Josiah dumped his armful of supplies onto the table, then surveyed the premises slowly. It was quite a pad, palatial by an ATF agent's standards. The entrance lobby in which he stood was almost as large as his own living room. The walls were delicate duck egg blue over cream wainscoting and dotted with maritime oil paintings. It was not that the Department was spoiling them, simply that only property of a certain type overlooked Dietrich Schuller's sumptuous city apartment.'Je-sus!' Vin exclaimed from just behind him.
Josiah knew that Vin had spent many nights of surveillance in far less salubrious surroundings, as he himself had. 'Looks like we'll be pretty comfortable this time out.'
Buck waved them through the door, into a vast expanse of cream: walls, carpets, drapes and leather sofas. 'Some place, huh?'
Ezra looked up from where he was taking one last look through a telescope trained through a gap in the drapes at the building opposite. 'I hope you will exert your influence to keep it that way, Josiah. I fear that Vin and Buck are as brothers when it comes to their eating habits and table manners.'
Vin held a single digit up at him, before sighting down the lens. 'Anything?'
'Nothing. As we have already agreed, it seems unlikely that our efforts will yield results.'
The surveillance was part of an ambitious operation to link Schuller with a trafficking baron known only as Iago. Unusually, Team 7 was involved only on the periphery, having become available unexpectedly after winding up the Sparks affair ahead of schedule. They were to watch Schuller's home, while other teams handled the businesses and tails. Also unusually, they were pleased to have the mundane work. Chris had accepted the assignment gracefully, knowing his men needed the break and suspecting that Travis had arranged it for just that reason. The preceding months had been chaotic, dangerous and filled with injuries: a couple of weeks playing the Peeping Tom held a certain appeal to men as tired as they were.
Buck gave Ezra a light slap on the back. 'As if you care.' Turning to the others, he swept his hand in an expansive gesture. 'He hasn't stopped smiling all shift: no scumbags and all this. He thinks he's died and gone to Heaven.'
'Were that the case, I doubt that I would have the pleasure of your company.' There was no malice in Ezra's retort and the smile endured. He did indeed give the appearance of being a very happy man, out of cover for the first time in months and savoring the relaxation that permitted. 'Well, I regret that I must love you and leave you, as the saying goes. I have a dinner engagement to make. My thanks for your punctuality.'
His gratitude was appreciated but unnecessary. One of the reasons that Team 7 was such a success was that all its members pulled their weight and more. Shift changes had been set at 06.00 and 18.00, and that was when they'd happen.
Josiah saw the two men out of the apartment and carried his provisions through on his return. He watched Vin check over the equipment with customary thoroughness, making adjustments as he saw fit, and wondered how the younger man felt about being assigned as his partner. Josiah's work in psychological profiling often saw him work alone. When it didn't, he spent most of his time with either Chris or Nathan. As their sharpshooter, Vin was often alone too. Between times, he'd worked with Buck a lot, JD and Ezra quite a bit. He and Josiah had never been directly assigned to each other, although Josiah was not aware of any particular reason for that. Still, he doubted that a man of his age would prove scintillating company to a man in his late twenties for a week of nightshifts. He wondered if Vin had been dreading the ordeal. If he was, he showed no sign of it.
'Fancy some grub?' Josiah asked.
Vin grinned. 'I'll save you some time there. I don't often say no to food, coffee or beer.'
Josiah knew that wasn't strictly true: Vin consumed little alcohol or caffeine when his extraordinary aim was in demand. Now, though, his reply reflected how relaxed they were all feeling. They would be sober and do their job as always but there was no point sitting on a knife-edge when the work did not require it.
An hour later, Vin pushed his empty plate away and sighed appreciatively. 'You're quite a cook, Josiah. Reckon I got lucky with the draw - I was expecting a week of junk food with Buck.'
Josiah could detect nothing false in Vin's words and felt relief that he seemed genuinely pleased with how things had turned out. 'Thanks, Vin. I thought you might think it was going to be…' He considered before finishing with, '… boring.'
Vin raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'Boring? Why would I…? Hell, Josiah, you're better educated than any of us, 'cept maybe Ezra, and you done all sorts of stuff. If anyone'll get bored, it'll be you stuck with me.'
Josiah laughed. 'I doubt that. You don't say enough to bore a man.'
Vin began to clear the table, raising a hand when Josiah moved to help. 'Make a deal? You do the cooking - it's safer that way - and I'll clear and clean.' He expertly balanced the plates up his forearms. 'Vacation work,' he explained in response to Josiah's eyes on them. Picking up their previous thread, he added, 'Reckon JD mighta ground you down after a while.'
Josiah nodded with a smile. 'He's a good kid but I don't think Chris'd lock me up with him for seven 12-hour shifts.' He leaned back in his chair and watched the images on the monitoring equipment, while Vin clattered in the kitchen. Schuller was reclining on a Corbusier chaise longue upholstered in black-and-white cowhide. A vast plasma screen showed the opening sequence of 'Once Upon a Time in the West', the camera skipping from one pair of eyes to the next in a series of fast cuts. The flickering of the relayed image quickly brought on a pain between Josiah's temples and he looked away.
'Odd that he don't worry 'bout being overlooked,' Vin remarked from the kitchen door.
There was nothing to see at the moment but the previous week's observations from the team that they had replaced told them what they could expect. Josiah shrugged. 'Quite a distance - wouldn't see much without the equipment.'
'It's not hard to get. Not even that expensive.'
'Why would anyone care? I don't think he does business from there.'
'Guess we gotta cover the bases.'
They settled into companionable silence, half of their attention on the evening news and half on the monitors. Three-quarters of an hour passed before Vin looked more intently at the bank of screens, then said softly, 'Here we go. Friday night.'
A young man stepped out of the elevator and approached Schuller's apartment.
'Good job with the camera,' Josiah noted. They had a full view of the hallway, with the visitor just off-center.
They watched as the young man was admitted and then glanced to the screen that showed a broad wedge of living room captured through the huge plate-glass windows. He was maybe five-eight, blond and slight. His short hair and fine features were more reminiscent of a pixie than a man. Schuller rose from the chaise longue and reached out a hand to cradle the pixie's cheek. They spoke words that their observers could not hear, standing close, looking friendly and relaxed.
Background checks had shown that the visitor was not a prostitute, although a cynic might think that the most attractive thing about the middle-aged Schuller was his bank balance. In fact, their briefing had been peppered with remarks along precisely those lines. However, if the pixie was a gold-digger, he was also a good actor. He kissed his host, long and deep.
Vin's eyes flicked uneasily to Josiah, who smiled his reassurance. Vin returned to watching the lovers. The living room door was closed now, shutting the staff out and giving them what they believed to be privacy. Schuller spent a minute or two mixing cocktails and then settled on a sofa, the pixie leaning fondly against him.
'Looks like they're gonna watch the film,' Vin pronounced after a while.
'Takes care of the next three hours if they do.'
Vin watched a little longer, curious that a 30-year-old film held more appeal than the pixie did but both men seemed content with the arrangement. After a while, he flicked the remote until he found a program about bears in British Columbia. The next best thing to being out in the fresh air was to watch it on the television, even if it was a fraction of the size of Schuller's.
Josiah fetched the latest Jonathan Kellerman from his pile of goodies. He always enjoyed the page-turning exploits of child psychologist Alex Delaware and it was easier to divide his attention while reading a popular novel than some of his heavier selections. He went through four chapters before Vin spoke again, asking if it was a good book.
'Won't be winning any awards but I like them.'
'They the ones with the gay cop?'
Josiah nodded. 'Milo Sturgis. You read them?'
'Nope. Used to know a guy who did.' Vin gave an odd sideways look. 'Not bothered 'bout being stuck on this with me?'
'Should I be?'
Vin breathed in deeply. 'I'm not keen on this sort of surveillance. I been lucky here - hell of a team - but guys get edgy caged up with my kind, let alone watching 'em too. They mostly don't say it but I can see it.'
Josiah considered his reply carefully. 'You may be right. Just make sure you don't see things that aren't there.'
Vin smiled. 'Prejudice cuts both ways, huh?'
'Don't tell me you've never bridled at a militant black or an aggressive feminist making assumptions about your attitudes.'
That brought a soft laugh. 'Yeah, I fell foul of a feminist one time. She was convinced every man on the section wanted to get into her and that they'd never take her work seriously. It was before I was out but I never…' He hesitated, 'I never was much of a one for the ladies. She sure as hell saw something that wasn't there.' The laugh again. 'Maybe I shoulda just told her and to hell with it.' He saddened. 'Pity really. If she'd spent half as much time thinking 'bout the job as she did 'bout that, she'da got a lot further. She was smart enough.' The grin was back when he added, 'Your point exactly.'
'Not exactly. I've never seen a man more focussed on the job than you. It's the friendships you need to be careful not to throw away.'
Vin nodded. His tone was lighter when he teased, 'What would you know 'bout it anyhow. You're the classic straight, white male.'
'I've got a bit of Spanish in me somewhere,' Josiah protested good-naturedly. 'And I'm Roman Catholic, not Protestant.'
'You ever have any problems?'
Josiah thought for a while. 'Not generally. Now and again, there's a snap judgement on the name if people haven't met me. The religion's more of an internal torment.'
'Thought it was meant t'be a comfort.'
'Sometimes it is. Was. These days, I can't claim to be a practicing Catholic. I've sort of picked up bits from all over, till I got something that worked for me.'
Schuller and the pixie were starting to get cozy, their attention wandering from the sweeping on-screen grandeur. The pixie peeled off his T-shirt to reveal his delicate creamy torso. Vin snorted. 'Lucky they're not in here. Lose him against the furniture.' It was true - the boy was a perfect match for the cream-colored room.
Josiah watched his friend, seeing how uncomfortable the spectacle made him.
Vin caught his eye. 'Turning your stomach yet?' There was an edge to his voice.
Josiah got up and examined the screens more closely, emphasizing his ease with the sight of the two men together. He studied the pixie at some length. 'He's pretty enough to turn a straight man's head.' He met Vin's gaze directly, held it a second, then asked, 'Coffee?'
'Yeah. Thanks. Sorry.'
Josiah rested his hand fleetingly on Vin's shoulder as he headed back to the kitchen. When he returned a few minutes later, he handed a mug to Vin and resumed his position on the sofa. 'Would you feel any better if Schuller was with a woman?' His professional curiosity was aroused by the layers of offense and defense woven into Vin's reactions.
There was a pause while Vin thought. 'In a way it don't matter - we'd still be thinking 'bout it - but I reckon I'm a good bit more used to watching a man down a woman's throat than you are to watching a man down a man's throat.'
'Probably. Mind if I ask you something?'
'Something *else*,' Vin emphasized. 'Go ahead.'
'Have you been with women?' Josiah watched Vin's face harden in response to the question.
'Think I need to? Then I'd see it's all just a mistake?'
'You're selling me a little short, Vin. I'm a psychological profiler. Your basic gay man is pretty low on the list of weirdoes.' He waited patiently.
'No. I knew long before I screwed anyone. Wouldn'ta been fair, on them or me.' He met Josiah's gaze defiantly. 'You ever been with men?'
Josiah studied his coffee mug intently. He eventually replied in an even lower tone than normal. 'One.' He didn't need to look up to sense Vin's surprise.
'One man or one time?'
'One man.'
Vin dropped down beside him. 'Hell, sorry, Josiah. I didn't mean t'be an asshole.'
'You weren't. I'm straight and you're right that I don't know what it's like to be gay.'
'Surely you're bi?'
'You know what they say about that?'
'Repressed gay?'
Josiah nodded in amusement, open to all possibilities and not so keen to pigeonhole people as that. 'In fact, I don't believe I'm either. If you saw inside my mind as a teenager, you'd have no doubt where my interests lie. But I do grow close to people and, just occasionally, that shifts into something more.'
'How'd it happen?'
'We were doing a study on a Native American population. We worked together for two years, the location was remote and we slowly became intimate. We were…,' he paused for thought, '… about your age, I suppose. Children of the sixties.' He smiled at the memory. 'It didn't seem a big deal.'
'Where's he now?'
'Got married years back. Four children. I know - it could be a cover but I don't think so. He wasn't that sort of man. If I'm any judge of people, and that is what they pay me for after all, he adores his wife and she's all he wants. It was just the time and place.' He laughed. 'It was also the end of formal religion for me. I couldn't reconcile it and I couldn't convince myself it was wrong either.'
Vin reflected on that. 'You got anyone, Josiah?'
'No. I was seeing a psychologist from Westview but we decided to end it last summer. We just have dinner every month or so these days.'
'I'm sorry.'
'My fault. She wanted a family and time was running out for her at forty-two. I felt it had already run out for me. You?'
Vin shook his head. 'Not for a while. Three years since I split with the only one who counted.' He didn't wait for Josiah to ask the reason. 'Work. He got a break in New York the same time I got a break in Denver. Somehow compromise wasn't on the menu. We tried long distance for a while but…'
'It's hard.'
'His was. Couldn't keep it in his pants.' Josiah knew from the joke that Vin had accepted the friendship he offered. 'Not too much since. I… hell, I want it as much as the next man but I never could get into the fuck a stranger routine. I'm not saying it's gotta be true love but I don't wanna be avoiding the guy in the morning.'
Josiah nodded, reflecting on the similarity in their spirits, underneath the differences in age, upbringing and sexuality. 'Never too good at that myself. Always went in too deep, too fast, when I was young.'
'Then you find you're thrashing about by yourself and they got other plans.'
'Anyone ever tell you that you're depressing, Vin? Maybe I'll just throw myself out of the window now.'
When Vin's white grin flashed back at him, Josiah realized how easy the man was to like. He watched as Vin glanced back at the monitors, far more relaxed now even though Schuller was buried to the hilt in the pixie's ass. 'Free porn for me,' he said lightly. 'You'll have to make your own arrangements.' He did not dwell on the image though, affording their suspect as much privacy as their task allowed, and returned to his channel surfing.
Josiah resumed reading, picking up from Delaware's interview with his latest client's dysfunctional mother. The assignment was proving a valuable opportunity to get to know Vin better and, as one who valued personal relationships above all else, Josiah welcomed that.
The rest of their shift passed uneventfully and the elegant chimes of the doorbell announced Buck and Ezra's arrival at 05.52.
'Morning, boys. How's our goldfish? Enjoyed his usual Friday action?'
Josiah watched Vin's reaction out of the corner of his eye. Buck's remark was exactly the one he would have made if Schuller's guest had been a woman. Vin's smile showed his recognition of that fact.
'Yeah, the pixie was shafted.'
'Pixie?' Ezra had already been frowning, his head clearly fragile after his dinner engagement, but the lines deepened now.
'Wait till you see him. Real cute.'
'Down, boy.' Buck grinned. 'He's got his sights on the real money.' He became more serious. 'Anything to report?'
'Nope. Just a quiet night in, film an' fuck.'
'You or them?'
'Funny guy.' Vin leaned forward as if to kiss Buck, then pulled back with another smile. 'See you later.'
Vin was silent as Josiah drove him home in the department car they were using. They had almost reached his apartment when he looked up from studying his feet. 'You're right 'bout keeping an open mind, Josiah. When I met Buck, I thought he'd be a pain in the ass when he found out but he don't give a shit.'
'He gives a shit… just not about that.' Josiah pulled up neatly at the sidewalk.
Vin nodded. 'Five-thirty for six?'
'Date.'
They followed the same routine that evening, exchanging pleasantries with Buck and Ezra, who then left at 18.17. Josiah cooked lamb chops with sauté potatoes and French beans. He'd bought the ingredients fresh on his way to collect Vin, pleased at the appreciation shown for the previous night's dinner and happy to put himself out for someone who valued it.
The monitors were far busier now. Schuller was throwing a party and guests flooded into the apartment. The agents scanned every face, looking for matches with the photographs in their briefing packs. Josiah watched Schuller greet another couple, the pixie floating elegantly on his arm, and frowned. Seeing Vin's raised eyebrow, he gave a slight shrug. Many of the couples were same-sex. 'Seems very open.'
Vin leaned close to the screen. It was some time before he replied. 'They're all men.'
Josiah looked again in surprise. 'You sure?'
'Yeah. Hands, feet, walks. You can tell if you look hard.'
As the party gathered momentum, Josiah and Vin relaxed a bit. They would continue to monitor events but, in truth, the poor light and crowds made it virtually impossible to spot any business transactions that might be concealed within the pleasure - and there was pleasure aplenty. Time passed, drink flowed and sex was available to all. Couples, threesomes, foursomes and writhing masses.
Josiah watched Schuller refilling his glass at the bar. The pixie glided up behind the older man and nibbled his ear. Schuller twisted to face him and they kissed, slipping their arms tenderly around one another. Josiah looked at Vin, who nodded.
'I'd say our boys're in love. Look at the talent over there and they only got eyes for each other.'
Josiah shook his head slowly. 'I can't see Schuller as a trafficker, Vin. I read what they got on him and it's a big zero when it comes down to it. And he just doesn't look right.'
'Still waters…'
'Maybe.' Josiah remained unconvinced.
Hours went by and bodies slowly settled into sleep in Schuller's apartment. The man himself was back on the cowhide chaise, the naked pixie wrapped around him and a vicuña throw pulled over them. Josiah sighed.
'What?' Vin asked.
The big man got to his feet, stretched and collected cold beers from the fridge. 'Oh, I don't know. I guess I sort of envy the man.'
Vin's brows creased in puzzlement. 'You wanna host wild gay parties?'
No, Josiah didn't want that. He wanted someone to look at him how the pixie had looked at Schuller. 'He's as old as me but he's got a houseful of friends and a lover who looks at him like he's the greatest man in the world. What have I got? What have I done?' He immediately regretted his candor. His mind was nowhere near as peaceful as most people thought but he preferred to keep that to himself. Why was he telling Vin now?
'You got us, Josiah.'
'I know.' Josiah's voice was flat. He rated his six friends more highly than most people he'd met in his fifty-odd years but they were colleagues, assigned to work with him. How long would they hang around if their friendship were the only tie that bound them?
'Not good enough?'
Josiah managed a smile. 'The best. Ignore me, Vin. I'm just an old man feeling sorry for himself.'
'You're not old.'
Josiah settled back on a sofa. 'I'm not young. Man gets to thinking at my age. If I lost this job, I probably wouldn't get another - employers aren't interested in people past fifty. Even a transfer could be a problem. Like you said, we got a hell of a team but another outfit'd like as not throw me the paperwork and sit me at the desk nearest the door.'
Vin sat on the arm of the sofa and studied his friend. 'Chris isn't about to let you go anywhere.' His voice was low when he went on. 'When I joined this team, everybody said the same 'bout you, Josiah. That you're smart, that I should listen to what you got to say and ask you if I need help. Chris told me you're the finest profiler he's known. Ezra told me your instincts are solid. Nathan said you're the best friend he's ever had and JD thinks of you like a father. And you're the only one stands a chance of keeping Buck anywhere near the straight and narrow when he's off half-cocked. Lot of that's probably because you're older, not in spite of it.'
'Not everyone sees it that way.'
'Not everyone sees anything any way.'
Josiah remembered Vin's protest from the night before. 'What would you know 'bout it anyhow? You're young.'
Vin's grin said he recognized the quote. 'Touché.'
'Not really,' Josiah admitted. 'God willing, you'll find out what it is to be old one day. I'll never know what it is to be gay, black or female. Barring reincarnation, of course.'
Vin laughed. 'Well, I only score one out of three myself. And I'm not looking for a sex change, before you ask.'
'Thanks, Vin.'
'What for?'
'Respect, I guess.'
'Don't need t'be thanking us for that. We don't give it out like candy. You earned it.'
'Thanks anyway.'
Vin squeezed his shoulder, then returned to check the monitors. 'Reckon they're all partied out over there. Should be quiet through till morning now.'
His words proved prophetic. Their only difficulty was in staying awake until their replacements arrived.
Buck studied the debris through the telescope. 'Hell of a party.'
'No good to you, Buck,' Vin told him.
The tall man examined the scene again. 'No women?'
'Nope.'
'Surprised you didn't gatecrash. You'da been in clover.'
'Forgot my tux.'
'Next time, stud.'
Half an hour later, Josiah dropped Vin at home and drove on to his own apartment. He still felt subdued but was surprised how much Vin's earnest assurances had lifted his spirits. Yes, he was aging but since when did he have to regret or apologize for that? And yes, he was a damned good profiler. They wouldn't find it easy to replace him. He heard the defiance in his thoughts and laughed. Nobody had said they were trying to.
Ezra answered the door to Josiah and Vin at 18.02 on Sunday night. The sounds of a ball game came from the living room.
'Buck insists on seeing the end of the game,' Ezra explained as he led them through to find their friend sprawled on a sofa, beer in hand. Josiah shrugged his ease with that, while Vin went over and took the other end of Buck's pew. Buck tossed him a beer from the stack on the floor beside him, making Ezra cringe at the prospect of shaken beer spraying over their pristine surroundings.
Josiah noted the movement. 'You can take the men out of the pigsty…'
'Indeed. Whatever happened to manners anyway?' Ezra's relaxed expression declared that his good humor persisted. 'Still nothing to report. The guests departed throughout the morning, with the pixie the last at around noon. Schuller has been alone since, mainly working at his desk.'
'I picked up the logs from the other teams. Nothing on the business premises or phone taps either.'
'I suspect we are spending taxpayers' dollars snooping on an innocent man.' Seeing Josiah's smile at a memory of the previous night's shenanigans, he added, 'I use the word "innocent" in its legal rather than moral context.'
They settled themselves on another sofa, watching the game with little interest. When Josiah's phone rang, he heard Chris's voice at the other end.
'Op's off. Just got word from Mitchell. They turned up some new info, puts Schuller out of the frame. You were right - they had zilch on him.'
'Ezra and I were just discussing that.'
'Yeah, well, you can pull out. Housekeeping'll be in tomorrow to clear the place.'
'Okay. Buck and Vin'll wanna see the end of the game first.'
'Whatever. See you tomorrow. Make it afternoon if you like.'
'Thanks.'
The line went dead and Josiah relayed the update to the others, receiving the same unsurprised responses as his own, then leaned back comfortably when they returned their attention to the screen. After a few minutes, he went over to the monitors. The least they could do was to turn off the recording equipment now that the man was no longer under suspicion.
It was lucky that he had not done so five minutes earlier. Even as he switched off the top two monitors, a movement on the bottom right screen caught his eye. A yellow Porsche raced up the street and swung dangerously into the underground garage of Schuller's building. It was the pixie's car. He overshot the turning and the rear of the car overtook the front, leaving him twenty yards past the entrance, facing back towards it.
The other three agents had seen Josiah freeze and now stood behind him.
A silver Ford had been in hot pursuit and pulled up sharply in front of the Porsche, trapping it against the high curb of the sidewalk. Four men, probably in their early twenties, spilled out and closed on the Porsche. Whether the pixie was in shock, injured or too scared to move the observers could not know but they moved as one when they saw the gang rip his door open. Before Chris's call, they'd have been obliged to watch and wait, maybe calling in the local cops depending how things went. Now they would just be watching a citizen get pasted and none of them could do that.
Before the express elevator reached the garage, Ezra had called in the location with their identities and requested police and ambulance. Two cars squealed onto the street and covered the intervening blocks in seconds. The pixie's only good luck was that his misfortune fell on a quiet Sunday evening instead of the weekday rush-hour.
When they arrived, the Porsche and Ford were gone. They look around warily from inside their cars, then their eyes settled on the garage. Ezra turned in first, with Josiah right behind. They crawled along the rows of cars, keeping engine noise to a minimum. When Vin spotted the Porsche in a distant corner, Josiah flashed his lights and gesticulated to Buck and Ezra. They parked as close as they dared, then got out and listened.
Silence.
Thirty seconds.
Still silence.
Another ten… then a crash as something heavy and metallic hit the concrete floor. They sprang towards the sound as one organism. They found the four assailants, hidden behind a service cupboard, kicking the pixie's crumpled form. Josiah and Buck grabbed the two nearest men before they'd even been seen. Ezra took the hands-off approach and pulled his gun on the third. Vin cannoned into the furthest, and largest, of the gang. His momentum threw the thug into the wall. There was no need to ask the reason for the attack - the men's hair, clothes and tattoos declared it clearly enough. Vin's fist smashed into the man's nose and then his jaw. He didn't stop there.
Josiah let Buck cover their captives and stepped behind Vin, putting his arms around him in a constraining bear-hug. The thug slid slowly down the wall into an inert heap at its base.
'Enough.'
Josiah spoke the word quietly but firmly into Vin's ear. The fury-filled man shook in his arms. Behind them, Ezra called in an update to the police, whose sirens now wailed in the distance. Josiah released Vin and then knelt to attend the pixie.
The once-beautiful boy was in a bad way, his face battered, one arm clearly broken and ribs undoubtedly cracked. The kicking had almost certainly inflicted internal injuries as well. Still, his heart was beating and he was breathing. Without their intervention, he would have finished the day dead. Now, hopefully, the paramedics would sort him out.
'Ricky? Ricky?' The name came feebly through bubbles of blood-flecked saliva.
Vin knelt on the other side of the pixie from Josiah and took his hand reassuringly. 'Ricky… Dietrich… Call Schuller will you, Josiah.'
Josiah did so, saying only that a young man was injured in the garage and asking for Schuller. There was no doubt of the older man's concern. The line went dead immediately and they heard footsteps running from the express elevator in little more than a minute, followed in seconds by three police cars and an ambulance careening down the entrance ramp. Even without an ATF call to guarantee a fast response, the prestigious address would have been taken seriously.
Organized chaos ensued as the pixie was stabilized and the agents quietly gave their statements and explained that they'd just happened to be there on an unrelated operation. Schuller went off in the ambulance, anguish written clearly across his face, his lover's hand clasped in his own.
The agents regrouped by their cars, leaving the local law to handle the scene. Josiah looked at Vin, seeing the anger still simmering but something deeper too. Glancing at Buck and Ezra, he knew they saw the same. How many times had Vin been victimized? Or, perhaps worse, how many friends and lovers had he seen brutalized? Josiah rested his hand on the younger man's shoulder again. Vin leaned into the contact, pulling himself together, then finally looked around them and nodded his thanks for their unspoken support.
When Josiah parked outside Vin's building, he killed the engine and looked across at his friend. 'Need some company?'
It was a while before Vin answered. 'Not sure you can give me what I need right now, Josiah.'
Josiah rested a hand on Vin's knee. 'It won't be true love but you won't need to avoid me afterwards. Maybe better to fuck a friend than a stranger?'
'You don't have to do this.'
'I know.' Josiah got out of the car and waited for Vin to lead the way. He'd dropped the man off numerous times but had never been inside his apartment. As it turned out, it was small, basic and tidy. Magazines were stacked neatly on a low table in front of a well-worn couch. The kitchen was clear, apart from one mug and one plate on the counter.
'Coffee?' Vin offered.
'Tell the truth, I could use a drink.'
'Me too.' Vin got out an unopened bottle of whiskey and poured two shots. They downed those and went back for more.
Josiah looked down at the slim form, at once so strong and so vulnerable. A man could learn to defend himself, emotionally and physically, but he couldn't change his basic personality, his need to care and be cared for. Why should he have to? Not to suit animals that didn't deserve the label 'human', that was for sure. He pulled Vin close and held him in a protective embrace. The smaller man buried his face in Josiah's shoulder and slowly relaxed, letting the anger ebb away, even though he was defenseless without it.
Josiah stroked the long brown hair, pressing his face into its fragrant softness. When Vin looked up, Josiah kissed his lips with the same gentleness as he'd show a woman. He knew little about making love to a man and wondered if his attempt would seem pathetic to a modern young man like Vin. If it did, there was no sign of it. Vin responded, opening his mouth and pressing his body closer. He was already hard and Josiah felt himself harden at the thought of the supple body in his arms.
Vin stepped back, threw his jacket to one side and then pulled off his T-shirt. His slender frame was well muscled, marked by injuries - some of which Josiah had witnessed, others older - but still profoundly desirable. He didn't have the pixie's ethereal beauty but he was a handsome man. His looks made Josiah uneasy again. He must have shown some reaction because Vin backed off a fraction.
'Don't do this if it makes you uncomfortable, Josiah. You been honest how things are with you.'
The assumption amused Josiah, who shook his head. 'I wasn't thinking about you being a man, Vin. It's just… it's just been a good while since I took anyone under forty to bed. I feel like you'll get a raw deal.'
Vin laughed and moved back into Josiah's embrace. 'It don't feel that way to me. Hell, I never met a straight guy who was more hung up on getting old than fucking another man.' He unbuttoned Josiah's shirt and ran his fingers through the gray hair there. Josiah thrilled at their touch and then tensed as he felt his sagging pectorals underneath them. He knew Vin understood when the hands moved on to trace the firmer outline of his stomach muscles.
'You're still in good shape.'
'But you know what you all thought when you heard about Schuller's boy.'
Vin met his gaze frankly. 'You're right. We were shitty 'bout it. I'd say we were wrong too. I doubt the pixie'd turn down a few grand any more than the rest of us, and maybe that's why he hooked up with Schuller, but I don't reckon it's why he's sticking around. Anyhow, far as I know, you got no money. Of course, if you wanna remember me in your will, granddad…'
The jest relaxed Josiah. Perhaps he was worrying too much and, in any case, he was supposed to be comforting Vin. On the other hand, give and take was healthier and at least he was distracting him from the beating they'd interrupted. He turned Vin around and shoved him lightly towards the door on the far side of his living room. The bedroom was washed by the last of the fading twilight and Josiah felt more confident there. He knew that Vin understood when he left the drapes open and the lights off.
Josiah sat on the edge of the bed and watched Vin unbuckle his belt and drop his pants. He wore Hom briefs, now bulging with his hard cock and full balls. Josiah took off his shirt, torn between his desire for Vin's body and his disappointment in his own. He let Vin unbuckle his belt and open his pants, then slowly stood to remove them. He wore cotton boxers in a vivid Aztec pattern that had taken his fancy in the pack but now embarrassed him. His eyes fell, only to lock onto Vin's straining cock - whatever he was seeing clearly wasn't turning him off.
Josiah pulled Vin close, his touch rougher now as it reflected his escalating need. His swept his tongue around Vin's mouth, tasting whiskey, beer and corn chips, and then pushed him onto the bed. Standing above him, Josiah took one last look at the perfectly proportioned body before pulling off the briefs and admiring the youthful cock and balls he'd revealed. He dropped his boxers and kicked them away. In Vin's eyes, he saw desire and, underneath that, affection and respect. No, it was not the look of adoration that the pixie had given Schuller - Josiah doubted any man would see that from Vin's proud and independent spirit anyway - but it was the look of a man who wanted and valued him. It wasn't a mercy fuck… for either of them.
'In the top drawer.' Vin grabbed a pillow and slipped it under his butt.
The words jolted Josiah back into life. He rummaged through the drawer, finding rubbers and lube. He rolled on a condom with a practiced hand - he'd not had that many partners but always preferred to be careful anyway, concerned more about what he might give to them than get from them. He greased the fingers of his left hand and then knelt between Vin's legs, using his right hand to trace the firm thigh muscles and stroke the pubic hair that extended down towards them. He worked his fingers inside Vin, sliding them in and out of the ring of muscle, and then moved his right hand to encircle the man's cock. Vin's eyes narrowed and he ran the tip of his tongue around his lips. He gave every sign of enjoyment.
Josiah had wondered how he would feel when this moment came. Now he knew. The desire to be inside Vin was overwhelming. He withdrew his fingers carefully and pressed his cock to the flexing opening. One push and he was where he wanted to be. He glanced first at Vin and then at the poster thumbtacked to the wall above him: a desert landscape. Josiah closed his eyes and let the tightness of Vin's ass take him backward in time. He wasn't substituting another lover, just remembering who he had been when he last felt that sensation. He breathed in clean desert air and suddenly he was more alive than he'd been in years.
He moved slowly, savoring every ripple of Vin's flesh as it molded itself to the contours of his cock, and ran his hand tenderly over Vin's shaft, feeling every vein and every pulse. The pressure building inside him seemed the most intense that he had ever known, almost as though he was charging himself with the life-force that burned so brightly in Vin.
Josiah had never experienced impotence but, like many men of his age, he didn't get hard as often, as fast or as firm as he once had. Now he was rock-solid, filling Vin, feeling no fear of disappointment, for himself or his lover. But still he kept his eyes closed, haunted by just the tiniest lingering doubt that something in Vin's face might undermine his newfound confidence.
'Open your eyes.' The words were spoken softly and Vin's hand brushed his cheek. 'I'm looking at you. Look at me.'
Josiah hesitated a moment longer, unsure if Vin understood his doubts. Perhaps he thought his straight lover was imagining a woman. When he finally opened his eyes, Josiah found no doubt or fear in Vin's face - only an understanding that seemed uncanny in one so young. The sight of Vin's body thrilled Josiah and he tensed, gripping the cock in his hand more firmly and thrusting more strongly. He saw Vin's balls contract even as his own tightened, filled the sheath even as Vin's cum spilled onto his flat belly.
They smiled at each other, trying to hold on to the fleeting satisfaction and then accepting its passing. Josiah withdrew slowly and knotted the spent condom, while Vin casually wiped them both with his discarded T-shirt. They stretched out, Vin cuddled against Josiah, head resting on shoulder.
'You're some friend, Josiah.'
'You too, Vin.'
They dozed for an hour or so before Josiah kissed Vin's head and then extricated himself. He dressed under Vin's gaze, then waited while Vin pulled on jeans without underwear and saw him to the door. Josiah turned back thoughtfully.
'I know,' Vin said quietly. 'Just a one-off thing.' He held out his hand.
Josiah shook it warmly. 'Yes, but that wasn't what I was going to say. I wanted to say thanks, Vin. Thanks for reminding me of how it was to be young.'
He watched Vin's eyes, usually so clear, cloud over briefly and those lips, usually so firm, tremble slightly, and then he found himself drawn into a strong hug. They separated and Vin let him out.
Josiah strode across the landing, headed for the elevator, hesitated, then jogged to the stairs. If he'd looked back, he would have seen Vin smile fondly before closing the door.