Fake Fan Fiction ❯ FAKE in Love: Act X; Set-ups and Power Plays ❯ Chapter 4

Warnings and Disclaimers: This should be old news by now, but (surprise, surprise) I'm not Sanami Matoh, I'm not making any money off of this, and this is yaoi hentai.

Set right after the last act. Again, sur-fucking-prise…

Enjoy!

 

 

“So what've we got?” JJ asked as he sat down at the small café table and sipped his coffee.

“A shit load of coke and three dead computer geeks,” Dee said bluntly and lit a cigarette.

“Dee-senpai, do you have to smoke right now?” JJ asked irritably.

Dee took another long drag and carefully blew it away from JJ.

“Yes.”

“The company was put together three years ago,” Drake said, ignoring their little bickering as he pieced through the company files. “They were in the red until about eight months ago when they suddenly started getting high influxes of cash. Lots of shipments were sent out.”

“Front,” JJ said with a sigh.

“Definitely,” Drake agreed. “But for whom?”

Dee shrugged and leaned back in his chair. These poor stupid men. Their business had been struggling, years of barely keeping things together, and then someone offers them a way out. A new opportunity to pursue their dreams. Just one time, that's how it usually started. Just a way to make a little fast cash. Then, well, maybe once more, just to cover that unexpected expense. The third time doesn't need much justification and after that, well after that you're so deep in there's no way to claw your way back out. Your future is pretty well set, prison or death.

Arnon.

Dee winced and wiped a hand over his face. Arnon had been a good friend, a best friend even, and sometimes Dee was still angry with himself for not seeing what was happening sooner. Arnon's death had changed so many things for so many people, and very few had been for the best. Why did people think that turning to drugs and trafficking were a way out?

“You know,” Drake said thoughtfully. “With that much product, there are really only a few syndicates in the city that could be responsible for it. That part of town, well, damn that narrows it down even further.”

“Maybe we should do some checking,” Dee said with a slight smirk. “Bang on some doors, rattle a few cages.”

Drake grinned back and JJ sighed.

“You two are going to get me killed,” he said exasperatedly.

 

New York's seedier districts were not pleasant places to explore. Dee sighed and ran a hand through his hair as they climbed out of the car and started towards what looked like an abandoned building. JJ glanced nervously around and Drake gave the car one last hopeful look. Cops or not, they were risking the vehicle by leaving it alone out here.

The abandoned building was actually a well-known brothel and crack den. It was busted annually, and yet always managed to somehow get back on its feet. Dee scowled as they stepped over a drugged man sprawled in the doorway. He grinned up at them, his eyes dazed and unseeing.

“Ready?” Drake asked.

Dee and JJ nodded and Drake pounded on the door.

“Open up, NYPD.”

A small window flipped open and a bitter looking face peered out at them.

“Only three of you?” a raspy genderless voice asked. “Not much of a bust team. You looking for some action?”

A sick look passed across JJ's face and Drake's eyes narrowed dangerously.

“No,” he said. “We're looking for some answers. Now open the door.”

A long sigh answered him, but the door creaked open. They stepped inside the murky gloom and all three immediately flinched. The heat from the street was nothing compared to the closeness of this building. The air was filled with thousands of overpowering smells, all pounding into them with waving intensity. It was hot, sticky, and reeked of every human odor imaginable.

The hallway was strewn with more bodies, people sprawled across each other, sometimes touching, sometimes staring at each other, a few numbly fucking as the detectives waded past.

“Where do we start?” JJ muttered.

“Fat Thomas,” Drake answered. “He lives in the back of this place. He's a mean son of a bitch, but he might be able to tell us something. If he feels like talking.”

“I know him,” JJ said. “He called me a short piece of shit once and threw a bottle of bourbon at me.”

“Sounds like he was in a good mood,” Drake grumbled.

They pushed deeper into the building and finally opened a small back door. A huge man was sprawled across a squat sofa, his skin hanging heavily across his arms as he lifted a cigarette to his lips.

“Fuckin' pigs,” he grunted. “What do you want?”

“We're here about three homicides and a large amount of illegal drugs found in a computer company about eight blocks from here,” Drake said. “Would you know anything about that?”

Fat Thomas was silent but then suddenly brightened, a wide grin breaking across his face.

“Dee! Hey, you sick bastard, how've you been?”

“Same shit, different day,” Dee said and held out a hand.

Thomas laughed out loud as he took it and Drake and JJ exchanged a surprised glance. Dee sat down next to the whale of a man and sighed.

“Shit,” Dee said. “You should have seen that place. Blood everywhere.”

“Professional?” the big man asked.

“Professional psycho,” Dee answered. “We found enough coke to finance a retirement for someone with your appetites.”

“Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn,” Fat Thomas said with appreciation. “You find any cash?”

Dee leaned back and stared at Thomas from the corner of his eye.

“Why do you ask?”

The room was quiet for a moment and then Thomas grinned.

“Um, curiosity?”

“Bullshit. What do you know?”

Fat Thomas shrugged. “I'm just saying that you might want to do what any smart man would do. Follow the money.”

“Where's it going to lead?”

“Hard to say,” Thomas said with another shrug. “Hard to say. Now get the fuck out of here.”

“See you,” Dee said with a chuckle.

JJ and Drake exchanged another glance but followed Dee back out. They navigated their way back through the dark hallways and breathed the stiff air with open relief when they returned to the street. Dee lit a cigarette and they moved to the car, which had somehow managed to remain intact.

“What was that about?” JJ finally asked, no longer able to contain himself.

Dee chuckled and shook his head.

“I know a few people,” Dee said. “Now what do you think he meant?”

“I think we need to go back to our crime scenes and see if we can find any cash,” Drake said.

“That would be the obvious action,” Dee said. “That's partly why it's got me so suspicious.”

“You think he was told to give us that information?” JJ asked.

“Probably,” Dee said. “The guy's not exactly a friend of mine. Somebody probably slipped him a few bills to set us on the path.”

“So, do we do it?” Drake asked. “Or do we look for something else?”

“I think we should look for this cash,” JJ said. “At least this way we'll be going in with our eyes wide open.”

“I'm with JJ,” Dee said.

“Yay!” JJ said and winked at Dee. “You can be on my side anytime you stud.”

Dee opened his mouth to respond, but JJ suddenly crumpled to the ground. Dee frowned, a dark confusion prickling through him, then the air was ripped open with the sound of a gunshot.

“Holy shit!” Drake yelled. “Get down! JJ!”

Dee grabbed JJ's collar and hauled him around the corner of the car. JJ cried out and Dee winced. Blood was trailing after him and staining the dirty street.

“Where's the shooter?” Drake hissed near Dee's ear.

“No idea,” Dee ground out as he ripped the corner of his shirt and pressed it over the hole in JJ's shoulder.

“Take that you sons of bitches!” a voice yelled to them.

“Rooftop,” JJ hissed between his clamped teeth.

Years of sharp shooting experience had given JJ a far more accurate sense of these things and Dee and Drake both glanced up at the building's top. A dim shadow was silhouetted against the blue sky.

“Pigs!”

Trash began to plunk loudly on the street around them, more calls echoing through the air.

“We've got to move,” Drake said as a bottle shattered a foot away from him.

“Hold on JJ,” Dee said and grasped JJ's hand. “This is going to hurt like hell.”

He pulled JJ up and Drake yanked the door open. They poured JJ inside, a loud scream escaping the blue haired man as he slumped down into the seat. Dee's face was a mask of rage and pain and he flew around the car to the driver's door. A bottle slammed onto the roof of the car and Dee turned his head just in time to avoid a chunk of glass that would have hit his eye. Instead it scraped across his cheek. He dove into the car as Drake slammed the other door and grabbed the radio.

“Dispatch, this is Detective Parker, we've got an injured officer and a shooter down here. Get some uniforms over this way and radio the hospital!”

A loud pop sounded and a metallic crunk followed as a bullet sliced through the roof of the car.

“Holy shit!” Drake yelled. “He's shooting at the car!”

“Fuck,” Dee hissed.

He threw the car into drive and jammed his foot down on the gas, the car careening wildly through the street as they took off. JJ was grunting loudly in the back seat, his eyes clenched tight as long painful sounds escaped him. His fingers were clawing at the hole in his shoulder and at the car's seat cushions.

“Flip on the fucking light,” Dee snapped.

The sirens blared as they raced to the hospital.

 

Ryo felt like his head was going to explode. He was trailing behind Diana through the hospital's antiseptic hallway, her face clenched with worry as she shoved past a few loitering nurses. Ryo numbly followed, his mind still trying to wrap around the information they had been given. JJ, Dee, and Drake had been out interviewing suspects and had reported shots fired and an officer down. Ryo tried to piece more from that little bit, but he couldn't seem to work it out. Who had been shot?

Diana had shown up his door only moments after he had called her, and they had driven to the hospital in her FBI car, more sirens and lights flashing in the heat. A sick nervousness was filling Ryo's stomach.

What was he doing out there anyway? He was supposed to stay home today.

Ryo's eyes clenched shut for a moment. He knew that the official call probably hadn't reached him yet, he had gotten word from the precinct radio operator and she had been in too big of a hurry to give him anymore information. He'd have to remember to thank her for giving him the call, regardless of how this turned out. That thought was like dropping into ice water.

They turned a corner, another long hallway stretching out in front of them, and a relieved cry escaped Diana as she took off at a run. She flung herself into Drake's arms, holding him close, covering his face with kisses and caresses as she clung to him.

“You're okay?” she whispered again and again. “You're alright?”

“I'm fine,” he answered as his lips found hers. “I'm fine, I promise, I'm okay.”

“You…dammit,” she murmured and wiped at her eyes. “I'm sorry.”

“It's okay,” he said, still holding her close.

Drake's eyes darted up and locked on Ryo.

“Dee's in there,” he said gently. “He'll be happy to see you.”

Ryo nodded, his body still numb and he slowly opened the door. Dee was sitting in another hospital bed, a nurse carefully bandaging the long gash in his cheek.

“You were lucky detective,” he said as he shook his head. “A little deeper and this would scar.”

“Yeah,” Dee said lowly. “That was my big worry of the day.”

“He's going to be fine,” the nurse said. “When I left he was hitting on the doctor, which by the way, worth its weight in gold to see.”

Dee chuckled and Ryo felt hot relief flood through him. Guilt followed quickly; how could he be happy that JJ had been shot and not Dee? He bit his lip for a second in hesitation and then cautiously stepped into the light.

“Dee?”

Dee's eyes slid to him, but he remained carefully still as the nurse finished the last of his work.

“Hey,” Dee said softly.

“You're all done,” the nurse said as he threw away the bandage packaging. “Keep it clean and I'd recommend taking some aspirin for the pain. Let us know if it gets any worse or if you have any questions.”

He gave Ryo a polite smile and quickly left. Ryo paused a moment longer and then sat down next to Dee. Dee immediately hooked his arm around Ryo's waist and held him close.

“JJ got shot,” he said softly.

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah, they're actually going to release him tonight. Can you believe that? That little psychopath has the running power of the energizer bunny.”

Ryo chuckled quietly and Dee leaned his head against Ryo's.

“You've still got a fever,” he said, his voice quiet again.

Ryo nodded a little and Dee's hold tightened.

“Let's go home,” Dee said. “I don't want to be here anymore. Drake's taking JJ home with him for the night, in case he needs anything. We're supposed to take the next couple of days off for mental health and see the department shrink when we come back.”

“Okay.”

Dee nodded. “Okay.”

 

Dee wrapped himself up in Ryo. His wrist throbbed dully and the bandage on his cheek was itchy and tight. None of it mattered, he didn't care, he just wanted to be surrounded with Ryo. Even the almost unnatural heat from Ryo's skin was welcome, a deep heat that pressed against Dee and made this real.

Dee loved being a cop. It wasn't the power and god knew it wasn't any of the benefits, he sure as hell wasn't going to get rich unless he became a dirty cop. It was something else. There was a sense of accomplishment, of making a difference in a world that needed some kind of difference. He liked being part of the solution and he liked the challenge that the work presented. And, come to think of it, if he hadn't been a cop the first time he would have met Ryo probably would have been when his sexy partner was busting him. Dee sighed and pressed his face closer to Ryo's neck.

There were just some days that made him wish that he had gone into some other line of work. He could have made a difference in other ways, been a social worker or a (sweet Jesus) a lawyer. But those jobs didn't have the same sense that being a cop did. There was something else there, something beneath the purpose.

The sense of danger.

Dee liked to take chances. It was part of his personality. He took risks, and sometimes he won big and sometimes he lost badly. Either way he always took responsibility for his action and paid the consequences. Being a cop often gave him the excuse to take those risks. Though he was wondering if maybe he had taken too many. There had been so many times where one tiny change could have meant his life, or someone else's.

He kept seeing it, JJ's body falling to the ground, a surprised painful look on his face as he stared questioningly at Dee. The long stream of blood glittering wickedly against the hot pavement. He bet that had burned hot against JJ, he hadn't even thought of that until now. The street had probably been just as painful as the gunshot. His eyes clenched tighter and his arms pulled Ryo closer.

It was like he was trying to climb inside his partner. He just couldn't get close enough. Ryo murmured in his sleep and his arms shifted until he was holding Dee lightly. One hand brushed through Dee's hair and then rested at his neck, his palms remarkably cool and soft. Dee felt a strange relaxation surge through him. Ryo's breathing was slow and deep, his body hot and flushed as he dreamt through his sickness. Dee breathed him in and felt more of the tension slip away.

God Ryo felt good. It was like being surrounded in peace itself. How could anything be wrong when he was being held like this? How could anything be wrong with Ryo this close? His face relaxed, his eyes slowly loosening as he allowed himself to follow those thoughts and soon drift to sleep.

 

Ryo woke up slowly. Dee was still burrowed close, the first rays of morning peering in through the dark blinds that covered their window. Ryo smiled slightly and ran his hand through Dee's hair. Dee always looked so peaceful when he slept, his face relaxed and contented, and Ryo couldn't help but think of the first time he had awakened with Dee asleep in his arms. There had been such a rush of love, and even now Ryo felt it pass through him.

“I love you,” he whispered quietly.

Dee remained asleep, his breathing soft and contented and Ryo's smile grew a little. It's because he's here with me, he thought selfishly and then smiled. He hoped that was true. He hoped that his presence gave Dee at least a little comfort. Ryo yawned and flinched as he started to cough, he tried to silence it, but soon his whole body was shaking with the fit. Dee's eyes slid open and Ryo pointed to the water at the other side of the bed. Dee handed it to him and Ryo gratefully took it. When the coughing had passed they slumped back down in the bed.

“Looks like you still need some looking after Sexy,” Dee said, his voice still a little sleepy.

“Maybe.”

Dee smiled suddenly and pulled Ryo close again.

“What?” Ryo asked.

“I was just thinking…back when we first started working together and you got sick,” he smiled. “I stole a kiss that night.”

“I know.”

“You know?” Dee said with surprise.

“I woke up,” Ryo said and smiled a little. “I thought that it would be okay, just that one time. You'd been so…well, I guess you were just being you.”

Dee chuckled and kissed Ryo's neck.

“I love you Ryo,” Dee said softly. “I forgot to tell you that yesterday, before I left.”

Ryo held Dee close and smiled happily.

“I love you too,” he answered.

Dee climbed reluctantly out of bed.

“I'm going to make us something to eat and check on the monkey. You're eating.”

Ryo chuckled and Dee gave him a smirk.

“I mean it.”

 

Ryo opened the newspaper and yawned as he read the headlines. Dee had kept him quarantined in bed all yesterday, and he was itching to get up and moving now. He could hear Bikky and Dee yelling in the living room, the sound of the X-Box echoing through the wall.

“Stop cheating!” Bikky roared.

“I'm not cheating,” Dee said. “You need to learn to ignore distractions!”

“Your hand over my eyes isn't a distraction, it's cheating!”

“Distraction!”

“Oh, okay, fine. Would this be a distraction then too?”

“OW! You monkey bitch!”

“Demented pervert!”

“Squat cross-eyed freak!”

“Bisexual bitch!”

“Why yes I am!”

“Dammit! How in the hell did you win?”

“I'm good with distractions.”

Ryo chuckled and skimmed the headlines again. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he dove into one of the articles. His mouth hung open slightly and his fingers clutched at the paper.

“Dee!”

Dee appeared in the doorway a minute later and Ryo shoved the paper in his hands.

“Read this.”

Dee sighed and looked down at the article. Drug Cartel Linked to Murder, Police Attacks.

“Shit,” he breathed. “Rose has a fucking quote in this. He knew about it and he didn't say shit to us.”

“I know,” Ryo said angrily and grabbed his phone.

 

“Because it's not what it looks like,” Rose said flatly and took another sip of coffee.

“The hell you say,” Dee said. “You sent some cops down to that computer company and seized a ton of money. You traced the bills back and linked them to Jose Martinez, the big man behind drug runs in the Burroughs. You busted his ass without saying a word to me!”

“Yes…”

“Fuck,” Dee snapped. “I told you. I told you that money was a fucking set-up and you didn't even bother to check into it. Goddammit!”

“Will you shut up?” Rose yelled suddenly. “Look, we found a lot of money there, and yes, it all linked back to Martinez. Except…”

He pulled an evidence bag from his pocket and slammed it down on Ryo's dining room table.

“For this one bill.”

They stared down at it and Rose sighed.

“This was identified as a bill that was stolen in a bank robbery several months ago, one that we suspect was perpetuated by the Downstreet Gang.”

“Vones,” Ryo said softly.

Rose nodded. “He set this up to nail Martinez. With Franklin MacLean dead and Martin in jail, a vacuum was created in the drug world. The MacLean's had been placing everything to maneuver themselves into the position of underworld bosses. With them out of the picture, several other contenders have been attempting to take their place. It seems that Vones may have decided that the time was right to make his play for power.”

“So you're letting him think we fell for it,” Ryo said.

“Yes,” Rose answered and took another drink from his cup. “Let's face it, Martinez is no saint. Vones gave us indisputable evidence that links him to this. I'm fine with getting the bastard off the street. It'll help us build a stronger case against him and maybe keep him in jail for more than a few nights at a time. At this point, we're going to start watching Vones, and closely.”

Dee lit a cigarette and sighed.

“Alright,” he said finally. “I'll buy that.”

“Then how about an apology?” Rose asked flatly.

“Go to hell,” Dee answered. “You still didn't tell us about any of this. I was at that scene. JJ got shot getting you that information. You should have contacted us.”

Rose stared at him blankly and then scowled.

“You're a real jackass Detective.”

“And you're a prick Commissioner.”

They suddenly grinned at each other and Ryo couldn't help but chuckle.