She sighed loudly and checked the time, she scraped her fingers through her long dark hair and yawned. she dropped her elbow on her desk and rested her head on her hand, drumming her finger nails. Her mobile phone beeped and she pulled it out of her bag checking the message and giggling at the sarcastic humour of her English Internet friend, before sending back an equally cutting humorous comment.
"Bitch" she muttered as she pressed the send button and sniggered in anticipation of the reply, maybe the rest of the afternoon won’t be so boring after all. God she needed a fag, she giggled silently over her use of the slang word for cigarette, one of the bad habits she had picked up in England, it always caused a raised eyebrow when she said she needed a fag break. Really she loved the reaction it invoked. Her eyes went back to the transactions on her computer screen, Boring, boring, boring. she typed the word over and over letting it scroll over her monitor.
Bip
Claudia sat bolt upright. Her eyes wide 2500 Euro’s had gone, she frantically pounded at her keyboard, tracking the money, finding where it had been transferred to. She picked the phone.
"Mr Gosman, you wanted to know when there was a transaction on account number 1625539. Well twenty five hundred Euro’s have been transferred to a bank in Washington dc, Maryland USA, I’m sending the details now." She quickly typed the banks address and the new account number into her email and sent it. "Do you want any further transactions reported? Thank you Mr Gosman." She replaced the receiver and went back to drumming her fingers on her keyboard humming ‘Like I love you.’ While watching the boring PC screen.
* * *
It seemed an eternity since JC had stood before his house, now he was here, his beautiful home was tainted, soiled like he was. Justin and Chris had the arms round his waist supporting him as he took small tentative steps towards the threshold. He stopped dead, panic building in his chest. He began to sweat, His mouth moved forming soundless words of protest, pulling back against his friends grip.
"It’s ok, It’s ok." Justin whispered comforting words attempting to put his boyfriend as ease as he rubbed small circles on his lower back. "It’s ok baby, the locks have all been changed, the pass code has too. I even had the phone number changed. It’s safe baby, I promise you." JC choked back a sob and allowed himself to be guided through the huge oak door that always had made him feel so secure in the past.
Chris seated him on the oversized couch, lifting his feet up, pulling off his trainers before covering his legs with a fluffy blanket. Justin appeared at his side with a glass of hot milk and his medication. JC obediently opened his mouth to accept the pill, swallowing it with a mouthful of the warm creamy beverage. He laid back against the cushions and let himself drift off to sleep still clenching Justin’s hand.
Chris and Justin joined Joey and Lance in the kitchen,
"Is he ok?" Lance asked as he washed the milk pan.
"He’s sleeping, his medication makes him sleepy, He was too scared to come home, we had to almost carry him to the car." Justin poured himself a glass of juice, downing it in one gulp.
Chris grabbed the bottle and took a swig. "I thought he was going to bolt before we could get him inside."
"He’ll be alright, just make sure he’s not left alone for too long. This is his home, we need to make him feel secure again."
"They did an Aids test before we left the hospital." Justin traced lazy circles on the counter surface.
"Do they really think that he might have caught it?" Joey asked concern tainting his voice.
"It’s a possibility, The rapist didn’t bother with a condom, It’s not just Aids, there’s any number of STD’s He might have contracted."
"Shit" Joey slammed his fist down hard on the table making Lance and Justin jump a foot in the air. "Hasn’t he been through enough? He’s probably lost the use of his hand and now they drop this on him. How the fuck did this happen? how the fuck did they take him from his own bed?"
"That’s the twenty five million dollar question Joey. One that I want answered." Lance picked up his phone and dialled. "Hey, I got a bit of digging I need you to do, Start with anyone who has access to JC’s house for any reason."