An Unholy Alliance by InSilva
Disclaimer: lest anyone should be in any doubt, I own no Ocean's characters.
Summary: Set about six or seven years before O11, Danny and Rusty find that needs must when the devil drives. Warnings for profanity and violence.
A/N: later chapters, I feel, will merit a higher rating. But I'm starting this off with a T.
Chapter One: Long time, no see
"Honey, I'm home", Danny says as he returns from a scouting trip to a museum in San Francisco, walking through the door of the apartment to find Rusty on the phone and frowning.
The frown is not good. The frown is never good. Not when it's really meant. Saratoga is done and dusted, Danny is sure, which means this is something else and something serious. Rusty motions Danny in and then carries on with his call. Danny listens to the one-sided conversation.
"I see."
"No, I haven't tried there."
"Who do you…? Right, right."
"Could he…? Right."
Danny has no clue other than what he reads in Rusty. And what he reads in Rusty is bad. Beyond bad, actually. Probably heading towards worst.
"Hodkinson. Right. OK, thanks, thanks so much."
He hangs up and explains everything with one word, "Saul".
Danny takes a deep breath and thinks about what he's heard. Heading towards worst but not quite there yet.
"Missing?"
"Since Friday. No one's seen him."
"Gerard Hodkinson involved?"
Rusty nods then qualifies, "Apparently he knows where Saul's been."
"We need to talk to him."
Now.
Gerard Hodkinson is a wealthy man who has grown rich by clever dealings, legal and otherwise, and who has the rare gift of a man in his position of possessing good manners and a kind word for those he works with and those who work for him. He treats the people on the way up the way he'd want to be treated on the way down. Not that this means he is not more than capable of the ruthless: but if any unpleasantness should ensue, he would be at pains to remind you that it was strictly business.
Danny and Rusty have had a few meetings with him before and they know their way around the steel and glass building, charming their way through layers of security and PAs until they reach Gerard's office. Danny smiles at Elizabeth, the secretary on guard and Rusty's hand is already opening Gerard's office door.
"You can't-" Elizabeth begins and Danny's smile grows wider.
"Trust me, Elizabeth, he'll want to see us."
Gerard is on the phone and closes the call as Rusty walks in, closely followed by Danny who pushes the door to behind him.
"Guys…I'm…"
"Sorry about the unannounced visit, Gerard," Danny says, "but we understand that you're in a position to help us."
"Someone we know, someone you know…" Rusty continues.
"Saul Bloom," Danny says.
Gerard looks between them and then sighs and waves a hand at the two chairs in front of his desk and they sit down.
"Saul's missing," Rusty begins and Gerard nods.
"Three days ago," he says quietly. "Not a peep from him since."
"Tell us," Danny says.
"I had a European consignment that needed a courier and Saul was in the right place at the right time."
"Really?" Rusty's word is laden with enquiry.
"Look, it was straightforward enough – a pick-up from Amsterdam-"
"Diamonds?"
Gerard nods at Danny.
"Then there was to be a little detour to cover his trail and home. But he's not been in contact since he collected the goods."
"Three days ago," Rusty exhales.
"Yes. He was supposed to make a call from Berlin but he didn't. No one's heard from him since. If I didn't know better, I'd think Saul might be considering a little-"
"No," Danny says firmly and Gerard nods.
"I know. It's not Saul's style. I trusted him enough to pick them up in the first place."
Rusty leans forward. "We'll find him, Gerard. And we'll find-"
"-your diamonds and bring them back to you," Danny promises.
Gerard sighs regretfully.
"Guys, I've just lined someone up to go after them," he checks his watch, "and he's going to be here any moment."
"Cancel him," Danny suggests.
"I've given him a down payment-"
"We can cover that."
"With interest," Rusty adds.
"He's an effective operator."
"More effective than us?" Danny asks and Gerard rolls his eyes. He knows the score with Danny and Rusty.
"He's efficient," Gerard insists. "He was a big noise about ten years ago and then he had a little run in with the law and…well…he's making his way back up the ladder. He's hungry."
He looks at both of them.
"He's got ground knowledge," Gerard goes on. "He's worked with the people the diamonds belong to."
Belong to…?
Don't like the sound of it either.
Danny and Rusty straighten up in their chairs.
"Who'd they belong to?" Danny asks and there is an edge to his voice.
"European outfit. Joint US-Euro venture, really. Excuse me." This as the intercom buzzes.
"Mr Hodkinson, your visitor is here."
"Please show him in, Elizabeth."
Gerard stands up and Danny and Rusty follow suit and then the door opens and the game begins.
On rare occasions, one of them will let slip his smooth persona and the other covers effortlessly. It doesn't happen often. What happens even less, and can be counted on the fingers of one hand, is for them both to be caught out.
Which is precisely what they are now. Because stepping into the room with a smile that grows and grows like Topsy, is one man neither of them ever wanted to see again.
"This is Rusty Ryan and Danny Ocean," Gerard introduces.
"So very, very pleased to meet you, Mr Ryan. May I call you Rusty?" the newcomer says, stretching out a hand for Rusty to shake with a smile so wide it threatens to crack his skull.
"Guys, this is Bryn Gower," Gerard completes unnecessarily.
Rusty stares at Bryn as if his very worst nightmare has come to life and is standing in front of him. The last time he saw him… He looks at the hand outstretched in front of him and remembers the fingers running with purpose across his shoulder-blades… He cannot contemplate completing the handshake.
"Danny Ocean." Danny steps round him and grips Bryn's hand and Rusty knows Danny's knuckles are white: he can hear it in Danny's voice.
Bryn's eyes leave Rusty's face and take in Danny and the gleam in them is bad enough to make Rusty want to grab Danny, drag him away from Bryn and for them to run, run and hide. Except that they can't. Because Bryn's just been given their real names. And Saul's still out there.
Danny drops Bryn's hand like it belongs to the lowest form of life and Rusty can feel him suppressing the urge to wipe his own hand on his clothes.
"Danny and Rusty want to find the courier. He's a friend of theirs," Gerard says helpfully, unwittingly adding another paper cut for Bryn to drop lemon juice on.
"Saul Bloom's a friend?" Bryn looks like he can't stop smiling and Rusty is so, so glad that Danny came back when he did, came with him to see Gerard, because he needs that strength, he needs it badly. Bryn nods to himself. "I guess they want to tag along then."
Bryn's gaze is back on Rusty and Rusty makes himself meet it. He is not going to start backing down now. He feels Danny move further in front of him, unblinking and hostile.
"Well, I have to say, I think they'd be assets," Gerard says by way of providing a reference.
"Oh, I just bet they will," Bryn grins.
"So…" Gerard looks over at Danny and Rusty and the question hangs in the air.
Bryn looks from one of them to the other and shakes his head.
"That's the thing about meeting someone properly, isn't it?" Bryn smiles. "When you've been introduced, you have to work so hard just at remembering names, you're stunned into silence. Tell you what. I'll go and wait in the bar over the road and you can come and find me when you're decided."
He glances at Rusty. "Missing you already."
The door closes behind him and Danny immediately turns to Gerard.
"Whatever you're paying him, whatever you want him to do…" Danny is hoarse with emotion.
"…ditch him and let us do it," Rusty finishes, his voice like ice.
"Guys, guys," Gerard looks faintly embarrassed. "It's not the money and it's not that I doubt your abilities…but Bryn knows the people. He knows where to start looking. And he's got a vested interest in finding those diamonds and bringing them back to me. Because if he does, I can open a door to let him back in to where he wants to be."
He looks from one to the other.
"I know you're worried about Saul. I'm a little worried about Saul. But the diamonds are what I'm most worried about and they're what Bryn's going after. If you want to go with him…"
Oh, God… Rusty's nails instinctively dig into the palms of his hands and he forces his fingers to unclench; splays his fingers; holds his hands down at his side. And he can feel the tension emanating from Danny, leaking out across the room. Neither of them are dealing with that suggestion well.
"Look, Danny…Rusty…I know you work together and I know you work together well. But Bryn's going hunting, whatever. Maybe your best plan is to go with him. Why don't you go and talk it over with him?"
Talk it over…
Sounds almost civilised.
Rusty, I-
"Thanks, Gerard," Rusty says by way of closing. "You've no idea how helpful you've been."
A/N: Yeah. He's back. So this has been hanging around since May as a general idea. And I really thought it was about time I started on it properly.
And anyone who does not know the history with Bryn Gower will probably benefit from reading the other Brynverse in the following order: "Information Gathering", "An Unhappy Coincidence" and "Tell".