Rick's stomach plummeted as he stepped out into the rooftop garden - immediately spying Nicky at a far bench - glass in one hand and a bottle of Jim Beam in the other. Nicky looked pale and apprehensive - his hand wrapped around the bottle as though fearing it might try and escape - and the sound of glass hitting glass as Nicky poured himself another over generous amount told Rick that maybe now would be a good time to try and prise the liquor from him.
"What the hell do you want?" Nicky grumbled - glancing quickly up into his brother's blue eyes before staring out over the skyline of Washington.
"I don't want to be here Nick - not with you in this state and especially because - " Rick began - not wanting to sit but resisting the urge to turn and leave. Hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans he watched the top of Nicky's bowed head for a moment. "What's happened to us?" he asked finally.
"Us?" Nicky snorted - downing his drink in one swallow. "Since when's there been us, Rick? Huh? The cracks were appearing months ago - years even - and it's taken today - this past weekend for it all to come out - and you still haven't told me why you're here - I thought you'd be stuck with your new playmates - "
"Gibbs wants you downstairs - he knows everything - he's questioning Taylor as I speak." Rick kept his voice level - meeting Nicky's slightly drunken gaze with a quick grin. "But - you stay here if you want - I'm sure he'll be only to happy to meet you up here later - "
"He can do what the hell he likes," Nicky waved his glass dismissively - grabbing the bottle and then pouring himself another shot.
"And you think that's helping?" Rick reached for the bottle only for Nicky to move it out of the way.
"It's helping - Rick - so why don't you just take your self centred, sanctimonious little ass back downstairs and leave me alone," Nicky growled - hiccoughing softly. "I've got enough to think about - and I don't need you preaching to me - just fuck off!"
"And you think I don't have enough on my plate?" Rick nearly shouted. "I've been double crossed - you've been - " he paused and narrowed his eyes. He didn't want to believe it - his head told him to stay quiet and not even think to ask - but his heart was screaming at him - he had to know. "Nick," he said as he finally took a seat opposite his brother.
"What?" Nick blinked at him.
"You and Alex - "
"Yeah?"
"When did you find out what he had planned?"
"When he told me - " Nicky sat back - pulling the bottle with him. "He just told me - and he also told me that the plan didn't include you - it was just us three, bro - you came nowhere!"
Rick made to say something but instead he linked his fingers together on the dark wood and dipped his head briefly. He could hear Nicky pouring another drink and without warning - he leaned forward so fast he caught his brother off guard and snatched the bottle from him - upturned it at arms length and allowed the contents to pour onto the still warm concrete.
"Oh - big man!" Nicky applauded. "No worries - " he bent sideways and collected up another bottle. "You forget, Rick - I've got the keys to the wine cellar - and if I want to drink myself into oblivion - I will - and you are not going to stop me - because if you try - I will have to hit you!"
"In your state - you'll miss," Rick observed as Nicky tried focussing on the man opposite him - finally having to close one eye because he could see two Ricks - and he could not quite work out which was real and which one wasn't.
"I'm fine - I just want to be alone right now."
"I appreciate that," Rick nodded. "But you do realise - I need you to understand - when Alex left you alone in the car - "
"What was the last thing I thought?" Nicky replied testily. "I knew that - the minute the bastard darted me - why'd you think I flashed you what I did? Huh?"
"I remember," Rick said softly. "It was actually painful - I had Gibbs stop the car."
"Then you know what I went through," Nicky spat back bitterly.
Rick sat back with a sigh. "Look - I need to know one thing here - and I want you to be honest - " he chuckled at his own irony. "Were you in this from the beginning - or did Alex just crook a finger and you went to him of your own accord?"
"What the fuck's that matter?" Nicky drawled.
"Because - I don't know - " Rick spread his hands - looking for the right words. "Because - maybe you won't get as tough a sentence - "
"I screwed you - we screwed you and you're hoping I get a lesser punishment?" Nicky gazed at him in confusion. "What is going on in your head, Rick? Huh? I'm as guilty as those other two - "
"Then why do it? What the fuck did I do to you two that was so freaking bad? I'm guessing Taylor's going with Mia's death - but you two?"
"Us two?" Nicky taunted with a grin. "Me and Alex? We got tired bro - that's all."
"Tired? What does that mean?"
"Look at us," Nicky held up the bottle and waved it around indicating their surroundings. "A two bit club in a two bit town - a nice house - granted - but there's more out there, Ricky boy - a whole world out there - I can't live like this anymore - I want to get out there - get myself a life - not sit in this fucking rat hole for the rest of my freaking days - I live and breathe this fucking place - and it's stifling me - and then one day - " Nicky shifted about a bit until he was more comfortable, hand nestled lightly around his bottle of Jim Beam. "See - Alex and I had a chat some time ago - maybe - a year ago or so - I'm not good on dates - "
Rick simply watched him - inside he was in bits - he'd never even imagined Nicky had been thinking like this - nor Alex for that matter - if they'd been feeling like this for so long - why hadn't they just talked to him - instead of bottling it all inside.
"I'll let you in on a little secret, shall I?" Nicky leaned forward - indicating with a finger for Rick to do the same. "Remember a bank heist - in Maine - securities stolen along with some Krugerands - but no cash? The police never did find the perps - case went dead?"
"Vaguely," Rick sounded puzzled and then as Nicky sat back again - realisation hit him and he searched his brothers face quickly. "Tell me it wasn't you three? Please tell me Nick - you can't actually believe you'll get away with it?"
"Already did - yep, me - and Alex - and Taylor."
"Fuck, Nick - what the hell have you done?"
"Don't worry about it - no one got hurt - the stash is safe enough."
"I don't give a flying fuck about the stash!! I don't give shit about Taylor - but you and Alex?" Rick was on his feet now - pacing up and down - staring at the ground. "What the fuck possessed you? Don't tell me - Taylor - so - you suddenly all become cosy and friendly - remembering of course - you both hated him since we were kids - me too - "
"Don't start with the bastard goody two shoes speech, Rick - I'm tired of hearing it - like I'm tired of DC - tired of Heaven's Gate - " He leaned forward - gazing up into his twin's eyes. "I have a chance to do what I want - when I want and how I want - I'll want for nothing ever again - 'Mand will have the chance to live the life she's always wanted - she deserves it after all the crap she's endured before she found me."
"'Mand? Please tell me she's completely unaware of what you've done?" Rick looked at him - his eyes filling with tears. "And Inara - tell me the girls aren't involved."
"No - they are blissfully unaware - although - the look on Amanda's face when I placed that rock on her finger - now that made me proud."
"No," Rick breathed - suddenly needing to sit down. "When did you get engaged?"
"A week ago - " Nicky sighed with a silly grin on his face.
"And when you go to prison - think Amanda'll still want you?"
"Course she will - " Nicky sounded confident and winked.
"Nick - I don't know what planet you're on - but it's not this one - she'll be crushed - you can't do this to her - she's had enough crap going on in her past - this'll kill her!"
"What are you - some kinda fucking drama queen?" Nicky bristled. "Leave Amanda to me - she'll be fine."
Rick said nothing - there was nothing to say. He leaned his elbows on the table top and dropped his head into his hands - wishing he had never even started this conversation - Taylor was one thing - but to be betrayed like this - by his own blood - his brothers - this was something that would stick with him for eternity. Slowly - he lifted his head - refusing to look at Nicky who had capped the bottle and pushed it to one side.
"But you're closed to me, now - both of you," Rick said sadly. "How did I not see any of this coming? How? I mean - we share everything, Nicky. We share the house, this club - everything - how is it I had no idea what you three were up to?"
"Because - you're so - so - involved with yourself Rick - you are the most important thing in your world - in this world," Nicky spread his arms wide. "As long as you are the centre of attention - everyone and everything focussed on you - to hell with anything and anyone - the only time you see people - you see me and Alex - Rick - is when you look down to see what it is you're stepping on!"
"No, Nicky." Rick was genuinely stung by the ferocity of those words. "That's not true - admittedly - I've - I've been involved with other stuff - other projects - but you make it sound as though I've - abandoned the two of you - "
"Abandoned?" Nicky echoed. "I'm not some fucking dog you dump on the side of the road - but yeah - that's kind of how it feels."
"Hey!" Rick snapped back. "You are not landing any of this mess on me - you're feeling sorry for yourself right now - because you've suddenly realised that you've just fucked up - and fucked up big time - you are a party to kidnapping, extortion, and blackmail - coercion." Rick paused briefly. "You're sitting up here all alone with a bottle in your hand - because you are going to do time, Nick. You, Alex and Taylor - and more than anything right now - you are wishing you could turn back time - wake up in the morning to find all this is just a dream - well - just so you know - this is reality - this is real time - and downstairs we have two federal agents who will stop at nothing to get the truth - " He slapped at Nicky's hand as he reached for his glass - removing it from reach - which left Nicky no other option than reopen and swig from the bottle. "Enjoy the view, bro - and the liquor - it'll be a few years before you see either of them again." Rick got to his feet slowly - giving him ample chance to deny or confirm what he'd just said but Nicky simply sat looking out over the rooftops.
"Rick - 'Mand called - wants to know what's going on - what do I tell her?" Rick turned from the threshold at the top of the steps and closed his eyes, hands on hips. Retracing his steps, he sat down - straddling the bench.
"The truth, Nick - tell her the truth -" he said finally. "It'd be better coming from you than a stranger."
"Not what I wanted to hear," Nicky admitted as he rested his chin on an upraised hand.
"Lie to her then - you've suddenly become very adept at that, bro - " Rick snatched the bottle from him and took a long swallow - grimacing as it burned a trail to his stomach before slamming it back down. "Why not finish the bottle - hope you fucking choke!"
*******
Tony unlocked the door of the room where Alex was being held and stood on the threshold - as Alex turned his head to look him up and down disdainfully. Taking a large bite out of the ham sandwich in his hand, Tony shoved the door closed and paced to the chair on the other side of the table and sat down - leaning back and taking another bite before swallowing the first.
"Oops," he said behind a spray of crumbs. "'Ab Mabbers - mauful - sowwy." He took his time swallowing slowly before clearing his throat. "You can put this on our tab - I would have waited before eating later - but I'm hungry now. So - " he flashed a manic grin. "How you doing?"
"Where's Gibbs?" Alex spat.
"Gibbs? Oh - he's in the head - he shouldn't be too long." There was a lengthy silence as Tony finished his sandwich. "I sympathise, Alex."
"Whoopdee fucking doo," the other man breathed. "Is there a reason I'm still cuffed?"
"Yeah - you're under arrest," Tony nodded.
"And why hasn't anyone read me my rights?"
"Haven't they? Man - remind me to do that later - " Tony folded his arms. "Anyway - as I say - I've been where you are - and I think I know what you're going through."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"See - I was framed once - a forensic dweeb - called Chip - "
"Do I want to hear this?" Alex drawled - rolling his eyes.
"I think you do - it'll give you an insight into how not to commit a crime." Tony grinned again. "He was good - very good - severed legs, my teeth marks on the thigh, a ripped glove - "
"Severed what?"
"Legs," Tony looked up to see Gibbs entering the room. "Hey Boss."
"Tony."
"I was just telling Alex about Chip and the legs," he moved his chair to the left as Gibbs lifted a chair from the corner of the room and settled it beside him.
"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time later to tell him the whole story, DiNozzo - but - right now - I'd like some answers - " Gibbs said as he sat back - his eyes never leaving Alex's.
"You going to stare me to death or what?" Alex snorted.
"Whatever it takes," Gibbs said with slight nod. "Tony - give Melinda a call - just to check she's on her way."
"Sure thing," Tony said as he took the proffered cell and stood up - moving towards the door but remaining inside the room. He scrolled down the numbers and hit the button.
"We can do this my way - or the painful way," Gibbs offered.
"Both equal I'm guessing?" Alex replied softly, worrying his cuffs at his back.
"Give me the name of Taylor's lawyer - I have a word with the DA and we cut a deal." Gibbs tilted his head. "I don't want to cause any more trouble than has already been done Alex - I don't want to even pretend I understand why you did what you did - all I need is a name."
"How do you expect me to tell you what I don't freaking know!" Alex shouted as he tugged his wrists apart. "What makes you think I know?"
"All you need to know is - that I know you know - and - if you like - we can sit here all night - you will tell me." He took back the phone from Tony.
"On her way?"
"On her way, Boss." Tony affirmed and settled back to play Tetris on his cell phone. "Word of advice, Alex. Don't piss him off - Taylor did that - and it wasn't pretty."
"He looked fine when I saw him," Alex said - sounding worried.
"Ah - but then you left - and I left - and well - it was after that." Tony shrugged. "The swelling should go down in a few days - but he'll be walking funny for a while."
"Aw, DiNozzo," Gibbs head slapped him quickly. "Don't give away my techniques - I wanted it to be surprise."
"Won't happen again, Boss - sorry."
"And don't apologise - " Gibbs raised his hand again.
"Sign of weakness," Tony finished with grimace - expecting another slap. "You going to hit me or what?"
"Not just now - " Gibbs chuckled. "So - Alex - name that lawyer - " Silence. "Don't you realise what you are doing by not telling me?"
"I'm sure you'll fill me in," Alex said with a yawn, flipping hair off his face with a twist of his head - his eyes hooded as he glared at the man opposite.
"By not telling me - it's not going to look good in front of the judge - it'll just show you up for what you really are - a lying, greedy bastard who was offered the chance to make a difference but chose not to."
"Either way - I'm up shit creek without the proverbial paddle." Alex shrugged again.
Suddenly - there was a knock on the door and Gibbs frowned - Tony looked worried.
"Yeah?" Gibbs called - surprised to see Rick's head appear around the door.
"Need a word - " Rick said quickly. "Like now?"
"Stay with him, Tony - and try not to bore him to death talking about movies?"
Gibbs rose from his chair and paced to the door - pulling it closed behind him.
"So - " Tony said with a satisfied sigh. "You do realise - he really will keep you in here until you tell him what he wants to hear don't you? No trips to the head - nothing to drink - nothing to eat - he'll grind you down, Alex - until you're pleading with him - and to this day - he's never given in once."
"Always a first time," Alex sneered letting his head drop back as his mind calculated exactly what the risks would be if he did name the lawyer. As he saw it - he was looking at fifty million - his share of the club and townhouses - three point three million - which when subtracted from fifty left forty six something - three million was a lot - but with the interest he'd be earning on the forty six - would - in actuality - more than make up for the lost three - but then - that wasn't really the point was it? The point had been to leave Ricky with nothing - which had been the plan all along - and then - he had to take a risk that neither Gibbs or Tony knew about the robbery - and when he thought about that - there was nothing Navy - no Navy involved - which meant if anyone was interested it would be FBI - but the case had gone cold - no new leads - and - more importantly - nothing to tie either himself, Nicky or Taylor to it - unless they knew about the accounts in Switzerland and the Caribbean - and - as he thought about that side of the coin - false names - meant no way could any of them be connected - so - he judged - things were safe in that department.
Or there was another way - a messy way - but a way indeed - and he shuddered slightly at the thought of having Rick taken out of the picture - permanently. To this day - he was still angry that Taylor hadn't done the job when he'd had the chance - he'd been foiled - foiled by Gibbs sticking his fucking nose in - which was why Alex had stuck to Gibbs like glue throughout that whole scenario. He wondered briefly why he himself hadn't taken out Gibbs when they'd returned to the farmhouse to collect Tony and Rick - he'd had his chance then - wide open and waiting - Gibbs at his most vulnerable - and even as he thought it - he knew the answer - Gibbs would have realised immediately what was going on - and Alex would have been lying there with a bullet through his own head just like the other two goons - Gibbs was no idiot - and Alex knew he would have been insane to even try anything.
So - here he was - cuffed to a chair with Tony sitting opposite him - intent on his game on his cell - whistling tunelessly between his teeth and then groaning as he lost another game.
"Can you please stop making that infernal noise?" Alex breathed.
"Huh?" Tony looked up and grinned goofily. "This?" he started whistling again.
"You're driving me nuts."
"That's kinda the idea," Tony's eyebrow arched.
And then the door opened - Gibbs fixed his gaze on Alex as he retook his seat.
"What's going on, Boss?" Tony asked as he flipped off his phone.
"Not a lot - Nicky's being brought down from the roof by Matt and Pete - he's been making friends with Jim Beam for the last couple of hours - the club's opening again in a little under two hours - and Melinda's just arrived - with a film crew."
"So - busy then?" Tony grinned again.
"I'd say so - " Gibbs folded his arms. "Lawyer - name - now."
"Bill Paisley - 1123 South Street - " Alex drawled lazily. "Now will you uncuff me?"
"Nope - " Gibbs shook his head. "You're staying put. DiNozzo - with me," he said gruffly as he pulled open the door.
"On your six - Boss!"
TBC…
Author's Chapter Notes:
And the brothers have a talk - Gibbs has a few questions for Alex