Justice by InSilva
Disclaimer: none of them. You hear me? None of them.
Chapter Eleven: Arrival
It was morning. Danny stared up at the ceiling and thought about calling Tess. She deserved a call. It had been Tuesday when they'd last spoke and that was pretty near unforgivable. He'd phone her later. He just didn't know quite what he was going to say to her and he didn't want to answer questions and he certainly didn't want to mention Vincente. Because Tess would want him home, straightaway, don't pass "Go" and don't collect 200 dollars. But she still deserved a call.
As he had done so many times before, he turned on his side and looked at Rusty, wrapped in sleep. Rusty had slept fitfully, finding it difficult to get comfortable, pain catching at him. He'd ended up on his front, arms buried in a pillow, mussed up hair, the golden starting to peek through the mousy brown, lashes resting on his cheeks, lips slightly parted. He still looked young. He still looked beautiful. He still looked the same to Danny as he did when Danny met him even though Danny knew that was impossible. It was possible though that Rusty had some portrait tucked away somewhere that slowly decayed while he himself stayed forever young, forever golden.
Oh, there were a few lines of character on Rusty's face, of course. And now, the creases of laughter around the mouth and eyes, the traces of the perennial amusement, would always show. But Danny couldn't see the day coming when he saw Rusty wrinkled and grey and decrepit. Rusty's star burned fiercely and brightly and though he'd never say a thing to Rusty, there were times when he thought about Monroe or Dean and he had to force himself to bite back on that. Had to assure himself that they would indeed grow old disgracefully together.
Having Vincente in their lives seemed to make that assurance a little less likely.
Rusty woke to the smell of bacon and pancakes and syrup. He forgot and made to sit up.
Hearing the long string of expletives, Danny stuck his head round the door.
"Take it easy, Clark Kent," he admonished.
He crossed to the bed and held out his hands. Rusty reached up and gripped Danny's wrists and pulled himself up with a wince.
How you feeling?
Fine.
There was a look.
"Little stiff." Rusty amended. He flexed his toes.
"Feet feel better," he added hopefully. He put some more weight on them. Mistake, mistake… He grabbed Danny's arms again.
"Not happening overnight, Rus."
Between them, they manoeuvred Rusty into a bathrobe and out and into a chair. The table was full of food, some of it Danny's ever-patient suggestion as to what might constitute a healthy diet – including a glass of orange juice with a straw - but most of it was made up of Rusty's favourites. Rusty looked up appreciatively: Danny had been busy.
"Figured we kind of forgot to eat last night. Apart from the chocolate." He threw a look at Rusty. "You cannot live on chocolate, Rus."
"So you keep telling me." Rusty was busy carefully loading a plate with pancakes, butter and golden syrup, his movement limited and cautious but at least better than the previous night. He caught sight of Danny's face. "What?" He indicated the plate. "No chocolate."
Shaking his head, Danny dished up some bacon and tomatoes and there was a silence as they ate, Rusty managing to keep the distance between his hand and his mouth as short as he could, partly because of the solid ache flaring in his shoulder muscles, partly to increase the rate of food intake.
"What time are Saul and Turk arriving? And how much do they know?" Rusty asked as he pushed the empty plate to one side.
It was always better to be clear about these things up front and have one's story straight.
"Saul said mid-morning. And he called when you were missing but before I knew you were missing. So not much is the answer."
Rusty was silent for a moment then began, "You think we could-"
"Can you convince Saul you're unhurt?" Danny cut in.
He considered and then reluctantly shook his head.
"There's your problem right there."
"I know," Rusty sighed. "I still want to give it a try."
OK… Danny studied him and saw the pain starting to ebb through. "Time for more pain-killers."
Rusty opened his mouth expectantly and Danny was halfway to feeding them to him when he stopped, hand in mid-air.
"You just ate breakfast," he pointed out. "All by yourself."
"Did I?" The innocence was perhaps a tad overdone.
Danny put the medicine down on the table. "Bet you were holding out for another round of chocolate too."
"Maybe. Kind of hoping for more of the muscle rub."
Eat your pills.
Rusty picked up the pain-killers and with an effort got them in his mouth, washing them down with orange juice. "About Saul, about when he and Turk get here…"
"Yeah."
"We need to-"
"Yeah. We do."
"Hey, Saul, where are you?"
"In a taxi. Just a couple of blocks of away. We should be with you in-"
"Actually, can you ask the driver to drop you off at the pizza parlour just before the hotel? Same side as the hotel? It's called-"
"Luigi's Pizza Place."
Original.
"Luigi's Pizza Place. I'll meet you there and we can pick up lunch."
"Lunch…" Danny could imagine Saul's eyebrows raised in slight dismay. "Very well. Luigi's it is."
Danny hung up and looked over at Rusty. They'd found a loose-sleeved white cotton shirt that Rusty had winced and forced his arms into and some sweatpants. Now he was sitting at the table with four empty glasses and a bottle of champagne. He glanced at the bottle and then up at Danny who sighed, reached over and with an expert turn of the wrist, opened it and poured it out.
"Alright. I'll collect them and bring them up in the service elevator. We should be here in about twenty minutes." He saw Rusty's look. "Thirty minutes," he corrected, "allowing for pizza collection time."
"Have you-?"
"Do not disturb," Danny nodded. "Though they know I brought you breakfast. Someone called Mel's eyes were very round."
Rusty smiled. "Thanks for the warning."
Danny's face grew serious. "You ready?"
Yeah.
"OK, then."
Danny had said his hellos to Saul and Turk and they had collected the pizzas, admired the front of Rusty's hotel and taken the "convenient" delivery entrance, ostensibly so that Danny could show them the backstage view of operations. Turk had seemed genuinely interested. Saul's attitude had been polite but increasingly disengaged and the hairs on the back of Danny's neck had started to rise.
He got the pair of them, their bags and the pizzas to Rusty's room with no one seeing and opened the door with a flourish.
"Saul! Turk!" Rusty was seated at the table, glass in hand and a warm smile on his face.
Oh, it was good. Danny had to admit it was good. The distraction of the dazzle at full wattage. The genuine warmth. And probably all they had to worry about was that it was Saul on the receiving end. Danny flashed hopeful encouragement across at him.
Saul looked at the poured champagne and he looked at Rusty. Danny could see the slightest strain appear on Rusty's face as he withstood the scrutiny.
"It's good to see you again, Rusty," Saul said quietly. "Stand up, why don't you?"
"Sure, Saul," Rusty said easily.
He pushed the chair back and stood up, smile still warm, expression still open. Behind Saul's back, Danny screwed an eye up in sympathy. It was going to go very bad very quickly.
"Come here and tell me you missed me," Saul went on.
"Sure, Saul," Rusty said again and this time the smile was a little less warm and a little more desperate as he casually walked a couple of steps closer to Saul.
Danny grimaced. The only person in the room this act was likely to fool-
"Rusty!" Turk was beaming. "It's been too long!"
And Danny could see what was about to unfold; he could see that Rusty could also see; and neither of them could stop it.
Several things happened at once. Turk strode forward, grabbed Rusty's right hand in a firm shake and clapped him in a friendly manner on the right shoulder. Hard. Rusty let out an almighty yell that made Turk drop his hand in shock. Rusty's legs gave way and his usual surefootedness temporarily AWOL, he couldn't regain his balance. He hit the carpet face first and jarred his shoulders, crying out again, unable to suppress the pain in his voice.
Dropping the pizza boxes to the floor, Danny had been moving the second he realised what was going to happen. He still couldn't get to Rusty in time to break his fall. He knelt down and exchanged a glance with Rusty.
You know the whole "convince Saul" thing? I could be wrong but I don't think you've pulled it off.
Oh, you think?
Mustering as much dignity as he could, Rusty allowed Danny to help him up and back into his chair.
"Jeez, Rusty! All I did was say hello!" Turk looked distraught.
With a shake of his head at Turk to show he wasn't upset, Rusty reluctantly looked across at Saul.
"A cloak-and-dagger entrance, flat champagne that's been poured a while and you, pretending you're fine and dandy. How bad is it?"
"It's not that-"
"Robert," Saul said warningly.
Rusty sighed. "It's a little bad."
Saul's eyes went to Danny.
"It's a lot bad," Danny admitted, ignoring the face Rusty pulled.
"Tell me."
"Tell us," Turk urged. "But over pizza, right?"
"Jury service?" Turk said for the third time and dissolved into laughter yet again as Rusty nodded.
"So that I'm clear," Saul said slowly. "There's a kid who's accused of killing another kid in a case that's Mob-related-"
"Indirectly Mob-related," Rusty corrected.
"Forgive me," Saul's eyes were sharp. "That involves, to quote Bobby, a freelance Mob enforcer called Vincente…" he broke off to check his facts with Danny who nodded, "…called Vincente who wants to make sure this kid, Gino, goes away. And who is prepared to administer some strong chastisement to anyone foolish enough to disagree with him."
"About the long and the short of it," Danny agreed.
Saul's eyes were boring into Rusty. "And you want to go against Vincente because…?"
"Gino is innocent," Rusty said firmly.
"Good for you, Rusty," Turk approved. "How do we get him off?"
Danny was watching Saul and Rusty having a private conversation. Saul's displeasure was expressed by how thin his lips were. Rusty's discomfort manifested itself in his eyes which were endlessly flicking away and back again.
"Actually, Turk," Danny said thoughtfully, "I have an appointment this afternoon with one of the witnesses. We don't think she's been strictly truthful and we need to speak to her away from everything. I could use your help."
"Be glad to, Danny," Turk beamed, looking pleased that he was of immediate use.
Danny smiled. "Let's go out and find you a camera."
He caught Rusty's eye.
Good luck.
The look Rusty shot him back told him how much luck he felt he needed.