired smile on his face, Phil looked up at Jaz. He licked his lips and gave a weak laugh that sounded more like a croak. He turned to Wolfe.
"Damn Joe, this has been the best day of my life!"
Jaz was thunderstruck by the unmasking. Phil was everything he thought he would be. And more.
"Phil, I didn't know it was you! Jesus Christ, I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Phil looked blearily at him, his face screwed up in concentration. Comprehension dawned slowly for the former toy as he reached up and removed the silicone ear plugs.
"Sorry Jaz, I couldn't hear a thing you said. I've been blind and deaf the whole time."
"I didn't hurt you?"
"Nah." He coughed. "The sheaths did a good job of protecting everything. Joe promised me a great party with TJ for his birthday and he made good on that!"
During the conversation, Joe had proceeded to remove the captive bead ring from RedMouth's nose, unlocked the collar and removed the mask. Joshua was staring down at an exhausted TJ. The former RedMouth also smiled up at the officer holding him.
"Hiya boss! Did you have a good time? I sure did!"
Joshua still had on his latex mask and was a bit surprised that the rookie patrolman recognized him. For some strange reason, he was slightly embarrassed. He had used TJ in ways he would have otherwise balked at. He would never have treated one of his officers in the ways he used TJ while he was a toy.
"How did you know it was me?"
TJ gently hefted Joshua's substantial cock and balls in an ebon-covered hand. "I don't know anyone else who wears three cockrings. It's amazing how sensitive your sense of touch becomes when you can't see or hear."
"The guys were saying that having toys around the Division on a regular basis would be great. What do you think? You've experienced this from the toy end ... how would you like to do what Jaz and Josh did today?"
Phil cleared his throat. "I'd like it. A lot. I know when I first got rubbered up, it was terrifying. Not being able to see; not being able to hear - dependent on Rob and Joe here to make sure I was okay - but it changed. Once I was in the room with TJ, and I was able to hold him - I felt safe. I knew nothing was gonna happen to me that I didn't want to happen. I'd ... I'd do it again."
TJ chimed in. "When Rob and Joe came in and played with us, it was a MAJOR turnon. Then you two. Christ, it was amazing!"
He reached up to stroke Joshua's face, still behind the latex mask.
"Hell, if I treated a toy the same way you did me, it would be in heaven!"
During the conversation, Rob had entered the room. He, too had removed his mask, but continued to wear the latex suit which clung to his frame and moved like a second skin. He held up a DVD. It glittered in the light.
"Happy birthday, TJ!"
"What's that?"
"You. And Phil. And us." He nodded to the other two SMD officers. "Josh and Jaz too. From the beginning ... starting with the creme and the shower."
"Is that for me?"
"Well, yes and no. The unedited version is for you and Phil. The edited version ... which has everyone's face digitally altered -- is going to be the next video released by Lucio's adult entertainment division. What with the residuals and royalties, we're going to be rather well off patrol officers."
"What's it gonna be called?"
"Encasement - The Beginning."
* * *
First off, I have to thank my buddy Reid for his excellent portrayal of TJ as RedMouth. And as Joe Wolfe. The story could not have been anywhere as detailed without him. Check out his blog here
Well, there are some stories I want to write, and some stories I need to write. This one fell into the latter category. The fact that I enjoy the masking experience and becoming another person is one thing; the idea of donning the equivalent of a full body mask and becoming not another person, but a Thing - was an experience well worth the effort, equipment and cost.
I said in my very first post that I liked leather, latex and boots. Sort of like a fetish Trifecta. Realistic masks came later, and with them, the ideas for juxtapositions of real and unreal and even layering a black latex mask over a greyland or an SPFX, or vice versa.
In some ways, masking is an intensely personal experience. It is also an extremely liberating one. Each one of my masks - my alter egos - gives me a chance to act and think differently than I would ordinarily do. I've also experienced what I can only think of as "bleed-over" from some of my alter egos. Even in "real" life, I've found myself thinking and acting differently from what I would have done in the past and I can attribute it directly to the masking experience. "What would Duncan do?" or "How would Jason handle this?" -- even "What would Richard say?" have run through my mind on more than one occasion. The wonderful thing is, I know each of these guys is ME - I just have to let them float up to the top.
With this rubber outfit though, it was not a chance to be a different person, but a different Thing. A creature. Primal. I had the chance to NOT think. NOT say something. Only react.
It was a trip.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Divided Loyalties
"If I hear that goddamned name one more time, I'm gonna shoot the asshole that says it!" Don Leone fumed.
"Giambi's doing this. Giambi took over that. What the fuck is wrong with all of you?" the crime boss yelled.
The lieutenants around the table looked down and shuffled uncomfortably in their seats.
"Vinnie, what the hell happened? You were supposed to get the protection money from the Asiatown district. You not only came back empty-handed, you came back looking like, like, like ... that!"
Vincent Pak was the underboss responsible for Leone's protection and prostitution rackets in the mainly Chinese and Vietnamese areas of the city. His face was a mass of purple bruises; one eye was swollen shut; one arm was in a sling and the opposite wrist and hand were in a plaster cast.
"Padron, Giambi's ..." he cringed as he said the name "... people took over our entire operation. They're giving the shopowners down there twice the services at half the price. They were ready for us. I couldn't believe how fast they moved ... every one of my guys hadta go to the hospital."
"Why didn't you just shoot the fuckers?"
"We didn't even have a chance. I tried to ... Carpentier took me out. He ..."
"He what?"
Pak looked down. His voice was quiet. "He broke my wrist after he grabbed the gun out of my hand. He told me that Lucio didn't have any beef with me. Or my crew. After they wiped the floor with us, his guys brought us to the hospital and got us fixed up. He said ..."
Vinnie paused.
"He said that you don't know how to treat or take care of your own people any more. He said anyone willing to come work for Lucio was welcome."
Don Leone glared at him.
"Fucking, cocky little bastard! I remember when his father and me started out working as street soldiers for Carmine Scolopo. His father was lower than dirt - and now the little prick son of his is putting on this great show ... 'I don't have any beef with you.' " He rudely mimicked his underboss.
"Well, I've got a beef with him! I'm not gonna just roll over and play dead like Don Franqui did!"
Dominic Franqui had been the eldest of the three crime lords in the city and had often acted as the elder statesman for the disagreements that invariably arose between them. In a surprise move, Franqui had decided to retire and turned over his operations to Lucio Giambi. All of his operations. He pledged his full support to the young man and offered to do anything within his considerable power to assist him. This, of course, led to a great deal of resentment and deep-seated panic on the part of Don Leone. What was before a somewhat stable triumvirate of power had now become a perilously precarious twosome.
Someone cleared his throat at the table. "You know, Emilio, this is a wake up call for us ... maybe we should listen to Vinnie..."
Leone was seething. He slowly turned and looked at the speaker.
TJ Kane leaned forward. He had his elbows on the table and had steepled his hands in front of him.
"Shut up, TJ. If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask for it. I don't. Just shut the fuck up!"
The young man was the closest thing Leone had to a son. Childless, Leone had been a foster father to TJ, since his father, Thomas Kane, had spent most of his life in and out of jail. An expert burglar and safecracker, his father had done many jobs for the Leone family. Of everyone at the table, TJ knew the most about the inner workings of the crime lord's operations and the fact that he was questioning Don Leone only fueled the man's rage.
TJ was a tall, handsome man with black hair cut in a short caesar style. His slate blue eyes missed very little and the small steel crescent piercing his septum lent him an air of casual edginess. He had inherited his father's knack for burglary and he too, was an expert at locks, safes and alarm systems. Unlike his father, TJ was a "made man" in Leone's organization - he had killed several men at the behest of the don.
"Emilio, all I'm trying to say is ..."
"SHUT UP YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SON OF A BITCH!" Leone screamed.
"I raised you when your loser father wound up in jail more often than he was out! He never gave a SHIT about you! I did! After everything I've done for you, you tell ME I should let Lucio Giambi take over everything I built? Who the FUCK do you think you are to disrespect me?"
TJ face hardened. He stood up. "I don't need to take this shit from you Emilio, and I won't. I've had it with you. Dash Carpentier is right - you don't know how run the business anymore. I'm out of here."
He strode towards the door. Leone looked at him with a combination of surprise, anger and rage. The other faces around table looked on in shock.
"TJ, get back here, NOW!" he shouted.
"Go fuck yourself!" he slammed the door behind him.
* * *
Two weeks earlier ...
TJ entered the private study of Don Leone through the large French doors. It was dark, and no one saw the young man enter.
"Emilio, why all the cloak and dagger stuff? Why meet in the dead of night like this?"
The older man motioned him to sit.
"TJ, we've got major problems. I don't think I can keep my organization together any more."
He looked at the crime boss in shock.
"We're weak. And we're getting weaker every day. The fact that Dominic turned everything over to Lucio Giambi hurt us badly. At the best estimate, we'll be swallowed up in three years or less."
"I don't believe what I'm hearing."
The old mobster sighed. "Believe it. You know the number of men who've left me for Lucio. Let's face it, he's got his father's charisma, plus he's a fucking brilliant criminal. Add to that, he's got his own bunch of computer hackers, he's got the CHP in his pocket - I don't know how the HELL he managed that - and his own offshore bank - we're being outclassed and outgunned. He's got tons of money flowing into his legit businesses and his money-laundering operations are so vast, they're scary. We were depending on that shipment of cocaine, but the damn ship got interdicted by the Coast Guard. Sons of bitches knew EXACTLY where the smack was hidden. We lost over 450 million dollars on that screwup, and I know Lucio had a hand in it. It's fucking terrifying to think he can make even the Feds dance to his tune. I can see only one way out of this..."
"What can I do to help?"
Leone smiled at his almost-son. "I want you to leave me and work for Lucio Giambi."
"WHAT?" TJ looked at him in shock.
"We need to make it look like we had a knock-down, drag-out fight and you're sick of me. You hate me. You can't take me any more. That'll at least get your foot in the door with Dash Carpentier."
"I can't leave you Emilio, I owe you everything."
"You HAVE to do this for me TJ. Once you get close enough to Lucio - and I know you will - you'll need to kill him. I want Giambi to know he was betrayed as he dies."
TJ looked troubled. "I don't know if I can pull this off, Emilio. They know how close we are. You raised me, for God's sake."
Leone grabbed the young man's hands. "They're gonna watch you closely anyway. They expect you're gonna be conflicted. Please, TJ. Do this for me. Do this for me and I'll give you anything you want."
* * *
Bad news traveled quickly, and the supposed downfall of Don Leone's heir apparent was greeted in some quarters with drinks and celebrations. It was less than a week before TJ received a rather interesting phone call.
"Hello."
"I'd like to speak with TJ Kane, please."
"Speaking."
"TJ, this is Dash Carpentier."
Silence.
"TJ, you still there?"
"Yeah ... you calling me is a little bit of a shock."
Dash chuckled. "I'd expect it would be. Look, I just wanted to say I heard about the fight you and Don Leone had. I'm sorry about that. It must have been hard for you. We'd like to talk to you about coming to work for us."
"Who's 'we', Dash?"
"Lucio and myself. Are you interested?"
"I ... I need to think about it. Can I give you a call in a couple of days?"
"Sure ... here's my cell. Call me." He gave the young burglar the number and hung up.
And so it begins. TJ said to himself.
* * *
After a battery of tests - both physical and mental - TJ had his first one-on-one meeting with Lucio Giambi. The crime lord was on his cell phone, but quickly finished the call when the young burglar was ushered into his office. He gave TJ a wide smile.
Giambi was dressed in a black striped shirt which wrapped his muscular body and left little to the imagination. Snug, faded jeans highlighted his considerable bulge and hugged his muscular legs and ass. Dark hair framed a handsome face with dark eyes and a faint shadow on his square jaw. A small moustache highlighted sensuous lips.
"TJ! I wanted to be the first guy to thank you for joining my organization." The smile was absolutely magnetic. TJ was taken aback by the sheer charisma and the force of crime boss' personality. He also found himself growing aroused. The thought troubled him slightly, but he dismissed it. Nerves. That's all it is - nerves.
"Thanks, Don Giambi. I'm glad you would take me."
"It's just 'Lucio', TJ. The only 'Dons' around here are Rickles and Henley."
TJ laughed. Lucio was so completely different from Emilio Leone.
He motioned him to a chair. "Have a seat."
Lucio sat down across from him. "I realize this is going to be a hard adjustment for you. You've been working with Don Leone since you were sixteen, right?"
TJ nodded. "Earlier. My dad was in and out of jail a lot. Emilio literally raised me." Tell the truth. Let him see you still upset about it.
"Look, I'm not going to be asking you anything about his operations. I don't care about him. I care about YOU. If anyone tries to pump you for information, I want you to come to me or to Dash, okay? You don't need any more stress than you've got already."
TJ stared at him.
"You seem surprised."
"I am. I kinda thought one of the first things you'd want me to do is tell you all about Emilio's operations."
"TJ, I tell this to everyone who works for me. I don't care about what you did before. You're here now, and you're working for me. There's absolutely nothing I would not do for any one of my people. I only ask three things - work hard, be loyal , and never lie to me. Can you do that?"
"Yes, sir."
Lucio smiled, but his eyes bore into the burglar. TJ could not break away from Giambi's gaze. The crime boss took his soldier's hands in his own. He turned serious.
"TJ, can you swear that to me? Can you honestly say with all your heart that you've left Emilio Leone for good? If you can't ... if you're not one-hundred percent certain, I understand. No harm. No foul."
TJ swallowed hard. "Boss ... Lucio ... Emilio brought me up. But I can't stand by and see him destroy the people around him. I left because I felt this is the best way to save the people who work for us ... for him. The best lies are always mixed with the truth. Yes. Yes Lucio, I swear."
Lucio continued to stare. TJ felt as if that gaze was stripping him bare and exposing every hidden thought within him.
The crime lord smiled. The spell was broken. "I'm glad. Really glad. I think you're going to be a tremendous asset to my businesses."
He reached across and grabbed a folder off his desk. He sat down again, and opened it.
"You've passed your physical with flying colors ... but then again, looking at you, I wouldn't think otherwise..." he grinned.
"You also show a good deal of aptitude for languages. You speak any, besides English?"
"I can speak Italian, and I can speak and write Spanish. I can understand a little Vietnamese."
Lucio nodded. "Nice .... I'd like you to learn Mandarin. Sounds good?"
TJ blinked. "Sure."
Lucio continued. "I also want to rotate you through several of my operations here. See what you like. After three rotations, let's get together again and we'll discuss what you want to do. You okay with that?"
"Boss, I don't know what to say ... thanks! Thanks for taking me on."
"Hey! No problem." Giambi looked at his watch. "How about celebrating with lunch?"
TJ and Lucio left his office and headed out of the building. Discretely, two of Giambi's bodyguards detached themselves from their posts and followed the pair from an unobtrusive distance. TJ was not consciously aware of it, but the seeds of doubt had been firmly planted by Giambi. It was only a matter of time before they began to grow.
* * *
TJ's entree into the Giambi organization was intense for the young burglar. In addition to the planned rotations through several of Lucio's businesses, he was subjected to a grueling schedule of physical preparation and training. Hand-to-hand and unarmed combat. Stealth and commando lessons. Weights. Endurance training. Firearms instruction that was unlike anything he had ever had. Knife work. Fencing. Plus the language lessons. TJ took to learning Mandarin as a duck to water. At the end of the first three months, Kane had added about ten pounds of muscle to his frame and carried himself with a newly acquired lithe and deadly grace.
He also noticed that Lucio fostered - no, demanded - a level of independence and creativity from his people. From soldiers on the street to lieutenants to his underbosses - every man was encouraged to take risks, to think, to explore possibilities that would benefit the organization. The only unpardonable offense in Lucio's eyes was being deliberately stupid.
Surprisingly enough, there was no fear. TJ knew that Don Leone ran his operations with an iron fist and would think nothing of executing someone who displeased him or fouled up. Soldiers in that organization were driven by terror and would not take any initiative whatsoever. That characteristic - so ingrained in Emilio's businesses - was a terrible point of weakness and was a leading cause to the deterioration of the older crime lord's power and influence.
It was during his rotation through Lucio's casino businesses that this point was hammered home. Vincent Ridge - the casino manager - had taken TJ out for drinks and dinner to celebrate his coming aboard as a pit boss. Vincent had been part of the Franqui organization and now ran most, if not all, of Lucio's legal gambling establishments. Ridge was an older, but still handsome man, with a full head of dark hair going silver at the temples.
"TJ, you know the biggest reason we won World War II?"
TJ shook his head.
"Initiative. You had guys in platoons that could take charge if anything came up. Not like the Germans. Or the Japanese. Really rigid command structure. If you killed their officers, those guys would wander around like zombies. Not so with the American troops."
He lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag and blew the smoke up towards the ceiling.
"Lucio operates the same way. Do you remember Bobby Reyes?"
"He ran Emilio's west side dock operations, right?"
Ridge nodded. "Now, he comes up to Lucio and says, 'Boss, I've been thinking about this for a while. I couldn't tell Don Leone anything since all I'd hear is 'Shut the fuck up and keep your nose out of my other businesses.' Do you know how many times I've wanted a woman to just hold me? And talk to me? No fucking around. I think we could make a nice piece of change.' So Lucio asks his folks to do some number-crunching and gives Bobby some startup money."
Ridge took another drag on the cigarette.
"The business took OFF. Like a fighter jet. Completely legit. We get all the movers and shakers, plus the little guys. And cops. Lots of cops. You can't imagine the repeat business we get by providing a hand to hold and a heart to understand. A lot of the gals wind up getting married to their clients. They keep their eyes out for Lucio's interests too. Bobby's pulling in $2-3 million a month now. See? Initiative. Lucio's always looking for smart guys with good ideas."
TJ was flabbergasted. How could Emilio compete with that? How could he hope to recoup his former glory? The men he lost were truly lost to him - they would never again submit to him now that they had tasted the independence Lucio has granted them.
"You've got a good future ahead of you TJ - make the most of it."
"Vince, how do you know about all this World War II stuff? It's fascinating."
Ridge smiled. "I got my Masters degree in history. Lucio sent me back to college for it."
* * *
While TJ still reported back regularly to Emilio Leone, he was beginning to find himself increasingly hesitant about exposing Lucio's men and plans to the older mobster. He even began to find himself bending the truth, if not outright lying, to his foster father.
"So Giambi's got this Indian geek who runs his computer operations? We could whack him and fuck Lucio up good. Make it look like an accident."
"Not Indian, Emilio. West Indian. It's no good. He's got bodyguards on him all the time."
"Shit. Well, let's see what else we can do."
TJ had spent a good deal of time with the darkly handsome Desi hacker. He had worked in the data acquisition area under Giaan and could not countenance anything happening to his friend. It troubled him that his loyalties were being twisted in such a manner.
The Fates, however, appeared to be favoring him when he was working late one night and heard a familar voice.
"So my young padawan, I see you have escaped from the Dark Side..."
TJ looked up as a 100-watt smile split his face. "Jeremy!"
Jeremy Connor swaggered into the room and the two men hugged. Connor had been a lieutenant in the Leone organization about five years ago, but had been one of the first ones to jump ship and work for Lucio Giambi. He had also been TJ's mentor and best friend - an older brother that TJ never had.
"You look great! I haven't seen you in years. How are you doing?"
Connor brushed a lock of soot-black hair from his face. He had always been a big man (and slightly overweight) but now sported the trim physique of all the Giambi soldieri. For some odd reason, he also looked younger than TJ recalled. A black string top highlighted his heavily muscled arms and chest. A faded black pair of jeans clung to his narrow waist and long legs. A paddle holster was tucked into his left side and the butt of a blued-steel Heckler&Koch USP peeped out of the waistband. He sported a deep bronze tan, which only served to make him appear like a Greek statue come to life.
"It looks like you're really glad to see me, Squirt ..." Jeremy grinned as he pointedly looked down at TJ's crotch.
TJ was wearing a pale shell sweater and a pair of snug black slacks. A shoulder holster stretched across his chest and his Glock was tucked securely under his arm. The bulge in his pants left little to the imagination. TJ looked down himself and blushed scarlet.
Jeremy laughed. He put his arm around Kane and the two headed out of the office.
"I've been managing Lucio's middle eastern and African interests, kiddo. Just got back here for a little project and he wants you to come help me and him with it. C'mon. We've got a meeting with the boss."
* * *
The underboss and burglar took the express elevator up to Lucio's penthouse. Many of the lights were off or dimmed and the apartment felt deserted. TJ felt a tendril of fear creep up his spine - this was just too damn similar to that meeting with Don Leone so many months ago.
Jeremy touched him on the shoulder. He jumped.
"Hey TJ, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Kane composed himself. "Sorry. It's just a little creepy up here when it's not lit."
The underboss knocked on a door and the two entered Giambi's private study. Lucio was alone.
"Hey, TJ ... thanks for coming up. I have a job that we need to get done."
Giambi unrolled a building blueprint and secured it to his desk.
"We need to get into the Hoffman Building and get something out of a safe on the third floor."
He unrolled an electrical diagram and placed it next to the blueprint.
"Here's the alarm schematics. It's a Brinks X44-YU system."
TJ looked over the schematics and began tracing them with his finger. "Any enhancements?"
"Nope."
"What type of safe is it?"
"Majestic. Model 6600."
He looked up at Lucio. "Boss, you're kidding me, right?"
Giambi looked taken aback. "No ... why?"
"My dad could do this without breaking a sweat. This technology is at least 25 years old."
Lucio looked serious. "Well, that's good to hear since we have to do it tonight and we have to leave no trace that we were ever there."
* * *
"You're coming, too?" Kane asked as Lucio tightened a shoulder holster across his chest.
"I don't lead from the rear, TJ." He gave the burglar a tight smile. "If I'm asking my people to take risks, I take them along with them."
"Jeremy brought this to my attention. The item is going to be transported tomorrow morning. It's extremely important we get it before it's moved."
The three were dressed in dark clothing as they descended the elevator to the garage level. Lucio headed to a nondescript dark-colored car. The three got in and sped off.
* * *
The Hoffman building was one of those post-Depression monstrosities that was in serious need of demolition, but groups of concerned citizens always found some loophole to keep it from being bulldozed. The latest attempt was a petition to place it on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Until the petition was evaluated, there was a restraining order on imploding the building.
Lucio parked the car down the street from the edifice. The vehicle was under a tree and between an expanse of broken streetlights. The three circled around the back of the building where TJ quietly picked the lock. The door opened on well-oiled hinges and they proceeded up the stairs.
When they reached the third floor landing, Lucio and Jeremy drew their guns.
"There's one guard." Lucio whispered. "He should be on the other side of the floor right now. The office we need to get into is twelve doors to our right. Let's go."
TJ left the stairwell first; Lucio and Jeremy covered him as the trio quickly padded across the floor. The only light came from the emergency exit signs. When they were about halfway to their destination, they heard footsteps approaching them. Jeremy tucked the gun into his waistband and grabbed the doorknob nearest to them. He covered it with his other hand and twisted. The other two heard a faint groan of metal as the lock broke. They piled into the quiet office and closed the door. The footsteps grew closer and Kane could see the light from the flashlight as it cast wavy patterns across the frosted glass of the office door. The footsteps faded, as did the light. After 30 seconds, the three continued to their destination.
TJ began to work on the door's lock. Within seconds, the three criminals were in the large office. Jeremy closed the door quietly behind them.
Lucio motioned with his gun. "Back room, TJ. I'll stay out here. Jeremy - he's going to need help getting the package out - go with him."
"C'mon, Squirt. Let's get this over with."
TJ approached the Brinks panel mounted on the frame next to the back door. The device was no match for his expertise. Within two minutes, the status lights blinked green and the arming switch was disabled.
Jeremy opened the door and the two approached the large floor safe. TJ withdrew a stethoscope from his pocket and quickly spun the dial.
Click. He spun again. Click. And again. Thunk. He looked up at Jeremy and grinned. Kane put his hand on the latch and twisted. The door opened.
Besides a few piles of cash, there was a large metal box.
"That's what we need."
TJ attempted to move the container. He couldn't ... it was massively heavy.
"Let me grab it."
Jeremy reached in and took hold the container. Connor removed it as easily as a box of tissues. TJ closed the safe and spun the dial again. Jeremy cradled the large box as the they left the back room; as they left, the burglar re-armed the security panel. With Connor's hands full, TJ drew his gun.
"All done?" Lucio whispered.
TJ nodded.
Lucio opened the outer door a crack and peeked out. He motioned the other two to follow him.
"Jeremy, you've got to get out of here with the box. TJ and I will cover you. Let's go - we're almost home."
Despite the weight of the box in his arms, Jeremy moved like a shadow. When the reached the first corner, they heard a shout. The language was foreign to them, but the intent was unmistakable - STOP! A bullet whizzed past the crime lord's head.
"Run!" he yelled.
TJ and Jeremy ran towards the exit as Lucio covered them. Within seconds, the two were at the stairwell.
"Get to the car, I'll cover Lucio!"
Connor nodded and ran down the stairs.
TJ heard footsteps racing towards him. He aimed his gun, ready to kill Lucio as he rounded the corner. Ready to fulfill Don Leone's mission.
Lucio rounded the corner to see TJ facing him with gun drawn. The burglar's eyes were cold. Giambi skidded to a stop.
What happened next was completely unexpected. TJ grabbed the crime lord by the arm and whipped Giambi behind him. Lucio tripped and fell to his knees. The guard came running around the corner. Two muffled coughs from Kane's gun caught the man squarely in the chest. He collapsed in a dead heap.
TJ tucked the Glock back into the holster and grabbed the guard. He threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
"C'mon boss! Let's get the hell out of here!"
* * *
The two men exited the building, TJ staggering slightly from the weight of the dead man across his shoulders. They reached the car - Jeremy had already had the motor running. When he saw the burden being carried by Kane, he popped the trunk. TJ dropped the body into rear compartment and then slammed the trunk shut. He got into the back seat and the car sped off.
"Why did you take the body with us?" asked Jeremy.
"We had to make sure that we were never there. A dead body would not be a good indication of that."
Giambi was on his cellphone.
"Peter? Lucio. It's done. We had a little problem. See you in a few." he clicked the phone shut.
"TJ? What's the matter? You're shaking."
The burglar was indeed shaking. What the hell is wrong with me? Why couldn't I shoot him?"N-nothing boss. I guess I'm a little twitchy from carrying the body down three flights of stairs."
Jeremy drove the car onto the waterfront. He traveled deeper into warrens of old buildings until he came to a smallish warehouse. He exited the car and knocked on the rollup door.
As the door began to roll open and he drove the car into an empty space awash with lights and personnel.
Lucio got out of the car, followed by TJ and Jeremy. A serious looking man with thinning brown hair approached the trio. TJ recognized him as Peter Gardner, the operations chief of the city's FBI bureau.
"What was the problem?"
"We had to kill the guard. He caught us on the way out."
"You didn't leave the body there, did you?"
"I was about to ... TJ thought otherwise and carried him out. We have him in the trunk. With the container."
The man visibly relaxed and grinned. "Good thinking..." he looked quizzically at the burglar.
"... TJ? TJ Kane? Since when are you working for Lucio Giambi? I thought you were Emilio Leone's golden boy?"
The shaking had quieted down to a few tremors. Kane hoped they weren't visible to the station chief. "I don't work for Emilio anymore. I've been with Lucio for over six months."
Gardner whistled. "Well, you learn something new every day." He turned to Lucio and shook his hand.
"Lucio, thank you for tonight. I wish there was something official I could do, but I can't. Unofficially though ..." He pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number. He waited until someone answered and held it out to the crime lord.
"Hello?" Lucio said. Giambi looked shocked. It took a lot to rattle the crime lord.
"It ... it was my pleasure, sir. I'm glad I could do something to help. If you ever need something again, please don't hesitate to call me. You're welcome, sir. Goodbye, sir."
He handed the phone back to Gardner. The station chief grinned.
Lucio took a deep breath. "Wow."
"Can I give you fellas a ride home? We're gonna need the car you drove in with."
"I think we could use a lift. I don't think I'm in any shape to drive home right now, anyway."
* * *
The three returned to Lucio's penthouse. He flipped on the lights and moved to the bar. He poured out three tall glasses of scotch. He handed one each to TJ and Jeremy, took his own and collapsed into a chair.
He let out a deep breath. He grinned. "We gotta get out more often - that was fun!"
Jeremy smiled back at the mobster. He raised his glass and knocked back the drink. "You have a really sick idea of fun, boss. We nearly got ourselves killed tonight!"
TJ had been quiet on the way back to the penthouse. He seemed quite perturbed by the course of the evening's events.
"Lucio, what the hell did we steal and hand over to the Feds?"
Jeremy and Lucio looked at each other. A look passed between them. The point of no return regarding TJ and his place in Giambi's organization was decided.
Lucio sipped his drink. "Jeremy found out that 10 kilos of weapons grade plutonium-239 had been smuggled into the country and was on its way to some radical extremists. The half-life on that stuff is 24,100 goddamn years. Christ only knows what the fuckers were going to do with it. I let the Feds know about it and they asked us to make it disappear. By the way, you killing the guard was a stroke of fortune. I'm having Giaan lay a false trail all over the globe. Everyone will think he stole the goods. There's going to be so many meetings, phone calls and finger-pointing going on that Peter's guys will be able to eliminate a bunch of the Arab bastards."
"You work for the Feds?"
"Nope. I work for me. And my people. I'm a crook, TJ. I admit it. But I'm not a traitor. This is something I was asked to do for my country, and I was glad to do it. How could I stand by, do nothing and let possibly thousands of people die? How could I ever look at myself in the mirror?"
He took another sip of his drink. "The President was also quite grateful."
"Was that who was on the cellphone?"
Giambi smiled. "Yeah. It was quite a surprise. Deep down, Peter's a nice guy. A bit of a tight-ass, but a nice guy. Then again, you've got to be somewhat of a Boy Scout to get where he is."
TJ's head swam. He was confused. He couldn't bring himself to kill Lucio when he had the chance. How could he possibly do it now?
* * *
TJ asked for a few days off. Since he was currently working for Lucio's casino operations, and this time of year was a rather slow, there was no problem. The young man was beside himself. During one particularly sleepless night, he came to realize that Don Leone's plans had backfired. In his attempt to direct a traitor's bullet straight into Lucio's heart, he had in fact given Giambi a new lieutenant. There was no way he could ever kill Lucio now - despite the promises - the empty promises, he now understood - of his former lord and master.
But what was he going to do? He could not go back to Leone, nor he felt - admit the duplicity to Lucio. That was the only crime in the Giambi organization punishable by death - lying. He tried to work scenarios through his head as he was sipping a large mug of coffee when the phone rang.
"Hey Squirt, you feeling better?"
"Hey Jeremy ... yeah, I guess so. What's up?"
"Get yourself dressed up ... we're going to a party tonight at Oro."
"Oro? What's that?"
"It's Lucio's private club up in the hills. We're having a celebration for the um, 'successful delivery'. It'll cheer you up."
"I don't know if I'm in a party mood, bud. I think I'll pass."
"Uh-uh. Nope. This is a command performance. Lucio wants you there. He thinks you've been brooding too much. It's not good for you."
TJ felt a lump develop in his throat. The crime lord was an excellent judge of character and kinesthetics. He was often so accurate it was scary. Did he do something that gave him pause to question his loyalty?"
"Okay, I'll be there. What time?"
"Seven o'clock. I'll pick you up. See you later, Squirt."
* * *
Jeremy took a circuitous route up the hills surrounding the city and spiraled up a narrow road. As the underboss made the final turn onto the club's grounds, TJ gasped. Three stories high, Oro looked like a cross between a Florentine villa and a Baroque mansion. "This is the club?"
Jeremy smiled. "Uh-huh. I said it was exclusive."
The two young men pulled up to the entrance, exited the car and a valet trotted over to park it. Jeremy handed him the keys; he and TJ were quickly whisked inside.
The inside was as beautiful as the exterior of the club. A pair of wrought iron staircases swept across the foyer, and while the club was filling up rapidly, the interior space retained a light and airy feeling. Kane could hear a beat of music in the background, but it was quiet and muffled. Great soundproofing he said to himself. Several of the staff - tall, handsome men, all - greeted Jeremy with a wave and smile as they hurried by. Again, TJ found himself growing hard looking at the other men. He was, however, distracted by the thoughts running through his head about Lucio uncovering his hidden agenda.
The men proceeded down a long hallway and stopped outside a set of double doors. The music was a bit louder, but still muted. A guard - tanned golden with a shorn head - was outside of the door and was acting as another security check. His wore a tuxedo top without a shirt - exposing slabs of pectoral muscle and etched abs; his trousers fit him like a second skin and his black shoes gleamed in the subdued lighting. TJ found his pulse quickening just looking at the man.
Jeremy grinned at the guard. "Hey Bobby - looking good, stud! Nice six-pack!" He ran his hand down the man's chest.
The man returned the smile. "Thanks Jeremy. Who's your buddy?"
"Bobby Cromwell, this is TJ Kane. He's Lucio's new lieutenant."
The party was indeed underway. The room was filled with handsome men. Dark. Light. Tall. Slim. Muscular. TJ felt his heart thump in his chest. He couldn't figure out what was going on and why he was reacting the way he was. He had never been successful with the ladies; inevitably his liaisons were always a disappointment for both parties. And Don Leone had always kept him busy ... the most pleasant times had always been working with Emilio's crews; being in close proximity to hard, good-looking men. When Jeremy stroked the man's chest outside the party, the realization hit him like a sledgehammer between the eyes - Jeremy was gay. And ... so was he.
"Hey Squirt, what the matter?" Jeremy looked at him, concern written all over his chiseled face. If anything, the party seemed to have made the young burglar even more agitated and upset.
"I ... I need a drink." He made a beeline towards the bar. He got the waiter's attention.
"Double scotch over ice." The waiter nodded and turned his back to prepare the drink.
"Don't knock that back too fast. Lucio doesn't water those down."
TJ turned to face a tall, handsome, muscular man leaning against the bar. His breath caught in his throat. The other man had short black hair in a faded buzz cut and pale brown eyes. He had high cheekbones which accented the chiseled perfection of his face and a warm and inviting smile. His voice was a husky tenor. He held a gin and tonic in his hand.
The man grinned at him. "This your first time at Oro?"
Kane nodded. "It's a bit intense."
The man put out his hand. "Phil Zeeman."
TJ shook it. "TJ Kane. You work for Lucio?"
Phil grinned. "Kinda sorta. I'm a California Highway Patrolman. Our division does a lot of work with Lucio's businesses."
TJ looked shocked. Phil laughed. It was like quicksilver running down the burglar's spine. Zeeman gave him a mock-serious look and tapped his chin.
"Burglar, right?"
TJ gasped.
"You've got a great body, TJ. And I can see that you've been through Lucio's boot camp. It's something we've worked out together over the years. But you've got a really gentle touch about you. Comes with the territory, right?"
Kane murmured something.
Phil stroked his arm; TJ didn't pull away. The touch was so gentle, yet it had him ablaze with desire. "Hey, we're not here arresting anyone! Everyone at the party Lucio trusts implicitly. You wouldn't be here if he couldn't depend on you. My boss and his partner are over there ..." he pointed to a strikingly handsome blonde man and a raven-haired stud holding each other. "Most of Santa Monica Division is here tonight. The guys on second watch are missing out on all the fun."
The two continued to talk and TJ began to move closer to the patrolman. Phil's laugh was like satin running across his skin. Finally, Kane closed the distance between them and brushed Zeeman's lips with his own. His septum crescent trailed across Phil's upper lip. The patrolman gave a delighted grin.
"That feels great - it tickles!" Phil drew the burglar closer to him and began to nibble his jaw. TJ moaned.
Brown eyes met slate blue. "How about coming over to my apartment?" TJ nodded. Phil tucked his arm around Kane's waist and the two left the party.
From a distance, Jeremy smiled. He, more than anyone else, knew exactly what the burglar really needed.
* * *
TJ went to the kitchen and was filling the glass at the tap when he felt Phil's arms come around him and the policeman's lips on his neck. His hands were still trembling slightly.
"Whoa ..." he turned to see that dazzling smile again as the two nuzzled. Soon they were undressing.
Burglar and cop began to gently explore one other - Phil was well muscled and his cock was a good 8" and thick. Within moments, Zeeman was on top of Kane and the couple were kissing deeply, exploring each other's mouths and ears. Phil kissed TJ's eyes - no one had ever done that before - and then kissed his throat as he massaged the soldier's lower back and butt.
"I want to be inside you, handsome" he breathed. His pale brown eyes sparkled in the dim light of the bedroom as he gently stroked the other man's forehead. TJ was torn between lust and guilt - his feelings for the policeman were at a level he never experienced before. Kane could feel the policeman's massive tool grind against his crotch.
"I don't think I can take it, Phil. You're so ... big. I ... I've never done this before."
Zeeman stopped. "You're a virgin?"
TJ gulped and nodded. Unshed tears began to form in his eyes. Damnit, why am I reacting this way?
"Oh sweet Jesus ..." Phil returned to gently kissing Kane's eyes and nibbled along his jaw.
"If I promise it won't hurt, can I try?"
TJ nodded. Zeeman stroked his forehead and smiled at the soldieri.
Phil put his hands under the other man's legs and slowly raised them to his shoulders - all the while kissing down his torso, pausing to slightly bite each nipple and tonguing his navel. By the time he started kissing TJ's stomach - just above his pubic hair -- the burglar was shaking with excitement and eagerness. Zeeman reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a bottle of Gun Oil. He poured a good amount onto the thief's pucker and then poured an equally generous amount onto his massive tool.
Soon, his pink glans was pushing at Kane's ass. It felt great, but the burglar was afraid, and sure enough, just as Phil forced it in, TJ felt an excruciating pain.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!" Zeeman smothered his mouth with another kiss.
He held TJ's face. "Just hold still and wait a moment, Teej - the pain will go."
Suddenly there was no pain, only an emptiness that badly needed filling -- "Jeesus!! Fuck me, Phil! Fuck me!"
With a single thrust Phil was all the way in and TJ immediately knew he had waited far too long for this first experience. Zeeman was a skilled lover, now slow, now fast, his hands moving all the time and his lips all over every part of the burglar he could reach without dislodging his steel rod from Kane's ass.
They made love for a minute that seemed like an eternity and an eternity that seem like a minute. Suddenly TJ heard Phil's breathing increase and a slight panting moan -- the soldier's body responded by vibrating all over -- Kane thought he was going to faint.
Soon TJ heard heavy groans - almost screams - and he realized that they were his own. Then he felt the policeman's cock pulse strongly in his ass once, twice, three times and more -- he was transported as he experienced the sensation of hot geysers of cum shooting into his ass.
Without warning and without touching his own cock, TJ shot -- the third spasm hitting Phil's cheek and then dripping down onto his lips - Zeeman licked it away -- TJ felt like a buzz saw was splitting his spine and then his body came and came and came again.
Exhausted, but happy - truly content for the first time in his life - TJ drifted off to sleep. Phil's arm was draped around the young burglar and the two spooned together in the large bed.
* * *
Phil woke to the sun streaming into the bedroom window - TJ was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.
"Hey, sweetheart, what's the matter?" Zeeman reached over to stroke the other's man's muscular back. He sat up in bed and began to kiss the back of TJ's neck.
Kane turned to him, tears streaming down his face. "Phil, I've been living a lie. I can't do it any more. It's killing me inside!" He wrapped himself around the policeman and wept.
* * *
"So let me get this straight ... Emilio Leone staged the fight between you and him to get you working for Lucio? Then when the time was right, you were supposed to kill him?"
TJ nodded. "At least that was how it was supposed to happen. But the situation got out of hand almost from the start. I got to really know Lucio and his operations. By the time I had the chance to kill him, I couldn't. I couldn't even give Emilio inside information anymore. I lied. I lied to him to protect Lucio. And Giaan. And everyone else."
Phil looked at him. TJ continued.
"But I lied to Lucio, too Phil. I lied about being loyal to him. What am I gonna do?"
Zeeman stroked his lover's forehead. "But the lie was actually a lie in itself. You are loyal to him, aren't you?"
"Of course I am! I'd do anything for him, Phil! I'd take a bullet for him!"
"You're gonna have to tell him the truth, Teej. There's no way around it."
The burglar looked stricken. The policeman held him close. "I'll come with you."
TJ snuggled into the Zeeman's hard chest. Please God, he said to himself, please don't have Lucio make me be the one to kill him.
* * *
Zeeman called in SMD to say he'd be coming in late. After he got dressed in his uniform, he and TJ traveled over to the other's apartment for a shower and change of clothes. They then proceeded to Giambi's office. They were greeted by Shaun, Lucio's assistant. The man was an handsome cocoa-skinned black with deep brown eyes and an infectious good humor.
"Hey Phil! What brings you to this neck of the wo- TJ, what's wrong?" Shaun took one look at the soldieri and concern creased his rugged face.
"I've gotta see Lucio, Shaun. It's important."
"Okay, okay. Hold on." Shaun dialed a number and spoke quietly on the phone. After a brief conversation, he put the receiver down.
"Go ahead in."
Phil sat down. He gave him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. TJ knocked on the door and entered.
* * *
Lucio had been in a meeting with Ariane Zutrovna, the head of his psychographics division. A brilliant but ruthless psychologist, she worked frequently with Giaan on special projects for Giambi's organization, including the CLEAT modifications. She also happened to be the daughter of one of the most notorious Russian mobsters. Anton Zutro had sent his daughter to America to learn from the best teachers on how to run his criminal empire. He had hoped for more than a political alliance with Giambi, but the crime lord was not interested in a physical liasion with the raven-haired Slavic beauty. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes (and some snickered, her claws) out and ready for any powerful young criminal to bed.
TJ entered the office as Lucio and Ariane were examining the results of a long computer report.
"... ze economic downturn has hit two of our target populations quite badly. Ze bankers and financial professionals and ze lower blue-collar groups. Ve can reduce our collections by five percent without any appreciable cash flow issues, AND ve can offer zem a renegotiation of zeir debt by transferring balances to ze credit cards issued by our offshore banking conglomerate. Giaan was correct - ze money spent on your drug operations would become self-laundering under zis scenario ..."
The two looked up at the young man. Ariane stared at him the way a cat would gaze at a particularly plump and tasty-looking mouse. She glanced back at Lucio.
"Escho odin?"
He nodded. "Ya boyus. Sto devyanosto sem."
She made a face. "Zhalost."(See below for the translation)
She sighed. "You alvays get ze gorgeous ones, Lucio."
He shrugged. "What can I do, Ariane? I'm a role model." He grinned.
A sour expression flitted across her beautiful face. "So, you vant to go ahead with zis plan?"
"Sounds good. We get to keep the customers, they're grateful, and when the downturn ends, we looking at eight ...?"
"Twelve."
"... twelve percent increase in purchases. Yep. Go ahead."
Her high-heeled shoes clicked across the room as she left.
Lucio gave TJ a concerned stare.
"Shaun told me you needed to see me - what's up? You look like shit."
TJ fell to his knees. He started to talk.
* * *
By the time the young man finished his confession, Giambi's face was a hard, unyielding mask. He was beyond angry. TJ could see that he was furious. Furious at Kane for lying to him, and furious at Leone for his underhanded and dishonorable attack.
"Give me your gun, TJ." There was coldness in his voice that Kane had never heard before. Shaking, the burglar pulled his piece from the small of his back and handed it butt-first to the mob boss.
Lucio pulled the slide back and cocked the gun. He placed the muzzle to the young man's head.
"What would you do if you were me, TJ? What would you do if the situation were reversed?"
Kane swallowed hard. "I'd .. I'd kill the traitor and dump the body in front of the person who ordered the hit."
"I'll give you a final request, TJ. You don't deserve it, but you'll get it anyway. What do you want?"
TJ looked up into the cold, angry face. Tears ran down his cheeks. "Phil came with me. He's outside. Please let me hold him one last time before you do what you gotta do."
Lucio picked up the phone and told Shaun to send the policeman in. Zeeman entered the office and took in the tableau - Lucio with a gun in his hand and TJ weeping on his knees. The patrolman looked at the mob boss.
"He wants to hold you one final time."
Phil went over to the distraught burglar and pulled him to his feet. He held and rocked him in his strong arms.
"Oh God, I'm sorry, Phil. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry we only had such a short time together ..." Hot salty tears dampened the patrolman's neck and uniform collar as sobs wracked the body of the other man. Zeeman held him until the sobs subsided. Phil's eyes, too were damp. He gave him a lingering kiss.
"I'll always love you, TJ. Just remember that."
With a final sniffle, TJ let go of his lover and turned to face Giambi.
"Okay, boss. Let's do it. Let's get it over with." He knelt down in front of the mobster.
Lucio uncocked the gun and threw it onto the couch.
"Well, you're lucky I'm not Don Leone." Giambi pulled TJ up from his kneeling position and held him close.
"I knew about the plot all along. I also knew you couldn't do it. You did give me a heart attack in that office corridor, though. If you hadn't come clean to me ... well, let's say that gun of yours wouldn't have a full clip right now."
Lucio continued to stroke TJ's head and back as the soldier sobbed against him in relief.
A near inaudible "snick" and Dash entered the room from behind a false panel.
"You take too many chances, Lucio." he grumbled. He had had a .44 Magnum with silencer in his hand. He re-engaged the safety and holstered the pistol. He examined TJ's gun lying on the couch. "Oh Christ! The damn gun was loaded! What the hell were you thinking? He could have shot you!"
"I only play games I know I can win, lover. I wasn't worried."
Lucio held him by the shoulders. "TJ, you're a problem."
"What do you mean, boss?"
"If you don't kill me, Don Leone is going to kill you and just send someone else. Maybe next time, someone who wasn't ready to be turned in the first place. The old man has become completely unstable. Do you know he was the one that smuggled the plutonium into the country?"
Kane looked at him in shock. Giambi nodded.
"He's desperate. And crazy. That's a dangerous combination I can't tolerate."
Giambi held the burglar by the shoulders. "Will you help me, TJ? Will you help me end this?"
"Anything boss, anything."
"Here's what I want you to do..."
* * *
A night breeze rustled quietly through Don Leone's study, bringing with it the scent of jasmine and other flowers. The old mobster was staring out of his window and into the night. It was clear and the constellations twinkled brightly above in the blue-black velvet sky. Leone heard a noise and turned to find TJ entering the study through the French doors. The phone call to meet had come about an hour earlier.
"Well?"
"It's done, Emilio. Lucio Giambi is dead."
The old man rubbed his hands together in glee. "Good boy! Tell me the details. Tell me what that prick Giambi looked like when you -"
TJ pulled out a silenced SigSauer. A single quiet cough came out of the gun and Don Leone crumbled to the floor. The bullet hole left a scarlet blossom in the middle of his chest. A crimson pool began to spread out beneath the sprawled mobster.
Pain and betrayal crossed his features. "Why ....?" He coughed weakly. Bright red blood began to foam at the sides of his mouth.
With a sob, TJ administered the coup de grace and put another slug between the old mobster's eyes. His own eyes filled with unshed tears. The gun hung limply at his side.
"Because your crazy feud could have killed millions. I couldn't stand by and let that happen."
* * *
"And ... we have a new member at the Division. Tommy Kane. Just out of the Academy. Let's give him a hand!"
The officers stood and gave a blushing Kane claps and cheers. Several officers patted him on his broad shoulders and Joshua noticed that the new recruit thoroughly enjoyed the lingering touches.
"Thanks everyone ... thanks Josh. It's great to be here and I'm glad to be part of the team. I prefer 'TJ' to Tommy though ..." TJ gave the room a brilliant smile that traveled all the way to his slate blue eyes.
"We're a big family here. We've got a hard job to do, but we get through it together.""Last item, everyone. Assignments. Phil ... you'll be going out with TJ. Okay guys, let's roll!"
* * *
First of all, I want to thank my good buddy Dmitri for providing me with the Russian phrases in the brief conversation between Ariane and Lucio. The English translations are:
This of course, involved building a history for the young mobster/burglar and also - being the prequel - how he met up with Phil Zeeman. Lucio is becoming one of my favorite characters - he's so versatile in what contexts I can embed him in. Being the mobster/entrepreneur that he is, I can use him as an anchoring point for many AE tales.
The whole theme of "Divided Loyalties" was based on the first season story arc of Wiseguy, one of the best television crime dramas ever written. Here, we have an undercover federal agent who infiltrates an organized crime syndicate and grows ever closer and closer to the head of the mob, Sonny Steelgrave. At the end of the arc, Sonny kills himself rather than be taken alive, and the agent weeps over his lifeless body. When he is comforted by his control, he cries, "I wish you were dead instead of him!" - being television, the "bad guy" had to lose. I, however, prefer a different ending ... and carried out what I feel is a far more satisfying conclusion to the story.
Another inspiration for this story came from the anime classic, Crying Freeman. Here, we have a man turned into a killing machine for a Chinese gang, who weeps for his murder victims but is powerless to avoid killing them.
I used the "Artist" mask again for TJ - I really enjoy this series from Greyland. I also found that a pair of semi-mirrored clear lenses are a perfect addition to the mask. They are not as imposing as a pair of shades, but nevertheless obscure the eyes just the right amount. I've found the septum jewelry is always a great addition - provided you don't go too big. That is, IF you don't have a septum piercing. You should really not go any larger than a 10ga piece when you are wearing it with a mask.
I'm still waiting for two final Greylands from my supplier - they have had some quality control problems and he won't sell what he considers inferior quality masks. Remember, these are hand poured and hand painted - so while there is variation, the latest batch was so bad, he returned his entire shipment. I should hopefully be getting my Vamp and my Greymas before Halloween, though.
"Giambi's doing this. Giambi took over that. What the fuck is wrong with all of you?" the crime boss yelled.
The lieutenants around the table looked down and shuffled uncomfortably in their seats.
"Vinnie, what the hell happened? You were supposed to get the protection money from the Asiatown district. You not only came back empty-handed, you came back looking like, like, like ... that!"
Vincent Pak was the underboss responsible for Leone's protection and prostitution rackets in the mainly Chinese and Vietnamese areas of the city. His face was a mass of purple bruises; one eye was swollen shut; one arm was in a sling and the opposite wrist and hand were in a plaster cast.
"Padron, Giambi's ..." he cringed as he said the name "... people took over our entire operation. They're giving the shopowners down there twice the services at half the price. They were ready for us. I couldn't believe how fast they moved ... every one of my guys hadta go to the hospital."
"Why didn't you just shoot the fuckers?"
"We didn't even have a chance. I tried to ... Carpentier took me out. He ..."
"He what?"
Pak looked down. His voice was quiet. "He broke my wrist after he grabbed the gun out of my hand. He told me that Lucio didn't have any beef with me. Or my crew. After they wiped the floor with us, his guys brought us to the hospital and got us fixed up. He said ..."
Vinnie paused.
"He said that you don't know how to treat or take care of your own people any more. He said anyone willing to come work for Lucio was welcome."
Don Leone glared at him.
"Fucking, cocky little bastard! I remember when his father and me started out working as street soldiers for Carmine Scolopo. His father was lower than dirt - and now the little prick son of his is putting on this great show ... 'I don't have any beef with you.' " He rudely mimicked his underboss.
"Well, I've got a beef with him! I'm not gonna just roll over and play dead like Don Franqui did!"
Dominic Franqui had been the eldest of the three crime lords in the city and had often acted as the elder statesman for the disagreements that invariably arose between them. In a surprise move, Franqui had decided to retire and turned over his operations to Lucio Giambi. All of his operations. He pledged his full support to the young man and offered to do anything within his considerable power to assist him. This, of course, led to a great deal of resentment and deep-seated panic on the part of Don Leone. What was before a somewhat stable triumvirate of power had now become a perilously precarious twosome.
Someone cleared his throat at the table. "You know, Emilio, this is a wake up call for us ... maybe we should listen to Vinnie..."
Leone was seething. He slowly turned and looked at the speaker.
TJ Kane leaned forward. He had his elbows on the table and had steepled his hands in front of him.
"Shut up, TJ. If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask for it. I don't. Just shut the fuck up!"
The young man was the closest thing Leone had to a son. Childless, Leone had been a foster father to TJ, since his father, Thomas Kane, had spent most of his life in and out of jail. An expert burglar and safecracker, his father had done many jobs for the Leone family. Of everyone at the table, TJ knew the most about the inner workings of the crime lord's operations and the fact that he was questioning Don Leone only fueled the man's rage.
TJ was a tall, handsome man with black hair cut in a short caesar style. His slate blue eyes missed very little and the small steel crescent piercing his septum lent him an air of casual edginess. He had inherited his father's knack for burglary and he too, was an expert at locks, safes and alarm systems. Unlike his father, TJ was a "made man" in Leone's organization - he had killed several men at the behest of the don.
"Emilio, all I'm trying to say is ..."
"SHUT UP YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE SON OF A BITCH!" Leone screamed.
"I raised you when your loser father wound up in jail more often than he was out! He never gave a SHIT about you! I did! After everything I've done for you, you tell ME I should let Lucio Giambi take over everything I built? Who the FUCK do you think you are to disrespect me?"
TJ face hardened. He stood up. "I don't need to take this shit from you Emilio, and I won't. I've had it with you. Dash Carpentier is right - you don't know how run the business anymore. I'm out of here."
He strode towards the door. Leone looked at him with a combination of surprise, anger and rage. The other faces around table looked on in shock.
"TJ, get back here, NOW!" he shouted.
"Go fuck yourself!" he slammed the door behind him.
* * *
Two weeks earlier ...
TJ entered the private study of Don Leone through the large French doors. It was dark, and no one saw the young man enter.
"Emilio, why all the cloak and dagger stuff? Why meet in the dead of night like this?"
The older man motioned him to sit.
"TJ, we've got major problems. I don't think I can keep my organization together any more."
He looked at the crime boss in shock.
"We're weak. And we're getting weaker every day. The fact that Dominic turned everything over to Lucio Giambi hurt us badly. At the best estimate, we'll be swallowed up in three years or less."
"I don't believe what I'm hearing."
The old mobster sighed. "Believe it. You know the number of men who've left me for Lucio. Let's face it, he's got his father's charisma, plus he's a fucking brilliant criminal. Add to that, he's got his own bunch of computer hackers, he's got the CHP in his pocket - I don't know how the HELL he managed that - and his own offshore bank - we're being outclassed and outgunned. He's got tons of money flowing into his legit businesses and his money-laundering operations are so vast, they're scary. We were depending on that shipment of cocaine, but the damn ship got interdicted by the Coast Guard. Sons of bitches knew EXACTLY where the smack was hidden. We lost over 450 million dollars on that screwup, and I know Lucio had a hand in it. It's fucking terrifying to think he can make even the Feds dance to his tune. I can see only one way out of this..."
"What can I do to help?"
Leone smiled at his almost-son. "I want you to leave me and work for Lucio Giambi."
"WHAT?" TJ looked at him in shock.
"We need to make it look like we had a knock-down, drag-out fight and you're sick of me. You hate me. You can't take me any more. That'll at least get your foot in the door with Dash Carpentier."
"I can't leave you Emilio, I owe you everything."
"You HAVE to do this for me TJ. Once you get close enough to Lucio - and I know you will - you'll need to kill him. I want Giambi to know he was betrayed as he dies."
TJ looked troubled. "I don't know if I can pull this off, Emilio. They know how close we are. You raised me, for God's sake."
Leone grabbed the young man's hands. "They're gonna watch you closely anyway. They expect you're gonna be conflicted. Please, TJ. Do this for me. Do this for me and I'll give you anything you want."
* * *
Bad news traveled quickly, and the supposed downfall of Don Leone's heir apparent was greeted in some quarters with drinks and celebrations. It was less than a week before TJ received a rather interesting phone call.
"Hello."
"I'd like to speak with TJ Kane, please."
"Speaking."
"TJ, this is Dash Carpentier."
Silence.
"TJ, you still there?"
"Yeah ... you calling me is a little bit of a shock."
Dash chuckled. "I'd expect it would be. Look, I just wanted to say I heard about the fight you and Don Leone had. I'm sorry about that. It must have been hard for you. We'd like to talk to you about coming to work for us."
"Who's 'we', Dash?"
"Lucio and myself. Are you interested?"
"I ... I need to think about it. Can I give you a call in a couple of days?"
"Sure ... here's my cell. Call me." He gave the young burglar the number and hung up.
And so it begins. TJ said to himself.
* * *
After a battery of tests - both physical and mental - TJ had his first one-on-one meeting with Lucio Giambi. The crime lord was on his cell phone, but quickly finished the call when the young burglar was ushered into his office. He gave TJ a wide smile.
Giambi was dressed in a black striped shirt which wrapped his muscular body and left little to the imagination. Snug, faded jeans highlighted his considerable bulge and hugged his muscular legs and ass. Dark hair framed a handsome face with dark eyes and a faint shadow on his square jaw. A small moustache highlighted sensuous lips.
"TJ! I wanted to be the first guy to thank you for joining my organization." The smile was absolutely magnetic. TJ was taken aback by the sheer charisma and the force of crime boss' personality. He also found himself growing aroused. The thought troubled him slightly, but he dismissed it. Nerves. That's all it is - nerves.
"Thanks, Don Giambi. I'm glad you would take me."
"It's just 'Lucio', TJ. The only 'Dons' around here are Rickles and Henley."
TJ laughed. Lucio was so completely different from Emilio Leone.
He motioned him to a chair. "Have a seat."
Lucio sat down across from him. "I realize this is going to be a hard adjustment for you. You've been working with Don Leone since you were sixteen, right?"
TJ nodded. "Earlier. My dad was in and out of jail a lot. Emilio literally raised me." Tell the truth. Let him see you still upset about it.
"Look, I'm not going to be asking you anything about his operations. I don't care about him. I care about YOU. If anyone tries to pump you for information, I want you to come to me or to Dash, okay? You don't need any more stress than you've got already."
TJ stared at him.
"You seem surprised."
"I am. I kinda thought one of the first things you'd want me to do is tell you all about Emilio's operations."
"TJ, I tell this to everyone who works for me. I don't care about what you did before. You're here now, and you're working for me. There's absolutely nothing I would not do for any one of my people. I only ask three things - work hard, be loyal , and never lie to me. Can you do that?"
"Yes, sir."
Lucio smiled, but his eyes bore into the burglar. TJ could not break away from Giambi's gaze. The crime boss took his soldier's hands in his own. He turned serious.
"TJ, can you swear that to me? Can you honestly say with all your heart that you've left Emilio Leone for good? If you can't ... if you're not one-hundred percent certain, I understand. No harm. No foul."
TJ swallowed hard. "Boss ... Lucio ... Emilio brought me up. But I can't stand by and see him destroy the people around him. I left because I felt this is the best way to save the people who work for us ... for him. The best lies are always mixed with the truth. Yes. Yes Lucio, I swear."
Lucio continued to stare. TJ felt as if that gaze was stripping him bare and exposing every hidden thought within him.
The crime lord smiled. The spell was broken. "I'm glad. Really glad. I think you're going to be a tremendous asset to my businesses."
He reached across and grabbed a folder off his desk. He sat down again, and opened it.
"You've passed your physical with flying colors ... but then again, looking at you, I wouldn't think otherwise..." he grinned.
"You also show a good deal of aptitude for languages. You speak any, besides English?"
"I can speak Italian, and I can speak and write Spanish. I can understand a little Vietnamese."
Lucio nodded. "Nice .... I'd like you to learn Mandarin. Sounds good?"
TJ blinked. "Sure."
Lucio continued. "I also want to rotate you through several of my operations here. See what you like. After three rotations, let's get together again and we'll discuss what you want to do. You okay with that?"
"Boss, I don't know what to say ... thanks! Thanks for taking me on."
"Hey! No problem." Giambi looked at his watch. "How about celebrating with lunch?"
TJ and Lucio left his office and headed out of the building. Discretely, two of Giambi's bodyguards detached themselves from their posts and followed the pair from an unobtrusive distance. TJ was not consciously aware of it, but the seeds of doubt had been firmly planted by Giambi. It was only a matter of time before they began to grow.
* * *
TJ's entree into the Giambi organization was intense for the young burglar. In addition to the planned rotations through several of Lucio's businesses, he was subjected to a grueling schedule of physical preparation and training. Hand-to-hand and unarmed combat. Stealth and commando lessons. Weights. Endurance training. Firearms instruction that was unlike anything he had ever had. Knife work. Fencing. Plus the language lessons. TJ took to learning Mandarin as a duck to water. At the end of the first three months, Kane had added about ten pounds of muscle to his frame and carried himself with a newly acquired lithe and deadly grace.
He also noticed that Lucio fostered - no, demanded - a level of independence and creativity from his people. From soldiers on the street to lieutenants to his underbosses - every man was encouraged to take risks, to think, to explore possibilities that would benefit the organization. The only unpardonable offense in Lucio's eyes was being deliberately stupid.
Surprisingly enough, there was no fear. TJ knew that Don Leone ran his operations with an iron fist and would think nothing of executing someone who displeased him or fouled up. Soldiers in that organization were driven by terror and would not take any initiative whatsoever. That characteristic - so ingrained in Emilio's businesses - was a terrible point of weakness and was a leading cause to the deterioration of the older crime lord's power and influence.
It was during his rotation through Lucio's casino businesses that this point was hammered home. Vincent Ridge - the casino manager - had taken TJ out for drinks and dinner to celebrate his coming aboard as a pit boss. Vincent had been part of the Franqui organization and now ran most, if not all, of Lucio's legal gambling establishments. Ridge was an older, but still handsome man, with a full head of dark hair going silver at the temples.
"TJ, you know the biggest reason we won World War II?"
TJ shook his head.
"Initiative. You had guys in platoons that could take charge if anything came up. Not like the Germans. Or the Japanese. Really rigid command structure. If you killed their officers, those guys would wander around like zombies. Not so with the American troops."
He lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag and blew the smoke up towards the ceiling.
"Lucio operates the same way. Do you remember Bobby Reyes?"
"He ran Emilio's west side dock operations, right?"
Ridge nodded. "Now, he comes up to Lucio and says, 'Boss, I've been thinking about this for a while. I couldn't tell Don Leone anything since all I'd hear is 'Shut the fuck up and keep your nose out of my other businesses.' Do you know how many times I've wanted a woman to just hold me? And talk to me? No fucking around. I think we could make a nice piece of change.' So Lucio asks his folks to do some number-crunching and gives Bobby some startup money."
Ridge took another drag on the cigarette.
"The business took OFF. Like a fighter jet. Completely legit. We get all the movers and shakers, plus the little guys. And cops. Lots of cops. You can't imagine the repeat business we get by providing a hand to hold and a heart to understand. A lot of the gals wind up getting married to their clients. They keep their eyes out for Lucio's interests too. Bobby's pulling in $2-3 million a month now. See? Initiative. Lucio's always looking for smart guys with good ideas."
TJ was flabbergasted. How could Emilio compete with that? How could he hope to recoup his former glory? The men he lost were truly lost to him - they would never again submit to him now that they had tasted the independence Lucio has granted them.
"You've got a good future ahead of you TJ - make the most of it."
"Vince, how do you know about all this World War II stuff? It's fascinating."
Ridge smiled. "I got my Masters degree in history. Lucio sent me back to college for it."
* * *
While TJ still reported back regularly to Emilio Leone, he was beginning to find himself increasingly hesitant about exposing Lucio's men and plans to the older mobster. He even began to find himself bending the truth, if not outright lying, to his foster father.
"So Giambi's got this Indian geek who runs his computer operations? We could whack him and fuck Lucio up good. Make it look like an accident."
"Not Indian, Emilio. West Indian. It's no good. He's got bodyguards on him all the time."
"Shit. Well, let's see what else we can do."
TJ had spent a good deal of time with the darkly handsome Desi hacker. He had worked in the data acquisition area under Giaan and could not countenance anything happening to his friend. It troubled him that his loyalties were being twisted in such a manner.
The Fates, however, appeared to be favoring him when he was working late one night and heard a familar voice.
"So my young padawan, I see you have escaped from the Dark Side..."
TJ looked up as a 100-watt smile split his face. "Jeremy!"
Jeremy Connor swaggered into the room and the two men hugged. Connor had been a lieutenant in the Leone organization about five years ago, but had been one of the first ones to jump ship and work for Lucio Giambi. He had also been TJ's mentor and best friend - an older brother that TJ never had.
"You look great! I haven't seen you in years. How are you doing?"
Connor brushed a lock of soot-black hair from his face. He had always been a big man (and slightly overweight) but now sported the trim physique of all the Giambi soldieri. For some odd reason, he also looked younger than TJ recalled. A black string top highlighted his heavily muscled arms and chest. A faded black pair of jeans clung to his narrow waist and long legs. A paddle holster was tucked into his left side and the butt of a blued-steel Heckler&Koch USP peeped out of the waistband. He sported a deep bronze tan, which only served to make him appear like a Greek statue come to life.
"It looks like you're really glad to see me, Squirt ..." Jeremy grinned as he pointedly looked down at TJ's crotch.
TJ was wearing a pale shell sweater and a pair of snug black slacks. A shoulder holster stretched across his chest and his Glock was tucked securely under his arm. The bulge in his pants left little to the imagination. TJ looked down himself and blushed scarlet.
Jeremy laughed. He put his arm around Kane and the two headed out of the office.
"I've been managing Lucio's middle eastern and African interests, kiddo. Just got back here for a little project and he wants you to come help me and him with it. C'mon. We've got a meeting with the boss."
* * *
The underboss and burglar took the express elevator up to Lucio's penthouse. Many of the lights were off or dimmed and the apartment felt deserted. TJ felt a tendril of fear creep up his spine - this was just too damn similar to that meeting with Don Leone so many months ago.
Jeremy touched him on the shoulder. He jumped.
"Hey TJ, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Kane composed himself. "Sorry. It's just a little creepy up here when it's not lit."
The underboss knocked on a door and the two entered Giambi's private study. Lucio was alone.
"Hey, TJ ... thanks for coming up. I have a job that we need to get done."
Giambi unrolled a building blueprint and secured it to his desk.
"We need to get into the Hoffman Building and get something out of a safe on the third floor."
He unrolled an electrical diagram and placed it next to the blueprint.
"Here's the alarm schematics. It's a Brinks X44-YU system."
TJ looked over the schematics and began tracing them with his finger. "Any enhancements?"
"Nope."
"What type of safe is it?"
"Majestic. Model 6600."
He looked up at Lucio. "Boss, you're kidding me, right?"
Giambi looked taken aback. "No ... why?"
"My dad could do this without breaking a sweat. This technology is at least 25 years old."
Lucio looked serious. "Well, that's good to hear since we have to do it tonight and we have to leave no trace that we were ever there."
* * *
"You're coming, too?" Kane asked as Lucio tightened a shoulder holster across his chest.
"I don't lead from the rear, TJ." He gave the burglar a tight smile. "If I'm asking my people to take risks, I take them along with them."
"Jeremy brought this to my attention. The item is going to be transported tomorrow morning. It's extremely important we get it before it's moved."
The three were dressed in dark clothing as they descended the elevator to the garage level. Lucio headed to a nondescript dark-colored car. The three got in and sped off.
* * *
The Hoffman building was one of those post-Depression monstrosities that was in serious need of demolition, but groups of concerned citizens always found some loophole to keep it from being bulldozed. The latest attempt was a petition to place it on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Until the petition was evaluated, there was a restraining order on imploding the building.
Lucio parked the car down the street from the edifice. The vehicle was under a tree and between an expanse of broken streetlights. The three circled around the back of the building where TJ quietly picked the lock. The door opened on well-oiled hinges and they proceeded up the stairs.
When they reached the third floor landing, Lucio and Jeremy drew their guns.
"There's one guard." Lucio whispered. "He should be on the other side of the floor right now. The office we need to get into is twelve doors to our right. Let's go."
TJ left the stairwell first; Lucio and Jeremy covered him as the trio quickly padded across the floor. The only light came from the emergency exit signs. When they were about halfway to their destination, they heard footsteps approaching them. Jeremy tucked the gun into his waistband and grabbed the doorknob nearest to them. He covered it with his other hand and twisted. The other two heard a faint groan of metal as the lock broke. They piled into the quiet office and closed the door. The footsteps grew closer and Kane could see the light from the flashlight as it cast wavy patterns across the frosted glass of the office door. The footsteps faded, as did the light. After 30 seconds, the three continued to their destination.
TJ began to work on the door's lock. Within seconds, the three criminals were in the large office. Jeremy closed the door quietly behind them.
Lucio motioned with his gun. "Back room, TJ. I'll stay out here. Jeremy - he's going to need help getting the package out - go with him."
"C'mon, Squirt. Let's get this over with."
TJ approached the Brinks panel mounted on the frame next to the back door. The device was no match for his expertise. Within two minutes, the status lights blinked green and the arming switch was disabled.
Jeremy opened the door and the two approached the large floor safe. TJ withdrew a stethoscope from his pocket and quickly spun the dial.
Click. He spun again. Click. And again. Thunk. He looked up at Jeremy and grinned. Kane put his hand on the latch and twisted. The door opened.
Besides a few piles of cash, there was a large metal box.
"That's what we need."
TJ attempted to move the container. He couldn't ... it was massively heavy.
"Let me grab it."
Jeremy reached in and took hold the container. Connor removed it as easily as a box of tissues. TJ closed the safe and spun the dial again. Jeremy cradled the large box as the they left the back room; as they left, the burglar re-armed the security panel. With Connor's hands full, TJ drew his gun.
"All done?" Lucio whispered.
TJ nodded.
Lucio opened the outer door a crack and peeked out. He motioned the other two to follow him.
"Jeremy, you've got to get out of here with the box. TJ and I will cover you. Let's go - we're almost home."
Despite the weight of the box in his arms, Jeremy moved like a shadow. When the reached the first corner, they heard a shout. The language was foreign to them, but the intent was unmistakable - STOP! A bullet whizzed past the crime lord's head.
"Run!" he yelled.
TJ and Jeremy ran towards the exit as Lucio covered them. Within seconds, the two were at the stairwell.
"Get to the car, I'll cover Lucio!"
Connor nodded and ran down the stairs.
TJ heard footsteps racing towards him. He aimed his gun, ready to kill Lucio as he rounded the corner. Ready to fulfill Don Leone's mission.
Lucio rounded the corner to see TJ facing him with gun drawn. The burglar's eyes were cold. Giambi skidded to a stop.
What happened next was completely unexpected. TJ grabbed the crime lord by the arm and whipped Giambi behind him. Lucio tripped and fell to his knees. The guard came running around the corner. Two muffled coughs from Kane's gun caught the man squarely in the chest. He collapsed in a dead heap.
TJ tucked the Glock back into the holster and grabbed the guard. He threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
"C'mon boss! Let's get the hell out of here!"
* * *
The two men exited the building, TJ staggering slightly from the weight of the dead man across his shoulders. They reached the car - Jeremy had already had the motor running. When he saw the burden being carried by Kane, he popped the trunk. TJ dropped the body into rear compartment and then slammed the trunk shut. He got into the back seat and the car sped off.
"Why did you take the body with us?" asked Jeremy.
"We had to make sure that we were never there. A dead body would not be a good indication of that."
Giambi was on his cellphone.
"Peter? Lucio. It's done. We had a little problem. See you in a few." he clicked the phone shut.
"TJ? What's the matter? You're shaking."
The burglar was indeed shaking. What the hell is wrong with me? Why couldn't I shoot him?"N-nothing boss. I guess I'm a little twitchy from carrying the body down three flights of stairs."
Jeremy drove the car onto the waterfront. He traveled deeper into warrens of old buildings until he came to a smallish warehouse. He exited the car and knocked on the rollup door.
As the door began to roll open and he drove the car into an empty space awash with lights and personnel.
Lucio got out of the car, followed by TJ and Jeremy. A serious looking man with thinning brown hair approached the trio. TJ recognized him as Peter Gardner, the operations chief of the city's FBI bureau.
"What was the problem?"
"We had to kill the guard. He caught us on the way out."
"You didn't leave the body there, did you?"
"I was about to ... TJ thought otherwise and carried him out. We have him in the trunk. With the container."
The man visibly relaxed and grinned. "Good thinking..." he looked quizzically at the burglar.
"... TJ? TJ Kane? Since when are you working for Lucio Giambi? I thought you were Emilio Leone's golden boy?"
The shaking had quieted down to a few tremors. Kane hoped they weren't visible to the station chief. "I don't work for Emilio anymore. I've been with Lucio for over six months."
Gardner whistled. "Well, you learn something new every day." He turned to Lucio and shook his hand.
"Lucio, thank you for tonight. I wish there was something official I could do, but I can't. Unofficially though ..." He pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number. He waited until someone answered and held it out to the crime lord.
"Hello?" Lucio said. Giambi looked shocked. It took a lot to rattle the crime lord.
"It ... it was my pleasure, sir. I'm glad I could do something to help. If you ever need something again, please don't hesitate to call me. You're welcome, sir. Goodbye, sir."
He handed the phone back to Gardner. The station chief grinned.
Lucio took a deep breath. "Wow."
"Can I give you fellas a ride home? We're gonna need the car you drove in with."
"I think we could use a lift. I don't think I'm in any shape to drive home right now, anyway."
* * *
The three returned to Lucio's penthouse. He flipped on the lights and moved to the bar. He poured out three tall glasses of scotch. He handed one each to TJ and Jeremy, took his own and collapsed into a chair.
He let out a deep breath. He grinned. "We gotta get out more often - that was fun!"
Jeremy smiled back at the mobster. He raised his glass and knocked back the drink. "You have a really sick idea of fun, boss. We nearly got ourselves killed tonight!"
TJ had been quiet on the way back to the penthouse. He seemed quite perturbed by the course of the evening's events.
"Lucio, what the hell did we steal and hand over to the Feds?"
Jeremy and Lucio looked at each other. A look passed between them. The point of no return regarding TJ and his place in Giambi's organization was decided.
Lucio sipped his drink. "Jeremy found out that 10 kilos of weapons grade plutonium-239 had been smuggled into the country and was on its way to some radical extremists. The half-life on that stuff is 24,100 goddamn years. Christ only knows what the fuckers were going to do with it. I let the Feds know about it and they asked us to make it disappear. By the way, you killing the guard was a stroke of fortune. I'm having Giaan lay a false trail all over the globe. Everyone will think he stole the goods. There's going to be so many meetings, phone calls and finger-pointing going on that Peter's guys will be able to eliminate a bunch of the Arab bastards."
"You work for the Feds?"
"Nope. I work for me. And my people. I'm a crook, TJ. I admit it. But I'm not a traitor. This is something I was asked to do for my country, and I was glad to do it. How could I stand by, do nothing and let possibly thousands of people die? How could I ever look at myself in the mirror?"
He took another sip of his drink. "The President was also quite grateful."
"Was that who was on the cellphone?"
Giambi smiled. "Yeah. It was quite a surprise. Deep down, Peter's a nice guy. A bit of a tight-ass, but a nice guy. Then again, you've got to be somewhat of a Boy Scout to get where he is."
TJ's head swam. He was confused. He couldn't bring himself to kill Lucio when he had the chance. How could he possibly do it now?
* * *
TJ asked for a few days off. Since he was currently working for Lucio's casino operations, and this time of year was a rather slow, there was no problem. The young man was beside himself. During one particularly sleepless night, he came to realize that Don Leone's plans had backfired. In his attempt to direct a traitor's bullet straight into Lucio's heart, he had in fact given Giambi a new lieutenant. There was no way he could ever kill Lucio now - despite the promises - the empty promises, he now understood - of his former lord and master.
But what was he going to do? He could not go back to Leone, nor he felt - admit the duplicity to Lucio. That was the only crime in the Giambi organization punishable by death - lying. He tried to work scenarios through his head as he was sipping a large mug of coffee when the phone rang.
"Hey Squirt, you feeling better?"
"Hey Jeremy ... yeah, I guess so. What's up?"
"Get yourself dressed up ... we're going to a party tonight at Oro."
"Oro? What's that?"
"It's Lucio's private club up in the hills. We're having a celebration for the um, 'successful delivery'. It'll cheer you up."
"I don't know if I'm in a party mood, bud. I think I'll pass."
"Uh-uh. Nope. This is a command performance. Lucio wants you there. He thinks you've been brooding too much. It's not good for you."
TJ felt a lump develop in his throat. The crime lord was an excellent judge of character and kinesthetics. He was often so accurate it was scary. Did he do something that gave him pause to question his loyalty?"
"Okay, I'll be there. What time?"
"Seven o'clock. I'll pick you up. See you later, Squirt."
* * *
Jeremy took a circuitous route up the hills surrounding the city and spiraled up a narrow road. As the underboss made the final turn onto the club's grounds, TJ gasped. Three stories high, Oro looked like a cross between a Florentine villa and a Baroque mansion. "This is the club?"
Jeremy smiled. "Uh-huh. I said it was exclusive."
The two young men pulled up to the entrance, exited the car and a valet trotted over to park it. Jeremy handed him the keys; he and TJ were quickly whisked inside.
The inside was as beautiful as the exterior of the club. A pair of wrought iron staircases swept across the foyer, and while the club was filling up rapidly, the interior space retained a light and airy feeling. Kane could hear a beat of music in the background, but it was quiet and muffled. Great soundproofing he said to himself. Several of the staff - tall, handsome men, all - greeted Jeremy with a wave and smile as they hurried by. Again, TJ found himself growing hard looking at the other men. He was, however, distracted by the thoughts running through his head about Lucio uncovering his hidden agenda.
The men proceeded down a long hallway and stopped outside a set of double doors. The music was a bit louder, but still muted. A guard - tanned golden with a shorn head - was outside of the door and was acting as another security check. His wore a tuxedo top without a shirt - exposing slabs of pectoral muscle and etched abs; his trousers fit him like a second skin and his black shoes gleamed in the subdued lighting. TJ found his pulse quickening just looking at the man.
Jeremy grinned at the guard. "Hey Bobby - looking good, stud! Nice six-pack!" He ran his hand down the man's chest.
The man returned the smile. "Thanks Jeremy. Who's your buddy?"
"Bobby Cromwell, this is TJ Kane. He's Lucio's new lieutenant."
Lieutenant?
"Go right in, the party's underway already." He winked at TJ. "See you later, kid!"The party was indeed underway. The room was filled with handsome men. Dark. Light. Tall. Slim. Muscular. TJ felt his heart thump in his chest. He couldn't figure out what was going on and why he was reacting the way he was. He had never been successful with the ladies; inevitably his liaisons were always a disappointment for both parties. And Don Leone had always kept him busy ... the most pleasant times had always been working with Emilio's crews; being in close proximity to hard, good-looking men. When Jeremy stroked the man's chest outside the party, the realization hit him like a sledgehammer between the eyes - Jeremy was gay. And ... so was he.
"Hey Squirt, what the matter?" Jeremy looked at him, concern written all over his chiseled face. If anything, the party seemed to have made the young burglar even more agitated and upset.
"I ... I need a drink." He made a beeline towards the bar. He got the waiter's attention.
"Double scotch over ice." The waiter nodded and turned his back to prepare the drink.
"Don't knock that back too fast. Lucio doesn't water those down."
TJ turned to face a tall, handsome, muscular man leaning against the bar. His breath caught in his throat. The other man had short black hair in a faded buzz cut and pale brown eyes. He had high cheekbones which accented the chiseled perfection of his face and a warm and inviting smile. His voice was a husky tenor. He held a gin and tonic in his hand.
The man grinned at him. "This your first time at Oro?"
Kane nodded. "It's a bit intense."
The man put out his hand. "Phil Zeeman."
TJ shook it. "TJ Kane. You work for Lucio?"
Phil grinned. "Kinda sorta. I'm a California Highway Patrolman. Our division does a lot of work with Lucio's businesses."
TJ looked shocked. Phil laughed. It was like quicksilver running down the burglar's spine. Zeeman gave him a mock-serious look and tapped his chin.
"Burglar, right?"
TJ gasped.
"You've got a great body, TJ. And I can see that you've been through Lucio's boot camp. It's something we've worked out together over the years. But you've got a really gentle touch about you. Comes with the territory, right?"
Kane murmured something.
Phil stroked his arm; TJ didn't pull away. The touch was so gentle, yet it had him ablaze with desire. "Hey, we're not here arresting anyone! Everyone at the party Lucio trusts implicitly. You wouldn't be here if he couldn't depend on you. My boss and his partner are over there ..." he pointed to a strikingly handsome blonde man and a raven-haired stud holding each other. "Most of Santa Monica Division is here tonight. The guys on second watch are missing out on all the fun."
The two continued to talk and TJ began to move closer to the patrolman. Phil's laugh was like satin running across his skin. Finally, Kane closed the distance between them and brushed Zeeman's lips with his own. His septum crescent trailed across Phil's upper lip. The patrolman gave a delighted grin.
"That feels great - it tickles!" Phil drew the burglar closer to him and began to nibble his jaw. TJ moaned.
Brown eyes met slate blue. "How about coming over to my apartment?" TJ nodded. Phil tucked his arm around Kane's waist and the two left the party.
From a distance, Jeremy smiled. He, more than anyone else, knew exactly what the burglar really needed.
* * *
TJ went to the kitchen and was filling the glass at the tap when he felt Phil's arms come around him and the policeman's lips on his neck. His hands were still trembling slightly.
"Whoa ..." he turned to see that dazzling smile again as the two nuzzled. Soon they were undressing.
Burglar and cop began to gently explore one other - Phil was well muscled and his cock was a good 8" and thick. Within moments, Zeeman was on top of Kane and the couple were kissing deeply, exploring each other's mouths and ears. Phil kissed TJ's eyes - no one had ever done that before - and then kissed his throat as he massaged the soldier's lower back and butt.
"I want to be inside you, handsome" he breathed. His pale brown eyes sparkled in the dim light of the bedroom as he gently stroked the other man's forehead. TJ was torn between lust and guilt - his feelings for the policeman were at a level he never experienced before. Kane could feel the policeman's massive tool grind against his crotch.
"I don't think I can take it, Phil. You're so ... big. I ... I've never done this before."
Zeeman stopped. "You're a virgin?"
TJ gulped and nodded. Unshed tears began to form in his eyes. Damnit, why am I reacting this way?
"Oh sweet Jesus ..." Phil returned to gently kissing Kane's eyes and nibbled along his jaw.
"If I promise it won't hurt, can I try?"
TJ nodded. Zeeman stroked his forehead and smiled at the soldieri.
Phil put his hands under the other man's legs and slowly raised them to his shoulders - all the while kissing down his torso, pausing to slightly bite each nipple and tonguing his navel. By the time he started kissing TJ's stomach - just above his pubic hair -- the burglar was shaking with excitement and eagerness. Zeeman reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a bottle of Gun Oil. He poured a good amount onto the thief's pucker and then poured an equally generous amount onto his massive tool.
Soon, his pink glans was pushing at Kane's ass. It felt great, but the burglar was afraid, and sure enough, just as Phil forced it in, TJ felt an excruciating pain.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!" Zeeman smothered his mouth with another kiss.
He held TJ's face. "Just hold still and wait a moment, Teej - the pain will go."
Suddenly there was no pain, only an emptiness that badly needed filling -- "Jeesus!! Fuck me, Phil! Fuck me!"
With a single thrust Phil was all the way in and TJ immediately knew he had waited far too long for this first experience. Zeeman was a skilled lover, now slow, now fast, his hands moving all the time and his lips all over every part of the burglar he could reach without dislodging his steel rod from Kane's ass.
They made love for a minute that seemed like an eternity and an eternity that seem like a minute. Suddenly TJ heard Phil's breathing increase and a slight panting moan -- the soldier's body responded by vibrating all over -- Kane thought he was going to faint.
Soon TJ heard heavy groans - almost screams - and he realized that they were his own. Then he felt the policeman's cock pulse strongly in his ass once, twice, three times and more -- he was transported as he experienced the sensation of hot geysers of cum shooting into his ass.
Without warning and without touching his own cock, TJ shot -- the third spasm hitting Phil's cheek and then dripping down onto his lips - Zeeman licked it away -- TJ felt like a buzz saw was splitting his spine and then his body came and came and came again.
Exhausted, but happy - truly content for the first time in his life - TJ drifted off to sleep. Phil's arm was draped around the young burglar and the two spooned together in the large bed.
* * *
Phil woke to the sun streaming into the bedroom window - TJ was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.
"Hey, sweetheart, what's the matter?" Zeeman reached over to stroke the other's man's muscular back. He sat up in bed and began to kiss the back of TJ's neck.
Kane turned to him, tears streaming down his face. "Phil, I've been living a lie. I can't do it any more. It's killing me inside!" He wrapped himself around the policeman and wept.
* * *
"So let me get this straight ... Emilio Leone staged the fight between you and him to get you working for Lucio? Then when the time was right, you were supposed to kill him?"
TJ nodded. "At least that was how it was supposed to happen. But the situation got out of hand almost from the start. I got to really know Lucio and his operations. By the time I had the chance to kill him, I couldn't. I couldn't even give Emilio inside information anymore. I lied. I lied to him to protect Lucio. And Giaan. And everyone else."
Phil looked at him. TJ continued.
"But I lied to Lucio, too Phil. I lied about being loyal to him. What am I gonna do?"
Zeeman stroked his lover's forehead. "But the lie was actually a lie in itself. You are loyal to him, aren't you?"
"Of course I am! I'd do anything for him, Phil! I'd take a bullet for him!"
"You're gonna have to tell him the truth, Teej. There's no way around it."
The burglar looked stricken. The policeman held him close. "I'll come with you."
TJ snuggled into the Zeeman's hard chest. Please God, he said to himself, please don't have Lucio make me be the one to kill him.
* * *
Zeeman called in SMD to say he'd be coming in late. After he got dressed in his uniform, he and TJ traveled over to the other's apartment for a shower and change of clothes. They then proceeded to Giambi's office. They were greeted by Shaun, Lucio's assistant. The man was an handsome cocoa-skinned black with deep brown eyes and an infectious good humor.
"Hey Phil! What brings you to this neck of the wo- TJ, what's wrong?" Shaun took one look at the soldieri and concern creased his rugged face.
"I've gotta see Lucio, Shaun. It's important."
"Okay, okay. Hold on." Shaun dialed a number and spoke quietly on the phone. After a brief conversation, he put the receiver down.
"Go ahead in."
Phil sat down. He gave him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. TJ knocked on the door and entered.
* * *
Lucio had been in a meeting with Ariane Zutrovna, the head of his psychographics division. A brilliant but ruthless psychologist, she worked frequently with Giaan on special projects for Giambi's organization, including the CLEAT modifications. She also happened to be the daughter of one of the most notorious Russian mobsters. Anton Zutro had sent his daughter to America to learn from the best teachers on how to run his criminal empire. He had hoped for more than a political alliance with Giambi, but the crime lord was not interested in a physical liasion with the raven-haired Slavic beauty. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes (and some snickered, her claws) out and ready for any powerful young criminal to bed.
TJ entered the office as Lucio and Ariane were examining the results of a long computer report.
"... ze economic downturn has hit two of our target populations quite badly. Ze bankers and financial professionals and ze lower blue-collar groups. Ve can reduce our collections by five percent without any appreciable cash flow issues, AND ve can offer zem a renegotiation of zeir debt by transferring balances to ze credit cards issued by our offshore banking conglomerate. Giaan was correct - ze money spent on your drug operations would become self-laundering under zis scenario ..."
The two looked up at the young man. Ariane stared at him the way a cat would gaze at a particularly plump and tasty-looking mouse. She glanced back at Lucio.
"Escho odin?"
He nodded. "Ya boyus. Sto devyanosto sem."
She made a face. "Zhalost."(See below for the translation)
She sighed. "You alvays get ze gorgeous ones, Lucio."
He shrugged. "What can I do, Ariane? I'm a role model." He grinned.
A sour expression flitted across her beautiful face. "So, you vant to go ahead with zis plan?"
"Sounds good. We get to keep the customers, they're grateful, and when the downturn ends, we looking at eight ...?"
"Twelve."
"... twelve percent increase in purchases. Yep. Go ahead."
Her high-heeled shoes clicked across the room as she left.
Lucio gave TJ a concerned stare.
"Shaun told me you needed to see me - what's up? You look like shit."
TJ fell to his knees. He started to talk.
* * *
By the time the young man finished his confession, Giambi's face was a hard, unyielding mask. He was beyond angry. TJ could see that he was furious. Furious at Kane for lying to him, and furious at Leone for his underhanded and dishonorable attack.
"Give me your gun, TJ." There was coldness in his voice that Kane had never heard before. Shaking, the burglar pulled his piece from the small of his back and handed it butt-first to the mob boss.
Lucio pulled the slide back and cocked the gun. He placed the muzzle to the young man's head.
"What would you do if you were me, TJ? What would you do if the situation were reversed?"
Kane swallowed hard. "I'd .. I'd kill the traitor and dump the body in front of the person who ordered the hit."
"I'll give you a final request, TJ. You don't deserve it, but you'll get it anyway. What do you want?"
TJ looked up into the cold, angry face. Tears ran down his cheeks. "Phil came with me. He's outside. Please let me hold him one last time before you do what you gotta do."
Lucio picked up the phone and told Shaun to send the policeman in. Zeeman entered the office and took in the tableau - Lucio with a gun in his hand and TJ weeping on his knees. The patrolman looked at the mob boss.
"He wants to hold you one final time."
Phil went over to the distraught burglar and pulled him to his feet. He held and rocked him in his strong arms.
"Oh God, I'm sorry, Phil. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry we only had such a short time together ..." Hot salty tears dampened the patrolman's neck and uniform collar as sobs wracked the body of the other man. Zeeman held him until the sobs subsided. Phil's eyes, too were damp. He gave him a lingering kiss.
"I'll always love you, TJ. Just remember that."
With a final sniffle, TJ let go of his lover and turned to face Giambi.
"Okay, boss. Let's do it. Let's get it over with." He knelt down in front of the mobster.
Lucio uncocked the gun and threw it onto the couch.
"Well, you're lucky I'm not Don Leone." Giambi pulled TJ up from his kneeling position and held him close.
"I knew about the plot all along. I also knew you couldn't do it. You did give me a heart attack in that office corridor, though. If you hadn't come clean to me ... well, let's say that gun of yours wouldn't have a full clip right now."
Lucio continued to stroke TJ's head and back as the soldier sobbed against him in relief.
A near inaudible "snick" and Dash entered the room from behind a false panel.
"You take too many chances, Lucio." he grumbled. He had had a .44 Magnum with silencer in his hand. He re-engaged the safety and holstered the pistol. He examined TJ's gun lying on the couch. "Oh Christ! The damn gun was loaded! What the hell were you thinking? He could have shot you!"
"I only play games I know I can win, lover. I wasn't worried."
Lucio held him by the shoulders. "TJ, you're a problem."
"What do you mean, boss?"
"If you don't kill me, Don Leone is going to kill you and just send someone else. Maybe next time, someone who wasn't ready to be turned in the first place. The old man has become completely unstable. Do you know he was the one that smuggled the plutonium into the country?"
Kane looked at him in shock. Giambi nodded.
"He's desperate. And crazy. That's a dangerous combination I can't tolerate."
Giambi held the burglar by the shoulders. "Will you help me, TJ? Will you help me end this?"
"Anything boss, anything."
"Here's what I want you to do..."
* * *
A night breeze rustled quietly through Don Leone's study, bringing with it the scent of jasmine and other flowers. The old mobster was staring out of his window and into the night. It was clear and the constellations twinkled brightly above in the blue-black velvet sky. Leone heard a noise and turned to find TJ entering the study through the French doors. The phone call to meet had come about an hour earlier.
"Well?"
"It's done, Emilio. Lucio Giambi is dead."
The old man rubbed his hands together in glee. "Good boy! Tell me the details. Tell me what that prick Giambi looked like when you -"
TJ pulled out a silenced SigSauer. A single quiet cough came out of the gun and Don Leone crumbled to the floor. The bullet hole left a scarlet blossom in the middle of his chest. A crimson pool began to spread out beneath the sprawled mobster.
Pain and betrayal crossed his features. "Why ....?" He coughed weakly. Bright red blood began to foam at the sides of his mouth.
With a sob, TJ administered the coup de grace and put another slug between the old mobster's eyes. His own eyes filled with unshed tears. The gun hung limply at his side.
"Because your crazy feud could have killed millions. I couldn't stand by and let that happen."
* * *
"And ... we have a new member at the Division. Tommy Kane. Just out of the Academy. Let's give him a hand!"
The officers stood and gave a blushing Kane claps and cheers. Several officers patted him on his broad shoulders and Joshua noticed that the new recruit thoroughly enjoyed the lingering touches.
"Thanks everyone ... thanks Josh. It's great to be here and I'm glad to be part of the team. I prefer 'TJ' to Tommy though ..." TJ gave the room a brilliant smile that traveled all the way to his slate blue eyes.
"We're a big family here. We've got a hard job to do, but we get through it together.""Last item, everyone. Assignments. Phil ... you'll be going out with TJ. Okay guys, let's roll!"
* * *
First of all, I want to thank my good buddy Dmitri for providing me with the Russian phrases in the brief conversation between Ariane and Lucio. The English translations are:
"Another one?"As I was doing the photo shoot for "The Elixir", I was trying on a few different looks for Xander Cannon. While the Caesar wig looked good, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind for the Australian geneticist. It did however, give me an idea for another character - a burglar. I had been planning (and still am) to use my Zutro mask as Tommy Kane, a safecracker. The inspiration hit me to use the new combo as Tommy's son, TJ, who would follow in his dad's illicit footsteps.
"I'm afraid so. One hundred ninety seven."
"Pity."
This of course, involved building a history for the young mobster/burglar and also - being the prequel - how he met up with Phil Zeeman. Lucio is becoming one of my favorite characters - he's so versatile in what contexts I can embed him in. Being the mobster/entrepreneur that he is, I can use him as an anchoring point for many AE tales.
The whole theme of "Divided Loyalties" was based on the first season story arc of Wiseguy, one of the best television crime dramas ever written. Here, we have an undercover federal agent who infiltrates an organized crime syndicate and grows ever closer and closer to the head of the mob, Sonny Steelgrave. At the end of the arc, Sonny kills himself rather than be taken alive, and the agent weeps over his lifeless body. When he is comforted by his control, he cries, "I wish you were dead instead of him!" - being television, the "bad guy" had to lose. I, however, prefer a different ending ... and carried out what I feel is a far more satisfying conclusion to the story.
Another inspiration for this story came from the anime classic, Crying Freeman. Here, we have a man turned into a killing machine for a Chinese gang, who weeps for his murder victims but is powerless to avoid killing them.
I used the "Artist" mask again for TJ - I really enjoy this series from Greyland. I also found that a pair of semi-mirrored clear lenses are a perfect addition to the mask. They are not as imposing as a pair of shades, but nevertheless obscure the eyes just the right amount. I've found the septum jewelry is always a great addition - provided you don't go too big. That is, IF you don't have a septum piercing. You should really not go any larger than a 10ga piece when you are wearing it with a mask.
I'm still waiting for two final Greylands from my supplier - they have had some quality control problems and he won't sell what he considers inferior quality masks. Remember, these are hand poured and hand painted - so while there is variation, the latest batch was so bad, he returned his entire shipment. I should hopefully be getting my Vamp and my Greymas before Halloween, though.
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