~~Thank you Strippedraw for the review! As you can tell, I never get them and I really apricate the feedback. I'm glad you love this as I have much more planned for this story that I'm sure you'll love as well. Thanks again!~~Reanna.
CHAPTER 19-FOUR FOR THE FUN…
Nicky had knocked over the lamp when she screamed after seeing J outside. She hadn't yelled that loud but enough for Jessica to hear because the rooms were close. She watched a man drag J outside and threw him onto the concrete before kicking him at least twice. Nicky had no idea if Jessica was okay and she was fearful to even leave the room.
J had been getting beat by Javi's men and Nicky couldn't watch it anymore. She hadn't heard any commotion going on so she was hoping everything was alright. Backing up to Craig's closet, she slowly stuck herself inside behind his clothes.
"Tell me kid, is anyone else in the house?" Javi asked him before sending the men inside.
J had been lying on his back holding his stomach wondering if his ribs where broken or not. His first concern was Nicky and Jessica being in the house because all of the guys had guns and he couldn't get off of the ground. Javi had bent down and grabbed him around the jaw tight. "I asked you a question…"
Taking a breath, he tried getting out of his grasp. "No…It's just me"
Looking up towards his guys, he nodded towards the kitchen and started making their way into the house. "Make sure no one else is inside, tear up anything and everything. We'll get the money tonight but make sure we don't have anyone hiding inside"
Slamming his head down, J had groaned in pain and Javi stood back up. He had ordered his other guy to come forward and keep his eye on the youngest Cody.
There had been a variety of different memories that were floating through Javi's head the second he stepped into the backyard to do this. Smurf had been a Mother figure to him when his Dad had hung around her. The second he was murdered, she had threw him out of the house without a second thought. The betrayal was what ate him alive not only at Smurf, but the rest of the family.
Even though he dated Jessica many years later, it was a constant reminder that he was still not part of the family like he had thought he was. Dating her made him feel that he could get back at Smurf and he would be included back in. The moment she went to rehab, they had broken up and Javi never saw her again.
Once Jessica stepped outside of the bedroom and into the hallway, she saw two guys step inside making her quickly back inside of the room. With the men standing in the kitchen, she had to cross through it in order to get to Craig's room. Listening for the footsteps, she ducked behind the bedroom door trying to figure out exactly where they were looking.
One of the men had peered into the room and she watched them through the crack between the wall and door. They really hadn't been checking the place thoroughly and had already focused their attention to the living room hallway. That gave Jessica the opportunity to run out and she made a break for the kitchen, ducking between the sink and kitchen island.
Turning around the corner, Jessica gazed out the patio door way and saw J on the ground with Javi and a random guy standing over him. Sighing heavily, she made a dash to Craig's room and stood next to the doorway in the room. "Nicky?" She whispered quietly making sure that the girl was in the room.
"Jessica?" She answered back with a shaky voice and cracked the closet door faintly. "Who are they? What's going on?"
Before Jessica could answer, she heard footsteps again and ducked again. She hoped that Craig's bed was tall enough to fit underneath but Jessica was a slim girl so it was an easy fit for her. She threw her arm out from under the bed to tell Nicky to close the door which she did before the two guys stepped inside.
Closing her blue grey eyes for a moment, Jessica opened them and watched a pair of feet step closer to the bed. After what felt like ten minutes, the men had left and she watched them step back outside.
Sliding out as gently as possible, Nicky had opened the closet door. "Are you okay?" Jessica asked standing up as the teenager gave her a hug, her whole body had been shaking.
"I watched J go the door and saw someone drag him outside. I noticed the guys out there beating him and I ran to the closet, I didn't know what else to do"
"You did the right thing" She told her while walking to the window to make sure J was still lying there. "Do you have your cellphone? I can call Pope or Baz and let them know what's going on"
Jessica's phone had been in Deran's old room and she didn't want to risk getting it. She'd have to pass the kitchen again for the shortcut and that was a huge risk considering the kitchen light was still on. At the same time, calling them could prove to be a bad idea.
"No, my phone is broken. I was going to get a new phone tomorrow…J might have his in here"
Nicky walked towards the bed and started picking up the school books and folders. Feeling all across the comforter, she was searching everywhere on it for the phone.
"Shit…J had it in his pocket" Jessica had watching Javi check him for anything and threw the phone inside of the pool. The two guys had grabbed him and drug him into the water which was not a good sign.
Turning away from the window, Jessica placed her hands on her forehead and pushed as hard as she could. She had no idea what to do because there was no way she could just go out there and confront Javi. If one of the Boys had been there the whole situation would have been different.
"Okay, here's what we're going to do. I want you to hide in the closet or under the bed. Smurf keeps a gun in her room, I know exactly where it is. I'm going to go get it and I'll figure something out from there. Alright? Everything's going to be okay?"
Nicky had trusted Jessica completely considering she had been raised in the Cody family. After all, Jessica had been raised by Smurf and that spoke volumes. Being the daughter of Smurf meant she had to fight in order to get what she wanted and that is exactly what Jessica did her whole life.
"There's no one else in the house" One of the men said once they approached Javi.
"Are you positive? We don't need any screw ups to happen" He fired back taking his eyes off of J.
"We circled the whole place, it looks like the kid was doing homework by himself. No one is inside"
Nodding in agreement, Javi was trying to figure out his next plan of action. He wanted to leave a message and mark for Smurf to come home to. He had wished that she had been there to watch everything that was going to happen. Even though Javi just wanted the money, it didn't mean he couldn't do any damage in the process.
"So…I have a few questions to ask. You answer them correctly, you'll live. If you lie to me, well you don't want to know what's going to happen then"
Javi had ordered one of the men to join J and the other guy in the pool. Both had grabbed onto his arm tight and held him in place, halfway in and out of the water. Scratching his cheek for a second, he looked around the place.
"Is anyone supposed to come here tonight that I should know about?" He questioned making sure he didn't have a Cody brother hanging in the shadows.
"No…They're all out doing their own things. I'm the only one here"
The plan was every time J lied, Javi was going to dunk him in the water in order to get him to confess. It was near a water boarding scheme but he felt confident that it was going to work nicely. Staring intensely at J in order to read his face, he felt that it was an honest answer.
"Fair enough…I know you and your family robbed that church and took off with all that money. I know you all have got thousands upon thousands sitting somewhere. The reason I'm here is to avenge my Dad and get the money that should be mine. Where's the money J?"
Shifting his eyes in his direction, the money was split between everyone already. He had been hoping that Nicky and Jessica got out in order to get the Cody boys. "I don't know, it's not a done deal yet"
Watching him again, Javi had smirked, "Dunk him" He said calmly.
Before J could fight or even protest, the two men had shoved him forward and into the water. Some of it had been turning red due to bloody nose, lip and cut above the eye. Struggling in their grasp, he was trying not to panic but anyone's reaction would be to do so. Nodding again at them, the two men yanked him up with J gasping for air.
"See I don't really like that answer. I told you there would be consequences when you lie to me so how about I just ask a simpler question. Where does Smurf keep her money?"
Dragging Smurf into the mix was bound to happen and J was doing anything to protect the family. After gasping for more air, Javi had order them to dunk him once he got a large breath. J again had been struggling with the water splashing everywhere, fighting to survive. Walking over and bending down, Javi leaned forward and pulled him by his hair to lift his head.
"Where the fuck is the money J?" He said aggressively. Javi didn't have all night to do this and was more than ready to get what he wanted and leave.
J was breathing so heavily that he felt at that moment that he was going to die. Javi wasn't letting him get a chance to answer any question and he was going to struggle breathing every single time they put his head in the water. "Wait…Wait!" Feeling the men grip his arms tighter again, they shoved him into the water.
"What if this kid doesn't know anything?" The man on the sidelines asked.
"Oh trust me, he knows something. He's just not going to give up so easily" Pulling J by the hair again, he gripped his jaw like before. "Last time kid, where does she keep the money?"
"The house…" J spitted out still trying to breath. "She keeps it behind the dryer…A shoe box in her room…A storage unit, I can take you there. Please…"
Smiling widely, he let go of his face hard and stood back up. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it? All I had asked were some simple questions and if you wouldn't have lied, this wouldn't have happened. You two, check the bedroom, you check the dryer while I keep a eye on him…Throw him back in"
Before the men could through J into the pool completely however, Javi pulled a zip tie from his brown leather jacket and moved into the water. Trying to grab J's hands was a hassle as the youngest Cody still wasn't going down without a fight. Squirming in their arms, Javi had slipped his gun from his pants pocket and knocked J upside the head with it to get him to stop moving.
That had thrown the boy for a loop and his head had feel forward. Wrapping the zip tie around his wrist, he patted him on the back and the two men threw him into the pool. Doing exactly what Javi said, they crawled out of the water while the other looked around for the dryer.
Jessica had been horrified watching them dunk J in the water and her mind had finally set in that it was real. She had never been in a situation compared to brothers like this and she had to take action the best way she could. Slipping through the hallway, Jessica lightly ran into Smurf's bedroom.
When she was younger, Smurf had showed her where she hid the gun in her room for protection. Jessica hardly ever shot a gun but she knew the ins and outs of it. Hopping down to the floor, she looked underneath the bed for the black box. She had no choice but to reach as the light hardly highlighted the floor and Jessica didn't want to move the lamp in order to attract attention. Feeling all over the floor, she shifted to the other side and finally found the box.
Flipping the lid open, Jessica was staring at an Uzi pistol. Her problem now was that the gun had no clip inside of it and she had to resorted throwing Smurf's clothes around in the drawer next to her. Sighing in relief, she slid the clip inside and took a breath. Standing on the tip of her toes, she hung her head for a moment trying to process everything again.
"Well who do we have here?"
That snapped Jessica out of her thoughts as she stood back up in a flash. Pointing the gun towards them, she looked between the two men without anything to say.
"It looks like the boy lied out there, we have a girl with a gun on our hands" He spoke again with amusement in his voice. The two men didn't even flinch when she pointed it between them.
"A girl who will shoot your ass if you take one step near me. Throw your guns on the bed"
The two had exchanged laughs while looking at one another. "Look sweetheart, we're not letting anything up until we get the money. You wouldn't dare to shoot because the kid out there will get a bullet to the head. You put the gun down and everything will end fine"
Jessica had been keeping her eyes locked on them as she pressed her back up against the dresser. She had been glad it wasn't Nicky in her position because the girl would not know how to fire a gun. The boys all had shown her the ropes and Jessica wasn't backing down for anyone.
"What happens when I put the gun down? You two tackle me and tie me up so I can be damsel in distress? Sorry to tell you but I want to go out with a bang and this sure as hell isn't it. On top of it, who has the gun pointed in their face?"
Right as Jessica was done talking, she had saw a shadow move from in the hallway. That made her heart skip a beat wondering if it had been the other man and she would have no choice but to shoot. The blood on her hands could wash off but her conscious.
Nicky had been standing behind the men ready to help her out. Flickering her eyes between the men, the teenager had held up a pan that she grabbed from the kitchen. Bracing herself, Jessica had lowered her arm and tossed the gun pistol onto the bedspread.
It had been Nicky's cue and she had added herself in the mix. Hitting one of the men hard on the back of the head, he had fallen straight to the ground. She hadn't been sure if she killed him and Nicky nearly froze at the thought. As the other man whipped around towards her, Jessica lurched forward and jumped onto the bed, and onto the man's back to distract him.
Getting caught off guard, the man started whipping around, trying to grab a hold of Jessica. Nicky was fearful that she was going to hit her while trying to hit the guy and Jessica was holding on tight. Both females were trying not to make any noise so they didn't alert the two outside.
"Nicky, come on dammit!" She called out to her while turning her head to the left for the girl to smack him now with the skillet.
Holding her breath, Nicky swung with all of her might and luckily she got the right target. Once the man got hit, Jessica quickly backed off the best way she could before she ended up clattering to the floor with him. Taking another huge sigh of relief, the blonde Cody had grabbed onto Nicky, gave her a hug and hold onto her for a moment. She knew how terrifying it had to be to the girl.
Pulling away, Jessica bent down and checked the man over for his gun which was tucked in the front of his pants behind his jacket. Holding it out towards Nicky, the girl didn't move.
"You need to take this. Do you know how to shoot a gun?" The brunette had shook her head no so she jumped back up in order to show her. "Keep an eyes on this guys and make sure they are out…"
Reaching back over towards the gun, she held up the Uzi and braced herself for the thought she had. Jessica and Nicky had gotten two of Javi's men down, J was still being held captive so to speak outside. She had no choice but to go out there and talk Javi down from whatever he had planned.
"Where are you going? You're not going out there, right?" She asked, her voice shaky.
"I have to Nicky, J is getting the hell beat out of him. If I don't go out there, he's going to get killed. Stay here and make sure these guys don't come out, I think you got them out for a while"
"Jessica…" Nicky had pleaded with her and grabbed her wrist once she began to head out the doorway.
Spinning back around, Jessica started fishing through her pockets in order to find her car keys. Thinking about where she put them, it hit her and she came up with an idea. "I'll be fine…My car keys are on the table across from the fireplace. Get them and drive straight to Deran's. He'll get my brothers and I'll be fine until they get here. Okay? Just watch these guys for at least five minutes, if they move hit them again. Once the five minutes are up, run for my keys and get out of here"
Even though she didn't realize it, Jessica's voice had even trembled. She wasn't sure if any of them would make it out alive but she had to fight. This was all about survival for the Cody's and Jessica never backed down from anyone. She had never challenged anyone either and that's what fear her the most.
Slipping the gun behind her back, she tucked it in her waist band, walked towards the kitchen and psyched herself up. J was family and that was what had fueled her the most. The Cody's were obviously big on family and to protect one another no matter the cost. Pope had gone to prison after Baz had screwed up on a job. Craig and Deran had looked after each other their whole life, her brothers were always protecting her. It was time J felt the same in the family.
Cracking her neck, Jessica pushed herself forward and walked as calmly as she could out the patio door. The other man was keeping his foot on J's back in order to keep him down. During that mess, J must have swam out of the pool.
"Hey! Get your foot off the kid!" She called out loudly which caught everyone's attention.
Javi was sitting in one of the lawn chairs, his mouth hanging open when she saw her. He had believed that no one else was in the house and took J's word for it. "Well…I didn't expect any surprises" He had wondered if she had just walked in the house.
"Neither did I…Let J go before I decide to do something stupid"
The other man hadn't reached for his gun but his hand was near his side, ready to grab it whenever. "Is this your junkie ex?" He asked looking between the two.
Scoffing out a laugh, Jessica had pulled the gun from her waistband and pointed it at the man. He and J were positioned next to the pool yet right between the chairs and center of the pool. Aiming it nearing the man, she shot it quickly into the pool, switched sides and did it again. The bullets went flying, the guy was shaken but still didn't move. J had jumped out of his sin when he heard the shots and flinched, trying to cover himself even though his hands were still tied.
"Oh, Jessica Cody and a gun. That doesn't make a good combination" Javi had playfully said before turning to the man. "Let the kid go, he can't go anywhere with his hands tied.
Lowering the gun slightly when the man backed away, Jessica glanced faintly over her shoulder to the house. "I thought your problem was with Smurf, not with any of us"
"You all are her children, remember I was never included in that"
"Oh please, I heard you say that at least a thousand times when we dated. We get it, Smurf dumped you off. Grow up and get over it already" She countered him with the roll of her eyes.
Standing up from the chair, Javi had laughed out loud and nearly spun in a circle from amusement. "Still feisty as ever…You shouldn't be the one giving me life advice babe, you're the biggest screw up of them all and that's saying something"
Javi's game plan was simple and he knew that Jessica was going to fall right into it. The whole night started out to be pretty simple but now she had been complicating things. He wasn't going to let her interrupt what he was doing and Javi was willing to do whatever it took. It wasn't that he hadn't warned most of them of his actions before so the Cody family should have been prepared.
Jessica had been biting her tongue after hearing his statement. She hated more than anything when people threw her past in her face but Javi knew pretty much all of it. "You know, that really says something considering we all assume that Pope is the screw up. You got your life together some what but you're still the wash up of this family"
"Shut up…Look at where you ended up? Out on the streets because my Mother threw you out. Save the speech, I've heard it from everyone else"
"Have you? See, I've learned enough from all of you and you all have scars that cut deep. I know all about you Jessica, and I know that you are wounded beyond repair"
"Looks like that makes two of us…Hand J over and I'll let you walk out of here without a scratch. I'm done with the small talk"
Raising her hand back up, Jessica had pointed the gun at him. Even though their relationship had never been sour, she was pushed to her breaking point and had enough. He had threatened her when she took Lena to the beach, Javi showed up at her work. Jessica should have taken his word for it when he warned her the first time.
"Where are my guys? They walk into the house and haven't came back out" Javi was suspicious that she had done something but she couldn't have taken two grown men out, at least he thought so"
Shrugging her shoulders, her blue eyes had shifted between Javi and the other man. He had been quiet the whole time but kept his guard near J. Javi smiled, snickered and eyed her up once again.
"Can I ask you something? You ever tell Baz about your deep dark secret?"
Catching her completely off guard, Jessica's body had frozen in place. Her eyes had widened at the remark as she knew exactly what he had been talking about. Lowering her arm from surprise, she had been hoping that she heard him wrong.
J had been listening as well and wondered what he was referring to. He had known that she and Baz had history but was unaware of this comment. Looking towards the ground, he was trying to figure out a way to get up. Out the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow walking around.
Trying to get up, the man had quickly moved over and placed his foot hard on his back once again.
"Jessica…Behind you…" J had called out still struggling to get away from the man.
The air had become silent and Jessica swallowed hard. Glancing at J, she heard him but she made a face at him in confusion. A scream had rang out which broke her from her thoughts and shook her to the core. She could tell it was Nicky's voice, Jessica's heart had sank for the fifth time that night.
"Jessica!" J nearly screamed out after hearing Nicky.
Whipping around, one of the men from in the house had been standing directly behind her. Raising his gun towards her, he had pistol whipped her right in the face. Jessica had yelped in reaction and the gun smacked her hard enough to send her crumbling to the ground. Javi watched the scene unfold and didn't move an inch, it looked like he had three hostages instead of one.