"Lonnie, I need to talk to you." Justin said, walking up behind Lonnie as the bodyguard talked to some police officers.
"What is it Justin?" Lonnie asked, turning to the younger man.
"Privately." Justin insisted, nodding in the direction off to the side, out of hearing range of the police officers. After a few quick words to the officer, Lonnie followed.
"What's this about Justin?" Lonnie asked, puzzled by his charge's behavior.
"How's JC?" Justin asked, trying to get his thoughts together.
"He's fine. A minor concussion. They practically had to strap him down to get him out of here. He didn't want to leave. The other guys are with him at the hospital. What's going on Justin? I know that's not what you wanted to talk about. You could have asked me that over there." Lonnie said, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing Justin.
"Lance called my cell phone." Justin told the bigger man, and waited for the shocked look to leave his face.
"What? Why didn't you get one of the officers? We could have started negotiations. We could be actually doing something to get Lance out of that car, instead of sitting here on our asses, twiddling out thumbs." Lonnie said, obviously angry that Justin hadn't informed the police of the phone call.
"I couldn't. The only negotiations that need to go down are between Lance and the police. The guy in there, his name is Roberts, he doesn't want to be here. He never wanted to be here. He basically got, forced into this. He doesn't want to hurt Lance. He's helping Lance. He wants to help Lance. He knows who's behind all of this, and he's willing to tell. He's willing to end this, all of this." Justin said, waving his hands around in an encompassing manner.
"He's gonna give up his employer?" Lonnie asked skeptically.
"Yes. He wants to be here as much as any of us do. Lance isn't even scared anymore. Roberts, he let Lance go, and he's willing to help us. It's Lance that won't leave. He refuses to get out of the car unless they drop charges against Roberts. Lance said that Roberts didn't kill anyone. He's never killed anyone. He's only driven the car. That was all he was supposed to do. Randy shooting his partner put him in a bad position. I don't know details, but Lance wants charges dropped. He said to get it done. He didn't care how. Make it look good for the media, like he was arrested, but he doesn't want anything pinned on Roberts. And Roberts will tell us who's trying to kill Lance." Justin explained, lowering his voice as a police officer walked by them.
"So this Roberts guy has let Lance go, and Lance won't leave? We're all standing out here for nothing, and Lance is sitting in there, basically now keeping Roberts hostage, because he feels the need to play saint? Justin how the hell are we supposed to do that?" Lonnie asked, rubbing his hands over his head.
"I don't know. But we have to do something, and we have to keep it quiet and out of the media." Justin said, looking to the news van that had just squealed tires into the parking lot.
~*~
"Lance, why don't you just leave? I can take the time in jail for this. Just go, be with the people you love. Get the hell out of here." Roberts said, losing his patients with Lance. He'd been trying to talk him into leaving for the past thirty minutes.
"You're helping me, I'm helping you. Everyone deserves a second chance and I'm giving you yours. Think about your brothers and sisters. What good are you going to be doing them in jail? How are you helping them if you're behind bars? You can't help them from there." Lance said, sounding bored with the conversation. He wasn't even looking at Roberts anymore as he laid in the front seat of the car, looking to anyone else, like he was being held hostage, despite the missing hand cuffs and ropes around his ankles.
"You are the most stubborn, pigheaded man I have ever met, Lance Bass. I thank you for that." Roberts said, his hand resting on Lance's shoulder from his seat in the back. Lance placed his hand over Roberts'.
"We're a dying breed, you and me." Lance said with a smirk.
~*~
Precautions were being taken, in case the entreaty from Lance had been a forced one by his captor. Police were still nearby, but keeping a safe distance. Media was being kept at bay. Few officers new of the negotiations that were taking place silently. Only the superiors and the District Attorney were aware of the strange request and phone call placed to Justin.
"I don't see how we can do that?" Nathan Scott, the district attorney, said, running a weary hand through his hair. It was very rare that he was called to the crime scene, and these were very special circumstances, and very special requests.
"Look, right now the FBI isn't in on this. If we wait any longer, they will be. You have to do it now. If they show up, Roberts may feel threatened and this whole thing may blow up. This has to be done now. You have to make a decision. Will you drop the charges, or not?" Lonnie asked, losing his temper with the shorter skinnier man.
"What is going to happen if I don't?" Scott asked, looking around at the small gathering, the only people who knew for sure what was going on.
"Lance didn't say. He only told me that he was not leaving that car unless you dropped the charges, in exchange for the information that Roberts has. Lance trusts him. Lance doesn't do that with many people. He's very careful of who he gives his trust to. He's been burned. If he trusts this man, then he has a good reason, and I trust him too. And Lance said that you would be extremely interested in what Roberts has to say." Justin explained, hoping that Lance knew what he was doing.
"This is one really messed up situation." Scott said, rubbing his hands over his face.
~*~
"Do you think they're going to go for it?" Roberts asked, fidgeting in the backseat.
"I don't know, if you want me to be honest. Justin said he'd call back when they knew something. If it doesn't, I'm sorry. I really hope this works." Lance said, leaning his head back against the seat. It had been nearly two hours since he'd called Justin.
"Even if this stunt of yours doesn't work, thanks for trying. I'll still tell them everything I know. Rodriquez has got to be stopped." Roberts said, silently cursing the man that had put him in this situation to begin with.
"If this doesn't work, I'll find a way to help your brothers and sisters. It'll be the least I can do." Lance said, meaning his words. He was about to continue when the phone in his lap rang. Jerking his head up, he glanced quickly at Roberts before answering. "Hello?"
"Lance," Justin's voice came over the line, sounding happy and relieved. "You guys can come out of hiding now. It's over. The DA said he'd drop the charges."
"Oh thank God." Lance said with a sigh. To Roberts he said, "It's over. DA's dropping charges. We can leave."
Roberts just closed his eyes and let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Lance, they're going to grab him, just as if he'd been arrested. As far as any of the officers know, he is being arrested. Tell him to be prepared for that. The DA will meet him at the station. He'll get Roberts' statement, and we can end this once and for all." Justin said, making sure that Lance understood how this would play out. Lance relayed the information to Roberts, who quickly agreed.
"Tell them we're coming out." Lance said, grabbing Roberts' hand and giving it a quick squeeze before he hung up the phone.