Still the One

Chapter 7

May 2025

Brian continued to stare out of the loft windows for a few more minutes.  His mind was racing with thoughts as he again glanced at his empty bed.  After a while his body reminded him that his caffeine level was approaching a critically low state.  Fortunately his coffeemaker, conveniently on a timer, hummed into life and soon the heady aroma of his special blend beckoned.  He silently padded across the floor, the edges of his robe quietly flapping.  Just before he entered the kitchen area Brian tightened the belt of his robe around his waist.  He stopped, looked down then sighed.  Since when did Brian Kinney consistently wear a robe?

Perhaps wearing a robe was one of those choices Alex mentioned.  Contrary to someone’s belief, Brian Kinney did grow up, or did he just choose to cover up for practical reasons?  It seemed that everyone in the building had a key to his loft so when Brian was in residence he rarely bothered to lock his door.  For the most part his tenants, his friends, respected his privacy.  But there was that one time when Brian had just showered and wound up naked in front of unexpected guests.

Brian had dried off his body then left the towel hanging in the bathroom, taking a small towel for his hair as he went to get himself coffee.  It was at that point when Lacy and Katerina decided they needed to urgently speak with their landlord.  They did knock before entering the loft but as they slid the door open they got an eyeful.  Brian was slightly startled at first but then his old arrogant self kicked in.

“Ladies,” he purred.  “What can I do for you?” he asked with an arch of an eyebrow. 

The girls quickly informed him of a leak in their bathroom.  Without detouring for a robe, Brian picked up his phone and called his favorite plumber.  He then turned to face the girls. 

“Anything else I can do for you?” 

The girls giggled, blushed, thanked him profusely then sprinted out of the loft, but not without taking a few more glances at Brian’s nearly ageless and perfect body.  It was a major boost to his ego that the fifty something Brian could still turn heads, even lesbian ones.  But it was also at that point that Brian decided that perhaps wearing a robe in the loft wasn’t such a bad thing.  This wasn’t the first time he wore a robe in the loft, and besides he normally wore one in the cottage.

“Shit, since when is a fucking robe such a major thing in my life?”  Brian cursed to himself for making it a bigger deal than it ought to be then cursed out the Silver Fox for making him examine his motives in the first place.

Brian had been doing a lot of self examination lately; more reasons to curse out his shrink.  Wilder swore to Brian that self reflection was not the same as second guessing oneself.  Brian wasn’t quite convinced but forced himself to let it go.  It was all a matter of choices.  Like that asshole Jacobs chose to do business using unscrupulous tactics, while Brian and Kinnetik chose to keep it all above board.  

The intercom buzzer pulled Brian away from contemplating murder.

“Yes.”

“A messenger is here with those documents you wanted,” the doorman stated.

“Send him up.”

“Yes, sir.”

A door man.  Another choice Brian had made and a good one.  While his building was now fully occupied, everyone worked, so Brian decided that it made sense to have someone on the premises twenty-four seven.  Besides he got tired of the evil looks Mel gave him.  So Brian consulted with his favorite retired cop about hiring other retired cops to work for several of Brian’s enterprises.  Not all cops decided to retire when they were ancient like Carl.  Some did their twenty then got out, like his current manager at Babylon and at the bowling alley. 

Cops did have their uses.  Brian smirked, he still had those sunglasses around here somewhere.

“Coffee,” Brian declared out loud as he shook himself out of the past and back into the present.

*****

March 2025

“Do you really have to go?” Gus asked again.

“Yes, I have to get back,” Ray confirmed, again.

The boys decided to say their goodbyes in the hotel.  Gus was staying longer but Ray had to return home.  They clung to each other before leaving the suite to go their separate ways.

“So are you going to take my dad’s offer?” Gus asked.  Kinnetik still wanted Ray on a permanent basis.

“I’m considering it but I promised the law firm to give them at least two years of my service since they allowed me to intern for them.”

“Slave labor,” Gus muttered.

“Hey, we’ve had this conversation before so I’m not going there.  It won’t be for that much longer and you know as well as I do about the importance of fulfilling your promises.  You never burn your bridges.”

“I know.  You never know when those bridges may come back to bite you in the ass.”

“Exactly.  You do know that even if I do work for Kinnetik we’ll still be apart if you have to travel,” Ray commented.

“Yeah, but that’s different,” Gus said then put an end to the conversation with a kiss.

“I have to go.  You just finish up here and hurry home.”

“I will,” Gus promised.

“And stay away from that creep Jacobs,” Ray warned.

“Yeah, yeah,” Gus said.

“I’m serious.  He wants something more than a business deal.  I think he wants your ass.”

“Well he can’t have it ‘cause it’s yours,” Gus joked.

“Gus.”

“Ray, you’re going to miss your plane,” Gus said as the car that was hired to take Ray to the airport pulled up.  Gus opened the door and shoved Ray’s bag into the back seat then he gave Ray a hug before shoving him into the back seat as well.

“Smooth move, Kinney,” Ray said as he rolled down the window.

“I’m full of them,” Gus smirked.

“You’re full of something!” Ray retorted.  The boys laughed then gazed into each other’s eyes one more time before Ray’s car pulled away. 

As Gus watched the cab enter the flow of traffic, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

“Love you,” Gus read the text.  “Love you too,” Gus sent back as his own car pulled up to take him to Isles.

*****

“You could have gone to the airport with him,” Shane said to Gus as Gus came into Shane’s office and sat down.

“No, it’s better this way, besides I hate long goodbyes.  So what have we learned about this Max person?” Gus asked in a very Brian Kinney sort of way, Shane noted.

“One of the reasons he wasn’t on Brian’s radar is that Max is only now trying to branch out of Europe.  He’s made millions here but apparently that isn’t enough for him.  If I had made all that money, I’d be on a beach somewhere.”

“To some people it’s never enough,” Gus sneered.  “It sounds like he’s in it for sport and doesn’t care who he hurts or ruins in the process.  And I've been to the beach, it gets boring after a while.  You'd get bored fast.”

“I’ve been in this business for a long time, the term cutthroat isn’t a misnomer.  But there are people with integrity like your Da.  Max Jacobs doesn’t come close.”

“So what’s put Kinnetik on his radar?”

“I think we did,” Shane said with a shrug.  “Isles, I mean.  We were always a small local firm, no threat to anyone and to some extent we still are.  We handle the local business accounts as we always did, but now with the Kinnetik name we’re in the running for some of Europe’s bigger accounts.”

“Did you lose a lot when Kinnetik bought your firm?” Gus asked with concern.

“Not at all, lad.  Don’t you be concerning yourself with that.  Meeting your father was a god send to the business.  I kept on all my people and was able to pay them what they’re really worth.  Your Da insisted that we keep on our old accounts and not charge them any extra because of the Kinnetik name.  No, no this was a good business opportunity and we’re all glad we took it.  Put your mind at ease, son,” Shane insisted. 

Gus felt much better.  “So what do we do?”

“Well, I was thinking about Ray’s theory.  Smart boy that Ray.  You couldn’t do any better,” Shane said with authority.

“Yes, sir,” Gus said knowing it was no good to argue and heeding the warning behind it.

“Me, the lads and lassies here have been networking.  You know, contacting people who know people who were once employed before Max takes over a business then find themselves out of jobs after the takeover.  Ray was right.  Max uses a core of people then within a year or two those people leave and the business soon folds.  It’s insidious so no one has ever put two and two together.”

“Until now,” Gus said with pride at Ray’s brilliance.

“Aye.”

“So do we have a plan?” Gus asked.

“The only thing I can think of is to muddy the waters, so to speak.  Spread the word around about his tactics and pray that he’s made his last deal.”

“Or we can do more research about those core people of his and hire them away from him.  It must be a pain in the ass starting over and over year after year.  Some of them have got to be getting tired changing jobs so often.  And even if one or two left Max to go legit, with a resume like that, who’d be willing to take a chance on them even if they could claim to have been involved in a hot campaign.”

“You have a point, but how does that help us?”

“What if we hire them away from Max then he would have to start all over again with new people.  By then it may not be worth it to him to start over again.  Maybe he’ll go look for that beach,” Gus said.

“Don’t ya think that’s a bit too ambitious?  I don’t think your Da would take on that many people, and then there’s the trust factor.  I wouldn’t trust one of them as far as I could throw them.”

“We’d have to work that out, but I bet there’d be enough of them that, given the chance, they’d walk away from that life to something steady and reliable.  And who said Kinnetik would have to take them all?  At Pop’s recommendation I bet other firms would take a chance and we could spread them out all over Europe or North America.  One here, one there, who would notice?  I bet Max doesn’t even know their names.  My dad knows everyone that works for him,” Gus said proudly.

“Yes he does.  All right, let’s call in the troops and put it out there.  We do more research before putting it through to Brian.  Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Gus said as he called the Isles staff to the main conference room.

*****

"Hello, Mrs. Horvath," the principal at Bree's school said, extending her hand.

Debbie nervously shook the hand.  Carl had dropped her off at the school before going to play pool with Frank Thompson.  The two had become friends quickly and met almost every day at the community center to play.  Debbie was feeling left out, so she had decided to take Justin's advice and see about volunteering at Bree's school.  She had called the school and made this appointment to discuss possible volunteer opportunities.  Debbie wasn't sure what exactly she could volunteer to do.  She hoped there would be something she was suited for other than possibly serving food in the cafeteria.

"Please, come in," Mrs. Bain said inviting Debbie into her office.  Debbie took the offered seat across the desk from the principal.  "So, you think you might be interested in volunteering here?"

"I thought so, but..."

"You're not quite sure what you would like to volunteer for," Mrs. Bain said knowingly.

"Um, yeah, how did you know?"

"Most people don't know what they would be good at if they volunteered," Mrs. Bain explained.  "They're often hesitant when they first come in.  I like to talk to them and get a feel for what they might like to do.  May I ask what job you had when you were working?"

Debbie felt her back go up.  She didn't like saying that she had been a waitress for most of her life, but that was the truth of it.  She decided that she might as well be blatantly honest, and if they didn't like it, then fuck them.  "I was a waitress," Debbie said sitting up straight and saying the words proudly.  Her mouth clamped shut as she waited for the response of the principal.

"I see," Mrs. Bain replied slowly.

Debbie could see the wheels turning in the principal's head.  She wasn't sure she liked what the principal seemed to be thinking.  "You see?" she demanded.  "Just what do you see?  An uneducated menial worker who isn't good enough for your fancy school?  Well, if that's the case, then just forget this whole stupid idea."  Debbie grabbed her coat and started to get up and leave.

"Wait, Mrs. Horvath, please don't go," Mrs. Bain pleaded.  "When I said that, it was just a thing I say while I was thinking about where we needed volunteers.  I wasn't judging you."

"Well, it sounded like a judgment," Debbie said defensively, but she sank back into the chair and waited.

"Would you like to work with young children or adolescents or teenagers?  We have the whole range," Mrs. Bain told her.

"I...um, I don't really know," Debbie admitted.  Obviously she should have thought this through more fully before she came here.

"Have you worked with children before?"

"Well, I have granddaughters, and I did do some volunteering at the Gay and Lesbian Center in Pittsburgh."

"Oh."

"Oh?  Is that another space filler or another criticism?" Debbie demanded.

"Space filler," Mrs. Bain said with a smile.  "Perhaps you're not aware that two of our main benefactors at this school are gay."

"Is that right?" Debbie asked waiting to see what Mrs. Bain would say about Justin and Brian.

"Yes, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Kinney have been most generous towards this school.  Perhaps you've heard of them."

"I don't think so," Debbie said, deciding to keep her relationship with Brian and Justin to herself for now.  She wanted to do this on her own merits.

"Well, we do have a gay and lesbian club at the school.  Perhaps you would like to be involved with that?"

"I was thinking more about helping students with their reading," Debbie said.

"What if you could do both?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm thinking of one student in particular.  He's gay, and he's quite small for his age.  He seems to have been picked on at his previous school.  He arrived here about two months ago, and he's way behind academically.  He's also very quiet but belligerent at the same time."

"Isn't that hard to do?" Debbie asked with a frown.

"Not really.  It's a form of passive/aggressive behavior."

"Oh, I'm ... um ... I'm not sure what that means."

"It doesn't really matter," Mrs. Bain said.  "He needs help, and nobody has been able to get through to him so far."

"You think I might be able to?" Debbie asked in surprise.

"I don't know," Mrs. Bain admitted.  "But you're not an authority figure which he seems to have no trust in, and you are assertive.  I don't think you'll let him away with his usual shit, forgive my French." 

Maybe this woman didn't have a rod up her ass, as Debbie had initially thought.  Debbie chuckled.  She was starting to like this woman more as they spent time together.  "What if he wants to kill me after our first meeting?"

"That's a strong possibility," Mrs. Bain admitted with a rueful smile.  "Or you may want to kill him.  I'm hoping that you'll be able to restrain yourself."

"Murder isn't on my resume ... yet!"

Mrs. Bain laughed out loud.  "I think I like you, Mrs. Horvath."

"The feeling may be mutual," Debbie said with a warm smile.

"You'll have to pass a police check," Mrs. Bain said, "before you can start."

"That shouldn't be a problem.  Also, my husband is a retired policeman."

"Oh, I wouldn't tell this young man I was talking about anything about a possible police connection," Mrs. Bain advised.

"Has he had trouble with the law?"  Mrs. Bain nodded.  "Then no mention will be made.  What's this kid's name?"

"I can't tell you that until the police check is finished."

"Oh, okay.  I'll get on that right away.  How soon would I be able to start with this boy once the check is done?"

"Immediately," Mrs. Bain said.  "But..."

"What?"

"I don't want you to think this will be easy.  You may not be able to get anywhere with this kid at all.  Nobody else has gotten anywhere.  He's a tough case."

"Always liked dealing with the tough ones," Debbie said confidently.

"Seriously, this may not work out at all, so be prepared for failure."

"If you think you're going to fail, then you probably will."

"I like your attitude, and please know that I'll help in any way I can.  But if it doesn't work, I'm sure we can find something else you would enjoy doing at the school."

"I like a challenge, so let's just focus on this for now."

"I'm so pleased you're willing to take this on, Debbie.  May I call you Debbie?"

"For sure."  Debbie stood up and was prepared to leave the office when Mrs. Bain's phone rang.

The principal picked up the phone and spoke briefly to whoever was calling.  "There's been an incident," she explained to Debbie as she put the receiver back.  "I'll have to go.  Please call the school as soon as you have the police check completed."

"Sure," Debbie said as the principal hurried out of the office.  Debbie followed her at a slower pace.  She walked to the front foyer of the school and pulled out her cell phone.  She was about to call Carl to come pick her up when the bell rang.  Doors opened all down the corridors and students piled out. 

"Grandma!" a voice called.  Debbie turned to see Bree hurrying down the hall toward her.  "What are you doing here?" Bree asked while she gave her grandmother a big hug.

"Got called to the principal's office," Debbie said with a chuckle.

"Huh?"

"I may be volunteering at your school," Debbie stated as she shoved Bree's beautiful strawberry blonde hair behind her granddaughter's ears.

"In my class?" Bree asked hopefully.

"No, I don't think so, but probably somewhere in the school."

"That's great, grandma.  I hope you like it."

"Me too," Debbie replied and she really meant that.  She wasn't sure what she had got herself into.

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