"You disappeared Hayden, you told us to run, and we did, and you never came back." Audrey growled, standing between Hayden and the door. She didn't care if he could hear the venom in her voice, she wanted her words to hurt. For him to feel even a fraction of the pain she had when he hadn't come back.
"I know I did, and I'm sorry," Hayden tried to move around her and get inside of the house. "And I'll explain everything, anything you want to know. But first, where is Drake?" He couldn't conceal the desperation in his voice from her, she'd always been able to see right through him.
Audrey wrapped her arms over her chest, shaking her head as she tried to think. Seeing Hayden now, like this, it was almost too much for her. After he had disappeared she'd spent weeks letting her worry over what had happened eat away at her. He could have been dead, held against his will enduring torture. No, he'd just left. Never bothering to call and let her know that he was okay. Never once checking on his children as the years had slipped away. "He's at a movie with Josh. Why?"
"Who's Josh?" Hayden didn't know that name. Until he knew that Drake was okay, he didn't trust anyone.
"Josh is his step brother, whats going on?" Audrey pressed, she was tired of the secrets, of the way he avoided giving her the full truth. "Hayden, if you aren't going to tell me what's going on, then you need to leave." It wasn't easy for her to say those words, to threaten him as he stood desperately before her.
"Like I said, Antony got out of prison, and his guys, they found you. They're coming after you to get at me. We need to get him home, make sure he's safe." He reached forward, hesitantly taking her hand into his own. "I know what I did was wrong Audrey, and you have every right to be angry with me, but right now, I've got to keep all of you safe." He'd waited years to feel her again, and now that her hand was in his, all he wanted to do was let go. He could feel the wedding ring on her finger pressing against him, warning him that she wasn't his anymore. Every expression on her face and subconscious movement she made pushed him further away from her then he had ever been.
"I'll call him, but we aren't going there and ruining his date." She sighed, stepping aside and allowing Hayden to follow her into the house. She looked toward the kitchen, seeing Walter standing there, his face twisted in confusion as Hayden entered the house. She watched that confusion melt away as he took in Hayden's appearance, seeing as much of Drake there as she did. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Is that-" Walter began, still staring.
"This is Hayden, Drake and Meghan's dad." Audrey cut him off, trying not to look at either man. She picked her cell phone up from the coffee table, flipping through the contacts until she found Drake's number. As it rang she watched Walter stare at Hayden, seeing every crease in his face as he forced the silent smile. The phone went to voicemail, like she'd suspected it would. "Drake, call me when you get this, okay?" She said before hanging up and turning toward Hayden, who was looking Walter up and down. "Voicemail." She said quietly.
"What's going on?" Walter asked, finally looking away from Hayden. He didn't like that Hayden was in their home, the ruggedly handsome man was every bit like Audrey had described him, and looked so much like Drake. Girls loved Drake, and he could see why Audrey had loved Hayden.
Audrey didn't know what to say. She could see Walter's unease and she understood it, he didn't want Hayden here. And Hayden, though keeping a forced smile, didn't seem to approve of Walter. Without intending to, she hit redial and slowly pulled the phone up to her ear, counting the seconds that passed with every ring until again she found herself back at Drake's voicemail. She didn't really expect Drake to answer, he seldom did, but Hayden's worry was getting to her, and she didn't want to try and explain to Walter what she herself didn't fully understand.
"Why isn't he answering?" Hayden asked, breaking the silence. He was trying to keep the anxiety from his voice, to look more composed then Walter.
"I told you he was at a movie." Audrey replied sharply. She wanted to try again, to keep calling until Drake answered the phone. Anything to keep herself from having to deal with the men in the room.
Walter turned toward Audrey, his arms crossed over his chest as he huffed loudly. "Whats going on?" He asked again. "Why is he here?"
Audrey looked to Hayden, wanting a real explanation herself. "The full story Hayden."
"Audrey, we don't have time," He started, turning toward the door. She'd said Drake was at a movie, how hard could it be to find a theater? Hayden was reaching for the door when he caught sight of a family photo on a small table holding the house phone and a vase of flowers. His breath froze in his throat as his heartbeat echoed in his ears. Hayden picked up the photograph, gazing into the faces looking back at him. Drake's careless smile was so much like his own had been at that age, and the girl, beautiful like her mother. "That's our girl?" Hayden whispered, looking up at Audrey.
"Her name is Meghan." Audrey stepped forward, carefully taking the photograph from Hayden's trembling hands. "Hayden, please, tell us whats going on."
Hayden sighed deeply as he leaned against the wall for support. He'd been driving for days now, and the exhaustion had caught up to him in that moment of weakness. Seeing how much Drake had changed, seeing Meghan for the first time, had made him truly realize how much time had passed. "After I called you, when I told you to take Drake and run, things got out of control."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
14 years ago
Hayden was pacing the small room that he occupied, his hands shaking as he tried to calm his nerves. The wire attached to his chest irritating the skin. This wasn't his first bust, but it was the first time his family had been at risk. He was sure that Audrey would leave like he had told her too, but there had been something in Vince's demeanor that had shaken him. Vince had never liked him, and had been the hardest guy for him to win over. Now, one drunken night threatened all of his work, and his family. Hayden had never felt so stupid in all of his life.
Looking at the clock, he knew that he needed to leave. He would go to the warehouse with Antony and the others, like he'd done so many times before. Pretending to be on their side when the police showed up, he would fire blanks and put up a fight until the end. In the chaos Corbin James would be killed, then Hayden Parker could go home. Until then, Hayden had to push his family and worry far from his mind, he needed to focus and keep the charade going just a little longer.
The knocking at his door pulled him back into reality. Hayden hastily shoved his badge into his deep pockets and fit his gun into its holster before opening the door. Snaps was standing there, grinning widely as he shrugged his shoulders. "It's time to go Corbin. The Boss is waiting."
"I was just on my way out." Hayden replied as he grabbed his keys from the oak coffee table and followed Snaps out. "Hey Snaps?" Hayden asked, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were the last two out of the building. "Has Vince seemed different to you this week?"
Snaps pushed his hands into his pocket, his fingers twitching against the fabric as he tried to snap his fingers with every footfall. "Yeah, I think he's mad about the other night, you know?" Snaps muttered, still upset with himself for making Vince angry.
Hayden put a friendly hand on Snaps' shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. Despite everything, he'd grown fond of Snaps. The youngest of Antony's top men, Snaps had been forced to join to pay of his drug debts: either work for Antony, or be killed. It wasn't a hard choice for Snaps to make, but there were days when he hated the choice he'd made. Depending on the job, Snaps either wanted to be a part of it, or he thought about going back and changing his choice. He was still just a kid, nineteen years old with more blood on his hands then seemed possible. He wanted out, wanted to start over, and Hayden respected that about him. "It'll be okay Snaps, you know how easily Vince's mood changes."
"Thanks Corbin." Snaps sighed, trying to take comfort in the words. Vince had been short with him before, but never this distant. Since that night at the bar, no one had seen much of Vince, and when they did see him, he was irritated. "He's been asking about you, you know?"
Hayden stopped walking, staring at Snaps until the boy turned around to stare back. "Whats he asking about?" Hayden asked carefully, trying not to let his worry show.
Snaps' left hand fell from his pocket, his fingers snapping every four seconds as he tried to think. "Not much I guess. Asked about that kid of yours, but, no one knows anything. Where you came from, if you seemed, different." Snaps shrugged his shoulders again before continuing toward the door. "He hasn't been the same since the night at the bar." He muttered.
Hayden nodded his head, following Snaps out to the car in silence. Just a few more hours and all of this would be over. The bad guys would be locked up and he could go home. Pauly and Joey were waiting outside, Vince was riding with the Boss. Hayden climbed into the back seat, keeping to himself as they drove to the warehouse where the meeting would take place. Antony was meeting with the leader of a local arms dealer, two hundred guns and ammunition to spare in exchange for a bit more territory and a couple hundred thousand to add to his wallet. The Police had been following the local gang for awhile, but they'd been hunting Antony longer. They wanted these guys off the streets, and now was their chance to get both groups.
The car was parked around the back, a few spaces away from Antony's and completely opposite of their guests vehicles. The four men got out and headed inside, their weapons ready should anything go wrong. Inside, Antony was sitting at a metal fold out table with Rick, the leader of the local gang, discussing the payment and terms of their agreement. Vince stood at Antony's side, his eyes never leaving the other gangs members as the discussion continued. Hayden and the others stood side by side, their arms behind their backs, hands on their guns. He didn't want to be part of a gang shoot out, but he had to maintain his cover no matter what. The moment the deal was closed, the police would burst in and this would be over.
Anthony pushed himself up from the table, his oiled black hair combed back, exposing the chiseled features of his handsome face. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his pin striped suit before extending his hand to Rick. "Then we have a deal." He smiled, flashing white teeth. Reluctantly, Rick accepted Antony's hand and closed the deal.
"Alls well that ends well." Hayden said softly, giving the signal to the police waiting outside.
Within moments the doors burst open, heavily armed and protected Officers spilling in with their guns raised. Everyone turned in sunrise, instinctively reaching for their own weapons, everyone except for Antony and Vince. One quick glance passed between them, a prearranged signal that Hayden didn't understand or trust. The chief of police demanded surrender, earning a series of dark chuckles from the armed men as they held their guns before them like unstoppable weapons. There was no need to argue, the Police knew that they weren't going to surrender. Without proper warning the shots began to fire, the thunderous sounds echoing against the warehouse walls and intensifying every shot.
Hayden was quick to move back and away from the main fight, his eyes scanning feverishly for Antony and Vince. Walking through the labyrinth of crates, his gun held tightly in his hands, Hayden strained to hear their footsteps. Nothing reached his ears through the chaotic symphony of gunfire and shouting. Hayden didn't hear Vince step up behind him, he only felt the quick wisp of warm air against his neck before the cold steel of a blade at his throat. The clatter of his gun falling beating against his ears.
"I knew something wasn't right about you, Hayden." Vince spit the name, and as he did so, Hayden realized that Vince had called him by his real name. "That's right, I know. Took some looking, and at first I thought I was wrong, but then I entered your kids name." Vince chuckled as he felt Hayden's muscles tighten. "Right there, in the hospital records was the name of the father, and wouldn't you know, the kid did get your name. But that wasn't the only thing you lied about, was it?" Vince growled, pressing the blade closer to Hayden's throat.
"You're right." Hayden said as calmly. "I lied to get into your little group and take your scum off of the streets. If anyone was going to figure me out, it was going to be you Vince."
"Flattery won't save you Hayden. I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to find that family of yours, and I'm going to hurt them." Vince leaned closer, his mouth inches away from Hayden's ear. "That pretty wife of yours, the son you're so proud of..."
Hayden took advantage of Vince's lowered defenses, pushing himself back hard enough to avoid Vince's blade as he brought up his arm to stop the attempted cut as his throat, feeling the steel cut through the flesh of his arm instead. He watched the knife fall to the floor, taking note of where it hit the ground before shifting his weight to lessen the force of Vince's hit to his face. Hayden stumbled back, spitting blood as he glared at Vince. "Just give up, this place is surrounded. Its over."
Vince laughed as he shook his head. "I don't care how many cops you brought with you, they can't stop me. You may have fooled us before, but we know now, and nothing can protect you, or your family from us." Vince's eyes lit up as the anger swelled within him, his fists clenching so hard they shook. Three years it had taken him to climb the ladder, to prove himself worthy of Antony, and he wasn't going to let anyone destroy the life he'd built. Nor would he allow Hayden to get away with trying.
Without warning Vince dove toward the knife, grunting as Hayden collided into him, sending them both tumbling to the floor inches away from it. The men wrestled with one another, each reaching for the discarded knife between punches. Hayden thrust his fist against Vince's jaw, taking advantage of his momentary daze to wrap his fingers around the handle. Gaining his senses, Vince leaned forward, pinning Hayden's arms down to keep the knife away. He didn't know what to do next, if he tried to take the knife, then he lost his advantage.
"I hate you..." Vince muttered, his body shaking with the force of his anger. "I'm going to make you pay for this." The gun shots had died away, and he could hear the pounding boots of the officers working to catch as many of them as they could.
"You're going away Vince, just like Antony." Hayden grunted, using all of his strength to pull the arm holding the knife free. He felt it glide through the air, as if in slow motion as it cut through the flesh of Vince's unprepared face, cutting him from forehead to lip.
Bright, warm blood spilt from the gash as Vince reared back, both hands going to his face as Hayden threw him off of himself and quickly pulled his hands behind his back, snapping the handcuffs hidden in his back pocket over Vince's wrists. Part of him wanted to stay, to make sure the officers got Vince and took him in, but the rest of his was determined not to let Antony get away.
Taking a quick look down at Vince, Hayden started to run off into the depths of the warehouse, towards the door he knew rested at the other end. So much time had been wasted while he had struggled with Vince, but he knew that Vince had told Antony what he knew about Hayden, and he needed to catch Antony, to keep his family safe. Hayden burst through the waiting door, his eyes immediately falling upon the distant sight of Antony being forced into the police car that had been waiting near the door. Hayden breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the warehouse as he gave himself a moment to just be.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"When I went back inside, Vince was gone. No one knew how he'd gotten out, but he did. So I went home, trying to make sure you'd gotten away and were safe." Hayden shook his head, breathing hard as the silence overtook the room. "The house was trashed, and I knew that as long as I was around, you would never be safe." Hayden risked a glance up at Audrey, seeing the tears held back in her eyes as she silently nodded.
"You never even called." She whispered hurtfully.
"I couldn't." Hayden said, though now he wasn't sure he believed that. "I set false trails for them to follow, and I was afraid that if I was keeping up with you, they would find you. It was wrong of me to just disappear like that, but it kept you safe. That mattered more then my own happiness Audrey." He confessed, reaching out for a hand that never met his own.
"Until now." Walter muttered, looking from Hayden to Audrey.
Hayden nodded. "A friend of mine, someone I trust has been keeping me up to date on Vince's actions with what was left of Antony's gang. Antony was released from prison, and they came looking for me. When they didn't find me, they went after you. They found you Audrey, and we need to find Drake before they do." The urgency was thick on his voice as he again turned toward the door. "I'm going to find him Audrey, it'll be easier if you help me." He said coldly, not wanting to waste any more time.
Audrey turned to Walter, offering a sympathetic glance as she grabbed her keys from the small table and turned to follow Hayden. "Look after Meghan, I love you." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before following Hayden out. "We'll take my car." She said, motioning Hayden over and unlocking the doors. "The boys are at the theater, it'll be closing soon so we should catch them on their way out."
They drove to the Premier in silence, every few minutes when the road was clear Audrey tried Drake's cell again, growing more frustrated with every voice mail. She'd noticed Hayden's concern, and explained that it was normal for Drake not to answer, so she started calling Josh's phone. No answer there either, which only furthered her own worry. They pulled into the nearly empty parking lot, spotting the boys car right away and pulled up next to it. The theater had just closed, and neither boy was out there.
"Where are they?" Audrey asked herself as she tried Josh's number again, her heart stopping when she saw the screen of a discarded phone on the asphalt light up. With mechanical movements, she walked across the parking lot, watching the phones screen flash as the ringing echoed from her own. It was Josh's phone. Audrey fell to her knees, picking up the battered device and turning toward Hayden with fearful eyes. "It's Josh's phone." She confirmed. When her own phone rang, she screamed.
~.~.~.~.~.~
Drake didn't know how long they'd been driving for, but he'd counted at least fifteen missed calls on his phone. Every time it rang Vince muttered not yet, and sent it to voice mail. Drake shifted uncomfortably in his bonds, trying to loosen the duct tape around his wrists as he thought about what Vince had said. They wanted his dad. He hadn't seen his dad since he was just a kid, and after Hayden had left they'd never heard a word from him. Who these guys were and why they thought that taking him would bring his dad back left him confused and frustrated.
After half an hour of driving the car pulled into the one car garage of a small ranch styled house, concealing it from view of the neighbors. No one would think to look for them in a nice neighborhood like this, so that's where the safe house had been set up. Snaps got out of the car, immediately going to the back to work on changing the license plate, just in case the cameras of the theater had picked up the one all ready on the car.
Joey hopped out, carefully pushing Snaps back from the trunk of the car. "I'm gonna get the kid out first, before he wets himself in there." He smiled, waiting until Snaps nodded in agreement before popping the trunk. "Wakey wakey kid." He grinned, reaching in and grabbing Josh by the collar of his shirt. Joey removed the blindfold, not wanting to hassle with leading the boy through the house unable to see. "Welcome to your vacation resort." He snickered as he helped Josh out and pushed him toward the door leading into the house.
Vince wasn't as easy on Drake as he tangled his fingers in his hair and pulled him out of the car, earning strained groans from the boy. "Lets go." He muttered, removing Drake's blindfold and leading him toward the door..
"Careful with that one." Frankie laughed, pulling a small bag of potato chips from the glove compartment. "He's the guest of honor and all. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him."
Vince rolled his eyes, gripping Drake's arm tighter as he glared at Frankie. "Make yourself useful and start dinner." He growled before pushing open the door.
The door in the garage opened into a large living room set with a few couches and a television. Aside from necessities, the house was kept neat and uncluttered to allow easier escape should the police find them. Nothing was brought in that could associate the occupants with their gangs, and nothing was to be left behind. Down the narrow hallway was another door, this one leading to the basement. Joey nudged that door open, flipping the light switch before shoving Josh towards the old wooden stairs.
The basement wasn't very big, barely the size of the bathroom back home. There was one beam in the center of the room and a small wooden bench with a few tools lying on it in the far corner. The boys were lead to the beam, and told to sit on either side of it. Once they were seated Vince and Joey went to work binding them to it. They cut the duct tape from their wrists, forcing their arms back and around the beam before tightly knotting the ropes over their wrists. Each boy was tied separately, and after their wrists had been secured their ankles were bound as well.
Once they were done Vince stepped back, glaring down at the frightened eyes watching his every move. "Rules are simple kids," He grinned, taking an intimidating step toward Drake. "You're gonna stay quiet, don't bother trying to scream, no one's going to hear you. If one of you acts out, then its the other one that'll be punished. And we know just how to hurt kids like you. Once we get what we want, you'll be freed. Simple rules."
With that said, Vince knelt down beside Drake, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. 'Now what do you say we return your mother's calls?"
Drake pushed himself against the beam, trying to be as far away from Vince as possible. He could feel Josh's fingers on his arm just above the ropes on his wrist, trying to offer some form of comfort. He didn't want Josh to get hurt, but he was glad that he wasn't here alone.
"If you make a sound before I tell you too, then Joey's going to hurt your brother, understood?" Vince asked, nodding at Joey. Drake turned his head, seeing the knife in Joey's hand before nodding at Vince. "Good boy." Vince muttered, pulling the tape from Drake's mouth and wrapping his arm around Drake's head, his hand over his mouth. "Not a sound." He reminded him before dialing Audrey's number.
~.~
The sudden ringing of her own phone had startled Audrey, causing her to drop Josh's phone and stare at her own. For countless rings she stared at the screen, reading Drake's name over and over again as her hands waited for her brain to tell her to answer. On the last ring she snapped back into herself, answering the call and pressing the phone against her ear. "I've been calling you for almost an hour Drake, why didn't you answer?" She said without thinking still trying to deny the fears that finding Josh's phone had sparked.
"Where's Hayden?" A cold voice that she didn't know sailed over the line. As if all of the air had been taken from her, Audrey found herself unable to breath. Her hands began to shake, her mouth filled with angry words that she couldn't voice as she turned toward Hayden, offering him the phone.
Seeing the hurt in her brown eyes, Hayden knew that his fears were coming true. He took the phone from her shaking hands, exhaling deeply as he put it to his ear. "Hello?"
The dark chuckle from across the line sent chills down Hayden's spine. "I thought you'd be there."
"Where's my son Vince?" Hayden asked as calmly as he could. He tried not to look at Audrey, to see that pain in her eyes, a pain he'd caused.
"He and the other kid are here with us. Don't worry Hayden, we're taking good care of them." He paused looking down at the confusion on Drake's face. "I don't think he likes you very much." Vince laughed. "Did you even think about them after you ran away to hide?"
"I bet your face is a mess." He bit back. "How'd you get by without Antony around to hold your hand and make things easy for you?" Hayden asked coldly.
Vince gritted his teeth, his hand pressing harder over Drake's mouth. "I'm going to make you pay Hayden. For what you did to the gang, and the scar on my face. Maybe, I'll give one just like it to your kid. He looks a lot like you."
"If you hurt him, I'll find you, and I will kill you." Hayden snarled, his knuckles going white as he clenched Audrey's phone.
"Cut the cliché threats Hayden, you're in no position to be making them." Vince snapped, jerking Drake's head up a bit in his anger. "Little Drake is in a very dangerous place right now, with some very angry people. All it takes it the flick of a wrist Hayden, and his throat could end up a lot like my face."
Hayden bit back the angry reply building in his throat. He could feel Audrey's hand on his shoulder, her desperation to know that her children were safe clear on her features. "I want proof that they're okay. Give me that, and I'll do whatever you want."
Vince moved the phone away from his ears, looking down at Drake with satisfaction. "Your turn kid." He grinned as he placed the phone against Drake's ear and removed his hand from his mouth.
"Dad?" Drake wasn't certain what else to say. His mind was racing with words, his fears filtering them out and loosing them as they raced toward his voice.
"Drake," Hayden breathed the name, his heart skipping a beat. "Drake, are the two of you okay?"
Drake nodded, cursing at himself as he realized that Hayden couldn't see him. "We're okay, whats going on?"
"It's going to be okay Drake, just do what they say until I find you. I'll get you both out of there, I promise." Hayden hated how desperate he sounded, knowing that Drake needed him to sound stronger. "Drake, I-" Hayden stopped as he heard the slight rustling over the line, then the silence. "Drake?"
"You got your proof Hayden." Vince spat. "I'll call you tomorrow with the details, until then, don't do anything stupid. If you bring any of your cop buddies into this, then both of these kids will suffer. Until I call, there's nothing you can do. Just like when Antony was locked up, all you can do is wait. But for you Hayden, it's going to be much worse. No idea whats happening to your defenseless brat." Vince laughed, listening to the strained silence. "Sleep well Hayden." He said mockingly before hanging up the phone.
Vince shoved the phone back into his pocket and moved his hand away from Drake's mouth. He said nothing to either boy as Joey took the duct tape from the bench and pressed another strip over Drake's mouth, keeping him silent as Vince began to laugh. The dark, malicious sound echoed off of the walls of the small basement, making them more menacing as Vince turned and glared at Drake. "When this is all over, Hayden is going to wish he'd never messed with us." There was nothing more satisfying then the fear in Drake's eyes, not yet at least.
Joey followed Vince up the stairs, flipping the light off as they closed the door, leaving the boys in complete darkness. Drake allowed himself to relax as soon as Vince was gone, feeling safer in the dark. Like Josh had done for him, he strained against the ropes and placed a hand on Josh's arm, feeling his brothers trembling body through the beam separating them.
He could still hear his father's voice in his ears, almost exactly like he'd remembered it from all those years ago. Part of him couldn't believe that Hayden had been there at all. Hayden had run out on them, and Drake still hated him for it. The pain that his mother had felt when he never came back, the betrayal that had haunted him for years following. He didn't think he'd ever really forgive his father. But he had promised that he was going to save them, and Drake held onto that promise, because it was all that he and Josh had right now.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
A/N: I'm very sorry for how long this update took, I've been pretty busy with life stuff. Also, I've gone back and made a few changes to chapters two and three, nothing major, just worked at improving them. Anyway, I hope that this chapter was enjoyable, came out much longer then I'd anticipated, but I was trying to cover a lot. I know that Drake and Josh weren't in it too much, but they'll have bigger roles in the next chapter, I promise!