DOMES AND TEAPOTS
Jack Scribe
__________________________
Chapter
12, Traces and Tracking
With
the F.B.I. interrogation completed, Chip offered to take Kyle home. However
his cell phone interrupted that plan. While waving goodbye to the two agents
and AOI associate, Tom Spicer, he answered and listened intently to the caller.
He nodded silently several times and ended the call with, “Yes, Sir. I’ll
see you ASAP.”
“Guys,
I’ve got to get to AOI. Looks like I’m going to join the team working on this
kidnapping and I’ve got to get over to headquarters. Um, Kyle, I hate to impose…ah,
is there any way that you could bunk Brad for the evening? I don’t have time
to take him home.” Chip looked anxiously at Kyle and his brother.
“Th…that’s
not a problem,” Kyle replied with mixed emotions. “In fact, I think I’d really
appreciate the company. We could stay at Dex’s place.”
“You’re
sure it’s not a problem?” Brad asked. “I mean I could take a cab or something.”
“Naw,
it’s good. I’m going to call my boss and tell him what’s happened. He won’t
have any problem with me taking the day off. Chip, let me give you my card
so you can call as soon as you know anything. It has all my contact numbers
including the cell. Okay?” Kyle reached to his rear pocket, fished out his
wallet and found a card.
“Cool.
Can I give you guys a lift? I’ve got to ‘haul ass’,” Chip replied.
“We’re
just a few blocks from the apartment. It’s only a little after ten and I think
the walk would do me good. That okay with you, Brad?”
“You
lead the way and we’ll let big brother do his thing,” Brad said with a chuckle.
“The fresh air and quiet would be great after what happened.”
“I’ll
call whenever I get anything to pass on. My gut tells me that they’re going
to be found and in good health. Tate’s reputation from his F.B.I. days is
that he’s considered one of the best in our business.” Chip took Kyle in his
arms and gave the taller man a tight, long hug. He next put his arm around
Brad and kissed his brother on the cheek. “Later, guys.” Chip nodded and waved
as he briskly walked out the coffee shop/bookstore and got into his car.
As
he headed over to the beltway and Fairfax, Chip reviewed what he knew from
meeting with the guys and his conversations with the AOI ops chief. This was
clearly a highly organized kidnapping and Geoff’s high profile status meant
that it would be difficult to keep it quiet…for long. He figured that he’d
get to the operations center by 10:30 p.m. – 3:30 a.m. in London.
10:25
was stamped on sheet when he signed in with the AOI night security station.
Chip didn’t bother going to his workspace cubicle. Instead, he entered a vacant
elevator and pressed his thumb on a security pad recessed into the wall of
the elevator cab. Immediately, the elevator sealed shut and descended to the
second sub-level of the AOI building. When the doors parted, he entered the
spartan foyer that offered nothing more than a steel door and another security
pad. This time, however, he pressed the thumb and forefinger to gain entry.
Quietly, a green light flashed, the door slid back and Chip was allowed entry
through the two-foot wide walls. He had been told that this sub-level had
been designed to withstand a nearby nuclear attack. Before walking into the
operations center, he paused a moment and clipped his I.D. to his shirt collar.
“Mr.
Lewinthal, thanks for coming in so soon.” The ops chief was at a long table,
surrounded by eight other people: six men and two women. He nodded at Tom
Spicer as he sat down. Behind an enclosed glass wall was a massive console
with several TV monitors and a large GPS screen manned by two engineers.
“No
problem, Chief. Tom Spicer has probably filled you in on the meeting we had
with the witnesses and F.B.I.”
“Yes,
as a matter of fact. How are your brother and Kyle faring?”
“Toughing
it out. Kyle took my brother over to Dex’s apartment. They’re going to stay
the night and be available should we need them further.”
“Good.
Let’s proceed with what we know.” For the next few minutes the ops chief gave
a detailed summation. Everyone took notes when the chief touched on a point
or detail to be looked into after the meeting.
“So,
we aren’t exactly sure where the men are?” Tom Spicer asked.
“The
kidnappers – at least six that we know about – were very devious in their
escape. We knew that our Range Rover had been ditched when we started getting
signals from a tracking device that Dex activated. That, as you are aware,
led us out to a pasture and lake in the countryside in Prince George’s County.
The only thing we have to show for it is an empty van. About an hour ago we
received a short 20-second blip on the GPS. Chip, I’d like you to work with
the engineers to verify that it is a valid signal and not some aberration.
We need to know for sure that this is Tate and Timmons’ latest location. We’ve
already passed on this tentative find to the bureau.”
“Right,
Chief. Where, may I ask, does this signal place them?”
“Back
in D.C. on a street off Embassy Row.”
“I’ll
get right on it.” Chip excused himself, walked around the glass wall and introduced
himself to the engineers at the console.
“We’ve
gone over the tape of the signal several times. It appears genuine. For some
reason, the signal abruptly ceased transmission.” One man got up and offered
his chair to Chip. “We are having difficulty pinpointing the exact location.
“Let
me get onto the keyboard and review your analysis.” Chip sat down and started
rapidly typing commands. His eyes were on constant scan with the GPS and TV
monitors as he keyed in the links to analyze the data. Occasionally, Chip
would look up at the two engineers and smile. He was pleased that they were
receptive to his methods. ‘They probably haven’t seen anyone work at this
speed,’ he thought without arrogance. Screens flashed forward and backwards
as Chip reviewed his findings.
“For
Christ’s sake, you’re going to blow the circuits if you don’t slow down,”
one of the engineers said with a laugh.
“Just
about finished.” Chip hit ‘save’ and ‘print’. “Just verified the excellent
work you did. I was able to identify the address. It’s two streets over from
the original estimations. I think we know exactly where our guys are. Thanks
for allowing me to work with you.”
“Our
pleasure, Sir.”
“Please,
the name is Chip and I have one suggestion. I noticed that we have an infrared
drone over the area. Whose is it?”
“The
F.B.I. launched it just before you arrived.”
“Good,”
Chip replied. “Please give them the exact coordinates and address so we can
determine the number of humans in the house.”
“Right
away.”
Chip
grabbed the printout, shook their hands and returned to the table.
“Chip,
have you been able to verify our initial estimation of the location?”
“Yes,
Sir. I was able to zero in on the exact location.” Chip handed the printout
to the chief. “They are in a residence at 2705 Sycamore Drive, N.W. Just off
the Rock Creek Park near Georgetown. The men at the console are contacting
F.B.I. ops with the information so that we can zero in with the infrared imaging.
We need to evaluate the residence and see where the kidnappers and victims
are holed up in the building.”
“Alright.
Tom, contact the bureau agents who are investigating and give them an update.
We’re going to be working closely with them throughout this ordeal.”
“Right
away. I’ll be right back.” Tom took the printout and made a quick exit.
“Any
thoughts about the short transmission and abrupt cutoff?”
“There
are a few possibilities. Least likely is that the device malfunctioned. My
best guess is that it was destroyed.” Chip paused to allow the effect of his
statement to sink in. “If it was found by the kidnappers, we’ve got a serious
situation on our hands. They would immediately flee and set up shop elsewhere.
I’m anxious to see what the infrared drone comes up with.”
“Right.
Let me review what’s happening in London. The managing director of AOI’s U.K.
operations contacted Sir Geoffrey about an hour ago and briefed him in person
at the Timmons estate in Buckinghamshire. We didn’t want to risk Timmons’
telephone lines being monitored by whoever has perpetrated this crime. There
is a security detail with Timmons as we speak and technicians to monitor any
calls. If he is contacted, we will know immediately.”
*****
“What
a helluva thing to experience while you’re vacationing,” Kyle said as Brad
and he entered Dex’s apartment. He breathed in the clean ‘Dex-smell’ once
the door was closed.
“Hey,
it’s your buddy, um…partner, that was taken. You’ve got a big emotional investment
in this – don’t be concerned about me.” Brad looked at Kyle and smiled softly.
“I can take care of myself and maybe be available for you…if ya need me. I’m
pretty good at doing the ‘brother thing’.”
“Thanks,
I appreciate that. Tonight I can really use a brotherly buddy. If you want
a drink, there’s beer or Coke in the fridge. Help yourself while I call my
boss. I’ll take a Coke.” Kyle watched as Brad went to the kitchen before he
took the phone and dialed Phil’s home phone with his cell. He knew that Phil
would pick up when caller I.D. identified him.
~~~
“This better be important, Mr. Blakesfield,” a sleepy Phil answered.
“Pretty
serious.” For the next few minutes,
Kyle gave Phil a complete rundown of the evening’s assault and abduction.
He included that he was with the younger brother of one of Dex’s associates
and wanted to be excused from work.
~~~
“I understand completely. Getting Dex and the banker back safely is the most
important thing to consider. If you don’t mind, I want to give Mac the rundown.
A few inquiries from the White House wouldn’t hurt.”
“That’s
a great idea. Let Mac know that I would appreciate any help. From the looks
of it, however, the F.B.I. and AOI seem to be working closely.”
~~~
“Consider it done. You take care of Brad and we’ll touch base in the morning.
Bye.”
“Bye,
bye.” Kyle set down his cell and took the cold can of Coke that Brad had placed
on the coffee table. “Problem number one solved. I don’t have to go to work
in the morning. Number two is sleeping arrangements. I’ll take the couch and
you can sleep in the bedroom. I think it wise that we stay together in case
something happens, rather than me going across the street to my place.”
“Ah,
I don’t see any problem with us sharing a bed. I mean, um, you’re in a relationship
and I respect that. I guess I’m being a baby but I’d rather not be alone tonight,”
Brad said with a soft, pleading expression.
“Me
neither. And after the shit we went through, you’re hardly being a baby. I’d
really enjoy the company.”
“Then
company it is.”
“It’s almost eleven. You wanna use the facilities?
I think I’ll watch the local news.”
“Actually,
a hot shower sounds good.”
“Let
me break out some towels for you. Maybe I’ll do the same thing after the news.”
Kyle got up and walked into the hallway. He opened the linen closet and gave
Brad some towels and a washcloth. “You can hang your clothes in the bedroom
closet.”
“Thanks.
Will do,” Brad smiled, leaned in and gave Kyle a gentle kiss on the forehead.
“I may be younger but I’ve got broad shoulders to lean on. The idea of having
another big brother is pretty neat.”
“That’s
the best offer I’ve had today. I’ll try hard to hold up my end of the brother
deal.” Kyle squeezed Brad’s firm, muscular arm and winked before returning
to the living room. He was not only impressed by the younger man’s emotional
maturity but decided that Brad was definitely all man. ‘This guy is going
to be a keeper for some lucky guy,’ Kyle decided as he clicked on the TV and
absentmindedly selected NBC4. He eased onto the couch and turned up the volume.
Half way through the lead story, his cell rang.
“Blakesfield,
here.”
~~~
“Kyle, this is Tom Spicer. I’ve got some good news to share.”
“Wow,
whazzup?”
~~~
“Through our equipment and Chip’s amazing talents, we’ve identified the address
where Dex and Timmons are being held.”
“Fantastic.
So, when do I get to see Dex?”
~~~
“Uh, it’s not so simple. We’ve found them. The problem is how to get them
out without the guys being hurt.”
“You
mean…”
~~~
“This is going to be a precision operation that requires patience. Please
bear with me and be assured that I’ll give you updates as soon as there is
something to report.”
“Ah,
I guess I’ll really say my prayers tonight…for all of you.”
~~~ “Do that and throw in a few ‘Hail Marys’.
Try to get some rest, buddy. I gotta run.”
“Thanks,
Tom. Bye.” Kyle shuddered a little at the broken connection as he leaned back
and stared at the screen. The weather guy was finishing the seven-day forecast
when Brad entered the living room. Kyle looked up at his new friend …wearing
only a pair of white CK briefs that left little to the imagination. The image
verified his earlier assumptions: this hot, young stud was, indeed, all man.
“The
shower was just what I needed. I found a new toothbrush and figured it was
okay to use it?”
“Part
of bachelor pad furnishings, 101. I’ll do my thing if you’re finished.” Kyle
got up and reached for the remote.
“Okay
if I watch Leno or Letterman for a while?”
“Dex’s
casa; su casa. You want a robe? There’s one in the closet,” Kyle said from
the hallway.
“Naw,
I’ll just lounge in my briefs if ya don’t mind.”
“Cool.
Give me a chance to clean up and I’ll join you.” Kyle silently chuckled to
himself as he took off his clothes in the bedroom. ‘Mind?’ he thought. ‘With
eye candy like that?’ He grabbed a clean pair of Dex’s boxer briefs and headed
for the bathroom. The water adjusted within seconds and he got in the tub
and stood under the water. He reasoned that the shower was more calming and
therapeutic than just getting clean.
As
he soaped up, Kyle thought about Dex, their meeting and the emotional courtship.
His memories focused on the happiness – once the initial problem of Dex’s
identity had been resolved – that the two men offered each other. He closed
his eyes and started rubbing the glans of his very alert cock with his thumb.
He felt an additional slipperiness as his natural lubricant slowly oozed out.
With his back to the shower, he spread the pre-cum around his hardon and started
to work his hand back and forth.
Dex’s
smiling face and twinkling eyes looked at him as the stroking became more
determined. With his free hand and a little soap, Kyle started fingering his
anus. He tentatively probed the entrance and cautiously moved his index finger
inside.
“Oh,
yes, Hon. Do it,” Dex’s warm voice commanded. “I love you.”
“I
love you too.” Kyle sped up his masturbatory movements and matched with synchronized
precision his invading finger.
“Think
of me in you.”
“The
two of us as one,” Kyle eagerly dug into his prostate as his retreating balls
signaled the start of a messy conclusion.
“I’m
with you. Shoot it all over me.” Dex was grinning at Kyle with a lustful expression.
“Uh,
ohhh…I, fuuuck,” Kyle yelled. His body stiffened and his sphincter muscle
clamped around the greedy finger as the first volley of cum erupted from his
urethra. He shivered and reacted to several smaller orgasmic ejaculations.
‘Oh, Christ, what the hell…’ Kyle thought as he slowly opened his eyes, backed
into the shower and eased his finger out of his stretched anus. The brightness
of the room and seeing the recently spent cum splattered on the bath tiles
brought him back to reality.
“Kyle,
are you okay in there?” Brad asked urgently from the other side of the bathroom
door.
“It’s,
um, okay. I just was having a little, ah, fantasy moment,” Kyle replied with
a chuckle.
“Sounded
like a pretty good fantasy. We’ll, um, have to compare notes sometime cuz
I’m a master at solo moments.” Brad snickered and continued, “See you in the
bedroom. I’m ready to call it a night.”
“Gottcha.
Be there in a few minutes.” Kyle continued with a conventional shower and
smiled at his imaginary moments with Dex. ‘It’ll have to do until he gets
back,’ he decided. He also thought that his recent actions would defuse any
randy thoughts that might ‘pop up’ when he shared the bed with Brad.
*****
“We’ve
been notified that the London cell of the kidnappers have just contacted Sir
Geoffrey,” came a voice over the intercom speaker on the conference table
at AOI’s operations center. At this point, only the ops chief, his assistant
and Chip were seated.
“What
have you got? It’s just after 4:30 a.m. in London.”
“Just
a brief telephone call to the residence. The voice was distorted and told
Sir Geoffrey that his son had been abducted in America. He was instructed
to stand by the telephone for further instructions at 5:00 a.m. We have all
of our equipment up at the estate and the signal is now being forwarded to
ops via satellite.”
“How’s
the transmission quality from the satellite?” the ops chief asked.
“Excellent.
We’re linked with one of Uncle Sam’s latest.”
“Good.”
The ops chief turned to Chip and continued, “I suggest that you rejoin the
guys at the console. As soon as we get the signal, see if you can determine
the location of the London conspirators with our team over there. Also, find
out how the F.B.I. is coming along positioning the infrared thermography drone.”
“Yes,
Sir.” Chip excused himself and walked around the glass wall to the console.
“Well,
the terror of the keyboard has returned,” one of the engineers said in a joking
manner. “Seriously, I’ll work with you, anytime.”
“Same
goes with me.” The other engineer stood and said, “Take my seat. When this
goes down in 25 minutes, as they say downtown…you da man.”
“Thanks,
guys.” Chip logged in again and checked the satellite links. Just as he was
satisfied that the London feed was active, he noticed activity on the TV screen
that was reserved for the infrared drone relay. He punched a few buttons and
the picture was transferred to the large center screen. He studied the images
from the thermography and was satisfied that the F.B.I. had focused the drone
on the Sycamore Drive residence. He pushed a red button.
“What
do you have?” came the ops chief’s voice over a speaker.
“Sir,
we have the imaging coming in from the targeted D.C. house. I can make out
several human forms. Several are clustered in one part of the building and
two more are lying in a horizontal position in the back. I suspect that the
two horizontal forms are Dex and Timmons.”
“Horizontal?”
“They
must be lying on the floor or a bed. The good news is that they’re still in
one location. My guess is that they aren’t aware of the damaged tracking device.
“Excellent.
I’ll be right in.”
Chip
turned slightly and saw the chief stand with the phone receiver in his hand.
Movement from the screen caught his eye. One of the clustered humans separated
from the group and moved towards the two horizontal forms.
*****
Dex
figured that they had been in darkness for less than an hour when he heard
the lock of the door disengage and the door swing open. He looked over at
Geoff and saw that his eyes were wide-awake when light from the hallway washed
the bedroom with a shadowy glow. Dex looked straight ahead and could only
make out a dark silhouette of one short man.
“Well,
Mr. Timmons and Mr. Fletcher, I see you’ve made yourself comfortable. I’m
just checking in to make sure you haven’t done anything foolish.”
“You
said you were going to let us know what’s going to become of us. I demand
that you…”
“Demands
don’t count, Timmons. You will be told all when the right time approaches,”
the standing man replied.
“You
won’t tell us anything?” Dex asked. He recognized the voice of the man as
the leader.
“I
will say that someone will be contacting Timmons’ father in a half-hour. If
he does what he is told, you two will be released. If he hesitates, well…”
“You’ll
kill us?” Dex decided to push the envelope as far as he could to gain information.
“Let’s
say that it would be very wise for Sir Geoffrey to heed to our instructions.”
“But…”
Geoff started to say.
“But,
nothing. No more information will be given. Try to get some rest. Ha.” The
captor slammed the door and turned the lock.
Dex
could hear the laughter fade as the leader walked away. His mind was working
rapidly in several directions. ‘Did they get the transmission from my second
tracking device?’ he wondered.
“Dex,
what are your thoughts?” Geoff whispered.
“Um,
Mr. Timmons, I suspect that we will find out what this is all about very shortly.
I’m sure that these people will give your father a proper amount of time to
react to their demands. Other than that, I can’t say anything else.” Dex hoped
that Geoff understood why he was being vague and abrupt.
“I
understand, Dex.” Geoff took Dex’s hand and squeezed it. “When we get out
of this mess, we must sit down for a glass of champagne and a McDonald’s quarter-pounder.”
“Agreed.
But hold the cheese,” Dex replied with a low chuckle.
“Speaking
of cheese. I’m really looking forward to the shower.”
“Ewww…who
said Englishmen don’t have a wicked sense of humor.”
“You’re
the one who’s circumcised, Mate.”
“Only
because the religious whackos in America years ago thought it would eliminate
a boy’s urge to masturbate under the guise of hygiene. Little did they know
how wrong they were.” Dex let out a long sigh and snorted a laugh.
“So
I understand. Thanks, Mr., um, Fletcher for adding a little levity to the
situation. Good night.”
“We’re
going to be just fine, Sir.” Dex squeezed Geoff’s hand and left it in place.
‘Need all the energy and teamwork we can muster before this evening is over,’
he decided. Dex closed his eyes and thought about Kyle and their new relationship.
He was very determined to make sure this partnership had a long life. ‘Those
fuckers will rue the day they screwed around with me.’
__________________________
TO BE CONTINUED