"I got a call back on that computer equipment," Wilson said. "There was a rush order out of a New York warehouse that closely matched our inventory. It was crated and shipped to a distribution center in Baltimore last Thursday... and then, get this... it vanished. But the order came from a company in D.C."

"New York, Baltimore, D.C., those are all Golden Hand sites aren't they?" Alan asked.

"Can we get some leverage on the local level instead? How about we share some info with the detective bureau in Baltimore and see what they come up with. Shipping logs, surveillance cameras... someone had to see something," Alan said.

Shit, another clue gone missing. It was like that with this case and it felt like the clock was ticking away. Alan had been furious when Bucky made bail. That would have never have happened if Austin was in custody, the kid was their ace and he was missing from the deck.

It had been eight days since Alan had spoken to the boy. Mike had discovered the Golden Hand site in Chicago back up and running. They had crowded around as Mike logged in as "Perky Guy" once again. It seems Kevin had no idea the man had been arrested. But that was the only bright spot.

The photo gallery had appeared and it was distinguished by only one factor, Austin was missing from the lineup. Alan had cringed, hoping it didn't mean what they had all come to fear. The kid from the pizzeria was there, Ricky, fourteen... a wiz on the basketball court his bio said. Where the fuck are they now?

Alan retreated to his private office, miserable... how had he allowed this to happen? But somehow he knew Austin was alive, Kevin would see to that. Otherwise he was sure the boy would have called him.

There were two options open and Alan had to consider them both before setting the wheels in motion. The easy way would be to wait for another call from Austin. But with Bucky on the loose several things could happen.

Bucky knew about the sketch and it wouldn't take a large brain to figure out that someone had fingered him. The organization knew that Austin had been busted; it pointed a finger in the boy's direction. Even Bucky could add two and two. It was only a matter of time before Austin received a great deal of pressure to talk. If anything happened to the boy Alan would never forgive himself.

And then there was the final option, the hardest by far. All they had to do was bring "Perky Guy" to Chicago on a business trip, order up one of the boys, find some excuse for not having sex with him and then follow the kid home. Yeah, like they would ever get approval for something that outrageous.

Alan pounded a fist on his desk. "Damn, Austin, where are you?" he yelled at the wall. Not that he expected the boy to invite him over or give away much more. But that one clue had taken them only so far, and worse, he was sure Austin was aware of that.

But Kevin had his equipment now and someone had made it vanish off that loading dock. Alan took a sheet of paper and began to make an organizational chart. He put the word "product" in a box at the bottom left hand corner, the boys. Clients went in another box on the right hand corner. On a line above he put Kevin in a box near the middle.

Then he wrote down "transport"... "lodging"... "security"... "admin." He knew the boy genius didn't run this thing alone. There was a big boss, but how many layers were between him and Kevin?

Alan drew a line to the top of the page and wrote "boss' in a box, Kevin was the connection at the bottom. Transport would probably be a lower function on Kevin's level. Now with Bucky out on bail, would he resume that function? Presuming they still wanted him to, but he bet against it.

No, Bucky was out of the picture. The boss would be afraid that his man was being followed by the cops. That would risk the boys being discovered. Alan crossed out the word "product" and wrote in "assets." The word was more apt.

Lodging, well that was made easier. The site had revealed eight boys, ages twelve to fifteen. So it seems that the pizza boy Ricky and the other two had been joined by five others. But Austin was there with Kevin, so that made ten altogether. That would take a larger place, not an apartment building.

Security, now that was an interesting subject, there had to be some. Just who would provide guards or watchers for a bunch of boy prostitutes was unimaginable. Alan couldn't see some private contractor taking on this kind of work, not unless organized crime was involved.

And Wilson had already laid out the support such an operation would take. The dummy companies, the networking... he didn't believe that Kevin could do all that himself. This had to be a satellite operation since there were a dozen cities involved. They knew how it was done; they just didn't know who was doing it.

Alan penned in the final boxes and looked at the chart. Every line led back to the top box where it said "boss." And what kind of a person could run such a national organization? Alan imagined the guy must travel quite a bit, could they track him that way?

The "Perky Guy" option was starting to look better and better. Call me boy, damn you Austin.

"Sorry to disturb you... Bucky has vanished," Mike said. "That lawyer from Alderman and Cushing called, the guy didn't make a scheduled meeting and he wanted to know if we had picked him up again."

"I imagine he'll turn up somewhere," Alan said. "Come in here a minute, let me show you something."

They poured over the organizational chart, trying to find angles, looking for a weakness to exploit.

"So there are ten boys, eight of them going out on dates," Mike said. "We only know of three and Austin, who are the others? They weren't living at the apartments."

"I thought about that," Alan said. "What if they aren't runaways like the apartment kids. What if they live with mommy or daddy and freelance? Remember the bio on that boy in LA. Home by ten on weeknights... what if the kids go to school?"

"I bet some do. Money has a way of allowing things to happen," Alan said. "What if these kids are recruited, taught what to do, and then paid handsomely? They could still go to school and appear to be perfectly normal kids. Some of the parents might know, others might think their kid is just engaged in some sports activity. The variations are endless."

"You think some of these parents might take a payoff to allow their kids to be prostitutes?" Mike asked. The look of horror on his face said it all, he had kids at home.

"I don't want to think about it and neither do you, but we've seen some pretty sick abusive relationships over the years," Alan said. "If the kids are in school, don't you suppose there are some photos of them in a yearbook or something we can find?"

Mike looked thoughtful for a moment and then grinned. "Yeah, and we have the face recognition software to make the comparisons for us too. It might take some time to set up... I better get with it."

The house was everything Jack had said it would be... and more. It was a mansion compared to the other places Austin had lived. His parents had rented one house after another as he was growing up, and always moved right before the repossession company arrived to take the furniture.

Kevin seemed amused at the place, wondering aloud just how many bedrooms there were in a place like this

Austin looked at the man who spoke. John Alderman had presented himself to the boys when the van had first arrived. They had been forced to stop at the gate where the driver had punched in a code to make the huge iron fence open before them. Kevin had commented about the stone walls making the place look secure as the van's headlights swept across them. Austin had another feeling as well, to him it seemed like a prison.

This well dressed man had been waiting for them as the van came up the long drive and through the trees to a brightly lit area in front of the house. Austin had been told the man was a lawyer and he sure looked the part. It just seemed strange that anyone would wear a suit and tie at this time of day in front of their own house.

John had smiled as they each stepped out of the van and then greeted them formally when the five boys stood before him.

"Welcome... welcome, I'm very glad to see each and every one of you. I know your names, and just so we get started on the right foot, you may call me John... ok? I'm sure you must be hungry so come inside, I have some snacks waiting just for you."

The front hallway had marble floors and held shiny furniture, with a large sweeping staircase that led up to the second floor. John took them down the hallway and into a huge kitchen at the rear where a woman stood waiting.

"This is Nina, my cook and housekeeper. She doesn't speak a word of English so unless one of you knows Spanish I'm afraid you'll be out of luck." Nina smiled and pointed at a table laden with sodas and snacks.

The boys had just begun to help themselves when another door opened and a young boy wearing pajamas walked into the kitchen. Austin figured the kid must be about nine or ten years of age, and from his looks he was probably Nina's son.

But rather than approach his mother, the boy walked over to John and gave the man a hug. John seemed to melt with happiness at the boy's affection. It left no doubt in anyone's mind what place the kid had in John's life.

"And this is Alex, my very special young friend," John said. "Alex, these are our new friends." And then one by one, John introduced the boys. "This is Kevin, Austin, Ricky, Kyle, and that one is David.

"Hello," Alex said with a grin. Each of the boys mumbled some form of greeting in return.

The boy hugged his mother and smiled at John, giving a little wave to the others as he went back out the door.

"He rules my life," John admitted. "I never want anything bad to happen to him."

They were each shown to a room upstairs, all the boys having their own room except for Austin; he would be sharing with Kevin. That door had a lock and Kevin was handed the key. Each room shared a bath with the one next to it, unheard of luxury for boys of their age.

Down the hall there was a sitting room, complete with an entertainment center, game equipment and a pool table. John watched as the boys made the rounds of everything with amazement. It was Austin that expressed their feelings.

"I think you boys deserve a little something considering how hard you work for the ... uh, company. Mr. G said to take good care of you and I shall. And since you will be in charge of the boys I will hold you responsible for their well being too."

"I suppose we had better talk about the new situation," John said. He raised his voice and called all the boys together, having them take seats before standing like a general in front of the television. "You boys will be the home team," he began.

"I'm sure you know that Mr. G has others working just like you. We'll call them the away team for now. But occasionally some of those boys will be here for a day or two and I want you to give them the same respect that you allow each other.

"I don't expect we'll have to set up any hard and fast rules unless that becomes necessary due to your behavior. I want each of you to remain on the grounds unless you leave by permission, and only if you have an escort.

"Some of the away team you will meet tomorrow since all dates will be arranged from here. You are not to discuss the clients with the chauffeur who drives you on dates. Any bad behavior by your client will be reported to Austin and then to me. They know the rules and we don't expect them to be broken.

"Needless to say, you will never tell anyone where you live and if asked you will say that the client needs to talk to me concerning any change of plans or problems. Mr. G is still very much in charge of this operation. I am now his eyes and ears... but with all due respect, Kevin still runs the business here."

John smiled, looking at each of the boys. "I am happy to have you here, boys. Not every man gets to have such handsome young men living in his home, but I do. So it's late, I'm off to bed. Try not to stay up all night, ok? Tomorrow is Friday and another work cycle begins for you guys so try and get some rest." With that John left and the boys looked at one another.

"Do you think Alex is his boyfriend?" David said, expressing the thoughts of the others.

"They're just like us, silly," Ricky said. But turning to Kevin he asked, "Do they get paid the same as us?"

Austin held up a hand. "Look guys, leave Kevin out of this. Everyone gets a fair share."

"In fact, you guys get the same, even though you're more expensive to maintain," Kevin said. "But we don't talk finances in front of the away team, ok? Does everyone feel comfortable with John?"

Austin looked over at Kevin who gave an imperceptible nod. "Bucky isn't with the company anymore, so you can forget him," Austin said.

An hour later they were all in bed, the week's events finally taking their toll. Austin rolled over and laid his head on Kevin's chest. Fingers stroked through his blonde mane and Austin sighed.

"For a while I thought we might have to get out of all this. I was afraid something might happen to you."

"He said a lot of shit, Kevin. I know bad things can happen, some of the clients can be pretty scary."

"Well you won't have to worry about that anymore, will you? I have you all to myself now... unless you still want to go out."

Austin got up on one elbow and stared down at Kevin's face. "No way, I have responsibilities now, both you and the kids."

Austin laid his head back down and the stroking resumed. The boy was an affection junkie and Kevin knew how much these simple moments of touching meant. He could relate to that, Jack had given him that sense of self worth back after they met. Austin was no different; he had run away because he felt love here.

The cop had tried to take all that away, Kevin understood that now. The man was an enemy, even more so now that they had outsmarted him. But cops never gave up; they would have to be careful.

He felt Austin's lips on his left nipple. Ah, the boy sure knew how to please. And as those tender lips slid lower across his belly Kevin smiled, the cop all but forgotten as Austin found what he was after.

In the afterglow of another wonderful sexual encounter, Kevin lay awake with Austin snuggled up close and snoring softly. Jack had really outdone himself this time. The boy was worth thousands a month in income, and yet was all his now.

He was aware that sex alone wouldn't keep Austin content. He had to find a place for the boy, some involvement in the operation besides the babysitting. Maybe Jack would have some ideas. Time to try out the new partnership and see what it was worth.

Kevin eased out of bed, careful not to disturb Austin's sleep. On bare feet he padded over to the laptop and sat down at the desk. Tomorrow they would set up the mainframe in the study next door and he would resume control of the operation.

Tonight he opened his instant messaging account and sent Jack a query. As expected he received an immediate reply.

K: dunno, he's got the kids to look after, maybe even spread that to include the others when they start showing up here on weekends.

K: no... hey that would work; he could be the greeter when Frank makes the rounds. kids would get to know him better that way.

He and Jack went on to discuss business issues. It was three in the morning before Kevin slid back into bed; Austin rolled over in his sleep and cuddled.

The following morning Austin was the first to arise. He pulled on a pair of shorts and a skin tight T-shirt before going downstairs. Alex was sitting with his mother at the kitchen table reading a book.

"Good Morning... how are you?" She said with a heavy accent, obviously pleased at her knowledge of the proper greeting.

The boy had been staring from the minute he arrived in the kitchen. Damn, Austin thought, the boy was checking him out. What was he, ten? Nina got up and offered him some orange juice.

Nina smiled and went to bring him a mug from the pot on the counter. He loaded up the black brew with cream and sugar.

"He's already up and gone out," Alex said. "He's an early person, but I could sleep all day."

"Nope, I seen your pictures before," Alex said, and then he blushed. "Pretty damn sexy."

"Nope... I sneaked a look at his computer when he went to the bathroom." The blush deepened. "You sure are big... uh, down there." The boy's eyes strayed to Austin's crotch.

"Um... I don't think John would want us to be talking about this stuff... do you?"

"Oh... now I know we better not talk about this," Austin said. "I'll keep your secret but you can never say anything about this to the others, ok? Promise?"

"Some things are better off that way. What you do is your private business. I don't think John would be happy knowing you wanted to talk about it."

"John has movies. I sorta borrowed one last month and haven't given it back yet. But it shows these three guys doing stuff... way sexy and sorta kinky."

Uh... how did he respond to that? Alan had asked him the same thing and he had lied. Would it matter if he lied to this boy? Maybe Alex was gay, but how could he know at that age?

"Well don't rush into anything before you explore your options," Austin said. "I didn't know what I was until... "

Oh God, he had been almost eleven when he had been confronted with those feelings. He looked at Alex. The boy seemed to understand what he was feeling and it wouldn't be fair to deny the kid.

"Yaaay," Alex said, and he jumped into Austin's lap, giving him a big hug. Nina smiled at her son and the attractive new boy. She understood nothing of their conversation, but she knew her boy had just made a new friend and that pleased her.

Austin saw her eyes on him and the warmth they exuded. She had to know of Alex's relationship with John. He didn't judge her as a bad mother, how could he? His own mother had cursed him and spat upon him because he was the devil's seed. Nina loved her boy, he could do no wrong.

And Austin felt the tears forming in his eyes. This was one lucky boy; he had certain love, everlasting love. God what he would have given to feel one ounce of warmth from his mother.

Nina got up, a hand resting on Austin's shoulder and then brushing through his unruly morning hair. She smiled at him and Austin felt shock at the recognition of his feelings. There was a sadness in her eyes... she knew his pain. It forged a bond between them that no language barrier could ever defeat.

The squirming boy in his lap was one very lucky child. But at the same time the little brat was attempting to arouse him by wiggling his butt against Austin's crotch. God, the thought of John having sex with this kid was disturbing and at the same time he knew the boy enjoyed it.

Little David had once told him that he'd tried to seduce a man when he was eight, but failed. Austin knew there were men who desired younger boys and he knew there were boys that had the same desires.

Alan had said he'd seen too much sex in his life already, but was that wrong? His own desires in fifth grade had gone unfulfilled. Would it have been better if he'd been allowed to explore those feelings when he was Alex's age?

The laws didn't even allow a sixteen year old boy to have sex, it would never accept a sexual ten year old. Austin knew he didn't feel guilty even though Alan had tried to convince him otherwise. Under the right circumstances he knew the cop would have sex with him, the man couldn't take his eyes off a hot boy. God, have I become that vain?

He didn't understand why he kept obsessing about that damn cop. He'd even told the man that if anything happened between him and Kevin... it was like he had thrown himself at the guy. The thought was disturbing, was he that desperate?

The thoughts were interrupted by a man coming through the back door. He smiled at Nina and helped himself to a coffee.

"Hey Frank," Alex said. "This is Austin... Frank keeps John's cars running in tip top condition, don't you Frank?"

Frank gave Austin a curt little nod, and then beamed at the young boy. "You got that just right, Alex. You want to help me wash the van today?"

Frank pulled the white van out of the garage as Alex brought the hose around from the side faucet. "Greater Chicago Boys and Girls Club" said the words emblazoned down the side underneath all the tinted windows. What the hell did that mean, Austin wondered? But Frank didn't look like he was about to explain. And then the thought came to him all of a sudden.

The away team as John called them... this was their transport. Sure, most of those kids lived at home and this van was the means of moving them around the city. It was a clever disguise. He would have to ask Kevin if that was how it worked.

Frank looked the part of a tough guy, and that was probably why he was here. Austin imagined that most wealthy guys like John had someone like Frank around to do their dirty work and offer protection. But judging from his attitude so far, he was a damn sight better to be around than Bucky.

Frank kept looking at his watch as if he had somewhere else to be. And then Austin heard the sound of a car pulling around the house, John was back. Alex dropped the hose and went to open the car door.

"You're most welcome, sir," Alex replied with a bow. "May I take your hat and coat?"

"That would be greatly appreciated," John replied, taking off his long dressy coat and handing his hat to the boy.

Austin realized it was an old game; formal role playing that seemed to amuse them both.

"That's just fine sweetie, but I need to talk with Austin right now. Can you please take my coat inside for me?"

"Sure thing," Alex grinned and he ran with his arms full towards the kitchen door. John walked Austin over to the back patio and they sat in the chairs set out under an awning.

"I see you've already met Frank," John said. "Jack called me this morning and he assures me that he trusts you. I would like you to start making the rounds with Frank when he picks up the boys in town. Would that sound like something you could handle?"

"I think you present a nice image. It will be better if you meet some of these boys and see where they come from. These kids will be part of your responsibility while they're here and it will give you a better understanding of just why they chose to join Golden Hand."

"Are you a member?" Austin asked. He didn't know why, it just seemed important to know.

"Yes, I was one of the first members Jack had back in the beginning. It's come a long way since then. He's grown into quite the businessman."

"So these boys know what they're getting into? I mean the clients and all that?' Austin asked.

John laughed. "I assure you, none of them were forced to do anything. Many of them are much like you, Austin."

"Each boy asked to join the Golden Hand, just like you did. I imagine there are many reasons why it was an attractive choice. But you know from your own experience that we take care of our boys, no one wants anything bad to happen to any of you."

John's face lost all traces of humor as his eyes wandered out across the lawn towards the pool. "Yes, things do happen," he said. "We do try to research every client, but that doesn't always work out."

"I think Bucky was one of the biggest problems, he is such an asshole... I'm glad he got fired."

John smiled. "Jack told me what you had to say about that creep, I never liked him either if that's any consolation. But he's disappeared, isn't that wonderful? And I just know you'll do a much better job than he did."

Austin tried to keep his face neutral. Kevin had said they would "take care" of Bucky and now he knew how. Jeez, these guys were fucking dangerous, he thought. Not that he regretted anything, the guy had been a menace... and now he was history.

"So about your duties with Frank," John said, bringing their discussion back to the present issue. "He drives and you present yourself to the boy's parents if they are there. There will be a few envelopes full of information you have to pass along, some go to the parents, others to the boy himself.

"The Boys and Girls Club has been a very useful cover. The brochure we hand out talks about sleepovers and field trips for the boys. Most of the parents want to believe it, some don't seem to care if their kid doesn't get in trouble. Each of them has signed a permission slip to allow us to pick the kids up for the weekend. Right now there are only nine boys working, including the three we have here."

"They get a payoff and that's the end of it," John said. "It works, Austin, so far it has. I'm sure Kevin will tell you how many boys out there still want inside the organization, but we have to limit the participation."

"He's a genius... but then you already know that," John said. He reached in his suit pocket and brought out a short stack of envelopes. "Each boy's name is written on the front so you'll know who gets which envelope. Four of them have check marks after the name and that means the parent gets the envelope not the boy, ok?"

"It seems that Alex has taken a shine to you... that's good. I was worried that he might get lonely here without any boys his own age. I can't always be around to entertain him."

"Your boyfriend is very smart... and so is mine, guess we're both lucky," Austin said.

"Sure thing. Um, where should I keep these?" Austin asked, holding up the envelopes.

"Just put them in the glove box of the van and take them out as needed. Frank will tell you the order of each pickup as you make the rounds. You start at four this afternoon and you'll be back by six-thirty, just in time for dinner. Nina always sets out a fine meal on Friday nights."

"I don't think so... well not yet. I was thinking that when we get a new boy it might bolster his confidence if you went along for the limo ride the first few times he meets a client. You do know you will have to teach the new ones what is expected of them, has Kevin talked to you about that?"

Austin blushed. "Um, no not really... but I sorta got the feeling that was part of the job. I guess Bucky used to do that, but he hurt them."

"And you won't," John said. "Don't be embarrassed, Kevin knows what you'll have to do, he'll explain it."

"Yeah, he gave me the speech when I first arrived... but I never had to put up with Bucky breaking me in."

John sighed. "Then you'll be the one to show them what is expected, probably after Kevin gives his little speech. Most of you boys come on board with some sexual experience, but there are a few who lie about it. It won't be hard for you figure out what they already know and teach them the rest."

"Yes, you got it. You understand that a client wants to feel proud of what he does with our boys and he wants them to enjoy it too. I know there's a bit of acting involved, some of these clients aren't the best lovers and the boy has to make them feel like they are. I seem to recall you were much in demand, which means you must be a great actor yourself."

"So you make sure the new ones understand it too. Nothing but safe sex, I don't want any sick kids." John smiled. "Sorry, I'm telling you things you already know."

"Kevin is working on one right now. With you out of the lineup we needed a replacement. He's a bright boy... in fact I chatted with him last night."

"Wow... I never would have guessed. You were so... so good for me... thanks for all the help you gave me."

John smiled and then stood up, the conversation was over. But just as Austin was about to go back and help Frank, John stopped him.

"I never knew how bad your life was before you came up here, but boys don't run away when things are good at home. I remember those sad nights when BL69 used to tell me what was wrong about his life. It seemed like you were pretty close to ending it all on several occasions, and I just couldn't let that happen, Austin. I'm the one that bought your plane ticket to freedom."

Austin's face lit up, the sudden joy bringing tears to his eyes. He threw his arms around John and hugged him tight. "Oh God... thank you, John. I owe you so much."

John hugged back. "You're worth every penny... the best investment I ever made."

"Ah ha," a young voice said from the edge of the patio. "You guys need to get a room?" Alex laughed.

John leaned over and kissed the boy on the forehead, and then thinking about it a second he did the same to Austin. "You're both special," he said. "Is anyone hungry besides me?"

"That's my growing boy," John said, grabbing the kid by the shoulders and pointing him towards the kitchen door. Austin tagged along and then saw Frank busy with a soapy sponge on the side of the van.

He went to the passenger side of the van and put the envelopes in the glove box. It didn't take much imagination to know that they each contained cash. It was disconcerting that some of them would go straight to the boy's parents, but then he didn't understand the setup, maybe he never would.

And it was Alan's words about having a normal life that crept back into his mind. There was nothing normal about what they were doing here. He hadn't seen what these other boys were up against at home, he only knew that his parents had provided nothing he ever wanted to experience again.

It would be so easy to slip away now. All he had to do was take the envelopes and run instead of bringing the boys back to the van. Alan would protect him he was sure, but for how long? Jack and John certainly had the means to track him down and if he was caught he'd end up like Bucky, he'd just disappear.

No, it was too soon to think about leaving... and then there was Kevin. He didn't know what to think about the boy anymore. Yes they had love, or what passed for it. But did Kevin have others before him? It almost seemed certain that was the case. There were so many boys and too much temptation to believe anything else.

He had to stay and see how things played out. If nothing else he needed something to trade with the cops. For if he did leave, his survival would depend on the organization going down in a big way.

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On The Wire

By Chris James

Chapter Six