Chapter 10- Professional Backstabbers
****CHAPTER NOW COMPLETE*****
Raj looks into the Lightwoods …
And also is tormented by Raphael, because, well…of course he is
Then Alec gets a bit more information…and says some things that he's been holding onto for a long time
Notes:
Okay, so sorry I totally meant to have an update yesterday but I got sidetracked…well not really sidetracked, cause I WAS working on this story, just a different part. I really wanted to write fluffy stuff yesterday so I ended up getting the entire last chapter done (of course I can't post it yet, have a few steps to go). At least this way I have time to make a few extra passes over it before I post…
Also, the second part goes pretty emotional, but I really wanted the scene cause I think it was the only way it could really start to move forward
_Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael_
"Dude…can you, like, move back, just a bit?" Raj squeaked, startling for the fourth time when Raphael seemingly randomly materialized at his side.
"I am just trying to see what you are doing…I really find this quite interesting" he said smiling sharply, sliding over, just the faintest bit before leaning in for a better view of the screen.
"There, better?" he asked smirking
Raj just huffed, but gave a nervous, too fast nod, going back to ferociously typing
"Raph…leave the poor boy alone, he is trying to help us" Magnus said exasperatedly shaking his head at his friend's antics.
Raphael shrugged
"What? I am trying to learn more about this…it is quite fascinating…I'm not doing anything. I am being polite and social, as you so often encourage me to be. I never even mentioned the fact that the last time he was around he hit on my boyfriend"
Raj made a faint squeaking sound, fumbled a few key strokes, a bit of sweat breaking out on his forehead. He typed faster
Magnus quirked his eyebrow
"He hit on Simon?"
Raphael nodded
"Yes…apparently when I was busy talking to the guys from the base, he was asking Simon out on a date…"
Raj tensed up, typing faster, really trying to put all his focus into the task at hand and not on the fact the scariest guy he ever met was standing less than a foot away, casually talking about how Raj tried to make a move on his boyfriend….
He hadn't known!
"From what Divya says, he has quite the crush on Simon…My boyfriend"
Raj squeaks again, whipping around, giving his sister a wide, shocked, faintly betrayed look
"Really!? You told him that?!" he demands
She rolled her eyes, shrugging…
"No…I told Simon…he was just there at the time…"
"Wh-Why!?"
"Well, Simon was kinda worried I had a crush on him after the whole school 'thing', I told him that just wouldn't happen, cause even if I were into guys they wouldn't be guys my brother was interested in, cause…well…eww…" she finished, with an exaggerated shutter
He shook his head, glancing over at Raphael
"I-I didn't know, okay!? I didn't know he was dating you!" he said somewhat frantically
"No…you did not…you DID think he may have been dating Magnus though….So you may not have purposefully made a move on MY boyfriend, but were more than willing to make a move on my best friend's boyfriend…"
He shifted closer, giving a sharp, somewhat disconcerting smile, leaning nonchalantly against the chair
"Which might actually be worse." He said, in a quiet tone
"H-h-how is that worse?"
Raphael shrugged, glancing over at him, resting his hand on his shoulder, almost casually
"Well...Magnus is my best friend. More like a brother, really. He is the closest thing to family I have…I am quite protective of him…as he is with me. Someone doing something that hurts me? That is one thing…someone doing something that hurts him? That causes Magnus pain…that, well, that is another matter entirely…" he finished quietly, squeezing his shoulder slightly
He shook his head frantically, eyes wide,
"I wasn't! I-I totally wasn't! I swear I thought Magnus was lying and just trying to help him when he broke in…I thought he was single…o-or straight or, or something, but I wasn't trying to do that! I wasn't trying to steal your boyfriend away from your best friend!"
He's cut off by laughter…A lot of it…some of it way too familiar. He turns his focus onto Divya who is laughing so hard she is supporting herself against the other desk, leaning partially against Magnus who is losing it just as much as her.
"Wh-"
"Oh Raj! Your face! Breathe, you're gonna pass out" she says in between bouts of laughter
Beside her Magnus nodded, "S-she is right, darling…you look seconds away from fainting or hyperventilating…"
"Oh come on guys…you couldn't keep it in a bit longer!" Raphael says shaking his head at the others
Magnus rolled his eyes moving over next to Raphael, shaking his head
"Darling, I told you to stop…you are going to break the poor boy, and we rather need him on this…he will be far less help if he faints from the fear that he somehow tried to steal your boyfriend from me" Magnus chuckled again
Raphael shook his head
"Oh, Mags, he was fine…I would have stopped before he actually passed out…"
Magnus raised his eyebrow at him
"I would have!"
"No you wouldn't, that's exactly what you were trying to do" Divya interjected, shaking her head faintly
"You have GOT to teach me how to do that, by the way"
Raphael chuckled, with a faint shrug
"Maybe when you're older"
She huffed
"Oh, come on! Do you know how helpful that would be in my day to day life?" I go to high school; I am surrounded by teenage boys and idiots all day…" she finished giving him a hopeful smile
Raphael sighed, nodding
"You do have a point…maybe I can teach you a bit"
"YES!" she cheered eagerly
Magnus laughed
"I do believe the 'intimidation' lessons really must wait till later sweetheart…at least until this case is over…or until after Raj is kind enough to find the information we need. Assuming, of course, that Raphael behaves himself for the rest of the time and lets him do his job?" Magnus finishes, raising his eyebrow at his friend
Raphael rolls his eyes faintly, but nods
"Fine" He sighs, stepping back a bit, giving Raj some, much needed, breathing room.
Raj lets out a long, relieved breath, shaking his head at the bizarre spectacle this 'office' apparently was, before turning back to the screen…
Maybe it wasn't a good idea letting Divya intern here…not that he'd ever been able to talk her out of something when she really set her mind to it.
He didn't know if he liked her being so friendly with Raphael…It wasn't that he thought something innappropate was going on or anything…not only did the guy have the best boyfriend possible, Divya had told him Raphael was actually ace as well, (Though he didn't really know how that worked when the guy was dating Simon…he knew Divya didn't want to date anyone…it'd kind of confused him…she'd tried to explain, but it didn't really make sense to him)
He wasn't worried about anything like that…truth be told he liked her having someone else who was Ace to talk to, someone who could really understand where she was coming from…
But did it HAVE to be the scariest person he'd ever met?
He shook his head, going back to focusing on the computer and the task at hand
Two hours later…"Okay, so at the beginning of this year the Lightwoods Company bought out a rival company's most lucrative asset. Apparently Adrian Kazimir, the Man in charge of Quest dynamics, was under the impression they were going to be going into business together…the Lightwoods used a loophole that allowed them to cut Kazimir out of the deal entirely…it was all legal, but really underhanded.
Kazimir lost millions, having to sell off some of his other, smaller businesses to keep afloat.
Uhh…whoa…man…" he paused shaking his head
"What is it?" Raphael asked, leaning closer, looking at the screen
Raj took a deep breath
"Okay, so on the surface, Kazimir is totally clean, donates to charities, attends fundraisers, no legal troubles to speak of…though he does have a team of lawyers on retainer just in case…
But it looks like…over the years, people who have crossed him…hasn't had very good luck afterwards.
One former rival was brought up on charges of corruption and bribery; three others got arrested for Tax evasion, two more where indicted for fraud. Another one had a string of fires at their establishments…it seems like, when someone crosses him, within a year or so, they are hit hard by something…every time…"
Magnus nodded
"Thank you darling…I think we need to talk to the Lightwoods, see what they can tell us about this Adrian Kazimir." Magnus gave him a smile and an appreciative nod, before turning back to the others
"I will text Alexander, get him and Simon the information…Raphael? Can you go down to Quest Dynamics, see if you can find any information…?"
Raphael nodded
"Yeah, I already got the directions on my phone…they have a guard at the desk, but that usually isn't much of an issue…I'll find a way" he said with a careless shrug
Magnus smiled
"You always do, darling"
"Meanwhile, Divya, sweetheart? Would you mind trying to find a link between Kazimir and the teens involved in the other break-ins? I do not know how that fits, but too much of it pointed to those cases to be a mere coincidence."
"Yeah, no problem, I got it" She nodded, sitting down at the computer not used by Raj, beginning to type away
"Thank you darling, you are amazing" he said with a grateful smile
"I know" she said with a cheeky wink,
Magnus chuckled, shaking his head as he made his way out the door
Raphael began to follow but paused, turning back to Raj, walking over to his side, once again clasping him shoulder, squeezing slightly, and giving a slight, sharp smile
"Thank you for your help Raj…we do appreciate it. You should come around more often, you really are quite fun." He finished with an almost flirty, dangerous smirk and a wink, before turning and following the others out.
Divya snickered quietly behind the other computer
Raj shook his head, sitting down rather heavily in the chair, leaning his head back and wondering how his life turned so bizarre, so quickly…
Yeah, Raphael thinks he's 'fun'…probably in the same way a cat thinks a mouse is 'fun'
Somehow he doesn't think the mouse shares the same sentiments
Actually, after today…he knows it doesn't…
_Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec_
"Thank you for coming down, we got some new information and I needed to ask you guys a few questions." Alec said in a polite, if somewhat formal tone.
"Alexander, what is this all about? Why didn't you just come by the house and ask us?" Maryse asked, shaking her head
"Because this isn't just a casual conversation…we think we know who is behind the break in…"
"Well, that is good, but why couldn't you tell us at the house?"
Alec shrugged
"Because he was an old business rival of yours that you double crossed and we really do need ALL the information you can give us in order to arrest him. It's not really a conversation to have in the living room over coffee and vague pleasantries."
Robert looked shocked, Maryse huffed
"Alexander, who is it? And why are you acting like this, you are acting as if you are interviewing a suspect."
Alec shook his head
"No, I am not. I am interviewing you as I would any other witnesses that I have reason to believe are withholding valuable information"
"What? We are not withholding information!"
"Really? Because the night of the break in Officer Teagan asked you if there could be anyone who you could think of that may want to target you…it is a standard question, but you brushed it off, acted as if he was being incompetent in asking…you said that of course there wasn't and for him to do his job and find who had done this…
You left out quite a bit."
"We did not…" Robert said,
"Then why didn't it occur to you to mention Adrian Kazimir?"
Maryse looked shocked
"Mr. Kazimir? What does he have to do with anything?"
Alec sighed, shaking his head
"Well, as earlier this year you purposely cheated him out of one of his assets, costing his company millions and forcing him to sell off numerous smaller businesses just to stay afloat, I would say he at least deserves a slight once over."
Maryse shook her head
"But…why? This was a break in, Kazimir is a very wealthy man, he wouldn't have anything to do with something like that…he couldn't have"
"This was made to LOOK like a break in. it was made to mimic a string of robberies where a bunch of teens were breaking in and partying, but that was all a set up. They made it look like it was amateurs, they damaged a lot, but it was all after Max realized what was happening…After they already let him know they were there…it was over an HOUR since they had got in the house. They weren't just sitting around in the dark for over an hour, they were looking for something, and they found it. After that is when they started breaking things.
Kazimir's rivals, people who double cross him, you know, the same way YOU did? Things don't tend to work out so well for them. It appears that within a year or so of crossing him they hit any number of snags; legal trouble, indictments, criminal charges, fires, the list just keeps going. The only thing all of them have in common? They all screwed over the same guy, the same one you did…earlier this year."
Robert looked sick, shaking his head
"What? N-no, that…how would that eve-"
"We have reason to believe he has some people on retainer, some with less than legal abilities and skills, who are more than willing to commit a few crimes for the right price. From what Raphael said about the marks, or rather lack of marks, on the door, whoever got in were pros…they knew exactly what they were doing, and they could have done it without leaving a trace, just as they have, I am guessing, at the other rivals homes.
They break in, dig up any and every bit of dirt they can and anonymously turn it over to whomever it would cause the most problems. That is why nothing was missing, they weren't taking anything, they were just getting information...I am sure it was quite challenge for them, we had to get a government hacker to find all the information on you…"
Maryse gasped, outraged
"What!? Alexander! How could you do that? Why didn't you just ask us w-"
"Would have given me a bunch of half truths and condescension and a horde of other useless, crap that is a waste of time. We needed the information. We needed it to keep Max, my brother, YOUR youngest son, safe, and we didn't have time for the sanctimonious arrogance and false outrage that would accompany your answer. This isn't about your social standing or your crappy business practices or anything else like that. This is about Max.
This man sent criminals to YOUR house and had them rummage through your things to find any kind of blackmail material they could…and that's one thing, but they also purposefully let Max know they were in the house. They purposefully terrified him, let you know that they could get to him…
Everything about their actions says that they were intentionally terrifying him. They got his attention, they thrashed the house, shouted up the stairs so he could hear that they were coming his way…they tried to open his bedroom door…
They terrorized your FIFTEEN year old son.
This is not about you, not anymore…"
"Alexander, you cannot talk to us like this, like we are criminals. And you don't even know that was what happened, just because that psychic of yours th-"
"That isn't just what Magnus thinks…that is what the evidence shows. I have been on the force for over a decade, I have been a detective for nine years; I have been head detective for nearly four years, and the people I am working with right now? They are without a doubt the best team I have ever seen. This isn't some wild guess or crazy theory; this is not us grasping at straws and, despite what you think, what you are trying so hard to imply without actually saying, it is not me just trying to humor some guy I'm sleeping with:
This is what happened, this is why it happened and we need to get the man who orchestrated it and the people who carried it out, regardless of how uncomfortable it, or the people working it, may make you, so we can make sure Max is safe."
Maryse shook her head, huffing faintly, giving him one of her standard disappointed looks,
"Now really that's a bit harsh. This kind of treatment is really uncalled for. We-"
Alec stood up, cutting her off mid sentence
"No, you know what? Just stop. I am done listening to your excuses; I'm done listening to your justifications and condensation…the snide comments, the disappointed looks.
I am done trying to hide who I am because you don't like it.
YOU screwed up. Because of your actions, Max was put in danger. All me and my friends have done is try to help him, try to protect him… make him feel safe. And at every turn you have been nothing but condescending, dismissive, and outright hostile.
You were so DAMN afraid that Max would turn out gay that you purposely kept him away from the few people he actually felt safe around"
Robert shook his head, trying to explain
"Alec that's n-"
But Alec wasn't listening, this had just been too much, they'd went too far on this and he couldn't just ignore this like all the rest of it…not when it was Max that had been hurt by it.
He plowed right ahead
"Yeah, it is true. Your obsession with standing or image or whatever the hell you want to call it, your ignorance, caused your son, who has already been through hell this week, even more pain. And the only reason you did it was because you were worried that if he spent time around us he would turn out gay;
He would turn out like me…
Because god forbid that happens, right?
Never mind the fact that he could have died this week…never mind that there where criminals in our house, alone with him…never mind that he has slept all of two hours a night since it happened, because he keeps waking up with nightmares…
The absolute worst thing you can think of to happen to him is that he turns out like me…
Well, you know what?
For his sake, I hope he does.
I am happy.
I have a good job that I love, that gives me purpose, that allows me to help others and to do good.
I have siblings who love and support me. I have friends who I would trust with, not only my life, but the lives of any one of my siblings, because I know they would care what happens to them just as much as I do. I have support and acceptance and people who genuinely care what happens to me.
Even if that doesn't include my parents;
I am still okay, and for Max's sake, I hope he will be as well…"
"Alec, we ne-"
Alec shook his head
"Stop it.
Stop with the lies, or justifications, the reasoning's, stop the random, worthless excuses you use to make yourself feel better, make yourself feel that you are in the right, that you're not being the selfish, sanctimonious, self serving, close minded bigots that you actually are…
Just stop.
I don't care about any of that right now. I don't care what you think of me, or my friends or gay people in general or any of the rest of it.
This Man sent criminals to your home, knowing you had a young teenager in the house. I need to know everything you know about him, and what you did that was so bad that he would purposely threaten your fifteen year old son.
Just tell me what you know, the entire truth, so I can find him and find the people he sent and make sure that Max is safe.
That is the only thing that matters right now…"
Maryse and Robert look stricken; they glance between each other before looking back at Alec
"Y-yes, of course. We'll tell you anything we know." Maryse said softly
He sighed,
"Okay…what can you tell me about Kazimir?"
"He was our biggest competition; we set up a deal with him for access to Nelsons', one of his best businesses. There was a legal issue with the place and he brokered a deal that would allow us access in return for some extra coverage and assets that would allow the business to expand.
There was a stipulation in the contract that, if he failed to adequately show growth the majority share would transfer to us…he didn't so the transfer went through"
"So you used a hidden loophole that allowed you to cut the guy out of his best business, and it didn't occur to you that he would be a bit upset by that?"
Robert nodded
"Well, yes, he was for a while, but he is quite a wealthy man, he has a lot of businesses, the loss of one, even a fairly large one, wouldn't really hurt him too much. We have seen him a few times since and he's been fine"
Alec raised his eyebrow
"You have? How often have you seen him?"
"Umm…n-not that often. We run in the same circles, see each other at various social events and fundraisers."
"So, when was the last time you saw him?"
Maryse thought for a moment
"Actually, we saw him at the fundraiser the night of the break in"
Alec startled, leaning closer
"You did? How was he acting, anything unusual?"
They both looked at each other, before shaking their heads faintly
"No, not really, he seemed fairly normal. We saw him a few times, made small talk; he seemed in a fairly good mood, there was nothing really unusual." Robert offered, shrugging slightly
"You saw him a few times?"
Maryse nodded
"Yes, not too long after we arrived, once or twice throughout the evening, and just as we were getting ready to leave"
Alec tilted his head,
"That seems a bit excessive…what did you talk about?"
"I don't know really, nothing significant, just small talk… the weather, a few innocuous business deals, mutual friends, family, that kind of thing, just the usual." She said with a shrug
Alec startled, setting up straighter
"You talked about your family? What exactly did you say about your family?"
They set up a bit straighter at the question, looking a bit nervous
"Umm...j-just the usual kind of thing-"
"Did he say anything about Max?"
They thought for a moment, startling suddenly
"Y-yes…b-but that's a normal thing to ask about… he asked after all of you. We talked about his family too, his son Wilson who is going to take over the family business, and his daughter Catharine who just started premed…it was just small talk…wasn't it?" She asked, hesitantly
Alec shook his head
"What EXACTLY did he say, did he ask? About Max?"
They both thought for a moment, looking a bit pale
"I-I he asked how he was doing in school, if he was in any kind of clubs, that kind of thing…it was all normal."
Robert gasped faintly,
"What?"
"H-he, as we were leaving, he said it was nice to see us and to give all you his best…i-it at the time it just seemed like the usual platitude you'd say leaving, but…the way he said it…maybe it was off. He sounds like that sometimes, just an inflection…but, it- it almost seemed threatening…
But like I said he sometimes just sounds like that."
Alec shook his head
"I don't think it was 'just an inflection'…not this time."
"So, you re-"
Robert is cut off by a knock on the door, Officer Teagan coming in quietly
"Umm…s-sorry to interrupt, Detective Lightwood, but Raphael called, he got some information from Quest Dynamics…he thinks he found who the men were that Kazimir had commit the break-in. Me and sergeant Imari are heading out to pick them up…I thought you would like to know.
Also, Magnus is here, he said someone named Divya found the connection between Kazimir and the other break-ins, he was looking for you to go over it before we bring in Kazimir or the other two."
Alec looked at him in surprise
"That is really good to know. Thank you Kevin, let me know when you get back with them. I think you'll really like working with Maddie, she's great, taught me a lot when I first joined the force. Thank you for all your help on this"
He perked up, giving a slightly amazed smile, shaking his head
"Oh, t-thank you, really…I was happy to help"
Alec smiled at him nodding
"And you have a lot…you have been invaluable in this. I will definitely talk to Luke for you, the first chance I get"
"Really?!" he asked almost breathless, nearly bouncing
Alec smiled, nodding faintly
"Yeah…I really think you'd be a good fit here"
"Oh, thank you so much! I would love that! I'll let you know as soon as we get back…thank you again!"
He said, turning quickly, rushing out of the room
Alec shook his head, smiling faintly, before turning back to his parents, instantly sobering
"Thanks for your help; this will be a great asset in the interrogation. Thank you for your time" he said, turning, moving for the door
"A-Alec, wait…" Maryse said softly, standing up
He paused, turning back a bit
"Yes?"
"You don't really think that, do you? That we are disappointed in you? Th-what Max thought about what we were saying…that we ha-that we think so little of you? You don't really believe that…r-right?"
He sighed, taking a deep breath, shaking his head faintly, before looking back at them,
"Yes…I do believe that.
You guys have been disappointed in me since I was sixteen and told you I was gay. You haven't looked at me the same since, and you blame me for my siblings not being any straighter than I am. Max isn't the only one who's heard the disgust in your tone; he's just thankfully never heard it about himself, and I truly hope he never does, because I would hate for him to feel that kind of pain.
I have tried all this time to prove myself to you, to prove that I am the same, that I am okay, that I am not a failure, to get your approval…I have tried for nearly twenty years, and it has never been enough.
I have been close to hating myself for it; I have tried to hide it, walked on eggshells around you trying to keep from making it any worse, to keep from making you uncomfortable…
I am done with all that. I am just done.
You are my parents, and I love you, nothing changes that, but I am not going to act as if my personal life is some deep dark secret, some great embarrassment. I am going to live my life, I am going to spend time with the people I care about and I am not going to act like they are anything less to me just to make you feel less uncomfortable.
I hope you can accept that, because I have tried, I really have, but I can't give on this…I really can't."
He opens the door slipping out quietly…
_End Of Chapter Notes_
Name game
Adrian: The Dark One
Kazimir- Keeper OR Destroyer Of Peace
Okay so we're moving now, making progress…also I love Raphael tormenting Raj, that was fun…
I figure Divya knows he's just messing with Raj and it's all in fun. I like the idea of her wanting Raphael to teach her how to do intimidate people
Oh my god, I made myself cry again!
I think this story set a record for that for me
I know the last part went pretty emotional, but it kind of had to happen…if Alec is going to get over the stuff with his parents they all need to know where they stand.
I think this is the last super emotional part, we just have two more chapters, and I already have the 12th written (FYI it is total, unadulterated fluff…After all the emotional stuff in this we all could use it)
Anyways,
What do you think so far?