Hey, all! Red here. So here's chapter two for those of you interested in my story! I'm finding it a lot easier to write as I'm here in Russia. xD And thank you to Illead who told me that apparently the word "blond" had a gender. I didn't know that; I just thought it looked nicer with an e at the end. Anyways, chapter two!
Feel free to tell me what you think! Comments are always welcome. :3
"Toris, you will be with me." Ivan set the phone down, rubbing at his temples. After finally getting all the necessary information out of the overly excited American, he was sure he could see a headache coming in his near future.
The eldest Baltic stood, looking curiously at him. "Me? Are you sure, sir?" Toris had mixed feelings about Ivan. The Russian was undoubtedly exceptionally good at what he did, but the man just didn't sit quite right with Toris. It was a feeling Toris had as soon as he joined the department and met him, but that feeling only grew over the years as they worked cases together.
Ivan nodded, pulling his gun and badge from his desk drawer, tucking them away safely in the pockets of his coat. "You are an expert in forensics. If this is the man I am thinking of, there will probably be no evidence, but it cannot hurt to stay positive, da?"
"I-I suppose…" Toris did the same, fishing out his badge and hanging it around his neck. Toris preferred to keep his in plain sight so everybody knew who he was, unlike Ivan who would rather keep his hidden. In his eyes, it lessened the chances of him getting attacked for no good reason. Ivan was much stronger than him and he knew the Russian had very little to be scared of. He clumsily fastened the holster to his hip when Ivan began to speak again.
"You took down the kid's address I trust, da?"
Toris swallowed and nodded. "O-Of course." Last thing anyone in this department dared to do was screw up around Ivan. That was a one-way ticket to a punishment nobody wanted to be subject to. Whether or not he got away with it because his sister was Captain of their squad or because even she didn't dare cross him was a mystery for the ages. But it was no secret that Ivan could get away with almost anything and he knew that.
"Toris," Ivan said simply, waiting by the door. Ivan could be a very impatient man and repeating himself was something he very rarely did.
"Coming!" The brown-haired man chased after the Russian, the two remaining Baltics not daring to say another word until the door slammed shut behind them.
Alfred sat curled up on the couch, clinging to Matt's glasses like a lifeline. All the doors were locked, unlocked, and relocked just to be safe. Their home was compromised once; who was to say a second time was impossible? And just for extra protection, he dragged one of the armchairs in front of the door, barricading it to discourage future break-ins.
Holding Matt's glasses to the point of breaking them wouldn't bring his older brother back, but it gave him some odd sense of stability in this crazy, screwed-up situation he found himself in. It almost felt like Matt was there and he could swear he heard his soft-spoken twin telling him all the reasons why maple syrup was the greatest thing in the world. It brought him comfort to think that instead of imagining possible scenarios his brother was being subjected to by this villainous unknown criminal.
There was a harsh knock on the door and Al jumped. "G-Go away! No one's home!" Alfred groaned slightly, hearing how weak and scared his voice sounded, but who could blame him? It was a totally legitimate time for that!
"This is the police," a heavily accented man answered.
Alfred curled up a little more on the couch. "How do I know that? You could be a spy! Or one of them! You think I'm going to fall for that?"
"Alfred, you just spoke to us on the phone not too long ago. Open the door and we can prove it."
"Hell no! Show me your badges!"
"Our badges? Da, if that is what you want. But you will have to open the door so we can show them to you."
Alfred stood, narrowing his eyes at the men behind the door. He was too clever to be outsmarted by a couple of criminals. "No way, man. What, do you think I'm an idiot?" Ivan didn't feel the need to dignify that with a response. "Hold 'em up!" Ivan sighed and glanced at Toris. They hadn't even seen what the kid looked like yet and already he was being such a pain, dancing on Ivan's nerves.
But the Russian complied, reaching into his pocket to pull out the small black wallet that held his shield. He held the badge up to the peephole first, keeping his hand still so the kid on the other side could read the number clearly if he wanted to. Toris watched the senior detective for a second before doing the same.
Alfred ran over to the door, climbing over the armchair barricade to squint through the peephole. He didn't care much to remember the numbers on the shield, instead being fascinated by the fact that he was looking at actual police badges. They were just as cool in real life as they were in the movies.
Wait, focus! No time to get distracted, even if they are cool… Think they'll let me hold them?
Ah! Focus, Al. Right. Okay.
Everything seemed to check out so far, but one could never be too careful… Who was to say the badges they were carrying weren't just incredibly well-made fakes?
"Open them up! I want your names!"
Toris again looked at Ivan for permission. This was all standard procedure according to the book, but it wasn't every day they had to show their credentials to such an extent. Usually a quick flash of the badge was all it took. Either this kid watched too many movies or he was paranoid.
Perhaps that wasn't the nicest conclusion to jump to considering this kid's brother just got kidnapped, but still…
Ivan gave a slight nod, the two flipping their wallets open in one swift motion. Al couldn't help but grin behind the door, feeling like he was watching a scene straight out of a movie. Before he knew it, the tall one would be kicking the door in while the one next to him tossed him his gun.
Alfred reminded himself to focus again, studying the IDs intently. Ivan's was clearly an older picture, showing off a young eighteen year old boy. His features hadn't changed all that much over the past few years, the Russian never seeming to quite grow out of that childish face of his. Those piercing violet orbs were just as unreadable in the picture as they were on the real thing.
Clearly written beside the picture was the name "Ivan Braginsky" in bold lettering, the title "Lead Detective" and his badge number written on the next line in slightly smaller text size. A small holographic golden badge glittered behind the names as it caught the light.
After studying the cards for a few minutes, Alfred having absolutely no idea how to even imagine the pronunciation of the surname "Laurinaitis," he decided these guys checked out and it would be safe enough to open the door. He kicked the armchair to the side and flung the door open to meet the officers.
He was not, however, expecting Ivan to be that big. The Russian stood about a head taller than him and looked like a giant compared to the smaller dark-haired man beside him. Alfred caught himself staring and tried to play it off like he was just sizing them up.
"Alright, you guys check out… You're really tall, you know that?"
So much for that plan.
Alfred quickly tried to change the subject as Ivan raised an eyebrow. Toris looked fairly surprised; that wasn't the first thing they were usually greeted with and it threw him for a loop. "So you're Ivan…Braginsky?" The blond asked, fumbling horribly with the pronunciation of the surname as he stepped aside to grant the two officers entry.
"Braginsky, da," Ivan corrected, following the blond inside. "And my partner, Toris." The former gave a polite nod at the mention of his name, stepping inside after Ivan.
Alfred brightened. "Oh, so you're the ones I spoke to on the phone! Thanks for coming so quickly."
"You're welcome," Toris said gently. "But you don't need to thank us. It's our job."
Ivan looked around, making a quick mental note of the crime scene as Toris pulled a small notepad from his pocket and took the pen from behind his ear.
"How long ago did this happen?" Ivan asked, moving about the living room. Best to start the line of questioning now before they were surprised with anything else. He took care not to touch anything as he moved. Disturbing a crime scene was one of the worst things to do; the messy after-state of the scene was the only thing left to tell the story. Disturb it or eliminate it in any way and it may as well have not existed in the first place. The state of the crime scene was especially effective in cases that involved shootings. Those were Eduard's specialty.
Ivan paused just by the window, pulling out a pair of latex gloves and slipping them on. No sign of forced entry here. The windows hadn't been tampered with. Neither had the front door. He was quite a skilled lockpicker. Or did he lure the kid out with false words?
"About an hour ago?" Alfred asked, watching curiously.
"Where were you at the time of the incident?"
"I ran to the store to pick up a few things. I called you as soon as I got back."
Toris was standing by Alfred, studiously taking notes. He wrote down everything the kid said, verbatim, of course, taking care not to miss a single detail.
"Do you and your brother get along?"
Alfred frowned, thinking for a minute before realizing the meaning behind the question and sending a glare Ivan's way. "Hold up, man. Just what exactly are you implying? If you're thinking I had something to do with his, you've got another thing coming." Alfred crossed his arms angrily.
"Relax, Alfred. These are routine questions we ask everyone. I am not trying to accuse you of anything. Unless there is something you are hiding…?"
Alfred huffed. "Why would I even want to hurt Mattie? He's my older brother! I can prove it! I've got the receipt. It's timestamped and everything."
"Alright, alright. I believe you." Ivan made his way to the hallway, stopping beside the broken shards of glass. More signs of a struggle. "Do you know anyone who had something against your brother?"
"Nah. Mattie's the kind of kid who doesn't make waves. He doesn't start anything with anyone. The only fights he's been in are when he's on the ice, but he's practically a different person then. He's really good in school."
"I see… Toris. Come take a look at this." Ivan waved Toris over, the former quickly taking down Alfred's latest statement before hurrying over. The Russian kneeled down, closely examining the droplets of blood.
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Da. It looks like he got careless this time. There is never this much to find at once. Unless it belongs to the kid. Either is possible, of course. You know what to do."
Toris nodded, joining his partner on the ground. Toris pulled out a sterile swab, taking a generous sample. He bagged and tagged it all by the book, turning the little tube over in his hands. "I'll tell Eduard to get on it right away, sir."
"Good," Ivan said simply, picking up one of the glass shards. Since it wasn't a murder case, Ivan knew he could get away with touching things if he wanted to, despite the fact that they really shouldn't be. "You think he was struck with this?" He held it up for Toris to see.
Toris squinted, studying it carefully. His eyes moved to the rest of the shards littering the ground, taking in the full sight as scenarios began to play out in his head. He imagined Alfred's brother striking the criminal with the lamp. No, that didn't look right. Turn that around and Matt was the one being struck. No, that looked wrong too.
He studied the base of the lamp, also finding the same amount of nothing that would lead him to the conclusion that it was actually involved. "No, I don't think so," Toris said, beginning his observation. "There isn't enough blood on the floor for that. And if you look at the shards, there's no blood on any of them. It's the same with the base of the lamp. Even if he struck him with that, there would be some indication of it. My guess is that it just got knocked over during whatever struggle occurred here."
Ivan chuckled. "A very valid point, Toris. Then how did this blood get here? If I was him, I would not have given the kid the chance to fight back. I would want to hit him once…" Ivan stood quickly, wearing a grin that more than unnerved the smaller mean as he swiftly moved behind Toris, simulating a blow to the head. "…and make it count."
Toris let out the breath he was holding when Ivan stepped away, extremely afraid the demonstration was going to involve actual pain. He thanked his lucky stars that it didn't and just nodded silently.
Alfred visibly tensed upon hearing the men so casually talk about the fate of his brother. Not a single good or positive thing was said—unless the point Toris made about not getting hit with a lamp could be considered good news—and it didn't faze these men at all.
Not to say he didn't arrive at conclusions like that as well. He did, but it still made him sick to think about Mattie being struck on the back of the head with anything hard enough to draw blood. That was such a cowardly move, too. His attacker didn't even have the decency to face him as they fought. Not to mention he was probably blind, too!
Oh God, did Mattie even see the attack coming?
Now Alfred was making himself angry as he imagined different scenarios in his head of his brother begging for his life, of his brother unable to see and being struck on the head, his brother lying unconscious on the floor…
No, that was not the only thing that could have happened! Alfred shook his head, hoping the thoughts would disappear. Matt would have put up the best fight he could. He was his brother, damn it, and wouldn't be brought down so easily.
Alfred watched enough of these detective shows to know that sometimes not everything was what it seemed. There were always multiple sides to every story and this one could not be that different. Instead of watching, this time he had to be the hero and help the police save his brother!
"But there's a chance that's not Matt's blood, right?"
Toris nodded. "There's always a possibility, however unlikely. I'll let you know when we have it analyzed, but I highly doubt it."
"How long is that going to take? The longer we wait, the longer that man gets to have his way with Mattie!"
Ivan looked at Alfred, impatience flickering in those violet orbs of his. "These things take time, Alfred. We have to run the DNA against our database and hope for a match. And it is very unlikely that any harm will come to your brother at this current moment. That is not how he likes to operate."
Alfred was getting fed up with these responses. Each answer just raised more questions in his mind. These two officers obviously knew more than they were saying and he refused to be kept out of the loop in this situation.
"You guys keep saying all these things like you know who he is. Do you know him?"
Ivan and Toris exchanged a glance, the former sighing.
"Da, I know who he is. This is not my first time dealing with him."
Alfred's eyes widened. "You know who he is?! Why didn't you catch him yet?! Who is he?"
"First, you need to calm down. Second, you just asked us to hurry up and now you are asking for a story? Make up your mind and stick with it."
Alfred glared at Ivan. "Listen, dude, if you know something, I want to know what it is. I have just as much of a right to know as you do right now."
"You are starting to get on my nerves, you know that?" Toris tensed, shifting beside him. This couldn't be good…
Alfred huffed and crossed his arms. "You're not exactly the most pleasant guy either, you know that? I'm surprised I can even understand you with how thick your accent is."
Toris could feel the aura in the room growing darker around Ivan as he and Alfred glared at each other and wasn't sure if he should either laugh at how funny this whole situation was playing out to be or turn tail and run for cover.
Ivan rolled his eyes and sighed, not really feeling up to fighting with some stupid little kid. "First off, I said it was just a hunch, da? We will have to wait a little longer to see if it is the man I am thinking of. But the man I am familiar with goes by the name of…"
Matt groaned, waking up from his less than pleasant slumber. His head still throbbed, serving as a painful reminder that everything that just happened hadn't been just some terrible horror-movie induced nightmare or something. He could already feel the bump forming; he didn't need to touch it to know it was there.
He looked around, panicking when everything was one big fuzzy, blurred image. Colours and shapes blended together until he couldn't discern one thing from another regardless of how much he squinted or shook his head. It was bright, but that offered no help. But it was a little more comforting than sitting in complete darkness, right?
Matt started to shake a little. Had the drugs messed up his vision? Would he be blind for the rest of his life? He tried to pull his arm free to fix his glasses—maybe they were cracked or broken or something—and getting even more scared when he found his hands were still tied behind his back. No amount of pulling was getting his arms free anytime soon and the rope was only biting further into his skin.
Matt pushed himself off whatever he was sitting on and got to his feet. It was soft and not all that uncomfortable; a bed or a couch, maybe? Not having his hands to hold out in front of him was going to make getting around a problem, so Matt would have to settle for keeping his shoulder against the wall and using that as a guide. If he followed it long enough, he would have to reach a door eventually.
Dying in here was the last thing Mattie wanted to do.
He followed the wall for a bit, trying to make out anything that could be at all useful. He passed by a window and was blinded by the sunlight, but had no way of knowing if it was open or closed. And attempting to jump out of it was a stupid move Alfred would probably make, especially when he had no idea how high up they were.
Matt tripped over something and unceremoniously fell to the ground with a shout when the door swung open.
"I'm back!" exclaimed the man, walking over toward the fallen Matthew.
Matt scrambled back as best he could until his back hit the bed and squinted up at the man. He could just make out those piercing red eyes again and it looked like he was wearing dark clothing.
"Here. I went and found these for ya. Not sure how well they'll work, but it was the best I could do."
Matt froze and shut his eyes tightly as the man leaned in closer and slipped something onto his face.
He's going to blindfold me and take me away now. I probably wasn't supposed to wake up… Is he mad?
When nothing unspeakably horrible happened after a few seconds, Matt slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times. Shockingly everything had gotten significantly clearer, the blond being able to recognize that he was in a bedroom and staring…right at his attacker…
"Please don't kill me…" was the first thing Matt squeaked out, unable to pull his gaze away from the strange man in front of him.