Changing Fortunes

Part 2

The next day they packed their arsenal into the van and drove down to Sargot City's Old Quarter. Neither boy knew the area very well so they spent the first day becoming familiar with it. They canvassed the streets, checking out possible escape routes and nearby buildings that would work for shooting at a distance. When night fell, Cam watched how the crowds came and went in and out of the Nocturne and the other clubs that were nearby.

The van was parked a few blocks away: close enough to walk there but far enough to not be seen or connected with them. They slept there, although Cam had to be disciplined enough to stick to his guns when Balint wanted to do something other than sleep. Having sex all night would have been wonderful but highly unproductive if they wanted to be alert enough to carry out the hit the next day; especially if they'd have to stay up the whole night since the Nocturne seemed busiest from ten o'clock on.

By the time night fell again, Cam knew enough to have a plan in place. He and Balint would communicate by telepathy and they'd take a two pronged approach. He'd noticed that there was a four-story building with a fire escape directly across from the Nocturne. Balint would keep a lookout and shoot from the rooftop, as was his specialty. Cam would wait outside the Nocturne until he saw Ardoin's henchman. If Balint was unsuccessful, then Cam would tail their target and either shoot him from behind or stab him. One way or the other, they'd make this kill.

The only problem was that Sarin wouldn't tell Balint what their prey looked like.

"You'll know him when you see him, he's a drop-dead gorgeous kid," was the only information Sarin would provide when Balint had told him that he and Cam would accept the job.

- "A drop dead gorgeous kid," - Cam mimicked telepathically to Balint who was crouched on the rooftop of the building with his rifle. - We've already seen tons of them walk out of this club since it opened tonight. -

- I don't think he meant looks, Cam, - Balint answered, laid-back as usual.

- Oh? Then what did he mean? -

- Attitude, kiddo. It's all in the attitude. -

Cam snorted. - And what are we supposed to do, peek into everyone's head and see which one has the most attitude? -

- No, that's where you come in. -

Oh no. -You told him? -

-Not specifically, - Balint demurred.

Sometimes Cam just wanted to shake the little con-artist. - What did you tell him, blabbermouth? -

- Nothing but that we had an ace-in-the-hole. Wouldn't tell him exactly what, though. Give me more credit than that, Cam -

-Alright, what is our ace? - Cam asked calmly, although he already knew the answer.

- You'll feel our boy, won't you? -

Cam's empathy. The ability that made him such a good assassin. People could shield their thoughts from everyone but a highly powerful telepath, but it was harder to shield emotions. They tended to leak out from most shields, and it was their intensity that helped Cam sense people's intentions and their movements before they actually made them.

Cam's empathic power was very strong; almost to the point where he had to instinctively shield himself to prevent from drowning in everyone's emotions, but not to the point where he was deaf and blind to them. He could get to them but they couldn't get to him.

Every person felt differently to Cam; their drive, desires and hatreds created something like a thumbprint. Balint was slippery, always shifting. Strangely enough, Cam trusted Balint, maybe because even with his flighty nature Balint had a sense of honor: he wouldn't betray his own. Anyone else was fair game, but not Cam.

- That still doesn't give us much to go on, - Cam pointed out.

- Well he hasn't shown up out here yet. -

- How do you know? -

- All of the boys so far have just been run of the mill prettyboys. - Balint remarked. - This one is supposed to be special. -

A slightly built boy with pale hair and green eyes suddenly emerged from the stairs of the club. Cam couldn't help staring. To say this one was beautiful was an understatement. That hair had to have come from a bottle; hair just didn't come in that color: silvery blond hair that reminded Cam of moonlight. Cam had never seen eyes like that boy's. Clear green ice. Cam liked the feline features too. A slinky, ethereal catboy that made Cam's cock stir.

Balint must have noticed Cam's gawking because he chided, - Playtime is later, buddy. We're working now. –

That was Balint. Playful and lusty -- except when it came to business. During a job, he was all work and no play; completely focused in a way he never was at other times.

The catboy was just standing there, leaning against the railing at the top of the staircase, looking extremely bored. Was he waiting for someone?

- He could be the one we're looking for, - Cam mused.

- And if he is, what are you going to do, fuck him to death? -

Cam patted the pistol he had hidden in his waistband. - You know better than that. -

- He isn't the one anyway, - Balint told him confidently.

- How do you know? -

- He doesn't have the attitude of someone who would be such a problem to Sarin. I'll grant you that he's a beauty, but he's nothing but a trophy, - Balint affirmed. -In fact, he's exactly the type of nymphet that our target would be after. I wouldn't be surprised if he was trade stolen from Sarin. -

- Let me see, - Cam said, focusing tightly on the catboy. Underneath the jaded exterior was pure steel. – He's more than he seems to be, Balint. -

- I still say it isn't him. -

- Let me get closer, - Cam suggested. - I can get a slight feel for the blond but maybe I'll sense our prey if he's lurking around anywhere. -

Balint had been working with Cam long enough to trust his instincts so he stayed quiet while Cam moved silently and stealthily until he was only a few feet away from the Nocturne; near enough to let Cam do an empathic sweep of the club but hidden in the throng of people surrounding it.

At first Cam felt nothing but the typical emotions that were normally felt at a club: drunkenness, excitement, happiness, anger, not to mention a few others. Then he found what he was looking for, or rather, it found Cam.

Ferocious passion combined with a bloodthirsty savageness. A volcano so volatile that anything and everything could make it erupt. Emotions so violent and intense that Cam had to pull back to stop them from consuming him.

Cam found himself instinctively stiffening, which of course alarmed Balint who worriedly asked, - Cameron? What's wrong? -

- He's here, - Cam murmured. - Somewhere in the club. -

Cam felt relief flood his partner. - Have I told you lately that I love you? - He could hear the grin in Balint's mental voice; he was probably counting the money already.

- Don't love me so fast; I can't pinpoint exactly where he is.-

- He has to leave the club sometime, right? And when he does, bam! We have him. -

Which meant they'd have to wait until then. That was the part Cam hated about this job. The waiting. When Cam would pursue their quarry and chase him down, that was when the fun part would start. In the meantime, Cam kept his eyes glued to the top stair, to see if the one he sensed so strongly would make his appearance.

The blond boy was still leaning against the metal railing, his foot tapping with impatience. He was standing a little too close to the top stair for Cam's liking. He'd have to make sure that this would be a clean kill; he didn't want the catboy hit.

"Fuck that, Ardoin," Cam suddenly heard a voice cry out. "I'm not gonna stop and I've got better things to do than be to be lectured by you. I'm leaving."

- Isn't that the boss of our friend? - Balint asked excitedly.

- Yepper. - Cam smiled. - Let's see if it's him. - Cam heard footsteps as someone walked up the stairs. If it was their boy, then this would be way too easy. Cam's hand slipped inside his coat and grasped the handle of his gun, just in case. He was ready.

Cam's eyes stayed fixed on the top stair and as soon as the owner of the voice reached it, Cam saw that Sarin was right: He knew this boy was the one they were looking for, just by looking at him.

Dark haired, dark-eyed and ferally exquisite, his curls and red pouty mouth should have made him look feminine. But they didn't. His slender build and slim hips didn't go with the sinewy arms and legs. However, it wasn't his beauty as much as it was his presence. This was no one's trophy.

Almost instantly, Cam was assaulted with the same mixture of lust and venom he'd felt earlier but just as quickly it was replaced with calmness. Serenity. As if the more violent emotions had been shut off cold.

Or replaced.

Then the catboy's eyes seemed to meet Cam's, but that was impossible; how could he see Cam in the crowd? But that Mona-Lisa smile, Cam could have sworn it was a challenge. Balint was wrong. That catboy was no trophy either.

His partner was gonna have to take this kill. If Cam could be seen it was way too risky.

- Get ready, - Cam told Balint. - It's almost time for the show.-

Only their prey walked right up to the catboy and Cam had to immediately backpedal. - Fuck! Don't shoot! -

- Are you serious? – Balint replied with more than a little irritation.

- I don't want you to hit the blond. –

Now Balint was pissed. - Cameron, - he said in his typically soft voice, - we have our mark in our sights and you're going to let him go for a piece of ass? -

- I didn't say let him go, just don't shoot him while he's near the blond. -

Cam suddenly heard the catboy ask the nameless target, "And where are you going?"

- Hang on, Balint, I want to hear this. - Cam cut off contact temporarily and listened carefully.

"To sample," the other boy replied, his finger tracing the blond's bottom lip. "I rather like that flavor."

"You know better than to taste it," the blond reproached him.

"What can I tell you, forbidden fruit has the sweetest juice."

"You're gonna get yourself killed one night," the blond muttered. "By either him or Ardoin."

Cam wondered if he was talking about Sarin. Was he trying to talk the other boy out of snatching another one of Sarin's prizes?

The dark-eyed boy grinned wickedly. "At least it'll be worth it."

"I'm serious, Angel Boy."

An angel gone bad. Yeah, it fit.

"Don't worry about it," Angel Boy told him. "He hasn't caught me yet and I really don't give a fuck what Ardoin does to me." His hand held the blond's jaw. "And speaking of tasting, it's time for dessert." He tilted the green-eyed boy's face upwards and kissed him.

Cam'd had a feeling that they were lovers and now it'd just been confirmed. He wasn't surprised. Beauty always called to beauty.

He reopened contact with Balint. - Why is our boy wasting his time on trashy Pets when he has a lover that looks like that? -

- What do you think you're going to do about it? - Balint countered. - I doubt you have a chance with him. -

Cam's heart sunk as he watched Angel Boy's hips grinding into the blond. - I probably don't, - he admitted, - but I want to try anyway. -

Balint sighed, knowing that once Cam fell in lust with a boy, there was no way he'd focus on anything else. He tried to reason with Cam. - We have one week. After that Sarin will be sure to send his goons after us and then we're fucked. -

- I don't need a week. I want to have him once. Twice at the most. -

Balint laughed, he was relenting. - Once? Baby, the day you do some boytoy only once is the day I get a real job. You mean one or two nights, Cammie. Several times each night. -

- Yeah. - Cam was glad that Balint was the same way when it came to material things. It helped him feel less embarrassed.

- Alright, - Balint told Cam, - Two nights. Then we pop him. -

- In the meantime, we can see where our target hangs out when he's not fucking Sarin's trade. Then you can get him alone. -

- Don't worry, I'll get him alone. -

Cam had a feeling what Balint meant and didn't like it one bit. - And how are you gonna do that? -

- I'll leave that to your imagination. Now go to your new friend. It looks like Angel Boy is about to make an exit. -

- You do … whatever you need to do. We'll meet up tomorrow in the Nocturne and we can brief each other. -

- Don't get too used to him, - Balint warned. - We're killing his boyfriend in two nights. He's not going to care much for you when he finds that out. -

- How the hell would he find out? -

- You think that dark angel would bother with an idiot? - Balint asked. - I'm going to pack up shop and then I think I will play "follow the boy." -

It wasn't until after Balint broke contact that Cam realized that they hadn't been in contact during the lovebirds' whole conversation. How did Balint hear it all the way from the rooftop?

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Last updated 2/13/03

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