CHAPTER 18

“Am I accused of something, officer?” Albert asked on the way to the station, laughing nervously. “Because if yes, you didn’t read my rights, so the arrest is not legal. You didn’t handcuff me, either.” He tried to make the last part sound like a joke.

“None of this.” Nicole smiled, relaxed. “Julien is there, he wants to have a word with you, far away from prying eyes and indiscrete ears.”

“Do you mean Julien, Brian’s brother-in-law, the one working for CPS? They want to take my children away, now? Why, what did I do wrong?” Albert’s anxiety spiked and he started to thrash against the seatbelt. “What did they do wrong?”

“Calm down, please.” Nicole was a bit shocked by the man’s reaction, she didn’t expect anything like that. “You got it wrong, Julien isn’t a social worker, his husband Edward is; he works for the IT department of the FBI, ran by his father, Tarquin Ballard.”

“Oh, yes, I remember now.” Albert lowered his head in embarrassment. “Sorry, is just that, after yesterday, I keep thinking about everything my dirt bag of an ex could do to hurt me.”

“You gave me quite a scare,” Nicole smiled again while she parked the car in front of the police station, “I thought you were on the verge of a panic attack, but it’s understandable, with everything you went through yesterday.” She sighed softly. “Everyone at The Base are your friends, none of us would do something to harm you in any way.”

“I don’t know why, I keep forgetting this.” Albert barely whispered as he got out of the car, heading to the building’s entrance.

Nicole gave him a look filled with sympathy and understanding. “This way,” she gestured to a narrow corridor, then took a few steps and stopped in front of a door. “I brought him, now I leave you guys to talk. Meanwhile, I’ll chat a bit with our other guest.”

“What…other guest?” Albert asked, but the police officer already left, closing the door behind her. “Hi, Nicole told me you wanted us to talk privately.” He turned to the young man sitting on a chair on the other side of the desk and shook his extended hand.

“Hi.” Julien looked at the other man with his crystal-blue eyes for a moment before continuing. “Brian sent me a few pictures yesterday from the bakery. I analyzed them both with the naked eye and using a specially designed computer program, and found out what they used.”

“You did what?” Eyes widened in disbelief, Albert plopped down on the chair, facing the other man. “Sorry, Brian told me you see things others miss, but I didn’t expect you to find out so soon.” He slapped his forehead. “Sorry, Nicole told me earlier you are a federal agent of sorts, I should’ve imagined…”

“I talked to dad and decided not to involve the FBI yet.” Julien cut the other man short. “Now, about what I’ve discovered,” he continued in a professional voice. “They must’ve taken pictures of the front room, loaded them on a memory card inserted in a toy, a remotely controlled helicopter that went through the window and turned all the products into…what you saw via the propeller.”

Albert nodded, his eyes filled with admiration and respect for the blond in front of him. “This explains why no one heard anything. How about the furniture, how was it destroyed?”

“The guy must’ve guided the toy helicopter under the lowest shelf and detonated the small charge of explosive attached to it.” Julien pressed his lips together. “Anyway, the guy won’t be accused of property destruction; Nicole and most likely the prosecution will offer him immunity in exchange for him helping them to put your ex behind bars.”

“Put Rick…in jail?” For a moment, hope made Albert’s eyes shine, then they became dull. “No offense, but what makes you think you’ll succeed? Others tried, too, and failed; some of them even paid with their own life. Don’t get me wrong, I’d do anything in my power to help you, scratch that, I will do anything, but…”

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Julien almost shouted, rubbing his hands together with an expression of almost childish satisfaction. “Now, let me tell you what the plan is.”

Rick wanted to get the money Albert’s father kept in that Swiss bank, but he only could do it after the rightful owner made a first transaction himself. The guy who helped him destroy the bakery would also track the money down, giving the abusive bastard access to it, but also leaving cyber-prints behind, so Julien could do the same thing.

As soon as the transfer would be completed, the police would show up at Rick’s doorstep and would take him to the nearest precinct, to ask him about the source of the money mysteriously showing up in his account. Julien checked him up very well before devising the plan, and he didn’t owe any estate properties, shares, art objects, or jewels he could sell for that kind of money.

Rick wasn’t very well liked by the members of the gang he was part of either, so no one would cover his ass by lying that they lent him that amount or paid back what they borrowed from him. Albert nodded in confirmation; his ex didn’t have any friends in the biker colony, and if, for some reason he didn’t understand, the President of the MC wouldn’t have tolerated him, the others would have kicked him out a long time ago.

At that point, Julien relaxed into the chair, because the best part was yet to come. The President, his right-hand, and a few other people from his entourage were involved in a drug-dealing operation. According to the information the FBI, who closely monitored the gang from quite some time, had, the whole thing was devised by Rick.

Until then, the federal agents only had scarce, indirect evidence against the bikers, but they would take advantage of Rick’s arrest to interrogate him and pressure him into admitting the existence of the operation. Selfish and cowardly as he was, the guy wouldn’t hesitate to sell all his associates down the river, in exchange of a substantially reduced sentence or even total immunity.

Until that moment, Albert approved the plan with a nod from time to time, but, hearing that the federal agents and prosecution were ready to offer Rick freedom in exchange of him turning the others in, he protested. That bastard, the baker said, was capable of telling anything to save his pathetic skin, but he won’t offer evidence to support his claims.

And even if he would, Albert continued, there were no guarantees that Rick won’t start another drug-selling business elsewhere. Worse, the lousy bastard could charm another na?ve man, with a good financial situation, and once his unsuspecting prey would fall for his lies, he would start to abuse him, and this time, the guy might not be so lucky to get out of the relationship alive.

Julien didn’t say anything while Albert spoke; Rick was a sensitive subject, and he somehow anticipated that reaction from the shithead’s former boyfriend-turned-punching-bag. He waited for the man to calm down, then started to talk again. Freedom, he said, would be more a curse than anything else for that pile of dirt.

First, Rick couldn’t go back to the gang, not after ratting out the President and the others involved in the drug-dealing business. Not only that all the members would be after his sorry ass, but they would also spread the word about his betrayal. With the label of traitor sticking to him, there were little to no chances for him to get into another biker gang.

The lack of friends and money would make it very hard, almost impossible for Rick to stay out of trouble and keep a low profile, as the deal he’d close with the prosecution would stipulate. Sooner or later, he’d get involved in something illegal, and the police would take advantage of it to arrest and bring him to court again. This time, the prosecutors and judge won’t be lenient, and he would end up in jail for a very long time.

Albert wasn’t a vindictive man, but the idea of Rick locked away, in the company of some hard-boiled criminals, who would do to him everything he did to others, and much more, made him smile. Although he didn’t know Julien very well, something was telling him the guy won’t give up until he would put the abusive bastard who almost ruined his life behind bars.

Albert left his chair, gave the blond young man a warm smile, thanking him for the time and effort he was putting in making sure Rick would be punished for all his bad deeds, and left the room. On his way to the exit, he met Nicole, to whom he apologized for causing the scene in the car, and thanked her once again for getting personally involved in getting the one who destroyed the bakery, making him talk, and securing his collaboration in putting Rick behind bars, where he belonged.

It was cold and gloomy outside, but Albert didn’t care, because that was the day when the worries weighing his heart down finally disappeared, the day fear, under all its ugly forms, vanished into thin air, replaced with joy and hope. Another early Christmas present, he thought smiling, as he started to slowly walk his way back to the bakery.

*************

“Coffee!” Brian exclaimed, his eyes shining at the sight of his childhood best friend heading to where he, Bart, Lawrence, Julien, and Edward were, a big pot of steamy, aromatic coffee in hand. “Albert not-yet-Barnes, you are the best!”

“Just on time,” Edward climbed down a ladder after hanging a few garlands made of ribbons, fir branches, and pine cones up the wall. “I need this break, I think I’ll have some nice cramps in my leg muscles tonight.”

“My dear husband is right, coffee really is the fuel of life.” Bart grinned as he sipped from his mug, making a sound of appreciation.

“Especially when it is prepared by my lovely husband-to-be.” Lawrence smiled radiantly as he wrapped an arm around his fiancé’s waist, pulling him closer. “It tastes like heaven,” he continued, the smile becoming brighter.

“Thank you, my beloved soon-to-be husband.” Albert lowered his gaze, blushing at the compliment, then he raised his head, worriedly examining Julien, who was staring straight ahead. “What’s wrong, don’t you like the coffee? Should I brew you some tea or something else?”

“No,” the blond young man smiled reassuringly, “nothing like that, on the contrary, the coffee is excellent.” A small, barely visible frown creased his forehead. “I was just thinking you and Digger could be this year’s couple having the wedding on Christmas day.”

“I don’t know about that,” Albert started hesitantly, casting a look in his fiancé’s direction. “I mean, you guys were awesome, and I’m eternally grateful to you for helping me and being there when I needed it the most, but there are still so many things to do, to think about, to…” He stopped, reflecting for a moment. “I admit it sounds tempting, but it’s not only up to me.”

Lawrence locked his eyes with those of the one he came to love more than anything. “Love, I’d marry you on the spot, right here and now, if this is what you wish.”

“Yes, I do.” Albert wrapped his arms around the biker’s neck and kissed him passionately, then ran a hand over his face. “This is crazy, and you guys know it.”

“No.” Julien laughed softly. “You should’ve seen us ten years ago, when we had less than a day to organize Uncle Thaddeus’s and Uncle Rhett’s wedding, at the family’s mansion in Connecticut. That, my friend, wasn’t crazy, it was insane, but we did it.” He paused a bit, then continued in a mockingly pleading voice. “C’mon, man, you’ll have the coolest team of wedding planners ever.”

Albert didn’t say anything for a few good seconds, looking between his fiancé and the other four men. “if you say so…I’m in.”