Cooper walked purposefully back to the car, intending to return directly to the rental house he and his family were currently occupying.  Not that he originally expected to have his family with him at all.  After his informative meeting with Doris nearly week ago, Cooper had decided to rent a hotel closer to Hummels office.  It was more efficient then making the 3-hour drive from their current home to the office however many times hed need to. In addition, Cooper needed to be close and accessible. Who knew when hed get an opportunity to get close to Blaine?  Despite his best intentions, Cooper found himself believing Blaine was there. He knew it was probably just desperation, but he couldnt help it. This was the closest hed been to his brother in years.

Jessi had made a different call. Shed decided that this was a great opportunity for a family vacation. Cooper had tried telling his wife that it wasnt a good idea, but shed booked them a small house on the outskirts of L.A. while Cooper was still in the midst of his argument. Cooper didnt admit that he was relieved that she would be with him.

After some consideration, Cooper had decided to ask Doris to stay out of things with Hummel for the moment.  If Blaine really was here, Cooper wanted everything to be completely above board and Doris was frequently on the wrong side of the grey area when it came to legalities.  She had acquiesced, telling him to let her know if he changed his mind. If Hummel did have his brother, and refused to sell him, Cooper may just call her in. He had a feeling she wasnt above a little theft for the right circumstances.

Cooper had called to request an immediate meeting at the Hummel Designs studio as soon as possible.  When the receptionist had balked, hed driven there and asked in person.  What doors his fairly new name didnt open usually flew wide when he turned on the looks and charm.  This instance had proven no exception and hed secured a last minute appointment with Mr. Kurt Hummel himself for that evening.

Hed been an hour early, waiting by the car and forcing himself not pace.  Cooper just sat there, clutching a copy of the old bill of sale that Doris had found with his brothers old photo, becoming increasingly nervous. 

Now that hed finally found someone who might know something about his brother, Cooper had realized that he had no idea what to say. He was fairly certain that grabbing the designer by the shoulders and shaking him while screaming "DID YOU BUY BLAINE?!" was probably not the most effective method.

As hed waited for his appointment, Cooper repeatedly reminded himself this could be nothing. For all Cooper knew, Kurt Hummel had bought $15,000 dollars worth of artwork from the hotel. Or, maybe hed just really loved their towels.  The receipt didnt specify what the man had paid the hotel for.  But damn it, Hummel fit into the timeline perfectly.  Maybe the man had bought his brother but subsequently sold him? It didnt matter, Cooper decided, anything at all was progress at this point.  Taking several slow, deep breaths, Cooper calmed himself, straightened his outfit, and prepared to charm the socks off the Hummel Designs receptionist.  Hell, maybe he could blue-eye Hummel while he was at it; didnt most fashion guys swing that way?

************************

Coopers evening session with the designer had gone about how hed expected.  On the bright side, Hummel was definitely of the persuasion to appreciate Coopers Disney Prince attributes.  Which was actually a pretty decent advantage.  Cooper wasnt above asking the man out for drinks if it might get him some information.  If Cooper had one true gift in the world, it was flirting. He knew Jessi would allow it. She had two brothers and a younger sister of her own and staunchly supported Coopers efforts to find Blaine.

Despite his initial instinct to hate Hummel on principle, Cooper had to admit that he seemed to be a genuinely nice person.  He found a brief moment of peace thinking of this guy owning his brother instead of that damn hotel. Then hed thought about the man actually making Blaine service him, and Cooper...well it was a good thing he was an actor and knew how to conceal his emotions.  As much as hed wanted to demand that Hummel tell him right then and there if he knew anything about Blaine, he knew he had to keep himself firmly in check.

At the present time, Kurt Hummel was much more successful than Cooper and didnt need the actors name or money to forward his career.  Antagonizing Kurt this early on would serve no purpose.  Anyway, Cooper would need to come back to the office again for fittings and he could subtly ask around then.

Cooper was about to get in his car to leave when he realized that hed left his hat in Hummels office.  He briefly considered leaving it, but it was his favorite; Jessica had bought it for him. With a heavy sigh, he shut his car door and turned back, hoping the doors werent locked yet.

They werent. Cooper heard the telltale sounds of industrial vaccuums as the cleaning staff worked.  He made his way back to Kurt Hummels office without any one noticing him.  The door was cracked open and he heard faint voices inside.  Apparently Hummel worked late hours.  Cooper raised his hand to knock, but froze when he made out some of the muffled words coming from inside.

A breathless tenor: Please, Master..."
Then the much higher pitched..."Open wide...take my dick."

Cooper felt liked hed been kicked in the chest by a mule.  That first voice sounded so much like Blaines.  And Hummels high tone was immistakable.  Maybe it wasnt Blaine. There were a lot of slaves out there.  And Cooper was well aware that he was hardly the picture of objectivity.  He gently pushed the door open a tiny bit, peering inside. He could see Hummel clearly. The designer was looking down, tightly fisting the dark curls of the slave kneeling between his legs.  Cooper could only see the man on the ground from the back, but he looked like Blaine.  So much.  The slave was wearing short, tight sleeves and his upper arms bulged with subtle muscle as he clutched at the thighs his head was locked between. Blaine hadnt been that built.  It was unlikely that the slave was him.  Cooper held his breath.  Please dont be him.  This was the first time hed ever wished for someone to NOT be his little brother.

And then Cooper heard it:

"Thats it, Blaine...so good."

It took every fiber in his being for Cooper not to throw open the door, punch Kurt Hummel in the face as hard as he could, and drag his little brother away to safety. But he couldnt take care of his brother, or his family, from a jail cell.  And that bastard Hummel wasnt doing anything remotely illegal.

Seething, his abdomen churning like hed swallowed snakes, Cooper abandoned his hat and raced back to his car while he still had some semblance of control left in him.  He barely made it to the parking lot before losing it.  He paced back and fourth in a shadowed corner of the lot by his car, the copy of Blaines paperwork crumpled in his fist.

His fucking parents! Blaine was fine, theyd promised.  Happy and content serving some nice family in a big house.  That was such bullshit.  No, Blaine had spent years being routinely raped at a hotel and now was forced to service some self-important, scrawny fashion designer.  Cooper took several slow, deep breaths, locking his arms around his torso so he didnt punch the car.  Once he had his anger under sufficient control that he wouldnt cause damage to his car, himself, or fucking Kurt Hummel, Cooper pulled out his phone and called his wife.

"Cooper? Hey, hun, when are you going to get back? The kids..."

"Jess," Cooper interrupted roughly.

"Honey, whats wrong? Talk to me. Are you crying?"  She sounded worried, outraged, and dangerous.

Cooper hadnt married her for her gentleness.  Though she was a kind person, Jessi was tough as nails and protective as hell over those she loved.  And she had the kick-boxing credentials to back it up.

"Jessi, hes here. I saw him."