Brother Mine
Chapter 1 Manhunt
After meeting with Deon's little rebirth of the Vargo Recording company and securing a nice paycheck for Wolfe, Salvatore was very happy with himself. He'd helped that idiot Alex out of a jam and would now help direct the snatch. Deon surprisingly had the manpower, but the "new don" thought too small, his idea would have failed and blown back on everyone involved. He had no leverage for his damn plan. With Benjamin about to be six feet under now, the "new don" had no voice to the underworld of this area or any other area for that matter. Alex walks to his car and gets in the back seat. Meeting Alex's gaze in the rearview Salvatore snarls "If you don't get your ass in the front seat right now, I'll come back there and personally put you in the trunk, that is the only way I will ever look like your chauffeur." Alex complies and asks him to go over the plan again. "I don't repeat myself. You were there." Alex says he still didn't have the real hideout of Deon. "If this works, he'll invite you to his kitchen table. He's paying us a very handsome sum and supplying us with surprisingly skilled people. It has been nothing short of fun smuggling his men out of the state. It's been a long time since I helped orchestrate a freelance operation this large."
Alex wondered why Salvatore, Wolfe's number one soldier was suddenly so involved. "From what I heard, you didn't like this plan what changed?" Salvatore says not that it was any of his business, but he wanted to complete a few missions in one and this was the best plan of action to get it done. "We don't have den back up on this won't Wolfe skin us if he finds out?" Sal says then it would be a great plan to stick with his plan and not rat him out again because if he went down, he was taking them all down with him. "Fair enough."
That night after speaking with Jonathon at his home, Angel returns to Ivey Mansion. Joshua is called away to the club Larry the night manager called in saying he was under the weather. Joshua speaks as he puts on his owner's jersey style shirt. "In all the years I've known him, he's never used a sick day, but he sounded wrecked. JC is asleep in our room." Angel tells him to please be extra careful. Joshua walks over, kisses her she held on to him for seconds longer than usual, as she disengaged herself, he replies to her earlier words, "Will do." She drops her truck key fob into his hand, he heads out the front door. She stands at the door and watches as he drives her truck out of the gate with Andrew and the team behind him. For some unknown reason, she watched until the taillights of the last car following him disappeared into the darkness. She kept telling herself that he had Andrew and his team with him he would be fine.
Minutes after they arrived Andrew went to his usual seat near the bar, so he could watch Davenport and the crowd. The bar had another bartender, but she wasn't a manager or an owner. Davenport tells her to man the bar and he'd do the rest. Andrew sent his team to do an outside check. They got an oversized party of 25 at the last minute in the entertainment room. Davenport was everywhere. There wasn't a live show tonight, so it would just serve as more space for the spoiled 25 newly minted 21-year-olds. You could tell from them all ordering the best and newest liquor combos and flashing their IDs with pride. Andrew kept a steady track of Davenport's movement. Something seemed out of place in the back. Andrew waves at Davenport, when he catches his attention, he points towards the offices telling him, he was going to walk the management lounge area. Davenport nodded and signaled that he would stay in plain view of the other agent that had just come back in.
After arriving Joshua put in his earpiece and calls Angel as he moves around the club keeping after the hostess and the servers. "Yeah babe, what a night for Larry to get sick, I think he saw this coming. I got a large party of newly minted 21-year-old guys and girls. Shit, this takes me back and I hope we weren't this damn entitled, they've already asked to be moved twice. One claimed it was too hot, one claims it's too cold. It's Texas in June at night what the hell do they expect, wanting to sit out on the patio?" Angel says if he needed her she'd get Paula or Janet to watch JC and come help him however she could. Joshua didn't want Angel coming down here that would mean another team would have to be put together on the fly, and the leader of that team would be another unknown. With Bobby off recuperating, Harold back over near New York, and Andrew already here it was just too much that could go wrong. He still didn't know who was directly behind the hacker activity and didn't want to risk the computer attacks to become physical ones. Deon was still out there in hiding and wanting to do his wife and best friend harm. If not, Deon there was also Alex, though Joshua had stopped saying much about what worried him about Alex's words to him, he still thought it best to go with the idea of just because he was paranoid didn't mean there was nothing to fear. Andrew had let him know that Alex was out on bond because of a high dollar lawyer with "allegedly" corrupt connections with a few of the sitting judges of this area. Also, his wife was an owner true enough, but other than sometimes helping in the early evening with drink orders and serving Angel didn't work well in this type of crowd. "No, if it gets too out of control here, I'll call Vashon. He's closer and I really don't want you out alone." She asked about Candy. "With Candy living in Dallas now, it wouldn't be fair of me to ask her." Angel gets mad at him and says then it sounded like she was going to be calling their friend Candy because it was equally unfair for him to have to be the only one there that can do most of the shit that had to be done. Angel reminds him that he is not solo management anymore and if he didn't want her up there in the next 20 minutes he would call one of their partners to help him. "I got this, I've been doing this for a while babe, I know what I'm doing," Angel says even Michael had him and Vash to help on hard nights. Seeing that she was going to keep after him, or show up in under a half hour he figured he'd give in as to not start a fight he couldn't win. "You know what, you are very stubborn, but I'll call Vash right now ok." She says ok and tells him to be extra careful. That last sentence brought out why she was angry she was worried about him being out. "I will babe please don't worry yourself too bad about this. It isn't the best of timing but shit like this happens. I'm sure if Larry could be here, he would but right now he can't. Even ex-marines can't be healthy all the time. I'm just glad we hadn't started the tour yet or we would have to shut down tonight." Andrew caught his attention and he signaled that he would stay near the bar for a few minutes. Angel must have entered their bedroom because Jonathon-Chase was not only awake now but screaming his head off. Angel says she was going to have to put him on speaker phone JC was soaked and angry. That was Joshua's cue to lower the volume in his headset. "Done, go for it." As he hears the sound change of her putting him on speaker phone, he sang his son's song to him ending with. "He's my Johnny-Chase, my best friend." Joshua looked around and wondered where Andrew had gone to. He then sang the song again but this time he walked to the kitchen and pulled up the inventory since the head chef asked him for the key to the fridge/freezer to pull more food. He checks his key ring and found the food storage key missing. He holds up a hand as he walks back out toward the offices. Pulling his phone, he watched the screen.
The song though meant for their child, hearing the song her father used to sing to her minus using their son's name always filled Angel with a remembered warmth. Angel tells her mate just over a whisper. "Do it again, he's dry, fed, and smacking his lips now." Joshua sings the song that seemed to work like it had worked on her more than two decades ago. Halfway through the second verse, she turned the camera around and sent him a video message request to let Joshua see his work in action.
Angel wants to share a video Message Accept or Deny
Joshua hits accept and watches their baby stop smacking his lips, his fist unclenched, he shut his eyes with a contented smile, soon his face relaxed in sleep. She lays JC back in the portable crib. Joshua ends the song and the camera came to rest on his wife's face as she told him she would be up if he needed to chat but right now she needed a shower while JC was asleep. Joshua saw the tiredness in her gaze even though she tried to hide it. "I'll be fine go grab you a shower and I'll be home as soon as we close babe." She blows him a kiss, he mocks catches it and puts it on his mouth with a mirthful gaze at his camera. They close the call and though he'd sang and helped her calm JC he still wished that he was there instead of at work. It was funny how life played games with what you wanted. Two years ago, his depression was at an all-time high, his band was with a company that wasn't producing them well. His office was like a second home he stayed here so much avoiding going to his own home, where it was just him and the demons of his past to ride his couch in fitful sleep unless he took the medicine to knock him out. Without the med his mind would be on super alert all fucking night with it he'd been fighting off dreams and remembrances of his time there as a child. Then his luck started changing. Angel came back to him, which evened out his temper and raised his mood. Last year was rough at times but worth the ride. He texts Andrew.
Davenport J: Hey I'm heading to my office for the keys to the cooler and freezer to fill the chef's order.
Moments earlier Andrew walks back towards Larry's office the manager had called in sick that's why Davenport was here. The light was on under the door. He lifts his finger to his shirt-com to speak to his team. A voice behind him tells him not to move or his twin sister and her children would be in pieces all over Florida. Andrew froze. "You're making a big mistake buddy." Andrew tries to see if he can see the reflection of the speaker. "You won't get out of here." The mention of his sister alarmed him. The fact that this person knew he had a twin, disturbed him and that he knew where she lived scared the living fuck out of him. The guy says blah blah about hurting a federal family. His twin sister was pregnant with her fourth kid her husband got called away on a mission about two weeks ago. Her husband was a higher-ranking officer than Andrew, there was no telling where he was right now. All he knew was that his brother in law worked for a branch of homeland security. The guy puts a gun to Andrew's back.
"You try to warn your men or try any of the funny hand to hand crap and you won't be alive to mourn your sister," Stark demands proof of life. "Absolutely, I'm a lot of things but a liar isn't one of them." The man pulls a phone with his other hand and says "Show me the woman. She's very afraid not a good look for such an at-risk pregnant woman."
Andrew felt his blood run cold with trepidation. Whoever held him at gunpoint had his sister captive. It was recent as this morning because she is holding a newspaper with today's date on it. This was why he never married, this was why he was glad his family moved out of Texas so that stuff like this didn't happen, but someone had done their fucking homework, and found the only family he had left on this planet. He'd been so careful anytime he went to Florida to visit them. "Andrea!" His sister lifts her gaze to the camera, her mouth is covered with tape, and he sees that someone has a gun to her head but isn't in view of the camera. Tears well in her eyes and harsh breathing can be heard as she breathes through her nose. The person at his back says for her captures to show the Agent his nieces and nephew. Saying he wanted to show Andrew what all was at stake. The images change to a split screen. Someone had attached a bodycam to themselves, and he watched as someone points a gun at his sister's children as they slept in their parent's bed. Andrew was trained to notice details. The camera quality and the extra lengths these people were going through to scare him was not cheap and very effective. Just over a whisper, he says. "What do you want?" Andrea shakes her head no. Her hair is pulled until she is looking at the barrel of the gun. He hoped that she had not seen their faces because if so this would be a fatal flaw with her use of the false bravado warning him off by shaking her head.
"I want your cooperation is all. If I don't get it. Then this little family will be infamous I'm sure your brother in law will stop at nothing to track down who had a hand in the deaths of his family, imagine his reaction when he finds proof that you could have stopped it singlehandedly. Of course, that is if I let you live tonight."
Andrew couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard a slight accent in the voice speaking at his back. Some words were dropped some had a lift that they did not deserve. Was he Irish? "I'll ask you again, what do you want?" He is told what is expected of him and then told that if he pulled it off his family would not be murdered tonight." They wanted Davenport. His fucking charge of five months officially. The male that he was supposed to be protecting via his shiny new title of close protection agent. What it boiled down to was that he was going to be giving up his job for his bloodline. A text message comes in from Joshua Davenport telling him his movements since Davenport would have noticed by now that he hadn't come back out into the club's public area to watch him. Andrew holds up the phone. "What do I say?" the man tells him how to respond. Andrew types.
Andrew: OK I'll meet you at the cooler.
As the gunman takes his phone out of Andrew's view and stops the image of his sister and her children. Andrew had to stop thinking about this from a personal standpoint. His sister was a hostage and so were her children. Andrew never felt so fucked over in his life. It was time possibly to end his professional life and his natural one when his field commander found out. An idea pops into his head there were cameras all over this place. Some of which he didn't even know where. Andrew is urged to walk towards the cooler. He noticed he was alone. No need to have him at gunpoint any longer if he didn't do this, his family's blood would be on his hands and if his brother in law didn't hunt him down the guys that were doing this he had no doubt would make good on putting a bullet through his head. Davenport walks around the corner and towards him. As Davenport talks about the large group and collects things on the list he was reading from on his phone. Andrew followed the plan. On what seemed to be the last trip Andrew hated himself for what he was about to do. As Davenport turns to exit the cooler Andrew before he can stop himself meets Davenport's gaze throws a package in the cooler and says "Sorry" as he slams the large metal door shut trapping Davenport in the cooler. He can hear Davenport for a time beating and then nothing. Andrew was following orders, holding the door closed so if Davenport tripped the safety airlock release, it would malfunction.
Andrew's phone rings. He answers and is met with the same voice. "Still trying to cover your ass I see. Nice touch apologizing to the man that probably thinks you've just killed him. The package we had you throw in will make this very easy for us. So, thank you." Stark asks did he just kill his charge. "Of course not, unless you want to, if not you may want to get him out of there. This is a timed affair. Your charge's business partner is here I do hope your acting improves for Davenport's sake. Oh, and if you try tipping off anyone you will watch my men kill your family. Time is not your friend." Andrew opens the door prepared to possibly fight off Davenport. It was the cooler, not the freezer. Upon opening the door there is a white smoke like substance that rolls out along the ground. Davenport was on his back. Andrew rushed in not even caring what the smoke was if they wanted him to get his charge out of here alive they wouldn't kill him in the process they wanted him to hang for his crime he was their scapegoat.
He knew he didn't have much time. The shit was making him dizzy which explained why Davenport was laid out on the ground in the minutes he'd held the fucking door closed. Andrew checks for a pulse feels one and quickly picks up Davenport and manages to carry him out of the cooler. One of his team members approaches him asking what was wrong with Mr. Davenport. "Help me get him in the office." Just as they get Davenport onto the couch in his office a knock is heard at the door. Andrew tells his team member to tell them that Davenport is busy and then get the team ready to head back to Ivey Mansion. The agent nodded and ran out of the office. Davenport was starting to come around. If this didn't work Andrew would be dead anyway. He had to try. "Nice to see you awake." Davenport tries to jump to his feet no doubt to take a swing at him, which was the least he would deserve but he guessed the smoke hadn't worn off enough because Davenport missed hitting him and face planted the floor. He hears Davenport talking to himself telling himself to get up. Andrew cuffed his charge and says. "No, you might want to stay down there."
Candy and Bradley walk to Joshua's door and is met by one of the teams that refuses to let them in. They walk away pissed that Joshua seemed to be playing games, Candy was called to come help with the party of new adults and the usual rush on a Friday. Bradley called his brother to find out why he was using the close protection team as his own personal gatekeepers. It goes to voicemail. "Look, bro, we came to help I know the shit about Alex has you freaked but this is insane. Call us back." Candy says almost too low to hear that she really hoped that wasn't the reason he wouldn't see them. "What does that mean?" Bradley asks as they enter the bar area.
Back in Joshua's office, he lays on the floor in fucking handcuffs trying to muster enough strength up to get off the ground. One while he was in the cooler thinking that his life was over, and the next Andrew is cuffing him in his office telling him to stay on the floor. "What did he pay you? Or did he even have to?" Andrew says nothing. "Why did you lock me in the fucking cooler?" Still nothing. Joshua manages to lift his gaze onto the man that was supposed to be protecting him. Andrew's phone rings he listens as Andrew says yes. "Yes, what?" Joshua had one more chance to get out of this. "The video is going to send your career down the toilet. I should have known. He did say someone close to me, nice play on words." Andrew crosses to behind his desk and thanks him or was he still speaking to the person on the phone. Was it Alex? Joshua at least didn't feel weighted or like he was going to pass out anymore. While keeping an eye on Andrew, he reaches into his back pocket, grabbed his phone, and tries to dial it without looking, it rings in his hand. Andrew ran over and snatched it. Bradley was calling him. Andrew took the phone apart.
Andrew moves back behind Joshua's desk and went to work viewing and erasing the video. The man that held him at gunpoint and spoke to him wasn't on the video from that timeframe. Andrew looked as he deleted any trace of his action. Seeing himself hold the door closed rocked him. He had to get Davenport into his vehicle and out of here before the team got wise to what was going on. Yes, he was their leader, but he couldn't have a federal team follow him into the unemployment line. The person speaking to him other than Davenport, tells him how to go about it. This night just kept getting better and better. Andrew thankfully hears the person hang up. "If you don't shut up this nut is going to kill us both." Davenport didn't believe him, and he didn't have time to try to convince him like the guy said this was a timed affair. By daybreak in Florida, his time would run out if he didn't get Joshua Davenport to the location. He was in this way over his head as it was he walks over and tries to haul Davenport to his feet. Davenport surprised him by kicking him in the back of his knee sending him to the ground. "We don't have time for this," Andrew says as he punches Davenport in the side of the head. Not even a year ago the idea of punching Joshua would have not filled him with as much regret as it did just now. Andrew could tell he'd rung Davenport's bell. "You need to stop fighting me I have to do this. This isn't personal." Another knock sounds Davenport goes to yell for help. Andrew pulled his taser and stunned Davenport. "I warned you to shut up." When the "supposed" agent walked in he asked was that him pointing at Davenport. "Well, he's the one in handcuffs." The prongs were still attached where he'd hit Davenport with the juice. The agent helps him get Devonport up. "My ride is back there."
Now in the back seat of Andrew's sedan, Joshua couldn't believe this shit was happening. How many people on that fucking STOP team was Alex paying? It had to be Alex because if it was someone that wanted him dead he'd be dead already. Andrew could have just left him in the cooler. He had no way of getting out, Andrew slammed the door in his face locking him in the cooler as the lights turned out, he'd panicked after not being able to get the safety airlock, unlocked. He'd felt lightheaded soon after. He'd smelled something but hadn't put two and two together. The package that Andrew tossed at him must have contained dry ice. He was just glad that the cooler was larger than most walk-ins and Andrew pulled him out or he would have died from the exposer. This was very confusing why did Andrew apologize? Though he thinks it's Alex he could never be too sure. He kind of hoped it was Alex because then the other agents that were working for Andrew would have no reason to go to his home. The STOP team wasn't allowed on the grounds of Ivey Mansion, but Andrew and the other lead close protection agents were. Alex had said that he could use him to get what he needed. Did Joshua want to do this no. He also didn't want Alex going after Angel for JC's stem cells. The other agent that was helping Andrew, Joshua had never seen before. He was sure of it. Bradley had called his phone before Andrew dismantled it. How long would it take his brother and his friend to realize he wasn't at the club anymore? Too many questions raced for purchase, he had to think. He was handcuffed in the back seat of a federal agent's car. Both were armed, and Andrew knew him, so the element of surprise wasn't there. He tried to remember which way they turned but knew his memory wasn't the greatest right now. He tries to sit up. Andrew looked back at him. Joshua was about to say something when suddenly nausea rose up in his throat and he puked. He laid his head back down with his eyes screwed shut tightly. Oh, that was bad for two reasons. One now his chest hurt and the other was he felt lightheaded again, soon after that thought, darkness once again claimed him.
The "supposed" agent spoke to Andrew when Davenport passed out. "Damn you guys don't fuck around with them toys, maybe I should get one." It was the second dumbest thing Andrew had heard the man say in the short time it took them to get out to his car and on the road. Andrew thinks to himself with irritation. Where did the caller get this cosplaying rent-a-fed motherfucker from a human bargain bin? That gave Andrew an idea. Though he wasn't in handcuffs passed out in the back seat of his own ride, he was still captive. Maybe he could use this guy's lack of smarts to his advantage. "You tell me where we are going and why and you can have mine." The guy looks over at him and asked him then what would he use. Correction Andrew thinks to himself, third stupidest question. "Well from the way your boss is tanking my career I won't have much need for one when this is done. So, what's your name maybe I can get hired in if I do a good job?"
The fake agent says, "The name's Niles." Andrew says well his name is Andrew. "Ha, I knew that and his name's Davenport. I'm just a driver and heavy hitter when I must be. Man, my boss couldn't set this up if he tried, he had lots of help. He just wanted to go in and fight the guy with us there as back up." Niles chuckles. "This way, no one knows he is missing until that club closes. As you can see we are far away from the last place he was supposed to be. You did take his phone, right? I know, a nice time for me to ask. We don't need his real federal pals busting up the party. There are lot of guys with a file that reads like yours in our family, you might not want to hear that, but I don't lie to people I respect, and I respect you. That don't mean that I won't shoot you if you cross me, but I do respect you."
Over at The Davenport Candy makes a large deposit into the safe in her office. She'd made sure to leave enough for the bartender to finalize the tabs for the night. Bradley walks over to her and says that he had not seen Joshua all night. "Me either. He's still here because he is still logged in and his truck is still here. I have no idea where the team went though. Even Andrew is gone." As Candy is locking the safe the chef barges into her office screaming in German about how he could not make any more food without the fucking food or the damn key to access the fucking food. "All you had to do was ask for the key." He says he asked Joshua 2 hours ago and Josh said he was going to go pull the stuff from the cooler for him. With a roll of her eyes, Candy takes her key for the cooler off her belt and throws it to the chef. The chef leaves the office grumbling. Candy was fed up and was going to give Joshua a piece of her mind. He always claimed that she could set him straight. This wasn't about personal shit this was business, so he had to listen. She takes a deep breath and pushes it out. "Ok, this is getting way out of hand. First, he calls me up here to help him, I come, and now he is blocking all communication with me and the staff?" Bradley asked her again what she meant earlier. Candy marches to Joshua's door prepared to yell over the agent if he sent the guy back to the door. She knocks on the door. "I've tried calling him it goes straight to voicemail. Joshua open this fucking door now!" Bradley says she didn't answer his question. Looking up at her mate some of the fire leaves her gaze. Candy quietly explains what Cass told her at the mall about Joshua's meeting with Alex and how Alex had laid down a minefield of mind fucks for Josh to wade through and how it may be why he was distancing himself from everyone. Bradley looked pissed but there was another emotion riding just under her level of detection in his whiskey-colored eyes. The agent didn't come to the door and neither did her friend.
Bradley says "When all this started about the video, and Alex and the meeting, he was worried about the people that care for him seeing him differently, now that fucker got my little brother believing that one of us is going to turn on him. Great, just fucking great. As if he didn't already have trust issues the size of the fucking Grand Canyon." Bradley turns towards the door. "I'm not going to stand idle and let this shit eat him alive. Since you're an owner doll face, you might want to close your eyes."
It had been a long time since Bradley had used that term referring to her, in that tone of voice. "Don't break the door or anything, I have a keycard." She swipes her master keycard across Joshua's lock and pushes the door open, Bradley walks in ahead of her no doubt about try to talk some sense into Joshua or clobber him. As she is about to cross the threshold Bradley turns around with a weird look on his face and says that Joshua isn't in here. She walks in and a sense of Deja vu hits her like a fist. This was just like the night Angel went into labor only that night she had thought Joshua had gone home to be with his wife for the new year. That night Deon had told her that her best friend hadn't gone home he'd been tied up in his fucking closet until Vash and Deon found him. Candy runs to the closet and pulls it open. Taking a breath, she says "he's not here." They both look around. Candy heads toward Joshua's desk to review the footage and that is when she saw it, blood was on the couch and on the floor. "What the fuck happened in here?" Bradley tells her to get out of here because he was calling the cops. "This doesn't make any sense he had an entire team of protection agents with him being led by the only one Joshua and Angel trusts," Bradley tells her to review the footage then, because something was wrong he could just feel it. "Ok." Candy walks behind Joshua's desk and stands at his computer she wasn't sitting in his seat. She hit rewind and notices an almost 35-minute lock of time missing. Not trying to panic she tries to pull up the system from her phone It worked for Vash it could work for her. It said it was offline during that timeframe. Counting back in her head that was just before they came. She calls Andrew he says he was out looking for Davenport. "What do you mean you're out looking for him? There is blood in his office and he's not here and your team isn't either. Did you guys get into it or something?" Andrew says he'd call her back. "No don't hang, please. Andrew, hello. Fuck!" She called back and it went straight to voicemail. "Andrew please just tell me what is going on call me back when you get this." Bradley looks lost as he, turns around in a complete circle, and walks briskly out of the office. "Bradley, where are you going?"
Bradley turns around so fast the lost look was replaced by one of fury as he says, "To find my brother." Candy says but they don't even know where to start. Anger lights his tone "Look, I can't just stand around and wait for his people to call back it's obvious they fucked up somewhere between 2 to 3 hours ago. I'm going to pick a fucking direction and cover as much area as I can. I at least gotta try damnit." He storms out of the rear exit pushing the backdoor open so hard it hits the back wall with a thunderous crack. Once out in the parking lot, he jumps in his car and speeds off. "Call Logan" Soon Logan answers. "Lo, I don't know where Joshua is, but I think something is wrong. There's blood in his office, he was at the club tonight when we got there, now his fucking close protection agent claims to be out looking for him and he's sending all our calls to voicemail. Candy asked had they got into a fight. I don't know what they would fight about."
"Maybe Andrew slipped up and told Joshua how he felt about Angel. That's the only thing I can think of. Where are you now? Bradley?" Bradley asked what he was talking about. Logan spoke of the memory of Megan talking about how an agent showed up trying to hit on Angel at Paula's bachelorette party after being one of the guys that shot Angel's ex-boyfriend Braden. He speaks of how Megan had been her nosey self and found out that the Agent's name was Andrew Stark. Candy was calling him. "Hey Candy, is calling I will call you back are you going to be up?" Logan says yeah, he is now. Bradley switches calls and is met with Candy saying that the chef said there was blood in the cooler and a misplaced busted box of dry ice. "Dry ice didn't belong in the cooler at all." Candy says she'd called the police the minute the chef left her office. Bradley asks Candy what she knew about agent Andrew Stark and was that why she asked had they fought.
Candy felt conflicted, she could say what was said to her by her friend or keep her mouth shut. One of their biggest issues was that Candy had spewed Angel's personal business to all in the limo. Would this be just like that? Angel had told her about the drive after her own party had tanked with the nasty video package. Her girl had talked about how Andrew claimed to have liked her since they were in high school. She remembers asking Angel how she felt about Andrew and being super relieved when Angel said that the feeling wasn't mutual. "I don't know if Angel would want me to speak to you about that. Who told you something about Andrew?" Bradley snaps never mind he'd call Angel his damn self and hangs up. "No damnit!" She tries to call Bradley back it just rang. This was not good, Bradley was amped, scared, and angry not a good mix if he was going to call Angel.
Up at Ivey Mansion, Angel sees Bradley's picture play across her phone she had been waiting to hear from Joshua and figured he got busy since they had lots of traffic in the club tonight. "Hey, what's up?" without even a hello Bradley asks her about her feelings about Andrew. What an odd way to ask that. Angel thinks as she says, "He's good at his job and I trust him." Bradley tells her not to play cute. "Excuse me, what is your problem?"
"My problem is, your own close-protection agent that has the fucking hots for you, was guarding your husband, and now claims he can't find him. So, are you cheating on my brother? If so, just tell your dial-a-fed to back off long enough, so I can get my brother back because unless Joshua busted your boyfriend open, my brother is somewhere bleeding."
Angel runs into the bathroom so she would not wake JC. "What's wrong with you? I don't know where you get off calling in the middle of the night accusing me of shit. You want to know about Andrew fine? Here is your big fucking secret of which Joshua knows by the way because I don't keep secrets from my husband." She tells him in detail about the 3 times Andrew tried to ask her out, and how on the last time he accused her of being elitist, and how she'd finally got it through his head that she didn't feel anything for him. She stops speaking trying to catch her breath. Before her tirade, Bradley had said that Joshua was missing an there was blood in his office. Angel numbly sits on the side of the tub and says with a crushing amount of sorrow in her voice. As tears well in her eyes "He can't be missing, not again." With a dread that sat on her chest like an elephant, she numbly disconnects the call with Bradley without even saying goodbye. After calling Joshua and getting a weird error message she runs from the bathroom and down the hall to Sophie's room. Calling her sister, as Sophie sleepily answers the phone Angel can hardly hold back tears as she says, "S…Sophie I'm s…sorry if I woke you can I please come in?" Rustling is heard, and seconds later Sophie appears at her door pulling it open. When Sophie hits end, and looks at her asking what was wrong, Angel's emotional grid collapsed in on itself as she burst into tears hugging her sister as she tells her about Bradley's call and the fact that Joshua is missing.
"I'm sorry I.." Out in his car, as Angel hung up on him, Bradley smacks himself in the head with his phone. "Stupid." He'd been getting along with everyone had even stopped earning her hesitate mistrustful gazes at him when he was around. Now he'd gone and accused her of not only cheating but told her all the shit that was bubbling up inside of him, yeah, she deserved to know what was happening, but the minute she started yelling at first, he'd been prepared to catch her in a lie. Some people you just knew when they were telling the truth. Angel wasn't a good liar at her best he left no room from start to finish for her to think on the fly. The more Angel spoke and at the rate, she said it dashed his belief that she was lying to him which meant that not only had he upset her with the news, but now he had changed the tide of their relationship forever by accusing her of cheating on his brother. He'd called the fed her boyfriend. He was way out of line. He wanted to call his sister back and apologize. But he knew that even if she answered nothing short of "I found him" would do. His phone rings he answers "Candy I was way off base, and now I've gone and told her in the worst way the shit I do know. I verbally had her for breakfast, she hung up on me and I don't blame her one fucking bit. She sounded how I feel by the end of the call. I'm such an idiot. I wanted to apologize the minute she stopped speaking but I've been on the receiving end of blame and I know she is not going to want to hear anything from me unless it is "Hey I found Josh." Candy went off on him but at least she was speaking to him.
"I tried to call you back before you went off half-cocked but no you kept ignoring my fucking call. Now I can't even call Angel because right now I'm sure anyone that is remotely close to you she's not going to want to hear from, thanks a lot, Brad. You have possibly put my head back on the chopping block and I didn't even say anything this time." He tries to blame her for not telling him what she knew. "Oh no, you don't fucking get to turn this shit around on me. Try it, and I'll feed you your asshole. I said I didn't think I should tell you because I was trying for once for this shit not to land on me you heard them both and said it yourself, the next time I opened my mouth and shared their fucking business I'm out of not only a fucking job, but my best friends including my boyfriend will have nothing to do with me anymore. Excuse me for not wanting to spew Angel's moment of confiding in me. I didn't know if she ever told Joshua or not. I asked her how she felt about the guy hitting on her and she told me that she had no interest in him. Which considering after Paula's party and her own Angel never seemed to want anyone but Joshua and he her. On some level, I too know how she feels because I have been blamed for similar shit that I didn't do, and it is just so much betrayal. When someone you care about accuses you in that way it just rips you a new one. Add in the part about her husband missing again, and I'm sure my girl is fit for the funny farm right about now."
A phone ringing in the dead of night was never a good thing in Chase's experience. It did not ease his mind at all that his youngest and newly pregnant daughter was calling him. "Hello, Sophie are you okay dear?" When she told him why she was calling the sound in her background he recognized it for what it was, his oldest was crying. "Keep an eye on her there, I'll put out some feelers and see what I can do to find him. I don't need her waltzing out into danger trying to save him again. If that is even what's going on. Has there been a ransom demand?" Sophie says no. The foul taste of betrayal leaden Chase's tone. "Tell me again how Stark is related to this fuckery?" As Sophie tells him about Joshua's brother's call Chase felt a barrage of many emotions one of the strongest was anger but fear was a strong second. Anger at Bradley Davenport for accusing his daughter of adulterous action than without any warning telling her something as scary as her husband is possibly hurt and missing. He was also angry at himself because he arranged to have Bobby hire Andrew on as close protection after the attack at the house the night Angel went into labor. If Andrew Stark was behind this or had any hand in it that hand would be severed. He feared for not only his son's situation, but also feared for his oldest daughter's mental state. Chase would not soon forget the look on Angel's face as she started walking towards Joshua's car the night he was abducted by April's men. When he'd pulled up Bobby leaped out of the car at a dead run to stop his sister. As he was about to reach for his old phone and call Joey, he thought better of it for now. Joey was discreet, but Chase is the mayor and he wanted to see what his fucking police force could do because if they did not find his son, or who took him, there would lots of new positions open from the Chief of Police on down the line to the newly hired rookies. He promised himself that he would call Joey in 12 hours. "Sophie, though there is still proof of the parts of the dirty cop clan still active, we can't just sit on this, someone has to call the police." As he closes his call he sighs and gets up out of bed.
Amy soon walks into his closet after him and watches her mate dress. "Chase, it is 5 in the morning where you are going?"
Chase pulls on one of the Nike windbreaker jackets over a t-shirt that reads "All men are created equal but the Best are born in December" The shirt was a gag gift from Joshua for his birthday last year. He looks at his mate and says "I'm going up to the house." Amy asks was Sophie ok. "Yes, it's Angel and Joshua I'm concerned about, Joshua has gone missing and may very well be hurt. Angel is understandably distraught. A part of the team that I helped compile to protect them may be involved." Amy asks was it wise for him to go traveling without knowing if other parts of the team are involved. "Wise no, something I must do, yes. If it gives you a level of comfort, I'll be driving the armored Aston Martin Vanquish. In the mood I'm in right now, if one of the agents step out of line, they will be under fucking my car."
Back inside of Andrew's car, he is now sitting in the back seat with Davenport. Andrew had thought the worst when Niles told him to pull over. He told Niles about the time limit. Niles said then he had better do what he was told. He'd got out of the driver's seat fearing that Niles was going to shoot him in the back or something. When Niles told him to get in the back seat with his charge Andrew didn't know if Davenport was going to try to attack him again, and he really didn't want to hit him with any more juice. The even more fucked up part was that now he was handcuffed alongside Davenport but at least Davenport could see where they were going if he was awake. Somehow Andrew knew he wasn't though. Davenport would have surely been ready to kick him or something with Andrew being in striking distance. Since Andrew was in cuffs as well he wouldn't be able to zap Davenport. Niles had put a pillowcase over Andrew's head for the remainder of the ride. The car comes to a stop and the pillowcase is pulled off his head. Looking around he knew where he was. Whoever lived here had more money than he would give Alex credit for having, that was bad because now he had not a clue who was behind this. All the clues lead straight to Alex. They were at a house off the southeastern shore of Cherry Lake. This place by road wouldn't be too far from Granville South's center. If at any time a chance presented itself, he was getting him and Davenport out of here. Niles tells them to hang tight and gets out of the car. That had to be a test because he'd noted the cameras on poles like at Ivey Mansion. "Davenport, did you see the roads that led to here I kind of know where we are I think…"
Andrew's voice, though in a low tone did nothing for the headache that was hammering just behind Joshua's closed eyes. He sounded drunk even to his own ears as he said. "We're at what used to be Rose Manner. I don't know why you're doing this but please don't hurt my family." Before Andrew can say anything, Niles comes back to the car has Andrew get out and uncuffs him. Joshua looks out at Andrew just in time to see Niles hand him an envelope.
Outside the car. Niles hands Andrew his cut of the job well done. Andrew looks confused. "That is half, the other half and the release of your family is on its way downstairs. Help me get Davenport into the house and set up then you can leave. Oh, and don't think about busting up our party we have proven that we can get to your family." Andrew says no one from his former life would believe him anyway. He was now most likely labeled rouge which can be deadly in his former line of work. "That is true, I like your honesty, if you were really looking to get into the family we do provide protection of our own." Andrew thanks him. "Shall we." They open the rear door and Niles says "Welcome home Davenport."
Andrew had been about to try to tell Davenport why he was doing this and that he wasn't going after his family, but Niles had come back too soon. This was a huge amount of layered fucked-up-ness as Joshua would say. With all he'd done in the short hours, he knew that he'd never be able to explain what was really going on. Other things Davenport had said to him proved they had thought the same thing, that this was Alex's work. Niles speaks to Davenport about how if he as much as breathed wrong he would have his new friend Andrew turn up the juice. Thankfully, Davenport said nothing and walked with them up the long walkway. Once they are in the house under bright florescent light, Andrew saw that Davenport must have cut himself because the back of his shirt was bloody, but it seemed to have dried which meant at the very least he wasn't still bleeding. They take him to a nearly empty room that only housed a chair and metal table. Niles tells Andrew how to lock Davenport down. Andrew wanted to tell Niles that this seemed to be a replica of one of the federal interrogation rooms at the compound complete with a 20-foot-long mirror that Andrew was sure someone either was already watching or would be soon, but kept his comment to himself. Niles asked Davenport to sit in the chair as he has Andrew run a cable with a lock through the middle link of Davenport's cuffs, further securing his hands to the bar that was screwed into the table top. Andrew hoped Davenport didn't try anything. Once again, his charge took no action that would cause him to get zapped. Niles hands him an envelope and tells him to go wait for his boss in the hall. Andrew detached the cable from his taser, looked at Davenport in the mirror, Davenport breaks eye contact and looked down at the table he was cabled to. Andrew walks out of the room and comes face to face with Deon. Well, that explained the room double, Andrew had sent Deon to a room just like the one on the other side of this door when he'd attacked Angel in her office. Deon smirks at him. It took every bit of Andrew's training not to complete the action he wanted to, which was, knock Deon out and hope it was a one-punch wonder. Instead, he drew more on his undercover training from when he was with the state police and smirked too, relaxing his stance. Deon hands him a tablet and lets him watch his sister get untied and on the other side of the screen, he watches the person wearing the body-cam walk away from his nieces and nephew and out of his sister's bedroom. Andrew was never so glad to see images of the hallway as the gunmen walked out of the house. He didn't have to fake relief as he handed the tablet back.
Bobby is brought out of sleep by his work phone ringing. He grabs it and answers "Hawk" the agent that was guarding his father speaks quickly about how Chase Ivey sped off without him and didn't even send him a message for where he was heading. "David I'll call and see what's going on. Do any of your guys at least have eyes on him?" The agent that was supposed to be covering his post at Chase's side while he was recovering says yes sir and then lets him know that Chase had just driven up the back way to Ivey Mansion. "What is he driving, that you missed him leaving the house?" The agent says the Vanquish. Bobby closes the call. That was strange for Chase to ditch his close protection agent and drive away in a fully armored car. Even when Chase was hiding his plans from Bobby when he would go see Amy he still had other parts of the team covering him. He calls his father. "Dad, what the hell are you doing?" Before Bobby can finish his safety, tirade Chase speaks, and Bobby can hear the personality shift in his father. By the end of the information overload, Bobby sits up wincing and gets out of bed. "Why would you keep me in the dark about this Chase? I'm injured not dead." Joy was calling him. "That's Joy, she was on tonight maybe she will have something. I'll talk to you soon and dad no more phantom driving, just like you I don't know how many are involved."
Joy walks out of The Davenport on her personal phone and speaks to her mate. "Bobby there is a lot going on over at Joshua and Angel's club." He lets her know that he spoke to Chase. "Well from what I can gather this thing was very well done. Joshua is missing, possibly injured, and no one really has an accurate account of when he left. There were multiple time loops set up and some video just out and out deleted. I can retrieve the deleted video since a call was made to the local authorities. As for the assumption that Agent Stark is involved, it's just been confirmed. Candy says when she called, Andrew was very indirect in his wording and then hung up on her. What started this according to Vashon Williams who I almost clobbered for walking into my crime scene is that Joshua called him hours ago asking him for help with the club. Vash says he wasn't at home. I'll check to see if his alibi stands. No, you heard right, I'm not helping on this case, it's my case." Bobby asked how did the Captain of the Cyber Metro Division land a case like this. "Look, I have a suspicion, but all I can say is that it came down the line to me. The chief asked would I be too close to this to treat it as I would any other case, I told him no and assured him that I can remain detached." Turning away from her men she says "Robert, I need you as consult on this, and to help me keep my word to my superiors."
Hearing the strain in her voice Bobby says "I'm sure Commander Sean will ok it as long as I'm not actively in the field. What do you need me to do first, Captain?" Joy tells him to find out if any of the other agents that were a part of Stark's selected team that followed Mr. Davenport to his place of employment signed off even a minute before or after they were supposed to be offline. "Will do." As they close out their call Bobby walks into his war room and sits at his computer. Joy was leading a missing person's case relating to Joshua which she held as a brother even though they weren't even married yet. Though she said all the right things to let her team know she was detached and in charge, he'd heard that faint undercurrent in her tone. If you didn't live with her and know her you wouldn't be able to hear it, but he had. Getting approval from Harold was harder than he would have thought, and It wasn't until he agreed to keep most of his work under the radar and keep his injured ass off the street. He was about to mention that Harold had worked Injured, but he knew he would lose that pissing contest so he yes sir-ed his way into an approval. After getting off the phone he boots the system by voice command. "Field Commandeer Hawk-Ivey online."
Back up at Ivey Mansion, Paula comes down into the kitchen and is met with more people than she would have guessed would be here at 10 in the morning. Looking around the expansive space she noted that though everyone was in the room, they were not all on the same page sort to speak. At the breakfast nook over in the corner, Sophie was holding JC feeding him a bottle and talking quietly with Luke who was on his tablet. It looked as if Luke had just got here. Over at the larger table that sat in the middle of the room Chase was talking on the phone and typing on his laptop. Paula moves across the kitchen to Angel who sat at the other end of the table speaking to Joy who was all done up in her police coat which she usually took off the moment she came in the door. She also had a laptop out on the table. Jonathon arrives at the back door; his name is read through the system and Angel ran to him hugging him around his waist. Jonathon's eyes were a hunter green which meant he was pissed about something as he held on to his daughter speaking too low for Paula to hear. Joy turns around and stands from where she'd been sitting and noticed her watching Angel and her father. "Morning Joy you mind on telling me why this room looks more like a command center than a kitchen this morning?"
Joy closed her laptop asked Paula out on to the back porch. Joy liked Paula but wasn't up for speaking about what all she'd gathered again. It was bad enough that she'd spent 20 minutes waiting for Angel to calm down enough to speak to her at points during her interview. Angel was the last person besides club staff other than Andrew to see and speak to Joshua that was hours ago. Her interview with Candy didn't match the timeframe of when Joshua went missing. Bradley wasn't at the club when she got there per Candy calling the police, and after Angel's retelling of what Bradley said, Joy was going to have a hard-enough time trying not to punch Joshua's brother in the face if he went down that verbal path with her. As Paula closed the sliding door Joy says. "Since we don't know a lot right now this is base. Joshua went missing sometime between the hours of 1 and the close of the club which was at 3am, Angel last spoke to him about 11:45 last night. Bradley called Angel, her phone records say at 3:15am but he didn't just call to let her know that her husband was missing. He accused her of cheating on her husband and asked her to tell our number one suspect Andrew, to let him have his brother back. So, I have to ask, were you here all night or did you work the Last Ride?" Paula looks offended and asks why she was being questioned. "Paula, I like you, but I am trying to get a full picture of what went on last night. I was thinking that if you had been at your club that maybe some of the agents that were supposed to sign off would have stopped in for a drink. The Last Ride has Ivey Supervisor as it's security and surveillance package correct?"
Paula says "Joy, as for the Ivey package yes, because you were there when Bobby installed the upgrade. As for was I at work, no. Katie is teething and very irritable and I didn't want to leave Jan here to watch an irritable infant until 4 o'clock in the morning. Tracy worked last night. I'll call Supervisor and have them send you the video. If you want, I'll call Tracy and you can ask her about any of them that she may have recognized. I don't know what else I can do, but anything that is in my power to do just let me know because I want my cousin returned safely just as much as everyone in there." Joy says she doesn't doubt that for a second, she just needs to be thorough. "So, you are here on duty?" Joy runs her hands through her hair and looks down at her nametag on the breast pocket of her jacket. "No offense, but you're not in the field a lot, why would they send a tech with police power to find a missing person? Joshua is a person not a stream of data." Joy met her eyes, wiggles her fingers in the air and tells Paula don't forget who helped find her. Before the shock could wear off Joy turned and walked back in the house. As Paula walked back into the kitchen Joy was packing up her laptop and leaving. "Joy I didn't… Damnit. Point taken I'm sorry." Joy nods and briskly walks out the front door.
After handing JC to Luke, Sophie walks over and quietly asked Paula "What did you say to her?" Paula repeats what she said. Then follows it up with she said no offense. "Paula the no offense clause isn't a catch-all. Joy was very instrumental in helping Bobby and Harold at times and has more than proven that she can do the same as lead. Maybe when we all joke around with her you took our little jabs as truth. She is way more than our nickname for her of Captain Code Cracker. We mess around with her while not in a crisis to make her feel included. Hell, she calls me HBIC. Please let that be the last time you offend the only person we can trust in the police force that gives a damn whether we get Joshua back unharmed." Paula says she guess she was kind of irritated that Joy interviewed her. "She interviewed us all but if it helps her paint a picture or draw a line to where Joshua is, she can ask me anything she wants."
By noon, Angel told Sally and Michael about Joshua missing as she sat near Jonathon. Sally went off on her and asked missing for how long? Angel told the truth that she really didn't know when it started but she knew it was at the very least confirmed by the time Bradley called her that morning. When Sally screamed that she couldn't believe that Angel had managed to lose her son again, that's when Angel ran from the room crying and Jonathon spoke up. "Now that's enough of that. She called you here and told you what is going on, and you're the second person to fucking yell at her in mere hours. It's not her fault, and I won't allow you to take her back down memory lane of sorts, because news flash that wasn't her fault either. You can stay or go, but if you stay you will be respectful. There will be no win for you here if you're not." Michael asked what happened. "All we have is assumptions the main one being that for some reason Andrew took him." Sally wipes her eyes and says she's afraid. "We all are, we all want him home safely, but turning on each other isn't going to help."
Sally says he had every right to feel the way he did after her atrocious behavior in the past. He says that she seemed to do this a lot and the past wasn't so distant. "I'll not let this lapse in wording throw away all the progress we have made." She turns to look at her husband. "Michael will you come with me, she may at the very least open the door for you," Michael says that maybe it would be a better choice for her to not go up there right now. Looking back at Jonathon she says to them both. "If I let her stew about it she'll." Michael cuts her off before Jonathon can speak. He calls her by her name and says that no quick apology is going to erase or even dull the emotional hurt flowing through their daughter right now and may even make things worse. He mentions that he was sure it took a lot for Angel to even invite them over here and tell them face to face as she did, Jonathon agrees.
Over at Deon's hideout, Andrew and he walks into the room with Joshua. The look of shock that his former employer wore was priceless. Then the look went away just as fast and is replaced with one of anger. "Oh, so now you're mad?" Joshua pulls at the cable that linked his cuffed hands to the bar. "You have been trying that move since Andrew walked out of here." Deon points to the mirror. How do you like your new home?" Joshua tells Deon a creative way for him to be intimate with himself. "Oh, you romantic you. I don't think that is humanly possible. Where are my manners? Would you care for something to drink?" Deon walks closer to the table.
Joshua tries to stand not wanting Deon standing over him. Deon hauls off and hits him in the side of the head. Joshua tries to kick out at Deon. Deon steps out of his strike zone. Joshua couldn't budge the table, when he'd been in the room alone, he looked at the cable that locked his cuffs to the bar and then tried to move the table that's when he noticed it was bolted to the floor. "Deon is all this really necessary?" Joshua tugs on the cuffs "It looks like you are making way more money than you were with us." Deon tells Andrew to secure Joshua's feet to the table as well. Andrew approaches him Joshua meets his gaze. "Don't do this. Andrew whatever he paid you." Andrew holds up his taser and tells him if he got kicked, he'd send Joshua on the electric highway again. "You protected my wife from the very person that you are working for now. Was this decision only about the money, or did I do something to unknowingly push you over? You've done so much to help us, and keep us safe, and now you just work for anyone willing to throw you cash?"
Andrew had a plan, but he had to speak to his sister before he went with it. Right now, he had to play the new mobster on the block until he could get some alone time with his phone. Andrew didn't think he could hate himself more than he already did but nope he was finding all kinds of places to store his self-loathing. At the look of confused guilt, he read on Davenport's face he says, "Yeah, it's about more than money." Deon clears his throat. The words popped out of Andrew's mouth as if on their own. "You were never supposed to marry her. I could have kept her a lot safer without you." He couldn't take it back and would have to wonder about why he'd chose that as his shock and awe statement. It worked, Davenport stared at him in shocked disbelief. Andrew wasted no time securing Davenport's foot to the table as he reached for the other foot he got said foot to the nose. Davenport stunned the shit out of him, as he rolled away holding his nose, Deon yelled for him to zap Davenport. Instead of following that order which could kill Davenport, since he was cabled to a metal table, he did the next best thing, getting up he tells Deon that would kill him and explains why. Andrew then punched Joshua in the chest, He pulled the punch, so Deon would get more sound than the visual force behind it. Andrew was sure it didn't feel pleasant, but he had a job to do and made quick work of securing Davenport's other foot to the table. Deon told Andrew he was dismissed for the night and could use some of his new money to rent him a hotel room for the night he suggested that Andrew does not use his own name since the Ivey, McBride, Davenport, and Sheldon families were bound to be looking for him by now. Andrew knew of another Ivey even injured if Bobby found him Andrew would no longer exist. To keep up his part in this charade Andrew thanks, Deon.
He heads out into the hall and Niles is standing there with a pillowcase. "Well, the boss says it's time for you to go for now. He may need you to oversee the other part of this plan, but the guy won't get here until tomorrow. I know you may want to trash your phone but don't, prepaids and their purchases get pinged and always end up being something that helps a case, some clerk recognizes you, and you're toast. They head out to Andrew's car and he puts on the pillowcase. Niles drives him back to a major street a few blocks away from the hideout. Andrew takes off the pillowcase and asks how he was getting back. Niles says "I have a car waiting for me to take me back, don't try to tail us you will get caught. I was impressed that I didn't have to cuff you to make you wear the sack over your head." Andrew gets in the driver's seat of his ride and drives off towards Grandville North. "Smart move agent, smart move indeed you may even survive." Niles was happy to know that the agent wasn't going to be stupid enough to try to go back to South and cause them trouble. Maybe what he said about being labeled rouge was true.
Over in a hotel 4 blocks from where he parked his car in an all-night garage, Andrew heads into his little dingy room at a low rate motel. Using a fake ID that was provided by Niles was just another piece of the huge shitty puzzle he was a part of. He had 3 grand in an envelope, couldn't access his bank accounts couldn't use his real name at all, or Bobby would hunt his ass down. If Bobby found him before he could make Davenport appear, he'd lose more than a job. Looking at his phone he took it apart to make sure he'd shut down his tracker. Putting the phone back together, he powers it up and deleted multiple pages of messages that came in from Candy, Bradley, and even Angel asking what he wanted. He wanted his damn life back. He wanted to make sure his sister and her offspring were safe. He called her. She sounded like she was in an empty space. He got his first break when she informed him in code where she had taken her and the kids. It wasn't far from the house she lived in, but he'd thought her husband was paranoid when he'd spoke about the "panic house" that used the crawl space under their bottom floor bathroom as a path to an underground fully supplied bomb shelter type house. "This call isn't going there is it?" She says her brother and husband taught her better than that. He could hear the smile in her voice. She was using a form of call forwarding. She and kids were safe were the mantra that sung through his head. He asked her did she think the guys that came into her house bugged her, the kids or their toys. She says she used his Christmas gift and stayed away from wherever it turned red. "Look, I'll call in about three days if I can, if not get in touch with your husband. She wished him good luck, "I'm gonna need a lot of that. Talk to you soon sis."
That night over in Grandville South, Joy walks into her home and slams the door behind her. Bobby walks out into the hall. He says he found that all the agents did sign off on time and most of them weren't back on rotation until Monday. He then asks was she ok. "No, our brother is missing and has been missing for almost 24 hours. I found out that Larry the night manger wasn't just under the weather his wife rushed him to the medical center last night. He wasn't sick, he'd been poisoned. He called Joshua from the club the phone records proved it. He was in his office on his lunch break and about to sign back in when he said he felt funny called off and managed to drive home where he told his wife that the tuna salad she prepared for him must have been old or something, he then fell to the floor claiming he couldn't breathe. I sent someone to his office and they found the tuna. Luke's staff tested it and was able to get the antidote into him before The Davenport lost a Manager. If that is not bad enough I let Paula rattle me enough to storm out of the house. She wanted to know why someone like me, was leading a case like this since Joshua is a person not a stream of data. I do more than crack codes. I've done my share of field work as a detective. Hell, just last year I walked up to the house that I found in a fat suit to gain a look inside the fucking house that could have held her." Bobby hugs her and tells her that just because people didn't understand what she did, didn't take away from what she could do.
"Believe me, babe, I as you know, I've lead lots of ops and when I first met her Sophie called me some of everything from spook, to brother spook, to a few that I won't say but, those were when she was angry at me. That didn't stop her from calling me when it mattered. They have an idea of what I do, hell dad thinks I work solely with the FBI but it's not like I can even tell them. I don't try to correct them I just do the job. Which brings me to what else I found for your collection. I was able to ping Andrew's car. The problem is it was last pinged outside of your jurisdiction. It was pinged closer to Pyramid on the most northern corner of G North." Joy starts to pull away from him. "What are you doing?" Joy says she's going to get the address and go see if she can make friends with a few beat cops over in North. Bobby held her in place "Grandville North is not the place to be using a GPS and looking like a lost tourist at night."
She looked up at him, seeing the wince he was trying to hide while holding her in place, she stopped trying to pull away she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to fight with him. "Okay, what if I find someone that does know the area? I'm not going to let that asshole just keep Joshua. If he is in G North that means he didn't go far from the club since it sits on the boundary of South and North." Bobby says she wouldn't be able to approach Andrew while he's in North. "Don't talk to me about jurisdiction you handled business while on suspension in another country for Christ sake. I don't think he knows just how fucked he is. I can use that to my advantage. You wouldn't do anything less if it was your case, give me the address Bobby."
Though Joy knew that Robert was not pleased with her doing this, Joy, Cass, and Rapture drove to where Andrew's car was parked. Feeling as if she'd failed, she says looking at the parking garage. "He could be anywhere. Hell, he could have done what Bobby said he'd do and ditched the car here. I feel like an idiot for having you bring me out here Mr. Sloan." Rapture says it was worth a shot and Bobby had a point about him knowing the area. He then says with a grin he'd forgive her if she stopped calling him Mr. Sloan. "I'm sorry I wasted your time Rapture and yours too Cassandra."
Rapture looked in the rearview mirror and met Joy's gaze when he turns on the dome light he says. "Wasted our time. I don't think that's what I'd call it. I believe we helped, no it didn't pay off but for a moment, it gave Cass and me something to do besides wait around and feel helpless. We can check the hotels on this block. Though If I were trying to hide, someone, I wouldn't be checking into any hotel that I had to use a credit card. So that leaves out that nice new Hampton and the Hilton. I doubt he would be stupid enough to check into Ivey Suites North. Cass says depending on how much physical cash he had on him and how comfortable he wanted to be he would probably go to an Extended Stay hotel. Rapture pulls out of the garage and was kind of pissed that it charged him 5 bucks. "We weren't in there but a hot second. If he didn't ditch the ride, he's going to need a lot more than a five-dollar bill."
As they are stopped at a stop light someone tries to open Joy's door. Joy pulls her gun. The guy lets go and darts off into the night. "Let's get out of here I'm breaking enough policy without adding endangering civilians to the list."
Inside the house, Deon had been having lots of fun hitting and smacking the shit out of Joshua. Knowing that Joshua if not cabled and cuffed to the table would have handed him his teeth by now but that just proved how powerful Deon is now. He'd even put his former bandleader in a chokehold and slapped him back awake. It was time for story time and you couldn't have story time without drugs. Niles always brought him the best of their shit. As he sits across from Joshua who is beaten and bruised and seems to be having a hard time keeping his head up. Deon figured he may have slammed Joshua's face into the table too hard the last time. Deon expertly sets up his little fun shop while talking. "This was fun, can't wait to trade you for Candy and see how fast Angel gives her up to get you back. I can't get within yards of either of them thanks to you. So, I'll have to take them both." Joshua says nothing. "No, come back? Where is all the heat and fire from before?" Lighting his drugs and taking a huge inhale he holds it and feels the warmth coursing through his body then lets it out right into Joshua's face, making him cough. "Don't worry Joshua I'm not completely heartless when this is done if you survive, you'll still have your son. I do have a surprise for you. I'm going to get you cleaned up. Niles, bring in the next hit star of our recording company." Niles soon opens the door and in walks none other than Vivian Arrow.
Joshua looked up at the person coming in the door his tracking was off but just the outline of Vivian was enough to tell him who the blurry figure was, standing in the room. "Should have run your ass over when I had the chance." She walks over and as she gets closer, she says in his ear that she was sorry. She then lightly slapped his face where it had kissed the table. He knew he was either going to throw up or pass out again. It was hard enough staying awake through Deon's running dialog. It was all shit he'd heard before how everything was his fault, the new shit made Joshua want out of these cuffs just long enough the beat the fuck out of Deon. Not only had he attacked Bradley on Candy's porch, but he'd been the one suggesting that Bradley be captured and killed. If it wasn't for Chase sending out help, he could have lost his brother even before getting that call from the system asking him to go to the hospital. Deon had also confirmed that his login at LEGNA was still active. So that explained how the letter circulated to Trevor. Joshua asked why Deon sent his mother instructions that would have probably lead to them being brought here with his son. Deon had hit him but hadn't answered the question. When Deon explained how he had a friend hack the baby monitor since he knew the make and model and how his team had given him the power of excellent hearing of what was going on in Joshua's bedroom and in their son's room. Joshua yelling at Deon calling him a perverted creepy asshole was what got his face smashed into the table. He had no clue how he looked but he would bet money that he would not be stage ready in two weeks if he could leave here alive.
Vivian had no clue that Joshua would look so wrecked. When she was in the band they were close-knit and watched her get her ass handed to her. But she had figured he was like most other bandleaders, Joshua Davenport was talented and darkly sexy, but he wasn't like most people in rock bands. He didn't keep a side chick, most of his fans he joked around but never invited them backstage even before he tied the knot. What happened that their bass player was beating the shit of the bandleader? Deon was now married, and it wasn't to the skinny blond keyboardist that helped the doctor's wife beat her ass. Deon offered her some alone time with her crush. Turning back to the man that was going to make her musical dreams come true, she asked for that alone time. Deon says sure, and gets up staggers to the door, and tells her that there is some medicine on the table for her if she wanted it, he also says that he had guests to entertain. After he leaves the room she looks back at Joshua. "I deserve that comment about being run over, and a lot more. But Joshua I'm not here to hurt you." Vivian runs away from him when he starts dry heaving. "You want something to calm you down?" He shakes his head, the fear in his usually so arrogant gaze struck her hard. He shut his eyes, sighed then winced. "We are being watched if I gave you any of his drugs, he'd probably kill my ass anyway. He's going to give me my own band." Joshua said good for her and then asked in a monotone what she planned to do to him. "Like I said I'm not here to hurt you, Josh." He opened his eyes though one was puffier than the other. She leans close to his face and whispers. "I'll tell your wife where you are on one condition." She put her hand on his cheek. He asked and that was. "Well after I get you cleaned up I'll tell you." She gets up leaves the room and returns with water in a sand pail and grabbed the cloth that Deon had left for her and cleans off his face every touch made him either grit his teeth or take a sharp intake of breath. She put adhesive medical strips in different sizes on his cuts. She unbuttons his shirt even though he couldn't go anywhere he tried to weakly pull away. "Hey, I'm just going to look at your back ok." He had a huge bruise on his back and though it had stopped bleeding it really didn't look good. He asked what she wanted in return for her telling his wife where he was. "Oh that, just a kiss." He froze. She leans in and watched his internal struggle play over his face.
If Vivian could get his location to Angel. Angel could get him help. He hoped this was the right thing to do but it was the only option he had right now. Andrew said it was about more than money but his words after that floored him. He'd thought that Angel had set Andrew straight the night of her party he guessed Andrew had just been waiting for the right time. But what confused Joshua the most was the right time for what? Besides money, what did Andrew think he would gain from something like this? Nothing made much sense. He was afraid to drink or eat anything here and when Deon returned, he was sure the drugs that he'd been doing before he left would make him feel like beating on him again. When Deon had choked him out the more freighting thing was that Deon had nearly killed Candy that way, and he'd just knew with Deon's hate of him before he was smacked awake that Deon had killed him. Looking back up and meeting Vivian's eyes Joshua leans forward, closed his eyes, and kissed her. She put her hands on each side of his face and tried to lengthen the kiss. When he closed his mouth, she stopped. As she watched his eyes looking for, he didn't know what. He quietly says. "Please tell Angel where I am, I don't know how much more of this I can take."
Upon exiting the room Deon glances at the screen and turned up his nose. Why she liked him Deon would never figure out. He beat the living shit out of the man and Vivian still wanted to clean him up. Deon swayed as he walked away without even listening to their little exchange. He had new friends to chat with. He would call his newest employee but something about Andrew didn't come off as trustworthy, the guy tried too hard. Though the look on Joshua's face when he'd said that Joshua wasn't supposed to marry Angel was worth what he'd paid him for getting Josh here. Deon wondered was the agent still hopeful enough to try to double cross him or was his rouge story that he shared with Niles truth?
Author's Note: since I could not fit the entire description in the little field here it is. Book three. This story will center on mostly male superstars and Male OCs of the story hence the title "Brother Mine" Mark is preparing to retire from wrestling so he can keep a promise he made to Nina his dead first wife in a drug induced dream, and begins a search for a person of his choosing to take the belt and get the biggest push of their career. Events relating to past and present push the males of the series into the into sink or swim situations. The bonds that were forged and those that were almost broken play a part in this book. Please feel free to comment I love my readers you all add so much joy and by questioning me on something give me a chance to make or break a great scene. :End Note