The next day, a calmer Elena phoned Luis and said her partnership with Leck Schneider was over and she had regained control of her blog. She thanked Luis a thousand times for being so honest and for letting her know all about this up front. After all, Luis could have kept his mouth shut, posed in the nude, and taken all the money without saying anything. Most people would have done exactly that, especially for a quarter of a million dollars. An hour after Luis hung up the phone with Elena, he opened his laptop and went to her blog. All signs of the German publisher were gone, including the tasteful nude photos. The only thing Elena said in a short blog post, and Luis knew this was to cover herself, was that she’d decided to keep her blog small and not let anyone else become part of it.
A few days after that, the phone in New York rang late at night and one of Jase’s friends in Los Angeles called to let them know the district attorney had, in fact, been secretly investigating Leck Schneider for child pornography for almost a year, along with German authorities. Thanks to what Luis had witnessed firsthand, they’d finally raided Leck’s studio and were now gathering evidence in order to indict him. Luis had been right. Leck had been using the artistic photos as a cover, and producing sexually explicit material with underage models to generate revenue. Jase’s friend said they hadn’t arrested Leck yet; the investigation could take time.
But Leck wasn’t allowed to leave the country, they’d shut down all his business operations in Los Angeles and Germany, and they’d seized his assets. They even said it was possible Luis would be called in as a witness to testify because the two guys had admitted they were only sixteen.
Luis agreed to do this without thinking twice about it. It was still unclear as to whether or not Leck would be returned to Germany to face charges, or if he’d face them in the U.S. but at least Luis found comfort in knowing Leck wasn’t going to harm any minors again.
Jase was still punching pillows and grinding his teeth an hour later. He asked Luis, “Why didn’t you tell this guy, Leck, to go fuck himself when he asked you to strip?”
Luis shrugged and looked down at his lap. “They were so nice, Jase. You had to be there. I didn’t want to insult them and I had no idea they were working with minors. I didn’t think it was a big thing to strip, being I was there for that reason. I’m not sure why you’re still so upset. Nothing actually happened to me.”
Jase sent him a glare. His face turned red and he shouted, “They were drooling over you, Luis, from what you told me. It was obscene.”
“You and I have done far worse in the parking garage in front of the parking attendant,” Luis said. “And you know about how I walk around in my underwear with Cory once in a while. Don’t get so upset. It’s all over now. Would you like a nice popsicle?” Jase had been going through a popsicle obsession lately, thanks to Hunter’s private popsicle requests behind Luis’s back. He’d also been sneaking them to Hunter when Luis wasn’t looking, knowing full well how Luis hated Hunter to eat too much sugar and unhealthy foods. Luis suggested the popsicle to calm Jase down, hoping to throw him off track.
“It’s not the same thing,” Jase said. “First, what we do together as a couple in front of the parking attendant when no one else is looking is our business. We make a conscious decision and no one is exploiting us. Second, though I’m not fond of what goes on between you and Cory, I know Cory is a good guy and I trust him. But this guy Leck is no fucking good. He’s a criminal. It’s very different. And you do know this will be in the papers now. Your name will be mentioned and you’ll most likely have to testify as an eyewitness. I know it’s not bad publicity. You did a good thing this time, and you’re helping out young guys even if they don’t realize it themselves. But now you’re going to be involved in something you never wanted to be involved with in the first place.”
Luis felt a sting in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I guess I should have left when he asked me to take off my clothes. I don’t know what I was thinking.” He felt a lump in his throat, mainly because he’d upset Jase so much and that was the last thing he’d wanted to do. He had to be more careful, and less carefree and trusting, even if his intentions were innocent. So he looked up and said, “I won’t do anything with Cory anymore. No more teasing him to get work done, and no more walking around in my underwear. I didn’t know it bothered you so much.”
“Ah well,” Jase said, “I told you I trust Cory and that doesn’t bother me at all. I trust you, too. I’m not upset about that. I’m upset because some fucking creep wanted to take advantage of your good nature and you didn’t see it coming. I swear I’ve never been this mad in my life. I could literally get on a plane right now, go to L.A., and strangle that bastard with my bare hands.”
Luis walked to where Jase stood by the window. This was a side of Jase’s personality he rarely saw. He placed his palm on Jase’s stomach and said, “Jase, you know you don’t mean that. Leck has been caught and he’s going to get what he deserves. Nothing terrible really happened to me. I knew I had to get out fast and I did.”
Jase pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. “I guess this is something that could only happen to you. But you have to be more careful. There’s nothing wrong with being impolite when you think you’re right about something.”
Good thing Luis had decided not to tell Jase about the way Leck had felt around between his legs, or about the two young guys who had made comments about fucking him. It would only have made Jase angrier, and he may have gone to L.A. seeking revenge.
Luis took a deep breath and rested his cheek on Jase’s chest. “I’ll try, Jase,” He said. “I’ll work harder to be more careful. At least this wasn’t as bad as the time I got mixed up with the drug-dealing real estate agent who was buying my used underwear. At least I didn’t get arrested for doing nothing.”
“I guess you can’t help yourself,” Jase said, kissing the top of his head. “Maybe the world isn’t ready for someone like you.”
* * * *
In the days that followed, Luis tried to forget about his experience with Leck Schneider. He wanted to focus on another way to raise money for the Angel Association and to start looking for a nanny-housekeeper as soon as possible. But when Jase and Luis received another call from Los Angeles while they were spending the weekend at Cider Mill Farm, and found out Leck Schneider had shot himself in a downtown Los Angeles hotel room, it was a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, Leck would never harm another minor again. But the violent way he’d died caused a cramp in the pit of Luis’s stomach that lasted for days afterward. If it hadn’t been for Luis agreeing to testify, the case against Leck wouldn’t have been as strong. Leck must have known he’d never win. Jase tried to explain Luis hadn’t done anything wrong. He wasn’t responsible for what had happened to Leck and he’d done what any decent law abiding citizen would have done. And Luis knew deep down Jase was right about it not being his fault. But it still made him uneasy to think about what Leck had done to himself. And, on a certain level, it angered him, too. Now Leck, coward that he was, would never receive the punishment he truly deserved.