The following story is gay fiction. If the subject matter is offensive to you or you are too young, please exit now. This story is the property of the author and may not be reproduced without permission. John Tucker JETjt@aol.com
SUPER JEFF
Chapter Twenty-three
CHRIS' POV
I just couldn't believe how nice everyone was in Las Vegas at the Turners'. The night we arrived at Tyler and Dan's we had a chance to unwind. The younger guys from Ron and Matt's came to dinner early and we all ended up in the pool. Nathan and Carl were Ron and Matt's two oldest boys. Jeff and I plus the two of them tossed all the younger (and lighter) boys around in the pool. They couldn't get enough. After a break, the four of us became the "horses" in games of war in the pool. It was a lot of fun, but I can tell you that I was tired and ready to get out by the time Ron and Matt showed up around 7. Mandy and Rick had declined everyone's urging to join us in the pool and rather, had retreated to their room until shortly after Ron and Matt came out to get us for dinner. I wonder what they were doing? They sure seemed happy' after their rest.'
Dinner was nice and filling. Of course Ron had to tell a joke before we got to eat. It was kinda corny but I laughed like hell. When we were all gathered together he said, "This may come as a surprise to those of you not living in Las Vegas, but there are more Catholic churches here than casinos. Not surprising, some worshippers at Sunday services will give casino chips rather than cash when the basket is passed. .... Since they get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to sort out the offerings. ... The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan Monastery for sorting and then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in. .... This is done by the ...chip Monks!"
Everybody laughed their asses off especially the younger crowd but I noticed that Matt, Tyler and Dan were looking at the sky while trying to suppress their mirth.
After the prayer, I saw all that meat cooking on the barbeque; I thought that cattle, pigs and chickens would soon be on the endangered species list. Ha! Anyway I didn't figure on the capacity of nearly 20 diners, especially when most of them were on the young side and had voracious appetites. Of course there was a lot of stuff besides meat. Cole Slaw, baked beans, rolls and a huge potato salad appeared and disappeared quickly. Then Tyler's cook arrived with a giant container of home made ice cream. I don't know how all the stuffed eaters could put away more but they (we) did!
By 10 PM (the sun had only been down less than two hours) everyone was tired and the party began to break up. The Ron Turners, after inviting us over in the morning, all loaded into several "golf carts" and with a low whine disappeared into the desert driving on cart/jogging paths connecting the two houses. Jeff and I said goodnight to the others and walked over to our suite in the `guest building.' Rick and Amanda decided to go for a walk and Jon and Ben joined Jerry, Eddie and Zack in the game building.
When we got to our suite, Jeff took me in his arms and kissed me heartily. I don't thing he was as tired as he let the others think. "What's got into you?" I asked being careful that my tone of voice didn't let Jeff think that I was protesting.
"Um, I donno," he said giving it some thought. "I guess this is the first time, except last weekend on the boat, that I've ever felt so safe. Maybe safe is not the right word. Comfortable would be better. Here we are amidst all these gay guys, most of whom are couples, and you know it but don't feel it. I mean, everyone is so regular. I don't have to worry about touching you or kidding you or anything that might lead someone to think that we're a couple. They know we are, and we know they are."
"I'm surprised a bit," I replied. "I thought that SJ was immune to concerns about being gay or about anyone knowing."
"I'm not afraid for people to know," he replied, "even though I'm positive that some people find gays detestable. I feel above that. Yet it's more uncomfortable for me than you know. I mean, it's hard to realize that some people can hate you just because of whom you love. It just doesn't seem right and for sure it doesn't lend to being incautiously open. Here it's different. You can just be yourself."
"I agree with you in that," I conceded, "but it's the great wealth these guys have that boggles my mind."
"I'm sure for me it's easier than it is for you," he agreed, "but they're all so nice. They wouldn't be any different if they only had ten cents. They haven't let their money go to their heads, not even the boys. I know lots of kids of rich parents, and for the most part, they're dorks. I mean for some reason they think that their shit doesn't stink. Not all are that way of course, but many are. What flips my pancake is that none of the Turner kids are that way. They all seem to be going somewhere, like they can't wait to achieve some good things on their own. They accept us all at face value too, even Ben and Jon, who obviously came from disadvantaged backgrounds."
"You can count me in with Ben and Jon. It makes me nervous being in such rarified company, especially financially."
"You'll never have to worry," Jeff said with assurance. "We'll do fine."
"Maybe so, but I often wonder what would have happened to me if you hadn't stopped that day in the park."
Jeff thought a minute.
"I'm sure things would have been tough for you at first," he declared, "but now that I know you, I'm sure you would have rolled with the punches and come out on top. You're smart, cute and an achiever. I know that you were down at the time, but you were far from out. I'm sure most of it was the shock of suddenly being rejected by your parents and being thrust out on your own. That's not supposed to happen to kids. Though it's unfortunately not rare, most make it through okay. I'm sure you would have, though it certainly would have limited your options."
"The best part of being rescued was that I was rescued by you," I said. "You have such an assured air about you that if you and I were together and penniless, I wouldn't be worried."
"I'm sure that some of that assurance is the result of growing up protected by my parents and by their wealth," Jeff replied. "It's easy to appear self-assured when you are sitting near the top of the social and financial heap. I know I have had it easy. It just makes me more determined to be my own man."
"I want to be my own man too," I declared. "I know I have a ways to go but I feel a lot more confident with you by my side."
"I'm glad," Jeff said smiling. "I want us to be partners, equal partners."
"You've got such a head start, that it's difficult for me," I admitted. "Sometimes I feel like quitting and to just be satisfied being your slave."
Jeff grinned.
"Hmmm," he mused, "that might not be so bad!"
"Would you really like that?" I asked.
"Not really," Jeff replied. "I want you beside me, not behind me. I'm proud to be seen with you. Everything about you is coming to life."
"I hope you feel that way when school starts."
"We'll cause a sensation, Babe," Jeff declared, "Everyone is going to ask, `Hey who's that cutie next to Jeff Richards. I don't remember him'!"
"Yeah, they'll think I'm your boy-toy," I said in a dejected tone.
Jeff appeared shocked.
"Never say that!" he said edging close to anger, "and I'll punch out anyone who dares say so!"
"That would only prove them right," I said. "You shouldn't have to protect me."
Jeff calmed down a bit then a cute smile appeared on his lips. "But what if I want to?"
"It's not that I don't appreciate the thought, Poops. It's just the wrong thing to do. I think your first idea was right. We'll continue the running, weight training and golf. I want to get going on the martial arts lessons too. If anyone gets lippy, I wanna take them out, not you."
Jeff laughed.
"Wait until you get into the lessons before you say that," Jeff responded. "The first thing they teach you, after they teach you to fall down properly, is to be very slow to anger. It's knowing that you don't have to be afraid of others that's important, not proving it."
"They teach you to fall down?" I asked in amazement.
"Yeah, they don't want you to hurt yourself," he replied.
I broke up in a silly giggle.
"That's the goofiest thing I ever heard," I said through the laughter.
"Yeah, well you'll appreciate it the first time you go flying ass-over-teakettle on your back."
"Maybe so Babe, maybe so," I conceded. "Let's forget the talk. Now that we're alone I'd just like to make love with you," I pleaded scooting even closer to him. "You have no idea how much I love you and need you in me"
"You won't have to ask twice," Jeff said as his moist lips moved toward mine. "I need you every bit as much as you need me.
As we turned on our sides, facing each other, our bodies came together. I could feel his readiness as he could feel mine.
The following morning, we arose early, and after a quick but mutually satisfying shower together, we slipped into our running gear and left our bedroom suite heading for the breakfast room. Tyler and Dan were sitting enjoying a light breakfast.
"Morning Guys," Tyler said with a smile. "You're the early birds today. Grab some juice and join us."
"We like to get our run in first thing," Jeff declared as we grabbed glasses, poured some liquid refreshment and sat down. "All the distractions of the last days have played havoc with our work-out routines. What are you guys up to?"
"We'll both be leaving for the office soon," Tyler informed us. "The boys will be up in a while and I'm sure they'll be doing their own work-out routines. Then they'll probably just take it easy, though the older of Ron's and our kids work."
"Where do they work?" I asked. "I can't see any of them flipping burgers."
"Except for the youngest guys, they all work for one or more of our companies," Dan said. "They're just junior interns though. They get the crappy jobs."
"It's good for their character," Tyler insisted. "What's on the agenda for you guys today?"
"We usually have a pretty full morning with our running, weight training and practicing," I answered. "In the afternoon we play golf, or on the days we don't, we hit a few balls at the driving range, then do something different, just to break up the routine."
"Would you like me to set up some tee times for you?" Tyler asked. "The TPC course is near here, and Bear's Best is challenging too."
"That would be great!" Jeff declared. "Could we play tomorrow and Thursday?"
"I'll set it up," Tyler promised. "What time do you want to play?"
"It's pretty hot here and we're not used to it," Jeff said. "I'd say that we should play as early as we can. We can run on the opposite days, and of course Friday, Amanda and Rick will be leaving so we won't schedule anything. On the days we play golf, if we feel like it we can run afterward, but if it gets too hot, we'll just work out and run on your treadmill a bit, inside where it's cool."
"That sounds like a good plan. What would you like to do this afternoon?"
"I'd like to visit a bit over at Ron and Matt's if anyone is home. Then I'd like to see your offices too." I suggested.
"Yep that sounds good to me too," Jeff agreed. "I'd like to see that Thornton Center that you were telling us about too."
"I'll take the afternoon off then," Tyler said. "I'll pick you up and we'll go out to lunch, then to the office, then to Thornton. We're invited over to Ron's for dinner, so you'll get a chance to see their place then."
"What should we wear this afternoon?" Jeff asked.
"Shorts and a golf shirt will be good," Dan answered. "We're pretty informal at the office, though I must admit that except for the couriers and the people that work outside, you'll find most of the people at the office in long pants, though few with ties."
"We'd better get going," Jeff declared. "It's going to start warming up soon."
"You're right about that," Tyler confirmed. "We'll see you guys at noon. If Amanda or the other two want to do something different this afternoon, just give me a call. Sterling has my number."
"Thanks Tyler," I said. "If you hear anything about Jeff's and Amanda's folks give us a call. We've got Jeff's cell phone with us."
"Will do," Tyler promised. "Have a good run."
"Bye," we both said as we turned to head outside.
"Later," Tyler and Dan both echoed.
JEFF'S POV
"We were ready when Tyler showed up. He was driving Ron's Escalade so that we could all go in one car. The morning had been as planned and we were relaxed but a bit tired from our morning workout. Chris attacked the running and work-outs with a vengeance I'd never seen before. I think he was serious now about improving his body and athletic skills. It's amazing what a few short weeks could do. I'm sure his parents would hardly recognize him. He's grown over 2 inches and gained 12 pounds. He's always been cute but lately he's taken on the look of a man. His previous wiry frame has begun to fill out nicely and he's taken on an air of confidence that before was lacking.
The RET buildings were amazing. They were of a style made popular by Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 1900's, called the Prairie Style. The buildings appear low because the roofs have a low pitch with large overhangs. There is a lot of brick and stucco too and the windows have leaded glass with bits of colored panes in what I guess you'd call Art Deco. The inside lobby is two story with a huge sloping ceiling above bathed in light.
We went into Ron's office first and were greeted by and introduced to his Secretary Margaret. She assured us that if we ever needed to locate Ron, or for that matter, any of the Turners, that we could just call her. After being announced, we went inside. I just about fell on my ass when I saw how beautiful Ron's office was. It's big with a large area where his desk sits, then another area that has a big conference table, and finally a third area where there are comfortable sofas and chairs that are like a conversation area in a home's living room.
Ron greeted us at the door.
God, he's handsome. Of course Tyler is too, but Tyler looks powerful to boot. Ron just looks well proportioned and could have easily been a model. His partner Matt, who we were going to see next is every bit as good looking, just in a different way. If I had to choose who was the best looking of all the Turner men, including Tyler's partner Dan, I'd be stumped for sure. Fortunately I have my own cutie, and he's no slouch either.
Invited to be seated in the conversation area, Ron was nice enough to explain the RET empire. In addition to their business there was an equally impressive Trust organization that handled the trust's investments and disbursements to legal charities. One such trust organization was the Thornton Trust which was started in memory of one of Ron's friends, an employee who was killed in a gay bashing incident. That trust was set up specifically to fund the founding and operation of a Center/home for homeless gay boys, boys like Ben, Jon and Chris. The Thornton Center that we would visit later was the result.
After refreshments and Ron's explanations were complete, Tyler suggested that they continue their visit around the building. After saying goodbye to Ron and thanking him for his time, the group made their way to the nearby Trust headquarters. There they found Matt who was waiting for them when they arrived. At his side was Jerry, who acted as an aide to Matt.
"I'm afraid there's not a lot to see here," Matt said apologetically. "I mean there are no buildings under construction or shoot-em-ups or anything like that. We do have construction projects and charitable operations to monitor but here it's largely a desk operation, one of managing money."
"How much money is in the trusts?" Chris asked.
"At the moment it's around two to three billion dollars," Matt answered. "We have many diverse interests. Much of our trust disbursements go to organizations that already exist to provide a number of social services. We have a large independent branch organization headquartered in New York City, called the Friendship Trust, which helps fund local charitable organizations there, plus it has an active social service organization that it operates which gives direct help. We also help fund educational camps for disadvantaged kids that are run by some friends of ours in Houston. It's not directly affiliated with the Turner Trusts, but we help fund some of their development. Not only that, but Turner Construction builds most of their camps."
"How do you keep track of it all?" I asked.
"It's difficult," Matt answered. "A number of years ago the Turner Trust was much smaller and mostly provided additional funding for local charities. The whole operation has grown huge, thanks principally to Ron's guidance in investments. Now we are involved on a much larger scale. We even have a huge organization for the Arts with nearly a billion dollars in assets. As Matt talked he walked us around his operation. Many of the people there were hard at work and often looked up and smiled as we passed nearby, but kept on working.
"My office is over there," Matt said pointing to an office flanked by a secretary's space, similar to Ron's. "You're welcome to come in and relax for a few minutes if you'd like."
"I think we'd better move on," Tyler suggested. "Thanks for the guided tour Matt."
Everyone thanked Matt and we moved out of the Trust area.
"Where to now?" I asked.
"We'll go over to the Aztec-Turner Building next door," Tyler said. "I keep my office in this building near Matt, Ron and Dan since we're all involved in multiple companies, but Aztec-Turner has grown so large that they need their own building now. I've asked Wes Harper, our Las Vegas Manager to give us a briefing on the search for your parents."
"We really appreciate that," Amanda said. "It's taking so long to find them that I'm beginning to wonder if they're still alive."
"I hope we can put that matter to rest today," Tyler hinted.
"Good news?" I asked hopefully.
"I think so. You'll know as much as I do shortly."
"Let's get going then," I said stepping up the pace.
Tyler kept up, taking the lead, and then turning down an enclosed breezeway connecting the main building with the two-story Aztec-Turner headquarters. On arrival, we quickly marched though the beautiful lobby and into a large briefing room. The room was set up like a small auditorium with a small stage, which stood in front of a large cabinet. At the back of the room was an audio-visual control booth which was already staffed with two technicians. The largest part of the room was taken up by several rows of comfortable theater-type upholstered seats. Tyler led us to the front row and invited us to be seated.
We had no sooner taken our places, than a side door opened and two men entered. Tyler stood and shook the two men's hands then led them to where Amanda and I were seated. We stood as they stepped near. "Amanda and Jeff," Tyler said making the introductions, "I'd like you to meet our Las Vegas Manager, Wes Harper. With him is Peter Ubrick who has been assigned specifically to monitor your case. Wes and Peter, these are our clients Amanda and Jeff Richards. The rest of these young people are their extended family." He proceeded to introduce Rick, Chris, Jon and Ben. After the introductions were made, we were again invited to be seated. Wes remained standing, facing us.
"Mr. Turner has asked me to give you an update on the case of your missing parents. It has quickly become one of our most wide ranging cases, with our agents here, in Washington, in London, Marseilles and in the Middle East all involved. I have requested Peter who has worked on this case exclusively since it was brought to us, to do the honors. Peter?"
Wes sat down beside us, and Peter took the podium.
Large cabinet doors rolled back behind Peter revealing a huge flat screen which was lit up by on overhead high definition video projector. He moved the portable lectern to the side so that our views of the screen were unimpeded.
"I'd like to give you a little background, some of which you already know, I'm sure," Peter began. A picture of a small car that had been burned appeared.
"This is the scene where the Richards' rental car was found and the bodies were discovered."
As he continued, pictures appeared showing the places that he was verbally describing in his narrative.
"The bodies found in the automobile were taken to the morgue in London where they were examined. Because the couple was approximately the same size and age of your parents, and because their faces were badly burned, it was erroneously assumed that they were your parents, particularly since your father's credit card which was used to rent the car was found inside the vehicle. It was later discovered, thanks to a tip from here, that the bodies did not belong to the Richards, but instead were planted. On closer examination, it was discovered that the false couple were already dead at the time of the auto fire. This was determined by examining their lungs which showed no signs of smoke asphyxiation or internal fire exposure. It was then assumed that your parents were abducted and a belated countrywide search began."
"By the time Aztec-Turner became involved, Scotland Yard, who was leading the English investigation, had found the small house where they had been kept overnight before being again moved. Our agents began working with Scotland Yard and Interpol, the European police investigation agency in the search. We discovered that a small Lear 35 executive jet had left the country the day after your parents were kept in the small house previously shown. They had filed a flight plan for Libya in North Africa, and a later investigation revealed that the plane had continued on to Damascus Syria. Those facts seemed to point in the direction of terrorists, or at least some Middle Eastern Potentate."
The attack on your home in California and the subsequent capture of suspects indicated that the terrorist organization was most likely Al Qaeda. Only yesterday it was reported that Osama Bin Laden had been spotted in Marseilles France at a hospital there, but had left the country. Our European operatives discovered that Bin Laden had taken several medical tests there including an MRI and CT scan. We were able to bribe a worker there and obtain a copy of the scans and the blood tests. They are currently being examined by doctors at M.D. Anderson hospital in Houston."
"Israeli operatives in Syria believe they have found the hospital where Osama is currently being treated. We expect confirmation soon. With the help of the Israelis, we hope to plant a worker inside the hospital."
"As you might imagine, Homeland Security has become involved, particularly when the news got out that Osama Bin Laden was involved. Please don't be alarmed, but there seems to be considerable interest in the U.S. sending a cruise missile to destroy the hospital, if it's confirmed that Osama Bin Laden is there."
I leapt to my feet.
"They can't do that! Our parents are probably there!" I shouted.
"Jeff," Tyler said quickly standing up beside me, "Remain calm. Let Peter finish."
I again sat down and Chris took my hand and squeezed it.
"There has been considerable pressure from the Israelis not to proceed with that option," Peter continued. "They're concerned that it might result in an open war between the Arab States and Israel. There is no guarantee, of course, that the U.S. won't do it anyway, but we're preparing for that contingency. We have friends within both the Military and Homeland Security that will tell us ahead of time if that option is chosen. We're prepared to go public before such a strike can be launched, emphasizing that the U.S. is willing to murder their own private citizens on a chance of killing Bin Laden. The best defense is to bring light to the secret operation before it has a chance to happen. Politicians hate exposure. We're certain however that such a strike is not imminent. The confirmations of Osama's whereabouts are too sketchy at this stage. For instance, it's not known if he's actually staying at the hospital or just going in for treatments. If he's only going in for treatments, the chances are that he's rarely there and a strike would most likely fail. Even our government is not likely to risk an international incident with low expectations of success."
"I should add at this point, that the information that we're discussing is very confidential and must remain in this room," Peter said. "There are several careers that are at risk."
"You're authorized to make any guarantees you have to," I said interrupting. "If anyone loses their job, my parents or Amanda and I will see that they never have to work again."
"Never fear, Mr. Richards," Peter continued, "Such assurances have already been made. However, our sources are willing to help because of personal relationships. A discovery of their help would not only wreck their careers, but would damage the relationships we have with them, as well as destroying our inside sources. I cannot stress enough the need for confidentiality."
"I can assure you that none of us will tell anyone," I promised.
"It's important to not even discuss it between yourselves where it might be overheard. We're not certain, for instance, that your house is not bugged. We've checked of course, but nevertheless there is always a possibility. You have already been attacked once, and it wouldn't be beyond Osama's organization to try again. Caution and confidentiality are the watchwords. At any rate, that's my report. Assuming that we're correct and that your parents are in that hospital, we're working to gather information to develop a rescue plan. We will keep you informed. Thank you."
We all stood and I approached the stage where Peter was gathering his notes.
"Mr. Ubrick," I began. "I apologize for interrupting your presentation and getting so excited."
"It's understandable Mr. Richards," Peter said smiling. "If it were my parents there, I'd be excited too."
"I'd like to thank you for all you're doing. I know there's a lot of risk involved and that the chances of a rescue are slim, but I'd like to thank you anyway."
"Mr. Richards," Peter said. "I can promise you that we will attempt no rescue, nor go public, nor do anything that we believe might endanger your parents without your knowledge and consent. Our job at this stage is to find your parents, and we're making good progress with that. There is a high probability, based on what we already know, that your parents are alive and in Damascus. If the tests Osama took indicate that he has cancer, it will be almost a certainty."
"Please let me or at least Tyler know as soon as you find out," I requested. "Thanks again for your help."
I returned to where Tyler was surrounded by Amanda, Chris, Rick and the boys.
"Let's finish our tour here at Aztec-Turner, and then we'll go out to the Thornton Center. The day is slipping past quickly," Tyler suggested.
"You're the guide Tyler," Amanda declared. "Lead on."
I was very impressed with the operation they had at Tyler's company. As he took us around, he showed us training facilities, communication rooms, a crime lab, and hosts of electronic gadgetry that they use in their work. Tyler explained that a good part of their work was business and home security. One whole division of their company specialized in that aspect. The investigation branch was like glorified private detectives, who had the latest in technology to aid them. A third branch was personal security. This branch provided security guards for celebrities and wealthy people and was reportedly quite busy in Las Vegas particularly, where the rich and famous were in abundance.
Concluding our tour, we left the RET facility, loading up again in the Escalade for our trip to the Thornton Center. When we arrived there we were greeted by a Mr. Leonard Johnson, who was the Director. He introduced us to Eric Chalmers who was their Activities Director, and after again welcoming us, Mr. Johnson excused himself to take care of some problem that had unexpectedly come up.
Eric took us through the Administration building, introducing us to the various workers as we followed him around. He then took us to one of the houses where the boys lived. Most of them were in school, so we had a chance to talk to the house-parents and a couple of the older boys who were out of school and happened to be there. The facilities were very home-like and the boys we met seemed happy and to like it there. Leaving the residence we toured the grounds seeing the athletic fields, tennis courts, the swimming pool and finally the Activities Building itself. That building was like a large gym, with wood floors and basketball hoops that retracted up into the ceiling. Tyler showed us that the room was convertible into a large dining hall or for a multitude of other activities, as the place was equipped with every athletic device common in this country. Tyler told us that there was even a four-lane bowling alley under design. He took us then down a hallway and showed us the weight room, the computer room, the library and a couple of other activities rooms. There was even a soundproof music room equipped with a piano, where the guys could practice without disturbing anyone else.
I watched Jon and Ben as we traveled through the facility. While they had paid attention on the tour of the RET building they were on Tyler's elbow for every step of the Thornton Center giving everything he said their rapt attention.
As we left the Activities Building we passed a bronze statue of a good looking young man.
"Who's that?" Ben asked Tyler.
"That's a memorial to Barry Young, Thornton's first Activity Director. He gave his life trying to prevent one of the boys being kidnapped by some men hired by his parents."
"Why would his parents do that?" Jon asked.
"It seems that the boy was the son of a Mormon politician. He had been beaten severely when his father discovered that his son was gay. The father threw him out on the street and the police picked him up and called Ron and Matt who gave him a home until the Thornton Center could be finished. He became one of the first boys here. His father hated Ron and decided to have the boy abducted and taken to Utah to a psychological center there to be `brainwashed' to get rid of his homosexuality."
"That's stupid," Ben said. "You are what you are, and no shrink is going to change that!"
"You're right Ben," Tyler replied. "But many people are homophobic and many of them think erroneously that being gay is a choice, or at least caused by environment. They think they can force the gay thoughts out of someone's head by a combination of psychological coercion and pain therapy. It's a form of torture and their `success stories' are often guys who lie about their feelings to escape the pain. There is no scientific evidence that the therapy works."
"So what happened?"
"Some men showed up with guns and found the boy and were taking him away when Barry saw them. He rushed toward their car, not realizing that they were armed and they shot and killed him. They made their get-away just as Ron was arriving. He chased them toward Utah and called the police who set up roadblocks that would puncture their tires. Their car was wrecked, killing the driver and injuring the boy and the other assailant. The RET helicopter was coming from Las Vegas and took the boy to the hospital. The surviving assailant named the father as the instigator of the kidnapping. Both the father and the assailant are in jail."
"Wow!" Ben exclaimed. "That Barry Young must have really cared a lot about the guys here."
"Yes, and the boys loved him too. He will be long remembered. Every year they have a Barry Young Day here where there is a big party and lots of games and activities in his honor. It's a tradition here. This memorial statue never is allowed to get dirty or defaced. If any new boy here tries, he's set straight immediately. Not by one of the adults either. The boys revere this man. He represents what this place is all about."
"Was he gay?" Jon asked.
"Yes, though most of the adults here are not. They are all gay-friendly though. Barry had fallen in love with an FBI agent here in Las Vegas and after getting to know each other were about to commit their lives to each other. Barry's death ended that."
"That's really sad," Ben said. "I guess that just proves that if you love someone, you'd better move on it. You never know what can happen."
"I'm sure that's true to some extent," Tyler partially agreed. "Yet it's important to be sure before you act. Falling in love is wonderful, but breaking up is very painful. Sex is fun, but love is very serious. You must never tell someone that you're in love with them just to get into their pants. It's dishonest and deceitful."
"Are you saying that you shouldn't have sex unless you're in love with that person?"
"No, that's a personal decision. I'm just saying that you shouldn't lie just to have sex with someone. I will tell you though, that sex with the one you love beats the hell out of having sex with anyone else, no matter how attractive they are."
Ben looked at Jon and smiled. I almost missed their look of love to each other since I was turning to give the same look to Chris. I pulled him to me and kissed him softly and whispered, "I love you Chris."
"I love you more Jeff," he whispered back.
"Get a room," Tyler said with a laugh, then with a wave indicted that we should follow him toward the car. I knew we were now headed home, where a room was waiting.