Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off of this, honest
Part 11
"Knock before you come in!" The blonde boss shouted angrily as one of his men came into his quarters unannounced. Sitting on a couch, he was dressed only in his slacks, his shirt half off and a scantily clad woman simpering and clinging to his broad arm.
The man who had been unlucky enough to barge in on his boss during such a delicate moment, turned his back abruptly on the scene and stood stiffly, sweat running down his brow, as he apologized quickly, "Sorry! I was just wondering if we should move the kid some place else?"
The boss thought about it and then nodded, "Yeah, you should. This is my private house, after all."
"There is a problem, " the man informed his boss, sweating even more and wondering what his reaction would be. "There are a lot of cops on the street today. They say it's because they think a terrorist planted a bomb in the neighborhood."
The woman pawed the blonde boss, bored and wanting attention as she nuzzled against him. "Hey, Richard!" she pleaded in a sultry voice.
The boss turned all of his attention to the woman, waving the man off impatiently, "Okay, okay! I'll think about what to do tomorrow. Now, go away!"
Outside in the darkness, Ryo stealthily approached a guard from behind and hit him with a quick karate chop to the neck. The man fell at his feet and Ryo crouched briefly to feel for a pulse. "I think he's still alive," Ryo murmured, relieved that he hadn't killed the man and that security was so lax.
Ryo studied the building carefully. High up on the roof, there were a series of skylights. They must lead to an attic, Ryo thought.
Dressed in a black coat, carrying a pack to hold his equipment, and wearing gloves to protect his hands, Ryo put his swat team training to good use as he climbed up onto the house and crouched by one of the skylights. He made short work of the lock and, after prying the glass up and swinging down inside of the opening, he discovered that his guess had been correct. He was in the attic.
Ryo pulled a bomb, connected to a timer, out of his pack and placed it carefully onto the wooden floor. It was a small charge, meant to make a lot of noise and do some damage, but not enough to endanger the people inside of the house. Ryo hoped that the distraction of the blast would last long enough to allow him to escape with Dee and Bicky.
I need time to find them, Ryo thought, two hours should be more than enough. He set the timer and then felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face as the count down began. "I hope I can make it," Ryo breathed to the empty attic and then hurried to begin the search.
"I'm hungry!" Dee shouted and kicked a foot several times against the door to their prison. "Bring me something to eat!"
The guard, who had listened to Dee's shouted demands for some time, shouted back, not for the first time, "Shut up!!! Go to bed!!!"
Bicky watched Dee with chin propped on his hands, depression deepening as he began to question Dee's sanity. The man must have been in a lot of pain, he thought, allowing him that much leeway for his almost lunatic behavior, but Bicky was beginning to doubt that Dee was competent enough to save him.
A hand touched Bicky's shoulder. He flinched expectantly, but fear turned to amazed relief when he turned his head and saw Ryo crouching by him with a finger to his lips. He nodded and obediently kept silent as Ryo quietly moved to Dee.
When Dee felt the hand on his shoulder, he growled irritably as he turned, "What? Bicky?" When he saw Ryo's face so close to his own his heart went into his throat and he could only stare, stunned. In such a short time he had forgotten just how handsome Ryo was. At that moment, an angel from heaven couldn't have been more beautiful or more welcome.
Dee found his tongue all in an instant, questions suddenly flooding his mind as he opened his mouth to shout Ryo's name in amazement. Ryo anxiously slapped a hand over his lips. That hand smelled suspiciously like explosives.
Dee relaxed and Ryo lowered his hand. They sat down next to each other and Ryo said quietly, "I'm glad I found you so easily. We have to get out of here, Dee."
Dee snorted derisively, "I don't think it's going to be that easy."
Part 12
Ryo replied. "I planted a bomb for a diversion. We have two hours."
Dee stared, impressed by Ryo's bold tactic, but also incredulous that a man he had almost decided was too soft to be a good detective, had come up with such a plan. "Where did you get it?"
Ryo explained matter of factly, "I have a friend in the army. He supplied the bomb and he found this place for me by searching the car tag number I saw when you were kidnapped."
Dee replied appreciatively, "You've got a great friend!"
Ryo went on to explain his plan, liking the respect he was seeing in Dee's green eyes. He had felt that Dee had been selling him short as a detective up until then. Ryo was glad that he could finally show the man that he was competent. "The bomb is small, but it can blow away half the roof," Ryo told him. "I called the police, disguised my voice, and pretended to be a terrorist. I told them where I planted the bomb, so they should be here soon. We just have to hold out until then."
Dee shifted his position and winced, clutching at his arm as he accidentally jogged it. Ryo was instantly concerned, leaning close to Dee anxiously, "Your arm..."
Dee grinned and tried to pass it off as nothing, "They did this. I'm okay, though."
Ryo bent to look closer and saw that Dee's arm was broken and bleeding. Shocked, his black eyes went large and he retorted, "No, you're not okay! Didn't they give you first aide treatment?"
Dee cradled his arm, ignoring the shooting pain there as he studied Ryo's handsome, almost panic stricken face. Wonderingly, Dee said aloud what he was thinking, "You're worried about me."
"What?" Ryo was startled by Dee's soft, almost happy expression.
As Ryo pulled off his scarf and helped Dee begin to wrap his broken arm with it, he felt his cheeks go red with embarrassment. Why was Dee's observation making him uncomfortable? Ryo didn't know, but he wanted to get back to safer ground. He said in way of explanation, "You're my partner. Of course, I'm worried about you."
Dee propped his chin on one hand and proceeded to give Ryo an all knowing smiled as he said cryptically, "I see..."
Bicky was through watching Dee make `moves' on Ryo. He stood up, furious, and kicked at Dee's broken arm, making sure to miss the break by a long shot, but still aiming to make it hurt. As Dee howled and Ryo started in shock, Bicky said in a low, vicious voice, "Forget about it! It's not that bad!"
Dee and Bicky flung curses back and forth and then Dee said angrily through gritted teeth, making a fierce attempt to lower his voice so that the guard didn't hear him, "We're getting out of here!" He had to, Dee thought, before he strangled the damned brat! "Ten o' clock."
That made Ryo suddenly remember the timer. "Two hours...," he looked down at his watch and saw how much time had gone by. The wide window he had given himself to accomplish his mission had narrowed dramatically.
Grabbing Dee by his sweater and pulling him away from his confrontation with Bicky, he whispered harshly. "No! We've got to get out of here now!"
Part 13
That made Ryo suddenly remember the timer. "Two hours... Oh, no!" He looked down at his watch and saw how much time had gone by. He had set the bomb to go off at ten o' clock. The wide window he had given himself to accomplish his mission had narrowed dramatically. There wasn't time to go back through the attic to escape the house.
Grabbing Dee by his sweater and pulling him away from his confrontation with Bicky, he whispered harshly. "We've got to get out of here now!"
Puzzled, Dee refused to get excited. "What are you talking about?"
"I said, we have to get out of here!" Ryo hissed fearfully.
"Why?" Dee wondered.
"It's in the attic!" Ryo explained, sweat tracking down the side of his face.
Dee was still perplexed. "I still don't get what you're talking about."
"The bomb!" Ryo clarified, almost saying it loudly enough for the guard to hear.
It dawned on Dee all at once and his blood went cold. He grabbed Ryo by the front of his coat and shook him hard. "What?! Did you come here just to kill us?!"
Ryo hung limply, knowing Dee's anger was more than justified. "I didn't know you were here!" he explained, sounding foolish his own ears. He had endangered all of their lives. There wasn't any excuse and he knew it. As they faced each other, nose to nose, Dee's face red with anger, Ryo felt a confusing, sharp pang in his heart at the thought of Dee hating him and most likely demanding another partner after it was all over... if they survived.
"Shut up!" Bicky shouted at Dee, both angry and afraid. "Let's get out of here!!"
Dee and Ryo broke off their confrontation to look at the boy, Dee annoyed and Ryo relieved and grateful.
Without any discussion, Dee naturally took the lead. He knew why he did it, even as wounded as he was. Bicky was a child that had to be protected and Ryo... for some reason Dee wanted to protect Ryo as well. The man was smaller than he was and, aside from giving the impression that he was too gentle to carry out any violence, he also looked fragile. Both were only appearances, Dee knew. Ryo had gone through the same training that he had and Dee knew that the man was more than capable. Knowing that didn't change how he felt about the man or keep him from reacting to an almost instinctive need to protect him.
Dee whipped open the door to their prison without warning to the guard or Ryo. Dee shouted to startle the man, collared him one armed around the neck, and planted a knee into the man's mid section. The man folded and dropped unconscious at once.
The man's gun had fallen from slack fingers. Ryo snatched it up before it hit the ground, his own gun already out and looking for a target. There weren't any more men, but Ryo stayed alert as Dee grabbed Bicky and pulled him close.
We have to get away as far as possible, Dee thought, and couldn't help doubting that they were going to be successful with a house full of drug dealers between them and the front door. "Hold on to me Bicky!" Dee ordered the boy sharply, knowing that he was going to need his one good hand free.
Ryo took point but, as Dee started to follow, Bicky suddenly leaned away from him and snatched up his skates. It seemed like such a petty move, worrying about skates when they were about to try and shoot their way out of a hopeless situation, and Dee found himself cursing the boy sharply as the boy regained his hold on him and Dee hurried to catch up to Ryo.
Ryo kept firing his gun as they reached the lower level of the house. Dee caught glimpses of men diving for cover and he was awed by the perfect shots Ryo executed even at a dead run. Clattering over the wooden front porch at last, they came up short, panting, Dee barely holding onto the dead weight of Bicky and his heavy skates and Ryo poised uncertainly, as they were faced with the blonde haired boss and almost a dozen of his armed men.
The boss grinned evilly. "Looks like Game Over!" His men silently trained their weapons on them as he ordered viciously, "Drop your weapons and get back to your room!"
Part 14
Ryo was ready to lower his gun and comply, but he was startled when Dee shouted a defiant, "No!"
Dee wasn't ready to give up. A crazy plan crystallized in his mind. Digging into his pocket hurriedly, he felt a ball point pen slide into his hand. Dee jerked it out and held it up where everyone could see as he shouted to the boss, "Look, Bastard! I set up a bomb in your house!" He handled the pen as if it were a detonator, thumb poised over the top as he added warningly, "I bet you know what this is!"
The boss and his men froze, shocked, wondering whether to stay or run.
"Dee!" Ryo hissed in disbelief.
Dee glanced at Ryo's sweating, frightened face and wondered if his act had been TOO good and if Ryo was really believing him. Whispering quickly, he tried to reassure his partner, "Don't worry. Nothing will happen if I push this."
Ryo hissed back, incredulous that Dee was desperate enough to think that his plan was working, "They're not going to believe this!"
Dee retorted in exasperation, "I'm just trying to play for time!" Until the cops arrived to hopefully save them, Dee thought.
Ryo looked down at his watch nervously and then felt his blood turn to ice as he swallowed hard. "It's ten o clock." The bomb was going to detonate any second.
"Get `em!" the Boss suddenly shouted, deciding at last that Dee was bluffing. His men rushed forward, guns drawn.
Ryo grabbed Bicky and, with Dee following close beside him, he bolted off of the porch and burst into a run. The bomb exploded with a deafening roar at the same time. Part of the attic was hurled into the air in pieces. Those pieces then rained down on everyone as Dee grabbed Ryo and pulled him to the ground to try and avoid them.
Dee was the first to get up, saying anxiously, "We gotta get out of here! I don't want to run into the Chief like this."
Ryo stood and helped Bicky brush himself off. The boy looked suddenly determined as police cars began pulling up with sirens flashing. "Dee, Ryo," he said. "You can go ahead. I'll be all right."
Dee ruffled the boy's hair, feeling some respect that Bicky was willing to face the music and some relief that he was finally going to be rid of the boy "Okay, Do what you have to."
Ryo frowned uncertainly, not as willing as Dee to let Bicky face questioning by the police alone, but when he saw Dee make his limping way from the scene, he was worried about his partner and followed.
The Chief pulled up in his cruiser. Climbing out, he took control immediately and began fanning out his men to make certain that none of the stunned men escaped.
The boss quickly turned to one of his men. "Hey..."
The man whispered back. "Don't worry. They won't find any drugs."
The Chief approached the boss and asked in a mock friendly tone, "This your house, Richard?"
The boss was relaxed, grinning and thinking that he had the upper hand. "Thanks for such a quick response, Mr. Smith. I didn't think a police Chief would come to investigate himself."
The Chief grinned, but there was an edge to it. He had an excuse to have the house searched now, but the boss's attitude was telling him, clearer than words, that he wouldn't find anything. "I was bored at the office," he replied. "Don't worry. I'll personally look around your house to make sure that there aren't any more bombs."
An officer approached the two men with Bicky in tow. Handing the Chief a bag full of drugs, he said, "The boy found this, he told me, while he was this guy's prisoner."
The Chief took a small taste. "Well, it's a drug all right!" The Chief's grin became suddenly genuine.
After the boss and his men were cuffed and thrown into cruisers, the Chief looked around for the boy again. He saw his small form looking lost among all the milling men. "Hey, kid!" The Chief called and approached the boy in concern. "I'm going to have to take you down to my office and ask you a few questions."
"Okay," Bicky replied simply as he stared at the boss's furious face through the window of a police cruiser and felt a rush of satisfaction.
Part 15
The Chief looked around with a frown, "Where are the idiots who are supposed to be taking care of you?"
Bicky shrugged. "We were separated."
Far from the chaos of arresting police officers, Dee groaned as he slowly lowered himself to the ground and put his back to a tree. He cradled his broken arm in his lap and looked down at it wearily.
"I bet the Chief is going to be angry," Ryo said worriedly as he unconsciously copied Dee's position as he settled against a tree trunk opposite his partner.
"Don't worry, it happens all the time," Dee assured him.
"To you maybe!" Ryo retorted and then thoughtfully, going over his actions in his mind, "I thought it was a good strategy to act like a terrorist. I knew that I couldn't involve a lot of officers and endanger you." It was hard to ask his next question. He had wanted to trust Bicky, but he had a feeling that Dee's answer was going to be an unpleasant truth. "Why did Bicky want to stay behind?"
Dee understood Ryo's reluctance. He hated to have to peel back some of the man's naivete. "Bicky's father stole drugs from those guys. He gave them to Bicky before he died." Ryo's face tensed and he went pale as Dee added, "I think Bicky hid the drugs in his skates to get back at the drug dealers."
Ryo looked shocked and unhappy. Dee felt sympathy for him and also felt a bit sorry for Bicky and his troubled life. Still, he knew what had to be done. He said reasonably, "I thinks it's best if we leave this case to the police now." and Bicky, Dee finished silently.
Ryo's eyes softened and Dee found himself drowning in them as Ryo said, "You're starting to care for Bicky, aren't you?"
Dee felt a sudden strong attraction to the dark eyed, handsome man sitting in front of him. It was as if a spark was jumping between them, igniting something in Dee's heart. He heard himself say, "No, I don't like kids, but... I love you."
Ryo was startled, eyes going wide. Dee felt a flush of embarrassment, not sure why he had said that last out loud. Something about Ryo had wrenched it from him and now it was laying between them, waiting for Ryo to accept or reject it.
It was obvious immediately that Ryo wasn't going to confess the same feeling for Dee. Instead, Ryo looked suddenly amused and Dee frowned as the man said with a chuckle, "Ah, thanks, I guess." Ryo moved to Dee's side. "We should get you to the hospital."
Thanks? Dee could hardly believe his ears. He looked at Ryo, puzzled. Ryo, for his part was having his own amount of turmoil. He had passed Dee's confession off as a joke, maybe even a bit of delirium from his broken arm, but he had an odd feeling that the man had been serious.
Dee was feeling hurt that he didn't want to acknowledge. He tried to cover it up with irritation and tried to brush Ryo's help off by saying, "I'm okay. You should get back to the station."
Ryo was startled, "But-"
Dee insisted. "It's your first job."
Ryo replied in confusion, "I don't care." He decided suddenly that Dee was trying to be a tough guy and didn't want to admit that he needed help. Ryo smiled at him encouragingly. "Remember, I'm your partner, right? Let me help you."
Ryo's handsome face was full of concern, caring, and soft entreaty. Dee was overwhelmed. He had to know what those beautiful lips tasted like, no matter what happened afterwards. He grabbed Ryo's wrist and pulled the man across his chest as he seized Ryo's lips with his own.
Dee kept the kiss soft, sensual, tongue sliding past shocked lips and caressing Ryo's shy tongue, his lips sucking at Ryo's lips. For the space of a few heartbeats Dee was in heaven.
Dee's kiss had startled Ryo at first, but, as Dee began making love to his mouth, he felt his insides melt in a way he had never felt before. Something powerful shook Ryo to his core and he didn't have a name for it. He only knew that Dee was the cause of it and, for a long moment, Ryo didn't want it or the kiss to ever stop.
Ryo's heart pounded and his pulse began to beat a rapid rhythm. He was dying, he was sure, and desire suddenly became panic. Ryo jerked back from Dee, breaking the kiss and looking into Dee's dark green eyes fearfully.
Dee searched those wide eyes, seeing the depth of Ryo's innocence and his uncertainty. Dee could see clearly that the man wasn't ready for what he was offering. Falling back on his old routine to get them both out of that tense situation, and to cover his disappointment, Dee chuckled and slapped Ryo on the back as if it had all been a good joke.
"I'm glad to have you as a partner too!" Dee laughed with forced good humor as he ignored his aches and pains, stood up, and sauntered away from Ryo, motioning him to follow. "Okay, let's go!"
Ryo was left on his knees, confused, trying to comprehend what had just happened and what he had just been feeling. Dee's words slowly sank in and then Ryo understood that it had all been a joke. Ryo's face turned red with embarrassment and then anger replaced confusion. He swore to himself that he wouldn't let Dee play with his feelings like that again!
At the station, Dee sat on top of the mess on his desk, chin propped on his hand and bandaged arm resting in his lap, as he stared despondently at Ryo. Ryo was doing a good job of pretending that Dee didn't exist as he tapped a report on his laptop, glasses perched on his nose and face set hard. He even looked handsome in glasses, Dee thought wistfully.
"Ryo?" Dee called softly. Ryo ignored him, "Hey, Ryo!" Dee called louder.
Ryo finally snapped back, "What?" without looking up from his work.
Dee was too stubborn to be put off by Ryo's belligerent tone. He persisted, asking, "Why did you get so angry today?"
Ryo suddenly slammed shut the cover to his laptop and glared at Dee over it. "Because you made me angry!"
Dee didn't need it spelled out for him. He sighed and looked away. "It was just a kiss."
Ryo jammed a finger into Dee's face, dark eyes snapping with temper. "We're both MEN! Besides, you didn't ask!"
Dee felt a shock of sudden hope. Maybe he had misread the man? He turned to Ryo excitedly, "Oh, I can kiss you if I ask first?!"
"Get away from Ryo, stupid!" a small, furious voice demanded hotly as Dee felt a foot kick his broken arm.
Howling in pain, Dee looked down and saw Bicky scowling at him. "What are you doing here, you damned brat?!" Dee shouted.
Bicky crossed arms over his chest defiantly and staked his claim to Ryo by standing beside the man with a fierce expression. "I'm not here to see you. I'm going to be living with Ryo from now on!"
Ryo, wincing at Dee's obvious pain and fury, tried to diffuse the situation by speaking calmly as he explained, "I live alone and I want Bicky to go to school."
"No! No! No!" Dee shouted, ready to save Ryo from his own naivete and seeing his chances for an intimate, one on one romance with Ryo, being destroyed by the smart assed kid in front of him. "I won't let you do such a ridiculous thing!" he declared.
Bicky kicked Dee again in the arm. "Shut up, stupid!"
As Ryo watched the situation degenerate into a shouting match, as If Dee had suddenly become as young as Bicky, he slumped onto the edge of his desk and wondered what he had gotten himself into.