Justice and Her Boys

Chapter Two

After the doctor had left the examination room, J turned to Gulf concern clear in her blue eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, J. You heard the doctor. Just cuts and bruises, no internal injuries. I'll be fine after a few days' rest."

"Mmm... the doctor's exact words were no apparent internal injuries."

"I'm fine. Really." Gulf tried to convince her. He reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm going to make those assholes pay for what they did to you." J's voice was quiet but filled with fiery determination.

Gulf was shocked. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard her use a swear word. It made him smile. She really cared about him. And he cared about her, and Pavel, and Boun. It was how he held on when they hit him over and over. He had to be strong to keep his friends safe. The longer the torture, the harder it was for him to focus. Only two thoughts remained. Say nothing, keep your friends safe. Hold on, your friends will save you. Gulf done it. He had said nothing. And his friends, they had come through. He was safe. After such an ordeal, he should probably be more emotional, but he just felt calm.

"What's the plan?" Gulf asked J. He had to know what they were going to tell the police.

"Back-up plan C."

"The damsel in distress?" He scrunched his face in confusion.

J giggled at his face. "You're the damsel."

"Oh, great." His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

"We were planning to meet near the hotel when I saw you get jumped and dragged into the hotel. I called the police and waited in the lobby for them to arrive." She further explained, providing more details so that their statements to the police would match.

"I'll just insist I have no idea why they grabbed me."

"Remember, you're the damsel in distress. You have to be emotional and, you know, distressed."

Gulf just glared at her as she began giggling again. He wasn't truly angry. The teasing was nice and normal, though he expected it more from Pavel than J. Boun also teased him but when he did it, it was always something dirty and sexual. Not that Pavel was an innocent angel. Far from it.

There was a soft knock at the door and a nurse walked in to hand J some medicines and instructed them both on what to do and which dosage to take. Gulf zoned out. He was getting bored. He wondered if his equipment was okay. When the thugs had yanked him from his van, they hadn't exactly been careful. His fingers were itching to start typing again. There were so many projects he could be working on if only he had a computer of some kind. Gulf had recently started on a new virus that would self-propagate until the system it had infected was completely destroyed. In the end, nothing would be left. It wasn't for some specific job or goal; he just enjoyed the challenge. Maybe it would come in handy in the future.

"Gulf?" A soft, melodic male voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Gulf jerked his head up towards the voice. A handsome man in a leather jacket stood in the doorway. He appeared to be hesitating, deciding whether he should come into the room. Gulf frowned as he tried to place the man's face. Ah, the detective. Gulf remembered him now. He had found the detective's presence calming in the hotel lobby. At that time, he'd been so very scared. What was his name? Mark, New? No... It was Mew. That was it.

"Mew, is everything okay?"

Mew no longer hesitated and stepped into the examination room. He came to sit in J's empty seat. Gulf suddenly realised she was not in the room. He hadn't noticed when she had left.