Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Frank and Joe are not mine. This story however is!

Mild warning for language in a couple of places

It was a bumpy ride that Joe felt all the way to wherever he was being taken to. He sincerely hoped that his dad was on the job and the cavalry would arrive at the earliest. It was the only thing preventing him from freaking out. So it was with an unpleasant jerk that he was wrenched out of his thoughts when the car suddenly ground to a halt. What now? He wondered.

Joe was pretty sure that they were not very far from the park when the trunk was opened and he was unceremoniously pulled out. "Had they already reached where Blake was?" he wondered but the drive had been so short.

He was however not given any time to think and instead was shoved down to his knees roughly. Instinctively he strained to identify or at least gain some clues as to where he was or what was going on but there was only silence. Utter silence and a faint breeze forcing him to wonder if he was in the middle of a field or a highway.

It was certainly somewhere away from people and the city, which he understood from the complete silence surrounding him. No human voices and no sounds of any passing vehicles. He was truly isolated which made him again wonder as to what the hell was going on. He just hoped that Blake had not changed her mind and asked her goons to kill him on the way.

"What is going on?" he asked unable to bear the silence any longer but he was only answered with a brusque "shut up". The blindfold smothered him in darkness even as he became aware of rough sand and stone digging into his knees. He was still trying to figure what was going on when he felt other hands fiddling with his bonds. For just a split second he considered shoving off the guys and making a break for it but no sooner had he thought it there were other hands holding him down tightly.

"What the hell are you doing?" he questioned aloud and then a stab of fear went through him when his arm with the chip was pulled away from his body. Did they know about the chip? He thought frantically and started struggling with renewed vigor to free himself. His struggles were however halted with a punch to his gut that left him gasping and his suspicions were proved right as his shirt sleeve was torn away from his arm. Dear lord no…

He was now praying in earnest that they would not find his last safety net but unfortunately it was not his lucky day. The hands were now pressing on every inch of his arm and then it was directly over the chip embedded in his skin. No no no…he prayed over and over but it was no use… "There is something here. I bet this is what the boss was talking about" he heard one of the goons mutter.

And then his last hope withered away as he felt the cold blade of a knife on his arm where the chip was located. A grunt of pain escaped him as he felt the blade of the knife dig into his flesh until it was deep enough to gouge out the chip. Cold sweat coated his skin as the chip was forced out and he felt the blood flowing down his arm in rivulets. Joe heard one of the goons swear as he stomped on the chip blasting it to smithereens truly sealing his fate.

At that moment he was grateful for the blindfold for it shielded the world from the expression of defeat that threatened to engulf him. The physical pain did not even matter in the face of the realization that it was all up to him now to get his brother out of whichever hellhole he was in. With that realization came the other awareness that the option of escaping was now out considering that they still had to get to Frank which was the original point of this whole fiasco.

"Let me go you **" he shouted as his arms were wrestled back behind his back and he felt the ropes go back on his wrists. He shouted out as the ropes grated on his cut arm and he was dumped once again into the trunk. There was nothing else he could do as he closed his eyes in quiet defeat and tried to quieten his racing heart.

When he had started out in the evening he had done so with the quiet assurance of a rescue in the background. But now that assurance was naught and history was in danger of repeating itself. He only hoped that he would come out of it whole just like before but somehow it seemed that he was tempting fate just a bit too much. Why him though? He had been the victim for god's sake. He had already been a victim when he met Blake and did nothing specific to earn her ire.

There was no point in dwelling over how difficult the situation was and Joe closed his eyes and let himself drift for the rest of the ride. He had to simply cross the bridge when he actually came to it. He was however wrenched out of his stupor when the car ground to a halt and he was roughly pulled from the car. A strong sense of déjà vu hit him as he was manipulated over steps and then led down a flight of stairs before he was jerked to a stop.

Her voice brought back the nightmares as it washed over him "where are your manners boys? Remove the blindfold, Joe has to see his new residence". The goons did her bidding and Joe was blinking in the bright light waiting to get used to the brightness after the long bout of darkness. Once his eyes focused, he wished he had stayed blindfolded. There was Katherine Blake standing in front of him but that was not where his eyes went. His eyes were dragged to the sight of his brother tied to a chair and flanked by two thugs.

Frank looked exhausted and in pain although he tried not to show it for Joe's sake. He smiled reassuringly to which Joe could only smile back dumbly even as he cringed inside. How was he going to get Frank out when the tracker was gone he wondered and he took a deep breath to steady his thoughts. Come what may, he would make sure that Frank would walk out of this fine, even if it meant that he would not. Yes …he agreed in his mind, he would make sure that Frank would not suffer. For some reason Katherine was interested more in Joe than Frank and Joe would put that to good use he decided.

Frank seemed to be thinking on the same lines it appeared as he spoke "you already have me, what do you need Joe for? Let him go, you can do whatever you want to me. If you want revenge against our father then I would do just as well considering that I was the one who actually sent your husband to jail. Joe never did anything to you" he offered.

Katherine however just gave an amused laugh "True, I could let him go but then where is the fun in that? Plus, I didn't go to all this trouble to get him here just to let him go. Why do I need him you ask? You both were the reason my husband is in jail and the both of you will suffer for it. It will be supremely satisfying to destroy the family dynamics and this brotherly love that both of you take pride in. Besides" she added with a smirk "didn't Joe tell you? I like blondes" she said leaving both the boys fuming.

Both Frank and Joe did not know what to say to something so outrageous but to keep quiet was not acceptable either. "What makes you think you can get away with this? Our father as well as the authorities know what you are up to and there is no way you can get away. I didn't know that you were this anxious to join your husband in jail" Joe quipped. A quick flash of anger graced Katherine's face and she quickly slapped Joe across the face.

Joe's head snapped back from the force but he looked at her defiantly. "Yes I know all about the caper you pulled. How is your hand Joseph? Is it bleeding sufficiently?" she sneered. She then reached behind Joe and squeezed where the chip had been eliciting a grunt of pain from Joe as he tried to move away from her. Frank however looked horrified and shouted "what did you do? Joe, did they hurt you….you ***, I swear you will rot in prison" he cursed.

Katherine turned to look at Frank "oh, your brother tried to do something very naughty…you see he had a tracker implanted in his arm, which we had to remove. It was a very foolish thing to do Joe, did you honestly think I would not know?" she taunted looking at Joe now.

Much as he tried to curb his curiosity Joe had to know for sure if there had been a leak at the agency. "I wouldn't call it foolish you know and yeah consider me interested…how did you find out?" he asked.

She merely gave a self-satisfied smirk and retorted "I do have contacts everywhere, otherwise how would I have survived all this while huh? Too bad my friend at the agency was more loyal to me than you. And now you will have to face the punishment for what you tried to do" she declared.

"So what are you waiting for? Get down to it" Joe snapped thoroughly irritated at the woman and her games. "Oh my! So impatient…not so fast Joseph. You see there is a change in the rules this time around" she declared causing Joe to look at her with loathing. "Are you not going to ask me what? Seems you are less inquisitive now…wonder if it has something to do with the marks on your body. Maybe you did learn something after all" she mused as she gave an amused smirk.

Joe would have given anything to smack the smirk off her face but even talking to her was loathsome. His silence did not deter her though. "Well since you asked not so nicely, I will tell you. You have to do anything and everything I demand or else Frank here gets punished. Have you heard of the story of the whipping boy Joe? He will be your whipping boy and you will be his. If he misbehaves it will be you who pays" she said eliciting a wave of pure anger from Joe.

"You ***!" he screamed "you leave Frank out of this …you leave Frank out of this. I will do what you ask but you better not touch even a hair on Frank's head…I swear I will kill you" he raged as Katherine gave a laugh and signaled to her goons. Immediately one of them stepped forward and backhanded Frank viciously causing Joe to call out to his brother. "It looks like you don't understand the rules well enough Joe. This should be a good demo and besides, I think you should worry about yourself first" she responded calmly as if she had not hurt Frank at all.

Joe simply glared at her and forced himself to remain calm. "Fine…I understand. I will do what you want, can't you at least take care of Frank's injuries?" he asked. Frank however could not keep quiet at the turn of events and he desperately addressed Joe beseeching him not to agree to any of the vile lady's demands. Joe however for the first time in his life could not listen to Frank and avoided his brother's eyes.

"Good, we seem to be understanding each other better now. Let the boys show you to your new accommodations now where I will be a good person and allow Frank to be taken care of" Katherine said motioning to the goons to step in. At her gesture both boys were held tightly and in Frank's case made to stand up while Katherine made her way up the staircase.

It was only after she disappeared from view that Joe took his first look at the place. It seemed to be a modified basement with the inclusion of two cages placed next to each other. It did not take a leap of imagination to see what the two cages were for and it only saddened him that Frank had to experience it too. He really did not want anyone else to face what he had and not especially his brother. It looked like Kathrine was continuing from where her husband left off.

"Please do something for my brother's injuries" he said addressing the thug holding him. "Not just mine, Joe's also… please" Frank added as an afterthought but he was met only with a careless shrug. "Only yours" the man said taking out a first aid box and efficiently dressed Frank's various cuts and bruises. They were then herded to the cages and Frank was first pushed into his cage while another thug concentrated on removing the ropes from Joe's arms. Then it was his turn to be violently pushed into the cage where he went sprawling.

"Hey! That was uncalled for" Frank shouted with rage and scooted to the bars closest to Joe's cage. "Joe" he called out as Joe scooted as close to Frank as he could in their confinement. "Joe, are you okay? Show me your arm" he demanded. Joe dumbly extended his arm through the bars thankful that he could reach Frank this way.

Frank tenderly held Joe's arm and hissed when he saw the deep cut that was still leaking a bit of blood. Worry gnawed at him as he tore a strip of his shirt and began to silently bind the cut. "You want to fill me in on what this is?" he asked quietly his tone leaving no option but for Joe to tell the truth. Joe sighed and filled Frank in on the events of the last few days ending with the story of the chip and it's subsequent removal. "Basically we are on our own Frank, there is no backup now" he concluded in a dejected tone.

"Hey, chin up. We are together, that is something" Frank comforted his younger brother but Joe simply shook his head. "No, I don't want you to be here Frank…if there is a chance to escape please take it" he begged.

"Look at me Joe…look at me" Frank commanded holding his brother's eyes "I am not letting you suffer alone again. What you went through still gives me nightmares. If there is a chance to escape, I want you to take it or we take it together, no two ways about it. Got that lil bro?" he said half teasing and half serious.

"O…kay" Joe conceded reluctantly before adding "Frank, one thing though…what she said? Look, I will do everything she says …everything and that's okay. She can humiliate or hurt me if you are spared. So whatever happens, don't worry alright? This time I at least will not regret being hurt if it is to save you and you better not let that bother you. I cannot live with myself if you are injured because of me" he said fervently.

"And this speech is supposed to make me feel better?" Frank asked sarcastically. "I can't guarantee my reactions Joe. If you are being hurt in front of me for my sake I can't live with it either" he confessed softly. "But.." Joe's protests were abruptly cut off with the arrival of the two thugs.

"You" one of them said pointing at Joe "go to the other side of the cage" he commanded. Joe briefly toyed with the idea of resisting the order but his own words from a few minutes before came to haunt him and he slowly moved away from Frank. As if to lend credence to his thoughts one of the goons opened Frank's cage and went inside.

"Joe…" Frank protested but he was silenced by a pile of blankets that landed on him. "Now shut up and go to sleep…but mind you. This is only for you, not your brother" the goon warned and turned to Joe. "If you accept the blanket from him it will be taken as disobedience and your brother will be punished. Feel free to disobey, we do not mind practicing our punches" he smirked and walked away.

"What if I give it to him or not use it at all" Frank questioned wanting to know what the boundaries were. "Then he gets the punishment. Are you really that dense?" the goon questioned back and his partner was now inside Joe's cage as if to reiterate the statement.

"Fine…fine. I get it…you can leave now" Frank muttered sarcastically but all it did was earn Joe a slap across the face. "What the hell..." Frank shouted and got up in anger but the goon simply shrugged and pointed to the blanket. "We give you something we expect it to be appreciated" he said effectively silencing Frank.

Frank silently opened the blanket and slid it over himself and pointedly looked at the thugs. "See …opened and appreciated. Now can you leave?" he said icily. The thugs looked at each other and walked out of the cages. "Don't think you can fool us" they warned before heading up the stairs.

Once the goons were out "So, this is how she wants to play this huh" Frank muttered to himself and firmly put aside the blanket. If Joe did not get one neither would he.

"Joe, come closer" he called out and when Joe did he spoke steadily. "I am not going to use the blanket Joe. This is a game she wants to play…create a rift within us. You can see that right?" he asked desperately. He had seen the flash of hurt that had appeared in Joe's eyes for just a second and that had scared him more than any other threat.

Joe nodded to show that he understood. "Yes of course Frank, but you should take the blanket. What is the point of us both falling sick? Why take the chance…at least one of us should be functional and in shape" he said with utter conviction.

Frank gave an exhausted sigh. "She has not even done anything yet and already it is influencing us. Just remember that I love you okay…just hold onto that and I will too. And no I am not taking the blanket so just be with me okay…stay close and try to sleep. We don't know what the hell is going to happen tomorrow…just close your eyes and go to sleep" he urged.

Joe agreed, too exhausted to argue anymore. His body and mind were in shut down mode and the pain in his arm not withstanding he was inclined to just obey his brother. He eased himself onto the hard floor and extended a hand to Frank. "Good night and you sleep too. Everything will work out in the end" he muttered and closed his eyes holding onto Frank's hand much like their childhood days.

Author notes: Absolutely no excuses, only an apology. I am not going to make any promises either but let my work speak for itself. Hope all of you are doing well and happy. Ciao!