After breakfast, Jakub took another shower after a round of passionate sex with Timmy. It had been awesome. That boy showed no reservations and didn't hold back in his aggressiveness. Jakub absolutely loved that. The boy was a perfect match for his sexual appetite. He'd never before experienced a lover like Timmy. Lover? Was that what Timmy was? Jakub had always been the aggressor and took what he wanted despite any protests. He loved the power and the feeling of dominating another person. With Timmy, he was able to dominate and in turn, be dominated. It was something entirely new for Jakub and he found he really enjoyed that. Yes, he was always the top, but Timmy had a way of aggressively controlling the sex from the bottom position.

"Your job is to just lay there and keep hard. I'll do the rest. Don't move. Just stay still and enjoy. I'm in charge here." Jakub recalled hearing Timmy telling him that, no, ordering him. It was totally unexpected and shocked him. He's never heard someone tell him that they were in charge. That didn't happen. But it did. And he enjoyed it.

Timmy took his shower, dressed and then joined Jakub in the suite sitting room. Timmy walked over to Jakub, sat on his lap and kissed him gently for a moment then turned the kiss passionate. That was another new thing for Jakub. He'd never really been into kissing. He didn't have time for the niceties of sex. He'd always gone in straight to the act with no foreplay. Kissing Timmy was turning out to be very enjoyable. So much so that things were heating up again and Jakub was just getting into it when Timmy pushed him back.

"I have to go to work," Timmy said as he sat back on Jakub's lap with a lopsided grin.

"Got time for another round? You've got me all wound up again."

"That was my intention. I've got to keep your interest in my incredibly sexy body," Timmy said with a laugh.

"You have my undivided attention. Now, how about a blow job?"

"Sorry. I only have a few minutes before I have to clock in to work. You'll just have to keep that motor running for later tonight." Timmy said as he rubbed back and forth on the growing hardness in Jakub's pants. He got up abruptly, much to Jakub's displeasure, and headed for the door. "I'll see you tonight," Timmy said with a wink as he walked out the door leaving Jakub wondering what he meant by keeping his motor running.

Timmy kissing him, while unexpected and something Jakub had never been into, had opened his eyes to new possibilities. Perhaps there was more to this aspect of sex. It certainly did get him aroused. So aroused that Jakub had to relieve the build up of pressure in his pants.

Ten minutes later he was catching his breath on the couch. After a quick tissue clean up, he decided to study the pamphlets he'd gleaned from the lobby about the antiquated human transit system. He was somewhat familiar with it thanks to the classes he had taken at Keplera Preparatory Academy. It would take some doing, but according to the pamphlets, he could get a ticket for a bus, whatever that was, to Cameron's hometown. How he would get that ticket remained a mystery. The pamphlet indicated that tickets could be obtained on-line or at the bus terminal. He decided that was just too difficult to figure out.

His other option was to fly. Just the time of the trip when compared to the bus was almost enough to convince Jakub to go for it. But risking life and limb to go airborne in a questionable human made steel flying contraption was simply out of the question. True, humans had mastered flying machines, but his history class told him that came with a lot of crashes. They actually filled the wings up with flammable liquid and put the engines right next to them. That was just stupid. It was asking for an explosion and Jakub didn't feel like plummeting to the ground in a flaming fire ball.

The easiest way to get there would be to teleport, but he lacked any knowledge of his destination and without access to an interface to look it up, a teleport was out of the question. Fresh out of any other options, Jakub decided to explore more of the loud, stinky city until Timmy got off from work.

Thinking of Timmy, he found himself having an unfamiliar fondness for the cute shy boy. Jakub didn't do emotion. He'd never received it as a child and found the whole thing useless. It was a waste of time and energy with no guaranteed results. Then there was the kiss. It was a very intimate thing to do, but it had been very arousing. And then there was the oral part, which Jakub loved, surprisingly both giving and receiving. Maybe there was more to sex than just a dominant insertion. Regardless, Jakub found himself thinking about Timmy even though the cute shy boy wasn't there. It was a mysterious feeling. Fondness. He tried it on like a new suit and found it fit pretty damn well.

He had a similar feeling once and only once. It was at one of his father's famous social affairs. His father was parading him around the room like a feted calf boasting of his son's achievements. They were almost done with the display when Jakub spotted him. He was in the corner, sipping on a glass of champagne from a Waterford flute. The boy was so pretty that Jakub openly gasped, immediately covering it with sip from his own flute. He tried not to stare at the boy. He really tried, but the boy's beauty almost glowed. And then the boy looked at Jakub with emerald green eyes, batted his eyelashes and gave him a bashful smile. Jakub almost tripped on his own two feet. His father looked at him oddly for moment, then went right back to showing off what his loins had created. Jakub paid his father no mind as he continued to stare at the beauty in the corner.

They never spoke, but the boy, whose name he learned was Matyas, filled his dreams for weeks. Sure, there were lustful dreams, but mostly Jakub dreamed of walking hand in hand with Matyas through fields of wildflowers. He would gaze into those soulful green eyes and bask in the glow of the bashful smile. That experience was the closest thing to love that Jakub had ever experienced. He sighed at the memory.

Jakub glanced in the mirror. He loved his hair. Timmy's hair matched his own in length only much darker, almost black. It was beautiful and soft to the touch. Jakub loved running his fingers through it. And Timmy had the same bashful smile that Matyas had. It seemed that Timmy was his yin to his yang and he found himself surprisingly missing Timmy's company.

Jakub took the archaic turbo lift to the lobby. When are these Earthlings going catch up with their technology? From what he remembered from class, these lifts were moved by steel cable. How crude. Magnets were much more efficient and a lot quicker. This was just another example of his father's hopelessness for the humans of Earth.

When he exited the doors, he looked up and came to a full stop. There standing at the front desk was none other than Cameron. Jakub recognized him for the extensive research he'd done on the boy. "What's he doing here?" Jakub thought to himself. Realizing he was standing out in the open for all to see, he quickly darted behind a large planter stuffed for flowers and foliage. He watched as Cameron held up his wrist com for the front desk lady to look at. Cameron probably had a image and was checking to see if he was at the hotel. It appeared the lady shut him down pretty quickly. Thank goodness common hospitality etiquette extend to this foul planet. "That's not good," he thought to himself. "On the other hand, I don't have to travel very far to find the little bastard."

Jakub watched as Cameron and his friends made their way over to the far side of the lobby and sat down. "Shit. What are they doing?" The teens were just sitting there talking and laughing without a care in the world. "Okay, I can deal with this. All I have to do is get Cameron alone and kill the fucker." Jakub continued to spy on the group from behind the huge potted plant, trying to remain inconspicuous as other hotel guests walked by. Just as he was about to give up, Cameron got up and headed for the restroom. "Perfect," Jakub thought. He moved quickly toward the same restroom with revenge at the front of his mind.

*    *    *    *    *

Joel was studying the dossier from the Kelmar Investigation Service on Kibbeth's son while sitting in his chair in the command center. He was still kicking himself for letting the boy teleport out without being detected. That had been totally his fault, he told himself. He called for the biometric signature scanner to be engaged too late. KIS had provided the boy's unique signature and he'd failed to load it into the system as well. The result was putting Jevic and Cameron in harm's way to try and locate the teen fugitive. Jakub was not only a fugitive, but a suspected murderer. The boys being on that kind of hunt bothered him, but knew they could blend in to New York a lot better than an armed security detail.

The body of the transport officer weighed heavily on Joel's mind as well. He'd been notified by the transport ship's personnel of the death and had personally overseen the crime scene investigation. His CSI team scoured the cabin and took pictures of everything, including the body. Clothes were examined, bagged and tagged. Samples were taken from what appeared to be dried semen on the body's stomach. Pictures were taken of the bruises on the officer's neck, where he'd been obviously strangled.

The officer, Aleksy, was really a boy just about to reach manhood. His naked body lay face up on the floor of a cabin on the transport ship. It was the look on the dead boy's face that would be forever etched into Joel's mind. The open eyes reflected the terror the boy must have gone through in the last moments of his life. They were wide open and stared up at nothing. The expression on the boy's face was blank in his death, but anyone could tell those eyes had seen death coming. It was horrible and it was heartbreaking at the same time. Joel had the solemn duty of notifying Aleksy's family.

Joel continued to study the report on Jakub. An obscure line in the dossier caught his eye. The more Joel read, the more excited he became. Apparently, Jakub actually did have a unique power. It mentioned the boy could teleport. Well, that was obvious. The dossier went on to describe Jakub's ability to make himself silent. That was something unexpected. Reading further, the boy could camouflage his movements and his surroundings, making himself concealed by sound. Joel had never heard of such a power and made a mental note to discuss this with Elvin, the resident powers expert.

Paulik joined Joel in the command center and immediately noticed the look of concern on Joel's face.

"What's got you all worried?" Paulik asked as he sat down on the adjacent couch. Joel turned to address him.

"I just found that Kibbeth's son has a unique power that I've never heard of."

"Really?"

"He can make himself silent, as in undetectable by sound. I've never heard of that power before, but I can see how useful it would be. I need to let the boys know about that. He could sneak right by them and they would never hear him."

"Let them know as soon as possible. Scott and Brandon came to me and begged to join Cameron and Jevic. I finally relented and teleported them there. So, all four boys are together in New York. I hope they don't get into any more danger than necessary. That city can be dangerous. That's why I thought some extra help would be in order. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, I don't mind at all. I happen to agree and don't forget Cameron has his tingling. I'm sure he can get them out of any trouble they get into."

"You're right, but I don't want to rely on him too much. He might have his tingling, but he is just a boy."

"Come now, Paulik. He's been through a war, faced death and yes, caused death as well. I'm sure Cameron can take care of anything that comes up. His tingling is very versatile."

*    *    *    *    *

Jakub moved closer to the restroom, thankful that whoever designed the lobby thought that a long row of huge four foot tall potted plants actually looked appealing. Despite that, they provided the perfect cover. Jakub watched Cameron enter the lobby restroom. He quickly checked the other boys again. They were still absorbed in their conversation and weren't paying attention. Jakub cloaked himself in his 'silent mode' power and moved without a sound toward the restroom. He opened the door and slipped inside. Cameron was at a urinal taking a piss. Jakub smiled to himself as he moved in for the kill. He moved to within a foot of his prey. His 'silent mode' power was at full. The boy wouldn't suspect a thing. Then he struck like a Cobra, grabbing Cameron roughly by the neck and throwing him violently to the restroom floor. But before he could act, Jakub was thrown back against the wall by an unknown force. He struggled but couldn't move.

My tingling had acted quickly. I rubbed my sore neck, then slowly rose to my feet to see just what the hell had happened. My tingling sensed the aggression, repelled it and pinned it to the wall. A younger version of Kibbeth was struggling against the wall, but my tingling held him firmly. He looked terrified. I looked him in the eye and grinned.

"Gotcha!" I exclaimed just as a boy with long black hair entered the restroom. The boy took one look at what was going on and didn't hesitate. With all his might, the boy launched himself at me and tackled me to the floor. Momentarily distracted by this new aggressor, my tingling concentrated on the most important need and knocked the boy out cold. Inadvertently, I released my hold on Jakub.

After I rolled the unconscious boy off my back, I turned and caught a quick glimpse of Jakub as he escaped through the restroom door. I scrambled to my feet. I glanced in the mirror. Oops. I quickly zipped up my pants. I ran out of the restroom into the lobby. I was breathing hard as I quickly surveyed the vast area. The guys were still in the corner talking and there were two people checking in at the front desk. Other than that, nothing. I checked behind a row of huge terracotta planters overflowing with potted plants. Nothing. Jakub was nowhere to be seen. I headed back into the restroom. I had some questions for the boy who attacked me, but when I got there, the unconscious boy was gone without a trace. I checked the stalls. Nothing. I raced back to the lobby and looked again. Nothing. Damn it!

Jakub had watched from behind one of the giant potted plants. When Cameron came out of the restroom, Jakub teleported in. He picked up and clutched Timmy tightly in his arms then teleported them both to his hotel suite. They were gone in seconds. He gently laid Timmy on the couch. The boy appeared okay. There were no physical marks, but still knocked out cold. Jakub grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom, wet it with cool water and returned to Timmy. He wiped the cool cloth across the unconscious boy's face. That seemed to do the trick as Timmy slowly came to and looked up into the worried face of Jakub.

"What happened?" Timmy asked softly.

"You saved me. That's what happened." Jakub hugged Timmy tenderly. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

I made my way back to my friends in the corner. Jevic looked up and noticed something was wrong. He stood up and greeted me with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay? You look shaken up."

"I just had a run in with Jakub." With that statement, Brandon and Scott stood up and surrounded me. "He attacked me in the restroom, but I used my tingling and threw him off. Then some other guy shows up and tackles me. That caused me to lose my concentration on my tingling and Jakub got away. I came out and checked the lobby, but he was gone. Then I went back in the restroom and the guy that tackled me was gone."

"Gone? Was he Kelmarian? Did he teleport?" asked Jevic.

"I have no idea. I've never seen him before, but he was just gone. He was unconscious and still he disappeared without a trace."

"Could Jakub have gotten him?" asked Scott.

"Good question. He may have. I couldn't find him in the lobby, but he may have snuck back in when I wasn't looking."

"Fuck!" exclaimed Brandon. I agreed with Brandon's assessment of the situation. Joel chose that moment to contact Jevic.

"Jevic, I need to pass on some important information. Is this a good time?"

"Joel, we tracked Kibbeth's son to a hotel. We were hanging out in the lobby keeping watch. Cameron went to the restroom and had an encounter with the boy."

"Is Cameron okay?" asked a suddenly very concerned Joel.

"Yeah, he's fine, but Jakub got away."

"Too bad about that, but I have some news about Kibbeth's son. He has a power I just found out about. He's able to make himself silent, as in undetectable by sound."

"That explains how he got the jump on me," I said into Jevic's wrist com. "I was in the restroom and was suddenly thrown to the floor. I had no warning."

"That was probably him using that silent power," suggested Joel. "Sorry I didn't catch that the first time I looked at his dossier."

"That's okay, Joel. At least we're aware of it now. Sorry for letting him get away."

"Don't you worry about that, Cameron. Sounds like you guys did a great job in tracking him down this time and I'm sure you'll be able to find him again."

"Thanks, Joel. If you hear anything else, please let us know."

"That you can count on. Oh, and boys, be careful. This boy is wanted on suspicion of murder. Don't take any chances."

"We won't. Thanks Joel," I said as Jevic disconnected. We sat back down in the comfortable lobby chairs to discuss our situation.

Back in the suite, Jakub was peppering Timmy's face with kisses. It had been a close call. That was the first time he'd personally encountered Cameron and the first time he'd encountered Cameron's powers. The kid definitely packed a punch. In all his research about the kid, he'd read about his unique command of strong powers. Jakub just had not counted on experiencing them firsthand. He'd have to rethink his approach in dealing with the mixed breed abomination. A Quantum laser would cut the boy in half nicely. If he had a Quantum laser, which he didn't. But right now, he needed to properly thank Timmy for quite literally saving his life.

Fifteen minutes later, a sated Timmy sat on the couch with a grin on his face. The blowjob had been unexpected, but welcome. That was something Jakub never did. He never voluntarily brought pleasure to anyone, yet he had just pleasured Timmy. He found he quite enjoyed giving that pleasure. It had the side benefit of distracting the boy, but evidently, he still had questions.

"I was in the restroom and then here I am in your room. Tell me again how that happened." Jakub was a practiced liar and the explanation came easily.

"I picked you up and carried you here. I didn't know where else to take you."

"Okay, but I remember a boy who was attacking you. What happened to him?"

"We got away after you tackled him. You both got knocked out in the process. I left him wallowing in his own piss on the restroom floor. Fucker shouldn't have tried to hurt us. We'll have to be careful until I can make sure he can't hurt us again." Timmy nodded in understanding.

"I should get back to work," Timmy said as he moved to get up from the couch.

"I think you should stay here." Jakub panicked. He couldn't risk Timmy being exposed to Cameron and his powers. Timmy knew too much and he couldn't risk Cameron finding out anything that would give him a clue as to where he was.

"That boy might still be in the hotel and if he sees you, he might attack again."

"I need to call my boss. He'll be looking for me. Hey, maybe we should report the guy and get him kicked out of the hotel. Roger, he's the security guy, he's a great big dude. He's always looking to knock someone around," suggested Timmy. Jakub thought about that for a second, considering all the possibilities. He needed Cameron close by so he could kill him, but he didn't need him real close by. Right now, he was too close.

"Okay, call your boss and report the guy. Do you remember what he looks like?"

"Oh yeah." Timmy called his boss and told him he'd been attacked in the lobby restroom. He gave a full description of his attacker. His boss said he'd take care of it and to take the rest of the day off.

Roger, the hotel security man, strolled into the lobby and surveyed the guests there. He spied the culprit Timmy described over in the corner. Roger smiled to himself and walked like a man on a mission toward the group of teenagers. He didn't even slow down as he circled around and came to a stop behind Cameron. Roger reached over with two big burley hands, grabbed Cameron and pulled him straight up out of his seat. Without even slowing down, he dragged Cameron over to the front door and threw him out onto the sidewalk.

"You don't attack people in my hotel. You're banned from here. Now git!" I stood up and glared at the security man. My tingling was charged up and ready. Jevic, Brandon and Scott came through the door and stood beside me.

"Just so you know, asshole, I was the one attacked by one of your guests. I fully intend to file a formal complaint against this, this low rent, flea bag motel 'cause it certainly isn't a hotel. Expect complaints against the guest and you for your shitty treatment."

"Just shove the fuck off before I call the cops. They won't be very understanding, I assure you. Actually, I think my brother's on duty today. He's a decorated New York cop and now that I think about it, you were the one who assaulted me. That's grounds for arrest. So you best be leaving or you'll find yourself in a pair of cuffs and spending the night at the gray bar motel, asshole."

My temper got the best of me. I confess. I couldn't help myself and we were all still laughing as we ambled down the sidewalk. Roger, the security guy was left standing in the hotel's main entrance wearing nothing but a pink thong and a red embarrassed face.

*    *    *    *    *

Our search for Kibbeth's son ran into a roadblock with our ouster from the hotel. I'd had my first run in with him too. That had gone spectacularly. He obviously had an ally. That opened another can of worms. Who was the dark headed boy and how did he fit into the equation? Was he Kelmarian too? There had been no mention of anyone else being on the transport. Could he be an ally from Earth? Did Jakub even have contacts on Earth? According to Joel, he didn't know anybody on this planet.

The power Jakub possessed came as a surprise. Being able to be completely silent made it impossible to hear him coming. His power enabled him to get the jump on me in the lobby restroom. I'd have to keep my tangling extra aware of my surroundings.

Thinking back to what Joel told us about him, I mean considering the whole picture, it seemed to me that perhaps he was just misguided. Maybe if I had the time to explain what happened, he would understand that Kibbeth sealed his own fate that day. Paulik and I had nothing to do with his father's death and he could abandon this maniacal quest to seek revenge. Then I thought about his roommate lying in critical care due completely to Jakub's savage behavior. My thoughts turned to the transport officer. He had been strangled and that made Jakub a killer. When I stopped to think about it, the transport officer obviously arranged for Jakub to get on the ship headed for Earth. Why did he have to be killed? He'd done Jakub a favor by sneaking him aboard the ship. What did he do to deserve to have his life snuffed out? Did he have second thoughts? Did he try to get Jakub off the transport? Did they get into a fight? What was the real reason he was murdered?

There were too many questions and not enough answers. All the evidence pointed to Jakub being a sick, perverted psychopath that killed people indiscriminately and wanted to kill more people, including me. By all accounts he appeared charming. At the same time, he appeared to be manipulative, deceitful and egotistical. But he was just a boy. Yes, his father was Kibbeth, who had an evil streak in him a mile long. Still, he was just a boy. I couldn't shake the feeling that I could change him if I just had the opportunity to talk with him. If that didn't work, then he needed professional help and eventually prison. After all, the available evidence established that he murdered the transport officer.

"What's that brain of yours working so hard on?" asked Jevic. We were still walking down the sidewalk dodging more people and trying to figure out our next move.

"Just thinking about Jakub."

"Oh, it's Jakub now? I thought he was called Kibbeth's evil offspring." I grinned at Jevic.

"Perhaps not everything is as it seems," I said mysteriously. Jevic looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey guys! We need a place to stay for the night. Any suggestions?" Scott asked.

"Beats me. How far away from Pink G string are we?" asked a grinning Jevic.

"About a block," Brandon said with a laugh. I looked up and down the sidewalk and then across the street. Miraculously, right in front of us was a hotel.

"How about right across the street? Does that work for everyone?" They all looked across the street and grinned at the same time.

"Yup, that works," said Jevic. We found a crosswalk and made our way over to the Bentley Hotel and checked in. One large suite would accommodate all of us. It was the top floor penthouse with two bedrooms with their own bathrooms, a huge sitting area and a balcony overlooking the New York skyline complete with two luxurious lounge chairs and a gas-powered fire pit. Plus, there was a restaurant on the ground floor. It was perfect.

We walked out on the balcony to see the sights. 'Spectacular' barely describes the awesome view.

I wasn't exactly sure Joel would be pleased when I turned in the receipt for nineteen hundred dollars, but I wasn't going to fret over that now.

*    *    *    *    *

Timmy hung up his cell phone and frowned. Roger, the security man, had successfully run off the attacker, but was left humiliated at the main hotel entrance inexplicably dressed in a pink G string. Timmy's boss was at a loss as to how that happened.

"The guy from the restroom has been evicted from the hotel, but something strange happened," Timmy explained to Jakub. "Roger was standing at the hotel's main entrance telling our attacker to hit the road when suddenly the only thing Roger was wearing was a pink G string." Jakub barked out a laugh. Yeah, that Cameron did have some awesome powers and a fabulous sense of humor.

"Sounds like he dropped his trousers," Jakub suggested, still trying to subdue his snickers.

"No, it wasn't that. He just suddenly went from security uniform to G string." Jakub had to admire Cameron's imagination, but now he had to explain it away or Timmy was going to get suspicious. He'd already asked about being moved from the restroom to the hotel room twice.

"I'm sure there's an explanation unless this hotel has a playful ghost that likes to pull pranks," Jakub said with a laugh. That got him a grin.

"I haven't heard any ghost stories and I've been here almost a year," Timmy said with a lopsided grin.

"Okay, maybe Cameron is from another planet and has supernatural powers." Why not tell the truth? It was as believable as a ghost with a penchant for humor.

"Who's Cameron?" Timmy asked. Oops, Jakub had let that one slip.

"He's the guy you tackled. I heard his friends calling out his name when I was carrying you to the room." There, that explanation should stop the inquisition. Timmy stared at Jakub a minute then finally nodded with a grin.

"I did get him good, didn't I?"

"You're my hero," Jakub said with a smile.

"I'm getting hungry. Let's go somewhere for dinner. The hotel restaurant is fine. I eat there almost every day, but I get tired of eating the same food." Jakub panicked for a second then remembered the man's wallet with the plastic cards. He wasn't as flush with the strange human currency and it would be improper to have Timmy pay for their supper. That had been drilled into his head by his father. Always show you're in charge by taking control in every situation including putting your considerable wealth on full display for all to see.

"Sounds good. You know the area. What do you suggest?"

"There's The Hotel Bentley, just down the street that has a wonderful independent restaurant. It's not owned by the hotel, like the restaurant here, but just leases space. They have excellent seafood." Jakub wondered what 'see food' was. Does it suddenly appear on your plate? No, humans couldn't do that. See food? Maybe it was a buffet? See food and pick what you want? It couldn't be that simple. Trying to navigate the human world and their strange terms and currency was proving frustrating. Maybe it was seafood instead of see food. That meant it was food that came from the sea, but he couldn't be sure. It didn't sound too promising, but he was open to a new culinary experience.

"How about we work up an appetite before we go?" Jakub suggested with a husky voice.

"You are a regular horndog. I love it. Let's fuck."

An hour later, after a much needed shower, they dressed and headed to the restaurant with seafood specialties that had actually gotten Jakub's curiosity up.

They walked down the concrete apron, dodging people as they went. Up ahead was the Bentley Hotel and its seafood restaurant. Timmy directed them to a convenient crosswalk. The hotel entrance was just across the street.

*    *    *    *    *

Up in the penthouse of The Bentley Hotel, four teenagers had worked up an appetite in their own bedrooms and were ready for a full meal. Scott checked the hotel directory and saw there was a restaurant on-site with seafood specialties.

"I'm up for some surf and turf. How about you guys?" he called out. Calls of agreement filled the penthouse. They headed for the elevator with nothing but thoughts of food on their brains.

The elevator door opened at the lobby level and we headed for the restaurant and the maître station. While waiting to be seated, I glanced around the dining room and what I saw caused me to gasp out loud.

"What's up?" Jevic asked. I pointed to a table in the far corner.

"That's Jakub and the boy that tackled me." Jevic whipped his head around and looked. Sure enough, Jakub and his friend occupied a table in the corner, almost hidden from the front.

"What do we do?" Jevic whispered. Scott and Brandon were looking over the posted menu.

"Let's ask for a table in the opposite corner. That'll give us time to think this through. It looks like they're too busy eating to notice us."

"And if they do?"

"Me and my tingling will address that … if it happens." The maître showed up and Jevic requested the table in the opposite corner. The maître smiled and escorted us to the requested table. As luck would have it, when I took my seat, I noticed that Jakub and his friend had their backs to us. Perfect.

All I could do was watch Jakub. I heard laughter from their table which struck me as strange. Laughter from a killer seemed a bit odd, but like I'd been thinking, he was just a boy, just like me and my friends. I thought about what we should do. I could contact Joel. The ensuing armed security detail wouldn't be practical for this situation. We could confront them and let my tingling handle things, but other people in the restaurant might get hurt. I didn't want that to happen. Then it struck me. This was perhaps the opportunity I'd been thinking about. Maybe if I just talked to him, we could handle things peacefully. The last thing I wanted was a physical confrontation. Unbeknownst to me, my tingling was already charging up as I made up my mind.

"I'm going to go talk to him," I said quietly to Jevic.

"What?" he yelped.

"Quiet, damn it." Jevic glanced to make sure Jakub hadn't heard, then nodded.

"Are you crazy?" he asked me quietly.

"What's up guys?" asked Brandon. "Can't decide what to get? I'm going for lobster and steak. Oh, this is on Joel's expense account, right?"

"Yeah, get whatever you want. I'll be right back guys." I stood up and Jevic stood up too.

"This is nuts," he whispered to me.

"It'll be just fine. I've got this and, Jevic, my tingling has this too. Just watch my back, okay?" Jevic nodded. I walked over to Jakub's table. Their backs were still to me. I eased around to an empty seat and quickly sat down.

"I'm not here to cause any trouble so just relax so we can have a little chat." Jakub tensed and his friend stood up abruptly. Jakub looked at me and I saw a quick decision come over his face. He relaxed a bit, then spoke to his friend without taking his eyes off of me.

"Sit down, Timmy. It's okay." Timmy hesitated, then sat down. I noticed he was holding his steak knife with a white knuckled hand.

"Just a friendly chat. That's all I'm asking for." Jakub looked at me. I mean he really looked at me then finally, he nodded.

"First, I'd like to say I'm sorry you lost your father." The dark haired boy gasped and looked at Jakub. "Second, I'd like to say I had nothing to do with his death, even though I was there when he died. I hope you will give me a chance to explain." Jakub paused a second and then nodded. "Bahar, who was my boyfriend's mother, had just died."

"She was your boyfriend's mother?" Jakub asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. They hadn't seen each other since birth. She abandoned him in favor of seeking political power. He was raised by Paulik, his biological father and his partner Joel." I let that bombshell sink in a minute while I took a sip of Jakub's untouched water. That bold move was acknowledged by a single raised eyebrow. In answer, Jakub took a sip from his wine glass.

"My father made mention of her in his journal," Jakub added.

"She was a real piece of work. I think she tried to kill me at least three times," I said. Jakub appeared shocked.

"What?" asked the stunned dark haired boy. I smiled at him.

"You'd make quite the football player with your talent for tackling," I said with a smirk, trying for a distraction from my mention of attempted murder.

"Timmy," he said. "My name is Timmy."

"And my name is Cameron."

"Who's your boyfriend?" Jakub interrupted.

"His name is Jevic. Your father was his uncle. That makes you first cousins." I took another sip of water. "Your father and Paulik were identical twin brothers and were very close growing up. Your father, Paulik and Joel attended primary school together. They were the best of friends." I had Jakub's undivided attention. Now I just had to keep it as I weaved my story. "When they all grew up, Kibbeth and Paulik had a falling out over some minor trivial things. That disagreement grew as they aged into their twenties. It eventually manifested into something a whole lot worse than a simple twin dispute. I think you know that your father went on to form the Talons." Jakub nodded again. That was a good sign. At least he was still sitting and listening after bringing up that sensitive subject. "We both know where that ended up." He nodded again. "My parents were mixed. My father was human and my mother …"

"I understand about your heritage," he said with a quick glance at Timmy. I caught on real quick. Timmy didn't know about Kelmar. I found that strange, but okay, I could work around that.

"Thank you. Long story short, I ended up with some pretty awesome, ah, abilities." He nodded again with a slight smile. "They came in handy on quite a few occasions, especially concerning the Talons."

"Who or what are the Talons?" Timmy suddenly asked. He was paying attention even though Jakub tensed.

"Soccer team," I said. Jakub visibly relaxed. "A very good soccer team that, ah, didn't always play by the rules." Now Jakub frowned and I figured I better put a better spin on the Talons. "Don't get me wrong. They were a very good team with a lot of talent. I just didn't agree with their game strategy. Jakub's dad was the team coach."

"Oh, well every team I know of has a different game strategy. You have to if you want to win the game," Timmy said as he took a bite of steak. That was another good sign. If the boy was comfortable enough to eat, that was a good thing. I glanced at Jakub and he actually smiled.

"You're right, ah, Timmy. Strategy is important. Jakub, the strategy your father used was distorted. It was based on beliefs that were unproven. That strategy is what led to his death. It had nothing to do with Paulik or me. It had to do with his strategies, and it got out of hand. It turned to anger. You know this to be true." A tear rolled down his left cheek. "I'm sorry, Jakub. There was no one responsible for your father's death but himself." Jakub stood up abruptly and left the restaurant. Timmy jumped up and ran after him, after pausing long enough to give me the evil eye.

"Well, that went well," I sighed. Jevic was watching intently and started to head over to the table. I indicated for him to wait. I saw Jakub outside on the sidewalk listening to an animated Timmy.

Outside the restaurant, Timmy chased after Jakub who was walking quickly down the sidewalk.

"Wait up! Jakub! Wait!" Timmy called out. Jakub stopped and turned to look at him. When he caught up, Jakub turned to keep walking, but Timmy grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to a stop. Jakub's angry, tear filled face turned to look at him.

"What?" asked Jakub sharply.

"Anger does not suit you and apparently it didn't suit your dad either, so calm the fuck down." Timmy had never cussed outside their sexual romps and that caught Jakub by surprise. His anger quickly deflated. "That's better. I don't like to see you angry." Timmy reached out and wiped the tears from Jakub's eyes.

"Sorry, but that in there, about my dad, was something I wasn't prepared to hear, much less deal with."

"Hate to say this big boy," Timmy reached out and squeezed Jakub's package. "But the sooner you do, the better. I lost my dad and the last time I saw him, we had an argument. I regret that every day of my life." Timmy hugged Jakub tightly and whispered in his ear. "Now, let's go back inside and finish this conversation." Jakub released the hug. "And put a smile on your face. You're so much more handsome when you smile." Jakub nodded.

"Okay, let's go see what he has to say." Jakub and Timmy turned and headed back into the restaurant.

I sat at the table kicking myself in the ass. I put too much on Jakub at one time. I should have eased into that. Instead, I just hit him over the head with a ball bat filled with too much information.

"Sir," interrupted the waiter. "Are your friends are coming back? They still owe for their meals." I pulled out my wallet and flashed a few hundreds.

"How much?"

"Three hundred nineteen dollars, please. Uh, plus tip." I handed him four hundred dollar bills.

"I suppose that will do?" as I offered the cash.

"Certainly sir." The waiter walked off with a smile on his face and a twenty-five percent tip in his pocket.

I looked up and saw Jakub and Timmy coming back into the restaurant. This was going to be either really good or really bad. If the smile on Timmy's face was any indication, things were looking up.


On to Chapter Twenty-Three
"Alexandr"
Back to Chapter Twenty-One
"Sherlock"
Chapter Index

Jevic's Story Page

I'd love to hear what you think!
Email me at jevic@tarheelwriter.com