latertech

Authors: later2nite, techgirl_on_ij
Title: Lockup My Heart
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Justin studied Eric’s hand closely as it dangled from the side of the top bunk and then turned his trained eye back down to the sketch pad in his lap, so lost in the adjustments he was making to the pencil and parchment drawing that he hadn’t even noticed his audience of one peeking through the door.

Quietly admiring the artist’s skill, Brian purposely waited before calling attention to himself. He smiled when both cellmates looked up, Justin abandoning his project and racing to join him.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Eric mumbled after observing the pair standing motionless on either side of the bars for quite a while, the attraction between them almost palpable. Turning towards the wall, he gave them a small measure of privacy.

“Are you working extra shifts again?” Justin was the first to speak.

Avoiding the question with one of his ever evasive shrugs, “One hour left, then I’m off for the weekend,” passed for Brian’s response. Checking over his shoulder, he lowered his voice to a whisper. “I just wanted to . . .” His hand crept through a small opening when he trailed off, gently stroking Justin’s arm.

“I’m glad you did,” Justin said softly, he and Brian both relieved when Doug happened to walk by, choosing that very moment to start arguing with the inmates in the next cell. “I can’t believe I’ve been in here four months already. Thanks for trying to make it easier on me,” he told Brian freely, grateful for the commotion going on. “I’m so fucking happy The Licker stopped harassing me!”

Brian skimmed his thumb across Justin’s cheek, then he turned his head and grinned mischievously at Doug.

“What?”

“Well, we kind of took care of that problem. Your licker’s been very busy the last few months, what with all the floors and toilets in this place he’s been scrubbing . . . the time in solitary we’ve recommended to the warden that he do . . . having his outdoor activities severely curtailed . . .”

Justin’s eyes widened. “No!”

“Yeah,” Brian said proudly. “He has to pay for what he’s done.”

“Brian.” Doug walked over after extending the ruckus with Justin’s neighbors as long as he could, urging him along.

“Later,” Brian murmured, his fingers caressing Justin’s face before he followed his friend away.

“Later.”

----------

“Hey, you look really good, Justin! You look . . . well, happy!” Daphne gushed as he sat in front of her and held his palm up to the glass partition. Responding in kind, she took a seat. “So what’s up? You’re getting out early or something?”

Smiling because she was right, Justin did feel happy. “No, they’re not letting me out early. But it’s not so bad in here anymore. I can actually see myself waking up from this nightmare, you know? Not too much longer and it will all be over.”

“I can’t wait! I’ve missed your cooking so much! It’ll be great to remove Domino’s Pizza from my speed dial. Just think of all the parties we can throw, and-”

“Jesus, Daph! Chill, okay?” Justin laughed. “I just want to put my life back together. No bells and whistles. No fanfare. Just get back to normal and forget about the past six months. You know what I mean?”

Feigning profound disappointment, Daphne remembered something from home she’d been saving up to tell him. “Oh, guess what? I was talking to your mom the other day, and she told me your dad paid all the back child support he owed her for Molly. She couldn’t believe it, since he’d been insisting for so long that she’d never see a dime of it. But one day he just showed up and . . .” She cocked her head to one side when Justin’s wrinkled forehead halted her news bulletin. “What’s wrong?”

Justin struggled to stay positive, determined not to give the mention of his traitorous father the power to dampen his spirits. “That’s awesome for my mom and Molly,” he told Daph. “They’ve been counting on that money for a long time, and I’m glad he saw fit to live up to his responsibilities. But,” he added in the next breath, “that doesn’t wipe out the bad blood between my dad and me.” Squaring his shoulders, he wrangled his hurt back into its deep, dark hiding place.

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry I brought him up.”

“Unless I suddenly develop an attraction to the opposite sex, he’s gonna keep hating me until the day he dies.” Justin emitted an audible sigh. “I wouldn’t even be in here if he hadn’t . . .” Choosing to leave that thought unfinished, he lumped the newest offense on top of the old heap and shoveled it all away.

Daphne checked her watch, taking note of the guard closing in on Justin from behind. Kicking herself for reopening the wound, she mustered a tenuous smile. “So, I’ll talk to you soon . . . like maybe Friday when you use your phone call to check in with your best friend?”

“Sure, Daph. Talk to you Friday. And don’t worry. I’m not gonna let venting about my dad wreck my good mood. Not today, anyway. Thanks for coming,” he managed to get in before his visiting privileges were terminated for the week. Daphne seemed okay, he thought, but he knew she still had a hard time seeing him locked up. Rising from his chair, he watched her walk out of the visitor’s area just as the guard grabbed him by the arm and pointed him towards the door.

“I’ll take it from here.”

Surprised to see Brian leaning against the doorjamb, Justin held his breath when the guard hesitated for a second and then handed him over, Brian barely waiting until his colleague had left the room to close the door and inch him backward.

“Who came to see you?”

“Daphne. She’s really-” Justin laughed when Brian’s mouth crashed down onto his, the kiss rough and wet. “Brian!” he gasped, playfully fending him off. “What about the cameras in here?!”

“They only make it hotter,” Brian panted, holding his arms and pinning him against the surface of the table. Rubbing their bodies together, he dove down towards his mouth again, plunging his tongue between his lips. “Christ! I can’t wait to fuck you in public! At the baths . . . in Babylon’s back room . . . in the alley outside of Woody’s . . .” Hands roaming over Justin’s chest, he snaked them beneath his clothes and down towards his crotch.

Trying to pull away, Justin stopped him once more. “You can’t fuck me in here, Brian!”

“Stop worrying,” he groaned, his face buried in Justin’s hair. “The cameras are turned off when visiting hours are over.”

“Oh. But maybe we shouldn’t do it anyway. I can hear people walking by right outside the door.”

Brian forced himself to let go. “God, you’re chatty.”

“Sorry,” Justin giggled.

“No, you’re right. We need to behave. So, Daphne was here?”

“Yeah. She’s really anxious for me to get back home,” he said, straightening his shirt and buttoning his jeans.

“Two more months, huh?”

Justin nodded. “I can’t wait to get on with my life! I’ve gotta call my clients the day I get out of here and see how many of them are still willing to work with me. I’m afraid Daphne will kick me out if I don’t cough up my share of the rent that’s been accumulating.”

“It’ll be fine,” Brian assured him. “It’ll all work out. You’ll see.” Planting one last kiss on the side of Justin’s face, he opened the door and led him out. “We should get you back before someone misses you.”

----------

“Would you shut the fuck up already?” Justin ranted at his fellow inmate out in the yard. “I’ve had enough of your harassing!” Shoving him to the ground in one swift move, he left him flat on his back as he turned away, nearly smacking head-on into Officer Williams with his next step.

Gripping his arm firmly, Doug walked him away. “Hey, you’ve got to be careful, especially now when your sentence is almost up.” He glanced down at the fallen man and just shook his head as he wallowed in the dirt, laughing hysterically at Justin. “Can’t you avoid the nutjobs like him?” he asked, loosening his grasp. “What happened?” .

Justin took a deep breath. “You’re right. I didn’t think. I tried to ignore him, but he kept following me around, making lewd innuendos. He switched to harmless conversation every time we came near a guard, but I just snapped when he started implying things about Brian and the other gay inmates. I know it was stupid. It felt great, though!”

“I’m sure it did,” Doug laughed. “But still, you can’t let assholes like him make trouble for you. And just to be clear, Brian is not fucking every gay inmate he comes across.”

Justin smiled. “Brian told me you’re dating his friend Emmett.”

“Yeah. He’s amazing!” Doug blushed. “I really like him.”

“I hope I’ll get to meet him someday.”

“Of course, you’ll meet him . . . as soon as you get out.”

“You think so?”

“Listen,” Doug became serious. “Brian’s working his ass off to make sure you’re okay. I don’t think he’d be doing that if he weren’t planning to keep you around when you get released.”

----------

”Oh my God! You really did use your one phone call this week to check in with me?” Daphne squealed. “I’m honored!”

“Hey, I said I would, didn’t I? Besides, hearing your voice makes me think of home,” Justin told her. “If I close my eyes, I swear it feels like I’m right there in the apartment with you. All I have to do is stay out of trouble for a little while longer, and I’ll be out of here. I’m counting the-”

“What?” she shrieked into the phone, suddenly overcome by a healthy dose of panic. “What do you mean, stay out of trouble? What the hell’s going on in there this time?”

“Nothing to get excited about. Some asshole started dissing Brian, and it really pissed me off. I overreacted and, well . . .” Justin didn’t need to finish, his best friend reading him, for better or worse, like a book. He gathered easily from her uncharacteristic silence that she was trying to wrap her head around her worst fear. “Come on. Just say it.”

“I don’t even want to think it, but I have to ask. You’re not still in the Pink Posse, are you? Still avenging every wrong with physical violence? Because the Justin I know isn’t like that. You can’t-”

“Relax, Daph!” he cut her off, appreciating her honest concern. “The Pink Posse is dead and gone to me. I know how foolish I was to ever get involved with them in the first place. I promise you, that phase of my life is a thing of the past.”

Sighing in relief, she almost laughed. “Good! ‘Cause I’ve gotta say, you’ve had way better ideas in your lifetime than that dangerous one!”

“Trust me. I know. I’ve learned the hard way that I can stand up for myself without using deadly force.” Justin smiled at Brian as he stood a few feet away, officially eavesdropping on his call. “Well, my time’s running out, Daph,” he said. “Say hi to everyone for me, okay?” Hanging up, he only hoped that word of his earlier scuffle had reached Officer Kinney’s ears, some form of private punishment certainly in order.

----------

”Hi, sweetheart. Just stopped in to conduct a little business.” Carl gave Debbie an affectionate peck on the cheek, ducking into the diner just as a light mist had begun to fall outside. Brushing the moisture from the arms of his trench coat, he eyed two very tempting lemon bars under their glass cover on the snack bar.

“Don’t even think about it,” Deb warned. “Last time I checked, they weren’t on your diet. So, this business . . . does it involve a low-cal lunch with your lovely partner? Because I was just about to take my break.”

“Afraid not, honey. It’s police business. I came in to meet with Brian, then I’ve got to get back down to the station.” Spotting him in the back booth, Carl smiled at Debbie, artfully dodging the dreaded fish and kale.

“Hey, Carl. Thanks for calling me.” Brian tossed the newspaper down on the table next to his coffee cup. “Getting ready to nail the bastard?” Grinning deviously, he could practically smell the sordid details.

“You mean Hobbs?” Carl shook his head as he sat down. “Nothing on him yet . . . just the moving violations I told you about. Apparently, he’s got a lead foot behind the wheel. Been written up for exceeding the speed limit three times in the last two years.” He watched Brian’s face fall. “Sorry. Speeding’s the only thing on his record, other than a few unpaid parking tickets. We can’t put him away on that.”

Disappointment seeping from his pores, Brian understood why Justin felt so defeated. Maybe Hobbs never would pay for what he’d done to him, he realized, the unsettling thought nagging at his brain. “You took time out of your busy day to come down here and tell me the best your boys can do is send his ass to traffic school? That’s depressing.”

“Not nearly as depressing as what I really took time out of my busy day to come down here and tell you.” Hesitating for a short time, Carl scouted around to make sure Deb was in the kitchen. The last thing he needed was for her to come swooping in with one of her over-the-top anti-homophobia tirades. Lowering his voice, he leaned forward. “I did some probing into Justin’s court case, just to see if I could get a lead on Hobbs from the evidence presented against him. You said he beat him to within inches of his life?”

“Yeah,” Brian nodded, not sure where Carl was going. “I’ve seen the scars on his head.”

“I heard Daphne describe the incident that time she came to dinner with you, so I was thinking Justin’s lawyer might have focused on it as the main issue. Might’ve tried to get him off by turning the tables and highlighting the beating as the cause of the assault.”

“Didn’t he?”

“Didn’t have to. The gun wasn’t loaded. Justin used it to scare Hobbs, then he dropped it on the ground and walked away. Hobbs didn’t have a scratch on him. He got up, went into his house, and that was the end of it. The assault charge was thrown out of court.”

Brian’s eyes and face suggested he wasn’t following. “So . . . Justin gets six months in county jail . . . because why?”

“Well, his whole case centered on the theft of a firearm, but it sounds to me as if that turned out to be a dubious accusation at best. The records clearly indicate that Justin retrieved the gun from Hobbs’s yard and brought it back to his father’s house, yet his old man called the cops when he got there and had him arrested on the spot. Reported that he broke in and stole it.”

“That’s false,” Brian said quickly. “Justin had been inside earlier that night because he’d gone over to talk to his dad.”

“I know. His defense attorney argued vehemently that he’d merely borrowed the gun after being let in, fully intending to return it. And here’s where it gets ugly, Brian.” Carl dragged his palm across his forehead. “When the detectives found no signs of a break-in and were holding the recovered gun in their hands, Justin’s father was offered the opportunity to drop the criminal charges. The case could have been reduced to a family discrepancy and never gone to trial, but the arresting officer testified that Craig Taylor wouldn’t budge until his son had been handcuffed and thrown into the back of the cruiser.”

“Jesus!” Brian sputtered, a gulp of coffee trickling down the wrong pipe. “And I thought Jack was an asshole!”

Carl pretty much agreed with that assessment of the man, virtually stunned as to how any father could be so heartless. “It’s all water under the bridge now,” he said sadly. “Just thought you’d want to know.”

“Thanks.” Brian’s gut churned, he and Carl both starting when the first lightning strike crackled over the diner. Gazing through the window up front, he didn’t even see the heavy sheet of rain pouring off the awning onto the sidewalk. Fucking hell, he cursed to himself, Justin’s dad taking his rightful place alongside Chris Hobbs on his shit list.

Detective Carl Horvath raised his collar to brave the weather. “I’m no judge or jury,” he told Brian, adding his own two cents’ worth as he stood to leave. “But I personally feel that Justin’s innocent of any crime here. Damn shame how things turned out for him.”

Chapter 7