Chapter 12

Nicky had been sitting at the back of the café when Starsky walked in. He looked like shit. It was hard to tell whether his bloodshot eyes, haggard face, and skin tinged with blue and green, was the result of Hutch's fists or the mother of all hangovers. Starsky never got a chance to say so much as a good morning before Nicky retreated quickly to get the coffees. At least it seemed this way to Starsky, who sensed his brother's discomfort at being scrutinized. As Nicky returned to their table in the back of the Starbucks, Starsky noted his behavior and wondered why he seemed so agitated.

Nick slid two large coffees onto the table but didn't sit down. Instead, he hovered, glancing nervously at the doorway. "You want something to go with that, Davey? I can get us a couple of donuts."

Starsky kicked out the other chair against the wall, stabbing his finger at the seat. "Just sit down. I don't want any goddamn donuts, I'm here to talk."

Nicky was stalling - why?

Nicky dropped into the chair, glowering. "Don't start with me, Davey," he warned. To Starsky it came out like a petulant whine.

"Then settle down, will ya?"

"Hey! You don't get to tell me what to do like I'm some perp you picked up off the street. You're lucky I agreed to this meet in the first place. You drag me out here at nearly dawn when I feel like death warmed over after what your partner did to me and expect me to be all social." His eyes darted once more to the door.

"You sure that's all it is, Nicky? I told you Hutch ain't comin'. He's back at the hotel if that's what's got you riled up."

Nicky wasn't listening. He stared, instead, over Starsky's right shoulder.

Before Starsky had a chance to look at what had his brother transfixed, his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket. "This'll be Hutch," he said before answering it, "- checkin' on whether you turned up. See? You can relax; he's not waiting outside -"

Starsky stopped when the expression on Nicky's face changed. He sensed a presence behind him as a stranger, a man in a suit, moved to stand by Nicky. Starsky was still holding the buzzing phone as he realized his meeting had suddenly gone off course.

"Shit…." Was all he managed to mutter, watching Nicky's face drain of color.

"Don't answer that," a voice behind him warned. "Put the phone down or your brother here will pay for it."

The man who had given the order riveted Nicky's attention but Starsky couldn't see him.

Starsky took his hand off the phone and looked up at the man closest to Nicky. His damaged face and irregular bone structure suggest that he was an ex-boxer. White, at least five foot eight and middle-aged, his short muscular body was squeezed like a sausage into a firm skin of black suit. Starsky still couldn't see the man behind him, but his hand on Starsky's chair held it firmly in place.

Nicky started to sweat. Starsky wondered if his brother might either bolt or faint.

Despite the order, Starsky kept the phone in his hand and turned instead to eye the man behind him. Taller than the boxer, about six foot, he was also Caucasian and decked out in a suit. He had a puckered, keloid scar running down the left side of his face, no doubt thought Starsky, courtesy of an old knife wound. They were both obviously muscle for the mob. No doubt they were armed as surely as Starsky was not.

His cell buzzed again. Hutch.

The man behind him took the phone from Starsky's grasp, silencing the call.

Starsky watched it disappear into the man's jacket. "You came here to hijack my phone? If you're lookin' to score the latest model, you'll be pissed. It's last years," Starsky drawled.

"Davey…. Come on. Please, " Nick muttered.

"What do you want?" Starsky directed his question to the men while ignoring Nick's reaction. He suspected he already knew their intentions.

"Mr. Durniak wants to meet with you. We've got a car outside," the boxer next to Nick said quietly. His hand moved his suit jacket just enough to display his gun. Then he picked up Nicky's phone from the table as well, turning it off before pocketing it. "Time to go, Nick."

Starsky tried not to react when the man said Nick's name, but knew his surprise showed. "You know Nicky? Then you probably know I'm a cop. You sure you want to play it this way?"

The boxer didn't hesitate. "We've got our instructions. Get up."

"Alright. Let's go see what Mr. Durniak wants." Starsky stood, nodding to Nicky. Some color returned to Nicky's face when he realized Starsky was agreeing to go with the men. Starsky wondered how much of Nicky's unease was due to his fear of the men or that Starsky might have refused to co-operate with them.

Outside, Starsky saw a dark Chrysler waiting. It wasn't the same car that had been tailing him yesterday. He frowned at the implication and then pushed the thought away. He had more things to focus on now.

Nick was ushered in the front between the driver and Knife-Scar, while Starsky was directed to the back seat next to the Boxer. He glanced up at the hotel window, knowing Hutch would be watching, and knew that, behind the tinted glass, his partner would be going crazy with fear and frustration. Starsky pulled his gaze away from the window, feeling Hutch's distress.

The driver took off as soon as he locked the doors and, keeping within the speed limit, he turned ten blocks from the Starbucks and directed the car into the entry of a subterranean garage. Nicky and Starsky were quickly ushered out of the Chrysler.

Nicky looked confused, struggling with Scar who was gripping his arm. "What the hell is goin' on?"

Scar shoved Nicky toward a light-colored late-model Lincoln that pulled up alongside. "Just get in and shut up."

Nicky had always played up his streetwise persona more than he could back it up, but Starsky still expected him to recognize what was happening. "They don't want to get picked up on the street cams. They figure Hutch's is already looking for the Chrysler."

Hutch would have wasted no time in reporting the abduction. Starsky could imagine him beating himself up for letting Starsky go to the meet without him. The boxer tossed Starsky's cell phone to another driver waiting with a third car; yet another non-descript vehicle. Durniak was taking no chances.

Now Starsky's phone was in the wrong car going in a different direction. It would be the first dead end Hutch would run into. As the Lincoln left the garage and pulled back into the street, Starsky could only imagine Hutch's reaction when his phone's GPS would lead to nothing. He knew how he would react if it were his partner in this position.

Oh, Hutch… I promised I wouldn't go to see Tony Durniak alone, and I meant it. But now, I don't have a choice. I'm so sorry, babe.

SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH

Hutch was barely holding it together when he picked up his phone. "Do we have anything yet?"

"Not yet," Dobey answered.

"It's been over thirty minutes since they took him! Christ - all this damn technology and we've got nothing?"

"Hutch - try to remain calm."

"There's no sighting of the Chrysler?"

Stop pushing him. He already told you that, didn't he? It's not easy on Dobey either.

Dobey sounded tired. "They're looking for it, but so far...no. You want to come in and go through the footage?"

"I don't know if there's any point to my coming into the station - " he stammered. He felt close to becoming unhinged. He could imagine the grief he'd give the tech staff while hovering around them, berating them, demanding more than they could give. He'd drive them crazy or piss them off. "I'll wait here for now."

He put the phone back in his pocket and paced again to the window, the last place he'd seen Starsky. He didn't want to leave the window or the room, paralyzed by the fear that if he did, he might miss something. He should have never allowed Starsky to go to the meet with Nick alone. He kept hoping that the Chrysler would reappear and let Starksy out, or that there would be a tap on the hotel door and Starsky would be standing there unscathed, winded after he broke free at a stoplight and jogged back to the hotel.

You know that won't happen.

He'll be fine. He'll be fine.

That's a fantasy, Hutch. They've got him and they're taking him to Durniak. Those men are professionals.

He tried telling himself that Starsky wanted to talk to Durniak anyway, so this might work out. Just as quickly, he rejected that thought. This wasn't going to work in Starsky's favor - it just put him in danger.

As he stood, his mind churning, his phone rang again.

"There's been some news," Dobey spoke hurriedly. "We've got a bead on Starsky's cell. A patrol car is closing in on it now. They picked up a signal about seven miles from your hotel."

Hutch tried to subdue a burst of hope. "I'll come down to the street. Have a patrol car pick me up so I can meet the unit at the designated location."

He hadn't even cleared the hotel entrance when his cell buzzed again.

"Hutch?" It was Dobey again.

"What happened?" Hutch asked, his stomach dropping.

"Never mind going out to that location. It was a dead lead. Starsky's phone was in different car - not the Chrysler."

Hutch shut his eyes.

"They found the Chrysler, too. Left in a garage a few blocks from Starbucks."

"Any details from it?" Hutch asked.

"It was a corporate rental, just like the car Starsky's phone was in - traced back to some small company that's probably a subsidiary of one of Durniak's legitimate corporations. We never found the drivers or anyone else we could question. Doesn't help us much."

Hutch groaned, forcing himself to take a long slow, breath.

Dobey was speaking again. "I'll call you as soon as I hear anything. Officer Kaplan is digging for more background on Vanessa's associate, Jake Webster. The Homicide team is waiting to meet with me over the meth you uncovered. You should come to the station so we can brainstorm." Dobey was obviously waiting for some response from him. "Hutch? We've got to keep moving forward. The results from the sweep of your place last night might give us something, too."

"Yeah - yeah, I'll do that," Hutch managed. "I'll head in soon." He ended the call and resumed his silent vigil at the window.

He found it hard to believe how quickly everything could just come crashing down. Before this morning, everything had centered on his fear that Starsky might be convicted of murder. That the two of them might never get to be together in the full sense of what they had just begun to explore with each other. But once he'd seen those men push Starsky into the Chrysler, his fears had turned to terror. Now, he and Starsky might never have a future at all -

SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH

The two men moved Starsky and Nicky from the Lincoln to an elevator that took them to the eleventh floor of a glass and chrome tower. Since their guards had not disguised their route or destination meant that the location wasn't significant to Durniak. They'd been brought to an office building, a featureless structure like so many in downtown LA. Starsky figured it was likely rented space rather than one of Durniak's personal offices. The bare outer office and the lack of staff outside supported that assumption. Once Durniak left, it would be stripped of any sign he'd ever been there.

They walked a short distance from the elevator to a glassed-in suite. Bare and insulated from the city noise outside, the floor space was substantial. The men ushered them toward large double doors. The boxer knocked, waited, and then hearing a voice from inside, opened the door.

Tony Durniak stood waiting at the end of the expansive room.

Durniak watched him as soon as he and Nicky entered the large suite. Durniak was measuring him up, his gaze moving with the precision of a laser-focus on a tactical weapon.

Feigning nonchalance, Starsky ignored his scrutiny and pretended to take in his surroundings as he strolled across the plush carpet toward Durniak's sleek desk.

Giving Joe Durniak's son a closer look, Starsky pondered how different a father and son could be. This office space, although minimally furnished, was still grandiose enough to demonstrate what Tony Durniak was worth. No poorly lit back room in a striptease club for Durniak's meetings.

Joe Durniak had never gone for displays of excess. He'd never flaunted his wealth or rank in the Family. He had even used his financial position to help those he cared about. His son, however, was making up for his father's austerity. It was just another thing Starsky didn't like about Tony Durniak.

Boxer and Scar, having delivered their charges, now became their guards, taking their positions at the office's entry. Scar directed Nick to stand off to the side, like a secondary character in the scene. That made Starsky uneasy. Durniak had barely looked at Nicky when they came in. His sole attention seemed directed at Starsky.

Starsky plastered on a disinterested mask and relaxed his body posture to reflect indifference. All of it was at odds with what was going on in his head. The drive here had given him time to dwell on how wrong this meeting with Durniak could go and what might be at stake. Possibly his and his brother's life.

The game was way too personal with too much at stake. And this time, there was no blond-haired partner watching his back. If it all went to shit he'd be alone to deal with it, and maybe never see that partner again….

Durniak stepped out from behind the desk as Starsky approached. Tall and thick set, with dark blond hair, he did not resemble his father very much at all. "David Starsky," he said. He didn't offer his hand. Durniak glanced at Nicky who was nearby before looking back squarely at Starsky. "It's been a while."

Starsky gave an incredulous laugh. "So you had an urge to see me, and had your boys pick me up?"

"I couldn't risk your refusal, and there's too much between us for me to believe you would come willingly."

"I got the message at Joe's funeral that you still don't like me. I got it loud and clear," Starsky said, thinking back farther than Joe's funeral. He remembered other times in his youth when Tony had used his thugs to deliver pointed threats. "You know the feeling is mutual."

I hated you then and I hate you now.

"Whatever happened in our past, we're here now," Durniak said.

"How profound." As soon as it came out of his mouth, Starsky thought it sounded like something Hutch would say, not him.

Durniak looked unperturbed. "Sit, so we might talk." He indicated a pair of wingback chairs facing each other that looked out of place in the modernistic room. Before Starsky could do anything, Durniak sat down in one of the chairs. He pointedly left Nicky standing. "So our lives intersect once more - in a most unfortunate way."

Starsky looked at Nicky standing off to the side and wondered again why Durniak had left him there. Nicky looked more frightened than Starsky had ever seen him, but still struggled to give Starsky a weak smile. Nicky nodded, as if to say, go on and sit. I'm fine.

And maybe Nicky was counting on his big brother to steer them through this.

So, Starsky took the seat. But despite what Nicky was trying to convey, he himself sure as hell didn't feel fine.

"Have your men been tailing me - yesterday? Last night?" Starsky threw the question at Durniak. He wanted to see Durniak's expression when he asked it.

"Tailing you?" Durniak seemed genuinely surprised. "That wasn't necessary. I had other ways of locating you."

Starsky considered his response. Durniak had no reason to lie about that. So if it wasn't Durniak's men, then who? He pushed it aside and focused. "Why did you bring us here?"

"Are you pretending you don't know why I requested this meeting?"

"Requested?" Starsky said. "Is that what you call it? I've had nicer requests."

Durniak leaned back in his chair. "I've gone to considerable effort to arrange this meeting. It's not every day that I fly across the country and disrupt my schedule like this."

"I feel so honored. You think you deserve an award for snatching a cop against his will?"

Durniak pursed his lips. "I think, Starsky, you should be more appreciative."

"Appreciative? Jesus Christ! Your men threatened my brother to get me here. I should appreciate that?"

A flush of anger suffused Durniak's face. "Neither of you were harmed, and I made sure that your partner was not with you. I wanted Hutchinson out of the equation." He watched Starsky closely. "From what I know of his dedication to you, the situation could have become," he pressed his lips together, "messy. I know Hutchinson's wasted no time trying to find you."

Starsky leaned forward, struggling to stay seated. Durniak brought Hutch into the conversation for a reason. Did Durniak have Hutch under surveillance?

Aware that Durniak seemed amused by his expression, Starsky steeled himself to rein in his reactions. "Don't play games with me," he growled, "especially where it involves my partner."

"He isn't in this room, is he?" Durniak pointed out. "If I'd wanted him to be, he would, and there'd be nothing you could do about it."

"Just tell me what you want!" And leave Hutch out of this!

The mobster's expression grew harder. "I want my missing meth. Ten million dollars worth of prime product. I believe you have it."

"Why would you believe that?"

Durniak smiled, arching an eyebrow. "Why? Because Hutchinson's ex-wife came to this city to meet with you and her ex-husband. She had my meth, and she spent her last moments with you. I'm sure she confided in you - and in Hutchinson, also."

"I'll tell you again. None of this has anything to do with Hutch. Vanessa came to me."

"She came to you the night she was killed."

"Yes - she had some notion that because of - my previous connection with your family, that I would be able to help her in some way."

"Help her how exactly?" Durniak gave Starsky his full attention.

Starsky recalled the evening. "That part was vague - I don't believe she'd put a lot of thought into it. She had some idea that, because of my past relationship with your father, I would be able to negotiate her out of the mess - with you." Starsky grimaced at that possibility.

Durniak waited a beat and then continued. "So you knew then that the meth was mine?"

"I only knew what she told me. She was desperate to get me to help her."

"Were you willing to do that? Help her? Did you relieve her of my stolen goods?" Durniak asked pointedly. Starsky couldn't miss the flash of anger in his eyes.

"Like I said, I don't know what she expected me to do. I never got the chance to find out if she wanted me to get it back to you. We'd barely started talking about it when two men broke in. They pinned me down. She scuffled with one of the men and then she was shot. Killed."

"You had no time to plan a course of action with her regarding the meth?"

Starsky sighed angrily. "I had no involvement with those drugs. The first I knew of it was the little she'd told me just before she died." He frowned. "But what does it matter what I say? You wouldn't take my word for it either way."

"I'm not interested in the validity of your word. I'm only interested in getting back what is mine. I believe you're in a position to tell me what I need to know about that."

"Your two ex- employees ransacked my place and never found it," Starsky told him.

"That doesn't mean a lot, does it? Only that Vanessa did not put the stash in your apartment. They broke into the wrong apartment, didn't they?"

"You're tellin' the story here," Starsky said, wondering how Durniak knew what he did. "Cut to the chase if you know the ending."

Durniak glanced at Nicky still hovering on the sideline. "See that, Starsky? Your brother looks nervous." He waved a hand toward Nick. "I wonder why. Maybe he doesn't like the way you're answering my questions. Maybe he thinks you know more than you're saying and your continued denial does not bode well for his future."

Starsky felt confused. What the hell was Durniak getting at with Nicky? Starsky remembered the way Nicky had grilled him yesterday at Huggy's. Did Nicky think, like Durniak, that he was in on the theft with Vanessa?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Starsky answered. "Nicky knows nothin' either."

Starsky didn't like the expression on Durniak's face anymore than he liked the evasive one on Nicky's. Something had shifted in the room, and he had no idea what it was.

Durniak turned back to Starsky. "So you think these two men who killed Vanessa are my employees? I'm constantly surprised at how duplicitous employees can be - even when I reward them highly. Some will even bite the hand that feeds them."

"Those same two 'duplicitous' employees not only killed Vanessa," Starsky said, "but also her boyfriend - a man called Marco - who was also involved in stealing your merchandise. Your employees are now responsible for at least two murders."

Durniak shrugged. "What they did or didn't do matters little to me except when it concerns my merchandise."

"Then does it matter to you that they're the reason Vanessa ended up with your ten million dollars of meth in the first place?" Starsky demanded.

"Very much so," Durniak said. "They've acted against me and must be punished."

"If you know about them, who they are, and what they've done," Starsky asked, " then why haven't you simply taken them out?"

Durniak flicked a speck of lint from his cuff. "My employees are my concern. I'll deal with them in my own time and in my own way. But - to be clear here, I don't believe they have my meth. Those men think you - or your partner - have it. As do I. I also know these men could be pivotal in exonerating you of Vanessa's murder. If I was to punish them for their betrayal - it might benefit you."

Starsky reeled from the impact of that statement. Was Durniak prepared to help him -for something in return?

"You need these two men, don't you, Starsky?" Durniak stated bluntly.

"You know I need them," Starsky said, tight-lipped. "I need them alive and willing to talk."

"Yes, I understand that. I hope that you can also understand that I need something, too. I want what is mine returned. Need and want -powerful instigators."

"Just say what you want to say," Starsky snapped, anxious to get Durniak to stop dancing around. "Are you gonna give me those men?" When he and Nicky had arrived, he never anticipated Durniak would propose any sort of deal.

"Only if I get my drugs in return for handing them over and insuring their cooperation. Are you willing to do business?"

Starsky knew Durniak's meth was locked up in the police evidence room. Even if he could steal it back, he wouldn't. He be damned if he'd help the distribution of such a destructive drug. But Durniak didn't know to what lengths he might go to get himself cleared of Vanessa's murder charge. And, if he outright refused Durniak, what was in store for him and Nicky?

"I need to clear my name! You think I want to go to prison for somethin' I had nothin' to do with?" Starsky shouted, unable to keep the tremor from his voice. "But I also want them because I'm a cop. Vanessa's dead; Marcos is dead. Those murderers are still on the street. That's what's in the balance, not just clearing my name."

"Such honorable sentiment." Durniak smirked and then shook his head. "You were never cut out for the life my father wanted to offer you."

"You're letting your imagination run away with you." Starsky suspected he would anger Durniak, but he was so angry himself he couldn't stop. "I was just a young kid who ran the streets with a pack of low-lifes. I had no interest in your father's mob. That was your own jealousy you invented in your head. Your father may have been fond of me, but he never intended to groom me for a place in his organization. Don't let that old history get in the way of what we're talking about now. Your father is dead, and years before he died, we had no meaningful relationship."

"I'm glad you recognize that, Starsky. Glad you understand that whatever you meant to my father means nothing now." Starsky could see Durniak's emotion rising, his eyes bright.

Starsky decided to get the conversation back on track. "How can you give those men to me? You'll either kill them for what they did, or they'll go to prison for murder. Why the fuck would they agree to -?" Starsky stopped. He could see Durniak waiting for the moment when it would all come together in his head. Starsky nodded. "You're going to advise them to take your best offer - a safe, comfortable prison cell - or death."

"Those men are out in the cold, trying desperately to get my stolen meth back - either to save their asses with me or, if they're stupid enough, to try to get the hell of the country with my product. But you know they're not going to get it back, are they, Starsky?"

Starsky stayed quiet. Let Durniak think that he had the meth in his possession if it was going to help him get out of here.

"No - I don't believe they can get it back, and they know it's only a matter of time before I find them," Durniak said. "Either way, they're fucked. They'll do better by letting me negotiate on their behalf." He watched Starsky for his reaction.

"You think you can sway them to testify by offering them protection in prison?"

"Keeping people alive and comfortable behind bars is a strong incentive. I can make that happen. In addition, I can look after their families while they serve time. A small price to pay if it means getting my meth. On the streets, they're not only at the mercy of the cops, but of any of my employees who sees an opportunity of gaining my favor by turning them in."

"But are you sure you can get them?" Starsky pressed.

"I could ask you the same of my meth," Durniak countered.

"So if that's your deal, are we finished? I need some time to consider my options."

"You're not in any position to consider anything - or to keep me waiting. I want my product back, and soon."

"For Christ sake - I'm a cop!" Starsky yelled. "What you're asking is too much."

"Its quite incredible what men can achieve if they have the right amount of motivation," Durniak said quietly. "Every man has a price. I simply have to find yours."

"My partner and me - we have our own value system."

"I know from my sources you're both honorable cops. But all the honor in the world won't save you now."

"You think I can just walk out of here and secure your fuckin' meth because you leaned on me?" Starsky snapped feeling pressured.

Durniak smiled, got up from the chair, and walked toward Nicky. He stopped in front of him and then faced Starsky. "For your sake, I hope so."

Starsky lurched up from the chair, anxious. He tried moving toward Nick and Durniak but was halted as the two guards blocked him.

"While you consider your options," Durniak said, "Nick will stay with us as our guest. Just for insurance."

Starsky understood the threat. If Starsky didn't deliver, Nicky would disappear, and Starsky would never know what happened to him, or how much Nicky would have suffered before he died. That was why Durniak had left Nicky standing at the side of the room. Starsky now had two incentives to co-operate.

"I shouldn't be surprised after you used Nicky as leverage to get me here -" Starsky began before Durniak interrupted him.

"You misunderstand. I didn't use your brother as leverage to get you here. On the contrary, it was Nick who used you."

"What are you talkin' about?" But even as Starsky demanded an answer, Nicky's expression changed. What he was seeing on his younger brother's face was unmistakable. Shame and panic.

"I told you earlier that I had a source," Durniak said. "Your brother came to me, certain he could get you to locate my product." He smiled as he patted Nicky on the shoulder. "Nick was the hook to pull you in. Unlike you, Nick appreciates the rewards that working for me can provide, don't you, Nicolas?"

"You set me up this morning?" Starsky asked his brother. "You came out to LA just to set me up?"

Damn it, Nicky, why can't I see you for what you truly are?

Nicky's eyes looked around the room then at the floor. Anywhere, but at Starsky.

Look at me, you coward…

As though hearing Starsky's mental command, Nicky finally returned Starsky's gaze. The truth was there, along with just the hint of smug pride. Damn him to hell!

You bastard, you lying, deceiving, greedy bastard. Why can't I finally admit what you are and be done with you? Why have I been such a blind fool?

It made Starsky sick to look at his brother.

"I did it outta concern for you, Davey," Nicky insisted. Whatever satisfaction he may have felt at having worked with Durniak was gone. Now he just sounded desperate. "I know you can help Mr. Durniak, just like he can help you." His rationalization sounded pathetic to Starsky. "I did it for your own good!"

"That's very noble of you, Nick." Durniak smirked. "I wonder if Davey appreciates your brotherly concern."

"It's what I was tryin' to tell you yesterday, Davey," Nicky continued in the face of Starsky's anger and silence. "But you wouldn't listen to me and neither would your partner. Mr. Durniak's the only one who can get you outta this mess." He seemed to be trying to hold his chin up, but his confidence withered under Starsky's glare.

"Shut up, Nicky," Starsky finally muttered. "Just shut the fuck up."

"There you have it, Starsky," Durniak said triumphantly. "Your brother facilitated this meeting." He gave Nick a look of disgust. "God knows the useless bastard had to do something to redeem himself when he came up empty." He directed the next words to Nicky. "Despite all your grand promises, you couldn't get anything useful out of your brother."

"Mr. Durniak, wait!" Nicky cried out. Starsky cringed at the deferential whine in his voice. "You know what the problem was. It's that fucking partner of his, Hutchinson. He's got Davey brainwashed against me. I told you before, Mr. Durniak, to deal with my brother, you should have had your men get rid of that blond bodyguard of his. With him out of the picture, I could have gotten a lot farther with Davey -"

When Starsky lunged, the two guards were too busy protecting Durniak to stop the roundhouse punch he swung at his brother. The punch connected, knocking Nicky sideways. Starsky followed it by shoving him against the nearest wall. "I ought to kill you for sayin' that!" Close to his brother's face now, he jabbed hard, his left fist cracking against Nicky's jaw again.

Nicky howled, Starsky's blows obviously reawakening every hurt from Hutch's previous attack. Blood spurted from his split lip and his cheekbone reopened; fresh blood trickled down.

Behind him, Durniak snapped an order. Starsky felt a meaty arm wrap around his neck and pull him away from Nicky. A second hand twisted his arm behind his back, pain shooting through him.

"Enough - just pull him off the kid," Durniak barked.

Starsky was breathing heavily, still angry, disgusted, disappointed - the burn in his released arm was nothing compared to his fury.

Durniak laughed. "I don't care what you do to your brother; you want to kill him - fine. You can sort that out on your own time. For now, Nick is my main insurance policy."

"You can keep your fuckin' insurance policy!" Starsky gasped raggedly. "He means nothing to me now that I know what he's done."

"He's still your brother," Durniak replied calmly. "Your blood is his blood."

Shaking his head to clear it, Starsky pressed his right hand over his left, his knuckles throbbing. Then, with Durniak's words prompting something in him, he saw Nicky's blood on his hands. The sight of it was too much. Swallowing convulsively, he quickly wiped it on his shirt until it was gone. He'd never hit his brother like that before. Never with the intent to do him any real harm, and never with so much anger.

"I'll make contact with you once I've secured the two men you need," Durniak said. "After that, I expect you to deliver my meth."

Starsky waited, knowing there was more. Nick made a low sound as though wanting to call out as he sagged against the wall and then slid to the floor. Starsky wouldn't look him in the face.

"If you fail to deliver my goods, or if I have complications from the police, remember I have your brother."

Starsky chuckled. "You really think I'd lift a finger for him now?" Nicky had irrevocably broken their bond. He had not only sold his own brother out to Durniak, but he'd openly admitted to wanting Hutch killed, to having put the idea into Durniak's head.

"I think you will," Durniak said, sounding confident. "You're an honorable police officer, and from what I know of you, you honor your family. I don't think you're ready to tell your mother what happened to her youngest son...because you failed."

Starsky couldn't think about the ramifications of that. Durniak was right. Regardless of what he thought of Nicky, Starsky would never knowingly cause her grief.

"That's something I'll have to decide for myself, isn't it?" Nicky moaned when Starsky said that, but Starsky still refused to look at him.

Everything was starting to close in around him. He felt like he was hanging on by a thread. But what would it do to Hutch if he lost control here? Hutch would only blame himself if Starsky wound up dead. No, Hutch needed him to do whatever it took to keep himself alive.

He closed his eyes and envisioned Hutch beside him. Like a talisman, the thought of Hutch, of his voice, his touch, stilled the panic he'd felt escalating inside.

Don't fuck this up, Starsky. Hutch is waiting for you, terrified of what might be happening to you. Just pull it together and walk out of here. Once you're back with him, you'll both figure a way out of this mess. Hutch'll help you find a way to keep Nicky alive. Walk out now or you'll never see Hutch again.

"Am I free to go?" The icy calm he projected took supreme effort.

Durniak seemed pleased, as if assuming he'd accepted his proposal, and turned to his men. "Drop Detective Starsky within walking distance of his favorite Starbucks. It's only right that we return him the way we found him."

Starsky said nothing as he walked out of the office with the two guards flanking him. He never looked at Nicky. As he left, he felt completely drained of energy. The only thing he needed now was to feel Hutch's arms around him, and hear Hutch telling him everything was going to be all right.

SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHSH