Alec tossed his phone on his desk and rubbed his forehead. Trust Magnus to get wrapped up with a damn accountant that was smart enough to scam the government. He'd been pouring over Magnus' finances for the past few hours and he could already tell shit was about to get real. Not to mention Camille had started moving large chunks of her assets only yesterday. It was incredibly suspicious.
He'd found about 30 different shell corporations she was making payments to using the club as a front. Interestingly, she wasn't actively trying to blackmail or frame Magnus. His name was 100% clean. Alec read over his file, and he had to wonder if it had anything to do with Magnus' father. Notorious crime boss that he was, it made sense if she was somehow working for or with him.
He knew who he was. Everyone in their group did. Magnus had made a point of talking to all of them over the years. He had felt it was better for everyone to know the truth rather than find out about it and be hurt by the news. Alec knew he had very little interaction with Asmodeus, but it was still interesting the way Camille steered clear of Magnus. Going with his gut, he sent off a couple of emails to have the analysts see how often Camille and Asmodeus' travel plans lined up.
She'd actually been relatively smart for a money launderer, she moved small quantities and she moved them on busy nights at the club, but she never raised eyebrows with larger than normal influxes. He nodded at one of the interns when they came into his office to give him a file.
"Sir, Director Garroway asked that I give this to you." It was a file on a murder. Alec scrunched his brow. The intern continued, "he said one of the known locations for this guy to hang out was Pandemonium. He said it might be useful to you."
Alec nodded in thanks and the kid went back to his desk. Alec flipped through the file but didn't see anything too interesting. The guy, Valentine, reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. So he threw the picture on his desk, maybe it would come to him if it was out in the open.
Sometime later he actually heard Magnus before he saw him. Greeting those he knew with light laughs and friendly handshakes. Alec stood in his office door waiting for Magnus to make his way over. He smiled watching Magnus in his space, he definitely stood out, but he was comfortable and relaxed. A thought came to him, and he couldn't help the driving need to see it done. Stepping fully out of his office Magnus immediately turned to him with a smile, so Alec met him halfway with a kiss. In the center of his office.
Magnus eyes went wide and his expression was one of complete befuddlement. Alec smiled down at him and said "I won't make you think for a second you're something for me to hide, and I won't be something you consider shameful."
"Word for word quote, my my Alexander you are a wonder." Magnus lifted up and kissed Alec's cheek. Alec just looked at him and smiled fondly then grabbed his hand and led him back to his office.
"Make yourself comfortable, I've put together a bit of a summary." Alec pulled some folders from his desk, and walked around it to sit in the chair beside Magnus. He'd laid it out as simply as he was able. Letting Magnus go over what he'd found was difficult because he didn't like to see the slump in his shoulders or the way he stiffened as he came across parts of the report. Camille was an underhanded bitch.
"So that's it then. She really has been trying to destroy my…"Magnus trailed off and turned to look out the window of Alec's office. The light from the window illuminated his profile and Alec was struck by just how deeply he was attracted to the man beside him. Magnus drew in a calming breath and stood up from the chair placing the file on Alec's desk. "Thank you Alexander, for everything." Magnus picked up the picture of Valentine on Alec's desk, and his eyes went wide. Then he closed them and took a deep breath. "I'll be in touch." Without any further explanation he turned to the door.
Alec was in shock. Magnus wasn't just going to leave was he, but it looked that way. Alec quickly stood up and grabbed his arm. "Magnus stop, just wait."
Magnus very gently pried Alec's hand off of his arm squeezing his fingers as he released him. "Darling, there's nothing left to say. You have been very thorough. I understand what I need to do." As every word came out of Magnus' mouth, Alec could see him pulling in on himself. Closing off. Alec ignored everything he was saying and pulled him into his arms. "Alec…"
"Magnus, I didn't bring you here to tell you what you already know. I brought you here to make a plan. I'm not going to let anything happen to you or your club." Magnus felt like a brick in his arms, so Alec pulled back and put his hands on Magnus' shoulders, but Magnus jerked out of his arms and looked at him harshly.
"You can't promise that Alec, you can't, so don't do this to me." Magnus headed towards his door, and Alec watched helplessly as he very proudly made his way out of the building. Head held high, confidently leaving Alec to wonder what the hell he'd done wrong.
8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8Maia frowned at Raphael as he sat on a stool at her bar. This was not his scene even if it was 11AM and they didn't open for another few hours, he stayed well away from places like this. He worked with the local homeless youth sure, but the last place she'd ever expect him to be was prowling around a nightclub. There he was though.
"Raphael, how'd you get in." She let her disapproval come through as she said his name.
Raphael looked down at the bar. "I wanted to ask you some questions, and I helped Louis out of a tight spot last year so he let me in."
She raised her brow at that, but Raphael was good people. "Sure. What's up?"
From his jacket pocket Raphael took out three photos of kids. "These three kids have all disappeared from the shelters and streets in the past few weeks. Then the police found they'd all been killed. There's more from what I understand, but these are the one's that I know."
Maia knew the stories she'd seen it all on the news. "Yeah I know, what's going on Raphael?"
"You know I help Clary and Jace out sometimes when they're trying to get information. Well one of my people said that the kids had all been seen with a man that hung out here pretty regularly. I was just wondering if you could ask around?"
Maia frowned but nodded, eager to help out if she could. "Of course. I'll let you know if I come across anything."
Raphael nodded in thanks and quickly left the club. Maia wiped down the bar area and went over the bar prep thinking about Meliorn. He tended to get a little bit closer to the club patrons than Maia did, so she made a point to remember to ask him when he got to work.
8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8Alec was well on his way to rage, having passed pissed off when he'd watched Magnus walk out of his office. He hadn't answered his phone in two hours and now Alec was left staring at the picture of the man on his desk remembering just how Magnus had reacted to it. There had been subtle recognition, and then he'd lit out of Alec's office so fast he hadn't been able to catch his breath.
Something had been niggling at Alec's gut for days. The dark haired woman in the club, Lydia, Jace's investigation of the murdered kids, it was all pulling him in so many directions he couldn't think straight. What he did know was that Magnus was at the center of it. Something was gathering around him, and Alec was worried as hell. Not that he didn't imagine Magnus could take care of himself, but he'd feel a hell of a lot better if Magnus hadn't pushed him away.
He didn't have enough information, staring at the dead man's picture and squeeze his hand into a fist, the man's face was pulling at him. Dammit he mumbled. He didn't have enough information, but he knew how to get it. Picking up the keys to his SUV, he jogged out of the office shooting a quick text to Luke.
He drove by Magnus' apartment first checking his parking spot to see if he'd gone home, he hadn't and Alec cursed. Driving by the club got the same results. He very carefully thought about calling his sister, but he didn't want to dump his drama on her quite yet. If, after his errand Magnus hadn't answered, he'd call her. Camille wasn't dangerous, as far as he could tell so far, but not knowing where Magnus was made him worry. And pressure could drive people to do the damndest things.
Alec pulled up to the nice colonial and stepped out of his SUV, stepping onto the front porch he knocked on the door briskly.
"Hello Alec." Lydia said from her open front door.
Alec glared and crossed his arms over his chest.
She deflated just the slightest bit. "You'd better come in and sit." Alec followed her into the house and dropped into a chair at her dinning room table. "I don't know where to start."
"Why don't you start with why the hell you're lying to me? Or what the hell it is you're after?" Alec snapped.
"It's personal." She said as she dropped a cup of coffee on the table in front of him. "And it's dangerous."
Alec hooked an ankle over his knee and leaned back in his chair, "well why don't you tell me why I shouldn't be pissed at you then. I at the very least thought we were friends Lydia. This feels like a set up."
She nodded. "In a way it is, but not in the way you think."
"Spit it out." Alec all but growled at her.
She sat down at the table. "Two years ago, I got put on an international sex trafficking case that had been through at least 5 different case leads over the years prior. No one could do anything, no one could find any evidence, the kids were bought and sold with no discernible chatter. Vice is mostly local, we very rarely handle cross city cases, but my boss was very adamant that I do what I could. So I got to work, and I got a lead, and then I woke up one morning to the news that my husband was never coming home."
Well fuck thought Alec. Everyone knew that Lydia's husband had died. He was in the military, a Marine, and he'd been killed overseas. "What happened?" He asked gently.
Lydia's eyes were burning with rage as she recounted the story. "I received an email from an untraceable source that told me if I had backed off he would still be alive." Alec nodded. That was the wrong move with Lydia, she had clearly dug her heels in. "I was pulled from the case obviously when I turned over the email, but Luke came to me a month later and quietly put me back on it with my higher ups approval. We have managed to save a lot of kids over the last year and do so very quietly, but we're not really any closer to nailing the culprits."
"What has all of this got to do with me? Why lie Lydia?" Alec was exasperated.
"To be honest when you first contacted me I panicked. Then I had a brilliant idea. Or what I thought was a brilliant idea." She looked at him so hopefully that he couldn't help but wave for her to go on. "Luke came to me about this case and you're pretty well known in law enforcement circles as someone who solves cases, and when I ran it by Luke he agreed." Alec could feel his temper simmering again.
"You talked to my boss?"
Lydia rolled her eyes. "Yes I talked to your boss, he talked to me first." She said huffily. "Anyway, you're not really cleared for my kind of field work. You've never been a field agent, and I've lost several of my under covers to this case." She pressed a hand to her chest, clearly remembering her lost team members."They wind up in the river, or they just don't wake up one morning. I've been to more funerals than I care to count." She sipped her coffee lost a little bit to her thoughts. "I thought I'd do the whole match making thing for you and see how you handled yourself in social situations, under pressure, in the field, uncomfortable situations, and if you kept an awareness or if you really did belong behind a desk."
Alec stood up from the table, "You're telling me this was a job interview?" he said incredulously.
She shrugged, "Well yeah I guess when you say it like that it seems weird."
Alec crossed his arms over his chest as he glared down at her. "A little weird! Are you insan…" He trailed off. "The dark haired woman in the club works for you."
"Aline. She'll be pleased to know you clocked her." Lydia said smugly.
Alec started pacing. "What does Pandemonium have to do with sex trafficking?" Alec asked warily thinking of Magnus and his complete shut down this morning.
"The club itself, nothing. Its patrons on the other hand, several regulars are suspects and we know that buying and selling meetings are arranged in the VIP area."
"That's why you're after Magnus."
"Actually, it's less him and more his father."
Alec stopped pacing and had a bit of a dawning realization. "Fuck" he said out loud. Lydia sat up straight in her chair and looked at him inquiringly. "Camille. Look into Camille. I've got something to take care of." He turned to leave but Lydia scrambled after him.
"Wait Alec, what about working for this team?" Alec paused but didn't turn around.
"I'll call Luke. This was stupid Lydia, you should have just asked me."
"I didn't want to see another agent dead because I have bad instincts. Luke assured me it would be fine, but I wanted Aline to see." Alec finally turned to look at her, and he was struck by how small she was in this space. This case was wearing on her, had worn her down enough that she was scared to bring others into it. Alec could see that. Rubbing a hand across his face he nodded at her and turned to leave.
8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8Camille ignored her phone, knowing it would probably be Asmodeus and she was so far beyond fucked right now words couldn't begin to describe. Jitters had been running through her since she got off the phone with Hodge. He'd seen the report at the same time she had,the police had found Valentine's body, and it wasn't nearly as clean as it should have been. Hodge was right on time as he pulled into the empty parking lot. They rolled their windows down and she looked at him furious.
"I'm going to have to kill him. If he remembers anything, this whole operation goes under, it's bigger than the boss's kid Camille." Hodge said immediately.
Camille felt a pang of regret. Magnus was a good person, he just had to get in her damn way. With a sigh, she stared at the man across from her. Asmodeus must never find out. If he had even an inkling of what they were planning, death would be a mercy. "You can't outsource it, not like last time. You must take care of it personally." She said waspishly.
Hodge nodded.
"I don't have to tell you what will happen to us if Asmodeus finds out." She couldn't really disguise the fear or her rolling stomach as they sat there in the mid-afternoon day and discussed killing Magnus.
Hodge nodded again.
She glowered but waved her hand. She sat there and watched him drive away. Her stomach was in knots. Rolling knots. Getting out of her car she stood in the parking lot and took deep even breaths. Her hands were shaking and she couldn't quite grasp the control that usually came to her so easily. Pressure surrounded her, and she bent over to try and control her breathing but that just made the dizziness overwhelm her. Stumbling to the back of her car she braced herself and threw up what little she'd eaten that morning. Horror filled her. Her skin clammy as she reached into the car to pull a tissue from her purse and wipe her lips.
She hadn't cried since she was 16, and she wasn't going to start today. But fuck, did she want to.
Getting back in her car she resigned herself to the decision that she'd already made. There was no going back, there had never been any going back. Not since the first shipment of kids had been sold. She'd cashed her check and known damn well it was her soul she was committing to hell. She'd just never thought killing Magnus would be part of that path. Resolute in her choice, she drove back to the club.
8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8Alec slipped in the back door of the club with a relieved shake. He might not be what Lydia considered a field agent, he didn't work in the underbelly of the city, most of the criminals he dealt with were scamming corporations, not trafficking kids, but he knew how to get into places he didn't necessarily need to be. He had been raised with Jace and Izzy, and just because he didn't partake didn't mean he didn't know how.
With a sick twist to his mouth he was a little insulted by all of this, but he kind of got where she was coming from. Slipping up the stairs and down the hall to the offices. Trying Camille's door, he wasn't surprised to find it locked. Dropping to his knees he made quick work of picking it. 30 seconds. Jace would be disappointed. Stepping into Camille's office, he was looking for something. In Lydia's house he finally remembered where he'd seen the dead man's face on his desk, this club the night he'd gone dancing. And if he wasn't off base, that guy had been up to something, though he wasn't entirely sure what. Knowing Camille was up to something, suspecting someone else was up to something, he wondered if the two would collide.
Tossing Camille's office wouldn't net him any evidence in an official capacity, but having a look wouldn't hurt anything. Pulling her phone, thank god for digital ones these days, he pulled her call log and took pictures of all the numbers. He opened her drawers and dug through them a bit. Then he did what he came here to do, he placed a bug under her desk and four more on her shelves and in her lights. Not official, but useful nevertheless.
He slipped across the hall into Magnus' office and took a snap of his call logs as well. Timing in calls could sometimes be just as important as the content of the call. If someone was contacting Camille and turning right around to contact Magnus, that would be an interesting development. He opened the side drawer and wanted to bang his head against the desk. Magnus had his damn security codes for his house and other sensitive information sitting right there. Alec ripped off the sticky note and crumpled it up in his pocket. Vowing to yell at the idiot.
The club was still technically closed, and Magnus' car still wasn't here, and he hadn't called. Alec wasn't a particularly violent man, but he wanted to punch something. Worry for Magnus was eating at him. He called his boss when he got back into his SUV.
"Garraway."
"Dick."
"Ah Lydia came clean."
"Funny how I didn't even have to hint, you knew it was shitty."
"An interesting exercise. You don't have to say yes."
"Like I'm going to say no. Parameters?"
"You'll be officially loaned to local PD without a full transfer. It'll go down in the paperwork as interagency cooperation. You'll have our resources at your disposal, but still be bound by local precinct jurisdiction."
"And the end goal?"
"Find and take off the head of the snake."
"Understood. Still shitty."
Luke laughed. "I'll have Jocelyn bake you some cookies." Alec was chuckling somewhat as he hung up the phone, and didn't really look at the name of the new call just answered. Maybe Luke had forgotten something. Instead he heard Magnus' shaky voice over the line "Alexander."
Alec was immediately at attention, "Magnus what's wrong." Panic burned through him. He knew what this was. He'd felt it before. Damnit he thought.
"Can you come to my apartment please?"
"I'll be there in 10 minutes. Are you safe?" Alec had already started the car and was pulling into traffic.
"Yes, but hurry." Magnus ended the call before Alec was ready. That panic he'd felt, he sighed. It came from family. Worry about family. About the people he cared about. People he loved. Alec gripped his steering wheel as he settled into the knowledge that he was in love with Magnus Bane. How the hell had it even happened?
Still trying to figure out how in the hell it had happened when he was finally at Magnus' door knocking. Magnus opened it and he looked like complete hell, but that wasn't nearly as eye catching as the complete destruction of the apartment behind him. He pulled Magnus out of the apartment, and jerked his phone out to call Jace.
"Jace, Magnus' apartment has been tossed. I'm taking him to my place. Can you take care of it?" Jace said sure, looking for anything.
"Yeah, I'll send you some stuff." He ended the call and continued to herd Magnus to his car.
"Am I allowed to speak yet." He said sarcastically.
Alec put him in the SUV and got in on his side. "No."
"Alec."
"Magnus I'm two seconds away from losing it. Just let me get you to my house and safe. After that we can talk." Magnus settled down in the seat and relaxed.
8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8∞8Magnus was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. Alec wasn't speaking to him, and he completely understood. He kind of deserved it after what he'd done. Izzy had yelled at him for a good hour as he sat in her office crying about everything. Objectively he understood that Alec was completely on his side and could take care of himself, but all he could see was his father standing over Alec's dead body with some kind of weapon. He'd recognized the dead man's photo on Alec's desk as Valentine. He was one of his father's lackeys. And in that moment he'd seen the horrible consequences of letting Alec into his life. As a friend it was fine, his father tended to leave his friends alone, but anyone he dated would be on his father's list of curiosities. It was eye opening and terrifying. Magnus could tell Alec was angry, the stiff line of his shoulders, the way he walked told him he was on a very thin edge.
Which was why the minute they crossed the threshold of Alec's house, he was shocked as hell when Alec wrapped himself around Magnus. The hug was so tight Magnus could barely breathe. "I was worried about you, I'm sorry for being an ass." Alec whispered into his neck and Magnus melted like hot chocolate. Damn this man.
Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec's back and kissed his cheek, then he just stood there soaking up every bit of comfort and strength Alec offered. He was still scared, but Izzy had been right. He wasn't alone. Alec pulled back first and directed Magnus toward the bedroom. "Change out of those clothes, I have stuff you can wear and then you and I are going to talk. Okay." Magnus nodded hesitantly but did as he was told without any sort of resentment. And wasn't that a first.
Magnus came out of Alec's bedroom with a washed face, loose sweats and a too big shirt to find Alec sitting on his couch reading. Magnus didn't wait for an invitation, he just snuggled up beside Alec and let him pull Magnus into him with an arm around his shoulders. He kissed Magnus' forehead and tipped Magnus' face up for a sweet kiss that Magnus swore made something inside him shiver. Chaste kisses had never turned him on quite like this before.
"You ready to tell me what's going on?" Alec asked gently, and Magnus couldn't control the heat in his eyes, the tight wetness that he'd been fighting all day.
"The picture on your desk, the dead man?" At Alec's nod he continued, "He worked for my father, and I guess standing in your office I realized that I couldn't ever really escape him. Not really." Magnus put his head on Alec's shoulder. "You remember when my apartment was searched and I said it wasn't a big deal?"
"Yes of course."
"It was my dad. He's always done it. Even when I was at school, I'd come home to things being out of place. When I confront him about it, he says it's because I don't answer my phone. Really it's just one more way he tries to control me. I've been fighting him my whole life." Alec's hand had begun to massage Magnus' back and he was so relaxed it took him a minute to realize Alec wasn't so relaxed.
"And you think I can't handle it." Alec said almost absently.
Magnus sat up and looked at him, "Alexander, if there's anyone I've ever met that could stare down my father it's you."
Alec's brow wrinkled, "Then why did you run away?"
"Because you're you. Noble and right and you play by the rules, and I've never dated anyone that my father would want to assassinate more than you, and I got scared damnit. I'm scared I'm going to wake up one day and you won't be here and it will be my fault because.." Alec cut him off by hauling him into his lap.
"Magnus breathe." Alec commanded as he continued the slow back strokes. "I can't promise you that everything's going to be okay. Hell I don't even know if you want to keep this, what we have, long term."
Magnus turned and wrapped his arms around Alec's neck, "I've never wanted anyone like I want you." Alec's arms came around his back.
"Okay then, you need to talk to me like this. Don't run away." Alec said gently.
Magnus moved back so he could see Alec's face. "Izzy yelled at me for an hour and said mostly the same thing." Alec grinned at him and kissed him hard but wouldn't let Magnus deepen the kiss.
"What about today, your dad ever toss your place like that before?" Alec settled Magnus across his lap and picked up his phone.
"That wasn't my dad, it's why I called you." Alec went still under him raising a brow in question. "I don't know who it was if that's what your eyebrows are asking." Alec frowned but unlocked his phone and sent a text.
"Stay here tonight." It wasn't a question but a statement command. Magnus sighed but nodded. They settled more comfortably on the couch and Alec continued to send off the occasional text. Magnus had no idea where his phone was, he just relaxed and let Alec comfort him into sleep.