Chapter 13
By: MysticFantasy
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"Jerry, we'll call and let you know if the story was a bunch of s**t." Bobby said opening the passenger door of the mustang and allowing Angel to climb into the back. Dog, Spink and Tommy were climbing into the second car behind Billy's. "If it is then I need you to help lay out a meeting so we can arrange a way to get Jack back."
"Alright." Jerry agreed with a nod. "You guys be careful if this is true."
"We will man." Bobby assured. "Stay inside and wait for my call."
Jerry nodded as he watched his brother's and new friend climb into the mustang and take off down the road. His mind, body and spirit was filled with worry. Worry over his two brothers and Billy but mostly about Jack.
What if the information was wrong? What if Jack wasn't there? What if he was already...
Snap out of it man. Jerry scolded himself as he hurried back inside. He's still alive. He's waiting for us to find him. Bobby and Billy will find him and bring him back.
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Jack felt himself getting colder the longer he laid on the floor. His body was covered in dried blood, his right eye was nearly swollen shut, his broken leg was radiating with pain and he felt like he was seven years old again.
The only difference was that he hadn't been molested yet and hopefully that wouldn't be part of the plan these maniacs had.
Unconsciousness was starting to slowly decend onto him and Jack was trying to fight it off as best as he could. The blissful state of sleep would take all the pain away but he was also scared that it would do more than take away the pain.
He had to try to stay awake. His brother's were coming for him. He knew they were.
Click
Jack became a little bit more alert when he heard the basement door open and footsteps coming down the stairs. He shut his eyes and pretended to be unconscious. He could at least hope they thought he was dead and leave him alone.
"Check if he's still breathin'." Sweet's voice ordered.
Jack did all he could to keep from flinching when he felt someone's fingers on his neck.
"He's still kickin'."
"Alright. Hurry up and get things ready."
Jack started to panic a little when he felt a gag placed over his mouth and felt his limbs being tied.
"Hurry up and put him in the chest." Sweet ordered.
S**t. Jack cried in his mind.
"Get moving!" Sweet ordered. "Make sure that kid can breathe in there. I need him alive until I make the meet with his brother's before I kill them. I'll call you when they're dead and then you can throw him in the river."
What the hell?
"Don't worry boss. He'll be breathin' until you give us the word." a voice declared.
The young rocker felt himself being lifted by two people and carried a small distance before he was lowered into what felt like a small space. He heard the sound of a large door slam shut over him.
He opened his eyes and went fear was over him when he saw that he was inside a rectangular chest. It was big enough to hold him but he had to keep his knees bent to fit. There were two round holes closest to his head that were about and inch big and wide each.
Carefully adjusting himself, he was able to look out the hole that was in direct line of his sight. One of the lackies feet was seen moving toward him and he heard a blanket being drapped over the chest but not the two breathing holes.
S**t. Jack thought and felt tears sting his eyes. I'm gonna be dumped into the river if Sweet has his way. I'm never gonna see my brother's again.
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Angel kept his eyes locked on the house across the street. The exact house that was said to be the prison where his only little brother was behing held captive.
"We go in five." Bobby announced softly.
"Good. I'm ready to put one of these babies through Sweet's f***ing skull for taking our little brother." Billy said holding his gun.
Bobby smiled a little when he heard Billy say 'our' instead of 'my'. He'd noticed that he and the oldest Darley brother had a lot of things in common besides their love of Jack. They were slick when it came to sneaking around and getting what they needed, they were both violent and they basically knew every possible way around the law.
It would be awesome to think of Billy as his younger brother. Maybe it could happen one day. It sure would make Jack happy.
The five minutes passed and Bobby gave the order for them to move in. Billy ordered his guys to go around the back and make sure everything was clear. He and Bobby then moved toward the front door and tried to look through the windows.
Angel reached out and grabbed the doorknob. He looked back at the two older men who nodded and had their guns ready.
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Jerry lightly paced back and forth in the living room. His thoughts were racing as the minutes continued to go by.
Joe was sitting quietly on the couch as his knees bounced up and down nervously. He now had, not just one, but two brother's out there. Their lives were in danger and he had no clue what was going on.
"You alright Joey?" Heco asked standing in front of the window.
"Just...nervous." Joe answered before standing. "I'm gonna grab a beer. Want one man?"
"Sure." Heco answered.
Jerry watched Joe head to the kitchen and quietly followed him. Standing in the doorway, he saw Joe stand at the fridge and lean against it with his forehead against the cool door.
"Joe, I know you're real scared right now..."
"Scared." Joe scoffed softly not moving. "I was scared when I knew my father was still alive. I'm worried and nervous. My only family is out there. The only two people in the world I care about and I don't know if I'll ever see them again."
Joe turned around and looked Jerry straight in the eyes.
"Do you have any idea how it feels to watch your youngest brother being carried away and never seeing him again? Not knowing if he's alive or dead? Having that same thought pass through your head for sixteen years? Jack's my only little brother. I finally got to see him again after all these years we were apart. It's killing me thinking that we may be torn apart again. Forever."
"I have that same worry." Jerry said. "And you're right about me not knowing what it's like to never see my baby brother for sixteen years. But my baby brother was taken away and I don't know if he's alive or dead or if I'll ever see him again. That thought hasn't been in my mind for sixteen years but these past few days is enough. My worries haven't been as long as yours but I still have them."
"Guess I am scared." Joe said after a few moments of silence. "Jack is my only younger brother and Billy is my only older brother. If they're gone I'll be all alone."
"You'll have us." Jerry stated lightly. "Even if that happens, Lord forbid, you can stick with us. You're Jack's brother so you're kinda like our brother too."
Joe weakly smiled.
"You have no idea how happy Jack would be to have heard you say that." he said.
Jerry smiled.
"Let's get those beers. I'm sure Heco is wondering what's taking you so long."
"Yeah." Joe agreed with a nod and opened the fridge door to grab three beers.
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Billy watched as the last of the lackies fell to the ground with a hole in the middle of his forehead. Total, there had been eleven of Sweet's lackies they had taken down.
Now they were working their way into what appeared to be a kind of poker room. There was a single chair at the table and the person they were after was sitting in it.
"You're early for the meeting." Sweet said as if this was a regular gathering between friends.
"Change of plans in the agreement." Bobby declared. "You don't get s**t and we get our little brother back."
"And what makes you think that I'll just hand him right over?" Sweet challenged.
Bobby and Billy both aimed their loaded pistols at the man who kidnapped their youngest brother.
"You can't kill me." Sweet declared lightly.
"And why is that?" Bobby demanded.
"Because you don't know where he is."
"What the f**k are you talking about?" Billy demanded.
"He's in a safe place that only I know about." Sweet answered. "My little followers did know where he is but you've taken them all out, leaving me the only one who knows where little Jackie is."
Billy fired his gun and it landed right in Sweet's right knee. He moved foreward, grabbed the man by his neck, threw him to the ground and pressed the barrel of the gun into his face.
"Now you better tell me where my little brother is." he warned.
Sweet only smirked.
"You shot me in the same place I shot your brother." he muttered.
Bobby felt his anger rise as he knelt next to Sweet and put the barrel of his pistol right between the man's eyes.
"What the f**k did you say you did?" He demanded softly.
"By the way, does Jeremiah regret that he didn't team up with me?" Sweet replied. "I'm sure he does after what's happened."
"You f***er." Bobby spat. "You killed our mother and you've got the guts to mention it in front of me and my brother. I oughta kill you right now."
"Then you won't find out where your precious little brother is." Sweet pointed out.
"Where is he?" Angel demanded as he kicked Sweet in the ribs.
"He's locked away boys. I locked him away and threw away the key. Good luck finding him." Sweet groaned before Billy pulled the trigger of his gun that allowed the final bullet to fly through Sweet's head.
"He's bluffing." Bobby said. "There ain't no way that he'd let Jack out of his sight if we were gonna pay him three hundred grand."
"Then he still has to be here." Angel said.
"Spread out and look for him." Billy ordered to his gang who quickly took off and started searching the house for any sign of the missing person.
"Check the basement." Bobby said. "There's a chance that they put him down there if they know us better than they let on."
Angel hurried over to what he guessed was the basement door and saw that he found the actual door that led to the lower level of the house. He switched on the light and went down the stairs.
Once he got to the floor he froze upon seeing a sight he'd seen many times before but this one seemed to have a stronger blow to his gut.
"Bobby!" he called as a small wave of dizziness washed over him.
"Find something?" Bobby asked coming down the stairs with Billy right behind him.
Angel pointed to what he saw and it caused the two to stop in their tracks. The spot that the Marine was pointing to was the floor near a wooden beam that was covered in dark red blood.
Bobby slowly moved forward and kneeled down. He reached out with his gloved hand and touched the blood. He wasn't too surprised when he saw that it was only just now drying.
"It's still wet." he announced. "This happened recently."
"F**k." Billy cursed softly.
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They're here! Jack cried weakly in his dazed mind. Please, find me. I don't know if I can stay awake much longer.
"See anything?" Bobby's voice asked.
"No." Angel answered.
"What if Sweet did move him somewhere?" Billy asked.
"Could have but like I said, three hundred grand is a lot of money. Sweet would be stupid to have let Jackie out of his sight." Bobby answered.
I'm right here! Jack wanted to shout but his strength was lacking and getting worse.
"I don't see anything Bobby." Angel said.
"S**t. Let's go check the rest of the house. Jack has to be somewhere close by."
No! Jack screamed.
He had to give them a sign that he was there. That he was locked away.
But what could he do?
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Bump
Angel whirled around when he heard the small noise.
"You guys hear that?" he asked.
"Yeah." Billy answered.
"It came from over there." Bobby said pointing to the back of the basement.
Bump
Angel walked closer to the back of the basement and noticed a small spot of blood that was off from the small pool. Only a few inches from it there was a second spot followed by another until it ended altogether in front of a covered chest.
The third oldest Mercer knelt and saw a small hole near the bottom of the chest. Lowering himself, he managed to look into the hole to see what was inside.
"S**t. Bobby! He's in here!" Angel shouted getting up and yanking off the cover only to see the lock that was on it.
"Break it!" Bobby ordered grabbing a hammer and handing it to Angel.
The Marine took the hammer and started to hit the lock as hard as he could. After a few hits, the wood around the lock cracked and it was enough to let the two older boys break it completly and throw the lid off.
They all froze when they looked inside and saw a sight that would give them nightmares for weeks.
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Billy couldn't even remember the last time he was in a hospital. He knows that he was in one when Jack had been born but he couldn't recall ever being in one after that. Maybe the day his baby brother had been born was the last time he'd been in a hospital. He wasn't too sure.
Heck, he couldn't even remember how he got to the hospital after they had found Jack.
Sitting next to him, Bobby sighed heavily. The waiting was getting to them all. An hour had already passed since the ambulance had brought Jack into the ER. During that hour, the five of them had done nothing but wait on pins and needles to hear how Jack was fairing and not once has a doctor come out to explain anything.
Glancing to his right, Billy saw Joe looked incredibly nervous. He was just grateful that Joe hadn't seen Jack like they had. It would surely have put him in shock and he would end up in the hospital along with their younger brother.
Billy reached up and placed a comforting hand on Joe's shoulder.
"He's gonna be alright Joey." he said softly.
Joe nodded. He believed that Jack would be alright but there was still that little voice inside him saying that things weren't going to be ok. It was probably due to the fact that when they were kids things were never alright.
He would be told one thing and then something else would happen. Like almost everything had been a lie from the beginning. The only things Joe was sure of was that he has two brother's that he cares for with every inch of his soul and he didn't want anything to tear them apart again.
Having been apart from Jack for twelve years was hard enough.
He'd always wondered where Jack had been taken to and what kind of life he had without them. Joe had always feared that the worst had happened to Jack.
For a while the worst had happened but he was finally brought out of it and taken into a loving family where he had brother's just like him and Billy and he had a mother that really loved him.
He wondered what their mother was like. She had died shortly after Jack had been born because of blood loss due to the stress their father had put on her while she had been pregnant with Jack. He remembered what she looked like but he couldn't recall much of anything else.
He did remember that they were never hungry or dirty when she had still been alive. He wondered how things would have been if she hadn't died. Maybe she could have taken them away from their father and they could have stayed together.
But all he could do was wonder. Reality had torn him from his little brother and put him and Billy back with their father. Reality had kept them apart for sixteen years until it finally allowed them to see each other again.
But reality also might seperate them once more. And it might be permenant this time.
Bobby was about to get up and talk to the ER receptionist when the doors opened and a doctor walked in.
Since they were the only ones in the room the doctor went straight to them.
"You're the family of Jack Mercer?" he asked.
"That's us." Bobby answered. "We're his brother's."
"I'm Dr. Miles. I'm Jack's surgeon."
"How is he?" Jerry asked.
"Your little brother took quite a beating. I'm not sure if you were aware but he's been shot in the knee. It wasn't too damaged but he'll need to stay off it until it fully recovers which may take a few weeks. He also has a broken leg and ankle which we managed to set back in place. There is a broken rib but it'll mend quickly since it wasn't too serious. He did have a little head trauma but that's also nothing too serious."
"Will he be ok?" Angel asked.
"The few broken bones, the shot to his knee and a concussioin were the worst of his injuries. With some physical therapy his knee will recover to its full use and everything else is just going to take a while to heal. He's going to pull through and recover just fine."
Billy felt a huge weight lift from inside him.
Jack was ok.
"When can we see him?" Joe asked.
"He's being moved to his room right now but you'll be able to see him in about half an hour." Dr. Miles answered. "You can grab something to eat or do something to make the time pass. One of the nurses will come get you and let you know when you can see your brother."
The doctor took his leave and left the men alone.
"Thank God." Jerry exclaimed softly.
"No kidding." Billy agreed. "Jackie's definately our little brother. He's strong."
"Speaking of which, I have an idea that would really make Jack happy." Bobby said and decided to use up the thirty minutes they had by explaining his idea.