(no subject)
Ray eased the point of paper out from the surrounding folds , reverse folded it it twice and smiled slightly as he set the finished origami spider on the table just as he heard the key turn in the lock. Perfect timing. He leaned back in his chair as Batista shoved the door open and fumbled for the light switch before noticing that the lights were already on and that Ray was sitting at his kitchen table.
"Dear god, man, you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days," Batista said with a sigh as he tossed his bag into the apartment and shut the door behind him.
Ray revised his first response as he got a better look at his friend. "Please tell me I should see the other guy"
Batista shrugged and rubbed at his throat in what Ray was pretty sure was an unconscious, reflexive gesture, "It looks worse than it is."
Ray just raised an eyebrow, "So did this happen before or after you needed an angel?"
"After. It was my stupidity. Can we drop it?"
"Depends. Was it worth it?" Because despite his myriad other flaws, Ray had never known the other man to get into fights just for the hell of it.
Batista gave a defeated sigh and shoved his bag in the general direction of his bedroom. He flopped down in the other kitchen chair and pulled his wallet out from his jacket pocket. He pulled two, much abused Polaroids from it and slid them across the table. "That's what he left me with. I had some great intel too."
The Polaroids were badly lit, exactly what you'd expect from pictures taken inside a smoky bar, but both subjects were clear enough. "Doesn't look like our dear friend Jean Louis is particularly enjoying himself," he said mildly. "Is the other gentleman our mystery man?"
"His name is Marcel," Batista said, with uncharacteristic venom. "And its thanks to him I don't have more to show for all this."
Ray set the photos down and gave the other man a sharp look. "Explain."
"I was… out for fun when he came into the bar I was at. Recognized who he was, figured I might see if I could do a little lightfinger work, get some more info. It… didn't work out so well."
"So I see," Ray commented dryly, eyeing the bruises ringing Batista's throat. "What did you lose?"
"Stuff I paid dearly for. Explosives orders. Some communications with folk down in Africa. Some of it signed off on by the State Minister."
And of course Batista had been foolish enough to have the papers with him when he went out for a night on the town. Ray resisted the urge to bag his head on the table repeatedly, but only just barely. That kind of information was exactly what he ran his site for, that sort of underhanded dealing by the government had to be exposed. People had to see the squalor their supposed 'leaders' were up to. And to let that kind of stuff slip away because you couldn't keep your dick in your pants…
"And what did you tell him?"
There was no obvious accusation in his tone - no emotion at all really. But Batista still looked away and swallowed. "Nothing. He didn't ask. Just took what I had and said to tell you butting into his business will cost you everything."
Ah. Well. That was some small relief. Ray sighed and leaned back in the chair again. "You are a fucking idiot, and damned lucky you've nothing but bruises to show for this." Batista shrunk back in his chair slightly, looking everywhere but at Ray. "And on top of having to pull your fat out of the fire on that completely needless traffic stop, I'm starting to wonder if you're worth the trouble.
"I… did get those pictures"
"Which are good for gossip and maybe a tiny, tiny hint of official scandal. That's not what we do. You know that. I know you know that."
"I'll go back. I made some contacts, I'll get more stuff…"
Ray shook his head. "If even half the rumors I've picked up about our mystery… about Marcel are true it's too risky. Not for you" he said, before Batista could stammer out a defense of his own skills. "For the people you get information from."
"So we're closing the Luxembourg files?"
"Hell no. But you're not on them any more. I have some other threads to follow. Down in Brazil. Repack, and I'll email you the tickets. You'll leave on Thursday. " He stood, and picked up the origami spider, looking at it for a long moment before crushing in his hand and dropping the crumpled paper in front of Batista. "I don't like destroying things I've spent time on. But I will if I have to. Don't forget that."