Chapter Seventeen

"Frank!" Joe cried after his initial shock. "What the…How did you…" He turned to Carlos, throwing up his hands in bewilderment. "What is going on?"

Carlos laughed. "I helped Frank get out of the room he was in. I was the one who set up everything in there so while Gigi wasn't looking, I was able to sneak in a few things that would help Frank out in the long run. The only thing I didn't know was how to get him the information because I had to hide everything. Gigi didn't trust me then either. I did see her tape the cell phone to the bottom of the bed so all I had to do was get the number and go from there." Carlos' phone suddenly rang off again and the man declined it, irritated at the interruption. "When you insisted on talking to Frank, Joe, I watched closely as she punched in the number. Sent Frank a text seconds after the phone call was over and here he is."

"I almost didn't take the meds either," Frank piped in. "I was elated at first then thought maybe it's another trap to keep me out of the loop for a while. But something told me to take it, that everything would be okay. I don't know what it was but I took a leap of faith."

"But where have you been?" Joe asked confused. "And why didn't you call Dad or even Charlie? At least let them know you were okay!"

"I couldn't, Joe. You heard Gidget. The phone was nothing more than an instrument to communicate one way. Besides, if I had, it might have gotten back to Gidget or even Donatelli for that matter. Lord knows what would have happened."

"Plus I didn't leave very much of anything besides what could help Frank get out of the fog he was in," Carlos continued. "She was on my ass enough I'm surprised I was able to get what I could in there without her knowing. But I left a clue with your phones so that your friend Charlie could locate you and get you out, Frank. I'm surprised that they haven't shown up yet."

"What are you talking about?" Frank looked at him in confusion. "I got out on my own. No one opened the door for me."

"Wait, you got out on your own? You were supposed to stick around until they got there! Then maybe we would have had Charlie to help us with everything."

"Oh, don't start that again," Joe huffed, rolling his eyes.

"If I did, I have no idea where I would be right now," his brother stated.

"Why's that?"

"Because two goons showed up right after I was able to get out of that room. But I didn't stick around long enough to find out why they were there. I kind of borrowed the bike too though. I think it belonged to one of them. What I don't get right now is why you're helping us, Carlos."

"It can wait," Carlos sighed. "We need to formulate a better way to get into this place or we won't get far."

"I can vouch for that," Frank nodded. "The estate is pretty high tech. A lot of cameras, dogs, guards, you name it, it's there. This baron put a lot of money into this place to create a virtual fortress."

"And you know this how?" Joe quirked an eyebrow.

"Uh…" Frank chewed on his lower lip nervously. "Because I kind of got pretty close."

"Like how close?"

"Close enough that I almost got caught. There are cameras everywhere and I think I may have been spotted by one."

"Great!" cried Carlos. "Now they know we're coming!"

"No, they know I was there," Frank pointed out. "Not that we're exactly coming."

Carlos' phone rang off again and the man finally answered. "What?!" he cried into the phone.

"Why would you do that, Frank?" Joe asked incredulously as Carlos began talking on the phone. "You could have been caught!"

"And I know that! I couldn't get a hold of Carlos so I took matters into my own hands since I didn't know when he'd contact me again. All I wanted was to see if Nancy was really there."

"Well, she is, Frank," Joe announced sympathetically. His brother blinked in surprise. Joe pulled out the camera then handed it to him. "I took this a few hours ago. She was sitting at the window. It was the only one that wasn't covered by curtains so I was able to get a clear shot."

Frank sighed taking in the photo. He stared at the woman though something was off. She didn't look like Nancy. "Uh, Joe," he finally said. "This isn't Nancy."

"Huh?" Joe looked over his shoulder at the picture though he didn't see anything different. "How can she not be?"

"Don't you think I'd know my own girlfriend even after all this time?" his brother spat. "Unless Nancy aged about twenty years in six months, I'd say we're looking at a photo of Kate Drew. Even in the small screen I can tell and her eyes are different, darker."

"But what does this mean?"

"It means we have someone else to get out of that house. Joe, we really need Charlie for this."

"And I've already said this to Carlos, we can't involve Charlie. We promised Dad."

"I know we did but he's the only one who could possibly hack into the system and shut it down."

"There's got to be another way, Frank!"

"Damn it, Joe!" Frank huffed, throwing his arms in frustration. "Do you realize how close we are? She's right there! If we don't do something now, we might now get this chance again!"

"I know that!"

"Joe…" Carlos called out but the brothers ignored him.

"Why are we having this conversation?" Joe yelled. "It seems like its over and over again no matter who I'm talking to! We promised Dad that Charlie would be okay, that we would keep him out of harm's way! I don't want to go back on that promise!"

"Joe…"

"Joe, please," Frank pleaded. "I…I can't go home empty-handed."

"And you won't because we'll get her out of there…without Charlie."

"Yo!" Carlos yelled finally getting their attention.

"What?" the brothers cried out together.

Carlos calmly handed his phone to Joe. "It's for you."

Confused, Joe took the phone and cautiously said "Hello?"

"Joe! Oh, I'm so glad to hear you're all right!"

"Charlie?" he said surprised then turned to Frank whose gave him a knowing look.

"We were worried sick!" Charlie rambled. "And then I had to tell your dad…that didn't go over well. We couldn't find Frank either even though he should have been at that hotel. I'm still wondering where he's at. And then there were two goons who were also searching for Frank! If it hadn't been for Muldoon, I don't know what would have happened! Everything's been just a mess!"

"Are you done?"

"What? Oh, sorry."

"How did you get this number anyway?"

"Oh, yeah, Gidget gave it to us," Charlie announced proudly. "She told us where Nancy is too."

"You're with Gidget?" Joe cried. Frank closed his eyes in trepidation. "You're not alone are you?"

"Oh, no, no, no! I'm with Jenny and Muldoon. He was one of our guards staying next door to us at the hotel. Did you know that he's actually a pretty cool guy?"

"Charlie, focus here." Joe rubbed his forehead. Now he knew how his father felt dealing with the three of them. "Do you happen to have your laptop?"

"Well, duh," he answered as if it was a dumb question. "I wouldn't leave the hotel room without it. Plus Gidget has one here too that I can use."

Joe exchanged looks with Frank who shrugged as if saying "might as well." The younger Hardy then sighed in defeat. There was no way Charlie wasn't going to be involved now. "Okay, we need you to do us a favor."

It was three hours before Donatelli returned to the room, a satisfied smile rippled across his face. Nancy was still asleep and Kate was dozing as well, her head perched on her fist as her arm rested on the armrest.

Seeing that the two women were asleep, Donatelli slowly walked around the couch and eased himself into the large chair next to them. He sat there for a few minutes, watching, waiting for the moment one of them woke. Donatelli couldn't get past how alike the mother and daughter were in features. Although Kate had a few grey hairs and age lines, they could almost pass for sisters if one looked at them from a distance. Too bad he was about to divide them once again, their whole time together more of a tease than anything.

Kate shifted, her arm finally giving in to the weight of her head. Her green eyes opened and she immediately felt his presence though she didn't move. She didn't want to disturb Nancy still slumbering.

"Did you make your deal?" Kate whispered, glaring at the man.

Donatelli smirked proudly, his teeth gleaming in the firelight. "Yes, I did."

"So now you've come to take her away?"

"Not yet," he shook his head. He looked around the massive room, quite pleased with his decorating skills. He had it fixed for Kate years before but only just made sure it was clean for when she arrived. Donatelli returned his gaze to her as she watched him intently. "We have some…formalities to deal with first. Then, yes, she is going to leave us."

"Why? Why do this to her? What has she done to you to deserve it, whatever it is you have planned?"

Donatelli sniffed, annoyed at the question. He noticed a speck of dust on his lapel and pinched the dust off him as if it were a bug to be squashed. The man then leaned forward, staring into Kate's eyes. "Because she did not live up to the expectations that I had for her. I had planned on something very different for Nancy but she was too stubborn to realize the consequences that she is about to receive. Does that not answer your question? Here's another answer: You left me twenty years ago and took the one thing away from me that I wanted more than you. A son!" Kate's face drained of color as she realized her mistake. The man sneered. "Did you not think that I would be able to hear you in this room? I have microphones everywhere that can pick up the slightest sound, even a whisper! I heard what you said."

"Your son?" Kate cried gathering her composure. Nancy startled awake. The angry mother quickly rose from the couch as her daughter moved out of the way, watching and listening to what was about to unfold. "He was never yours! I was pregnant when you faked my death and I nearly lost him because of you! All those nights you came in here expecting to make a child when I was already carrying one! You raped me, you sick bastard! In all that time, I never once let go of the memory of my family! I wanted nothing more than to protect my child from you! Both of my children! The son that you think is yours is Carson's and you will never find him!"

Donatelli seethed in anger staring up at Kate. Her breathing became ragged as she tried to calm herself down. Nancy rose from the couch, her heart racing as the facts went through her mind. She had a brother out there and her father didn't know it. Nancy backed away, not sure of what to do. She was shocked as to how fast Donatelli moved, lunging at Kate and grabbing the woman around the neck.

"How dare you say that to me, you insolent woman!" he yelled. After hesitating, Nancy jumped on top of him, scratching at his hands to let go of Kate. The three fought each other, Kate frantically trying to get Donatelli to let go of her neck. "Where's my son?"

Nancy bit down on Donatelli's ear causing the man to cry out in pain. At the desperate cries of the baron, Barton and Nikola rushed into the room, stunned by the scene they encountered. Donatelli finally let go of Kate only to bring his wrath down on Nancy. He seized her wrist as she was about to scratch him again then threw her down to the floor, her head hitting the side of a table. Nancy was dazed for a brief moment but had no chance to recover as Barton closed in on her, picking her up.

"Get her out of here!" Donatelli ordered. He soon turned his attention to Kate once again, the woman glaring at him as she sucked in deep breaths. "You leave me no choice, Katherine. Now because of not only your behavior but hers as well that Nancy will live the rest of her life in hell. Now, our guests are waiting and you had better behave."

"How much longer till we get there?" Carson asked anxiously from the backseat of the SUV they were in.

Inspector Emile Cluseau drove the vehicle while his partner, Bianca Braun sat in the front passenger seat. Carson and Senator Hawkley occupied the middle row while Fenton and Laura were behind them. They all watched as the world went on around them, the people they saw oblivious to what the two families were going through.

The caravan of police and government vehicles rode out of London, headed in the direction of the countryside estate of Baron Greesley, a man they all presumed to be the infamous criminal, Donatelli. The trip would take at least two hours though the caravan rode as fast as they could to get there in record time.

"It will be about another thirty minutes, Herr Drew," Braun replied in a heavy German accent. "Do not worry. We will get there in due time. Have you heard anything from the others?"

"No," Fenton answered from the back. "The last we heard from Joe was that they would try to get into the estate on their own to get Nancy out. We haven't heard from Charlie either. I'm worried that something might have happened."

"From the sound of it," Cluseau piped up, turning a corner behind the rest of the vehicles, "your son and his friends know what they are doing. I am just curious as to how they got their information while none of us have been the wiser."

"Oh, you would be surprised," he chuckled.

The rest of the trip went in silence until they reached the village outside the estate. The streets were empty save for a few feral cats scampering through the trash heaped along the side of the road. Carson eyed the alleyways and darkness as they moved along, concerned for how quiet the village was. He felt an ambush coming but soon they were out of the village and on the only road leading to the estate.

The entrance to the estate was just ahead of them though no gate stood before them. Only a handful of guards who were lined across the middle of the road blocking their way as if they knew they were coming. Now the true test began as the first vehicle came to a stop and one of the guards walked up to it. The wait time had begun.

After fighting to get her changed, the baron guided Kate into the dining room where two men waited. The aroma of freshly baked bread and cooked meat wafted around the room. Kate was stunning, her strawberry-blonde hair fell down her back, the sides swept up by a butterfly comb. Her dress was a satin, lavender a-line gown with long, lace sleeves with a scoop neck collar. The hem barely swept the floor as Kate seemingly glided into the room. Though she was beautiful, her eyes were downcast and wet with tears. Donatelli let her go to greet his guests while Nikola stood guard next to her.

"My Lord Kingsley!" Donatelli boasted loudly. "I'm so glad you to have you for dinner."

"Baron Greesley," the older man nodded though he seemed annoyed. "You have made us wait for quite some time now but yet you only have one lady with you. This is not a good start to our agreement."

"I assure you that our agreement is still in place," the baron said pleasantly. "Our other young lady will be arriving shortly. We had a few things to deal with before we could come down here. I did not want the ladies to be dressed in such a disrespectful manner so it took a little bit of time. I apologize for that."

"You keep apologizing, sir," Kingsley snapped. "I still do not see our deal before me."

"In due time." Donatelli escorted Kate to her seat to the right of the head chair at the table. She looked defeated, her eyes watching the others in wonder as to what the "deal" was.

Seconds later, a sound from the foyer caught her attention and she saw Barton almost dragging Nancy into the room, his hand firmly on her bicep. The young woman was cleaned up with a new dress and her hair pulled up into a loose updo with wispy hair framing her delicate face. Whoever had done Nancy's makeup made sure her gaunt features were well covered up along with her bruises around her neck, almost as if they were no existent. The sleeveless gown she wore was deep red with a low-cut sheer bodice and a slit going down the side showing off her legs. Nancy looked uncomfortable in the dress, her face giving away the disgust she had.

"See, Kingsley?" Donatelli smirked. "She's here and just as stunning as I said she would be."

The younger man behind Kingsley eyed Nancy putting her on edge. There was something about him that she didn't like. Nancy was still trying to understand what Donatelli had in mind, especially with the choice of gown she was wearing. She felt like a tramp.

"Nancy," the baron called to her. "This is Geoffrey, Lord Kingsley's son."

Geoffrey went over to her and took hold of her hand, bringing it to his lips. "So nice to meet you," he said gallantly, never taking his eyes off her. Nancy retracted her hand as if stung by a nettle then looked away. The man didn't seem fazed by her reaction and even chuckled lightly as he held out his elbow for Nancy to take hold of.

With a rude nudge from Barton, Nancy finally reached her hand to the man's arm and guided her to a chair opposite her mother. The baron watched in amusement and pleasure before taking his seat at the head of the table. Geoffrey sat next to Nancy while Lord Kingsley sat next to Kate.

As soon as the five of them were seated, the servers seemed to appear out of nowhere to bring their plates to them. Nancy's stomach growled as the aromas hit her nose. She didn't realize how hungry she was until that moment. A heaping plate of food was placed in front of her, her eyes going wide with delight. Just as she picked up her fork, Geoffrey reached over and took the plate from her, placing it in front of himself.

"That is simply too much for you," he pompously announced.

The man rose from his seat and began working with the server to fill Nancy's plate in the way that he wanted. Nancy glanced briefly at the server, her heart suddenly fluttering just a bit before she looked away. Thankfully no one seemed to notice her reaction.

"There!" Geoffrey said triumphantly. He took the plate then placed it in front of Nancy. "No lady should ever eat that much food. You need to keep your figure."

She looked down and her shoulders slumped slightly. What was on the plate was nothing more than a little bit of fruit, a roll, and a salad. Any meat or hard vegetables were missing. Nancy looked over at the plates of everyone else. With exception to Kate, all the men had enough food to feed a child for three days, the smell causing Nancy's stomach to growl even louder.

Nancy didn't understand what gave the man the right to treat her like that. She picked up her fork and began fiddling with the meager amount of food on the table before Donatelli spoke again.

"My dear, Nancy," he replied arrogantly, "why aren't you eating? Geoffrey was kind enough to fix the perfect plate for you and you are being rude by playing with it."

"What the hell is this?" Nancy gruffly replied. "What gives him the right to tell me what I can and cannot eat!? I do have a right to know what's going on here!"

Donatelli stopped eating, gently placing his fork onto the table. He glared at her as he thought about what to say. Kate waited with abated breath while Lord Kingsley looked concerned. Geoffrey, on the other hand, was amused by her outburst.

"I will not tolerate your rudeness, Nancy," the baron said through gritted teeth. "Geoffrey and his father are our guests and I expect you to treat them kindly for Geoffrey holds your future."

"My future?" she cried. "The only future I have is what I make of it, not what you tell me it is."

"I am so sorry, Geoffrey," Donatelli apologized to the young man. "After everything that has happened, I expected better from Nancy. If you would like, we could postpone this transaction until she is more fit."

"Oh, no, my lord Baron," Geoffrey waved dismissively, "she is perfect. I love a good challenge!"

"What is going on here?" Kate asked cautiously looking from the baron to Geoffrey then back again.

"My dear, Katherine," the baron sighed shaking his head, "this is what I told you would happen. I was really hoping Nancy would behave but obviously she still has yet to learn that lesson. She will in due time though."

"Behave?" Nancy spat. "You want me to behave? To this guy? I don't think so!" She took hold of Geoffrey's plate and dumped it into his lap, splattering his food all over the table. The man cried out in anger and pain as Nancy quickly rose from her chair before Barton was able to grab a hold of her. She rammed her knee into his stomach, doubling the man over. Nikola tripped over Barton as he tried to head Nancy off.

"Nancy, run!" Kate screamed.

The girl nodded reluctantly then took off out of the chaos that ensued. As Donatelli moved to go after Nancy, Kate reached her foot out, tripping the man over. He roared in anger, slapping Kate across the face the moment he had the chance.

"My lord, baron!" Kingsley yelled. "Is this your idea of control?"

"Shut up, you twit!" Donatelli barked. "Barton! After her!"

Barton was slow to get up though Nikola was able to help him. The two men rush out of the room though they quickly lost sight of Nancy.

Geoffrey watched the girl run out, his eyes gleaming with anger. No woman had ever gotten the better of him but he wasn't about to let her get away with it either. He took his cloth napkin and began to wipe the food from his tailored suit. A servant came over with a wet towel and handed it to him. It was a matter of minutes before he was done then he looked to Donatelli.

"You want my father's alliance with you for your run for Prime Minister, that's fine," Geoffrey spat, "but I get to do what I please to that girl!"

"She's all yours," Donatelli announced angrily. "Bought and paid for."

"What?" cried Kate. She helplessly watched as Geoffrey rushed out of the room, following in the wake of Nancy, Barton, and Nikola. "You sold my daughter?"

The baron slapped her again, knocking her back into her seat. "I told you, Katherine! And I warned Nancy of the consequences of disobeying me! Now she'll get what she deserves!"

"No!" she yelled throwing a punch at the man. Donatelli wasn't expecting it and was unable to dodge her right hook as it landed on his face. Kate could feel the pain the moment her fist hit his face but she didn't care. She wasn't about to let anyone put her daughter through misery. "She is not yours to sell!"

Donatelli roared in anger then pushed Kate back into the chair. He grabbed a hold of her neck once more, fully intending this time to end the woman's life. He had had enough of her antics and defiance and he wasn't going to tolerate it anymore.

Kate tried desperately to get the man off of her. Her reprieve came when another guard came rushing in, his voice frantic.

"My Lord!" he cried. Donatelli turned to his man, his hands relinquishing their grasp on Kate's neck. "The police are here! They're at the gate!"

"What?"

For a brief moment, Nancy didn't want to run. She didn't want to leave her mother behind to the monster the baron really was. But with her mother's insistence, she ran off, leaving Barton and Nikola in a heap on the ground.

Nancy ran away from the room, knocking over servants who got in her way though none of them tried to stop her. She knew going out the front would be a mistake. There was no telling as to who was out there waiting and it was brightly lit she would quickly be seen. The back of the house was just as bad but not as well lit. She could easily slip out and into the night before anyone could catch up to her. She needed to get away and this was her only chance.

As she ran around a corner, Nancy saw the back of the mansion, the door open to the cold, Spring night. She could see the sprawling grounds beyond and the freedom it potentially brought. There was no way she was going back to that man, whoever he was. It was obvious that Donatelli made a deal with him for her but she wasn't about to let it happen.

She was just about to the back door when a pair of strong hands grabbed her from behind. A hand quickly clamped over her mouth before she could scream. Whoever it was, pulled her away from the door and into a small room. As Nancy continued to struggle with her assailant, voice hissed in her ear making her stop in her tracks.

"Shh! Or they'll hear us!"

Author's Note:

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2023 has started off well. I know that 2022 didn't end the way I wanted it to with Michigan losing but I will say this: Go Frogs! There's nothing I dislike more than OSU than an SEC team. Anyway, this is my last day of break before having to return to the bump and grind of work/school so I thought it would be a good idea to get this chapter rolling. We are closing in on the end now. I was wrong though about the length. This one might be a little longer than the other stories of the series. As for another story after this one, I'm not sure yet. I haven't thought of anything yet but if I do, you'll know it! Thank you so much for reading the previous chapter and a special thanks to those who left reviews. I appreciate the kind words you all have to say! And I know that you're all wondering who the baby is. We will find out later! And if you're wondering about Austin, he will appear again, I assure you. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and, if you will, please leave a review to let me know what you think! Have a wonderful new year and God bless!