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*flips the phone open, glancing down at the caller ID as he stops for a red light*

"Hey, baby."

*breathes deep*

'Anson, something...really fucked up just happened. Where are you right now?'

"Arthur? Baby, what-"

The car behind him honks and he startles, seeing the light has turned green. He whips through it and pulls over, slamming the car into neutral and pulling up the handbrake.

"I'm on 71st, I was just heading home. Where are you? Are you all right?"

'Salem's dad...' He swallows hard. 'Salem's dad is back and he has Salem. Oh God, this is all my fault. He's a cop, he's a fucking cop. He said if I didn't talk, he would get me deported. He held a gun on me and...now he has Salem. Shit.'

Anson's eyes widen.

That son of a bitch!

"Oh, Christ," he breathes. He closes his eyes. Think, Anson. First things first. Get to Arthur, make sure he's safe. Then try and find Salem. "Okay, baby," he says, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing for Arthur's sake. "It's gonna be all right. I'm gonna take care of it. Just tell me where you are. Tell me how to find you."

Edited 2008-07-02 02:20 (UTC)

Shit. Arthur has no idea where he is, that bastard made him walk so far. His jaw clenched, he runs down the sidewalk until he sees a street sign. 'I'm on Richardson Street. Salem and his dad where in an alley off of here when I left them.'

Fuck. Arthur's at least sixteen blocks away in the other direction. Anson puts the car in gear and takes off, ignoring the no U-turns sign and provoking more angry horn honking as he roars off toward Arthur.

His mind is racing a mile a minute as he speeds up, tailgating the taxi ahead of him.

"I'm on the way, baby. Is there someplace near there, a diner or a café, someplace you can go and wait for me? I need to know where you are on Richardson, Arthur. Look around. Tell me what you see?"

Arthur looks around, trying to find a place to stand away from any passersby. He doesn't want people to hear his conversation and think that he's lost. Lost is a bad thing to be.

'I'm on the corner. Richardson and 59th. There's a place with Chinese lettering, but it's closed. I can't see...it's probably a restaurant. It’s mainly apartment buildings though.'

Shit!

Anson scrubs a hand over his face, tries to stay calm. Dammit, he wants Arthur off the street, someplace safe with a lot of people. You never know if the bastard might come back.

"Okay, good. That's good, baby. Richardson and 59th. I'm on my way now, just a few more minutes, sweetheart." He chews his lip, thinking. "I want you to stay right where you are. I'm coming just as fast as I can." He grips the phone tightly, his heart pounding. He wants to yell, lean on the horn, mash the pedal to the floor, whatever it takes to get to Arthur NOW. But getting involved in a police chase, or worse, causing an accident isn't going to help Arthur.

Or Salem.

"Okay, baby. I'm on 65th. I'm gonna be there soon. I want you to stay on the phone with me, Arthur, okay? Just keep talking to me."

Edited 2008-07-02 02:49 (UTC)

Arthur shifts his wait between his two feet, nibbling his lip and just basically fidgeting.

'Okay, Anson, I'm 'ere. Everything is fine. I'm glad you are coming.'

"Good. Good. Okay, baby, just another minute or two."

Anson drives faster, anxiously replaying Arthur's words in his mind. Arthur sounded surprisingly calm, but he knows his boy. Arthur tends to internalize, pretending everything's okay when it's anything but. Anson turns onto 59th and slows down, scanning the sidewalk for Arthur. At last, he sees him, standing outside the restaurant he'd mentioned earlier. Anson pulls the car over and jumps out, rushing around the car to get to him.

"Arthur..." He grabs him and pulls him into his arms, holding him tight. "Baby, are you all right?" He studies Arthur's face anxiously, cupping his cheek gently. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

Arthur clings to Anson, buring his face in the man's shoulder for a few moments before tipping his head back up to kiss him on the cheek.

'No...I'm not 'urt. I'm just a little...' He darts his eyes back towards where the alley is, breathing deep and quick. 'He has Salem now, he's probably gone by now, taken him...'

"Salem?" Anson's stomach drops. He looks at the alley and then back at Arthur, his heart pounding and his mouth going dry. "Who, Arthur? Who has Salem?"

It can't be the same guy Anson ran into, can it? He swallows hard. He has a very bad feeling about this.

Arthur sighs, his shoulders wilting as he follows Anson's gaze to the alleyway. 'That...guy! It's Salem's dad. He's a fucking cop. Or, at least, he said he was.'

Arthur puts his hand on his forehead, staring hard at the hood of Anson's car before sliding his palm down to cover his eyes.

'Oh God, this is all my fault. I should have just kept my mouth shut. He was going to leave me alone and I should have just let him. But he had a picture of himself, with Salem as a kid...I thought maybe it was good, someone looking for him...but I should 'ave known!'

"Oh, baby, no. No. Not your fault."

Anson pulls him close again, stroking his hair, then takes him by the shoulders, looking anxiously into his face.

"Was he a tall guy, about my height? Dark, curly hair? Said his name was Campbell?"

It's gotta be the same guy Anson ran into. Has to be. But he wants to sure.

Arthur's eyes dart around nervously, as if he's hoping Salem will just magically reappear somewhere nearby, safe and sound.

'He didn't give his name...but yeah. Tall, dark hair. Older. He had a picture! And...I thought maybe he was Salem's uncle or something. I shouldn't have told him anything!'

"Arthur. Arthur, listen to me." Anson takes him by the shoulders. "This is not your fault. The asshole came here looking for Salem and he was determined to get him, even if he had to use you to do it." He cups Arthur's cheek. "I'm just glad you're okay."

He turns, pulling Arthur toward the car.

"Come on, let's get you off the street. I want you safe." He puts Arthur in the car. "Lock the doors, baby. I'll be right back."

He jogs back over to the alley and looks around, but if Salem was there, there's no trace of him now. He checks around, looking for anything, any evidence of what might have happened or where they might have gone, but there's nothing. Chewing his lip anxiously, he walks back to the car, waiting for Arthur to hit the button and unlock the doors before opening the driver's side door and getting in.

"Okay, sweetheart?" He kisses Arthur, rubbing his back gently. "Baby..." He hesitates. "I need to know the rest of what happened. Everything he said, everything he did. Did he hurt you? Did he threaten you at all?"