Hello everyone, I know its been awhile since my last update, my apologies. I have a busy work schedule so I can't always update as quickly as I'd like to and but try to I found time to work on it in between. Anyway, I'd like to send a big THANK YOU to everyone who left me wonderful reviews, following, favorites, or just reading. you are all awesome. Your reviews is what encourages me to keep writing, so please keep them coming. and to my beta reader you are a big help to me thank you. Here's the new chapter hope you like it. I'll do my best to update. ErinJordan
A Brother's Revenge Chapter 16
"Sorry we're late I lost track of time. Hope you left us plenty of food for us because we're starving." Joe said once he and Vanessa reached the group.
Frank noticed that his brother had a huge smile across his face, spreading from ear to ear as if nothing was wrong, but Frank could tell that it was a mask and that Joe was worried about something, he could see it in the shadows in Joe's eyes. Vanessa on the other hand, wasn't hiding her worry as well as she had a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes, which told him that there was a lot more to the story than Joe was letting on...
Speaking first, Laura responded, "Well yes, Joe, Vanessa, there is plenty of food left. Please help yourselves." She said smiling at the young couple. She was a relieved that they were here safe and sound and she was praying that everything would go smoothly. She kept her hand on her husband's arm to keep him calm and to ground him for she knew he was angry.
"Thank you, Mrs. Hardy." Vanessa said politely.
Chet, Brenda, Biff and Lizzy all got up from their blanket to greet Vanessa with a friendly welcome. Tony and Marcy got up from the table to come over to greet her as well.
"Hey guys you all know, Vanessa Bender, right?" Joe said making the introductions to his friends and their dates, as he smiled and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Yes, hi Vanessa, you're in few of my classes." Marcy said greeting the girl.
"Yes, that's right." Vanessa replied through a forced smile and thanked them for making her feel welcome.
All of the girls complemented Vanessa on her outfit and said that she looked beautiful in it. Before long everyone was relaxing and engaging in full conversations and laughter with the new couple, despite the awkward feeling that Joe was receiving from his family.
Vanessa however really didn't know what to make of all this, everything was just a bit awkward and she could feel the tension radiating from everyone, especially the Hardy's. That threatening message on her windshield still had her spooked.
"It's about time you got here, Amico." Tony said greeting Joe. "We were beginning to wonder whether or not you were going to show up."
"Heck yeah." Biff said with a slap on Joe's back. "It wouldn't be much of a fun celebration without you," he leaned into his best friend, nudging him with his shoulder, "Besides I need my partner in crime when we start playing some of those games. Oh, and I did bring a football just in case you feel like playing. I know it's kind of hard for you with your leg and all."
"No way would I miss the food, games and, fireworks." Joe said, keeping his smile plastered on his face. He was glad for Tony and Biff's little interruption. because it gave him an excuse to stall and avoid making eye contact with Fenton because he knew he was in big trouble with him for them being late. He said with a sigh, "As for football, Biff, I'm not making any promises, but we'll see."
"Right now, I want to chow down on this good food." Joe's mouth watered as he eyed the display of food in the middle of the picnic table. He reached for a plate. "Wow, this all looks good. I can't wait to dig in."
"Joe, mind your manners, ladies first." Gertrude reprimanded. She nodded towards his date.
"Oh, right, thanks Aunty," Joe smiled, "Here you go my beautiful angel," handing Vanessa the plate, and gestured for her to go in front of him. Vanessa took the plate although with everything that had happened she wasn't very hungry.
"Just a minute Joe, I think you owe everyone here an explanation." Fenton said in a calm but firm voice. He folded his arms to his chest; and Joe could tell that he was working hard to keep his temper at bay.
"I know." Joe said nervously, ducking his head down and shifting anxiously from one leg to the other while he held onto his crutches. Here it comes, he thought, so much for stalling.
He had no idea why his father made him feel this way. He glanced over at the picnic table where his brother who was directing his angry brown eyes at him. His father had every reason to be angry with him as did Frank, Joe broken their agreement. He knew that Frank had gone to bat for him and that his father had reluctantly agreed. How the hell was he ever going to earn his father's trust back? Was he about to lose Frank's trust as well?
"Fenton, I do think this should wait." Laura said trying to reason with him. "At least let Joe have something to eat first." She was trying to delay another confrontation between the two.
"I agree it can wait." Gertrude added. "We're supposed to be here with friends and family having fun with picnics, games and fireworks."
"No Laura, Gertrude, I'm sorry but this cannot wait." Fenton countered back, anger filling his voice. Turning his attention back to Joe he said. "Especially considering the fact that you had us all worrying and wondering if you were in trouble. Chief Collig even has his officers out looking for you two. Then you show up here with a smile on your face as of nothing is wrong."
"Dad, okay. Again, I'm sorry. I just wanted to show Vanessa around the new office and I lost track of time." Joe said softly as he sighed; mentally bracing himself, it was better to get this over with.
"Yes, that's what Angelo Prito told me. That was an interesting conversation I might add." Fenton said, "he seemed to be under the impression that the two of you were there with the intention to make out."
"Make out?" Vanessa squeaked as her cheeks flushed pink. She felt like the whole group was staring at her which was making her extremely uncomfortable and feeling like she just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. "Joe, tell him the real reason."
"Dad, that's not why we're late." Joe said, his anxiety was kicking in again. He quickly shifted his attention to his brother, as he tried to calm himself so he wouldn't have another panic attack. "Frank, is that what you think too?"
Finally finding his voice, Frank managed to say as calmly as he could, but everyone could hear the irritation in his voice. "I'm not sure what to think right now, Joe." He got up from the table to confront his brother, but then his anger took over as he spoke, "I do have a question for you though."
"What's that?'
"Where's your phone?"
Their friends held their breath as they watched the exchange between the brothers. None of them knew what would happen as Frank and Joe rarely argued, much less argued in front of them.
"My phone?" Joe asked, puzzled and biting his bottom lip.
"Yes, your phone." Frank sighed impatiently. "Do you have it with you?"
"Um, yes."
"Really? Where is it?" Frank demanded; his arms crossed against his chest.
Joe huffed out, "In the back pocket of my shorts."
"Can I see it?" Frank asked with a hard edge in his voice. He held out his hand.
Joe knew by the serious tone and the expression on Frank's face there was no point in arguing with him, "Fine," He grumbled, pulling out his phone from his shorts and handing it over to his brother.
"I tried calling you and all I got was your stupid voice mail." Frank said looking at his brother's phone in his hand and turned it on and the whole thing came to life. "Oh, look it does work. You just had it turned off." His brown eyes looked back at Joe. "Why is your phone turned off?"
Frank clicked a button, and played the voice mail message he had left his brother. "Little brother call me. Where are you? What the hell's going on?!"
Joe gulped nervously at hearing the message for the first time. This was not going to go well. "I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders as if no big deal. "I guess I forgot to turn it on before we left the house." No way in hell was Frank going to buy that!
"You guess? Joe, you know you're not supposed to leave the house without your phone turned on and your lockpick, which is another thing I hope you have on you," Frank leaned forward and reminded him, "And you know the reasons why."
"Yes, Frank I do have it with me." A spark of anger lit up in Joe's blue eyes and his temper started to flare up. "And I'm well aware of the reasons why. I'm a walking target. I have to carry a lockpick in my shoe just in case a bad guy gets the crazy notion to grab me and lock me in a box...or some damn hole in the wall."
Finally losing his temper Joe sneered at his brother. "Besides big brother of mine, I'm surprised you didn't pat me down to make sure I had them with me before I left...you must be losing your touch."
Vanessa's eyes widened with concern. This was the Joe that had made her feel uncomfortable at the agency building. Callie too, was growing concerned at the way that Joe was speaking to his brother. Something told her that something big was off about Joe. Biff, Tony and Chet were picking up on it as well, while their dates weren't exactly sure what to make of what was happening.
Suddenly a wave of fatigue came over Frank but he forced it back and focused on Joe, he had to, something was going on. "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing. I'm fine." Joe lied, ducking his head so Frank couldn't see his face.
"Don't tell me it's nothing. This is me you're talking to. I know when you're not fine."
"Frank, I..."
"Joe, from the moment Callie and I got here to the pier, I had that feeling in my heart that something's wrong with you." Frank pushed on placing his hand on his chest, "Then Callie gets a message from Vanessa to tell me that somethings going on with you. And then we don't hear from either of you for almost an hour! I've been here going crazy and worrying my ass off! We've been wondering where you are and thinking that maybe Ryan or whomever it is followed through on the threat! The last time I felt like this I thought you were dead!" Frank shouted in anger making their friends jump.
Frank was livid at this point. He pointed his finger at his brother and ranted on, "And then a few minutes ago Callie receives a message from Vanessa again telling us, 'we're on our way'. And the whole time as we heard from Tony's uncle that you two have been at the agency making out! Tell me Joe what the hell am I supposed to think!" Frank rubbed his aching chest, as he paused to catch his breath.
"Frank." Laura gasped worriedly. "Are you alright? Is your chest hurting again?"
"I'll be fine Mom." Frank said trying to catch his breath.
"No, you're not fine." Callie replied coming to her fiancé's defense. She got up from the table where she had been sitting and linked her arm around Frank's arm.
"Can't you see what you're doing to your brother?" She asked angrily as she narrowed her eyes at Joe and continued, 'You're stressing him out...if he ends up back in the hospital as a result of this it will be because of you!"
There was a moment of silence among the group, Joe looked back and forth at his friends and family. All of them looking at him not sure of what to say. Maybe they're all thinking it too, that I'm no good, he thought, they're just too good of friends to say it.
"Callie, don't..." Frank started to say between breaths.
"No, Frank, she's right." Joe cut in, "It would be my fault." He batted at the tears that threatened to come at the corners of his eyes, he cleared his throat, "The last thing I want to do is cause any of you any more pain." He wiped the tears that had managed to escape off of his face with the sleeve of his shirt, " Frank...I'm sorry." God why am I always hurting the people I care about so much, he thought. Now he was feeling like a piece of crap for breaking down in front of his friends, his family, oh god Vanessa, what does she think of me now. I can't even look at her right now.
"Alright everyone let's take a moment to calm down. There is no need for this." Gertrude said.
Fenton had taken a step back while Frank and Joe had their conversation to allow his temper to cool down a bit. At Gertrude's comment he took a deep breath and continued with his earlier questions. "Okay let's get back to the topic at hand. Joe, do you or did you not go to the office?"
Joe blinking back tears and answered, "Yes sir...but the making out part is not true..."
"Your mother and I made an agreement with you to let you go out with Vanessa on this group date and in exchange you agreed to go to family counseling."
"Yes, Dad I know," Joe still wasn't sure about the whole counseling thing, but he had agreed. "but the real reason we were at the office was because, I had a pan..."
"I don't want to hear any more of your excuses! You were not to go anywhere else other than the pier for the picnic, because of the threat!" Fenton snapped, interrupting what Joe was saying. He couldn't hold back his temper any longer.
Frank and Laura huffed and closed their eyes. Gertrude shook her head and muttered, "here we go again."
"It's not!" Joe fired back, tears gone he was red faced and his hands were gripping his crutches tightly. "Will you listen to ME for once! You never listen!"
"Enough!" Laura shouted stepping in between them.
"We had a deal Joe and you blew it!" Fenton stabbed a finger into his son's chest. "When are you going to start using that brain of yours?" He tried to stop the words from flying out of his mouth, but his anger got the better of him, "Sometimes I wish you were more like Frank."
"Fenton." Laura cried, covering her mouth with her hand a shocked look on her face.
"Dad." Frank gasped.
"Oh, my word, Fenton. " Gertrude whispered softly, shaking her head.
"Oh shit." Biff cursed in under his breath, just as the rest of Frank and Joe's friends all sat in shocked disbelief. Never in their lives had they seen or known Fenton Hardy to ever act that way with either of his sons. They were just as concerned by the way Joe was acting as well, but couldn't help but think that this might have been part of the reason why. What else was happening with Joe that they didn't know about?
Joe's mouth dropped open in stunned disbelief. Ouch; he wasn't going to lie his father's words felt like somebody had stabbed him in the heart and just confirmed what he had been thinking in the back of his mind. Looking at his father Joe didn't bother to hide his hurt, "Well I guess you finally admitted the truth."
"Joe, I'm sorry that came out wrong...I didn't mean..." Fenton said regretfully. He felt terrible for hurting his son's feelings. What the hell was wrong with him? How could he treat his son this way?
"Since you feel that way, why did you even bother to have me!" Joe snapped with angry tears rolling down his face. "You and Mom should have stopped after you had Frank! He's your first born, your prodigy...he's perfect. he never makes mistakes at least in your eyes. Me, I'm nothing to you... I'll never be good enough for you! That's the real reason you won't let me investigate Hayden's murder case, isn't it? It's because you think I'll screw it up. Frank would end up in prison, or worse I'll get him killed...and it will be my fault! It's always my fault!" He then turned to Vanessa and said, "this is part of what I was trying to warn you about. I'm sorry."
Joe looked around at the group that was just staring at him in shock and then tossed the plate that he had been holding back onto the pile on the picnic table and turned and started to walk away. "You know what? I can't do this right now."
"Joe, honey, don't leave please." Laura called urgently to her son.
"I'm sorry Mom, I can't be around your husband right now. I have to get away from him before I do or say something that I'll regret." Joe sniffed back an angry sob as he hurried to get away from them.
As Joe left, Laura whirled around to face her husband, "Fenton, how could you say that to him?"
"Laura, I..."
"Don't tell me, tell him!" She snapped, pointing at the son that was leaving.
"Joe, wait! I'm sorry, I let my anger get the best of me. I love you and Frank both equally." Fenton said hurrying after Joe with tears in his eyes as he reached out to grab his son's shoulder. Joe just shrugged him off as he ignored the pain in his leg from moving to quickly. "Please we can talk and work this out."
"No. Just leave me alone." Joe wiped an angry tear away. "Oh, and you can forget about the family counseling. I'm not going." He whirled back around with his crutches walking as fast as he could, quickly disappearing into a crowd of people.
"Joe!" Frank called out to him. He whirled back around at his father. "Dad, I know you're mad, I am too, but what is wrong with you? First you almost hit him the other day at the house, and now this. How could you say something so hurtful? Maybe it is best if you leave him alone for a while."
He started to go after Joe. "I better go and find him. He can't go off by himself, it's to dangerous."
"Frank, let me go after him," Biff said as he caught up to him.
"Biff please I have to..."
"I know you do. But right now, you're not in the right frame of mind." Biff placed a hand on his shoulder. "Clearly, this is a family matter that you guys are dealing with and we all know that you guys have a lot going on. And it's none of our business. None of us want to interfere, but I think maybe Joe needs a friend to talk to, instead of his brother right now. You know I won't let anything happen to him, I'll find him and bring him back to you. I promise." Biff added reassuring the older Hardy brother.
Frank took a minute to calm down and think about it. He knew that Biff was just as protective of Joe as he was. Aside from their humorous and impulsive nature that always got them in trouble, Frank knew that he could also always count on Biff to look out for Joe when he couldn't.
"Okay, thanks Biff." Frank reluctantly agreed. "Bring him back safe."
"I will." With that Biff nodded and went off in the direction that Joe had gone.
FJFJFJFJFJFJ
Everyone was sitting around the tables in awkward silence, when Vanessa couldn't take it anymore. She had to say something in her defense and in Joe's as well. "Mr. Hardy? Mrs. Hardy? Joe, had a panic attack and that's the main reason why we were late."
Laura suddenly felt ashamed of their actions. Here was this young girl who was invited to this picnic by her youngest son whom he cared about very much. "Oh, Vanessa. I'm sorry honey, we owe you an apology."
"Yes, young lady. we are sorry." Fenton apologized. He felt bad and knew that it wasn't fair of them treating her like this. He knew better then to accuse someone of something without knowing all the facts, he did believe in innocent until proven guilty.
"Vanessa, you said Joe had a panic attack?" Frank asked.
"Yes, that's right." She said as she nodded. Once again, she felt all eyes on her.
"He had one just before you came to pick him up." Frank said recalling the incident at the house. "I thought he was just nervous about the date." Frank stopped himself before mentioning Iola partially because he didn't know if Joe said anything to Vanessa about her and partially because he didn't want to upset Chet. "He kept saying he had a feeling that something bad was about to happened on this date."
Then a thought came to Frank. Perhaps Vanessa could shed some light on some things. "Vanessa, why did you send the messages you sent to Callie? Can you explain them?"
Vanessa took a moment to calm down and collect her thoughts. She looked around at everyone then back to Frank. "Joe, was acting strange." She started to tear up a little, "I didn't know what to do." She wiped a tear away from her eye.
"Strange how?" Laura asked.
Vanessa quickly explained about Joe's panic attack on the drive to the pier, and their stop at the office. "As soon as we got to the office Joe had calmed down. He was really excited about showing me the office, he said it was his dream to work alongside his dad, and Frank."
"We noticed that the light was still on and the construction crew was still in there. Joe wanted to go inside and check out the place." Vanessa paused and then took a breath and continued. "As soon as Angelo and his crew left that's when Joe started acting strange again. I was going to call you Frank, but I didn't have your number so that's why I texted Callie."
Everyone, including Chet, Tony and the girls all listened intently to her explanation.
Vanessa continued, "He told me that he feels that Frank understands him better than anyone. But with you Mr. Hardy, he said that it's different. Joe said that you're two different people who don't understand each other. He even made a comment that he feels some resentment towards you but doesn't know why or where it's coming from. Then all at once he stopped talking about it and moved on to something else."
Frank and Laura exchanged puzzled looks with each other. They both looked at Fenton, who just shrugged and shook his head. They were all wondering what that was about and Fenton was just as puzzled as they were.
"Anyway, Joe tried to break off the date. He also tried to kiss me, but I slapped him across the face because at the time he was acting like a jerk. He said if I continued to see him, that I would end up getting hurt or even killed. I'm not even sure what he meant by that."
Frank thought about what she said for a moment. He looked at Callie, and then Chet. They all knew what Joe meant... Iola...
"After we talked, he looked and acted better, seeming more like himself. So, I sent the text that we were on our way and that's when we found this on my windshield." She pulled the Ziploc bag containing the flyer out of her purse and gave it to Frank.
Frank's face paled at the message in his hand. Then he turned and handed it to his father.
Fenton's face went ashen as he read the message in his hand, 'Eye for an eye... A brother for a brother... soon a Hardy boy will die!' This was what Joe had been trying to tell him, first the panic attack and now this. Joe was right, I don't listen to him Fenton thought.
Fenton was at a loss for words. He felt utterly ashamed of himself for all of his actions, but especially for verbally attacking Joe and not giving him a chance to explain. Frank was right. What was wrong with him? Why was he attacking Joe like this? What kind of a father am I to hurt my child like this? Then suddenly the answer hit him like a ton of bricks, he had just become the one person he had sworn that he would never become. His father, Fredrick Hardy. He had messed up big time. If he didn't fix this, he was going to lose his son in more ways than one. Abruptly he got up from the picnic table. "I need to find Joe!"