Your son for Mine

chapter 14

Did you not hear me the first time? I said, 'NO FUCKING WAY!'"

Lucas opened his eyes and found himself staring at the hotel wall. He'd been roused from a very non-restful sleep 
by a very pissed-off Mario, who was on the phone with someone who obviously had not heard him the first time. Lucas rolled over, snuggled down in his pillow, and looked over at the blond man.

Mario stood at the desk facing away from where Lucas lay. His shoulders were pulled back and tense. One hand gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles were white, and the other flexed in and out of a fist as it hung rigidly at his side. He hadn't bandaged the gash on his neck and it wrinkled as he moved his head up and down as if to emphasize the words he was saying. Lucas thought it must hurt but Mario was probably too worked up to realize it.

"No. Absolutely not. Listen, it's your job to find Abraham. My job is to protect lucas." Lucas closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose. His job.

"Just because you can't manage to do your job does not mean..." Whoever was on the other end of the phone must have interrupted, because Mario stopped. Lucas could see the bone of Mario's jaw popping out. He really needed to stop grinding his teeth.

"Can you guarantee me that absolutely no harm will come to him...?" Mario turned and raised his eyebrows. "Then I stand by my first answer. No fucking way. You are not going to use him as fucking bait because you can't get the guy. You know his name, his associates, and his last known address for Christ's sake. Get off your asses and go find the man. We live in the motherfucking twenty-first century, I'm sure there is some technology available to the almighty FBI that can help you locate Abraham Leby."

Lucas took another deep breath. He was tired. He was tired of this hotel room. He was tired of hiding. He felt like a coward. He pushed the
covers off him and swung his feet down onto the floor.

"Give me the phone, Mario," Lucas said, keeping his voice low as he held out his hand. Mario shook his head and mouthed, "No."

"Give me the phone." Lucas's voice was louder than he'd intended it to be, but it made Mario pause.

"You sure?" Mario's brow was furrowed again. Lucas just nodded his head and kept his hand held out until he felt the phone pressed into it.
He put the phone to his ear.

"Hello? This is Lucas Dupont.

There was an audible sigh of relief from the man on the other end of the line. Mario had started pacing, muttering a curse when he ran his hand through his hair and it hit the gash on his neck. Again.

"lucas, my name is Mark Anderson. I'm an agent with the FBI, Chicago Division, and I've taken over the Abraham Leby case from Agent Murphy."

"Who's Agent Murphy?"

"Agent Cow Cunt."
Lucas blushed. "Oh." he pushed the embarrassment aside. He wanted to get to the point. "What do you need Agent Anderson?"

"We've been running down leads on Mr. Leby, and unfortunately it appears the man has gone to ground, so to speak. We need to draw him out."

Lucas looked up at Mario. The man had stopped and stood still leaning against the wall closest to Lucas's bed. "And you need me to do that." It wasn't a question.

"Yes Lucas, we need you. We would like you to come out of hiding. Hopefully, in doing so, it will lure Abraham Leby out and we will be able to apprehend him.

He looked up at Mario again. The man shook his head, his eyes pleading with him. But Lucas was done. He just wanted it over. He looked down at the floor before he straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath.
"Okay."

"No." Mario looked pissed. He was really pissed but Lucas ignored him.

"What do you want me to do?" he held his voice firm. He listened as the agent gave him instructions before he gave an affirmative reply and disconnected the call. Lucas placed the phone on the bed next to him. In a voice just slightly above a whisper, he uttered, "I have to be at the condo at two o'clock."

He blew out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and looked up. Mario was standing there with his feet apart, his face red. He could see a vein in the man's temple throbbing and the tendons in his neck were pulled taut.

"Mario..."

"Lucas, do you have any idea what you just agreed to do? Any clue at all?" Mario's voice was strained and he rubbed his neck but didn't curse this time. Lucas figured he was too pissed off to feel it

Yes, Mario. I know what I agreed to."

Mario continued as if Lucas hadn't said anything. "They are going to parade you around and wait for Abraham to make his move, hoping that they have people in the right places. You are going to be in the open. And I won't be there. As soon as we get to your place, they're taking charge and I am being dismissed. I don't trust them, lucas. And three days ago you didn't either. What the hell are you thinking? What the fuck changed?" Mario sank down to the floor, his back pressed against the wall, his arms resting on his knees. Looking down at his hands, he inhaled deeply, before turning his eyes to Lucas and tilting his head. His voice was soft and rough. "What's going on, Lucas? What changed your mind? Can you please explain it to me? Explain what you're thinking."

Lucas couldn't help himself; he leaned forward and placed his hand on top of Mario's. "I'm thinking I want this over. I know it hasn't been all that long. We've only been here for three days. But what if three days becomes three weeks, months. When does it stop, Mario? I have school, friends."

"You have a future. A future you could be throwing away by agreeing to this. What if something happens to you?"

"Then something happens. At least it will be over." Lucas blew his bangs out of his face and took a moment to collect his thoughts. "Mario, I can't stay in this room anymore. I want my family safe. I want this to be over. One way or another. It's not like I want something to happen to me. But I'm tired of sitting here hiding away and not doing anything. I've made my decision."

Lucas squeezed Mario's hand gently before he got up off the bed to go get ready. He ignored the very tight feeling in his chest and the intense urge to vomit.