Chapter 4 - Ice burns easily

Big thanks to Casey_Wolfe for playing beta and MsWriter07 for helping order thoughts!

It was funny as most people having met Brian would assume that he never got angry. He did. And when he did it was spectacular. People quickly learned that they never wanted to see his bad side. It was a telling reminder that ice burns as easily as fire. The only question that remained was stupid enough to have gained his eire?

Well he'd been enjoying sunning himself on the deck of the boathouse, when a shadow blocked his sunbathing. He opened his eyes, a little annoyed at the interruption - before seeing the interuptee. A slow grin crossed his features, "Hey sexy! What can I do for you?" Brian would have to be dead not to flirt with someone he thought good looking.

Carter looking down at the stretched, gorgeous body in front of him and had to bite back his first response. There was a serious amount of tempting, golden flesh on show. He may have licked his lips, but no one could blame him. "Well I have a gift and a request."

Brian sat up, motioning for Carter to join him. "Okay I'll bite. I'm curious enough to listen to this."

Carter grinned, "As of 9:00 your records were wiped."

Brian's eyes went wide, to have his records completely wiped would have been very expensive. As gifts went that was one of the best to a wanted fugitive. "The paper copies too?" He used to be a cop and understood that while a lot was digital - a paper trail could be just as deadly.

Verone shrugged, "It seems with the right payment to a desperate agent or cop. Some papers meet unfortunate accidents."

Brian's heart was in his mouth. While there were people who knew him, they had no evidence of a Brian O'Conner. His life was a blank slate - his to do with as he pleased. It was a heady thought. "So what is up?"

Carter knew that if anything was to happen between them - then he would have to be honest with Brian from the beginning. "One of my girls was attacked - I want the man dealt with."

"Girls?"

Carter's hand ran through his hair, showing just how agitated he was by the notion. "Don't be coy. You know who I am. The girls who work for me do so because I keep them safe. Usually the John's are too stupid to go against me."

Brian stiffened, he'd hated when he dealt with those cases when attached to vice. "What do you want me to do? I won't kill unless it is necessary."

Carter nodded getting an idea of his limits and pleased that he hadn't hidden or ignored who Carter was. He snorted, "Unfortunately the 'john' is high profile and this requires a more delicate touch, and I have too many flies on the wall."

Brian understood, and well considering what had gone on, and what Carter was saying about the person involved it was better if Carter contracted out the problem. Luckily, he had an ex-cop with a mean streak on his list. Brian was more than willing to do this for Carter, but he had one condition, "I want to see the girl."

Carter nodded his head hopping to grant the request. In truth he was grateful, as he was not really used to consoling. He'd hoped that Brian might ask as he would have more experience of this with his experiences as a cop.

Brian walked into the room, which was at Carter's mansion. An impressive place, and one that kind of said that crime really did pay. If you were smart and could get away with it. He saw the blonde, curled in on her self on the bed. Brian knew exactly how he was going to get revenge and just how to set her on the path to her healing. Revenge was best done cold, and served over a long period. This lawyer would pay for what he did.

"Hey my name is Brian." He said in his most reassuring voice.

She looked at him, but it was a haunted gaze. "Tanya."

He smiled softly, "Don't worry, I'm gonna help you get revenge."

She snorted, too jaded by half by what she'd seen and done. "You can't. He's a fancy lawyer and I'm just a whore."

So that bastard had verbally humiliated her as well as physically beating her. He was more than sure of his course of action, in fact, he'd layer on a few more levels. He might wish by the end of it that he'd never heard of the ninth gate. Dante had nothing on Brian at the moment.

"No you're not," Brian said firmly, enough for her to stop hiding herself. However he finished as gently as possible, "but I think you should swap your job role for awhile."

Tanya listened wondering exactly who Verone had brought into help her. "As what?"

Brian shrugged, "Fancy serving drinks at the Pearl."

Tanya hummed, "I could do that, but what do I do..."

Brian sighed and had no easy answer, sometimes a direct approach was best. "I can't answer that ... Do you want to let him win or are you gonna move on?"

She was gaining a little bit of fire, "You'll make him pay?"

Brian laughed, but it was dark and a promise of retribution all in in one. "Oh Tanya ... It's only just began. Now I'm gonna leave you in peace but while you heal rest assured the smarmy lawyer is about to have a very bad week." Oh yeah, by the time Brian was done. He wouldn't be able to practice law if Brian had his way.

He closed the door softly to find Carter pacing on the other side of the door. "Oh sit down and listen because this is gonna be fun."

Later on, he wondered what people might have thought. If they'd been there to see the start of what many could the unholy alliance. "I'm all ears."

One of the only things that concerned Carter about Brian was that being an ex-cop could he handle what Carter did for a living. He couldn't see Brian being able to turn the other cheek and truth be told he didn't want Brian to ignore any part of him. Seeing Brian come out of Tanya's room he could guess that those fears were unfounded.

He sat down to listen and left it at, "I'm all ears"

Brian started off with, "He have a nice car?"

Carter's sneer said it all, "He has a gaudy Lamboghini."

Brian rolled his eyes, it was an ego trip and a poor one at that. "Well I know a master mechanic who needs spare parts, and would love to strip one."

Carter could see the devious plans spinning in those mercurial blue eyes. "Is that it?"

Brian sat back, more an artful sprawl that made Carter lick his lips on reflex. He wasn't sure how long he could hold out on the idea of a short seduction. Brian was temptation personified. "Oh no." He assured, tone full of dark promises that Carter found incredibly sexy.

"Wait at the Pearl and phase one will be complete. And then I may need some help with phase two." Brian said, leaving Carter with a puzzle to ponder. He couldn't wait to see exactly where this was going to go. He might have almost felt sorry for the piece of shit - until he remembered exactly what he'd done.

Brian decided to do the boosting himself. It was an old skill set but one that he would happily delve into right now. He'd set the whole thing up ahead of time. The car was parked on the street - it wasn't pure arrogance as they were cameras on the streets. Brian was sure that they might have been good, but his good friend Tej was bored and what do you know? They are now on a maintenance schedule and thus had to be taken offline for the duration.

The Lamborghini would be stripped for parts soon enough. He kept promising Jimmy a nice treat he figured this would count. The car was taken as soon as he was sure the idiot was down for the night.

Not three hours later and the car was nothing but a pretty shell. Literally. The only thing left of the once supercar was the metal shell. Brian arranged for it to be dumped in the centre of the roughest part of town, with one of the local gangs phoning in an anonymous tip at the right moment. It was the start of stage three.

He walked around the metal husk taking lots of photos from all angles. He knew that Tanya would enjoy the photos and he would give them to Carter tomorrow.

The Pearl was as busy as usual but somehow Brian found that queueing no longer applied to him. The bouncer let him through saying, "Mr Verone is looking forward to seeing you."

Brian nodded and wondered just what he meant - he was impressed by the amount of innuendo there was in one small sentence. Deciding there was no point in being shy - he zeroed in on Carter. Carter's eyes lit up upon seeing Brian and the person who had been chatting with him knew he was not going to get any further. When the business associate turned around though he was surprised to see a icy-blonde male being the one to have captured the powerful mans attention.

Carter sat back motioning for Brian to do the same. Brian was beginning to love the really comfortable couches in the VIP section. He liked the way Carter licked his lips the minute he slouched back.

Carter asked him, "How go the plans?"

Brian smirked and flashed the photo stored on his phone, "It was a Lamborghini Murcielago."

Carter snickered in delight, "So what is your next plan? You said that the games were only just beginning." He failed to keep the curiosity from his voice, but didn't really care, besides he found this side of Brian fascinating and he wanted to see just how far the blonde would go.

Brian wasn't stupid and saw no reason to be coy, "Do you have a Detective on your role?"

Carter weighed it up; he hadn't dismissed the idea that Brian had been sent in as as a modern honeytrap. If he was then he had succeeded but Carter knew that wasn't the case. If he had read the situation O'Conner had his own sense of justice and he'd come to find that wearing the badge and his conscience wouldn't be so easily reconciled. "Yes I believe that Whitworth can serve a purpose."

Brian had a cheshire grin that on him; looked more attractive that it had any right to be. "Okay well thanks to a friend. His laptop will have a lot of bad things on it. One thing would see him go down but my hacker friend has been told to be through."

Carter nodded his head and was secretly pleased as he now had his answer. The answer was that when Brian was angered he would go very far. "Okay and does your friend need help getting to the laptop?"

Brian thought for a second and decided that professional breaking and entering would make the whole thing operate smoother. "Actually he could do with the help. The lawyer will be busy."

Carter sipped his champagne and waited for Brian to explain how busy he will be. "Well come on don't be mean - share with the class."

Brian chuckled, "Well in an hour the car shell shall be found and an anonymous call will call in the location. Just enough to have the police call him there. Only sad fact it's a rough part of town and nasty lawyer put away the leader in those parts of town."

Carter was in awe. It was mean, diabolical and ensuring that everyone did their dirty work for them. It was kinda perfect, and made him fall a little bit in love.

Brian had gone to that part of town to oversee the whole thing. And for the reason that if anything did go wrong his UC skills should afford him the chance to get them all out of dodge. He snickered in the shadows seeing the bastards face when he saw the shell of his car. Life was good at the moment. He waited long enough to see the gang descend, and then took care to not be seen. The last thing he needed was for him to be discovered at the crime scene.

He took to using an old Soviet spy trick. He shoved a load of money into the face of a poor tenant in order to spy out of the window. He waited for the gang to set up on him before asking the tenant to call in an anonymous tip.

A text beeped and he was grinning. Tonight the nasty slimy lawyer was going to wish that he never got out of bed. He was going to have the mother of all bad days. It was only beginning with the beat down from the gang. His two hirelings had broken in and then trashed his hard drive. Thanks to his friend the lawyer now had very violent illegal porn as well evidence of embezzling from the firm. The last idea was from Brian's twisted mind. By adding the embezzlement charge he ensured that the firm would not represent him out of twisted loyalty. It was unlikely but Brian wanted to eliminate any chance.

He was going to take a slow drive to that side of town. He would stay right there until the bastard was cuffed in the back of the police car - only then he would be satisfied.

Brian had stuck around outside the condo long enough to see the bastard arrested and the police had not been kind in his arrest. Then again with all the horrible things that had found their way onto his laptop it didn't surprise him. Brian tried to muster up an ounce of sympathy and failed remembering poor Tanya. Brian knew in his bones that she wouldn't be the last of them.

Brian wasn't a stranger to feeling satisfaction for a job well done. A few may argue that he had overreacted but he had too many cautionary tales from his own experiences, and from other cops. Men like Adam McKenzie don't change - they are sexual predators who get worse and worse until they are stopped. The fact that he'd been stopped before it reached murder was only a good thing in Brian's mind.

He was honest enough to know that he would not lose any sleep over this little venture. Seeing Tanya venture into the bar made him smile. She was getting back on her feet - she wouldn't let the nasty lawyer make her into a victim all her life. As she pulled her hair back in preparation, Brian flung the paper down to her. She saw the headline and stared in shock. The look of intense satisfaction, and dare Brian say - hope? Well, it was what had made the whole thing worthwhile. She smiled, wide and true, "Thank you, you and Mr Verone."

Brian returned the smile gently, "Oh I won't lie Mr Verone and I enjoyed it."

She was going to draw a line in the sand and move on. She would take one step at a time, "So what can I get you."

Brian without a pang of memory said, "Corona as long as it is cold."

With his piece said, he settled in to stay awhile at the bar. He would join Carter but for now he wanted to make sure that Tanya's first shift went off without a hitch. He kept up a constant low level chat with her and make sure she was still okay. He and Verone had become rather protective of Tanya.

His Corona was just the right temperature and he savoured it - like it was ambrosia. She grinned giving him a motion to look over his shoulder. And speak of the devil, when he turned around Carter was right behind him. "Speak of the Devil."

Carter smirked, "I'm flattered. How are you both this evening?"

Tanya nodded, "I'm good. Brian is being protective."

Carter chuckled, "He can't help it ..."

Brian rolled his eyes, "So about this date."

Carter was glad that Brian was direct; he never saw the point about beating around the bush when it came to certain subjects. "Yes I have to show you what a real date looks like."

Brian flushed, a little, but kept his poker face. "Yes, well I'm gonna get impatient and seduce you."

Carter threw his head back laughing heartily. A few, who knew about his activities looked a little scared. If only they knew that his supposed 'arm candy' could be meaner.

Best of all, the soon to be couple wouldn't have it any other way. After all appearances were everything and in their world – so for them to be underestimated - it meant everything.