FIC: In the Arms of the Wicked, 21 (Don, Liz, OMC, mention of Charlie/Colby, PG-13)
Title: "Playing with Fire"
Series: In the Arms of the Wicked, Part 21/?
Characters: Don, Liz, OMC, mention of Charlie/Colby.
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: Mention of rape.
Summary: Don catches his ghost.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything (characters, situations, etcetera) except my OCs.
Beta: The fantastic twins_m0m.
A/N: lillyg, this chapter is for you because you're writing and you're doing it so well!
Previous chapters: Click here.
Previous chapter
Next chapter
Part 21: "Playing with Fire"
No matter how scared we are… there are things that have to be done. If this is going to help someone else not to get hurt, so be it.
Don was driving, and he knew the interrogation was over, but he couldn’t get that student’s words out of his head. He had to do it, he had to get in touch with Noah Cameron, talk to him… If no one could get him a meeting with the man, he’d do it himself. The ghost wasn’t so unreachable right now. There was enough data to find him.
There are things that need to be done, and one of them is this. Repeating the phrase to himself over and over again, Don glanced at the rear view mirror. Someone was following him. “Liz?” Not now…
He had to pull over. As he waited for her, he tried to figure out what he was going to say. She’d seen too much. When Liz’s car parked behind him, he rolled down the window and took a breath. Her hand was soon beside his door, and she was leaning in to see his face.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped.
“Where the hell are you going, Don?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Yes, it is,” Liz stated. “I find you at Carl’s office, sniffing around, looking for God knows what. That’s dangerous, and I want to know if my boss and the person who taught me how to be an FBI agent is about to ruin his entire career.”
“That’s not going to happen!” Don yelled back. But it could. He decided that he’d rather have this conversation outside the car, so he got out. “I’m doing what it takes for everyone’s lives to be the way they used to!” I shouldn’t yell. No, this is ridiculous, I… Don leaned back on the vehicle, caressing his chin. He didn’t want to get into a fight. It wasn’t the right time.
But she insisted. “I’m not asking you this just because. I’m worried about you.”
“You should take care of yourself. You got back home only yesterday.”
“We’re not talking about me here.”
Yeah, well… Stressed out, Don licked his lips and tried to hold himself together. He continued listening.
“Where are you going? Why were you at Carl’s computer?” she said. “And why did you call your second cell phone?”
Okay, what? He turned to her, disappointed. “You checked my calls?” Liz simply folded her arms in a sign of impatience. From the way she was looking into his eyes, he could tell that she’d notice every single lie.
“Don, you can trust me.”
It was hard to know that she was right and yet keep such a secret from her. I can’t tell you. I can’t, but… “I can’t let those tapes come out.” He really didn’t want to say it, but he did it anyway; and when the moment of truth was gone, he felt at peace with himself. The secret wasn’t only his anymore. It was a relief, in a way.
“The India case tapes?” Liz asked, frowning.
“Yeah, I mean…”
“You know that David needs counseling but he refuses to allow Megan to talk to him.”
Don didn’t answer. Again, she was right.
“You also know that no one’s going to lose their jobs because of being gay, much less for being abused.” Liz was pointing out something that was very true and that Don was aware of.
You don’t understand. “Of course I know that. But what about rejection from other agents?” he responded, turning to her. “Liz, you and I both know that it’s not going to be all happy and easy for Charlie and Colby. People are going to talk. Jeez, magazines are going to take care of telling the world the news about Charlie. He couldn’t take it.”
“He couldn’t take it… and neither could you. Because you hate to see him suffer.”
She had pretty much nailed it. “Me, Charlie, my dad. No one could face it.” The sound of the city got to Don’s ears, reminding him of where they were. He was face to face with Liz, someone who knew him very well, in the middle of L.A., and he was on his way to Cameron’s location. “I want my brother to be happy. He deserves that much.”
“He didn’t look very pleased a while ago. What happened between you guys?”
“What happened? I tried to say something and it all came wrong, that’s what happened.”
This time, it was Liz the one who leaned on the car, right beside Don. “I see.”
“I don’t want him to be like me. I want him to keep that special someone he has. The last thing I want is people to get between them.”
“Maybe they’re stronger that that.”
The idea penetrated Don’s ears and hit his brain and his heart. Suddenly, he could see flashes of the way his brother looked into Colby’s eyes, how he’d stood up to the entire family to claim his love for him. It was good for Don to remember how Colby reciprocated and how he’d supported and waited for Charlie to make his decision.
But then again, there was Carl, and of course, there was Cameron. “I don’t want to take any chances. The more I can protect them, the better,” he explained, and he turned to Liz. “I’m going to see Noah Cameron. He’s got the tapes.”
“I remember David naming him… He’s huge…”
“A ghost I’m trying to catch. I just need to talk to him.”
“But… You’re playing with fire, not to mention that you’re…” Liz was going to start an argument, yet she stopped for a moment and leaned closer to Don, putting her hands in her pockets. “Let’s assume for a moment that you stop the tapes from coming out. Would that be for the best? Wouldn’t it be better if David was forced to get help? Wouldn’t it be good for Charlie and Colby to enjoy what they have without having to hide it?”
All of those were good questions, but Don wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know, Liz. I don’t know.” He knew what he’d be willing to do for his brother. “If something goes wrong, I’ll take the hit, all right? It’s just… I gotta do this. I care about David and Colby, but I won’t see Charlie deal with all that crap. I just won’t.”
Liz only stared at him and folded her arms. She was quiet, like she understood what was going on in Don’s heart. She didn’t present more arguments against his plans. She stood by his car as he got in, and once he turned on the engine, she leaned on the open window. “Take care… and be careful.”
Don nodded and put on his sunglasses; a few seconds later, he was driving again, leaving Liz behind. He looked at the rearview mirror - the soft wind was brushing her hair and moving a few strays across her worried face.
He’d be okay. He could handle this.
It took him about twenty minutes to get to his destination. On the way there, he felt much better than when he’d left the FBI. Knowing that Liz understood him and had his back soothed him and allowed him to go on with less weight on his shoulders.
It was weird that Cameron was staying in L.A. People who’d gone into Protective Custody usually moved at least to a different city. However, the neighborhood seemed nice and peaceful - not many cars passed by, there were people walking down the street and some children playing together in a corner.
As usual, Cameron’s house was designed not to be especially noticed. The structure was too standard, so some decorations had been added as to point out that there was an actual human being living there - someone with particular preferences. Whoever it was, it’d pass as a regular citizen who didn’t have any connections to neither illegal activities or the State.
Checking out the entrance, Don knew that people would be waiting for him, and that they’d be ready to catch him. In order to avoid negative assumptions, he decided to leave his gun in the car.
Breathing hard, he approached the front door, kept his sunglasses in his pocket and reached for the bell. It rang one time, but nothing happened. Looking for another entry would look suspicious; again, Don rang the bell and waited. He tapped his hips with his fingertips when he didn’t hear any noises.
The door suddenly opened, and he was dragged inside. Then the barrels of several guns were put against his arms, chest and head. Don was expecting agents to be around, but not this many. At this moment, four of them were on him. Two more grabbed his badge and cell phone; they even took his car keys and his wallet from him.
“Hey, I just need to talk to Noah Cameron…” Don couldn’t see much from his angle but he could hear one of the agents who had taken his stuff saying, “Sir, he’s FBI,” and another male voice responding, “Mhmm… Let’s see what he has to say.”
In a second, Don was free. One of the agents grabbed a chair from a corner and brought it to Don, who sat down. Two men held his shoulders, holding him back and away from someone whose back was to him, talking over the phone. That had to be Cameron, as the rest of the agents were almost forming a circle around him. Don thought it’d be better to let him talk first and try to check out the territory before he screwed up.
“Aha,” Cameron was saying. “Okay, I need you to stick to standard procedures this time. No, I know that. But I want that ID ASAP, so don’t let me down.”
The next thing Don knew, the chair was turning around, and he could see Noah Cameron’s face for the first time. In a way, he reminded him of Ian - dark-haired, strong, tall, well built body. But even if there was a certain resemblance, he was different. It wasn’t his cheap, casual clothes or his goatee; it was his eyes. They showed more confidence than regrets, and with that in mind, Don didn’t know how to begin.
“Agent Donald Eppes,” Cameron said, with a tone of voice that revealed a position of power but also a sense of responsibility.
“Sir,” Don responded, looking at the agents that surrounded the room, ready to assault him if he even tried to get near Cameron. He watched the EAD get up, walk in front of his desk and lean on it before questions started.
“I’m gonna go for the obvious question first so we take it out of the way and move on. How did you find this location?”
“I… I wanted to talk to you.” It was better to move fast and not give too much data, no matter what happened.
Cameron’s eyes were fixed on Don’s for a moment. But then he continued, like the answer wasn’t that important. “I can see that. No one would have broken into his place and risked himself to be considered as a perpetrator just to tell me to have a nice day.” As everyone remained silent, he drank some water from a little bottle that lay on his desk, and then said, “This is about the case involving your brother and one of your agents having an affair, not to mention another one who’s been raped by someone close to your family.”
Holy… Don’s breath got caught in his throat. He changed his position on his chair, trying to keep up with the facts - everybody in the room already knew about Charlie, Colby, David and Amita. This is… I can’t believe it.
“Yes, I’ve already listened to them,” Cameron concluded, fixing his eyes on Don’s.
Think, Don. Think. “Sir, I know what you must be thinking…”
“You do?”
“My brother… He’s a valuable asset, not only for the FBI but also other U.S. federal agencies…”
“And also someone who’s made mathematics the basis of very complex operations. Please, get to the point.”
Starting to sweat, Don tried to choose the right words. “The tapes can’t come out. I know that it’s relevant to the Bureau to see these kind of cases, but he and the others have lives, and…”
“Getting some counseling or getting involved in a relationship doesn’t mean they’ll lose their jobs, no matter what the sexual orientation. You should know that already.”
“I do, I do… but this is about the other people. Rumors and bad comments will cause the team and the work atmosphere to significantly change, and that could cause my unit to lower its efficiency. Besides…”
“Welcome to society, Eppes,” Cameron interrupted him, opening his arms. He didn’t seem to be mooching Don, but giving him a sudden shot of reality. “People will always talk. About everything. You just gotta pick your poison.”
“Yes, but this is different. This is…”
“Personal? Because of course it is. These are your agents, your family, your friends, and I can take that into consideration but rules are rules and if those tapes have to come out, they will.”
Don was waiting for this kind of outcome - it was one of possibilities - but the way Cameron said it added some bad feeling to the situation. “Okay… Okay. Would you mind if I’d ask you why you went into Protective Custody?”
The issue didn’t seem to surprise Cameron. He took a deep breath and went to sit at his desk. There, he rubbed his palms and took his time to respond. “My father…”
Before he could continue speaking, another agent made a step forward. “Sir, are you sure you want to share such information with the intruder?”
“Yes. Agent Edgerton trusts him,” Cameron informed him.
The fact that he’d named Ian startled Don. It was very strange for him to talk about the man. However, on a second thought, Ian was one of the best snipers in the country and he was known as someone with great intuition in pointing out friends and enemies.
Now Cameron was looking at Don again. “My father was AD Bill Cameron.”
Oh, crap. So that’s what this is all about. “Right, in late 2007 he was killed in his office…”
“… by one of our own. I have to admit that it was quite a deception, at least to me. I trusted our forces that much.” The man who had the India case tapes leaned on his desks. “Since then, I’ve become a lot more careful. I don’t like taking any chances. Especially when the person who killed my father is still a fugitive that’s been threatening me as well.”
Things were starting to make sense, except for one. “Then, with all due respect, sir… why are you still here, in L.A.? Why didn’t you ask to be relocated?”
“I don’t run from my responsibilities. Being near and available for decision making is my job. That’s all you have to know.”
Breathing hard, Don tried to keep himself from asking anymore questions. Cameron obviously wasn’t in the mood to respond to them.
“But let’s go back to the tapes… Honestly, judging from what those tapes contain, it seems that the FBI is ready to show that everything’s possible.” Cameron got up from his chair and walked around the room. “The stories found there turned out to be very interesting. I never expected someone like your brother - a respected, talented mathematician - to engage himself in a romantic, sexual relationship with an ex-military.”
“Sexual? How can you know that?” C’mon, no.
“How? If we didn’t have enough with tapes, we checked Miss Ramanujan’s bag and, among her belongings, we found a DVD of Dr. Eppes and Agent Granger in a garage, in the middle of a very… compromising situation. Then we checked her house and found copies of that same video sequence.”
Knowing that Charlie was with Colby was one thing, but imagining them having sex was completely different. Don shook the idea out of his head and looked around at the agents who were stoically keeping an eye on his movements. He’d never thought about Charlie taking such step so fast, considering that Colby was the first man he’d ever confessed to care for.
Cameron was talking again. “I think we’re done here.” He turned to his agents. “You can show Agent Eppes the way out.”
Strong hands immediately tightened on Don’s shoulders as other agents closed the gap between him and Cameron. Finally, Don could only see part of Cameron’s head behind them. When the men returned his belongings to him, he realized that it was his cue to leave.
He looked at the path the agents were silently asking him to follow. It was the way to the front door again, and Don started walking towards it. Soon he was outside, and the door had been closed behind him. The street was almost empty; cars passed by sporadically, and the group of kids kept playing in the same corner he’d seen before.
Don had found out so much about Cameron and about the possible future that waited for Charlie, Colby and David. He hadn’t asked about Christopher Farrow and his connection with the FBI, but maybe that had been a smart decision.
He was wondering if he’d done the best he could when his cell phone vibrated inside his pocket. Megan was the one calling. “Hey, is everything okay? Are you at Farrow’s house?” Don asked.
“Yes. Charlie, Larry and I are here. But I’ve been calling for a while now, and your cell phone was turned off…” she sighed, obviously worried. “Don, you’re not going to like this… at all.”
Series: In the Arms of the Wicked, Part 21/?
Characters: Don, Liz, OMC, mention of Charlie/Colby.
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: Mention of rape.
Summary: Don catches his ghost.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything (characters, situations, etcetera) except my OCs.
Beta: The fantastic twins_m0m.
A/N: lillyg, this chapter is for you because you're writing and you're doing it so well!
Previous chapters: Click here.
Previous chapter
Next chapter
Part 21: "Playing with Fire"
No matter how scared we are… there are things that have to be done. If this is going to help someone else not to get hurt, so be it.
Don was driving, and he knew the interrogation was over, but he couldn’t get that student’s words out of his head. He had to do it, he had to get in touch with Noah Cameron, talk to him… If no one could get him a meeting with the man, he’d do it himself. The ghost wasn’t so unreachable right now. There was enough data to find him.
There are things that need to be done, and one of them is this. Repeating the phrase to himself over and over again, Don glanced at the rear view mirror. Someone was following him. “Liz?” Not now…
He had to pull over. As he waited for her, he tried to figure out what he was going to say. She’d seen too much. When Liz’s car parked behind him, he rolled down the window and took a breath. Her hand was soon beside his door, and she was leaning in to see his face.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped.
“Where the hell are you going, Don?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Yes, it is,” Liz stated. “I find you at Carl’s office, sniffing around, looking for God knows what. That’s dangerous, and I want to know if my boss and the person who taught me how to be an FBI agent is about to ruin his entire career.”
“That’s not going to happen!” Don yelled back. But it could. He decided that he’d rather have this conversation outside the car, so he got out. “I’m doing what it takes for everyone’s lives to be the way they used to!” I shouldn’t yell. No, this is ridiculous, I… Don leaned back on the vehicle, caressing his chin. He didn’t want to get into a fight. It wasn’t the right time.
But she insisted. “I’m not asking you this just because. I’m worried about you.”
“You should take care of yourself. You got back home only yesterday.”
“We’re not talking about me here.”
Yeah, well… Stressed out, Don licked his lips and tried to hold himself together. He continued listening.
“Where are you going? Why were you at Carl’s computer?” she said. “And why did you call your second cell phone?”
Okay, what? He turned to her, disappointed. “You checked my calls?” Liz simply folded her arms in a sign of impatience. From the way she was looking into his eyes, he could tell that she’d notice every single lie.
“Don, you can trust me.”
It was hard to know that she was right and yet keep such a secret from her. I can’t tell you. I can’t, but… “I can’t let those tapes come out.” He really didn’t want to say it, but he did it anyway; and when the moment of truth was gone, he felt at peace with himself. The secret wasn’t only his anymore. It was a relief, in a way.
“The India case tapes?” Liz asked, frowning.
“Yeah, I mean…”
“You know that David needs counseling but he refuses to allow Megan to talk to him.”
Don didn’t answer. Again, she was right.
“You also know that no one’s going to lose their jobs because of being gay, much less for being abused.” Liz was pointing out something that was very true and that Don was aware of.
You don’t understand. “Of course I know that. But what about rejection from other agents?” he responded, turning to her. “Liz, you and I both know that it’s not going to be all happy and easy for Charlie and Colby. People are going to talk. Jeez, magazines are going to take care of telling the world the news about Charlie. He couldn’t take it.”
“He couldn’t take it… and neither could you. Because you hate to see him suffer.”
She had pretty much nailed it. “Me, Charlie, my dad. No one could face it.” The sound of the city got to Don’s ears, reminding him of where they were. He was face to face with Liz, someone who knew him very well, in the middle of L.A., and he was on his way to Cameron’s location. “I want my brother to be happy. He deserves that much.”
“He didn’t look very pleased a while ago. What happened between you guys?”
“What happened? I tried to say something and it all came wrong, that’s what happened.”
This time, it was Liz the one who leaned on the car, right beside Don. “I see.”
“I don’t want him to be like me. I want him to keep that special someone he has. The last thing I want is people to get between them.”
“Maybe they’re stronger that that.”
The idea penetrated Don’s ears and hit his brain and his heart. Suddenly, he could see flashes of the way his brother looked into Colby’s eyes, how he’d stood up to the entire family to claim his love for him. It was good for Don to remember how Colby reciprocated and how he’d supported and waited for Charlie to make his decision.
But then again, there was Carl, and of course, there was Cameron. “I don’t want to take any chances. The more I can protect them, the better,” he explained, and he turned to Liz. “I’m going to see Noah Cameron. He’s got the tapes.”
“I remember David naming him… He’s huge…”
“A ghost I’m trying to catch. I just need to talk to him.”
“But… You’re playing with fire, not to mention that you’re…” Liz was going to start an argument, yet she stopped for a moment and leaned closer to Don, putting her hands in her pockets. “Let’s assume for a moment that you stop the tapes from coming out. Would that be for the best? Wouldn’t it be better if David was forced to get help? Wouldn’t it be good for Charlie and Colby to enjoy what they have without having to hide it?”
All of those were good questions, but Don wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know, Liz. I don’t know.” He knew what he’d be willing to do for his brother. “If something goes wrong, I’ll take the hit, all right? It’s just… I gotta do this. I care about David and Colby, but I won’t see Charlie deal with all that crap. I just won’t.”
Liz only stared at him and folded her arms. She was quiet, like she understood what was going on in Don’s heart. She didn’t present more arguments against his plans. She stood by his car as he got in, and once he turned on the engine, she leaned on the open window. “Take care… and be careful.”
Don nodded and put on his sunglasses; a few seconds later, he was driving again, leaving Liz behind. He looked at the rearview mirror - the soft wind was brushing her hair and moving a few strays across her worried face.
He’d be okay. He could handle this.
It took him about twenty minutes to get to his destination. On the way there, he felt much better than when he’d left the FBI. Knowing that Liz understood him and had his back soothed him and allowed him to go on with less weight on his shoulders.
It was weird that Cameron was staying in L.A. People who’d gone into Protective Custody usually moved at least to a different city. However, the neighborhood seemed nice and peaceful - not many cars passed by, there were people walking down the street and some children playing together in a corner.
As usual, Cameron’s house was designed not to be especially noticed. The structure was too standard, so some decorations had been added as to point out that there was an actual human being living there - someone with particular preferences. Whoever it was, it’d pass as a regular citizen who didn’t have any connections to neither illegal activities or the State.
Checking out the entrance, Don knew that people would be waiting for him, and that they’d be ready to catch him. In order to avoid negative assumptions, he decided to leave his gun in the car.
Breathing hard, he approached the front door, kept his sunglasses in his pocket and reached for the bell. It rang one time, but nothing happened. Looking for another entry would look suspicious; again, Don rang the bell and waited. He tapped his hips with his fingertips when he didn’t hear any noises.
The door suddenly opened, and he was dragged inside. Then the barrels of several guns were put against his arms, chest and head. Don was expecting agents to be around, but not this many. At this moment, four of them were on him. Two more grabbed his badge and cell phone; they even took his car keys and his wallet from him.
“Hey, I just need to talk to Noah Cameron…” Don couldn’t see much from his angle but he could hear one of the agents who had taken his stuff saying, “Sir, he’s FBI,” and another male voice responding, “Mhmm… Let’s see what he has to say.”
In a second, Don was free. One of the agents grabbed a chair from a corner and brought it to Don, who sat down. Two men held his shoulders, holding him back and away from someone whose back was to him, talking over the phone. That had to be Cameron, as the rest of the agents were almost forming a circle around him. Don thought it’d be better to let him talk first and try to check out the territory before he screwed up.
“Aha,” Cameron was saying. “Okay, I need you to stick to standard procedures this time. No, I know that. But I want that ID ASAP, so don’t let me down.”
The next thing Don knew, the chair was turning around, and he could see Noah Cameron’s face for the first time. In a way, he reminded him of Ian - dark-haired, strong, tall, well built body. But even if there was a certain resemblance, he was different. It wasn’t his cheap, casual clothes or his goatee; it was his eyes. They showed more confidence than regrets, and with that in mind, Don didn’t know how to begin.
“Agent Donald Eppes,” Cameron said, with a tone of voice that revealed a position of power but also a sense of responsibility.
“Sir,” Don responded, looking at the agents that surrounded the room, ready to assault him if he even tried to get near Cameron. He watched the EAD get up, walk in front of his desk and lean on it before questions started.
“I’m gonna go for the obvious question first so we take it out of the way and move on. How did you find this location?”
“I… I wanted to talk to you.” It was better to move fast and not give too much data, no matter what happened.
Cameron’s eyes were fixed on Don’s for a moment. But then he continued, like the answer wasn’t that important. “I can see that. No one would have broken into his place and risked himself to be considered as a perpetrator just to tell me to have a nice day.” As everyone remained silent, he drank some water from a little bottle that lay on his desk, and then said, “This is about the case involving your brother and one of your agents having an affair, not to mention another one who’s been raped by someone close to your family.”
Holy… Don’s breath got caught in his throat. He changed his position on his chair, trying to keep up with the facts - everybody in the room already knew about Charlie, Colby, David and Amita. This is… I can’t believe it.
“Yes, I’ve already listened to them,” Cameron concluded, fixing his eyes on Don’s.
Think, Don. Think. “Sir, I know what you must be thinking…”
“You do?”
“My brother… He’s a valuable asset, not only for the FBI but also other U.S. federal agencies…”
“And also someone who’s made mathematics the basis of very complex operations. Please, get to the point.”
Starting to sweat, Don tried to choose the right words. “The tapes can’t come out. I know that it’s relevant to the Bureau to see these kind of cases, but he and the others have lives, and…”
“Getting some counseling or getting involved in a relationship doesn’t mean they’ll lose their jobs, no matter what the sexual orientation. You should know that already.”
“I do, I do… but this is about the other people. Rumors and bad comments will cause the team and the work atmosphere to significantly change, and that could cause my unit to lower its efficiency. Besides…”
“Welcome to society, Eppes,” Cameron interrupted him, opening his arms. He didn’t seem to be mooching Don, but giving him a sudden shot of reality. “People will always talk. About everything. You just gotta pick your poison.”
“Yes, but this is different. This is…”
“Personal? Because of course it is. These are your agents, your family, your friends, and I can take that into consideration but rules are rules and if those tapes have to come out, they will.”
Don was waiting for this kind of outcome - it was one of possibilities - but the way Cameron said it added some bad feeling to the situation. “Okay… Okay. Would you mind if I’d ask you why you went into Protective Custody?”
The issue didn’t seem to surprise Cameron. He took a deep breath and went to sit at his desk. There, he rubbed his palms and took his time to respond. “My father…”
Before he could continue speaking, another agent made a step forward. “Sir, are you sure you want to share such information with the intruder?”
“Yes. Agent Edgerton trusts him,” Cameron informed him.
The fact that he’d named Ian startled Don. It was very strange for him to talk about the man. However, on a second thought, Ian was one of the best snipers in the country and he was known as someone with great intuition in pointing out friends and enemies.
Now Cameron was looking at Don again. “My father was AD Bill Cameron.”
Oh, crap. So that’s what this is all about. “Right, in late 2007 he was killed in his office…”
“… by one of our own. I have to admit that it was quite a deception, at least to me. I trusted our forces that much.” The man who had the India case tapes leaned on his desks. “Since then, I’ve become a lot more careful. I don’t like taking any chances. Especially when the person who killed my father is still a fugitive that’s been threatening me as well.”
Things were starting to make sense, except for one. “Then, with all due respect, sir… why are you still here, in L.A.? Why didn’t you ask to be relocated?”
“I don’t run from my responsibilities. Being near and available for decision making is my job. That’s all you have to know.”
Breathing hard, Don tried to keep himself from asking anymore questions. Cameron obviously wasn’t in the mood to respond to them.
“But let’s go back to the tapes… Honestly, judging from what those tapes contain, it seems that the FBI is ready to show that everything’s possible.” Cameron got up from his chair and walked around the room. “The stories found there turned out to be very interesting. I never expected someone like your brother - a respected, talented mathematician - to engage himself in a romantic, sexual relationship with an ex-military.”
“Sexual? How can you know that?” C’mon, no.
“How? If we didn’t have enough with tapes, we checked Miss Ramanujan’s bag and, among her belongings, we found a DVD of Dr. Eppes and Agent Granger in a garage, in the middle of a very… compromising situation. Then we checked her house and found copies of that same video sequence.”
Knowing that Charlie was with Colby was one thing, but imagining them having sex was completely different. Don shook the idea out of his head and looked around at the agents who were stoically keeping an eye on his movements. He’d never thought about Charlie taking such step so fast, considering that Colby was the first man he’d ever confessed to care for.
Cameron was talking again. “I think we’re done here.” He turned to his agents. “You can show Agent Eppes the way out.”
Strong hands immediately tightened on Don’s shoulders as other agents closed the gap between him and Cameron. Finally, Don could only see part of Cameron’s head behind them. When the men returned his belongings to him, he realized that it was his cue to leave.
He looked at the path the agents were silently asking him to follow. It was the way to the front door again, and Don started walking towards it. Soon he was outside, and the door had been closed behind him. The street was almost empty; cars passed by sporadically, and the group of kids kept playing in the same corner he’d seen before.
Don had found out so much about Cameron and about the possible future that waited for Charlie, Colby and David. He hadn’t asked about Christopher Farrow and his connection with the FBI, but maybe that had been a smart decision.
He was wondering if he’d done the best he could when his cell phone vibrated inside his pocket. Megan was the one calling. “Hey, is everything okay? Are you at Farrow’s house?” Don asked.
“Yes. Charlie, Larry and I are here. But I’ve been calling for a while now, and your cell phone was turned off…” she sighed, obviously worried. “Don, you’re not going to like this… at all.”
