by DJ Manly
* * * *
Andy had clothes on, thank God when he went back down into that room. He would be glad when this night was over. He was exhausted and depressed.
Andy was rattling on about movies. “We could do snuff films. Keep the young ones and, when they get older, get rid of them.”
Gian stiffened. Jesus, was there no end to this man’s evilness? “Not a good idea,” Gian shook his head, “too much explaining to do. It would mean kids would disappear.”
“So? We get prostitutes off the street that no one cares about. You could do it.”
“Me?” Gian replied. “Do what? Kill someone?”
“You’re so beautiful. They’d be content to die in your arms.”
This was getting to be way too much. “Just straight porn would be better.”
“All right. You and the boys.”
“Can we talk about this another time, Andy? I’m beat. Time for me to go home.”
“Sure.”
He got up and waved to the other two. “See you tonight.”
Andy winked at him. “I loved what you did to me tonight. Tomorrow night, I want you to use your billy.”
Gian felt sick. “Sure, sexy,” he winked back. “Anything you want.” As soon as he got home, he stepped into the shower and stayed there for almost an hour. When he got out, he couldn’t sleep. He pulled out a bottle of whiskey and got blind drunk, then went to sleep. Somewhere in his sleep, he knew what he had to do.
Clint met him later that day at a coffee shop. “You look like shit,” he said.
“I feel like shit. Clint, I want hidden a camera in that room at Beaconsfield.”
“I thought you were going to play the pervert card and…”
“I did, but Andy smashed my tape. You can go in there in the day and set it up when they’re off duty. I’ll show them where to put them. I can’t wear a wire for obvious reasons.”
Clint rubbed his arm. “We’ll have to get the go ahead, Gian. You know it’s an ethical—”
“Get the go ahead. Look, Clint, they’re talking porno movies now. They even said snuff films last night.”
“Jesus. Can you get that kid to talk?”
“I’m going in now to talk to him. He’s scared, but I think I can break him.”
“Okay, get that kid to make a statement. Maybe we won’t need the camera.”
“Remember, he’s a little boy. His testimony may not stick. Clint, how long is this going to take?”
“A week at the most, after you break the kid.”
“It better because I hate this,” Gian replied, running a hand through his hair. “If I get Cory to talk, it would be better. He’s not a minor…but I don’t know if I can trust him.”
“It’s a judgment call.”
Gian nodded, then without another word, he got up and left the coffee shop.
* * * *
Daniel was looking out the window of the infirmary. He was glad to see Gian. “Hi,” he said. “I’m lonely in here. When can I go?”
“We’re going to move you to another facility. Would you like that?”
“Only if Cory comes, too.”
“Cory will be out of here soon, Daniel. He’s older than you.”
“But I won’t leave him here alone.” Daniel came over to where Gian stood.
“Why not?”
“Cause its scary and he’s my friend.”
“What if I told you I could protect him from the bad men?”
“Really?”
“Yes, but you have to want to tell me about them and tell other people. There are people out there who can stop these bad men from hurting you, Cory and the other boys.”
“But what if they come…” Daniel’s eyes filled with tears. He hugged Gian’s waist.
Gian hugged him back. “I won’t let them, Daniel. I promise you. I will protect you. You have to believe me or this will never stop.”
“What do I have to say?”
“Everything, you have to say everything they did to you and to the others.”
“Will you be there with me when I say it?”
“Yes. I promise. I’ll be there with you and I’ll hold your hand.”
He nodded. “Okay, but I won’t have to say anything here, right?”
“No,” Gian smiled. “I’m taking you away from here, today.”
Daniel hugged him again. “Cory will be all right?”
“I promise that I will be here to protect him.”
At two o’clock that afternoon, Gian arrived with Daniel at the Manhattan precinct.
Social services were there within the hour.
Daniel was scared and he held on to Gian’s hand the whole time, not allowing him to leave the room.
When it came time for Gian to go and speak with the District Attorney, Daniel began to cry. “Don’t go, Gian. Don’t leave me, you promised.” The tears came in rivers.
Tangelli from social services looked surprised. “He’s very attached to you.”
Gian nodded at her, then leaned down and looked directly at Daniel, placing his hands on his little shoulders. “Listen to me. I’m going to have to protect Cory now. Cory is all alone there. You want me to protect Cory, don’t you?”
“Yes, I want you to go and protect him,” he urged, trying to stop crying. Then he said, “Gian, are you really a policeman?”
Gian winked at him. “Yeah, I’m really a policeman. Promise you won’t tell?”
“I won’t tell,” he said, shaking his head. “But that doesn’t mean you won’t marry me when I grow up, does it?”
Gian laughed. “We’ll talk about that later, Daniel.”
The social worker was smiling.
“Here’s Tangelli. You like Tangelli, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he said. He reached up and took her hand.
She smiled at him. “How bout some French fries?”
He grinned. “Okay.”
Gian rubbed his head affectionately. “I’ll be back. Be brave.”
Daniel looked at him. “You, too. You be brave, too.”
Gian nodded. His heart was in his throat. “Take care of him,” he told the social worker as he left. “He’s just a little boy, you know.”
Gian left the department feeling all keyed up. There were a thousand emotions running through him. The meeting with the D.A. had been more frustrating then anything else. They couldn’t guarantee cameras. “It might seem like entrapment,” he was told. “Daniel’s statement looks promising, but would it hold up in court? He can’t hold your hand on the witness stand. He’s a little young. What about some of the older boys? Won’t they testify?” Gian told him he was working on it. “We could get them on child abuse and they will end up doing a couple of years, get some counselling for pedophiles and be back at it, but the snuff films…”
What in hell kind of world did they live in anyway, he thought, driving toward Beaconsfield? Did someone have to die before he could arrest these guys? Did he have to let that big ton of shit slobber all over him again? How long could he protect these kids? He was doing the best that he could, but Andy and his followers were going to be expecting more and more from him as time went on. And what about the Johns? He had chased one away, but he couldn’t get rid of all of them.
He was not feeling very optimistic. He knew that he was pretty much on his own. The only thing he could do in the meantime was try to protect the boys and endure what ever he had to, until he could get his own camera in there.
At least he had saved one boy from the likes of these monsters.
When he arrived that evening, Andy was in a foul mood. “What in the hell did they do with Daniel?” He demanded.
Pug was standing next to the recreation room and Gian heard him say. “I was told they moved him. He was sick or something.”
“God damn it,” Andy said. “What if he talks?”
* * * *
Cory came out of the recreation room now, making a wide path so that he could pass Pug at the door. He looked up at G
ian as he came down the hall. “Hi,” he said.
Gian briefly nodded at him and kept going.
Cory turned around to watch him join the others at the door. The three of them were talking and laughing about something. Gian Franca was a walking contradiction. Sometimes he acted like he enjoyed those guys company and other times, he could have sworn he was repulsed by them. Cory went to sit in the library. He picked up a book he was doing a report on and started to read.
A few minutes later, Tony came in, “Did you hear that Danny is gone?”
Cory gasped. “Gone where?”
“I don’t know. He’s gone. He was taken from sickbay, transferred apparently.”
“Well, I’m glad. At least he’s out of here. I would have liked to have said goodbye to him.”
“Talk to the new guy, Franca, he’s the one who took him out of here today.”
Cory stiffened. “He took him?”
“Yep. I saw him put him in his car. I was outside shovelling the path.”
“That bastard. I knew he wanted him for himself!” Cory scraped back his chair.
“Where you going, Cory?” Tony asked, but Cory ran out of the library.
Gian was still in front of the door with Andy and Pug when Cory made a lunge for him. The move was completely unexpected and the impact of his body at running speed knocked Gian to the floor.
Cory was on top of him, punching, “You bastard, you son of a bitch,” Cory screamed at him. “What have you done with Daniel?”
Gian grabbed his wrists and flipped him on his back. He covered him, holding him perfectly still.
Cory tried to spit at him.
Gian tightened his hold. “Stop it, Cory. You’re making things worse, just shut up,” he gave him a warning look with his eyes.
“What’s he talking about?” Andy demanded.
“You took him. Tony saw you put him in a car. Where did you take him, Gian? He’s just a kid, a little kid, you sick fuck!”
Gian pulled him to his feet.
“Want me to take him?” Pug demanded.
“No, he’s mine to deal with.” Gian replied, dragging him down the hallway as Cory struggled against his hold. He threw him into an isolation room and slammed the door. “Calm the fuck down! Daniel is fine.”
“What did you do with him?” Cory demanded, drawing his foot back and kicking him hard in the shin.
“Jesus, you’re vicious,” he groaned, rubbing his shin. “Daniel has been transferred.”
“Yeah, to your bed I bet.”
Gian reached out and slapped Cory across the face. It wasn’t hard, but it stung. “Don’t you ever say that to me again!” He told him angrily. “Don’t you ever insinuate that I would touch that child in that way or I swear to God, I’ll kick your ass.”
Cory reached up and rubbed his face. “What am I supposed to think?”
“Nothing. Stop thinking. All you do is think, and you’re not making this easy. Listen, in the future, when you want to accuse me of something, come to me privately all right? The whole institution doesn’t have to know about it.”
“So you didn’t take Daniel?”
Gian sighed. “Yes, I did take him, but it’s not what you think. Don’t worry. He’s safe all right?” Gian rubbed his leg again. “Now stay in here and think about your behaviour.”
“You think about your behaviour,” Cory sat and folded his arms.
“That’s all I do lately, think about my behaviour, so don’t worry. I’ll be back when I think you’ve had enough punishment.”
“Not much of a punishment,” Cory scoffed.
“It’s the best I can do at the moment,” he made a face. “Be grateful,” he said and shut the door.
Cory gave the door a confused look.
* * * *
Andy was waiting for him when he came back down the hall. “Everything under control?” he asked, matter of fact.
“Yep,” Gian replied.
“What was that all about?”
“I have no idea,” Gian played innocent.
“Did you take Daniel somewhere in a car today?”
“Why in the hell would I come here in the middle of the day to take Daniel somewhere in my car after working all night?”
“I don’t know,” Andy mused, “you tell me.”
“Ask Mason about it. Maybe they transferred him somewhere else.”
“But why?” Andy persisted.
“You’re asking the wrong person, Andy.”
“Tony says he saw you put Daniel in the car.”
Andy eyed him.
“Maybe Tony saw someone who looks like me with Daniel.”
“Highly un-bloody likely,” he snorted. “Not many men around that look like you.”
Gian lifted an eyebrow. “Well, I guarantee you it wasn’t me. Now sorry to break up this chitchat, Andy, but I have rounds to do. It’s bedtime.”
“We need to talk about something after. Oh and don’t bother taking Cory to bed. Bring him directly down, he has a client. Bring Frank with him. It’s rough trade tonight.”
Gian nodded. “Fine,” he said, walking away. He knew what rough trade was. Gian made his rounds thinking about what he could do to keep things under control tonight. When he got to Frank’s room, he told him he was wanted downstairs.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “Regs.”
“What? Who are they?” Gian asked him.
“Oh, two deadbeats who get off on dressing up like leather guys.”
Gian placed a hand on Frank’s shoulder before he left the room. “Are you going to be all right, Frank?”
Frank met his eyes. “I’d be better if you’d move that hand down just a twinge lower,” he teased.
Gian removed his hand. “I’m serious. Are these guys mean?”
He shrugged. “Naw, just goofy. Don’t worry.”
Gian watched him disappear. He sighed. He was more than worried. He hated this. He had been in this position often when he was undercover. Someone would get beaten up in front of him and he’d have to stand by and let it happen. He’d always be trying to make the situation better, protect the person without giving away his identity, but it was tough.
Now as he went to get Cory in isolation, he felt that anxious feeling again. If only he could get Cory to open up, follow in Daniel’s footsteps. He was an adult, old enough to hold up under questioning. The D.A. would be more confident he could win.
Gian went into the room and found Cory in the same place he was before he left. “I was wondering when you were going to pick me up, honey,” he smirked at him.
Gian scowled. “Not funny. You have to go downstairs.”
“Oh, the screwballs are here,” Cory muttered, getting up with a sigh.
“Cory,” Gian said, blocking his path.
Cory looked up at him. “Yes, honey? With you standing in my way like that, makes me think you want to do me right here and now.”
“Stop it,” he snapped. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“The answer for you, baby, is yes, yes, yes.” He met his eyes. “Anything you want, you got it, as the man in the song says.”
“Really?” Gian asked softly.
Cory sobered. “Yes, I think so. Really. What’s your little fantasy?”
“It’s not a fantasy. It’s a question. Have you ever tried to tell anyone what is happening here?”
Cory looked stumped. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…have you ever gone to Mason and told him that the guards are abusing you?”
Cory laughed bitterly. “You think he’d believe me? A former prostitute? You got to be kidding!”
“What if I told you that someone might be willing to listen to you if you wanted this all to stop.”
Cory narrowed his eyes. “Why in hell would I do that? Nothing would happen. I’d still be here. Andy and those guys would still be here and I’d be black and blue. No fucking way! Besides,” he eyed him, “I’d have to tell them about you, too.”
“Me?” G
ian’s eyes widened.
“About your participation. You and Andy and…”
“And what, Cory? Have I ever done anything to you?”
Cory paused. “No, not really.”
“What about the other boys?”
“Daniel maybe, I don’t know.”
“I never touched Daniel,” Gian met his gaze. “Look at me and tell me honestly if you believe I molested Daniel?”
Cory shook his head. “No. I don’t think so somehow.”
“Okay then.”
“Look, I have to go, the leather boys are waiting for me.”
Gian grabbed his arm. “Think about what I said. If I could guarantee someone would listen and you would be away from those guys, would you talk?”
Cory pulled away. “I don’t know what your game is, but let me tell you something, you can’t guarantee shit and if you don’t tow the line, you’ll be out of here. You don’t have to play games to have me, Gian. If you want me, say the word, but don’t promise me things you can’t deliver. No one gives a fuck about us boys in here, so keep dreaming. And follow my motto, if you can’t beat em, join em.”
With that, he was gone and Gian closed his eyes. Doubling up his fist, he drove it into the wall with such force it left a gaping hole. He left the room and ran down two flights of steps to catch up to Cory. “Wait,” he said. “I’m supposed to bring you.”
“Why? Its not like I don’t know the way,” Cory made a face at him.
“I have orders.”
Cory walked faster. “You don’t have to follow me around like a puppy. A person would think you liked me.”
Gian didn’t reply. They came to the room and walked in. There were two men dressed in leather from head to toe tying Frank down to a table. It was bizarre, like he had walked into a circus show.
“Hi, guys,” Cory said, walking over to them. He turned around and gave Gian a sassy look. “Guess you’ll just have to suffer, ‘cause you can’t have me tonight.”
“Is that your boyfriend?” One of the guys asked through his mask.
“No, he means nothing to me,” Cory said stiffly.
Gian sighed inwardly. He was playing a head game with him.
Andy was there suddenly and Gian’s intestines twisted into a knot.