Highway from Hell
Chapter Ten
Chet was lounging on the steps as they went downstairs. He followed them out of the building. He quickly read the tag number and was rushing to a pay phone to call Mr. Hardy when Frank came riding down the street, past the van and came to a stop in front of Chet.
"Joe's in trouble," Chet told Frank who immediately jumped off his cycle and started racing toward the building with his helmet still on.
"No!" Chet shouted. "The black van you just passed when you pulled in. He's in the back."
Frank did an about face and got back on his cycle. He took off down the street, making a left at the end corner as had the van. He soon caught up with the van but stayed back far enough so he wouldn't be seen.
Frank thought back to the conversation with his father. Instead of planting Jack as a buyer, which, in his father's own words, took too long, he had set Jack up as a new dealer in town. He hoped to force a confrontation with Trey's and Ken's boss by scaring him, or them, into believing they would be losing their buyers.
'But something must have gone wrong,' Frank thought. 'Or did it? Were they taking Joe to meet the man in charge?' Frank wasn't sure what was going down, but he knew he had to keep up with the van because either way, Joe would need back up.
The van took the next exit ramp, a green car with two adults in front and three kids in the back following behind. Frank slowed down seeing at once that the green car had tried to take the turn too fast. It hit the curb and turned over twice before coming to rest on it's top. Frank groaned in despair as he saw the van drive out of sight. He got off his bike and went to check on the car's occupants.
Frank returned to the apartment on Gragg Street three hours later. Apart from some bruises and scrapes, no one had been hurt but Frank had to stay until the police arrived and his statement had been given.
"Well?" Biff demanded anxiously when Frank entered the apartment.
"I lost him," Frank admitted.
"How?" Chet asked, worry etching his freckled face.
Frank explained about the wreck. "Now we have no idea where they've taken him," he moaned, flopping into a chair.
"I got the van's tag number and made a quick call to your dad," Chet said.
"What do we do now?" Biff asked. "Stay here and wait to hear from Joe or go home?"
"Neither," Frank decided. "I'm going to see Trey. Maybe I can get him to trust me."
Frank left the apartment and started toward Trey's apartment but when he saw Joe coming he stopped and waited. Joe put a finger to his lips and shook his head. He mouthed, "Later," and continued on to Trey's door. Frank returned to his apartment as Joe knocked on the door and was let in.
"What's wrong?" Chet demanded, jumping to his feet when Frank came back in.
"Joe's back," Frank replied. "We wait," he added, closing the door.
About two hours later, Joe knocked on Frank's door. He opened it and Joe came inside. "What a day!" he said, heaving a sigh as he dropped into a chair.
"What happened?" Frank demanded impatiently.
"Jack came into the diner and.." Joe began.
"We know," Frank interuppted. "I talked to Dad," he explained. "Where did they take you and why?"
"Danny convinced Ken and Trey they couldn't trust me to stay loyal to them so Danny and Ken took me to this place in the country. I don't know where, but there was this gorgeous red-head, Tara, who seems to be giving the orders. She kept asking me all sorts of questions and well, coming on to me," he added, turning red. "I think she wanted to make sure I wouldn't betray her. She asked me to lead Jack on. Find out who his buyers are and where he gets his supply."
"She has a lot of faith in you," Chet said, suspicious of the woman. "What makes her think you can do all that?"
"You dolt!" Biff chided Chet. "Joe's still himself. The only undercover aspect for him is everyone thinks he's a junkie."
"I forgot," Chet said sheepishly. "So, do you think Tara is the person running the show?"
"Maybe," Joe replied thoughtfully. "So far, she seems to be in charge and Ken's next in command. Then comes Trey and then Danny," he added. "I've heard a few other names mentioned but I think they were just street pushers like I was supposed to be."
"What's this Tara like?" Frank asked, grabbing the eye drops from the end table and opening them.
"About five foot nine with long red hair, clear skin, and blue eyes. Maybe thirty years old," Joe added with an indecisive shrug. He looked up at Frank and changed the subject. "I saw your pal earlier today." Frank gave him a quizzical look. "Cory," Joe reminded him.
Frank put the drops in Joe's eyes before replying. "I'll check out the locals tomorrow," Frank promised. "Stay for dinner?" he asked as Joe stood up.
"I can't," Joe declined. "I'm supposed to keep out and about as much as possible so Jack can contact me again."
"You can't hang out on this street at night," Frank objected. "It's not safe!"
"It is for me," Joe quickly assured him. "Trey made sure of it. Don't worry," he insisted, touching Frank's cheek. "I'll be fine, Big Bro." Joe gave a wave to his friends and left with Frank staring after him, a worried frown on his face.
The diner was already closed when Joe got outside so he headed to the arcade. Inside, he saw Toots playing pool with Cory. "Hi," Joe said, walking over to them.
Cory's eyes shot daggers at Joe, but Toots smiled at him. "Where have you been?" she demanded. "You were supposed to call me when you got out," she reminded him with a pout.
"Ken got me a new place to live," Joe told her, looking at Cory scowling at him. "What's your problem?" Joe demanded when Cory threw his pool cue on the table.
Cory never replied, but left the arcade, letting the door slam shut behind him.
"He's flipped," Toots told him, picking up Cory's cue and handing it to Joe. "He's trying to get me to go to some meeting with him."
"What kind of meeting?" Joe inquired.
"He said it's like alcoholics anonymous, but it's for drug addicts. Forget that," she snorted, lining up and sinking a ball in the side pocket. "I like my life just the way it is." She glanced over at Joe. "Got any on you?" she asked, hopefully.
"Sorry," Joe told her with a shake of his head. "My roomie's got it."
"Oh, well," she said, missing her next shot. "I've got some stashed anyway."
Joe finished the game with her and played another before leaving the arcade. He thought he would head over to Harvest Street and see what the area looked like since he was going to be moving in with Jack soon while undercover for Tara.
He went down the alley and came out on Harvest Street near a movie theater. Looking at what was playing, he wrinkled his nose and moved on down the street. Just past the movie theater, he heard a muffled footstep. Before he could turn, something came crashing down on top of his head. Joe fell to the sidewalk unconscious.
Chapter Ten
Chet was lounging on the steps as they went downstairs. He followed them out of the building. He quickly read the tag number and was rushing to a pay phone to call Mr. Hardy when Frank came riding down the street, past the van and came to a stop in front of Chet.
"Joe's in trouble," Chet told Frank who immediately jumped off his cycle and started racing toward the building with his helmet still on.
"No!" Chet shouted. "The black van you just passed when you pulled in. He's in the back."
Frank did an about face and got back on his cycle. He took off down the street, making a left at the end corner as had the van. He soon caught up with the van but stayed back far enough so he wouldn't be seen.
Frank thought back to the conversation with his father. Instead of planting Jack as a buyer, which, in his father's own words, took too long, he had set Jack up as a new dealer in town. He hoped to force a confrontation with Trey's and Ken's boss by scaring him, or them, into believing they would be losing their buyers.
'But something must have gone wrong,' Frank thought. 'Or did it? Were they taking Joe to meet the man in charge?' Frank wasn't sure what was going down, but he knew he had to keep up with the van because either way, Joe would need back up.
The van took the next exit ramp, a green car with two adults in front and three kids in the back following behind. Frank slowed down seeing at once that the green car had tried to take the turn too fast. It hit the curb and turned over twice before coming to rest on it's top. Frank groaned in despair as he saw the van drive out of sight. He got off his bike and went to check on the car's occupants.
Frank returned to the apartment on Gragg Street three hours later. Apart from some bruises and scrapes, no one had been hurt but Frank had to stay until the police arrived and his statement had been given.
"Well?" Biff demanded anxiously when Frank entered the apartment.
"I lost him," Frank admitted.
"How?" Chet asked, worry etching his freckled face.
Frank explained about the wreck. "Now we have no idea where they've taken him," he moaned, flopping into a chair.
"I got the van's tag number and made a quick call to your dad," Chet said.
"What do we do now?" Biff asked. "Stay here and wait to hear from Joe or go home?"
"Neither," Frank decided. "I'm going to see Trey. Maybe I can get him to trust me."
Frank left the apartment and started toward Trey's apartment but when he saw Joe coming he stopped and waited. Joe put a finger to his lips and shook his head. He mouthed, "Later," and continued on to Trey's door. Frank returned to his apartment as Joe knocked on the door and was let in.
"What's wrong?" Chet demanded, jumping to his feet when Frank came back in.
"Joe's back," Frank replied. "We wait," he added, closing the door.
About two hours later, Joe knocked on Frank's door. He opened it and Joe came inside. "What a day!" he said, heaving a sigh as he dropped into a chair.
"What happened?" Frank demanded impatiently.
"Jack came into the diner and.." Joe began.
"We know," Frank interuppted. "I talked to Dad," he explained. "Where did they take you and why?"
"Danny convinced Ken and Trey they couldn't trust me to stay loyal to them so Danny and Ken took me to this place in the country. I don't know where, but there was this gorgeous red-head, Tara, who seems to be giving the orders. She kept asking me all sorts of questions and well, coming on to me," he added, turning red. "I think she wanted to make sure I wouldn't betray her. She asked me to lead Jack on. Find out who his buyers are and where he gets his supply."
"She has a lot of faith in you," Chet said, suspicious of the woman. "What makes her think you can do all that?"
"You dolt!" Biff chided Chet. "Joe's still himself. The only undercover aspect for him is everyone thinks he's a junkie."
"I forgot," Chet said sheepishly. "So, do you think Tara is the person running the show?"
"Maybe," Joe replied thoughtfully. "So far, she seems to be in charge and Ken's next in command. Then comes Trey and then Danny," he added. "I've heard a few other names mentioned but I think they were just street pushers like I was supposed to be."
"What's this Tara like?" Frank asked, grabbing the eye drops from the end table and opening them.
"About five foot nine with long red hair, clear skin, and blue eyes. Maybe thirty years old," Joe added with an indecisive shrug. He looked up at Frank and changed the subject. "I saw your pal earlier today." Frank gave him a quizzical look. "Cory," Joe reminded him.
Frank put the drops in Joe's eyes before replying. "I'll check out the locals tomorrow," Frank promised. "Stay for dinner?" he asked as Joe stood up.
"I can't," Joe declined. "I'm supposed to keep out and about as much as possible so Jack can contact me again."
"You can't hang out on this street at night," Frank objected. "It's not safe!"
"It is for me," Joe quickly assured him. "Trey made sure of it. Don't worry," he insisted, touching Frank's cheek. "I'll be fine, Big Bro." Joe gave a wave to his friends and left with Frank staring after him, a worried frown on his face.
The diner was already closed when Joe got outside so he headed to the arcade. Inside, he saw Toots playing pool with Cory. "Hi," Joe said, walking over to them.
Cory's eyes shot daggers at Joe, but Toots smiled at him. "Where have you been?" she demanded. "You were supposed to call me when you got out," she reminded him with a pout.
"Ken got me a new place to live," Joe told her, looking at Cory scowling at him. "What's your problem?" Joe demanded when Cory threw his pool cue on the table.
Cory never replied, but left the arcade, letting the door slam shut behind him.
"He's flipped," Toots told him, picking up Cory's cue and handing it to Joe. "He's trying to get me to go to some meeting with him."
"What kind of meeting?" Joe inquired.
"He said it's like alcoholics anonymous, but it's for drug addicts. Forget that," she snorted, lining up and sinking a ball in the side pocket. "I like my life just the way it is." She glanced over at Joe. "Got any on you?" she asked, hopefully.
"Sorry," Joe told her with a shake of his head. "My roomie's got it."
"Oh, well," she said, missing her next shot. "I've got some stashed anyway."
Joe finished the game with her and played another before leaving the arcade. He thought he would head over to Harvest Street and see what the area looked like since he was going to be moving in with Jack soon while undercover for Tara.
He went down the alley and came out on Harvest Street near a movie theater. Looking at what was playing, he wrinkled his nose and moved on down the street. Just past the movie theater, he heard a muffled footstep. Before he could turn, something came crashing down on top of his head. Joe fell to the sidewalk unconscious.