Dishonor

AUTHOR:  Shirley

E-mail:  sgoates2607@charter.net

RATING:  PG-13    (language, some sexual content)

CONTEXT:  Sequel to “Going Home”.  This story takes place during the first year 
following Nick’s return to Pittsburgh to work for his father at Fallin & 
Associates.  

DISCLAIMER:  Some of the characters portrayed herein are taken directly from 
“The Guardian” – CBS TV Series.  Others are strictly figments of my imagination. 
 You will recognize recurring characters from other NicFic I have previously 
posted.  The resemblance to any person(s) living or dead is purely coincidental. 
Any similarity of events, dates, or characters or the portrayal of events, dates 
or characters depicted in any FanFic previously posted by other writers, is 
totally unintentional.  This is a work of FICTION. 
 
 
~~~~~~~
 
The first six months hadn’t been so bad.  He’d managed to win over some of the 
lawyers at the Firm, but others just avoided him.  At times, his dad was pretty 
rough on him, too.  But, he’d found a circle of friends outside the office and 
that was a way of unwinding after a long, tense day. 
 
Tonight, Colin was giving a party at his apartment.  Nick knew, by now, most of 
the people who frequented these parties.  A couple of them were lawyers he had 
encountered in business deals.   
 
Nick rapped out the code on the apartment door.  It was eventually opened by 
Colin, himself.  
 
“Well, Nick.  Glad you could make it.  Come on in.”  
 
Nick looked around.  It looked like there were about 20 people already here.  He 
waved to several he knew.  There was a poker game going on in the corner.  He 
recognized Ann and Jason, playing pool.  Some funky music was playing on the CD 
player.  Lines of ‘coke’ were visible everywhere.  There were a few folks he 
didn’t know.  
 
“Looks like the party got started early tonight,” he commented to Colin.
 
“Yeah.  There’s a convention in town and we’re getting some new visitors.”  
 
“Sounds like you’ve got quite a network going.”  Nick smiled.  Colin had a 
going-concern.  He had ‘his’ people stationed at all the major hotels in the 
city.  They were usually employed by these hotels in some capacity or other and 
always found opportunities to ‘direct’ people to Colin.  He apparently had 
someone inside the police department, too, so he had been able to avoid drug 
busts.  And, as far as Nick was concerned, Colin made it a practice to have the 
best ‘stuff’ available.  You didn’t have to worry about getting hold of bad 
drugs.
 
“It pays to know people in high places,” Colin smirked.  “Hey, Nick, you know 
where everything is.  Oh, Kelly’s here tonight.  She was asking about you.”
 
Nick looked curiously at Colin.  “We broke up a couple months ago.”  
 
“Yeah, I know.  But she’s still asking about ya.”  Colin looked around.  He 
didn’t see her in the crowd.  “Guess she must be in the john.”
 
Nick walked to the bar and quickly downed a couple tequila shots.  Leaning back 
against the bar, he noticed Kelly coming towards him.  Oh, Jesus, he thought.  
This is not going to be pretty.  They’d had a pretty bad split.  She was still a 
beautiful woman; petite, but, boy, she had great long legs.  And she was 
beautifully tanned from ‘worshiping the sun’, one of her favorite pastimes.  She 
was wearing a very short white skirt topped by a sleeveless tight fitting yellow 
blouse which came down over the top of her skirt.  Her long blonde hair had been 
gathered up and piled on top of her head, with wisps of hair escaping here and 
there.  
 
“How have you been, Nick?”  She sidled up to him.  He didn’t move. 
 
“Okay.  And you?”  He looked into those incredible blue eyes.  They were what 
had captured him in the beginning.  
 
He looked away.  “Colin said you were looking for me.”
 
“Yeah, can we talk?”  She nodded towards the balcony.  
 
“I guess.”  Nick followed her.  There was a couple in a heated embrace already 
on the balcony.  “Ben.  Do you mind giving us some space here?”  
 
Ben looked around to see Nick and Kelly.  “Sure, Nick.  How have ya been?”
 
“Okay, thanks.”  Ben grabbed his girl’s hand and they went inside.  Nick closed 
the French doors.
 
The balcony was just wide enough to hold a small round table and a couple of 
chairs.  The view wasn’t much but it was nice to get out in the fresh air.  
 
Nick leaned against the railing.  “So what did you want to see me about?”  Kelly 
seemed in a particularly thoughtful mood tonight.
 
“I really don’t know how to tell you this, Nick.”  Nick couldn’t see her face in 
the darkness.  She crossed her arms across her chest and turned her back to him. 
 
 
The suspense was killing him.  Finally, he approached her and, putting his hands 
on her shoulders, he turned her around to face him.  He noticed her face was 
damp with tears.  For a moment, he felt some of the same feelings he had felt 
for her in the beginning.  
 
“What is it?”
 
“I’m pregnant, Nick.”  She leaned into his chest.  
 
He pushed her back.  “What are you saying?”  He looked into her eyes.
 
“I’m saying, we’re gonna have a baby.”
 
Nick turned and walked to the railing.  His mind was spinning.  Jeez, this was 
one fine mess, he thought.  Would he ever quit screwing up?  
 
“You said you were on the pill.”  He gazed out at nothing.  When she didn’t say 
anything, he turned to face her and angrily said, “Didn’t you tell me that?”
 
Quietly she explained, “When my prescription ran out I just didn’t get it 
refilled right away.  Then it just slipped my mind altogether.”  
 
He had to ask.  “Are you sure it’s mine?”  Kelly had been with other men.  And 
they had been split up over two months.  
 
She didn’t answer him.  She just turned away and started to snivel.  
 
Nick shoved his hands in his pockets.  What a mess.  
 
Kelly wiped the tears away and turned to go inside.  Nick didn’t stop her.  He 
watched through the French doors as she went straight for the front door and she 
was gone.  He turned back and looked up into the night sky.  He heard the door 
open, and turned to see Colin standing in the doorway.
 
“Did you see Kelly?  She just went out the door.”  
 
Nick bowed his head, hands still in his pockets.  “Yeah, I saw her,” he said, 
dejectedly.
 
Colin closed the door behind him and sat down in one of the chairs.  “So, what 
did she want?”
 
“She’s pregnant.”
 
“Jesus, man.  I didn’t think you were that fucking stupid.”
 
Nick scowled at Colin.  “Yeah,” he said, lamely.
 
“Whadda ya gonna do?”
 
“I don’t know.  We didn’t talk about it.”
 
“How do you know it’s yours?”
 
“I don’t.”  
 
“Do you think it’s a trap?”
 
Nick looked squarely at Colin.  He had never thought about that.  Kelly had been 
unusually impressed with his financial status.  Had she set him up?  He ran his 
hand through his hair.  What a fucking mess.
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick had stayed another hour at the party but his mind had been on his 
‘problem’.  At 11:20, he checked out of the party.  He had to see Kelly again.  
 
On his way to Kelly’s apartment, he was trying to think of a solution but he 
never once considered being a father to this child.  That was not an option.  He 
had his career to think about and babies were just not in the mix, right now.  
 
Kelly lived in a moderately-priced apartment.  She was a bank employee and they 
didn’t make a whole lot of money.  He listened at the door, and then knocked.  
After a moment, he could hear shuffling behind the door.
 
Kelly opened it with the safety chain in place.  “Nick.  What are you doing 
here?”
 
“I thought we could talk.”
 
She shut the door to remove the chain and then opened it to allow him in.  She 
pulled her cotton robe around her and tied it securely.  She looked like an 
angel, with her hair a mass of curls around her face.  She was barefooted.  
 
“Do you want a drink?”  She asked on her way to the sofa.  
 
“No.”  
 
She curled up on one end of the sofa, tucking her robe around her feet.
 
Nick sat in the chair directly across the coffee table from her.  He leaned over 
with his elbows on his knees.  
 
“I’m sorry, Kelly.  I’m just not ready to be a father.”
 
“That’s fine,” she said, matter-of-factly.  
 
“What are you gonna do?”  
 
“Not much I can do.”
 
“What about an abortion?  I’ll pay for everything.”
 
“That’s awfully generous of you, but I don’t want your money, Nick.  So you 
needn’t worry about that.”
 
“I’m not worried about that,” he lied.  He couldn’t just leave it like this.  
 
“Then why are you here?”  She might not be the brightest, but she had figured 
that Nick would be concerned about having to support a bastard child.  That 
wouldn’t fit his corporate lawyer image.
 
He ran both hands through his hair.  “What do you want from me?” he asked, in 
frustration.
 
“Nothing, Nick.”  She got up from the sofa and walked to the door.  With her 
hand on the door knob, she said, “It’s late.  Maybe you should be going.”  
 
He walked to the door.  Once they had been lovers.  Now they were adversaries.  
He looked into her eyes.  She was resolute.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
On his way home, he kept thinking how his dad would react to this news.  He 
would be livid.  He’d warned him about being promiscuous and the consequences.  
Nick had not learned that lesson very well.  Kelly wasn’t the kind of girl he 
wanted to set up housekeeping with.  
 
At home, he fixed himself a stiff drink.  He sat down in the living room with 
the lights off, trying to think.  Finally, after more than an hour, he was tired 
enough to fall asleep.
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick knocked twice on his father’s office door and then walked in.  “Dad, you 
got a minute?”
 
Burton was poring over a legal volume open on his desk.  “Sure, Nicholas.  Come 
on in.”  He smiled and asked, “So, how’s it going, son?  You getting the hang of 
things around here?”
 
“Yeah,” he said, absently, as he took a seat in the chair across the desk from 
his father.  
 
Burton was leaning back in his chair with a smile on his face.  He counted his 
blessings that Nick had finally decided to come to work for him.  And even 
though they didn’t spend a lot of personal time together, they, at least, saw 
each other at the office.
 
Nick rested his elbows on his knees and looked down at the floor.  He didn’t 
know quite how to begin.
 
“What is it, son?”  Burton asked, after sufficient time had elapsed.
 
“Dad…ah…I…ah”  
 
“Yeah?”  Burton sat up straight in his chair.  There was definitely something 
bothering Nick.
 
Nick finally looked up at his father and said, “Dad.  I got a girl pregnant.”
 
Burton’s smile faded.  He considered the information for a brief moment then 
said, “Jesus, Nicholas.  What were you thinking?”
 
“I guess that’s just it, I wasn’t.”
 
“Are you serious about this girl?”
 
“No.  We broke up over two months ago.”  Now that it was out, he was hoping his 
dad might have some suggestions on how to deal with this.
 
“I take it, she was a casual relationship.”  
 
“Yeah.  Nothing serious.”  
 
“Then how can you be sure it’s yours?”
 
“I guess I can’t.  I know I was seeing other people and I guess I assumed she 
was, too.”
 
With a scowl on his face, Burton ran his hand across the top of his head.  
“Didn’t I warn you about this?”
 
“Yeah,” Nick bowed his head.  
 
“What about an abortion?”
 
“Looks like she’s against that.”
 
“Would she take a cash settlement and just walk away?”
 
“She says she doesn’t want my money.”
 
“Right.”  Burton got up and walked to the window with his hands in his pockets.  
“She just wants to ruin you life.”
 
Nick pondered his father’s remark.  He never considered Kelly as being 
vindictive.  
 
“Why don’t you see if she’ll take, say $20,000, and sign a release of some 
kind?”  
 
“$20,000 won’t raise a kid.”  
 
“What she’ll probably do is take the money and then have the abortion.”  Burton 
turned to face Nick.  
 
He had never realized his father could be so diabolical.
 
Nick really didn’t think Kelly would do that, but then perhaps he was too close 
to the situation to be objective about it. 
 
“That’s what I would do.  Enough money can make anything go away.”  Burton 
returned to his chair.  “I could draft a release for you,” he offered.
 
“Yeah, okay.”  Nick got up to leave.  “Sorry, Dad.”  
 
His father looked up through the top of his glasses and said, “I trust you’ll be 
more careful next time.”
 
Nick nodded and went out the door. 
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick called Kelly to tell her he wanted to stop by her place around 6:30 and 
talk.  She insisted there was nothing else to talk about.  But, he prevailed. 
 
When Kelly opened the door, she was wearing a pair of tiny white shorts and a 
tight fitting T-shirt.  To look at her, she didn’t appear to be pregnant.  
 
“You change your mind?” she asked, as she stood aside to let him in.  She 
noticed him give her the once-over.  
 
She followed his eyes and placed her hand on her abdomen.  “It’s early, yet.  
You want something to drink?”
 
“No.”  He had never seen her in quite so much control.  She was usually so 
emotional about things.  
 
She kicked off her sandals and curled up on the sofa.  He sat across from her.  
 
“I’m prepared to offer you $20,000 if you’ll sign a release absolving me of any 
paternity for this child, now and forever.”
 
“You think you can buy your way out of this, Nick?”  She looked at him 
incredulously.
 
Nick glared back at her.  This had now become a negotiation that he just had to 
win.  He put aside the personal aspects of it in his mind and thought of it only 
as a business deal where he had to prevail.  He was considering his strategy.
 
Kelly finally said, “If I should ever consider a ‘pay-off’ it wouldn’t be for 
$20,000.”  
 
So it was about the money, Nick thought.  He couldn’t stop a smile from crossing 
his lips.  “And what would your buy-out price be?”  
 
“A half million dollars.”  She scanned Nick’s face for a reaction but he was 
already in negotiation mode and his face presented a cool façade, showing no 
emotion.
 
“Well, at least we know what to call this.  Now we’re just haggling over the 
price.”
 
Kelly jumped to her feet.  “You can be so arrogant, Nicholas Fallin.  I said 
‘if’ I were to consider…”  She started for the door and he reached and grabbed 
her arm.  
 
Nick stood up, still holding her arm.  She watched him, warily.  He pulled her 
firmly to him and embraced her.  He then bent to kiss her.  She let him.  He 
kissed her open-mouthed.  She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back.  
Nick felt the passion rising.  He remembered how great they had been, together.  
He ran his hands up under the T-shirt.  She wasn’t wearing a bra.  He caressed 
her firm breasts.  They were both breathing heavily by now.  He couldn’t stop 
himself.  He had to have her.  
 
He swept her up and carried her to the bedroom, kissing her all the way.  He 
removed her T-shirt as she removed his tie and began to unbutton his shirt.  Off 
came his suit jacket which he tossed onto a nearby chair.  He unbuttoned her 
shorts and slipped his hands between them and her skin.  She wasn’t wearing 
panties.  He gently slid them off her hips and they slipped to the floor.  She 
stepped out of them and kicked them to the side.  He tossed his shirt over the 
chair.  His trousers were now down around his ankles.  He gazed at Kelly’s body. 
 Without clothes on, you could see the slightest bulge in her abdomen.  He put 
his hand on her belly and they looked deeply into each other’s eyes.  They 
kissed.  He lifted her onto the bed and then sat down on the edge to remove his 
pants, shoes and socks.  Stepping out of his boxers he lay down on the bed 
beside her.  
 
“I forgot how beautiful you are,” he said, as he brushed a wisp of hair off her 
face.  She smiled and touched his face.  
 
“I’ve missed you, Nick.”  
 
Nick couldn’t remember why they broke up.  It had been a fight over nothing.  
Oh, yeah, he did remember.  She was making more and more demands on his time.  
She wanted their relationship to be exclusive.  
 
He kissed her all over as his passion reached a fever pitch.  
 
She said breathlessly, “Nick, fuck me like you used to when you cared.”  
 
It was 8:20.  They lay exhausted in each other’s arms.  The sex was just as good 
as he remembered.  He had missed that.
 
“Are you hungry, Nick?” she asked, looking into his eyes.
 
“No.”  He kissed her on the top of the head.  “I really need to be going.  I’ve 
got work to do when I get home and it’s already almost nine,” he said, glancing 
at his watch.  
 
He wriggled out from under her grasp and began to dress.  She remained in the 
bed with the sheet drawn up around her naked body.  She loved to watch him 
dress.  He didn’t bother with his tie, stuffing it in his coat pocket.  
 
As he buttoned his jacket, he said, “Ah…Kelly…nothing’s changed about the baby.” 
 He looked at her for her reaction.  
 
“I see.”  She turned over on her back and looked up at the ceiling.  “So, 
$500,000 is out of the question.”
 
Nick stood with his mouth open for a moment.  “Yeah.  $20,000 may be a little 
low.  But, if you get reasonable, I think we can work something out.”
 
“I’ll let you know,” she said, glancing his way.  He was a heartless bastard. “I 
may need to see an attorney.”
 
Nick raised his eyebrows.  “That would mean you’d have to share a percentage 
with him.”  He could see this thing was fast getting out of hand.  “Well, think 
about it.  I’d prefer to deal directly with you.  I think that would be best for 
all concerned.”
 
“Right.  Best for all concerned.”  She was fighting to control her emotions.  
Why had she let him back into her heart?  In the two months since their break-up 
she had finally been able to get through the day without pining for him.  Seeing 
other men had not helped.  It had only made her want him more.  
 
Outside her apartment door, he let out a deep sigh.  He hadn’t handled that very 
well.  He was going to give her a few days to come up with a ‘reasonable’ demand 
then he would know how to proceed.
 
~~~//~~~
 
Less than 30 minutes after Nick left, Kelly answered the knock at the door, 
thinking it might be Nick.  She was surprised.
 
“Johnny.  What the hell are you doing here?  It’s late.”  She turned away from 
the door and walked into the center of the room.  
 
He walked up to her and grabbed her, kissing her roughly.  She pushed him away.  
“I told you there would be none of that stuff.”  
 
“Okay.  Okay.”  He stood back with his hands in the air.  “How’s our little 
scheme coming along?” he asked, with a twinkle in his eye.  Johnny Russo was a 
crass animal as far as Kelly was concerned.  She’d been crazy to get involved 
with him in the first place.  But, after she got pregnant, it was his idea to 
blackmail Nick.  Johnny worked on the docks which accounted for his great 
looking physique.  And even though he only had an 8th grade education, he was 
deviously clever.
 
She had been crazy to have sex with him on the rebound from Nick.  And she’d 
been foolish enough not to use protection.  But, the timing of the pregnancy 
worked out great with the break-up.   
 
Nick had hurt her deeply and this plot seemed a good way to get back at him.  
She did have to admit, though, after they had made love tonight, she almost 
wanted to call it off.  And then Nick had been such an asshole.  
 
 Kelly sat down on the arm of the chair.  “He said he would pay me $20,000 for a 
full release of paternal obligations, now and forever.”
 
“What did I tell you?”  Johnny grinned and jumped around.  “What did you tell 
him?”
 
“I told him a half million.”  Kelly remembered the look on Nick’s face.  
 
“Go for it, baby.”  Johnny laughed.  
 
“Don’t get excited.  He’ll never pay that.  He told me to get reasonable and we 
could deal.”  
 
Johnny flopped down in the armchair.  “Reasonable.  What do you think is 
reasonable?”  
 
“Well, I’ve been thinking.  You have to calculate the actual cost of raising a 
child, then the cost of college expenses and such.  Then there’d be the loss of 
the Fallin fortune.  I figure $250,000 would be reasonable.”  
 
“I never figured my seed would be worth that.”  He licked his lips.  
 
“Well, your ‘seed’ is worth nothing, so don’t get cocky.”  
 
“When are you gonna get back with him?” he was eager to get this thing settled.  
He had plans for his half of the money. 
 
“We didn’t set a time.  He told me to call.”
 
“Well, we don’t have much time, if you’re still planning to have an abortion.”
 
“Yeah, I know.”  
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick was in his father’s office in a discussion with Jake and his dad, when his 
cell phone rang.  He stepped away from the others to answer it.  He saw his 
father cast him a glare.  
 
“Yeah.”  
 
“Nick.  It’s Kelly.”
 
“What do you want?”  He turned his back to the others and lowered his voice.
 
“I’d like to talk again.”
 
“Okay.  Where?”
 
“Do you know Cobbs’ Bar and Grill on 8th?”
 
“Yeah.”
 
“Say about 8:00.”  
 
“Okay.”  Nick replaced his cell phone in his pocket.  He glanced at the others 
and said, “Sorry.”
 
~~~//~~~
 
He was running late.  It was already 8:10 when he arrived at Cobbs’.  As he 
walked through the door, he immediately saw Kelly sitting at the bar, drinking a 
beer, and talking familiarly with the bartender.  He walked up beside her.  
 
“Oh, hi, Nick.  Let’s get a table.”  She picked up her beer and walked to a 
booth near the back.
 
“What did you want to talk about?”
 
“Well, I did some figuring and I think $250,000 would be fair.”  
 
Nick leaned back in the booth and chuckled.  “Do you think you’re dealing with 
an amateur here?”
 
“I just think I’m holding all the cards, Nick.”  
 
He squirmed in his seat.  Where was that sweet girl he had dated for three 
months?  “What guarantee do I have that you will have the baby?”
 
“None,” she said, matter-of-factly.
 
“You do know extortion is a crime?”  Maybe that would scare her into being 
reasonable.
 
“Extortion?  We’re just talking about child-support here, Nick.  I could argue 
that you’ve ruined my life.  I now have to raise a child on my own.  I don’t 
have an Ivy League education like you, so I can’t make the money you do.  I’m 
sure the courts would want to make sure your child has all the advantages he 
would have if you raised him.”
 
Well, she had him.  And what would keep her from coming back for more money, 
release or no release?  The courts would probably throw the release out.  Nick 
drummed his fingers on the table.  
 
“Should you be drinking alcohol?”
 
“You don’t want anything to do with me or the baby and you’re gonna tell me how 
to live my life?  I don’t think so, Nick.”  She got up angrily to leave.  “Think 
about it.  I still have time to get me a good lawyer.”  She stalked out of the 
bar.
 
Nick sat for several minutes, contemplating his options.  He knew Kelly had used 
drugs before and she was still drinking.  If he took her to court he might be 
able to get her declared unfit and then put the child up for adoption.  But that 
could mean a nasty court battle.  He rubbed his head.  It was just getting too 
complicated.  Jesus.  Would he ever learn how to stay out of trouble?
 
After leaving the bar, he decided to drive to Kelly’s and try to talk some sense 
into her.  He pulled up and parked at the curb across the street from her 
apartment.  She lived on the second floor in the front.  He glanced up and saw 
two people talking in the second floor window.  It was covered by a sheer drape 
so the figures were silhouetted but he could tell they were a man and a woman.  
He assumed the woman was Kelly.  The man embraced her.  Nick wrinkled his brow.  
What was going on?
 
On a hunch, Nick removed his cell phone from his pocket, and dialed Butch 
McFerrin’s number.  He continued to watch the window.  
 
“Hello.”
 
“Butch, Nick Fallin, here.”  
 
“Hey, I haven’t heard from you since you called to say you’d moved back to 
Pittsburgh.  How have you been?”
 
“Good.  How ‘bout yourself?”
 
Butch was ex-FBI.  He had moved back to Pittsburgh, his hometown, from New York 
City.  Nick had discovered his talents while working for Swann & Cranston.  
 
“Oh, I’m okay I guess.  This isn’t just a social call, is it Nick?”
 
“No.  Are you busy right now?”
 
“No.  Just walked in the house; getting ready to fix myself a drink.”  
 
“Would you mind if I came over?  I’m not too far from your place now.”
 
“No.  Come on over.  It’d be nice to see you again.”
 
Nick pulled up outside Butch McFerrin’s modest red brick house.  It was an 
established neighborhood, which was nicely maintained.  Nick knew that Butch had 
moved back home to tend to his ailing mother.  Perhaps this was her home.
 
Butch opened the door and grabbed Nick’s hand, shaking it vigorously.  “Come on 
in, Nick.  What can I get you to drink?”
 
“Bourbon’s fine.”  He poured a shot in a glass and handed it to Nick.  
 
“Have a seat.”  
 
“I guess you have plenty of work to do?”  
 
“Yeah.  It hasn’t been too difficult getting started.  So, how’s it going?  
Working for your dad?”  
 
“Well, it has its ups and downs, if you know what I mean,” he smiled.  
 
“Yeah.  Fathers will be fathers.”  He took a sip of his drink.
 
“Yeah.  I came to see you about a job.”
 
“Okay.  Shoot.”
 
Nick was a little embarrassed.  Finally, he just said, “There’s a girl who’s 
trying to extort money from me, claiming I’m the father of her unborn child.”  
 
“And are you?”  Butch asked, candidly.
 
Nick looked away and then back.  “At first, I didn’t question it.  But, tonight 
I saw her with another man.  It just seemed odd.  And I get the feeling that 
she’s being coached by someone.  I thought at first she might have a lawyer but, 
if so, he should be talking directly to me.”
 
“So you want me to check this other man out and do some checking on her, too?”
 
“Yeah, that’s right.”
 
“What kinda money we talkin’ about?  What did she ask for?”
 
“She started out with $500,000 and now she’s at $250 grand.”
 
“Jeez, man.  You make that kinda money?”  
 
In answer, Nick simply grinned and shrugged his shoulders.
 
Butch laughed.  “I can see I’m in the wrong business.  I’d be glad to help you 
out, Nick.”
 
Nick provided Butch with as much information as he had on Kelly and her friends 
and associates.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
Through the next week, every time the phone rang, Nick expected it to be Butch, 
or worse, Kelly. 
 
On the way home, Thursday, he decided to run by Colin’s.  He rapped the code on 
the apartment door. 
 
Colin peeked out and then opened the door to let him in.  “Nick.  What brings 
you here?”  
 
Nick looked around.  There were a couple girls lolled on his sofa and two guys 
playing pool.  Colin always had company.
 
“Can I talk to you for a sec?”  Nick headed for the balcony.  Once outside, he 
turned to Colin.  
 
“I need to ask you something.  Do you remember when Kelly and I broke up?”
 
“Was that in May?”  
 
“Yeah, I think it was.”
 
“Yeah, why?”
 
“Did she ever come around with another guy, after that?”
 
“Yeah, sure.  She came around with several different guys.  But I did see her 
several times with a dock worker.  I think that’s what she said he was.  Really 
built, you know what I mean?”  Colin winked.  Everyone knew that Colin was 
AC/DC.  Lucky for Colin he had never come on to Nick.  
 
“You’re saying she spent more time with him?”  
 
“Yeah.”  
 
“Do you know what dock he worked at?”
 
“No, but I think she did call him Johnny.  Yeah.  It was Johnny.  Never got his 
last name.  In fact, Nick, she brought him around a couple times before you guys 
broke up.”
 
“Are you sure?”  
 
“Yeah.  I didn’t say anything ‘cause I just figured it was a casual relationship 
between you two.  I mean, you were with other girls, too.”
 
“Yeah.”  Nick was thinking.  “Thanks, Colin.”  He turned to leave.
 
On the way to the front door, Colin asked, “Nick, do you need a re-supply?  Got 
some good stuff I just got in.”  
 
“No, I’m good.”  
 
In his car, Nick dialed Butch.  He left a message on his voice mail.
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick didn’t receive a call back from Butch until Friday morning.  
 
“Nick.  Sorry I didn’t get back with you last night.  I didn’t get in ‘til after 
midnight.  I figured the call could wait until this morning.  What’s up?”
 
“Hold on a sec, Butch.”  Nick put his phone on the desk and went to lock his 
office door.  Back on the phone, he said, “I might have a lead on the guy.”  He 
related the information he had learned at Colin’s.  He had not given Colin’s 
name and address to Butch as a source.  As far as Nick knew, Butch did not know 
he was into drugs and he wanted to keep it that way.  As ex-law enforcement, it 
might put Butch in an ethical bind.
 
“I think I’ve found your man, Nick.  He works down at Dock 39 for Pittsburgh 
Stevedores.  His name is Johnny Russo.  According to the girl’s neighbors, he’s 
been coming around her place for maybe four months.  Are you thinking what I’m 
thinking?”
 
“I could be, if you’re thinking this guy might be the real father.  What can we 
do now?”
 
“This Russo has a lengthy petty crime record.  There’s an outstanding warrant 
for him from West Virginia; parole violation.  And you might be surprised; the 
girl also has a record.  She’s been picked up for drugs and shop-lifting.  She 
was fined and released on both occasions.”
 
“Can we lean on them?”  Nick was beginning to think like a criminal.
 
“It might work, Nick.  I believe they’re both in this over their heads.  Have 
you got another meeting planned?”
 
“No, she hasn’t called.  It’s been almost a week.  She’s probably waiting for me 
to call.”  
 
“I think she’s just trying to make you sweat.  Just wait for her to call.”  
 
“Okay.  What should I do then?”
 
“When she calls you back, tell her you’re not going to deal.”
 
“What?”  
 
“That will likely send them into a panic.  They’ll probably get together and 
that’s when I’ll show up.  You just give me a call and let me know when you hear 
from her.”  
 
“It just might work.  Okay.  I’ll wait for her call.”  
 
As luck would have it, Nick got the call from Kelly later that afternoon, around 
3:10.  
 
“Nick.  It’s Kelly.  I thought you were going to call me.”  
 
Nick hesitated.  “Well, Kelly.  I’ve decided not to deal.  I’m gonna take my 
chances.”
 
“What does that mean, Nick?”  She sounded suddenly stressed.
 
“It means I’m not paying your blackmail.”  He hung the phone up for added 
affect.
 
He turned right around and immediately called Butch.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
It was 8:30 when Kelly opened the door to let Johnny in.  
 
“What the hell happened?” he asked.  
 
Kelly was pacing the floor.  “I was afraid of this.  Nick is no dummy.  What if 
he calls the cops?”
 
“Calm down.  We gotta keep our heads.”  He began chewing on his finger.  
 
A knock came at the door.  They both stopped suddenly and looked at each other. 
 
At the door, Kelly asked, “Who is it?”
 
“Mr. Warren.”
 
Johnny looked quizzically at Kelly and mouthed, “Who’s that?”
 
Kelly whispered, “The resident manager.”
 
“What do ya want?” Kelly asked, through the door.
 
“We have a plumbing leak in the apartment below.  I just need to check your 
pipes to see if it’s coming from your apartment.”  
 
Kelly opened the door.  She didn’t recognize the man standing there before her 
dressed totally in black and wearing sunglasses, inside the building at 8:30 at 
night.
 
He muscled his way through the door and shut it behind him.  He carefully 
removed his sunglasses and put them in his breast pocket.  
 
“You’re not the manager,” Kelly said, concerned.  “Who are you?”
 
“You don’t need to know ‘who’ I am but you do need to know that I am here on 
behalf of my client, Nick Fallin.”
 
They both sucked in their breath and moved closer together.  
 
“What do you want?”
 
“My client wants you to cease and desist.  I believe he’s already told you that 
extortion is a crime.”
 
“Are you threatening us?”  Johnny was finally able to speak.  Butch’s mere size 
and presence was frightening.  
 
“Not unless you think contacting West Virginia about an open warrant is a 
threat?”
 
Johnny quaked.  
 
Butch continued.  “Now I believe it’s safe to assume that Mr. Fallin is being 
railroaded.  In case you haven’t heard, law enforcement now uses DNA testing.”
 
The two conspirators looked at each other.  “Okay.   What if we drop it?”   They 
were both worried.
 
“Well, in order to tie up the loose-ends, I would like for you both to give me a 
recorded statement detailing your blackmail scheme.”  Butch produced a small 
recorder.  
 
They looked at each other.  “I don’t know,” Kelly said.  
 
“Okay.  I guess the local authorities might be interested in what happened.”  
Butch turned to leave.  
 
“Wait.  Wait,” Johnny said.  To Kelly he said, “This would be better than 
getting the police involved.”
 
They both agreed and sat down with Butch to provide the statement.  
 
Johnny said, as Butch was preparing to leave.  “Can you guarantee this won’t get 
into the hands of the cops?”  
 
“No I can’t.”  He grinned and walked out the door.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
Nick had waited for Butch’s call all afternoon and into the evening.  He was 
really getting antsy.  He’d already had three drinks and was beginning to worry. 

 
Finally, the phone rang.  He yanked up the receiver.  “Hello.”
 
“Nick.”
 
“Yeah, Butch.”  
 
“I would say you can put this one to bed.  I have a tape of their confession 
which I’ll keep in your file.  I want to watch them for the next couple of days, 
though, just to make sure they don’t have anything funny up their sleeves.” 
 
“Okay.”  Nick breathed a sigh of relief.  “Thanks, Butch.”  
 
~~~//~~~
 
As Nick strolled by his father’s office, Monday morning, he saw Burton beckon 
for him to come in.  He went in and closed the door behind him.  
 
“Have a seat, son.”  
 
Nick sat down as ordered.  
 
“What have you done about that little problem you had?”  Burton asked, his 
expression serious.
 
“It’s squared away.”  He now regretted ever telling his father about it.  
 
“What did you have to pay her?”
 
“Nothing.” 
 
“Oh?”  He raised his eyebrows.  
 
“Turns out I wasn’t the father.  It was a big extortion plot.”  
 
“How did you find that out?”  
 
“I hired a private detective.”
 
“Good.  Good.”  Burton was pensive.  After a moment, he added, “Nicholas, I’ve 
spent a lifetime building this Firm and my reputation.  I don’t need you, in a 
moment of…bad judgment, to destroy and dishonor the Fallin name and that of this 
Firm.  I hope you realize that your status with the Firm and in this community 
puts you at risk for this kind of thing.  I trust you’ve learned that lesson.”
 
Nick glared back at his father but didn’t respond.  After a moment he got up to 
leave. At the door, Burton called out to him.
 
“Nicholas.  Maybe you should start seeing nice girls of your own social class.  
You know you’re not getting any younger.”
 
He glanced back at his father and went out the door.  
 
~~~//~~~
 
Just before the office closed for the day, Nick got a call from Butch.
 
“Nick.  I just wanted to bring you up to date on our project.  The girl visited 
a clinic first thing this morning and the guy apparently got the wanderlust.  He 
bought himself a bus ticket and is headed west.”  
 
“Great.  I really appreciate it, Butch.  Thanks.”  He hung up the phone slowly 
and leaned back in his chair.  He’d dodge a bullet this time.  His father was 
right.  He would have to be more careful.  Carrying the Fallin name could be a 
heavy burden. 
 
~~~~~~~~
THE END