Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.
Thank you: Wendylouwho10 who read over the story for me and made content suggestions, helped with the flow, and provided some spelling/grammar corrections. Typos are mine and I discover them all the time. :-)
Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Setting is blue spine-ish and AU. Timeline: Taken; Recovery; Retribution; Wild Pitch; and now this story. While you don't NEED to read the previous stories, things will be referenced and perhaps even some from my younger Hardys stories.
Author's Note: A shorter chapter, but we're wrapping things up. Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty
Two weeks of hell was what it was for Joe. For several days he wasn't even well enough to go work out as his muscles were recovering from the battering they took. Not that he could anyway since he had been ordered to rest by the medic. So here he was too sore to work out and was too beaten up to go out in public. Sitting around the apartment was almost more than he could handle. But looking at his cuts and bruises, he better understood now why legitimate MMA fighting organizations had strict rules about the time between bouts for various injuries. While two weeks was plenty of time for their muscles, the cuts on their faces might reopen more easily. But then, Zendel's wasn't really worried about that. So the two weeks that he worked to get his body back into shape was painful. The constant mouth from Frank's group of friends just added to the joy of the situation. Marcus Dupree hadn't made things any easier. He bumped Joe whenever the two of them were close enough to touch. Nothing as overt as what he did in the locker room before the last fight, but enough to irritate Joe and provoke his temper at times.
Now it was fight night once again and he stood at the door to the apartment with Vanessa. He looked over the small room. "I guess we won't be staying here anymore after tonight."
Vanessa looked over her shoulder and then back to Joe. "I hope not. It's better than the Osprey Inn, but it's not home."
"Definitely not home," Joe said with a smile. He impulsively reached out and took her hand. "Thanks for everything. I couldn't have asked for a better partner."
"The same to you, partner," she smiled back at him. The shaved hair on the sides of his head had started growing out and the long scar was almost impossible to see now. Carstairs had said something about him shaving his hair, but Joe had told him no, that his girlfriend liked it longer. She ran her finger up over the softer but slightly prickly hair to the longer strip that ran down the center of his head. It was spiky from the gel they had put in it. Touching the stiff hair, she said, "I know you're going to miss putting the gel in your hair."
He laughed as he pulled back from her hand. Opening the door, he turned to wink at her. "Who says I'm going to stop?" He closed the door on her laughter.
.**********.
Vanessa was more nervous now than when they were running the mission two weeks ago. The room was packed. Zendel's had brought in more chairs and an additional mobile bar. People had hardly paid any attention to the lead-up fights, but a loud buzz had filled the room since the last fight ended. The Main Event was coming up and final bets were being placed. Vanessa had been sickened as she heard someone behind her say that they had placed a bet that Petrov would go into cardiac arrest during the match.
Vanessa had been touched, when Teresa had taken her hand and led her away from their seats to a back corner where the crowd was less. Teresa squeezed her hand and said, "Don't you listen to any of that crap. Jake is going to be fine. If he does have a problem, they brought in extra medical help for tonight so don't you worry none."
Unable to help it, Vanessa had teared up. She quickly brushed at her eyes. "I know. It's just how can people bet on things like that? It's his life!"
Teresa's arm went around her. "Five five minute rounds with breaks. What's that? Thirty minutes? Thirty minutes and it'll be all over."
Vanessa nodded. She was praying that it was over before the first round began. She looked at the electronic board on the wall. Three minutes and the match would start. "We better get back to our seats," she said as she took Teresa's hand to walk back. She would do her best to hold onto the other girl when ORT took everyone into custody. She had already put in a good word for her and Bobby in her emails, but she planned to do it verbally as well.
Back at her seat, Vanessa stared at the hallway where Frank and Joe would come out. Her eyes strayed for just a moment to the clock to see that time was up. A small roar erupted as people stood around her. She stood as well and saw the two brothers making their way to the ring. Frank appeared his normal calm self and Joe…. Well, Joe was Joe. He was practically bouncing his way to the ring. If he really did have a heart condition he would be in a world of trouble.
The two teens climbed into the ring and the official was just motioning them to the center of the ring when a call came from near the door and all eyes turned in that direction. "Everyone remain calm. We're with the ATF." A stream of uniformed men and women with firearms came through the door. Several went down the side hall towards the office and the locker room. The room erupted in noise as people looked for an exit. But there was none to be found. The uniformed spokesperson lifted one of the air horns and blew it. "Sit! Now! We'll show you our badges as you are escorted out."
Vanessa breathed a sigh of relief. Frank and Joe weren't going to fight again after all. A call was made for all fighters and anyone with them to go to the locker room so Vanessa stood and went with Teresa toward the hallway. Once in the locker room, it was only a few moment before Joe came in and moved over to her. Taking her in his arms he held her tight.
"It's over," he said quietly.
As she stood in the circle of Joe's arms with her head on his bare chest, she realized that she had mixed emotions about it being over. He was her partner. Having feelings for him was ridiculous. Is this what would happen with her on every mission with a guy? Was she fated to be attracted to her partners over and over? She did a mental eye roll. No. She was certain this wouldn't happen every time. Separating herself from Joe slightly, she asked, "How long do think before they come for us?"
Joe shrugged. "Not sure," he whispered. "We're not the high profile ones. They'll probably get all the guests out there and the Zendel's people then come for us."
She nodded. "Could be awhile then." Taking Joe's hand, they moved to an open spot on one of the benches once Joe grabbed a t-shirt. The rest of the room alternated between pockets of nervous chatter and silence. Vanessa glanced to Frank and saw that Marcus was next to him and he was definitely one of the ones doing the nervous chatter.
.**********.
An hour and forty-five minutes later, agents came to get all their names and then loaded them up in buses separating into them into male and female groups. Once at the local station, they were divided up further and this is where Frank, Joe, and Vanessa were finally able to get out of the group being processed and into a room to themselves.
As soon as the three entered the room, Frank turned and grabbed Joe, pulling him into a tight hug which Joe returned. Pulling back, Frank looked Joe in the eye and said, "I've wanted to do that for weeks." He smiled and shook his head. "It was harder than I thought to be around you but not be able to interact with you."
"Me too, Frank. Me too." He glanced behind him to Vanessa. "At least I had Vanessa to talk to the rest of the time."
"Yeah," Frank said carefully as he looked at the lovely blonde. "She was my one real connection to you the whole time."
Joe smiled, "Don't know what I would have done without her."
"You'd have done your own laundry for one thing," Vanessa quipped back.
Frank laughed. "I see you've met your match, Joe."
"Maybe," he laughed.
Eyes turned to the door as Agents Williams and Johnson come into the room. Both wore smiles and carried duffle bags.
"Well done, everyone," Williams said. "This operation was more productive than we had even hoped for."
"Thank you," Frank said. "How long before we're debriefed and sent home?"
"We'll start the debriefing tonight, but it's late so we'll finish up tomorrow and then send you home," Johnson said. "If we have any more questions, we know where to find you." Holding up three duffle bags, Johnson said, "These are the bags you packed with things to change into. We'll take you to a locker room to change and then you'll each have a separate debriefing."
"Did you get my purse from tonight?" Vanessa asked Agent Williams.
Williams unzipped a side pocket on Vanessa's duffle and handed it to her. When Vanessa unzipped the purse, Williams asked, "What are you looking for?"
Smiling, Vanessa pulled a box of unopened condoms from the purse and tossed them to Agent Williams. "Just wanted to go ahead and give you these, Agent Williams." She winked at Joe who was a light shade of pink and gave Frank a large smile as he stared at the box.
For the first time, Agent Williams laughed out loud.
.**********.
Frank and Joe were in the men's locker room at the station. They had had to wait a few minutes to make sure that all the people from the sting were in other areas before they could make the trip to change their clothes.
"Um, Joe?"
"Yeah, Frank?"
"That box… was it…?"
"Yes, Frank."
"I think I'm going to need to hear this story," Frank said with a laugh.
