CHAPTER 50. CORRESPONDING CRIMINALS

The blond never imagined, well maybe in the back of his mind he had considered it, that James would instead put his mind to building a criminal empire.

James's parting words didn't stop Sebastian from sending James money, and in return he would receive a postcard every once and while sometimes an email. Just like James and Sebbs the correspondences were not sentimental in nature. The emails usually seeped with venom from James.

Sebbs,

School is boring everyone's an idiot. Have you been killed yet?-James

That had been the nicer of the two he usually received every month.

The postcards never said anything but had a picture of different parts of the world, he received one from Italy with an Italian postmark. He asked James what the hell he was doing in Italy and received no reply, then Florida, that was a surprise. He was in the States? All over not a word just a post card with M on the back.

The money that Sebastian sent was money he made after making a few under the table deals. One thing that being in the military gave him was connections, he and a team of five others had a great thing going, selling weapons, smuggling drugs and weapons sometimes girls, boys didn't matter as long as the price was right. All the money he received he had put in a bank account for James. The boy didn't know how to work, well without burning something to the ground or stabbing someone. And a teacher once told Sebastian back in primary school that teachers make shit for money.

It wasn't until he got pinched because on in the team squealed just to make a deal. He hadn't known which one went first but after the others fell like domino's and he was left holding the bag. The name of the government bloke, he recognized and couldn't remember from where. It was familiar to him, Holmes. They called him Mr. Holmes, a smug cold bastard with an umbrella.

Sebastian refused to give up anyone he worked with or had traded for and with, and of course this resulted in a dishonorable discharged and tossed into a civilian prison, which had surprised him in the first place, that was unexpected.

~0~

Sebastian wasn't a man that easily feared, when the MP's showed up he faced them down with a scowl and he went with his head up. They took his weapon, his rank and his career, locking him up.

Prison didn't scare him, he lived in a prison his whole childhood, except they were call boy's homes then. Those places taught him, it was big versus small, whoever had the bigger crew in the house bullied the others.

Sebastian had won some and lost some, but losing was few and far between. School was like that, primary, secondary his whole life when pushed he pushed back.

Of course James had a way of calling attention to himself and Sebastian couldn't let them push James around.

He was so little, so little and a right little bastard. Sometimes Sebastian had to look up the insults James used, and he wondered where the hell he learned to talk like that.

The first night in his cell, went relatively quiet. He was put in with a tweeker, the younger inmate proudly sported a shaved head he glared at Sebastian with open animosity.

"Keep yourself out of my shite and we wont be having any troubles." Sebastian sent him a cold glare but no reply. The bald tweeker had a scar running from temple to his jaw line, and an assortment of bad prison tattoos coloring his skin.

Sebastian thought about his own father, briefly wondering if the old man was in this prison somewhere as well. He'd like to run into the bastard and really make his stay worth while.

He knew the murderer was locked up somewhere just never knew or cared to know where, until now. He owed the man, owed him a painfully slow death. He shook off the thought almost immediately, he had other things to worry about.

He knew the government agents hadn't followed the money to James. Maybe James saved the cash Sebastian had sent, hopefully, because Sebbs wouldn't be able to send anything for a while by the sound of things.

The Tweeker watched him hungrily, but Sebastian knew the type, he wasn't likely to make a move while he was awake. Sebastian wasn't in the mood, he was trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do now.

"Come near me shit stain and I'll make you wish I killed you." He growled. The tweeker twitched and glared at him hoping onto the top bunk.

Sebastian didn't sleep, he rarely slept in odd places as a habit. Sometime past midnight when the tweeker tried to shank him just to shank him, the blond army sniper snapped Tweeker's wrist and knocked him out with a hard hit to the side of the bars. Sebb would have gone further if the guards hadn't come running.

When he was finally out of solitary a day later, the guards deciding it was self defense, everyone eyed him like a meal. He just glared right back.

Waiting for an attack, as it turned out tweeker kid belonged to some gang and they wanted revenge. Whatever he'd dealt with that type before. They hadn't assigned a new cellmate, so he slept comfortably knowing tomorrow would be a test, it always was.

Except at breakfast, when he went to sit at a table several others cleared out of his way. He noticed overnight the dark looks sizing him up had disappeared instead the various prisoners eyed him wearily.

Even that little gang of his ex cell mate steered clear. That tweeker by the way was murdered two days later in the showers. From the rumors he heard it wasn't a pleasant or quick murder. Not that Sebbs cared either way.

Things were off, he notice more odd behavior when he'd gone out to lift weights in the yard. Nearing the corner benches several others moved out of the area quickly. At chow he found extra portions and the cooking staff only kept their eyes averted.

Sebastian couldn't help but think there was some kind of unspoken rule, as if he were marked for death, by someone high enough to keep the gangs and even the guards away from him. The damn guards called him Mr. Moran. What the fuck was that about?

Some kid accidentally ran into him in the laundry room and the whole place fell silent. The hair on the back of the sniper's neck prickled, what the hell was wrong with everyone here, weren't they supposed to be hardened criminals?

"Sorry-sorry! It was an accident I swear!" the dark haired kid kept repeating backing away.

"Fine, whatever." Sebastian shrugged. "I could give a fuck." The kid looked relieved.

Hours later that inmate was killed in the courtyard; one of the other prisoners had slammed his head viciously against the pavement.

Sebb wasn't an idiot something was definitely going on, and he couldn't stand not knowing, the tension heavy his death sentence hanging over him. An attack was coming he wanted to know from who, he felt as if he were being watched and he had no idea why.

"Uh, Mr. Moran, sir." One of the prisoners in charge of dealing out the mail and sometimes books, called from outside the bars of his cell.

"What." Sebastian was on his feet ready to strike.

"Can I interest you in a magazine, a book? These are new so the pages aren't sticky yet." Sebastian cringed at the word sticky, he glanced at the small cart of books and magazines.

"What's the catch?" he growled.

"Sir?"

"Drop the shit." Moran reached through the bars and grabbed the jagged toothed bookworm by scruff of his jumpsuit. "What do you want? Nobody gives you anything for free in prison I'm not stupid. What's with everyone here?"

"Is this a test?" the man stuttered nervously, looking around as if expecting someone to jump out behind him.

"What?" Sebastian held tighter.

"Sir, I'm just following orders."

"What orders? Who are you-"

"S-sssir. Everyone knows who you are."

"Who I am?"

"Yes. You're with Moriarty." The man whispered low. "The word out to the gangs is no one touches you. N-n-no one-"

"Moriarty? James?" the man's eyes wider now.

"No one calls him by his name, just Moriarty. No one still living." The worm gulped, the color leaving his face, Sebastian let the worm loose. What in the hell? That had to be wrong. James was at school-and even if he wasn't how the hell would he have these types of connections?

He needed to talk to the young man, there had to be a mistake, his friend was just a kid. However his mind was changed by the end of the week.

"Collect your things Mr. Moran your lawyer is here you're free to go."

"What?" Sebastian was on his feet.

"This way sir." Sebastian didn't have anything in the cell worth keeping, he was taken to collect his items, the things he had come in with. His watch, his wallet ect. Finally to release area where he found a stranger in dark glasses and an expensive suit waiting.

"Sebby!" An all too familiar sing songy voice cheered. He blinked to find a stranger in front of him, a stranger but not really.

"James?"

"Sebbs. Look at you. They haven't been feeding you properly. I should have a word with the warden." He glared at the prison guard.

"Well come along, can't stay here we have wasted enough time." Sebastian followed in a daze. James marched him quickly by the arm towards the exit and outside where an expensive black car waited, he held his questions in until they were safely driving away.

"Wait. James? How the-"

"Oh, of course you have questions. Well go on, lets get them over with." He chirped excitedly.

"How did you get me out?"

"Well my dear it's impossible to keep you imprisoned when those who turned evidence against you either disappeared or died before they could testify. It's a shame. You know you should have been a bit more picky with choosing your partners in crime. If I've learned anything it's loyalty can be bought, but fear-fear is priceless." Sebastian couldn't see James's eyes behind his dark glasses but he knew they were sparkling.

"Doesn't matter. I've cleaned it up for you. Paid off a judge, nothing new. You're out! And I have a job for you Tiger!"

"Job?"

"Yes dearest! Has that army addled your brain? Stop repeating after me. A job. I have several business contacts not holding up their ends. I need you to send them a message. And of course I do have some new recruits I want you to train."

Sebastian looked over at the young man. "What exactly have you been up to these last couple years?"

"What haven't I!" he beamed. "So much to tell you. I was a little put out you chose to go off to war. But I have used the money you've sent and invested in our business. Well my business but you are my silent partner associate whatever. Title's are so blasé! I'll fill you in on the details. First we have to get you a shower and some clothes, the rags you are wearing need to be burned."

"James." Sebastian smiled slowly.

"Yes, Sebby."

"Thanks."

"Like I said you're an idiot, but a useful one." Sebastian held back a laugh, the relief that everything was fine. James was a criminal mastermind of some kind but wasn't that how it was in the real world dog eat dog. James had a great mind for strategy and numbers. Sebastian would be the muscle, just like old times. Except they would have the bigger crew on the block.