Chapter 42: The Final Countdown part 3
Bronny looked at himself in the mirror. These past few days had been a living hell, and it showed on his face. He had barely slept at all, let alone eat, and with all the injuries he has sustained, it was like he was looking at a completely different person. Bronny sighed, he turned on the sink in front of him and splashed water in his face, "this is it," he said to himself, "after tonight, one way or another, this is going to end." He looked to the floor, this was the end, everything they had fought for, all the battles he had, it all came down to this. He had to win, he promised his father that he would fix this mess, and this was his chance to do so. Everything depended on this, his father, Jolyne, all of the friends he made throughout the week, all of them depended on his success. He shook his head, he shouldn't bet thinking about that, he just needed to stay calm, stay relaxed, if he focused on his burdens, they would drag him down. He wiped his hands and exited the bathroom.
"Hey Bronny." Bronny jumped, nearly stumbling to the ground, "j-jeez Jolyne, you near gave me a fuckin heart attack!" Jolyne rolled her eyes, "oh please, I just said hello," she muttered, "I've been looking everywhere for you." "For me?" Bronny asked, "and why's that?" Jolyne chuckled, "god your naïve." She walked towards Bronny, taking her finger and rubbing it across Bronny's chest, "you know what we're going to do right?" "Of course." "It's not going to be easy Bronny," she said, "just know that no matter what happens, I'll be by your side till the end, nothing can stop us." Bronny sighed, moving off of Jolyne, "we can only hope JoJo," Bronny said, "but if anything, we should be cautious, If something were to happen to you, I don't what I'd do." "Aw, how sweet of you," Jolyne said, "I'll have you know that you've been near death more times than anyone else here, so I think you should make sure you're safe." Jolyne pointed her finger at Bronny, "and by the way, the name is Jolyne! How many times do I have to you that!"
"Yeah!" Jolyne tensed up, she looked to her side, seeing Rae mimicking her, "she just can't stand it, right JoJo?" Jolyne was fuming, if smoke could come out of her ears, they would. "You little shit," she muttered, "you are this close to getting on my bad side." Rae put her hands up in defense, "hey hey, it's all in fun, besides, I would have thought I was already on it." From behind Rae came Noel and Joshua, "a bit on edge are we JoJo," Noel teased, "there's no need to be so hostile, especially at this time." Jolyne rubbed her forehead, "sometimes, I wonder why I even bother." Joshua chuckled, "for someone with such a tough attitude, you are very easy to embarrass." "What the fuck is it with you people!?" Jolyne snapped, "is this annoy the hell out of Jolyne day or something, Jesus Christ!" The group laughed, "we're just kidding JoJo, chill out," Bronny said, "besides, I like that name better." Jolyne sighed, "whatever, I guess there's no fighting it."
Giorno walked towards the group, "I hope I'm not interrupting something," he said. "Not at all Mr. Giorno," Joshua replied, "unless you want to join in our Jolyne teasing, then your more than welcome." Giorno chuckled slightly, "I appreciate the offer, but right now isn't the time." Giorno's face became much more serious, "the time is come, we're leaving in 5, I suggest gathering all you need, because there's a chance you won't be coming back." The group went silent, Bronny nodded, "right, uhm, you got it boss." Giorno nodded, "Giorno is fine, I don't like when people call me boss," said Girono, "oh, and by the way Bonny, there's someone here who wanted to see you." Bronny tilted his head, "huh? And who would that be?"
"Guess who?" Bronny's eyes widened, that voice, it couldn't be. Behind Giorno walked a figure that Bronny hadn't seen in a long time. "D-Dad!?" Bronny yelled, "w-what are you doing here!?" It was LeBron James! One of his arms was still in a cast, but here he was. "Hello to you to son," LeBron said, "damn, I nearly died, you go out and almost get yourself killed, here I am and I get a, what are you doing? Man, that's a bit of a lit down." Giorno put a hand on LeBron's shoulder, "I made a quick stop in order to get our friend out of the hospital quicker," he said, "he'll be joining us for our little mission, if you're ok with that Bronny." "Y-Yeah, that's fine," Bronny muttered. "Wow, a real celebrity," Noel said, "it's a real honor Mr. James, I can see where Bronny gets his good looks from." "You shouldn't talk like that Nova, you might upset Jolyne more," Rae teased, "she doesn't like when people talk about her boyfriend." Jolyne began to turn red, "oh for the love of god!" LeBron laughed, shaking his head, his eyes turned to Bronny, who was still silent. "Hey, I think we should all get ready for our battle," LeBron said, "all of you, get lost." The group scattered, leaving LeBron and Bronny alone.
"You alright kid?" LeBron asked, "I thought you would be glad to see me." "I am, I just…" Bronny looked to the floor, "I just never thought I'd see you again." LeBron sighed, he moved to Bronny and put a hand on his shoulder, "listen kid, I know it's been a rough couple of days for you, but you don't need to worry anymore, I got your back, just like old times." Bronny looked up to his father, "but what if something goes wrong!" He yelled, "what if I can't save you, what if…" "Bronny," LeBron said, "nothing is going to happen, I'm going to make it through this mess, we all are, as long as we got each other's backs, ok?" Bronny nodded, he sighed, rubbing his forehead, "yeah, we're gonna be alright." LeBron patted Bronny on the shoulder, "see, nothing to worry about, now let's get going."
Everyone gathered outside of the mansion, they all knew what they were getting themselves, this was it, the final countdown. "This is It everyone," Giorno announced, "the Black Dahlia Murders end now, Hunter Blevins is located near Ponti Rossi, it's a far trip, but if we live now, we should be there by midnight." Giorno turned to Bucciarti, "Bucciarti, you take them and form a perimeter around the building, if he tries to escape, you guys will be there to stop him, and make sure no one gets in." Bucciarti nodded, "of course Giorno, but if anything goes array, we'll be right there." Giorno smirked, "you've always been by my side." Giorno turned to Josuke and LeBron, "you all are with me, based on what I've seen of the building, there are multiple entrances inside, we'll split into three teams." Giorno reached into a bag he was carrying, "we'll use these to communicate, if anything happens, make sure to say it immediately." Giorno handed one to each person. "Hunter probably knows that we are coming for him," spoke Kira, "I normally don't like rushing to this type of scenario, but I assume there is no other choice." "It's like you said, when the opportunity arises, you must take it, this is our best chance, we have to make the best of it." Giorno moved towards one of the cars, "this is people, at the end of this, only party is going to live to see the morning, let's make sure it's us." As everyone began to move towards the cars, Jolyne pulled on Bronny's arm, "huh? What is it Jolyne?" Bronny asked. "I just, uh, good luck Bronny," Jolyne said, "stay safe out there." Bronny chuckled, "yeah, you too Jolyne." Jolyne planted a kiss on Bronny's cheek and quickly moved to the car, Bronny touched his cheek, smiling. "What a woman," he said, he pumped himself up, "let's go get this son of a bitch!"
To Be Continued