Justin
"I had to reschedule an interview with the mayor," Nikki said coldly, slamming my front door for added emphasis. "It took me two weeks to get a call back. Two. And that was with me leaving dozens of messages and e- mails. Another month to set up the meeting. And now I'm going to have to wait yet another three weeks now all because of you."
I gave her a tight smile. "You'll get over it."
Her eyes narrowed. "I've tried being a good friend. I've been helpful while you've been recovering. I've put off a few of my own projects to help you. But when you called my boss to get me here, you crossed a line."
With Jhondie's help, I had manage to get a scoop on a major story that was about to break and told the Times that if they wanted it, Nikki was going to be given to me to assist for a few days. If not, I was going to hand it over to the Tribune. Nikki had been pulled off of all of her projects and handed to me like a harem slave. Kind of funny in a way. And I got paid a very nice bonus for scooping all of the other news organizations, not that the money mattered, but it was rather nice to see.
I had asked Nikki, but she had blown me off. She was busy and didn't have time. She had done what she could while I was in the hospital, but she didn't have time to do all of the grunt work for me. Actually, she was just feeling some competitive edge because I was freelance and ended up with a page one story before she did and she worked at the paper. Above the fold too. First that and then I nearly died for my profession. She wasn't going to let me get that far ahead of her.
"If you can lay off the complaining for about ten minutes, I think you'll be a very happy woman," I said, grabbing my crutches and painfully getting to my feet. With how badly the bones had been broken, there had been some tendon damage as well and that took twice as long to heal. I was going to be in a regular cast for another month and then a walking cast for at least another month after that. Everything else was pretty much healed. There were a few scars, but all things considering, I wasn't going to complain.
Nikki didn't say a word. She set her watch alarm to go off in ten minutes. I sighed and headed to my office, a pissed-off redhead following me. I sat down at my computer, adjusting the camera as she plopped down in the other chair, glaring silent daggers at me. Finally I turned to face her.
"You know I run on the edge," I said. "That's how I get the good stories. I don't have to worry about getting nailed with a review board demanding answers and the only thing that kills my stories are the censors."
Nikki blinked. I was echoing a lot of her complaints that the real issues keep getting dumped on and covered up when someone higher on the food chain doesn't want something out in the open. But I could go to somewhere else and get it published. She didn't have that luxury; she needed the steady paycheck. "I'm edgy too," she said firmly. "You know I don't back off because there's a little heat."
"I know you don't," I replied. "You've said walk right into the fires of hell if it meant getting a story that would right a wrong. But there's something I need to know. Do you mean that? Don't just say yes. Think about it. How far are you willing to go?"
Nikki didn't like being challenged like this. She hated having her ethics called into question because she didn't have a whole hell of a lot. She said it was for a good cause, but I was willing to bet she had never really had to think about what it meant. She thought for a long moment, staring at a spot on the wall before swinging her gaze back to me.
"If I don't try," she finally said, "then who will? I know, there are guys like you, other people trying, but *I* have to do something. Most people are going through this world with their eyes glued shut. They don't want to see and they don't want to know. But once you've opened your eyes, the only choices are to ignore it or do something about it. I can't go back and pretend I haven't seen some of the stuff I have."
"You still haven't said how far you would go," I pushed. "Are you willing to sacrifice all personal glory if it meant being able to really do something about it? You take all the risks, have to accept all of the danger and never, ever can tell anyone that you were the one behind it. All the work, no pay except for personal satisfaction. How far are you willing to go?"
It was like someone had lit a fire in her eyes. "Even if I turned over all of my really hot stuff to you, stuff that wouldn't make it past the editors, you couldn't publish it under your byline. You have to deal with the censors too."
"Do I?"
The question spun lazily between us. Her eyes widened. "I have stuff that makes yours look like a Sunday-School review," she challenged. "If there's a way to get it out, then I don't care who gets the glory. People need to hear it, even if they don't want to."
I grinned. As I spoke, I keyed in a code on my computer. "Just keep in mind that if you kill me, you get no part in this."
Her brow creased in confusion. But then I wished more than anything that I had a camera when the now-familiar red, white and blue lines appeared across the screen and Eyes Only appeared on my computer. We had arranged the meeting time and the code was my way of letting him know I was ready on my side. Nikki's jaw dropped, any hope for keeping a poker face gone in a flash.
"LA," Eyes Only greeted. "I received your last packet. Good to have you back."
I smirked at Nikki. "Anything over Sunday-School review goes to him. Trust me, you haven't seen the half of what I've done." She managed to make a squeaky noise. I turned back to the computer screen. "I wanted you to meet a friend of mine, and fellow crusader. She's been looking for an outlet for the truth and LAX isn't going to be able to work with me for much longer."
I could tell the boss was rather curious, but I wasn't going to go into details. He was just going to have to take my word on it. I knew Jhondie had struggled a lot to keep up with the Eyes Only and her own education. It had been easier on me when I was in college because that's what I wanted to do with my life, plus I had her. Now she was aiming in a totally different direction and it wasn't fair if I kept her trapped in a place she didn't need to stay in. Once she started medical school, that's where she was going to need to concentrate. I wanted Nikki to know now so that by the time Jhondie had to be totally out, Nikki would be fully up to speed.
Nikki looked at me, her eyes still huge. "Is this for real?" she breathed. "If this is some kind of joke, you're a dead man."
"Talk to the man," I suggested. "I've been working with him for a few years now. You wanted to know how close to the edge I was willing to go. Now you know. The question is, are you willing to run the same edge?"
The shock was fading and her lips folded up into an excited smile. I had seen that look. It was the one a cat had right before it pounced on a mouse. "I'm Nikki," she introduced to the man on the screen. I went to say something about not using names but she stopped me with a look. "Use all the code you want. I'm proud of who I am." She turned back to the screen. "And you have no idea how much we have to talk about."
She wasn't kidding either. We were online with the boss for at least an hour, maybe closer to two. She talked to him about several things that she knew would be shot down by the censors and he was able to give her good guidelines on what he would require before a hack would be done. She looked like a small child opening up a Christmas gift and finding a puppy inside.
He and I talked about a hack he was planning on for LA and Nikki was looking at me with new respect. I didn't have to say it, but she had already figured out that most of the LA-based hacks were direct from me. Eyes Only was merely the messenger. I knew she would want to know how I managed to get so much of my stuff, but that was going to have to remain a secret. Eyes Only was all well and good, but Jhondie was never going to be revealed by me.
Finally he had to go and the screen went black. Nikki sat back in her chair, eyes looking a little glazed. I smirked. "So, what was that little meeting you had to postpone?"
She finally looked at me directly. "I just spoke to Eyes Only," she said sounding dazed. "Have you ever...really?"
I shook my head. "No. That's the cardinal rule. Don't ask him anything about who he is. That way, you can never be forced to tell. We're the grunts and do the work, but without him, none of it matters anyways."
She nodded and then her eyes darkened as she looked at me suspiciously. "How long have you known him?"
I shrugged. "I've been working for him since I was in college," I replied. "I had been submitting stuff for a while before we spoke face to face. But I would say for almost the last two years I've been the official LA point man."
Without warning, she shrieked and dove for me, her arms outstretched, fingers wrapping around my throat.
Jhondie
If I had been the jealous type Nikki would have gotten rather hurt when I walked into Justin's apartment. She was practically straddling him, trying to strangle him. He was easily peeling her hands from his throat and laughing at her.
"Any reason in particular you're trying to kill my fiancée?" I asked from the doorway.
Nikki stood up quickly, shooting a nervous glance at Justin. He laughed. "I just introduced her to Eyes Only," he explained. She blinked and I realized she wasn't sure if I knew.
"So Jhondie knew all about this, but you couldn't tell me?" Nikki huffed.
Justin just grinned. "She's cuter."
Nikki glared. "I got involved sort of by accident," I explained to her. "This was before we started dating. And we worked together pretty well." I looked at Justin. "I didn't know you were planning on telling anyone."
Nikki had the instinct to know when she needed to get out of a place. Wish Justin had that. She glanced at her watch. "Well, I now have a ton of stuff I need to do. I'll call when I'm ready to send some stuff up to him."
Justin nodded. "And Nikki," he said before she could take off. "Dink has no idea. Very few people do. And it needs to be kept that way."
Nikki nodded. "Dink and I have an understanding that he doesn't ask about my sources and I won't question him about his. See you later." And with that, she ducked out of the apartment.
I sat down in the chair she had recently vacated. "I can't believe you told her," I said softly. I knew I should be relieved but instead I felt disappointed.
"I'm not being fair to you and I know that," Justin replied, taking my hand. "Don't think I didn't see how much you were run ragged trying to do everything for the month I was in the hospital."
"And I got it done," I pointed out.
"Only because you don't sleep." Okay, he had a point there. "But it's still not fair. You have other things you need to focus on and I know that this isn't something you want to sacrifice medical school for." That's two points, damn him.
"I have no intention of running out on you," I protested. "You of all people should know how important this is to me."
He smiled softly. "I do know. But I think you're going to find a lot more personal redemption when you walk into a waiting room and tell a family that their son is going to pull through after a car accident. Because that's what you want. This has been for me, and I know that. I want you to have time for you."
It felt so much like the end of an era for us. "You know that if you need me to lend a hand with some B & E, I don't mind keeping the skills sharp, right?"
Justin laughed. "As long as I get to think of a way to thank you."
I blushed and laughed with him. "I've got some stuff over at my house that Nikki should have," I said. "We could pick it up and get it to her tonight."
Justin nodded and slowly got to his feet. He was quiet until we got in the car. "Too bad we have to go all the way over to your house to get your stuff," he commented casually.
I blinked. "Where else would it be?" He just looked at me. "Oh."
"No pressure," he said. "The offer is always open, you know that."
I smiled. "I do. I've been thinking a lot about it too." He perked up, looking hopeful. "Things with Kay have calmed down a lot. Even with Kat still around." He laughed. Kat was supposed to pick up Kayla after ballet this evening and they were going to a movie or something like that. I wasn't worried anymore about them going somewhere other than where they said they were going to go. I had kept tabs on them for a while and it appeared Kat's change of heart was quite genuine.
"I'm worried about leaving my mom alone," I finally said. "I know she's lonely. But I do want to be with you." I paused. "Let me think about it, okay? Not like I'm practically living with you now or anything." That was worth a smile. It was true. All I needed to do was a change of address at school and move Cody's litter box to the apartment to officially move in.
We got to my house and walked in. I wished later that I had gone in through the garage and seen Mom's car. It might have made for a better situation. At the time, all I saw was an empty driveway and the house was locked. I opened the front door and we walked in. There was this weird noise.
I paused, confused as to what it was. "Sounds like the washing machine is off balance," I muttered.
Justin's eyes widened. "No..." he said slowly. "We should go..."
I think he meant to say more, but it suddenly hit me that the noise wasn't coming from the laundry room. It was from upstairs. Kayla, I thought furiously. She had been out on a couple of dates with this boy, a nice kid, and now Mom was supposed to work late or something...
I was up the stairs in a flash, Justin struggling to follow me without killing himself on the stairs with the crutches. Too late. I burst through Mom's bedroom door, ready to kill the kid twice, once for faking us all and the second for using Mom's room because the bed was bigger.
It wasn't Kayla.
All the breath in my body wooshed out, the blood dropping to my feet as I saw my mother and Justin's father scrambling to cover themselves with the sheets.
"I had to reschedule an interview with the mayor," Nikki said coldly, slamming my front door for added emphasis. "It took me two weeks to get a call back. Two. And that was with me leaving dozens of messages and e- mails. Another month to set up the meeting. And now I'm going to have to wait yet another three weeks now all because of you."
I gave her a tight smile. "You'll get over it."
Her eyes narrowed. "I've tried being a good friend. I've been helpful while you've been recovering. I've put off a few of my own projects to help you. But when you called my boss to get me here, you crossed a line."
With Jhondie's help, I had manage to get a scoop on a major story that was about to break and told the Times that if they wanted it, Nikki was going to be given to me to assist for a few days. If not, I was going to hand it over to the Tribune. Nikki had been pulled off of all of her projects and handed to me like a harem slave. Kind of funny in a way. And I got paid a very nice bonus for scooping all of the other news organizations, not that the money mattered, but it was rather nice to see.
I had asked Nikki, but she had blown me off. She was busy and didn't have time. She had done what she could while I was in the hospital, but she didn't have time to do all of the grunt work for me. Actually, she was just feeling some competitive edge because I was freelance and ended up with a page one story before she did and she worked at the paper. Above the fold too. First that and then I nearly died for my profession. She wasn't going to let me get that far ahead of her.
"If you can lay off the complaining for about ten minutes, I think you'll be a very happy woman," I said, grabbing my crutches and painfully getting to my feet. With how badly the bones had been broken, there had been some tendon damage as well and that took twice as long to heal. I was going to be in a regular cast for another month and then a walking cast for at least another month after that. Everything else was pretty much healed. There were a few scars, but all things considering, I wasn't going to complain.
Nikki didn't say a word. She set her watch alarm to go off in ten minutes. I sighed and headed to my office, a pissed-off redhead following me. I sat down at my computer, adjusting the camera as she plopped down in the other chair, glaring silent daggers at me. Finally I turned to face her.
"You know I run on the edge," I said. "That's how I get the good stories. I don't have to worry about getting nailed with a review board demanding answers and the only thing that kills my stories are the censors."
Nikki blinked. I was echoing a lot of her complaints that the real issues keep getting dumped on and covered up when someone higher on the food chain doesn't want something out in the open. But I could go to somewhere else and get it published. She didn't have that luxury; she needed the steady paycheck. "I'm edgy too," she said firmly. "You know I don't back off because there's a little heat."
"I know you don't," I replied. "You've said walk right into the fires of hell if it meant getting a story that would right a wrong. But there's something I need to know. Do you mean that? Don't just say yes. Think about it. How far are you willing to go?"
Nikki didn't like being challenged like this. She hated having her ethics called into question because she didn't have a whole hell of a lot. She said it was for a good cause, but I was willing to bet she had never really had to think about what it meant. She thought for a long moment, staring at a spot on the wall before swinging her gaze back to me.
"If I don't try," she finally said, "then who will? I know, there are guys like you, other people trying, but *I* have to do something. Most people are going through this world with their eyes glued shut. They don't want to see and they don't want to know. But once you've opened your eyes, the only choices are to ignore it or do something about it. I can't go back and pretend I haven't seen some of the stuff I have."
"You still haven't said how far you would go," I pushed. "Are you willing to sacrifice all personal glory if it meant being able to really do something about it? You take all the risks, have to accept all of the danger and never, ever can tell anyone that you were the one behind it. All the work, no pay except for personal satisfaction. How far are you willing to go?"
It was like someone had lit a fire in her eyes. "Even if I turned over all of my really hot stuff to you, stuff that wouldn't make it past the editors, you couldn't publish it under your byline. You have to deal with the censors too."
"Do I?"
The question spun lazily between us. Her eyes widened. "I have stuff that makes yours look like a Sunday-School review," she challenged. "If there's a way to get it out, then I don't care who gets the glory. People need to hear it, even if they don't want to."
I grinned. As I spoke, I keyed in a code on my computer. "Just keep in mind that if you kill me, you get no part in this."
Her brow creased in confusion. But then I wished more than anything that I had a camera when the now-familiar red, white and blue lines appeared across the screen and Eyes Only appeared on my computer. We had arranged the meeting time and the code was my way of letting him know I was ready on my side. Nikki's jaw dropped, any hope for keeping a poker face gone in a flash.
"LA," Eyes Only greeted. "I received your last packet. Good to have you back."
I smirked at Nikki. "Anything over Sunday-School review goes to him. Trust me, you haven't seen the half of what I've done." She managed to make a squeaky noise. I turned back to the computer screen. "I wanted you to meet a friend of mine, and fellow crusader. She's been looking for an outlet for the truth and LAX isn't going to be able to work with me for much longer."
I could tell the boss was rather curious, but I wasn't going to go into details. He was just going to have to take my word on it. I knew Jhondie had struggled a lot to keep up with the Eyes Only and her own education. It had been easier on me when I was in college because that's what I wanted to do with my life, plus I had her. Now she was aiming in a totally different direction and it wasn't fair if I kept her trapped in a place she didn't need to stay in. Once she started medical school, that's where she was going to need to concentrate. I wanted Nikki to know now so that by the time Jhondie had to be totally out, Nikki would be fully up to speed.
Nikki looked at me, her eyes still huge. "Is this for real?" she breathed. "If this is some kind of joke, you're a dead man."
"Talk to the man," I suggested. "I've been working with him for a few years now. You wanted to know how close to the edge I was willing to go. Now you know. The question is, are you willing to run the same edge?"
The shock was fading and her lips folded up into an excited smile. I had seen that look. It was the one a cat had right before it pounced on a mouse. "I'm Nikki," she introduced to the man on the screen. I went to say something about not using names but she stopped me with a look. "Use all the code you want. I'm proud of who I am." She turned back to the screen. "And you have no idea how much we have to talk about."
She wasn't kidding either. We were online with the boss for at least an hour, maybe closer to two. She talked to him about several things that she knew would be shot down by the censors and he was able to give her good guidelines on what he would require before a hack would be done. She looked like a small child opening up a Christmas gift and finding a puppy inside.
He and I talked about a hack he was planning on for LA and Nikki was looking at me with new respect. I didn't have to say it, but she had already figured out that most of the LA-based hacks were direct from me. Eyes Only was merely the messenger. I knew she would want to know how I managed to get so much of my stuff, but that was going to have to remain a secret. Eyes Only was all well and good, but Jhondie was never going to be revealed by me.
Finally he had to go and the screen went black. Nikki sat back in her chair, eyes looking a little glazed. I smirked. "So, what was that little meeting you had to postpone?"
She finally looked at me directly. "I just spoke to Eyes Only," she said sounding dazed. "Have you ever...really?"
I shook my head. "No. That's the cardinal rule. Don't ask him anything about who he is. That way, you can never be forced to tell. We're the grunts and do the work, but without him, none of it matters anyways."
She nodded and then her eyes darkened as she looked at me suspiciously. "How long have you known him?"
I shrugged. "I've been working for him since I was in college," I replied. "I had been submitting stuff for a while before we spoke face to face. But I would say for almost the last two years I've been the official LA point man."
Without warning, she shrieked and dove for me, her arms outstretched, fingers wrapping around my throat.
Jhondie
If I had been the jealous type Nikki would have gotten rather hurt when I walked into Justin's apartment. She was practically straddling him, trying to strangle him. He was easily peeling her hands from his throat and laughing at her.
"Any reason in particular you're trying to kill my fiancée?" I asked from the doorway.
Nikki stood up quickly, shooting a nervous glance at Justin. He laughed. "I just introduced her to Eyes Only," he explained. She blinked and I realized she wasn't sure if I knew.
"So Jhondie knew all about this, but you couldn't tell me?" Nikki huffed.
Justin just grinned. "She's cuter."
Nikki glared. "I got involved sort of by accident," I explained to her. "This was before we started dating. And we worked together pretty well." I looked at Justin. "I didn't know you were planning on telling anyone."
Nikki had the instinct to know when she needed to get out of a place. Wish Justin had that. She glanced at her watch. "Well, I now have a ton of stuff I need to do. I'll call when I'm ready to send some stuff up to him."
Justin nodded. "And Nikki," he said before she could take off. "Dink has no idea. Very few people do. And it needs to be kept that way."
Nikki nodded. "Dink and I have an understanding that he doesn't ask about my sources and I won't question him about his. See you later." And with that, she ducked out of the apartment.
I sat down in the chair she had recently vacated. "I can't believe you told her," I said softly. I knew I should be relieved but instead I felt disappointed.
"I'm not being fair to you and I know that," Justin replied, taking my hand. "Don't think I didn't see how much you were run ragged trying to do everything for the month I was in the hospital."
"And I got it done," I pointed out.
"Only because you don't sleep." Okay, he had a point there. "But it's still not fair. You have other things you need to focus on and I know that this isn't something you want to sacrifice medical school for." That's two points, damn him.
"I have no intention of running out on you," I protested. "You of all people should know how important this is to me."
He smiled softly. "I do know. But I think you're going to find a lot more personal redemption when you walk into a waiting room and tell a family that their son is going to pull through after a car accident. Because that's what you want. This has been for me, and I know that. I want you to have time for you."
It felt so much like the end of an era for us. "You know that if you need me to lend a hand with some B & E, I don't mind keeping the skills sharp, right?"
Justin laughed. "As long as I get to think of a way to thank you."
I blushed and laughed with him. "I've got some stuff over at my house that Nikki should have," I said. "We could pick it up and get it to her tonight."
Justin nodded and slowly got to his feet. He was quiet until we got in the car. "Too bad we have to go all the way over to your house to get your stuff," he commented casually.
I blinked. "Where else would it be?" He just looked at me. "Oh."
"No pressure," he said. "The offer is always open, you know that."
I smiled. "I do. I've been thinking a lot about it too." He perked up, looking hopeful. "Things with Kay have calmed down a lot. Even with Kat still around." He laughed. Kat was supposed to pick up Kayla after ballet this evening and they were going to a movie or something like that. I wasn't worried anymore about them going somewhere other than where they said they were going to go. I had kept tabs on them for a while and it appeared Kat's change of heart was quite genuine.
"I'm worried about leaving my mom alone," I finally said. "I know she's lonely. But I do want to be with you." I paused. "Let me think about it, okay? Not like I'm practically living with you now or anything." That was worth a smile. It was true. All I needed to do was a change of address at school and move Cody's litter box to the apartment to officially move in.
We got to my house and walked in. I wished later that I had gone in through the garage and seen Mom's car. It might have made for a better situation. At the time, all I saw was an empty driveway and the house was locked. I opened the front door and we walked in. There was this weird noise.
I paused, confused as to what it was. "Sounds like the washing machine is off balance," I muttered.
Justin's eyes widened. "No..." he said slowly. "We should go..."
I think he meant to say more, but it suddenly hit me that the noise wasn't coming from the laundry room. It was from upstairs. Kayla, I thought furiously. She had been out on a couple of dates with this boy, a nice kid, and now Mom was supposed to work late or something...
I was up the stairs in a flash, Justin struggling to follow me without killing himself on the stairs with the crutches. Too late. I burst through Mom's bedroom door, ready to kill the kid twice, once for faking us all and the second for using Mom's room because the bed was bigger.
It wasn't Kayla.
All the breath in my body wooshed out, the blood dropping to my feet as I saw my mother and Justin's father scrambling to cover themselves with the sheets.