In the coils of a snake_11
Part-1
Part-2
Part-3
Part-4
Part-5
Part-6
Part-7
Part-8
Part 9
Part-10
Part-11
“Chad, I need to talk to Morgan.”
“J-bird! You’re alive! We were beginning to think you’d been caught. Is your cover intact -”
“Chad. Morgan.” Jared interrupted, cutting off his friend’s rambling.
“He’s busy. Do you want me to ass him a message.”
“No, just- just tell him I need to talk to him.”
“Call you back on this number?”
“Are you that much of an idiot, Chad?” Jared retorted crossly.
“Who you calling an idiot?!” His friend shot back.
“Chad, just tell Morgan I’m meeting my uncle on the cafe at 5th for breakfast on Saturday.”
“Uncle? I thought you didn’t have family apart from your sister? You’ve been holding out on me, J-bird?”
“Chad, did you get what I said?” Jared asked, pinching the bridge of his nose- Chad was a good guy, but he was too laid-back for comfort at times.
“Yep, breakfast with your uncle at the cafe on the 5th, Saturday.”
“And you’ll tell Morgan?”
“Yeah, I-”
“Good.” And he cut the call; he just hoped Morgan understood the message.
---
Jared was relieved to find the police chief at the Hot Cuppa, sighing in relief that firstly Chad had transmitted the message and more importantly, that the man had interpreted it correctly. Dressed in baggy jeans and an oversized sweatshirt and with a beanie covering his short hair, the Chief could have been just about anyone’s uncle. The man greeted him with an uncharacteristic warm hug, obviously wanting to keep up appearances.
“Hey,” He greeted quietly.
“Hey, Kiddo. How’re you doing? It’s been awhile since I’ve heard from you... How’s your brother?”
“Sister,” Jared corrected with a chuckle, adding “It’s fine. We can talk freely. No one’s on me for the moment.”
A salt-and-pepper eyebrow curled up disbelievingly.
“Ackles knows I’m meeting with my uncle who is a cop. It’s fine.”
“And he trusts you to meet me alone?”
“Well, you have to take a leap of faith sometime...” He shrugged.
“You playing for the other team now, boy?” Chief Morgan’s brows furrowed as he tried to find the hidden meaning behind his words.
Jared threw his head back and laughed.
“I say something funny?” The police chief asked darkly.
Jared managed to get himself under control as he looked up to meet the grey-green eyes directly, “No, you’re right... Here’s the thing, I- ... how do I say this?”
“Just say it; you don’t need to sugar-coat stuff for me.”His boss suggested.
Jared smiled softly at the man’s words before blurting, “I need a favour. For Ackles.”
Jared had once thought there was nothing that could surprise his unit head, but looking at the gaping mouth, Jared figured he’d finally managed to shock the man. Shaking his head, he continued, “This thing... this favour is not exactly what you’d call kosher... but if I can pull it off, he’s going to trust me completely-”
“A favour,”
Jared smiled when the older alpha finally caught the pertinent word.
“I need names.”
“Cop names, I’m assuming? To give Ackles?”
Jared met the Chief’s hard stare unflinchingly, “Yes. It’s going to be my gift to him.”
“Right. ... to-to cement your position with him. But are you really willing to sell out your brothers in blue to get in the good books of a gang-lord? I mean, is it worth it?”
“It is to me,” Jared confirmed, “I need this, JD.”
“Isn’t your current position enough?” The man pressed, “I mean he clearly trusts you to meet a known cop without supervision. I’d say that shows your clout over him... Is it really necessary to paint a bull’s eye on your colleagues’ back? Will you be able to live with yourself once you do this?”
“This time? Yes, I’d be able to sleep like a baby.” Jared told the man. He appreciated the sentiment, knowing the man was only trying to watch out for him, but he couldn’t see the whole picture yet. And yes, Jared was aware that he had a limited viewing port himself, but still, he was seeing more than JD for the moment. “... Look, if it makes you feel any better, I think these guys deserve whatever’s coming for them.”
“There’s a reason the law exists, kiddo. ... And I don’t know what you think these men have done, but betraying those-”
“I think they’re on somebody else’s’ payroll as well if it makes you feel any better. And even if they weren’t, I’d still have no regrets.” Jared interrupted, reaching into the canvas backpack he’d brought with him to pull out a slim folder. He wordlessly pushed the file across the table in silent offering.
Narrowing his gaze, obviously still doubting Jared’s sanity; the older man pulled the dossier closer. He absently speared some of the pancake and shoved it into his mouth before opening the cover. Perfectly aware of the image that greeted the viewer on opening the file, Jared bit back a smug smile as he watched the older alpha choke on his food. The man swallowed it without chewing with obvious difficulty in lieu of spitting out the mouthful and Jared admired him for it, knowing how difficult it was to hold onto one’s appetite after reading the report. True to his prediction, the man pushed his plate away as he turned the page, his face gaining a greenish hue as his eyes rapidly flicked over the coroner’s report. The images enclosed followed the document (barring the one Jared had used for its shock and awe effect at the start) and Jared watched as the man flipped back and forth as he matched the images to the descriptions.
Fifteen minutes later the Chief closed the dossier and placed it back on the table before meeting Jared’s eye, “I know the baton is a clue, but that doesn’t prove the culprits were cops.”
“He was picked up on a speeding ticket,” Jared responded. “Never made it to court or on any lock-up record. ... The body was discovered two weeks later.”
“If there is no record, how do you know it was a speeding ticket?”
“He was with Ackles on the phone at the time, he overheard the initial exchange and then Charles excused himself and hung up. The man and the car disappeared, but the phone was discovered on the side of the road from where he’d been picked up.”
“And you’re sure Ackles is telling the truth? Not hiding facts?”
“Man was three sheets to the wind when he told me the story. I doubt he had the wherewithal to make up stories under the circumstances. ... even if he did, it’s somewhere to start.”
“Right,”
“Look, I know it’s not something I should be proud of,” Jared explained, “But I need to make sure the man trusts me completely if I’m to get deeper into his circle and this gives me the perfect chance,”
“And you’ll be able to sleep if Ackles strings them up by their balls.”
Jared shrugged, “My hands are hardly lily white, Chief. ... and given what they’re guilty of? Well, I’ll not be too cut up if something does happen to them.”
“Ackles will not suspect you if you can provide him names? I mean, I don’t think the man has tried not tried to find them before...”
“Even if he did, he hasn’t been successful ‘bout it.”
“Yeah, but this will be like declaring you have sources among the men in blue,”
Jared gave an enigmatic smile, “Let me worry about that,”
Jeff Morgan sighed, “You’re sure you’ll be safe? You don’t want me to pull you out?”
“I’m good,” Jared answered with a small smile, warmed at the older man’s concern. “And I know you guys have my back.”
---
Life for Jared had settled into a routine of sorts and he had grown to like the skirts Jensen had filled his wardrobe with. Over time, he had even grown to enjoy the feel of the skirts swishing about his body with his movement and ease of movement. He especially enjoyed the appreciative heat in Jensen’s eyes every time the alpha’s eyes caught his. No one else commented or even glanced a second time at him, especially not after he put Olson on the mat during one of their sparring sessions... which was why he was outraged when a hand grabbed at his rear and squeezed salaciously. When he turned to glare at the perpetrator, and was greeted with a suggestive smirk. “Hello, Sweetheart”
“Let go,” Jared growled, straightening to his full height.
The curly haired man raised an imperious eyebrow and grabbed the wrist of the hand he had used to push the unwelcome touch away, “You never said your bitch had so much spine, Ackles!”
Much to Jared’s delight, when Jensen looked up at his name, his expression resembled gathering thunderclouds, “Jared is not anyone’s bitch, Armstrong. And it would be in your interests to let go of his hand,”
Jared smirked triumphantly as Curtis Armstrong released his hand like he was being scalded. He kept his tone saccharine sweet as he murmured a polite ‘thank you’.
“Gloat all you want. Jensen will lose his fascination with you soon enough.”
Jared ignored the man’s threatening words and moved to Jensen, smiling when the man automatically removed his hand from the chair’s armrest for Jared to perch on. Jared rested his right hand on the alpha’s left shoulder as he peered forward to get a look at the computer’s screen. His eyes furrowed in confusion as he realized it was a list of chemicals. He opened his mouth to comment, remembered Curtis’ presence and shut his mouth with a snap again, choosing to stew in silence for the moment. Still, his curiosity had him looking at the chemical list over Jensen’s shoulder and it took him stumbling upon 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and re-reading amphetamine to realize that he was looking at a drug list. His eyes widened comically as he stared at the list in disbelief. Now that he knew what it was, he could see that there were prices mentioned next to the items and estimated sale projections.
Fortunately, before his imagination got the best of him, Jensen was minimising the document and straightening in his seat, “Curtis,”
“Looks good doesn’t it? Pellegrino is holding the market at the moment but I think six months would allow you enough time to grab a sizable share of that lucrative pie-”
“and fatten your wallet considerably.” Jensen interrupted.
The shorter alpha grinned and spread his arms wide, “What can I say, I’m a businessman at heart, Ackles!”
“Right.” Jensen chuckled even though Jared could feel the alpha’s lack of mirth in his corded muscles, “But doesn’t it seem counter-productive? Pellegrino’s the drug guy. If we all dipped our fingers in the-”
“Yes, and I dare say he’s doing very well.” Curtis Armstrong grinned like a shark, “What can I say, once you’re hooked, you’re hooked.”
“Right.” Jensen let a small smile twist his lips before sobering, “Do I look like Pellegrino to you, Armstrong?”
“Of course not!” The man looked affronted, “Do you think I would give him these prices for my goods?”
Jensen shook his head, frustration evident in every line of his body. “I don’t piss where I eat, Armstrong. I told you once before, and I’ll tell you again: I don’t deal in drugs, and my men don’t deal in drugs. I respect your quality of ammo. And we’ve had a successful partnership for the last five years. Let’s stick to that.”
“But this is a lucrative business, Ackles. You sure you don’t want to dip your fingers in Pellegrino’s pie?”
“Pellegrino is welcome to his pie, Armstrong. I don’t want any piece of it.”
“But it’s pie!”
“I’ve told you my decision. Please do me the honour of respecting it.”
Part-12
Part-2
Part-3
Part-4
Part-5
Part-6
Part-7
Part-8
Part 9
Part-10
Part-11
“Chad, I need to talk to Morgan.”
“J-bird! You’re alive! We were beginning to think you’d been caught. Is your cover intact -”
“Chad. Morgan.” Jared interrupted, cutting off his friend’s rambling.
“He’s busy. Do you want me to ass him a message.”
“No, just- just tell him I need to talk to him.”
“Call you back on this number?”
“Are you that much of an idiot, Chad?” Jared retorted crossly.
“Who you calling an idiot?!” His friend shot back.
“Chad, just tell Morgan I’m meeting my uncle on the cafe at 5th for breakfast on Saturday.”
“Uncle? I thought you didn’t have family apart from your sister? You’ve been holding out on me, J-bird?”
“Chad, did you get what I said?” Jared asked, pinching the bridge of his nose- Chad was a good guy, but he was too laid-back for comfort at times.
“Yep, breakfast with your uncle at the cafe on the 5th, Saturday.”
“And you’ll tell Morgan?”
“Yeah, I-”
“Good.” And he cut the call; he just hoped Morgan understood the message.
---
Jared was relieved to find the police chief at the Hot Cuppa, sighing in relief that firstly Chad had transmitted the message and more importantly, that the man had interpreted it correctly. Dressed in baggy jeans and an oversized sweatshirt and with a beanie covering his short hair, the Chief could have been just about anyone’s uncle. The man greeted him with an uncharacteristic warm hug, obviously wanting to keep up appearances.
“Hey,” He greeted quietly.
“Hey, Kiddo. How’re you doing? It’s been awhile since I’ve heard from you... How’s your brother?”
“Sister,” Jared corrected with a chuckle, adding “It’s fine. We can talk freely. No one’s on me for the moment.”
A salt-and-pepper eyebrow curled up disbelievingly.
“Ackles knows I’m meeting with my uncle who is a cop. It’s fine.”
“And he trusts you to meet me alone?”
“Well, you have to take a leap of faith sometime...” He shrugged.
“You playing for the other team now, boy?” Chief Morgan’s brows furrowed as he tried to find the hidden meaning behind his words.
Jared threw his head back and laughed.
“I say something funny?” The police chief asked darkly.
Jared managed to get himself under control as he looked up to meet the grey-green eyes directly, “No, you’re right... Here’s the thing, I- ... how do I say this?”
“Just say it; you don’t need to sugar-coat stuff for me.”His boss suggested.
Jared smiled softly at the man’s words before blurting, “I need a favour. For Ackles.”
Jared had once thought there was nothing that could surprise his unit head, but looking at the gaping mouth, Jared figured he’d finally managed to shock the man. Shaking his head, he continued, “This thing... this favour is not exactly what you’d call kosher... but if I can pull it off, he’s going to trust me completely-”
“A favour,”
Jared smiled when the older alpha finally caught the pertinent word.
“I need names.”
“Cop names, I’m assuming? To give Ackles?”
Jared met the Chief’s hard stare unflinchingly, “Yes. It’s going to be my gift to him.”
“Right. ... to-to cement your position with him. But are you really willing to sell out your brothers in blue to get in the good books of a gang-lord? I mean, is it worth it?”
“It is to me,” Jared confirmed, “I need this, JD.”
“Isn’t your current position enough?” The man pressed, “I mean he clearly trusts you to meet a known cop without supervision. I’d say that shows your clout over him... Is it really necessary to paint a bull’s eye on your colleagues’ back? Will you be able to live with yourself once you do this?”
“This time? Yes, I’d be able to sleep like a baby.” Jared told the man. He appreciated the sentiment, knowing the man was only trying to watch out for him, but he couldn’t see the whole picture yet. And yes, Jared was aware that he had a limited viewing port himself, but still, he was seeing more than JD for the moment. “... Look, if it makes you feel any better, I think these guys deserve whatever’s coming for them.”
“There’s a reason the law exists, kiddo. ... And I don’t know what you think these men have done, but betraying those-”
“I think they’re on somebody else’s’ payroll as well if it makes you feel any better. And even if they weren’t, I’d still have no regrets.” Jared interrupted, reaching into the canvas backpack he’d brought with him to pull out a slim folder. He wordlessly pushed the file across the table in silent offering.
Narrowing his gaze, obviously still doubting Jared’s sanity; the older man pulled the dossier closer. He absently speared some of the pancake and shoved it into his mouth before opening the cover. Perfectly aware of the image that greeted the viewer on opening the file, Jared bit back a smug smile as he watched the older alpha choke on his food. The man swallowed it without chewing with obvious difficulty in lieu of spitting out the mouthful and Jared admired him for it, knowing how difficult it was to hold onto one’s appetite after reading the report. True to his prediction, the man pushed his plate away as he turned the page, his face gaining a greenish hue as his eyes rapidly flicked over the coroner’s report. The images enclosed followed the document (barring the one Jared had used for its shock and awe effect at the start) and Jared watched as the man flipped back and forth as he matched the images to the descriptions.
Fifteen minutes later the Chief closed the dossier and placed it back on the table before meeting Jared’s eye, “I know the baton is a clue, but that doesn’t prove the culprits were cops.”
“He was picked up on a speeding ticket,” Jared responded. “Never made it to court or on any lock-up record. ... The body was discovered two weeks later.”
“If there is no record, how do you know it was a speeding ticket?”
“He was with Ackles on the phone at the time, he overheard the initial exchange and then Charles excused himself and hung up. The man and the car disappeared, but the phone was discovered on the side of the road from where he’d been picked up.”
“And you’re sure Ackles is telling the truth? Not hiding facts?”
“Man was three sheets to the wind when he told me the story. I doubt he had the wherewithal to make up stories under the circumstances. ... even if he did, it’s somewhere to start.”
“Right,”
“Look, I know it’s not something I should be proud of,” Jared explained, “But I need to make sure the man trusts me completely if I’m to get deeper into his circle and this gives me the perfect chance,”
“And you’ll be able to sleep if Ackles strings them up by their balls.”
Jared shrugged, “My hands are hardly lily white, Chief. ... and given what they’re guilty of? Well, I’ll not be too cut up if something does happen to them.”
“Ackles will not suspect you if you can provide him names? I mean, I don’t think the man has tried not tried to find them before...”
“Even if he did, he hasn’t been successful ‘bout it.”
“Yeah, but this will be like declaring you have sources among the men in blue,”
Jared gave an enigmatic smile, “Let me worry about that,”
Jeff Morgan sighed, “You’re sure you’ll be safe? You don’t want me to pull you out?”
“I’m good,” Jared answered with a small smile, warmed at the older man’s concern. “And I know you guys have my back.”
---
Life for Jared had settled into a routine of sorts and he had grown to like the skirts Jensen had filled his wardrobe with. Over time, he had even grown to enjoy the feel of the skirts swishing about his body with his movement and ease of movement. He especially enjoyed the appreciative heat in Jensen’s eyes every time the alpha’s eyes caught his. No one else commented or even glanced a second time at him, especially not after he put Olson on the mat during one of their sparring sessions... which was why he was outraged when a hand grabbed at his rear and squeezed salaciously. When he turned to glare at the perpetrator, and was greeted with a suggestive smirk. “Hello, Sweetheart”
“Let go,” Jared growled, straightening to his full height.
The curly haired man raised an imperious eyebrow and grabbed the wrist of the hand he had used to push the unwelcome touch away, “You never said your bitch had so much spine, Ackles!”
Much to Jared’s delight, when Jensen looked up at his name, his expression resembled gathering thunderclouds, “Jared is not anyone’s bitch, Armstrong. And it would be in your interests to let go of his hand,”
Jared smirked triumphantly as Curtis Armstrong released his hand like he was being scalded. He kept his tone saccharine sweet as he murmured a polite ‘thank you’.
“Gloat all you want. Jensen will lose his fascination with you soon enough.”
Jared ignored the man’s threatening words and moved to Jensen, smiling when the man automatically removed his hand from the chair’s armrest for Jared to perch on. Jared rested his right hand on the alpha’s left shoulder as he peered forward to get a look at the computer’s screen. His eyes furrowed in confusion as he realized it was a list of chemicals. He opened his mouth to comment, remembered Curtis’ presence and shut his mouth with a snap again, choosing to stew in silence for the moment. Still, his curiosity had him looking at the chemical list over Jensen’s shoulder and it took him stumbling upon 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and re-reading amphetamine to realize that he was looking at a drug list. His eyes widened comically as he stared at the list in disbelief. Now that he knew what it was, he could see that there were prices mentioned next to the items and estimated sale projections.
Fortunately, before his imagination got the best of him, Jensen was minimising the document and straightening in his seat, “Curtis,”
“Looks good doesn’t it? Pellegrino is holding the market at the moment but I think six months would allow you enough time to grab a sizable share of that lucrative pie-”
“and fatten your wallet considerably.” Jensen interrupted.
The shorter alpha grinned and spread his arms wide, “What can I say, I’m a businessman at heart, Ackles!”
“Right.” Jensen chuckled even though Jared could feel the alpha’s lack of mirth in his corded muscles, “But doesn’t it seem counter-productive? Pellegrino’s the drug guy. If we all dipped our fingers in the-”
“Yes, and I dare say he’s doing very well.” Curtis Armstrong grinned like a shark, “What can I say, once you’re hooked, you’re hooked.”
“Right.” Jensen let a small smile twist his lips before sobering, “Do I look like Pellegrino to you, Armstrong?”
“Of course not!” The man looked affronted, “Do you think I would give him these prices for my goods?”
Jensen shook his head, frustration evident in every line of his body. “I don’t piss where I eat, Armstrong. I told you once before, and I’ll tell you again: I don’t deal in drugs, and my men don’t deal in drugs. I respect your quality of ammo. And we’ve had a successful partnership for the last five years. Let’s stick to that.”
“But this is a lucrative business, Ackles. You sure you don’t want to dip your fingers in Pellegrino’s pie?”
“Pellegrino is welcome to his pie, Armstrong. I don’t want any piece of it.”
“But it’s pie!”
“I’ve told you my decision. Please do me the honour of respecting it.”
Part-12