Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.
Thank you for all your reviews!
Yes, dear readers, Jeff is not perfect. He made a stupid mistake that caused a domino reaction. Well, it had to happen or I'll have no story to write. I love you all for taking the time to tell me your views! This chapter was hard to write because I don't know where I'm heading but I finally found my direction. Hope it won't disappoint any of you.
Chapter 7
They were running a bit late. Half an hour after they reached their destination, Matt Hardy learned that his brother had been snatched by Randy Orton!
"No! But how?" Matt gripped his hair in exasperation, "How could this happen?" He felt like crying, he was so close to getting back together with his brother.
Kevin, who had just received the call from JR, told him what happened, "Somehow, Randy Orton tracked him down and tailed him to New Jersey. Your brother was taken about twelve miles from here. I'm sorry, Matt, I'm really sorry."
"Where are the agents protecting Jeff? I need to talk to them and find out if they know where Orton has taken Jeff! We can try and go after them!"
"Calm down, Matt, don't be too hasty. JR says he will get word to us on how to proceed. Let us just wait for his call," Kevin said.
JR told him something else but Kevin didn't have the heart to tell Matt yet. Things didn't seem to bode well for both Hardys, no matter which way they turned. It didn't seem the right time to tell him, seeing that Matt was already at his wits' end. He decided to wait and see what JR's instructions were before he took matters in his own hands. One thing he had going for him was that he had Mark and his crew right there with him. They were exactly what he needed if things didn't turn out well.
Mark shook his head, the situation didn't look good. "You know, they are going to ask to trade you for your brother, don't you?" he asked Matt.
"Yes, I know and I also know I'm not getting out of this alive," Matt said quietly.
He knew the risks involved when he accepted the assignment. But, he never expected to implicate his family and even worse, to cause his father's death. He thought they would be tucked safely in a far away continent by then. But fate had delivered a cruel twist to his plans and from the looks of it, still not done playing with him.
"There may be a way out of this for the both of you," Mark said cautiously, "but there are risks involved."
Matt turned towards him, "I don't care if I lose my life! I'll do anything to get my brother back! What's your plan?"
"Mark, Matt has already lost his father and home, don't even suggest it!" Kevin cautioned. He knew what Mark was thinking and he didn't approve.
Mark hesitated before saying, "I think Matt should know his options. It's his brother, let him call the shots."
Glenn agreed, "Why don't we hear what Mark has to say first, and then, consider the options? It's better than sitting here and doing nothing!"
Shawn rubbed his hands together eagerly, "Lets hear it, smarty pants! We don't have much time before suave Randy Orton, makes contact! Come on! Tell us what you have in mind!" and he smacked Mark on his butt, making him jump!
"Will you stop that?!" Mark hissed as his face turned red with embarrassment.
Shawn grinned at him mischievously, "You know, you look kinda cute when you're angry."
Mark growled menacingly, wishing he could just throttle Shawn. Shawn seemed to enjoy embarrassing him in front of the others. Granted, he was just teasing but Mark wished he would act more like his age!
Hunter wrapped a protective arm around Shawn and glared at Mark, "Shawn is just the way he is! Now, just leave him be!"
"Knock it off, guys! Can we hear about Mark's plan before next Sunday?" Glenn groused and glared at everyone.
Kevin shook his head. It looked like things never changed. The relationship between the four men was somewhat unusual. They would bicker like children one moment and then next, put their lives on the line for each other!
"The mob doesn't know that Matt is FBI. It's about time they know. They would reconsider taking him out, considering they wouldn't want the whole FBI to breathe down their necks. It will buy us some time to find Jeff and get him back without compromising on Matt's safety."
Matt shook his head fervently, "No! If they know I'm FBI, they would have more reason to kill my brother! They would think the money and books are no longer in my possession and are with the FBI!"
"What money?" Mark asked, giving him a puzzled look. The other agents look befuddled as well. He looked at Kevin, "Is there something we should know about?"
"Okay, time to come clean with all of you," Kevin sighed. "JR wasn't at liberty to tell you that we removed $50 million dollars from the mob's account as well."
Everyone stared at him dumbfounded.
"Did we hear right, $50 million smackeroos?" Shawn finally asked in a mere whisper and Kevin and Matt nodded.
He took in a deep breath, let it out slowly and said, "Matt, you're a walking time bomb! They are not letting anyone get away with that kind of money! It's not exactly small change, you know!"
The hapless looks on the other men's faces told Matt that it was pretty hopeless. He knew there was no other way out for him.
"I have to turn myself over to them. It's the only way to get my brother back," Matt said in a defeated manner.
"You can't even be sure they'll let your brother go after they got their money back!" Mark countered his proposal. "You have everything to lose if you surrender yourself to them. I say you stay and negotiate with them for the safe return of your brother, without putting yourself at risk! As I see it, you have control of the situation since you have the money and the books. Don't relinquish that control to them and your brother may still walk out alive."
"What if I piss them off by not turning up and they kill my brother, like they did to my father?"
Matt was afraid to gamble on Jeff's life. The mob had already sent him a message by killing his dad. If he made another wrong decision, he would end up losing his brother as well.
"Matt, you're an agent. You know in a situation like this, there is no guarantee that they won't do it but personally, I think you stand a better chance of getting your brother back if you stay," Mark offered his opinion.
"I agree with Mark. You have the money and the books and they have your brother. Don't give up that bargaining power to trade back for your brother. You can arrange for the exchange without giving yourself up. I don't think they would want to risk losing all that money by taking your brother out," Glenn said and the others concurred.
Matt still looked unsure. Kevin suddenly said in a disquiet tone, time to confess.
"There's something else I haven't told you, guys. I was told not to say anything but, I can't keep quiet anymore!"
He turned to Matt, "I hate to tell you this but JR told me that the people at the top are not prepared to release the money back to the mob, and they want me to get the books from you and send them to headquarters as soon as possible."
Matt looked at him in disbelief. "But, how am I supposed to get my brother back without them?"
Kevin gave him a remorseful look and it finally dawned on Matt.
"They want me to sacrifice my brother?" he asked incredulously and Kevin couldn't bring himself to look at him. He never expected them to abandon Matt and his brother to deal with the mob alone. He didn't approve of their decision and intended to do all he can to help Matt get his brother out. He was about to tell Matt when Mark spoke up.
"This is not right!" Mark growled and turned to look at everyone. "I know we're trying to do our jobs but to throw a hapless boy to the wolves and leave him to deal with them on his own?" He shook his head, "I can't stand by and let this happen!" He turned to Matt, "We're going to get your brother out, with or without their damn help!"
He was fed up with the FBI top executives who thought they could play God, trifling with people's lives! Yes, he might work for them but that didn't mean he had to listen to them! He was so pissed to hear that they opted to keep the money and books and sacrificed a fellow agent and his family to the mob. They knew they didn't need Matt to testify in court if they had the books and money as evidence.
"Are you guys with me on this?" he asked and was met with a chorus of supporting cheers.
Shawn clasped his hands together to his chest and squealed, "Oh Marky, I love it when you take charge! I can't wait to kick some ass!"
Hunter cracked his knuckles and grinned, "Now, that's a plan! We go in killing, grab Jeff Hardy and get out! To hell with their rules! We play it the way we see fit!"
Glenn grinned diabolically and said, "It's about time we show these fucking assholes what we are made of!" He was already shivering with anticipation, looking forward to maiming and destroying whoever stood in his path!
Matt's eyes brimmed with grateful tears. He hardly knew these guys but they were willing to risk their lives for him and his brother. He was deeply touched. Trying hard to hold back his tears, he choked out, "I can never repay you for your help. I'm forever in your debt! Thank you, thank you so much!"
Kevin let out a sigh of relief, pleased with the way things had turned out. Mark and his crew were the organization's misfits. They had trouble following rules and taking orders but were too damn good in what they did to let go. Hence, they were deployed strictly for dangerous assignments which often led to major destruction. They were given full discretion to use whatever means to get the job done, and mayhem and chaos normally followed their path. In this regard, they were seldom called in, except for emergencies. And JR, bless his soul, considered this a case of emergency. He couldn't trust anyone else to protect Matt, considering they still didn't know who the mole was. Mark and his men could not be bought and were 100 per cent reliable. Kevin was glad to have them on their side. If anyone could get Jeff out, it would be Mark's team!
Matt turned towards him, "I need several favors from you," and Kevin nodded, "Just name them!"
"I need your friend's expertise to transfer the money out of my dad's account to an off-shore account and hold it there until the mission is over. But, the FBI must not find out its location! Can he do that?"
"No problem. Anything else you need?" Kevin asked and Matt hesitated before saying, "I've already hidden the books in a good place, they won't find them. But, you guys know that once they find out that the books and money are not forthcoming, they will send people after us? Are you prepared to take them on as well? I don't want to get all of you into trouble."
"I got you into this mess, so I'm not leaving you to deal with it alone. I'm in!" Kevin spoke with firm conviction and Mark spoke up for everyone else, "Don't worry about getting us into trouble, we're aware of the consequences. Let us stay focus on one thing right now, to get your brother our alive. If our own guys get in the way, then, we'll just have to deal with them too!"
Matt thanked them again.
"I'll make the necessary arrangements to transfer the money. You know, we are not far from where your brother was taken. Why don't we drive up there and see if we can still catch up with the others? They might still be there," Kevin suggested.
"What're we waiting for?" Shawn jumped to his feet eagerly and started immediately for the door, "Lets get cracking, there's no time to waste!"
~*~
Randy had been watching Jeff sleep. They had checked into a motel three hours ago and he had already informed Dusty and his father about the good news. Dusty was elated and gave instructions to bring Jeff in immediately. And it was this order that was making Randy anxious. He still hadn't decided if he should bring Jeff in. If he could negotiate an exchange, there would be no need to bring Jeff back to New York with them, but, would Dusty leave things alone? Would he let Matt live, and more importantly, would he let Jeff go? Randy didn't think so. He sighed, wondering why he had allowed his feelings to get in the way of business. He should just follow orders, bring Jeff back and let Dusty take it from there.
Against his will, Randy found his eyes wandering back to the sleeping form on the bed. Jeff's chest rose and fell gently with each breath, his fingers lightly curled on the sheets. His right wrist was in a bandage, courtesy of Randy's thoughtful ministrations. Even in sleep, he looked miserable and vulnerable with his tear-stained face. Randy felt an overwhelming urge to protect him and it was then he realized that he wouldn't let anyone harmed the little mite.
Randy got up to walk over to the bed and leaned down to lightly brush his thumb against those full pouty lips tenderly before bringing it to touch his own lips. He whispered, "I promise, no harm will come to you!"
He turned back towards his men who were playing poker quietly at the coffee table. Adam and his men had left two hours ago to look for other means of transport, promising to meet them back at the motel. After going through a dreary ride with Cody, who had bored them to tears with his boasts of conquests of the fairer sex and how he would eventually take over his father's business and they would have to work for him, Adam and his crew decided they needed their own transport. No way were they going to ride with him again!
Randy sat down among them and Dolph looked at his bad hand before folding his cards. He turned his attention to Randy, "Have you decided yet, Randy?"
The rest of the men paused in their game and waited for his reply. Randy looked thoughtfully at them and nodded, "Yes, I've decided. We'll leave a message with the FBI to get Matt Hardy to contact us regarding the return of his brother. In the meantime, I'll call Dusty to tell him that we have news about Matt and that we're going to check it out. It'll buy us some time to get things sorted out."
"What if Cody sees our bluff and tells his dad?" Miz asked anxiously. "He's following us and may sense something amiss."
"Don't worry about Cody, there are plenty of ways to keep him distracted," Randy smirked and turned to Drew and Masters, "Why don't you two keep him busy? Hassle him all you want and keep him away. We don't want him prying into our business, do we?"
Drew and Masters looked at each other gleefully before Drew said, "Just leave everything to us, Randy! We know what to do!"
Someone rapped on the door in secret code and Miz got up to answer it. It was Adam and his men, back from their errand. Their arms were loaded with food.
"Hey guys, we saw a Chinese restaurant on the way here and bought dinner. Dig in while it's still hot!" Adam said with a grin.
He and Brian unloaded the boxes of fried chow mein (fried noodles), chow fan (fried rice), chilli meat balls, gong pau chicken, spring rolls, butter prawns, honey pork ribs and roast duck meat on the table. Ezekiel hefted two crates of ice-cold beer and deposited them on the floor, next to the table. Everyone gathered around and started to tuck into the sumptuous feast.
Randy set aside some food for Jeff and went to sit on the bed. Smiling genially, he brushed some locks of hair away from Jeff's face before shaking him lightly on the shoulder, "Jeff, wake up, it's time to eat!"
He watched as the long lashes fluttered before finally opening to reveal sleep-laden eyes. Jeff looked up at him in confusion, still disoriented until he slowly got his bearings and recalled where he was. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he pushed himself to a sitting position and grimaced in pain, forgetting about his injured wrist. Randy moved to assist him, propping a couple of pillows behind to let him rest more comfortably. Still feeling awkward around Randy, Jeff murmured his thanks. He stared longingly at the box of food in Randy's hand, recalling that he had not eaten anything since last night. He was too upset that morning to stomach any food and he was ravenous by now!
Randy held out the food to him and said, "Eat up, you look hungry!"
Jeff took the box from him and thanked him again. He tried to use the chopsticks with his left hand to pick up the food several times but without much success. He finally looked up in exasperation and Randy chuckled, "Need a hand?" and he nodded, looking abashed.
Randy took the chopsticks and food from Jeff and started to feed him. He ate quickly, licking his lips in between bites, the food was scrumptious! Randy got up and came back with two bottles of beers, "We only have beer, want one?"
Jeff hesitated before accepting it. He had drunk beer before. His dad had allowed him half a glass on festive occasions. He swigged from the bottle and Randy sat down companionably beside him to drink with him.
"Your wrist still hurts?" he stopped to ask and Jeff nodded, "But it doesn't hurt so much now, the pain is tolerable. Thanks for massaging it."
He looked awkwardly at Randy, unsure how to react to him. He was, after all, with the mob that killed his father. The man's actions, however, belied the cruelty that was dealt his father. Here he was, being treated with concern and thoughtfulness. He wasn't sure what to make out of Randy.
Randy smiled at Jeff, "You're welcome. Let me introduce myself and my men. I'm Randy Orton, and," he turned around to point out the guys as he introduced them, "that's Dolph, Miz, Drew, Masters, Adam, Brian and Eze."
The guys waved to Jeff as they were being introduced and proceeded to consume the sumptuous gourmet, except for a couple of guys who couldn't help teasing. Drew and Masters whispered conspiratorially before making their way to them with a box of food.
"Hey, Randy, we save some food for you. You know, feasting your eyes alone isn't going to fill your stomach," Drew said with a cheesy grin as he passed the food to Randy who couldn't keep back a smile. Masters leaned down to study Jeff closely who shrank back in fear.
"Hey, no need to be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you," Masters reassured him in a soft voice. He sat on the bed and studied Jeff thoughtfully. And what came out of his mouth surprised everyone, "I'm truly sorry about your dad. I wouldn't let it happen if I was there."
Masters knew what it was like to be alone. He was orphaned when he was twelve. Both his parents died in a car accident. With no relatives to take him in, he was placed in an orphanage but ran away when the keeper molested him. He took to living on the streets and was subsequently taken in by Mister Mealy who owned a newspaper stand. Mister Mealy would send him out on errands, where he would dispatch packages to men at various locations. It was very much later when Masters realized the contents in those packages. For his obedience and silence, Mister Mealy rewarded him with a roof over his head, hot meals, a comfortable bed and a generous allowance. He grew up under his care and became a fully fledged hood for the drugs triad by the time he was twenty. Masters met Randy during a meeting with the Orton triad which ran the gambling dens and made fast friends with him. He was pulled over to the Orton triad on Randy's insistence. They met the others much later on.
To his horror, Jeff choked on a sob and his eyes started to fill with tears.
"Please, please don't cry, I'm sorry for bringing it up!" He looked desperately at Randy and Drew for help.
"Nice work, Masters!" Drew said sarcastically before leaning down to pat Jeff on the shoulder, "You want to play cards with us? We'll let you win," and received a blank look from Jeff.
Randy's mouth twitched as he suggested, "Guys, why don't you leave Jeff alone and go back to your game?"
Drew could be goofy at times. They quietly took their leave, leaving Randy alone with Jeff.
"They meant well," Randy spoke quietly and Jeff nodded and sniffed back his tears. He took a swig from his bottle and realized it was empty.
"Want another one? We have plenty more," Randy said. Without waiting for an answer, he got up to collect two more bottles and handed one to Jeff.
An hour later, Jeff was snoozing in Randy's arms on the bed. He had finished five bottles of beer and fallen into a drunken stupor before finally falling asleep. Randy's men had spread themselves out, some sleeping on the couches, some on the floor.
Randy caressed Jeff's cheek gently before moving close to kiss him softly on the lips. Jeff moaned softly in his sleep, parting his lips slightly. Randy kissed him at leisure before pulling away reluctantly. He wished Jeff was sober and awake, then, he could continue to kiss him without feeling guilty. Pulling Jeff close, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
~*~
Cena regained consciousness just as he was about to be pushed into the waiting ambulance.
"No, wait!" he rasped and tried to get up but found that he was strapped down.
"Easy, John, you may have a concussion."
Dave's face came into view, "Lets get you to the hospital for a checkup. You've been out for a while," he said.
"Where's Jeff? Is he alright?" Cena asked weakly. He was greeted by silence. That didn't bode well with him.
"Will you remove this damn contraption and let me up?" He fought to release the strap and Dave moved to help him. Cena finally sat up but his head swum.
"John, you need to go to the hospital. You don't look good. Why don't we talk after the doctor has examined you?" Dave tried to coax him.
Cena turned his head to look for Jeff but couldn't see him anywhere. He turned to Dave, "Where's Jeff?" he asked again.
Dave sighed. He would know sooner or later. "Orton has him."
"No!" Cena tried to get to his feet but fell back, his head spinning. He felt Dave's arm on his shoulder and looked up at him with pure exasperation in his eyes, "Why did you let them take him? Why didn't you stop them?"
"John, our car ran smacked into a stationary vehicle they used to stop us in our tracks. The airbags pinned me and Ken down, you were out like a light and Chris and his men were outnumbered. We couldn't stop them from taking Jeff. I swear, we would have tried if we could."
Cena buried his face in his hands. They were so close to getting Jeff away to safety, so close but they had failed to save him. No! There was still time! It wasn't too late to try to go after them and get Jeff back!
He looked up at Dave and asked, "How long since they took him?"
"A couple of hours, at least. They had a good head start," Dave replied.
Cena's shoulders slumped over in defeat. Too much time had passed but he wasn't going to give up. If he had to, he would comb every damn motel, hotel and inn to find Jeff!
"Have you called JR yet?" he asked wearily and Dave nodded, "He told us to get you to the hospital and await instructions."
"What?" Cena looked at him with disbelief, "Didn't he call immediately for reinforcements to go after Orton?"
Dave shook his head, "He didn't say but I believe he might have. John, why don't you lie down? You look like shit!" Cena looked white as a sheet but he turned a deaf ear.
"We just can't sit here! Jeff would be too far gone by then! Call JR, I want to speak to him!"
"John …," Dave started to say but Cena grabbed his arm, "Listen, Dave, I can't lose Jeff, I love him! Please, just help me! We're wasting time!" he pleaded with him.
Dave hesitated before nodding, "Sit down and rest. I'll call JR right now." He got JR on the line and passed the phone to Cena.
"What the hell is going on?" He listened attentively and the look on his face showed he didn't like what he was hearing.
"What do you mean it's out of your hands? You have the authority to call in reinforcements, why didn't you?" he listened and his face contorted with fury. "Are you telling me that now that you have Matt Hardy, you don't need Jeff? You're letting the mob have him?" and JR's answer appeared to have caused him to lose his self-control. Trembling with rage, Cena shouted angrily, "I don't know what games you and the top guns are playing but I'm not going to stand by and do nothing and leave Jeff to his fate! I'll find Jeff myself!" and disconnected the call.
Dave, Kennedy, Morrison, Chris and Alvin heard every word that was said. There was a prolonged silence and then Kennedy said, "We're missing something here but what is it? One moment, they sent all of us to protect Jeff and now, they're just going to leave him to the mob?"
"Matt has shown up and is now under protected custody. They're giving Jeff up because they don't need him anymore," Cena's voice trembled with fury, "I … I can't believe I work for these heartless bastards!"
Chris suddenly spoke up, "We're supposed to meet up with Matt Hardy and his armed escorts. Why don't we proceed to our destination as planned? I think Matt can provide us the answers we need. He may be the only person who can force them to find his brother in exchange for the information and money."
"Lets go then!" Kennedy urged.
They heard the powerful roar of a Harley from a distance before they sighted it coming down the street. It was followed by a land rover. Dave stared at the rider on the bike. Slowly, his face creased into a wide grin as he recognized the man. He said, "Guys, we're in luck! Guess who's escorting Matt Hardy?"
The big dude parked the bike and climbed off it. The land rover stopped behind it and the doors opened. Dave stepped forward to greet the biker, "Mark! Damn, you're a sight for sore eyes!"
Yes, I did it! I got Randy Orton and his men to betray Dusty and I got Mark, Kevin and all the FBI agents here to turn on the FBI top guns! Yay …. I surprised myself!
Reviews greatly appreciated.
