Chapter Twenty-One
"Hey, Joe!" Carlos called out from the front door. The Hardys and Drews turned to see him struggling with Austin as the two came out. "A little help here."
"Oh!" Joe cried, rushing over.
"Austin?" Nancy said when she saw the man. She went over to them as the three came down the steps. When she gave the man a tight hug, he groaned from his broken arm. "I thought you were dead!"
"Yeah, I thought so too," Austin replied wincing. "Believe me, after being down in that dungeon, I wanted to be. It's creepy down there!"
"You're telling me," Joe mumbled.
"What happened?" Nancy asked concerned. Kate came over as well and the group walked over to an open area. "When you disappeared, I thought the worst!"
"Well," he nervously laughed, looking around at the officers, "that…that's a long story."
"We have the time," Kate stated. "The ambulances haven't arrived yet."
Austin nodded, easing himself onto a stone bench. Kate checked his arm as he spoke. "I refused to go hunt down Madame Hilde," he announced. "Donatelli wanted her dead after she left. I don't even know where she went."
"I'm sure someone will find her," Nancy grimaced.
"Yeah, well, she doesn't deserve it," Austin hissed. "She wasn't as bad as Buttchin."
"I'm sorry," Joe interjected, "but did you just say 'Buttchin?' Sounds like her mother hated her."
"Her name was Bündchen," Nancy corrected, shaking her head. "Even though the woman was awful, she didn't deserve to die the way she did."
"Funny that you say that, Nancy," the assassin smirked, "considering what she did to you."
"Yes," she said, giving him a stern look, "but it still doesn't constitute a bullet to the head."
Joe took a step back, watching Nancy as she helped her mother with Austin to make him more comfortable. Something didn't feel right with the man and he wondered who Austin really was. The way he fawned over Nancy made him really suspicious. Joe glanced around, wondering where Frank was at that moment, surprised that his brother hadn't joined them. His question was answered when he noticed that Frank was occupied by Agent Jones in a very heated exchange. Joe made a mental note to ask about what was going on later before turning back to Nancy and Austin.
"So, um," he replied, "you really helped Nancy, huh?"
"Yeah, I think we already established that," Austin smiled at Nancy. "She's a special lady. I didn't like the way Buttchin was treating her so I made sure Nancy got a reprieve at times. The lady didn't didn't take it well."
"Uh huh," the young Hardy quirked an eyebrow. "Hey, Nan. Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Oh, sure, Joe," she nodded then rose. Kate continued talking to Austin with Carlos following Joe and Nancy. "What's up?"
"Um, anything going on that I should know about?" Joe asked in a low voice. "Or maybe Frank should know about?"
"What? You mean with Austin?" Nancy looked surprised then glanced at Austin who was staring at her with interest. Kate got up and walked over to Carson standing nearby with Frank, Fenton, and Laura. "There's nothing that I know of. Austin is just someone who helped me. I don't have any feelings for him either. You of all people should know that, Joe."
"I'm sorry, Nancy," he said. "I didn't mean to imply. Just that something about him doesn't feel right."
"I agree," Carlos nodded. "When I was coming up with him, he kept talking about you. Then when we realized that Donatelli was done for, he had an aversion to coming outside. It's why it took me so long to get him out here. He didn't want to leave the house. He actually wanted to go out the back door."
"Really?" Joe looked confused. He rubbed his lips, then eyed his brother nervously. "Don't mean to pry, Nancy, but does this Austin dude know your feelings? He looks like he wants more than just a friendship with you. And besides, who is he really?"
"I...I don't really know him, Joe," she said looking at the ground. "All I know is that he was kind to me once Bündchen really got started."
"Gigi didn't really tell me who he was either," the former agent piped in. "She just said that he was 'a friend.'"
Nancy bit her lip. She knew what Joe was getting at and the fact that Gidget didn't tell anybody who Austin was seemed to be turning into an issue. The man was sweet to her but he wasn't exactly who she'd really want to be with. Not only that, she knew he was Donatelli's assassin which made him dangerous no matter how nice he was to her. There's no telling what he would do to stay out of jail.
"You're right, Joe," Nancy sighed. "I trusted him while I was here though. Let me see what he says before we turn him over to Interpol. I'm sure they are looking for him or someone is."
"Okay," Joe stated. "We'll be right here if you need us."
"I have a bone to pick with you, young man!" Agent Jones yelled pointing his finger at Frank. The outburst took his attention away from Nancy and Joe who were helping with Carlos and a man Frank didn't recognize.
"Yes, I'm sorry about that," Frank held his hands up defensively. "I really had no intention of hitting you."
"You damn near did though!" the agent squealed. "I about had to jump through the damn car to get out of your way!"
"And again, I am truly sorry about that!"
"I don't think Frank did anything wrong, Agent Jones," Carson interjected though the agent continued his rant.
"Reckless endangerment, attempted assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving…I should have you arrested for this!"
"Now hold on a minute…" Fenton objected, stepping in front of his son.
"Let me finish," Jones replied, his voice calmer. He held his hand to the concerned father then turned back to Frank who was just as surprised. "You did us all a service, including your friend. I don't think any of my agents or the officers would follow an order like arresting you. I just needed to vent so I apologize for my outburst. Good job."
The agent shook Frank's hand then walked away leaving the Hardys in shock.
"What just happened?" Frank asked looking at his parents.
Laura gave him a hug and kissed his cheek. "You're a hero, Frank," she said happily. "That's all that we need to know."
"But…"
"It's all good," Carson smiled. "He's telling the truth. Besides, you would have gotten out of it anyway had he done something. You have too many friends in high places."
"Okay." He still looked confused then shook his head. Frank noticed his brother and Nancy talking off to the side with Austin just behind them. "Dad, who is that guy?"
Nancy walked back to where Austin was sitting quietly. He watched her with a smile then waited for her sit next to him before speaking.
"Why do I get the feeling that your friend still doesn't trust me?" he nervously asked. When she didn't speak right away, Austin laughed, shivering. "Woah, did the temperature go down or something?"
"Who are you really?" Nancy blurted out.
If the man was surprised, he didn't show it. Sighing, Austin shifted his bad arm the best he could then spoke. "I should have known that was coming. Are you going to turn me in if I tell you?"
"Depends on what it is," she replied, her face stoic.
He studied her, thinking about what he could say. When he finally did, there was something different about the man that Nancy noticed right away. Something that immediately put her on edge.
"Name's Austin Dupree," he announced with an edge in his voice. "I'm from Dallas. I lost my parents in a fire when I was a kid and went from foster home to foster home till I was done in the system. Far cry from what you probably lived like. When I was 18, I chose the Army and they saw that I had the goods to be a sniper. No family, no girlfriend, no friends so I went to sniper school and became one of their best.
"A few years ago, I was in Turkey when someone approached me with an offer larger than the US government could ever give me," he continued. "Too bad I couldn't leave the Army legally. So, I high-tailed it out of the country and started working for a man who went by the name Donatelli in the criminal world. Didn't know who he was really but didn't care either. He paid me well, allowed me to move about as I pleased. Have any woman I wanted. Nothing tying me down and best stuff money could by. It was the best life. Then I was summoned here for some strange reason. I'm not entirely sure as to why Donatelli wanted me here though I'm glad I was brought here. Then I wouldn't have met you. As for Buttchin, I really didn't like her. She was piece of work, if you ask me. She did things that even I would never have done to someone. I felt bad for you and if it hadn't been for Michael, I would have killed her myself a long time ago. So I tried to make life a little better during your time here. "
Nancy's heart pounded, her breaths coming quick. She couldn't believe that he had admitted to everything so easily. The question was why.
"Nancy, I like you…a lot," Austin continued, his charming smile disarming her slightly. "I was hoping that we could…"
"No," she quickly said. "I'm not sure why you told me all of this, Austin, or what you are thinking that I could give you after hearing it. I will forever be in your debt for what you've done for me but I can't help you get away from what you've done. And it's not something you should be proud of. You need to go to jail and take the consequences of your actions. But I will help you in other ways because you helped me. That's all I can do. It's all I want to do. I…I love Frank. There's never been anyone else even in the entire time that we've been together. I don't know what else to say."
"I understand. I just wish you'd reconsider," he said sadly, bowing his head. "You seem like a good person so maybe you could see past everything that I did and help me get out of here. I really do care about you."
"You don't know me, Austin." Nancy rose from the bench though he grabbed her wrist to stop her. Her eyes went down to his hand then back up to his face.
"I ain't goin' to jail, Nancy," he said, his voice low. Austin looked at her, his eyes intense. "I may have a broken arm but I ain't goin' that easily."
"There a problem?" Frank suddenly appeared at Nancy's side, though he was staring at Austin. Joe was right behind him along with Carson and Kate.
"No problem at all," Austin smiled, wavering a little. He let go of Nancy's wrist and she stepped away from him. "Nancy and I were just talking."
"Who do we have here?" the inspector inquired, coming up behind Carson and Kate.
Nancy bit her lip in thought. Austin looked at her expectantly, a smirk slowly forming. The look he gave her was the final straw she had for him and she turned toward the inspector.
"I think someone might be looking for him," she stated firmly. Austin's eyes went wide in alarm as she continued. "He says his name is Austin Dupree and he works for Donatelli…as his assassin."
Inspector Cluseau glanced at Austin with interest. The assassin shook his head in anger. "Well, you are one very elusive young man, M. Dupree. There are a lot of people looking for you who I'm sure would love to know that you are still alive. I don't think we should be around the bush anymore. Shall we?"
"Remember what you said, Nancy!" Austin shouted as he was escorted away.
"You okay?" Frank asked concerned.
"I'm fine," Nancy answered monotonously watching Austin.
"You sure?"
She looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, I am. He may have been kind to me but he had no intention of taking responsibility of his previous actions. It was just his way of getting out of a bad situation."
"Too bad, too," Carlos shook his head. "I thought he was pretty descent up until he didn't want to come outside."
"I'm so confused," Frank muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"He's obviously not worth it," Joe shrugged, "so I think we can just let it go. By the way, where's Charlie? I thought they would have gotten here by now."
The older Hardy rolled his eyes then exchanged looks with Nancy. "He got lost," the two shrugged.
Charlie maneuvered his way down the street of the town, unsure if he was going in the right direction. He was thankful that he saw the church and stopped for directions. The parish priest named Mathias not only gave him directions but came along as well to see what was going on at the mansion.
By the time they got to the mansion, the police were already swarming the area. He almost wasn't allowed to proceed onto the property though showing the officers who they had with them, they were finally waved in. As Charlie pulled in behind a group of cars, he could see Fenton and Laura walking toward the SUV along with a few officers.
"Mr. Hardy!" Charlie cried waving to them when he got out.
"There you are, Charlie!" Fenton said relieved. "I thought you'd be with Frank when he got here. You worried us."
"I…I kind of got lost," he replied nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Mathias and Jenny both got out of the SUV and came over. "I wasn't the one driving before so I took a wrong turn. Luckily, we found a church in town and the priest was kind enough to show us where to go."
"You still found the place," Jenny said with a smile.
"Right," the detective nodded, placing a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "And as long as you got here safely, it doesn't matter. Besides, I hear you did a lot to help with all of this. You did a good job."
"Aw, thanks, Mr. Hardy," Charlie's face went red.
"You've come a long way from where you were when we first met you," Fenton stated. "Your parents would be proud."
Charlie bit his lip, looking down at the ground. He wasn't sure what to say though thoughts reeled through his mind.
"Charlie!" He glanced over to see Joe coming toward them. "Where've you been? Did the GPS go out or something?"
"No, not really. I just...took a wrong turn."
"Ok. How're our pals?"
"Oh! Right! They're with Muldoon in the car." Charlie pointed toward the SUV. "I have to say that that Geoffrey guy is a real creep."
"I got that vibe earlier," the young Hardy grimaced. "And Nancy and Frank didn't really say anything about what happened out there."
"And if they want to, they will, Joe," his father said knowingly. He noticed Charlie became a little nervous about the whole ordeal and Fenton wondered if there was more to the story than what was already perceived. "Let the police handle it."
"Ugh," Jenny shivered, rubbing her arms for comfort. "That man is a pig! The things he said…ew!"
"I take it that Geoffrey overstayed his welcome," chuckled Agent Jones. "He's known for his choice of words among other things."
The British agent went over to the SUV and opened to door to look in. Geoffrey was sporting a new bloody lip but otherwise was ready to go along with the other passengers. Gidget huffed in a corner, squished up against the window by Geoffrey.
"Who's that guy?" Fenton asked as a timid-looking man was out of the SUV first. "He looks like he's about to throw up."
"That is the driver," Muldoon stated, coming up to them. "He's going to sing like a little canary. He also helped us out in getting something for Nancy to wear. Apparently, the baron is always prepared for anything because he had a bag of clothes in the trunk of the sedan. Too bad there wasn't anything that really fit her. And the dress she was wearing was a little bit…ripped so she really didn't have a choice."
"Ripped?"
"Don't ask."
"Damn," Joe laughed when he saw Geoffrey's beat-up face. "What happened to him?"
"He ran into a wall," Muldoon smirked, "several times."
"But I thought it was Frank who did that," Charlie said naively.
"Yeah, a 6 ft tall wall, Charlie," the military man shook his head. "And a pissed off one at that."
"Oh," the young man nodded.
"Really?" Laura asked, watching Geoffrey be escorted to the ambulance nearby. He gave her a smirk that sent a shiver down her spine. "Frank did that? Hmph, I'm surprised he didn't kill him."
"Laura!" Fenton cried.
"What? We all know what kind of man that Geoffrey is," she said innocently. "You're telling me you wouldn't have done the same thing if you were in Frank's shoes?"
"Well…" he shrugged nonchalantly.
"See?"
"I have my rights!" Gidget screamed as she was going by. "I did nothing wrong! I helped them! That's all I was trying to do!"
"Hold up, you helped us?" Joe laughed angrily. "Yeah, right! You kidnapped my friend, keeping her for months! Then you drug my brother, send thugs to rough him up. Is that really helping?"
"And that doesn't include what you did for Martin Davenport," Fenton spat. "There's nothing you can say that will change our minds nor will it get you out of jailtime."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Gidget grinned, looking behind him. "Hello, Nancy. Are you going to these nice people what I did for you? I think they'd like to know."
The Hardys turned around to see Nancy standing behind them, her face tired. Frank, Carson, and Kate stood around her. The young woman came forward, her eyes never wavering from Gidget.
"What do you want me to say, Gidget?" Nancy replied calmly. "Joe and Mr. Hardy are right. If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't be here right now."
"But I helped you, remember?" the woman simpered though she was slightly nervous.
"Yes, you did," she nodded. "You helped me walk again much like you did for Davenport and I appreciate that. I will put in a statement about that fact. Not only that, if it wasn't for you, we would never have known that my mother was alive. The police also wouldn't have caught Donatelli. He would still be terrorizing the world. Same thing with Geoffrey. Neither one of them will be able to live in the outside world again. But there is one thing I will say though: this is the last time that we will see each other. I hope that whatever punishment you receive, you take the time to think about the things you have done in the name of revenge. Those are the deeds that define who you are, Gidget. It's just how you take the penalty that makes you who you eventually become. Austin didn't learn that lesson but I hope that you do."
Nancy gave her one last nod before turning back toward her family. Gidget was led away, the words unable to come out. Eventually, she bowed her head in defeat and single tear rolled down her face.
"I'm proud of you, Nancy," Carson said softly when she approached him.
"Thanks, Dad," she hugged him tight. "Even though she did some horrible things, I'm grateful to her for the good that came out of it. I'm just glad that it's the last time I'll see her. I might not be able to hold my tongue if I do."
"Or your fist," Joe laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't give her one just now. After all that's happened, you still want to help her?"
"Yes…" Nancy rolled her eyes, "eventually. I'll make her sweat for a little before I do. She needs a lesson in humility though I think it's already starting to kick in."
Carson and Kate both hugged their daughter, the three just grateful to be together again. A snicker interrupted their moment.
"Oh, look at that," Geoffrey smirked. He looked cleaner than he did before, a bandage over his eye though his nose was still swollen. Agent Jones tried to move him, but the man planted his feet, his eyes narrowed at Nancy. "The family reunited. So sweet. I'd love to meet the parents, Nancy. Especially after what we shared."
Frank went to move, his face red with anger but Nancy stopped him by gently touching his arm. Geoffrey's smirk grew in size as Nancy walked toward him.
"I knew you couldn't stay away," Geoffrey said smugly.
She calmly studied at him as if in thought. The man waited patiently, his smile never wavering. Nancy suddenly grabbed a hold of his shoulders then rammed her knee hard into his groin. A collective groan erupted around them as Geoffrey made a small squeak before dropping to his knees, unable to really care for himself.
"That's for every woman out there you hurt," Nancy spat. She leaned over and said something in his ear before walking away with a satisfied look on her face.
"Didn't you tell me he wasn't worth it?" Frank quirked an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I did," she sighed in relief. "But that sure felt good."
"Nan," laughed Joe, putting his arm around her shoulder. "I don't think he's going to be able to sit properly for at least a week after that. But, damn, that was awesome!"
"Thank you, Joe," Nancy sheepishly smiled. "He deserved more than that."
"What did you tell him anyway?" Kate inquired.
"Only that I'm going to make sure that he gets a cellmate who will make him his bitch."
"Nancy!" Carson cried aghast.
"What?" she looked innocently at her father. "I couldn't very well do what I really wanted to do to him. That really wouldn't sit right with the authorities. But it was the only promise that I could think of. Besides, whatever does happen to him, he'll be hurting for a very long time."
Author's Note:
I know. This isn't the end and we still don't have an answer for the elephant in the room. I couldn't get everything in but I also didn't want to take away from the real ending. This was pretty much the tying of loose ends, especially for Nancy. She needed to speak here. You have to admit that Geoffrey's end was so worth it! The next chapter should be the last and then, of course, the epilogue which will ultimately end the series. Who knows what will come next! I meant to get this out yesterday but we had a snow day which meant I was with my girls and no time on the computer. We actually didn't get snow until about 1030 but boy, did it come down! Thankful I didn't have to drive in it! And now its melting. So it is what it is. The last chapter will probably come out next week. My little one's birthday party is this weekend so Imma gonna be a little busy. Thank you so much for reading the previous chapter and leaving such awesome reviews! I am truly humbled. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm so glad that you decided to continue on in the series even though this one was tough for me. I'm hoping that future stories won't be like this. I hope that you enjoyed this last chapter and, if you will, please leave a review to let me know what you think! And yes, we will finally find out who Baby Drew is! Also, if I missed anything, please let me know! I hate have things hanging out there and there's no explanation for it. Anyway, have a great rest of the week and God bless!