Chapter Thirteen

RATING/WARNING: MA FOR DRUG USE

Note: Finally did some from Cody's POV! It's towards the end of this chapter but don't you dare skip ahead!

"We got the lab results back on the Kelner murder, did you want to see them?"

"...Later." Randy was anxiously tapping his foot, his eyes glued to a file he could barely concentrate but a minute at a time on as he waited for his cell phone to beep. But it didn't; and it hadn't for over three fucking days.

"And the Jenston file came too, but the crazy shit is in the lawyers report."

"Okay…" He answered absently as he continued trying to finish filling out the paper work he'd meant to get to weeks ago and didn't really pay his partner much attention. He was just so fucking depressed, he could even feel the sadness in his bones; and it was too much! Dramatic perhaps but Cody hadn't called or text him in three days and even though they were often busy it was the longest they'd ever gone without speaking since they'd been together; and Randy was a little more than just worried. He was petrified and terribly confused.

It was late one night and not but three ago that Cody had surprised him by coming over to his apartment for what had apparently been their last "date" and although he'd been puzzled by his surprise visit he'd never think of turning him away and happily invited him inside with a sound kiss that Cody frantically returned. Quickly they'd found their way to the couch, making out there for quite some time before moving onto the bedroom where they'd spent the rest of the night naked and taking turns seducing the other until they lay spent beneath the sheets, their bodies entwined, coated in sweat and cooling from the intensity of their passion. It was amazing; wait, NO, scratch that! It had been the most incredible night of his life and he'd never been so in love! And he was so certain that Cody felt the same because he'd seen it in his eyes that night as they lay just on the verge of sleep, just staring at each other and whispering softly. It was the way Cody smiled, the way he sighed over and over with such content and love in his beautiful clear blue eyes that told him how he really felt.

He blinked hard, his chest aching; if it had been such a great night like he'd thought then…Where was Cody? And why hadn't he return any of his messages since?-?-?

At first when he didn't hear from him Randy hadn't panicked, he'd figured Cody was just busy as he so often was and waited until a good twenty four hours had passed before he let his worry spiral out of control. And now he was in a constant frantic, irritable state with a scowl permanently pasted over his brow as he waited to hear from him. He'd even called Justin and left a message with him but still nothing. And as if that wasn't pathetic enough he'd stopped by the T-strip and discovered "The Dashing One" wasn't on the schedule anywhere nor did he see anyone there that seem to know why. Fuck he was so worried he'd actually taken a huge risk and asked around for his lover ;and he would have done more if he hadn't had to get up early for work.

In fact the only thing he hadn't done was actually show up at Cody's apartment looking for answers.

Why?...

Truthfully?

Because he was afraid of what he'd find when he did…

He shivered and swallowed carefully to stifle a painful groan threatening to escape; he didn't know how he'd manage to fuck this up but he had a terrible feeling burning and building in the pit of his stomach. Cody was done with him…That much he was sure of now.

He just had no idea why.

"Be sure to read the part about the drugs they found in their blood, that's some pretty dangerous stuff they pumped into that Kelner kids body."

"…Yeah..." He tossed out after hearing Hunter speak but still his mind stayed elsewhere and his eyes glued to the report he was close to finishing. He shouldn't have come to work today but he'd dragged himself out of bed that morning and forced himself to go. His muscles were tense and he knew his mood was fucked but he couldn't help any of it. He just wished he could tell someone, anyone that he was like this was because he was panicking about losing Cody. Maybe then he'd feel a little better? Maybe if he had someone to talk to he wouldn't be so paranoid about everything because then he wouldn't be at the mercy of the awful, self deprecating voice in his head?

Fuck he'd do anything to escape himself right about now.

He also wished he could tell someone that he didn't know why Cody hadn't returned his calls or texts but after three days and several of both he was beyond thinking that their relationship was over.

It was.

Why else would he ignore his calls like this? If they were still together then why hadn't he at least sent a fucking test message?-! Fuck even if he was busy he could still send him a quick text, even if it was only a simple hello it would have been better the horrible silence! But Cody said nothing and his calls went straight to voice-mail every fucking time! What the fuck else was he supposed to think?-! He tried to fight it but the grief and the horrible feelings of loss were so overwhelming; he felt so god damn weak and it was pathetic to him because he knew that as soon as it sank in, as soon as it REALLY hit him that he'd fucked up yet another good thing, he was going to crumble. And of course in his head it was all his fault and Cody had dumped him because...Because fuck he wasn't good enough for him! Cody had found someone else and forgotten all about him!

He frowned and pressed the tip of the pen in his hand against the paper so hard it almost ripped threw, his hand shaking slightly as he tried so fucking hard to hide all signs of distress and focused on his report. Yeah Cody found someone else alright and Randy had a feeling it was someone he'd found before.

That sorry drunk son of a bitch Shawn.

Fuck fuck FUCK!-!-! It just wasn't fair!-!-!

"...I broke my dick last night fuckin your mother."

"...Yeah..." He mumbled; whatever.

"Uh...Hello?-! Are you even listening?-!"

"No." And he didn't want to either. He wanted to be at home and in bed where he could hide under the covers with a bottle of vodka and drink until the pain went away...That is, IF it went away.

"Damn it Orton you've been sulking around here all fucking day. And yesterday too!" Hunter growled and slapped a green folder down to his desk, "Did someone piss in your cheerio's this morning or something? What's your fucking problem?"

He sighed and only gave his partner a sideways glare, "Just leave me alone would you? I'm trying to get some work done." That was a lie, he was trying to ignore the crippling agony gripping his heart and threatening to crush it and keeping busy like this was the only way to do that; and Hunter wasn't helping. "Go bug Stephanie or something."

"Stephanie is busy, and you need to look at this fucking report if you want to get any REAL work done!" Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Hunter grabbed the file and tossed it over the report he was already working on and lent over the edge of the desk as if to intimidate him and shook his head, "We do not have time for you to fuck around the office like this."

Randy closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath. He would not hit his partner today but he'd come really fucking close if Hunter didn't back the fuck off. "I said, I'll read it later." He reopened his eyes and repeated himself in a firm tone as he pushed the file out of his way; now was not the time for Hunter to try and get a rise out of him. He really needed to back off and leave him the fuck alone.

"No, read it now." Hunter demanded and Randy finally brought his head up with a livid glare. "I'm NOT in the mood for this shit Hunter." He warned threw a hiss, "Nothing is going to change by me reading it this very second so leave me alone and mind your own fucking business. FOR ONCE!-!" He took a few seconds to give him a harder glare to let his partner knew he was serious and returned his eyes to focus on the almost completed form before him; Hunter was NOT going to intimidate or play with him today.

"Dude, grow up." Hunter growled and slammed his fist down on the desk, "You've been dragging your feet on everything for weeks and you've got a ton of shit stacking up on your desk! So much so that I could swear the filing cabinets threw up!" He stepped back and gestured wildly to several stacks of folders and paper clipped pages along the edges and corners of his desk that he'd yet to get to for sorting; and they only helped to prove his point. Randy didn't argue, Hunter was right, he HAD been dragging his feet on everything; he'd just been so…distracted and absent minded that he'd really let too many things slide. Sure he showed up every day and did the work but only the bare minimum because he was so tired of working on the impossible; i.e the Mizanin case. And without realizing it he'd shifted his focus to the "highly possible" in his life; and that was Cody.

Well, it HAD been Cody…

"Whatever it is that's bothering you," He heard Hunter huff and honestly started to feel badly for slacking off like he had; Hunter had been working twice as hard to cover his ass and here he was jumping down his throat when he dared to question him about it. Shit. He'd been a straight up asshole to Hunter the past few weeks and he couldn't blame his partner for finally lashing out at him. He brought this on himself. "Fucking deal with it and get over it! Or take a fucking vacation because you're really starting to piss me off!"

"Well what is it you want me to do Hunter? Read the report or take a vacation?." He snipped slightly out of habit as nothing but more sadness came over him and he lowered his head even further; shit maybe a vacation was something he should seriously consider? He hadn't had one since he'd started working there because he was saving his vacation days and letting them add up for a nice long extended trip home but now he just might use them to lay in bed and nurse his broken heart. Might as well, no one back home sounded enthused about his coming home for a visit and he didn't really want anyone there to see him like this anyway.

"Dude…" Hunter growled and he knew his partner well enough to know that it was a warning, "Cut the shit."

He looked up again, dropping the pen and put his hand over the green folder Hunter had slapped down to his desk, "I'm trying." He opened it carefully and started to read, "But if you would just leave me alone about my personal life-"

"Damn it Orton you should trust me enough to tell me what's bothering you. Especially if you're going to be an asshole all the fucking time!"

"Come on man don't start this right now." He implored in a heavy sigh as he focused his eyes on the report his partner had wanted him so badly to read and really hoped this would be the end of their little spat. "I'll get it together okay? Just…Just give me some space would you?" Shit Hunter was MAD. But try as he did Randy just couldn't act right with so much inner turmoil and he was actually tired of taking it out on Hunter. And himself.

If he would just let himself take a few days off to figure things out then he was sure he'd get back on track with the case; and hopefully with Cody as well…

"I'm going to grab lunch." He heard Hunter sneer and leave, sighing again as the door closed and clicked into place.

He snatched his phone from his desk and text yet another short plea to Cody in hopes that he'd answer, "Please call me. I miss you..." He sent the message and tossed his phone aside before putting his head down into his arms; groaning as agony tore across his chest and tightened it. He was just so crushed. How could Cody just blow him off like this?-! What had he done wrong?-! He'd been good to him hadn't he?-?-?

Fuck of course he had! Cody even told him so! Surely it wasn't something that he'd done because everything had seemed just fine a few days ago when Cody had been all over him screaming that he couldn't get enough! So then where the fuck was he now?-! Fuck something must have happened to him! Something must be keeping Cody from his phone, he just couldn't be dumping him like this!

He couldn't let it go; he'd find out what the fuck was going on when he'd swing by Cody's apartment! He'd give his door a hard knocking after he went home that night and freshened up. Of course grooming came first, it always did and since he'd been so out of it worrying about Cody he hadn't bothered to shave or trim and he considered himself quite grizzly that morning before heading off to work. But, work was one thing and Cody was another; Randy wouldn't dare show up to his place looking like the mess he was. Even if they were breaking up.

"Randy?-?-? Hey man are you okay?"

"Huh?" He jerked up with a raspy, exhausted gasp to find Jason standing before his desk with a folder in his hands and concern plaguing his northerner features; fuck he hadn't even heard him come in, "Oh hey Reso." He greeted with a forced quick smile and cleared his throat slightly, "What's up?"

"Well um… I discovered something that I wanted you to take a look at but,…Are you alright? You don't look so good."

No he was not alright but of course he thought he had to lie about it, "Yeah...Just tired." And utterly heart-broken. "What do you got for me?" He asked and forced himself to jump right back into work. Staying busy would keep his mind from realizing just how fucking miserable he felt. "Should we wait for Hunter?"

"I would prefer not to but he's your partner so it's your call."

"Nah let's not, he's out to lunch. I can fill him in later."

Jason smiled slightly and came around the desk and carefully opened a folder, spreading it out and pointing to a highlighted paragraph, "Sorry but it's about the note we found in Mr. Jenston."

He shuddered, "The one with my name on it."

"Yeah." Jason nodded, his tone and face oddly serious and focused, "Of course we both know it had a line of lyrics from the Rolling Stones song Paint It Black." Randy nodded and stayed quiet to let Jason continue, "Well, as it turns out, Chris Jericho was a musician in the late nineties and played in a Rolling Stones cover band. Only, before they could make it big his band mates died in a freak boating accident."

Randy arched a brow, reaching for a smoke, "Boating accident?" What the fuck who died in a boating accident in the middle of the fucking dessert?-!

"Yeah, check this out." Jason answered as his fingers started rapidly pushing aside several pages until he found the printed copy of an article from a newspaper and tapped a horrible black and white photo of Jericho and his band mates, "The article says the boat had a fuel leak and exploded in the middle of the water just outside Telephone Cove."

Randy scanned the short article and nodded, "Damn." Jericho was the only one who survived and that was only because he hadn't been on it. As to where he'd been at the time the article didn't say but it did say that they had just signed with a major record label. They'd obviously rented a boat for the weekend to celebrate and everything went horribly wrong. But, what significance was this to the case? How was this of any use to them?

"It gets worse, Jericho sued the boat company on behalf of his band mates families but from what I read there was an error in collecting the evidence. Someone working the case forgot to log the evidence in or did it incorrectly and the case was dismissed ." He flipped to a new page and tapped a high-lighted list, "This is not everything that was thrown out of the trial but it's enough to give you the idea that Jericho was screwed right from the get go."

Randy's eyes went wide as he started to read off a short list of rather crucial evidence that had been thrown out of the case, "Jesus over half the findings weren't allowed to be submitted into evidence for the trial. There was no way he'd win this." Jason nodded, "And as if losing his friends and their lawsuit wasn't enough, afterwords, the boat company turned around and sued HIM for slander because his lawsuit had been all over the media. The company called, Sunset Incorporated, claimed his "false" accusations cost them hundreds of thousands in sales and rentals and sued him for almost a million dollars."

"Shit, were they successful?"

"No, not yet, the trial is still waiting to take place because it just so happens that the entire legal team of the Sunset Incorporated were murdered right before the trail began. Everyone from the lead attorney to an intern paralegal named Stephen Kelner have been found dead."

Randy cursed softly and took a long drag from his smoke in hopes it would help calm his…everything. It didn't. His heart was thudding loudly in his ears, his chest tightening and twitching in suspense and agony. "Jesus Kelner was just a kid and Jericho cut him up like that…" He shuddered, fuck this was unsettling. Jericho had probably always been a psychopath but he had only turned to a killer because he was out for revenge; not for fun. Although he was definitely having fun killing people Randy knew there was a high possibility that the loss of his friends and the negligence of the LVDP might have pushed him to snap. Jericho may have never killed a single person had his life not turn to shit. "Fuck he smashed that poor kids hand to mush!" And Kelner was just an intern! He'd probably didn't have anything to do with the case but since he was working for Sunset Inc Jeriocho had killed him too! Fucking psychopath!

He sat back with a sigh and took another long drag from the quickly shortening smoke, "Damn Reso." He shook his head slowly, "How is it that we missed this connection for so long?" Had he really been so distracted by Cody that he'd let this HUGE connection go unnoticed?-?-? Shit, he already knew the answer to that; he'd been so wrapped up in Cody's warmth that he'd let so many things slip by, and he was sure Hunter was ready to tear his head off. But this?-! Really?-! He let this HUGE fucking connection, this HUGE fucking clue with his own god damn name on it get by him because he was in love with a stripper?-! Fuck maybe this little break Cody had forced upon them was for the best…

"It's not our fault." Jason said but wasn't at all defensive; his voice was smooth, gentle and warm like always. And oddly Randy found it to be quite soothing. "We had no way of knowing because the other members of the legal team were murdered in California. Only Kelner and Heath were murdered in Las Vegas." Shit that meant Jericho had crossed state lines. Jason was right, it wasn't their fault they didn't know; but that meant Jason must have asked. And Randy kicked himself for not thinking of it first. HE should have been the one to figure this shit out! He or at least his fucking partner! Fucking shit had he really gotten that off track?-!

Fuck fuck fucking FUCK! That just couldn't happen again! The captain AND the chief would tear he and Hunter up for allowing the lab techs to pick up their slack! Not that Jason or Adam weren't allowed or encouraged to help but how bad did it look that they actually figured out a hell of a lot more about the Mizanin/Jericho case before the two detectives working on it for the last 365 and almost 24/7?-!

Shit that looked horribly bad; and he was certain his superiors would tell him just that.

"The only reason I was able to connect their murders in California to theirs was because of the watches Jericho left on his victims." Jason continued as he turned and lent back against the edge of the desk, carefully crossing his arms over his chest, "It took a while but I faxed and emailed every department in every bordering state around us asking that they be on the lookout for the special watches on DOA's after the shop owners computers came up empty last month. There was just something about how clean the computers were that just bugged the shit out of me so I did some more digging and it turns out, the jewelry shop owner, the guy we had in custody not but four weeks ago, is the uncle of one of Jericho's band mates."

What?-! Oh for fucks sake how could he have missed that?-! He should have been the one to figure that out when he'd questioned the shop owner with Hunter after serving the fucking search warrant!-!-! But nooo he'd been distracted that day especially because all he could think about was how he'd woken up a very gorgeous sleeping Cody! Oh god this was just getting worse, the captain was going to tear he and Hunter a new one for letting this slip by them! "Fucking hell." He let slip out and quickly apologized; and Jason waved it off, "Don't worry about it. It's a lot to take in."

"Yes especially since none of it explains why Jericho addressed the note to me. I didn't have anything to do with that case and I've never even met Jericho."

Jason gave a puzzled shrug and moved away from the desk slightly, "I think it was just to scare you."

"It worked." He dared to admit aloud and shivered; fuck it terrified him and the only thing that had kept him from going insane thinking about it was Cody…And he was gone now. "Shit." He said with a long sigh and rubbed his temple for a second, "We should bring the uncle back in for questioning-" Jason stopped him with a firm shake of his head, "We can't. He closed up shop and left town."

Fuck!-!-! Of course he'd fucking left! Shit shit SHIT!-!-! They'd fucked up so fucking bad this time! They'd missed their chance to establish the ONLY connection they'd EVER come across! He felt sick, light headed even. How could he let this happen?-! Oh fucking hell how could he let himself be so distracted?-!

"Hey?" Jason called gently and he felt his hand come to rest of his shoulder, a tender touch he was so incredibly grateful for yet so afraid of. "Are you sure that you're alright?"

He nodded rapidly, "Yeah." He lied again, swallowing hard and struggling to maintain his composure until he sat back and fumbled to light another smoke, "I'm just so damn tired today and the Mizanin case is starting to creep me the fuck out. It's a bit much you know?"

Jason nodded; his eyes so kind and warm that Randy couldn't bear to look at them. They were blue…Like Cody's…"Why don't you head home early today Randy? You look like you could use a break from all of this."

"I think I will." He nodded and agreed without even having to think about it; home just sounded too good to pass up anymore. And if he left now he could change and be at Cody's apartment before it got too late and he'd get some fucking answers! At least he could get ONE problem in his life sorted out!

He almost jumped up, catching himself at the last second and slowly rose for a good stretch after stabbing his smoke into an ashtray. "Will you do me a favor though? Would you please fill Hunter in on all of that? He's pretty pissed at me so he'd be glad to hear that I went home early…I think." He hoped. And he sure as hell didn't want to stick around to be there for when Cena got wind of their massive fuck up. He was under enough stress as it was.

"Sure." Jason nodded and moved out of his way to let him out from behind the desk. "You get some rest and I'll take care of that partner of yours."

"Thanks Jason I owe you so big right now." He grabbed his jacket from the back of his special chair and quickly tugged it on; if he was lucky he would get out of there before Hunter came back and he wouldn't have to face his rightfully angry partner either; not until tomorrow when he'd probably have a better apology than the half-assed 'I'm trying' bullshit he'd given him earlier.

"And hey, Randy?" Jason called and stopped him just as he'd reached the door; he turned to face him with a forced smile. "Yeah?"

"I know we haven't know each other long but if you ever need someone to talk to Adam and I's door is always open…And no I'm not hitting on you. Adam and I are not swingers and I don't cheat so you'd be safe around me if you ever wanted to go grab a beer after work or something."

He almost laughed, "You sure about that? Adam can't stand me."

"No Adam can't stand Hunter. " Jason corrected with a warm smile, "He likes you just fine."

"Oh." His smile grew. Finally some good news; he'd always thought Adam just tolerated him like he was forced to do with Hunter. "Thanks Jason…Really." Jason had no idea how much he'd needed to hear something like that right now.

Or maybe he did and that was why he said it?

Whatever, it seemed genuine and made him feel a little better and the smile on his face was actually a real smile for a brief moment, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Jason returned the smile and thankfully kept it short, "Take care Randy."

He nodded and left; and he went straight home, letting out a heavy sigh as he dug into his front jacket pocket for his keys and ascended the stairs. As tired as he really was he was going to see Cody tonight. Even if he had to bribe Justin into telling him where he was he was going to find his lover before the night was over. He was determined. God damn it he wanted answers and he wasn't going to let Cody go without a fight. Whatever he'd done wrong or whatever it was that had caused Cody to abruptly pull away from him like he had they could work through it. They could fix whatever it was if Cody would just answer his fucking phone!

He ran the rest of the way up the stairs and started to run to his apartment to change but froze in his steps when he spotted a small black package taped to the floor just outside his front door. He scowled; what the fuck? He came closer to the package and the door. It looked important but yet had no label and it was a pain pulling it from out from under the tape. He held it carefully and it was light, wrapped tight and appeared to be a small rectangle box. He turned it over and found his name scribbled in the corner in neat script and silver ink. But that was it, the rest was just blank and black.

His hopes suddenly rose and he gasped softly; Cody?-! Could it be?-! He rushed inside, shutting the door and hastily flicking on the light. He swallowed hard and his hands trembled as he tore through the black paper and uncovered a the small box he quickly looked into; his heart sinking again and he was puzzled by its contents. Inside was a blank DVD disk, its shiny empty surface catching the light and glaring in his eyes. And that was it.

"What the fuck?" He said aloud as he pulled it out and checked the back, frowning when he noticed the burn marks of what looked to be a short movie and walked into his bedroom, cuing up the DVD player beneath the television to give it a try. Obviously he was supposed to watch it but if this was Cody's way of apologizing for ignoring him for three days...

He sighed; if this was Cody's way of breaking up with him he was definitely going to pay him a visit and tell that fucking tease just what he thought about it. But Cody wouldn't do that, he had the balls to be honest and tell him to his face that they were over…Didn't he?

He stepped back as the screen went black and stayed that way for several seconds until it started to flicker and music faintly began to play. I see a red door and I wanted it painted it black...No colors anymore I want them to turn black… He frowned, the familiar introduction to a song he wished he didn't recognize growing louder through the speakers, but still the screen stayed black.

I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

"Well hello there, Detective Orton." His blood turned cold and before the bastard even appeared on the screen Randy knew who it was, Michael fucking Mizanin. He'd recognize that piece of shits voice anywhere. "It seems I got to you before you could get to me and as per the rules of our little game, that means I win."

Mizanin finally appeared , sitting in an over sized red recliner before a fire place, a raging fire casting an eerily amber glow over his already tan skin. And Randy only scowled; what the fuck was he talking about?-! He hadn't won shit! Their game wasn't over! Not by a long shot because if it were that bastard would be behind bars and Randy would be in the fucking Bahamas on a much needed vacation! He may have been down about missing Cody but he was far from giving up on bringing Mizanin in; their game was far from over!

He tore his phone out of his jacket and flipped it open, Hunter needed to see this and so did Jason. Maybe they could get prints or something off the disk?-! He started dialing to call his partner but stopped as Jericho suddenly flickered onto the screen, holding a guitar in the same chair Mizanin had been sitting in while strumming wildly as his smooth voice suddenly picked up and grew louder with the song. And Randy froze.

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a new born baby it just happens ev'ry day

Jericho faded and Mizanin took his place again, "Now, wait just a minute there Orton, I would listen to everything I have to say before you run off and tell your little cop buddies about this movie." Mizanin lent forward towards the camera, a sickening menacing smirk over his thin lips, "Because trust me, I know all about you and Cody and you really wouldn't want them to see this." The screen flickered and Jericho reappeared, still singing and staring at the camera with such cold, intense eyes that actually struck fear into him. Fuck they chilled him to his fucking core.

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door, I must have it painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you

If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

Hmm, hmm, hmm...

Hmm, hmm, hmm...

Jericho hummed on and Mizanin suddenly reappeared and still he had such a sickening, menacing smirk on his face; and Randy was seconds away from decking screen. He knew pure evil when he saw it and both Jericho and Mizanin were just that; pure fucking evil. "I know Las Vegas is a big scary town compared to where you grew up but you'll find that if you know the right people, it's really not all that bad." Michael explained and spoke to him as I he were merely right on the other side of the screen and sent a terrified shiver down his spine. He could have sworn he was seriously looking right at him! "My friends who could easily be your friends, could get you into the hottest clubs where my staff will ensure to explore and fulfill your every desire..." He paused for a moment, crinkling his brow slightly as if he were deep in thought, "Well...If you were willing of course. But I don't see you jumping at that idea quite yet. So, moving on."

Randy tensed, his chest so tight he could barely breathe; and he quickly snapped his phone shut and stuffed it back into his pocket. Fuck fuck FUCK! He didn't know why yet but he was so fucking screwed! And fuck!-!-! What had those bastard done with Cody?-! Is that why he hadn't returned his calls or text was because those bastards got their slimy hands on him?-! He'd kill them so fucking hard if they hurt so much as one single hair on his beautiful head!-!-!

"I'll make this quick and get right to the point; join me and I could give you a whole new life Detective Orton, one with such riches and freedom, and experiences that you could never even imagine. Don't bother thinking about it because you already know that you and your partner will NEVER bring me in. I'm too smart and too clever for the likes of you and I'm sure you're just as tired of this game we've been playing for the past year as I am. In fact I would have killed you long ago but your determination did impress me enough to spare your life and since then I have decided to extend you this rather generous offer."

Randy hissed; how fucking thoughtful! Yeah right! Sick fucking bastard! He would NEVER join Mizanin's fucking group! NEVER!-!-!

"You only have two choices now Detective Orton; join my group or don't. But, if you don't, I will send your co-workers and the media a special movie I put together that I know you wouldn't want them to see staring you and a certain male stripper..." Mizanin faded away and the screen went black for several seconds and only Jericho's humming continued to fill the silence.

Randy's heart was pounding wildly in his chest. Oh fuck!-! No oh god no Mizanin did not have them on video! That was impossible! The TV flashed and his eyes went wide and his stomach started flipping like crazy. On the screen clear as day was Cody, naked, and it only got worse as he realized what he was doing. He gulped; Cody was riding his lap towards release, moaning and crying out his name over and over. His eyes darted frantically around the edge of the screen; they were in Cody's apartment he could tell that much and from the angle it looked as if the camera had been hidden within the ceiling above the bed… "Randy!-! Oh! Oh Randy yes!" He heard Cody scream particularly loud and jerked his eyes back to him with a startled gasp. "Almost there-oh god I'm so close ahh god fuck yes!" His own voice moaned deep and he felt his knee's go weak as the camera zoomed in on his face and he hard Mizanin's laughter fading in through the speakers. And suddenly the screen flickered and he was there again, "Just one more thing, before you go running to your boyfriend crying about big bad Mizanin and his little movie, you might want to stop and ask yourself one VERY important question..." He paused briefly as he lent forward slightly, "How on earth did Michael Mizanin get me under his thumb like this?" He tapped his chin with a crooked finger while pretending to look off behind the camera for answers before the sick evil smirk returned to his face and his cold dead blue eyes looked right into the lens one more time, "You might want to ask my favorite trick, The Dashing One, about that."

He didn't realize it but he was shaking his head at an alarming rate and although he wanted to step back he found himself frozen. He felt sick, the world around him fading to black as he fell into an endless pit of despair and crashed down to his knee's. "Cody...Oh god!-!-!." Oh fucking hell the fucking bitch TRICKED him! Oh god he'd been playing him the entire time!

He clutched his stomach as a hot unbearable nauseating wave of agony crashed over him; and he started to wretch. Everything. Everything had been a lie and he'd fallen for it like the pathetic desperate loser like he knew he always was! Oh god he couldn't bare the pain of this, it was too much!-! He tried to turn away but Jericho suddenly hummed louder and he wretched harder and prayed for mercy as he felt everything come crashing down around him. This just couldn't be happening! How could Cody do this to him?-! Oh god fuck how could he have been SO wrong about him? About all of it?

His head jerked back with a pained roar as he thought he felt his heart literally fall from his chest and shatter into billions of useless pieces into his gut. "NO!"

Hmm, hmm, hmm...

Hmm, hmm, hmm...

I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black.

Yeah.

Hmm, hmm, hmm...

Hmm, hmm, hmm...

Hmm, hmm, hmm...

Hmm, hmm, hmm...

Cody shivered inside the bathroom he'd locked himself into a short while ago as he waited for the stranger in his bed to get dressed and leave; all would come to light soon and he'd break the heart of the only man who'd ever loved him. And it was fucking killing him. Randy didn't deserve what was about to happen to him; he didn't deserve to be so fucking hurt and betrayed! God damn it he was a good man and Michael was going to ruin him!

Cody picked up and abruptly downed a shot of vodka he'd brought into the bathroom with him; it's hard bitter taste making him flinch. At first yes, he'd had nothing but bad intentions when it came to Randy because he'd been told that Randy was only going to use him to gain information about Michael; he'd been told that Randy would get what he wanted from him and then leave. The bastard was only going to use him and he'd been so fucking sure of it!

His eyes found the mirror and he trembled as he starred at his pale, empty reflection, his heart aching with despair; he'd been lied to. Fuck he'd been lied to and believed it and by the time he realized that Randy was genuine it was too late. Michael had everything he needed to keep Randy under his thumb and there was nothing he could do about it; and it was all his fault. He grabbed a half empty bottle of vodka from the counter and quickly poured and downed another shot. That part hurt so fucking bad. The fact that he knew if he'd never gone to Randy in the crowd at the T-strip that night none of this would have ever happened and Randy would have been safe! But he'd been so high that night, like most nights when he got up on stage and Randy was just too fucking intriguing to ignore.

Fuck Randy was so hot, he really couldn't help it. In the beginning he was just working the crowd but upon laying eyes on Randy for the first time he'd had the idea to rub against him. So he did. And it was honestly innocent, he'd only been after the money and the quick thrill of touching someone as handsome as Randy was...Only, he hadn't known that Michael was watching them. He hadn't known Michael had seen the arrousal in Randy's eyes just as he had and it wasn't until the next night that Michael pulled him into one of the backrooms and offered him a deal that if he seduced the detective into his bed, he would erase his debts and let him go.

He knew that after two years of being caught up Mizanin's mess that he had to take the deal, he had to try for his freedom before he ended up dead or worse, working as a ten dollar slut on the fucking street corner. But truthfully though, when Michael offered him the deal he'd jumped at the chance to get out of the mess he'd put himself in because at that point he'd have done anything to avoid seeing Andrew, a twisted bastard who came to town once a week to gamble and "play" with him. And, Drew as he called him, didn't play nice.

He tore his eyes away from the mirror, sickened by his own face as he had been for so very long and fumbled for a small silver box laying beside the sink. Fuck he hated Andrew but for months he'd acted like he was happy to be with him and played along so well that he'd almost forgotten who he really was. He actually stopped caring about the things he did and who he did them with and used more than just marajuana to dull the pain. Until Randy came along and reminded him that he was fucking miserable he'd been just fine pretending that everything was alright. But, Randy came and suddenly made him feel ashamed for the things he'd done because he actually wanted to impress him and he fucking couldn't. Sure he was a premed student at one time but that was almost three years ago and these days he spent more time high as a kite and on his knee's than anything else.

Basically, he was a fucking whore and there was nothing impressive about that.

Shit and how fucking pathetic was it that the only thing he could be proud of was the fact that he'd done such a good job at leading Randy on that he practically had him wrapped around his little finger! He twitched slightly as another shiver tore threw him and bent down over the counter for the fourth time that night, picking up a small straw and lined it up to his nose before a fine line of cocaine he didn't even remember setting up. He was SO high again, as always, and blissfully numb all over; except for his heart that he feared would never stop hurting after what he'd done to Randy.

Fuck he'd never forgive himself for the pain he was going to cause the most kind and caring man he'd ever known because he knew Randy just wouldn't be the same after this. He'd ruined him; his hurt would be so hard and so deep. ..

I'm so sorry. He closed his eyes, shaking again and without further hesitation he took every bit of the white drug before the end of the straw into his body with one quick sniff. Oh god I'm so fucking sorry Randy. I tried to help you baby, I tried so hard. When he'd realized Randy wasn't trying to play him he'd begged Michael to leave Randy alone, he'd tried so hard to tell him that Randy just wasn't like them! But Michael didn't care; he was too determined to bring Randy into his mess of drugs and money that he forced him to keep seeing him until he gave the order to back off. And he did as he was told because what could he do to help him? What could he really do? He was just a stripper, a no body who sold his body for an hour at a time to pay his rent and support his growing cocaine habit…Addiction…Whatever.

There was nothing he could do to help Randy now, especially since Michael wanted Randy on his "team" and would stop at nothing to have him. And not only that but Alex, Michael's favorite "boy", wanted a toy of his very own to play with.

And that sick freak just so happened to have his mind set on Randy too.

*Seriously REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Come on, there's a bunch of you who are on alert for this fic & you never reviewed. I know this has some errors and is a bit rushed at times but I work hard on this fic and the least you could do is leave a review! PLEASE DO IT!*