Hi, I'm back with another chapter there's only a few more left. I'm trying really hard to update my story, but sometimes life throws me curveballs, but I'm going to see this story to the end. Anyway, I wanted to thank those who left me wonderful reviews on the last chapter, and those who are following me, and favorites or just reading. And a big thank you to my beta reader for helping me with my story. *I must warn you there is physical abuse happening, and strong language also mentions of rape and some inappropriate touching. * Here's my new chapter let me know your thoughts.
A Brother's Revenge Chapter 31
"A little birdy told me that he left the hospital sometime around one this morning. Where he is right now, I don't know." Ryan answered nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.
Joe and Callie's eyes widened. "What! Frank's hurt!" Joe exclaimed, trying to sit up. As he moved, he felt the nick of the blade under his chin. He could feel the sting of the cut and a trickle of blood down his neck. "Frank had a little run in with Henry at the pier during the fireworks show! Henry hurt Frank; I know it! Where is that little jerk! What did he do to my brother!"
"All of the answers to your questions will be revealed in due time." The younger Hayden brother replied changing the topic, "Now let's move on. If there is one thing, I loathe more than anything, it is hurting women. I simply don't want to do it. That being said I will, if I have to. So, here's the deal, Joseph, I'm going to honor your request with one stipulation." Ryan said grabbing his chin, giving Joe an icy stare that reminded him of the older Hayden brother. He removed the blade from Joe's throat and pointed it in Callie's direction. "Ms. Shaw's safety and wellbeing will depend on your cooperation. All you have to do is follow my orders and be a good boy. If you do that, I won't mess up her pretty face. Do we have a deal?"
Callie's eyes widened. "No, Joe!" she gasped in horror.
Joe glared up at Ryan. Every fiber of his being was telling him to beat the hell out of Ryan, but he resisted the urge as he feared for Callie's life. He had already lost to many people like Phil, Seth, and Iola. They had all died horrible deaths because of him. He was terrified at what had happened to Frank. How bad was he hurt? He looked at Callie's frightened face, and he knew that he couldn't let anything happen to her, otherwise it would devastate his brother. He knew that if only one of them could make it out alive that it had to be Callie because she was Frank's world.
It was simple and Joe knew what he had to do. He stopped struggling to break his wrists free from the bedpost. His body was exhausted anyway, and his leg felt as if it was on fire. He felt defeated as if all of the fight had been zapped from his body. He jerked his chin out of Ryan's grip and ignored Callie's pleas, "You can do whatever you want to me, as long as Callie doesn't get hurt. You do that, then it's a deal." He said, resigned to what was happening.
An evil grin spread across Ryan's face, and he began laughing. "Alright Joseph, now that we've come to an understanding. Here's what's going to happen..."
FJFJFJFJFJ
Callie sat on the lumpy old bed listening to Ryan go over his instructions to Joe as he sat on the edge of Joe's bed while keeping his knife pointed towards her. Her mind was still reeling from everything that had transpired this morning from waking up and discovering that they were trapped, to Joe suffering a panic attack, and Ryan manhandling her and threatening to kill her if she moved off the bed. It was nothing more than a ploy to control Joe and manipulate him into agreeing to endure whatever Hayden had planned in exchange for her life.
"You both are going to get a shower and a change of clothes. If you behave during that you will then get breakfast. After that, Ms. Shaw, you will remain here in this room, while Joseph and I, " Ryan paused looking at Callie before turning back to Joe, "Spend some quality time together in the cellar where I have something special set up just for you."
Joe glared at Ryan until his words sank in. "Did you say cellar?" He repeated with a slight quiver in his voice. Joe could feel the panic creeping up on him again just thinking about it.
"I did."
Joe's eyes widened and his breathing quickened. His heart began pounding in his chest as he fought to get himself under control and not show his fear to Hayden. Why does it always have to be a cellar or basement...or a damn rat-infested closet! He thought. He pulled against the zip ties circling his wrists. He could smell the scent of copper as blood soaked the white bandages and began to run down his arms. He could feel blood trickling from the cut on his chin and down his neck as well. He shifted his sore leg trying to find a more comfortable position. He started taking calm and slow breaths trying to keep his panic at bay.
Ryan kept his smirk on his face, totally amused at playing with Joe's mind, "Then as I've said before we're going to play a special game with Frank tomorrow."
Joe growled at him. "What kind of game?" He didn't like the sound of that.
"It's called the revenge game. Before I kill Frank, the man responsible for killing my brother. I'm going to torture the hell out of him by using the two of you."
Callie didn't like the way that sounded. Oh, Frank, I'm so scared for you, she thought. She also didn't like the idea that they were going to separate her from Joe. She was afraid for him and for her. She had caught the panicked look in Joe's eyes when Ryan had mentioned the cellar. She knew from what Frank told her that Joe must be freaking out, as one of his biggest fears was being confined in a room with no way out. She also didn't like that Joe was laying on that bed in pain and a mess.
"Ryan, please cut Joe loose. Can't you see he's in pain?" Callie pleaded again in tears.
"Good. I want him to feel pain." Ryan said cruelly. He cast his dark eyes at her, "It's part of Frank's punishment." He shifted his dark eyes at Joe while shifting in his sitting position on Joe's bed.
"Frank, didn't kill your brother!" Joe shouted in his brother's defense. He pulled his bloody wrists against the ties trying to break free to get at Ryan. Only the move caused his leg to spasm and hurt, so he fell back panting, the glare in his eyes never leaving Ryan.
"I don't want to hear your lies, Joseph!" Ryan exploded, swiftly pointing his knife at Joe.
"I'm not lying! Jack Hayden hurt a lot of people. Anyone of them could've done it!"
"Yes, I know, one of them did. Your brother killed Jack!"
"NO. HE. DID. NOT." Joe said through clenched teeth as he lay on the bed seething in anger. Ryan could inflict any kind of pain on him that he wanted; however, he was not about to let anyone accuse Frank of something that he didn't do.
Ryan looked down at Joe and grinned, "We'll find out the truth when Frank gets here. I know he left the hospital early this morning, so, out of the kindness of my heart I thought I'd give him an extra day to recuperate before we invite him over to play tomorrow."
"You don't have a heart."
"That's cute! Joseph. Cute!" Ryan chuckled while reaching over ruffling up Joe's hair as Joe leaned as far away from him as he could. "But in all seriousness, I can't understand why you'd defend someone who's sending you to the loony ben."
Joe gave him a sour look. "Loony bin?"
Callie gasped. Ryan was about to throw a wrench into the plan to save Joe's life.
Ryan slapped his hand over his mouth as if pretending he spoiled a secret. "Whoops guess I let the cat out of the bag." He began to explain. "Yeah, you see Joseph. Yesterday, I was watching you, your family and your friends. While I was sweeping up the boardwalk..."
Joe interrupted him. "You're Bruce Linsky? Frank said that he thought that he saw him, but that was you? You must've been wearing a disguise, or..."
"He did." Callie spoke up. "Frank and I found a mask and a badge with Linsky's name on it in a trashcan, just before the fireworks show." She glared at Ryan. "Mr. Hardy has them, and I'm sure by now he's given them to the police. So, it's only a matter of time before they find out that they belong to you. Won't they?"
Ryan said with a sigh, "Oh, alright I confess." Like it matters anyway you'll both be dead tomorrow, he thought and shrugged, "It was me."
"You're Linsky then," Joe repeated in disbelief. "But you can't be the guy who kidnapped us during the pier explosion. Your body shape doesn't match."
"No, that wasn't me. Let's just say that he's a friend of mine, but you don't need to worry about him, he's not important." Ryan laughed, "I will admit however, that I am Linsky only in name. I set up the explosion on the pier to be the grand finale of the fireworks show and another fun surprise to keep your father and the police busy. This way I could kidnap Joseph to get my revenge against Frank for killing Jack. I was surprised to see his fiancé here when you arrived. Ms. Shaw had gotten caught up in the chaos, which is just an added bonus to my plan."
Joe and Callie both glared at him for his last comment. "So, where is the real Bruce Linsky?" Callie asked.
"Oh, he and his wife are buried behind the cabin. Along with that stupid ass Daniel Bartend," Ryan shook his head, "don't even get me started on him...and his incompetence..."
Joe's mouth dropped. "What you..."
"Yep, I killed them all. " Ryan replied. "In fact, this cabin belongs to the old couple." He waved a hand over the room. While keeping his knife trained on Joe, "Well, it will be until I blow it up."
Callie's eyes widened as she prayed that Frank wouldn't fall for Ryan's schemes.
"Now back to what I was saying, after I was so rudely interrupted." Ryan said continuing to toy with Joe. "I overheard a conversation between your parents and your brother. They said something about sending you to Bellevue because you tried to jump off the pier yesterday." Joe inhaled sharply as Ryan added with a grin, "Yeah I saw that too. you looked really upset." He pouted pretending to wipe away fake tears.
"My family would never send me to a place like Bellevue." Joe spat. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't know why he had been up on the railing and threatening to jump. He had just been so angry and confused with his friends and family arguing with him and after the fight with his father. Wait yes, he did know. He wanted to leave this world so he wouldn't hurt his family and friends. Now he didn't know what to think. There was just so much stuff whirling around in his head that he felt as if he was going crazy.
"The word Bellevue came from your father's lips. Your mother and brother agreed with him wholeheartedly."
"No! Joe don't believe him! Frank told me they agreed not to send you to Bellevue." Callie corrected him, "They're going to talk to Dr. Reese about sending him someplace better for... help." Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was confessing.
"Frank told you," Joe immediately looked at her. "You mean, you mean it's true!" He cried in stunned disbelief. He pulled against the zip ties on the bedpost causing his wrists and leg to hurt, by now he was a bloody mess from his wrists to his chin, but at this point he didn't care. "My...my family...is sending me away!"
Callie got up off the bed to go over to Joe, but Ryan glared at her and shifted his knife towards her daring her to move, so she immediately sat back down.
"Joe, it's not like that..." Callie tried again to explain before Ryan cut her off.
"It is true. I'm speaking from experience as one younger brother to another." Ryan replied, stabbing his finger in his own chest repeatedly. "I know what it's like to have an older brother who was the go-to guy who everyone went to for help to fix a problem. Jack did everything perfectly. I looked up to him even though he bossed me around and tried to control me. But he protected me every time our bastard father would threaten to beat the shit out of me with his belt or lock me up in a closet. Jack took my place for me every time. My father hated me, I was nothing more than vermin to him."
"Face it, Joseph, your parents don't want you. I mean, do you really think that the world-famous detective Fenton Hardy would want a weak and pathetic loser like you for a son? I mean look at you, Joseph, you're a bloody mess. You are a disgrace to the Hardy name. In fact, your father will probably be glad when you're gone. Then in time he'll forget all about you and spend the rest of his life morning the loss of his perfect and favorite son Frank." Ryan was enjoying spewing out his hateful words, "And oh, let us not forget about your doting big brother. He doesn't want his pathetic worthless little brother anymore either." Ryan pursed his lips together and said shrugging his shoulders. "I'll just be doing you a favor when I kill you. Then you won't have to endure the pain of your family hating you."
Joe just laid in there limply, with angry tears in his eyes, glaring at Ryan and listening to his hateful words. Joe couldn't speak, he had no words. My family is sending me away, he thought. My family. It must be Dad's idea, after all, he hates me. Why else do I have this resentment towards him? It's one of the reasons we were fighting. I should have known it wouldn't take Frank long to find out my secret. Biff probably told him. I should be mad at Biff for blabbing, but I'm not. I'm mad at myself... Frank knows my secret...now he hates me.
It couldn't be true. but maybe there was truth in what Ryan was saying. Frank really didn't want him either. Well, if his family didn't want him...that's fine! And as much as he loved his brother, he'd do anything to make him happy. And the one thing or person that would make Frank happy was Callie. Joe was going make sure to get Callie back to Frank as his final act of love for his brother. He looked away from Ryan and Callie, feeling too embarrassed for them to see him break down crying. He took a sharp breath and sobbed once. That was all it took. Soon tears began to pour down his face as his body shook uncontrollably as he broke down. He couldn't stop the tears running down his face.
Callie felt horrible hearing Joe cry like that. She tried to call out to Joe telling him not to listen to Ryan and that his words were poison. But Joe kept his head turned away from her as he continued to cry, stifling any noise he was making.
Ryan lowered his pocketknife and stood up from Joe's bed and went over to tie Callie's wrists back to the bedpost before leaving the room. As he left, he began laughing sadistically, the evil sound echoing through the room, and he thought to himself. My work here is done. Well, most done at least, I planted the seed...now I can't wait until tomorrow when Frank Hardy gets here. It's going to be so much fun.
FJFJFJFJFJ
"It's 8 in the damn morning!" Picasso cursed under his breath as he stomped up the steps of the backdoor of the cabin that led to the kitchen. "Ryan had better have a good reason for texting me this early!" He opened the door as he entered the kitchen and stopped in his tracks. A smile stretched across his face when he found Carolyn standing at the stove scrambling eggs. He could tell that she had recently showered as he let his lustful eyes scan over what she wore as it clung to her body ending at her shoulders where he could see her damp hair clinging to her neck.
"Well, if it isn't Little Miss Homemaker." he called out while slamming the door at the same time. Carolyn jumped with a start, dropping the spatula that she had been using. "You look hot behind the stove scrambling those eggs."
She whirled around and glared at him. "Shut up! What's the big idea sneaking up on me like that, you jackass!"
Ignoring her comment, Picasso strolled up and continued his banter, "All you need now is an evening dress, a string of pearls around your neck and some high heels." He pointed at her hair making a whirling motion with his finger. "Maybe curl the hair up a bit..."
"I told you to shut up! Don't make me beat you upside the head with this." She spat at him, picking up her spatula and shaking it at him.
"Woah! Woah!" He said lifting his hands in defense. He bit back a smirk, "Take it easy, tiger. I was just giving you a complement."
"Go away." She responded through gritted teeth.
"Sorry to disappoint you Babe, but I can't go away." He looked around for Ryan. " I'm here because your boyfriend sent me a text message ordering me to, 'wake my ass up and get it here, ASAP!' It had better be important, cause, he knows damn well why I can't be seen in the daytime."
"Why, are you Dracula? Do you go around sucking the life out of poor maidens? Will you explode into dust if you are exposed to daylight?" She joked sarcastically.
"Not Dracula, babe. Oh no, I'm a lot scarier than that. So, where is he?"
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes at him. She sighed and continued. "Ryan is keeping first watch on the Hardy kid and the girl. And he wants to make damn sure Henry doesn't interfere with his plan."
"Oh right 'his' plan." The Artist repeated mockingly. "Where is Jack Jr. by the way?"
"Who?"
"Henry."
"Oh. He's in his room. Ryan threatened to break his neck if he came out of there."
Picasso shook his head, that kid must be ready to lose his shit all over his uncle after the beating that he had given him. I'm so looking forward to seeing how things are going to play out, he thought gleefully.
"Well, I'm here, so what the hell does Ryan want?" Picasso asked impatiently.
"Ryan didn't send you the message. I did." Carolyn replied sheepishly as she blushed and began to mentally kick herself for doing it.
"Oh, is that so? " Picasso asked, raising an eyebrow, intrigued by the woman's comment.
"You know what? Forget it. I don't know what I was thinking when I sent you that message. It's probably due to my lack of sleep. Just go back to your van, or whatever rock you crawled out from under." She said, hastily waving him off. She turned back around to the frying pan and scooped the eggs onto a plate.
A smile stretched across the man's face. He had a feeling he knew what she wanted but couldn't bring herself to say it. He knew this woman would be the perfect asset to what he had in mind, and, with a little coaxing on his part, he knew that could draw her over to his side. He jumped up and sat on the counter beside her. He snatched a piece of bacon off of the plate and popped it in his mouth.
"So, what's the plan after this?" He inquired, chewing the bacon, "Are you two going to settle down get married? Maybe pop out of few kids."
"No." Carolyn sneered, "We'll probably leave the country. Of course, we'll have to take Henry with us, unless Ryan kills him first. Which will be no big loss. I can't stand the kid." She picked up another egg from the carton and cracked it into the skillet, letting it sizzle and tossing the shells into the garbage can.
That's what you guys think, but I think the Kid will have different ideas. He thought to himself. "You're crazy as shit, if you think that's going to happen." He said out loud. " Ryan is about to kill the Hardy boys. There won't be a place on this planet that you can go to hide from their old man. Fenton Hardy won't stop until your asses are either behind bars or dead."
"I don't know, Picasso. Ryan and I will figure it out. We always do." Carolyn snapped at him, she sighed and repeated wearily as she scooped the eggs out and placed them on another plate. "We always do."
"Are you his lackey or his girlfriend?"
At the question Carolyn slammed the spatula on the counter. Her chest heaved, and she took a deep breath. she cast her angry eyes at Picasso.
"It's just a question. I've been observing both of you. And from what I've noticed, he treats you more like his lackey than his girlfriend. It makes me wonder why you're with him. Is he that good in the sack?" Picasso said with a shrug.
"I'm warning you, shut your trap or I'll shut it for you!" She snapped at his crude comment pointing her finger at his face. "You have no idea what I'm capable of. I could kill you."
"Do you love him?" He pressed on unfazed by her threat.
"I don't have to answer you." Carolyn said, deeply regretting sending him that text message.
"It's a simple question, Carolyn. Do you love him? I know guys like Ryan only lookout for themselves. Eventually, he will turn on you."
"No, he won't. I know Ryan a lot better than you do."
"Is that right? How long have you been with him?"
"Seventeen years."
"Damn. That long?"
"Yes. We met in high school. Jack and Cindy, Henry's parents, were dating at the time. Cindy and I were best friends; in fact, all four of us became instant friends because we all had such horrible homes and promised to protect each other when we were in trouble. So, in answer to your question, Do I love Ryan? Yes, I do. I would do anything for him because he saved my life." She said looking at Picasso.
"How did he do that?"
Carolyn recalled proudly. "He shot and killed my stepfather and stepbrother before he torched the house with them in it. Jack did the same thing to Cindy's parents, before he killed his own father. He and Ryan hated that man; he did so many evil things to them. To this day, I can still remember standing outside my house with Ryan as I watched it burn to the ground. For the first time in my life I felt free. No one could hurt me anymore."
There was a brief silence between the two before Picasso said, "That sounds like you're with Ryan out of loyalty rather than love."
"You don't know what you're talking about. Go away." She snapped and focused on preparing the food in front of her. "I have to get the food to our guests."
"Alright, alright. I'll leave, but first let me ask you something?" Picasso asked as he hopped off the counter.
"What?" She growled at him, glaring.
"In the seventeen years that you've been with Ryan, have you ever been able to do anything on your own, or have you always followed his orders?"
"I've always done what he tells me." She sheepishly admitted. "Look you don't understand. Ryan's the only one who has ever been there for me." she added with angry tears running down her face. "He's kept me safe..."
"Damn girl! He's got some control over you that you don't see. He did this one favor for you by saving you from the hell hole you were living in, and of course you're grateful for him. I have a feeling he's been constantly feeding and guilting you for years about how much you need him and all he's ever done for you. Just so you'd do what he wants."
"Get lost." Carolyn tore her eyes away from Picasso quickly wiping tears off her face.
Picasso smiled inwardly, his words had struck a nerve with her. With a little more coaxing he knew he would have her completely.
"So, tell me a bit about yourself. Is Carolyn your real name?"
"Why do you keep asking questions about me? I don't know anything about you, other than you're a creep in a leather jacket who comes out at night. You look like an idiot with your greasy hair pulled back into that ponytail. Not to mention that you built two bombs for Ryan and helped us to kidnap those kids. Who are you?"
"I'll answer your questions, if, you'll answer mine." He countered.
Why was he so mysterious? And why did she find herself drawn to this man. Who was this man really? Carolyn couldn't explain it, he had more of a darker, edgier side than Ryan. In a way she found him attractive. Wait, wait, attractive? Where had that come from? I'm not attracted to this guy! He's nothing but a sexist pig and I hate him. I'm with Ryan. I love him. However, she couldn't help but feel drawn to Picasso. She quickly pushed those disturbing thoughts out of her mind.
Carolyn kept her glare on Picasso. "Fine." She huffed and answered, "Karen Lyn Marshall Matthews is my real name. Marshall Matthews was my father's name. He left us when I was about five. A year later my mother met and married my stepfather, Delbert Edwards. We had to move in with him and his son Dallas, who was ten years old at the time. Anyway, nobody's allowed to call me by that name. That girl doesn't exist anymore, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."
Picasso raised an eyebrow again wrinkling his forehead at her statement. I knew she was an interesting woman. "Why change it to Carolyn?'
"My mother's name was Carol Matthews Edwards. Basically, my family had a history of drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence. When I was seventeen my mom died of a drug overdose, so I got stuck living with Delbert and Dallas. They watched me all the time. They basically made me their slave by forcing me to cook and clean the house every day after I'd come home from school. They were always coming up behind me with their grubby hands and pinching or groping me," She choked up. "Then late at night after they'd get drunk or high, sometimes one of them, or sometimes both of them would come into my room to rape me. I ended up getting pregnant by one of them. I ended up having a miscarriage and after that I decided to get my tubes tied so it couldn't happen again. It was for the best, I was seventeen and I couldn't take care of a baby. Besides, bringing a kid into this world would be cruel. I never told Ryan I was pregnant, in fact I never told anyone until now. " Carolyn paused for a moment and stared off into space.
Picasso could see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued. "Anyway, I combined our names together and formed Carolyn as a reminder of what happened to both of us and I'm making it my mission to rid the world of men who treat women like shit. And like I told you earlier I've already killed men in my past for even trying to take advantage of me. And that's all I'm going to say about that." She said in a tone of voice that left no room for argument.
"Fair enough." Picasso agreed. "How did you become a nurse?"
"My mother was a nurse. Before she got too deep into the drugs, she taught me a lot about medicine and how much to administer. She also taught me how to clean lacerations and splint broken bones. I would practice on her after every drunken fight with Delbert. I got good at it too. Years later, I perfected the craft with Cindy Hayden after a fight with Jack and with Henry as well. He'd beat them up so badly to the point they had to go to the hospital." She paused for a moment looking down at the food in front of her to get her thoughts together, finally she looked back up at him and continued, "That's when I'd step in wearing a disguise and a fake name. I'd use my mother's credentials to sneak them out of hospitals before the police could get involved. After that sneaking in and out of hospitals or any other place became natural to me. So that's what I do."
"So, I'm guessing, you've never actually gone to medical school?" Picasso asked, he was thoroughly impressed by her background. This was some good shit. Really good. I could score big with the 'Boss' with this one, he thought.
"Ha!" She snorted a laugh. "Like I could ever afford that! We barely had money for food and rent because Mom would spend it all on coke. Out of necessity I learned how to steal food, clothes, and anything I needed to survive by the time I was nine. We would go to restaurants to order food and after we finished eating, we'd skip out on the check. Sometimes we'd go into grocery stores and my mom would argue with the cashier about how she 'conveniently' forgets to pay for an item. Meanwhile I'm two aisles over putting a carton of milk or bread in my backpack." She stopped laughing, letting her voice grow serious and added, "No. I always wanted to go to medical school, and I had this crazy idea of becoming a doctor, but it never happened. I learned how to be one by assisting doctors while they were performing procedures on patients. In fact, the only surgery I've ever done was on the kid in there when I removed a bullet from his leg. It's too bad it got infected. It was good practice, though."
Unbelievable. Picasso thought as he shook his head. "Your talents are thoroughly wasted with Ryan. You could do a hell of a lot better for yourself. You have so much potential...for so much more. Ya know, I can help you with that."
"What do you mean?" Carolyn asked, her curiosity piqued.
"There is this organization I'm involved with. They could use someone with your talents. They can help you redefine 'your perfect craft' as you say. The training they'd give you would be a bitch, but the rewards are worth it. You get a new pair of shoes, and you live like a king, well in your case a queen and you'd become your own boss. In other words, you'd get a new life. You can be whoever you want to be. You can use the training that they give you to conduct your mission, of course you'd have to do jobs for them on an occasion. If it's protection you want, they can provide that for you."
"What is this organization?" Carolyn asked as she looked at him quizzically. "Who the hell are you?"
Picasso smiled. He had her, now it was time to throw in the last pitch. "I am someone who is giving you a chance to save yourself." He leaned into her looking into her eyes and added, keeping his voice firm and steady. "Shit is going to hit the fan tomorrow once Ryan gets Frank Hardy here. When that happens, I plan on being as far away from it as possible. I'll be in my van at the end of the road waiting to leave and there can be room for one passenger. The spot is yours if you want it."
Carolyn lifted her eyebrows causing her forehead to wrinkle. "Leave Ryan, but I…"
"Carolyn! What's taking you so damn long!" Ryan roared from the hallway cutting off Carolyn. "Get the food in here now!"
"Cool your jets, I'm coming!" She yelled back.
"Carolyn, you're a smart woman." Picasso said softly so Ryan couldn't hear. "I know that you want what I'm offering you. Why else would you have texted me? You want your freedom and now you have the opportunity. The ball is in your court now. Take your shot." With that he turned around headed out the backdoor leaving her to her thoughts.
Ryan burst into the kitchen. "Carol..." He started to say but stopped short when he found his girlfriend standing by the stove just staring at the back door, lost in her thoughts. He clicked his tongue in irritation when he noticed four plates of food on the counter.
Carolyn flinched when a couple fingers began snapping in her face startled her out of her thoughts. She whirled around to see that it was Ryan. "Don't you snap your fingers at me," She snapped back. "I'm not a dog and I told you I was coming!"
"What the hell's your problem?" He returned heatedly. "I found you standing in here daydreaming, when we have things to do!"
"I'm tired and I'm done, okay! " She shot back tearfully. "I'm just ready to be done with this whole thing."
"I'm tired too. Don't worry it will be over tomorrow." Ryan replied taking a breath to calm down and reassure her. "Once the Hardy boys are dead, you and I are out of here."
"Really? Where are we going?"
"Anywhere we want, babe. We'll leave the country and go to some god forsaken island no one's ever heard of."
"No, Ryan." Carolyn argued, reiterating Picasso's words. "There won't be a place on the planet where we can hide. Fenton Hardy won't stop looking for us once we kill his kids. Finding us and punishing us will become his mission in life." Suddenly a surge of rage came over her and began punching him repeatedly in the chest, "I'm tired of running! I'm tired of hiding! I'm sick of all of it!"
"Don't you even think about turning against me!" Ryan shouted, grabbing her by her wrists and forcing her to look at him. "After everything I've done for you! I've always protected you, right? If it weren't for me you'd still be your stepfather's whore, Karen!"
"How dare you call me that!" Carolyn cried, pulling herself away from him.
"Then you shouldn't say things to get me all riled up." Ryan shot back. He took a step back from her to cool his temper.
"I thought you loved me?" She hugged her arms around her while sniffing back angry tears. "How could you hurt me like that?"
"I do love you. You're a beautiful sexy, strong vibrant woman." He reassured her as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm all stressed out as shit. Everything I'm doing right now is for Jack. I have to make him proud by avenging his death." Releasing her he wiped her tears away and kissed her forehead as he did so. "I need your help, Baby with this. Once the Hardy's are dead, we'll go anywhere you want."
"Really?" She looked up at him.
"Really." He nodded, "You my Sweet, can pick where we go this time."
"What about Henry? Is he not coming with us?"
"It depends on how well he behaves tomorrow." Ryan sighed heavily. "Now go take the food to our guests. I'm going to go check on the little shit. Oh, I also need you to do a little something for me."
"What?" She asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"I want you to go in and mess with Joseph Hardy's mind a little bit. I need to break him down mentally. I've already started the process and I can see that there's something going on with him, he's on the edge. That's where you come in." He said with a grin.
"Okay..." She said with a small smile. "What exactly do you have in mind?" He leaned over and whispered his plan in her ear, and her smile spread from ear to ear when Ryan finished explaining his plan. "Oh, I can do that." She said, loving this part of the plan.
"Here go and take Henry his breakfast." She said, handing Ryan one of the plates. "Yours is on the counter." She said as she turned off the stove. Then she picked up the two plates of food, placed them on a tray. She heard Ryan mutter, "I should just let the little shit starve', under his breath as he headed out of the kitchen to Henry's room with the plate.
"To hell with Picasso," She thought, "I'm not going anywhere with him. He's wrong about Ryan. He'd never turn on me, I love him, and I know that he loves me. Besides, I can't leave yet. At least not until, I have some fun with that delicious boy. She smirked as she headed towards the bedroom. I wonder if he'll remember me.
FJFJFJFJFJ
After Ryan had left the room, Callie suddenly noticed Joe was quiet. She could hear Ryan arguing back and forth with a woman in the kitchen, their voices rising and falling. She saw that Joe still had his head turned away from her while sniffing back tears.
"Joe?" She said softly to him.
"Leave me alone, Callie." Joe said, his voice flat and emotionless.
"I just wanted to know if your leg was still hurting?"
"It's fine."
She knew he wasn't being truthful and that he was starting to shut down, so she tried again. "Are your wrists and your chin still bleeding?"
"Why do you care?" He returned harshly.
"Because I do."
"Ha! Don't lie, Callie. You should be thrilled my family is sending me away, because now you get to have Frank all to yourself. So, congratulations you won!" Joe shot back still staring at the wall.
"That's not true. I," She tried again. "Joe, Will you look at me please?"
With a 'tisk' of his tongue and a sigh of annoyance, he turned his head in her direction, blinking angry tears from his eyes a few times, "I'm fine." he replied dryly. "Everything is fine." He pulled on the zip ties around his wrists. He winced in pain as he moved his leg, it was really hurting, but he didn't care. He was more hurt by the bombshell news Callie had dropped on him about his family.
"Oh, Joe." She gasped when she saw the blood from the nick on his chin that had trickled down his neck. "You're not fine at all." She noticed that the blood oozing from his wrists had seeped through the white bandages and ran down to his elbows and was soaking into the mattress. It concerned her with how much blood Joe had already lost. The zip ties on his wrists were on so tight it had to be cutting off his circulation. She really wished that she could get her wrists free, so she could help him, but Ryan had tied her hands to the headboard tightly to be sure that she couldn't move. "And it is true." He added lastly.
She said trying to reason with him. "Please, believe me, I do care about you."
"Why should I believe you? I don't know who to believe or trust anymore."
"Okay, you don't want to believe me, that's fine. You don't have to, but I just want to say this." Callie replied. She blinks back the tears from her eyes. She cleared her throat and took a calming breath, "When Frank told me that you had tried to jump off the pier... I was so scared Joe. I think that I am partly to blame for that. I said some awful things to you yesterday. I blamed you for Frank's health issues with his heart and depression, which is not your fault. Not to mention that I'm jealous of you for taking some of Frank's time away from me. I also blamed you for what happened to Iola..." Callie said. Her voice cracked with emotion as she spoke. "And I am so sorry for that, Joe. What happened to her was not your fault. Vanessa helped me see that I've been blaming you for her death..."
"I know, Callie. Vanessa told me you told her about Iola. What the two of us were like when we were dating, and how I treated her like crap. And how she died."
"She did?"
"Yeah." Joe grunted in pain as he shifted on the bed. "During the start of the fireworks show I acted like an idiot with her. I ended up throwing our cellphones in the bay because she was going to call Frank to tell him I was having a panic attack. God, I hope she's okay." He said thinking of his beautiful angel. He had for sure lost her now. If she was hurt or worse...it'll be my fault, he thought. And Little Trevor...God... please let that kid be alright, he prayed.
Breaking into his thoughts, Callie said. "So that's why we couldn't reach you guys. Your mom was going crazy trying to get a hold of you."
"Yeah, I figured." Joe said. He felt bad for upsetting his mother like that. "Look Callie, what happened to Iola is in the past. It was a painful time for both of us." He replied in a defeated tone. "I really have no right to be angry with you. I did some awful things to you and Frank while you were dating. It's just that every time Frank's not with me. I get a horrible feeling and I'm afraid that something will happen, and he'll die. Although, with all added stress I've been putting him through lately, I'm surprised his heart is still beating." Joe started to tear up, feeling that familiar ache in his chest. "I can feel him... right now... and he's hurt. I just don't know how bad and why. What did Henry do to Frank?"
"Even if Frank did leave the hospital earlier this morning, the bright side is that he's alive. Henry didn't hurt him as badly as you as think he did. Hopefully his heart is okay." Callie suggested. She was praying that what she was saying was true. "Maybe it's a sign that Frank is trying to connect with you."
"I don't know." Joe said grunting in pain again. He shifted his leg trying to find a better position, so he didn't ache as much. Damn, everything hurt, he thought, his arms, his leg. and he was starting to feel dizzy and nauseous. He was doing his best to hold it together. "Maybe he is and maybe he isn't..." His voice grew thick with emotion, "I just know that when things go wrong, I'm usually to blame. When people get hurt, it's my fault. When people die, it's my fault. I'm horrible, dirty and disgusting. I can't really blame my family for wanting to send me away. Ryan's right, I'm such a loser."
"Don't talk like that, Joe. You're not a loser. Ryan is just poisoning your mind with his lies. Remember, he's a sociopath, just like Jack Hayden. He knows how to manipulate people and says things to mess with your head." Callie said, hoping her words will give him some encouragement. "You're a good person and you're smart. You have family and friends who love and care about you. In fact, I'm sure your father is working hard with the police to find us."
"Correction. Dad and the police are working hard to find you. You're Dad's future daughter-in-law and soon to be wife for his perfect son. His pride and joy. Dad knows how much Frank loves you. Me? He can't stand me. I'm nothing to him..."
"Will you stop talking like that!" Callie said, trying her best to get through to Joe. "Your family loves you very much. If they didn't, they wouldn't be going through the effort of trying to help you."
"Effort, What effort?"
"Okay, yes Joe, at first your parents were going to send you to Bellevue. The doctor recommended it and it was the only thing that they could think of doing. They were and still are scared to death that you are going to try to harm yourself again. If you can't believe that, then believe Frank. When your parents told him what you tried to do, he completely freaked out. And after he calmed down, he helped your parents to realize that it would be a mistake to send you to that place. They're going to talk with Dr Reese about finding a better place to send you." Callie prayed to God that she was saying all the right words to him. "I know you made an agreement with Ryan to take his abuse because of me. I want you to fight back. Fight him with everything you have. Be the Joe Hardy I know you are, the person who's not afraid to kick ass. If not for me, do it for you and for Frank...please."
"Callie, I get..." Joe started to say until he heard the familiar voice of the woman of his nightmares, and it sent chills down his spine.
"Morning Handsome, I brought you some breakfast."
Please don't let it be who I think it is. Joe thought as he began to panic. He knew that voice and it terrified him. His heart began pounding rapidly and when he looked up he saw a raven-haired woman standing in the doorway with a tray with two breakfast plates on it.
"No! Not you! Not you!" He cried.
"Oh good. You do remember me." she said smiling seductively with a wink as she entered the room.
"Get away from me, you crazy lady!" He screamed, pulling frantically on the zip ties, and thrashing on the bed.
"Oh no." Callie's eyes widened. With all the drama with Ryan she had completely forgotten about the crazy nurse.
"Now, now Handsome, you need to calm down. I made breakfast in bed, just for you." she said sweetly. "And then after you are all done eating, you get to take a shower and have a change of clothes." She placed the two plates of food down on the table between the beds before sitting down at Joe's bedside.
"Besides, I can't leave you in such a bloody mess." She ran her hand through his blond hair, her fingernails traced the outline of his ear before it cupped the side of his face. "Such a handsome face. And those eyes..." Joe's angry eyes connected with her deceit filled brown eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen eyes that shade of blue. And they are so expressive, there's such emotion in them... it's almost electrifying." Her eyes trailed down to his mouth, "Oh and these lips, you know I have to tell you, I saw you making out with your girlfriend during the fireworks show. She's a lucky girl to have gotten a taste of these lips." She cooed as her thumb grazed his bottom lip. "I'm curious as to what they taste like myself."
"No, you don't!" Joe cried, instinctively jerked his chin out of her grip.
But then she quickly cupped both hands to the side of his face forcing Joe to look at her. "Don't fight it, Handsome. I know you've wanted to kiss me from the first time we met, when I took the bullet out of your leg."
"No, I didn't. All I wanted then, like I do now is for you to get the hell away from me!" Joe shot back.
"You're lying, sweetheart. I can see the passion in your eyes, and I know that you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you."
"I don't suppose it makes a difference to you that C-callie's in the r-room." He stuttered nervously. He felt his anxiety kick into high gear. He didn't have a good feeling about this, he didn't want to betray Vanessa this way. Vanessa, the beautiful angel who had captured his heart. Kissing her had been the best thing that came out of this mess. Joe didn't know if he'd ever get the chance to see her again or be able to kiss her let alone call her his girlfriend. God, I hope she survived the explosion and that she's okay, he prayed. He hoped that he hadn't lost her forever. He didn't think he could handle it if something had happened to her.
"Good. Let her watch... I'm sure she'll enjoy it." Carolyn said, drawing Joe's attention back to her as she took a side glance at Callie, who was starting to protest, but Carolyn continued before she could say anything, "But if I hear a single peep out of her, I'm going to slit her throat."
Callie instantly shut her mouth, and instead just glared at the woman. She wanted to yell at her to leave Joe alone but knew that she couldn't.
There wasn't much Joe could do with his arms tied to the bedpost. The fact that he was mentally and physically exhausted didn't help matters either. What was the use in fighting? I should be used to this. Taking everyone's abuse is why I was put on the planet, it's my punishment for everything I've done. Joe closed his eyes as the crazy nurse leaned forward, and passionately kissed him on the lips. He tried to end the kiss by turning his head away, but her hands held his face firmly in place. His fear increased when she became more aggressive with her kiss, and she forced her tongue into his mouth and began tangling it with his. He felt sick. He fought back his tears as he sent out a silent plea. Frank...I need you! Bro, please help me. Get me away from this woman! To his relief she finally broke the kiss. He opened his eyes to see her leaning back up.
"Wow, you taste good. I can see why your girlfriend couldn't get enough of you. I could go for round two, " She smirks when she saw Joe's eyes widen, and she ran her thumb across his lips once more, "It'll have to wait, though. You're a bit of a mess. I have to clean you up first." Carolyn said letting her eyes sweep over the blood marking his chin, neck and arms. "I think instead of a shower, I'm going to give you a bath."
Joe blanched at the idea. "The hell you are." He snapped.
"It's OK, Handsome. I've given baths to patients' numerous times. Afterall I am a nurse, and I'm used to seeing people in the buff." Carolyn lied.
"A nurse! Hah! That's a laugh!" Joe shot back. "You are crazy, lady! Especially if you think I'm going to let you touch me! You botched up removing that bullet from my leg! You almost killed me!" He winced in pain when he tried to move and he pulled against the zip ties. The movement didn't help his leg either.
"The important thing is that you're here now." Carolyn said. She got up from Joe's bedside and went over to the closet to get a couple of pillows to use to prop up Joe's leg. She sat back down again at his bedside. "I saw you wincing. If you're in pain. I can give you something to make you feel better." She placed her left hand on the bandage the covered the bullet wound on the calf of his leg. "In fact, maybe I should give you a full checkup." She said as she boldly slid her hand further up his leg.
"Stop!" Joe cried as he jerked away before her hand reached the hem of his khaki shorts. The movement sent a jolt of pain through him, and he winced.
"Suit yourself, handsome." She laughed softly, taking her hand away. "But if you change your mind..."
"I won't." He cut her off.
"Well, if you didn't like that, maybe you'll like this?" Callie saw the crazy nurse lean over and whisper something in his ear that she couldn't hear. However, she did see Joe's petrified reaction. His face paled and he started breathing heavily. Carolyn just grinned at the boy's reaction. She was enjoying this little game so she decided to kick things up a notch, just to see how far he would break.
Callie couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the crazy nurse lift the front of Joe's red polo shirt all the way up to his neck and she began running her left hand slowly along his chest and abs. The whole time Joe was screaming at her to, 'stop touching me!' She ignored his cries and continued to touch him and slowly circle his navel before sliding her other hand down towards the waistline of his shorts.
Then out of nowhere a man's hand caressing his leg flashed through his mind, followed by a man's voice, "You and I are going to play a special game, Joey..." Joe suddenly went rigid, his eyes became vacant and glazed over and he began to scream, "No! No! I'll be good! I'll be good! Frank...don't leave me...I'll be good!" Still the crazy nurse ignored his cries.
Callie was just about to yell at the woman to leave Joe alone, never mind the threat against her when Ryan burst into the room. "What the hell are you doing!" He shouted red faced.
Carolyn immediately jumped to her feet. She whirled around to face her boyfriend and pointed an accusing finger towards Joe, "He made a pass at me!"
"Is that true, Joseph?" Ryan growled, planting his hands on his hips. "Did you make a pass at my girlfriend?"
Joe immediately snapped out of his trance, "What?" He asked between heavy breaths. He stopped struggling to break free from the bed. He began taking slow and steady breaths to try to calm himself down. He didn't know what was happening, and he was so confused, "What's going on?"
"Did you, or did you not make a pass at my girlfriend?" Ryan repeated heatedly. He was enjoying his little game with the younger Hardy.
Joe's eyes widened as he looked at Ryan's dark angry eyes. " No, I never...she...did..." He stuttered.
"He's a lying little pervert, Ryan." Carolyn cried. "I was just checking out the blood on his chin and neck, and the next thing I knew...he...he kissed me on the lips and then he reached up with his hand and started groping my breast!"
Joe's mouth dropped open in shock. He tried to speak but no words came out. He didn't understand why this was happening, why he was being accused of something he didn't do.
"What do you have to say about all this, Ms. Shaw?" Ryan demanded walking over to Callie.
"Your girlfriend is the one who's lying!" Callie shot back in Joe's defense. She could not hold back her anger any longer. She tugged at the zip ties around her wrists. "I saw the whole thing! She kissed him! She was the one groping him! He yelled at her several times to stop touching him. But she wouldn't listen!" Callie couldn't believe this. "Besides, how could Joe make advances at her and grope her when his hands are tied to the bedpost!" She looked at Carolyn and said, "Lady, I don't know what your intentions are with him. But I'd watch my step if I were you. Joe is only seventeen so in the eyes of the law, he's still a child and you're a grown ass woman!"
"Well that just proves it then, he's a horny teenage boy. They're all alike when it comes to women. They can never keep their hands to themselves." Carolyn scoffed while folding her arms to her chest. " Ryan, I guess it's up to you to decide. Who are you going to believe? Them or ME?" She pursed her lips together and batted her eyelashes at him.
Ryan felt all eyes on him, anticipating his decision. "I don't have to decide because Joseph, here, is going to tell us the truth."
"What!" Joe scrunched his face in confusion. "I am telling you the truth. I didn't touch your girlfriend. She..."
"Now Joseph, that's a lie and you know it." Ryan taunted. "Have you forgotten about our agreement, already? I mean I just explained it to you not more than an hour ago. Let me refresh your memory. You agreed to be a good boy and to follow my orders, and I agreed not to hurt Ms. Shaw."
Joe nearly jumped out of his skin when Ryan took his jackknife out of his pocket. He grabbed Callie by the back of her neck, forcing her to look upwards and pointed the tip of his blade inches from her face. Callie shook with fear as Joe cried out. "Don't hurt her, you stupid shit!"
Ryan said coolly. "I'm going to ask you again; did you make a pass at my girlfriend?"
"No, I never touched her!"
"Wrong answer." Ryan pressed the tip of the knife against Callie's cheek. Callie screamed in pain as blood began to trickle out of the small nick on her cheek.
"Leave Callie alone!" Joe shouted. It suddenly hit him with what Ryan wanted. How could he even bring himself to admit to something he didn't do. At the same time, he couldn't let Callie get hurt.
"YES or NO, Joseph! Do you really want Ms. Shaw's blood on your hands?"
Joe knew that he had no choice. He had to do it. For Callie and for Frank. His heartbeat frantically in his chest and he breathed heavily, as he said, "Y-yes! Yes, I kissed and groped your girlfriend! Just don't hurt Callie!"
Ryan let go of Callie. He lowered his knife and walked over to Joe. "Joseph, I am deeply disappointed in you. Here I thought I was being nice and letting you have breakfast and a shower. And you repay me by lying, kissing, and groping my girlfriend! You're a dirty little piece of shit!" He shouted as he picked up the tray of food and threw it at Joe, sending the food all over him. The tray slid off the bed and crashed onto the floor.
Before he had a chance to recover, Ryan belted him across the face with his fist. Joe fell back hitting the back of his head against the headboard. He was dazed from the blows, and he could taste blood in his mouth and on his bottom lip as he gently probed the area with the tip of his tongue. But before he had a chance to react again, he heard Ryan say the next terrifying words.
"Nobody touches my girlfriend. Nobody! Now I'm going to have to punish you. It's time to go to the cellar."
"Noooo!" Joe started breathing heavily. His heart began pounding just thinking about the cellar. But he had to do it for Callie and for Frank.
Joe!" Callie screamed as Ryan quickly slashed the ties loose from Joe's wrists from the bedpost and flung him over his shoulder and quickly left the room.
FJFJFJFJFJ
Meanwhile, down the hallway in the next bedroom.
"Damn you, Uncle Ryan!" Henry cried in a fit of rage. He could hear Joe screaming from the other room. He screamed when we brought him here to the cabin last night and he woke up screaming this morning! What the hell are they doing to him! He picked up his breakfast plate from the nightstand and threw it across the room at the door where it shattered, sending the food and broken pieces of the plate to the floor. When Ryan had brought him his breakfast, he warned him again to not leave the room or he'd break his neck. To make sure that Henry followed his orders Ryan had locked the door behind him when he left.
Henry plopped down on the floor next to the bed. He sat with his back against the bed, and he brought his legs up to his chest before wrapping his arms around them. He took deep calming breaths to try to calm his rage. It wasn't working, he was ready to explode! The welts on his back still throbbed from the beating that his uncle had given him, but he didn't care. His days of enduring anyone's abuse were over. He cried angry tears, "I'm so sorry, Joe. You weren't supposed to get hurt... but just wait... I'll save you... Picasso you better bring me my gun. I'm gonna to kill Uncle Ryan and Frank Hardy. Then I'm going to get you Joe, and the two of us are gonna go far away from here...no one will ever hurt us again!
Suddenly an idea struck him, Henry quickly wiped the tears off his face and got up to his feet. He went over to the closet, opened the door and took out a garbage bag from inside. He put the bag on the bed and opened it. He took out a red long-sleeved shirt and jeans and laid them beside the bag. He walked over to the mirror on the wall, he huffed and ran a hand through his hair. Picasso was right, the dark brown hair color was starting to wash out and he could see his red hair was starting to show. He went back over to the bed and picked up the bag and opened it. He reached in and pulled out a small box of dark brown hair dye. A grin slid across his face. It was perfect.
A sudden knock on the window startled him. He looked up and saw Picasso standing outside the window. Henry set the bag and hair dye back on the bed and quickly went over unlocked and opened the window.
He narrowed his eyes at the man, demanding, "Where've you been?"
"Easy Kid I..." Picasso started to say.
"We had a deal Picasso! I've kept my end of the deal; I got you the blonde chick that you wanted. But so far, you've failed to hold your part of the deal! Why aren't you protecting Joe like you're supposed to!" Henry ranted, at the Artist. "Didn't you hear him screaming! I did! What is my uncle doing to him!"
"Kid, I..."
"Shut Up! I'm not done! You're going to be sorry if my uncle has done anything to harm Joe. Now where's my damn gun!"
"Listen here, you little prick!" Picasso fired back. "You better watch who you're threatening. I'll beat your ass into the ground!" He huffed, he took a breath to calm down, but kept his voice low and even as he spoke. "Let's get something straight here. You did not keep your end of the deal. Yes, the blonde chick you brought me is a beauty. However, she is not the beauty I asked for."
"What?" Henry gave him a sour look. "But I..."
"And here's another piece of free advice for you Kid, when making deals with someone outside of the law. Always, always pay attention to details. Otherwise, you could get your throat slashed."
"Whatever." Henry rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "Where's my gun? And are you going to help me protect Joe, or not?"
Picasso glared at him while biting back his anger. "You don't need my help in protecting your boyfriend." Henry opened his mouth to argue but Picasso cut him off before he could, "You're going to do it yourself." He reached into his leather jacket and pulled out something wrapped in a white handkerchief. He handed it over to Henry.
Henry took it and slowly opened the handkerchief to reveal a thirty-eight-caliber pistol. Mesmerized by the power he held in his hand; Henry slowly began running a hand along the barrel of the weapon. He almost had his finger on the trigger, when Picasso grabbed it and pulled it out of his hand. "Shit Kid! That thing is loaded!" The Artist quickly looked around to make sure that the coast was clear, then he turned back to Henry. "Look and listen to me closely. This is important." Henry looked at Picasso, "This is your show, and you're in charge. Ryan is just an obstacle standing in the way of you getting what you want." He handed the gun back to the boy. "Hide this somewhere in the room where your uncle won't find it. Wait until tomorrow to take your shot. Remember timing is everything, so don't blow it. After all, you are your father's son, you learned from him."
"I will." Henry looked at the gun in his hand then back up at Picasso. "By the way, I know I keep getting reminded that I'm Jack Hayden's son. Even though I hated the man and I still do. But he taught me one thing, above everything else. He always said to never let anyone stand in the way of you getting what you want. Use any means necessary. So, I guess it's time that I embrace who I am. Henry Jacobs no longer exists. That was just a name my father gave me so people wouldn't ask if we were related" Picasso raised an eyebrow at the young man before Henry continued, "My name is Jake Hayden."
By two in the afternoon, Carolyn had escorted Henry down the hallway to use the bathroom and to let him take a shower, she waited outside for about an hour before he finally came out wearing his usual black and red Spider-Man T-shirt and jeans. The only thing that was different was that he had dyed his hair dark brown again. When she asked him about it he said in a snarky tone, "I've always hated my red hair. It reminds me of my weak and pathetic mother." He was going to keep his hair a chestnut brown from now on, it was the start of his new look, and he didn't care what his uncle thought about it.
"Whatever." She replied back, "I don't care. You get to deal with your uncle." She refused to answer him when he asked what his uncle was doing to Joe. Henry glared at her as she walked him back to his room and locked the door behind her as she left.
"Just wait..." He muttered, staring at the door fuming, "Tomorrow you, Uncle Ryan and Frank Hardy will all pay." He ran a hand through his newly darkened brown hair and glared at the door with an evil smile across his face.
Carolyn finally got around to escorting Callie to the bathroom so she could use the facilities and take a shower. Callie had her hands tied behind her back and a knife pressed against her side to prevent her from struggling and trying to escape. As they stood outside the bathroom door, Carolyn began giving Callie instructions. "Inside you will find a change of clothes for you on the shelf next to the sink. You will also find shampoo, soap, towels and a washcloth. You will see a small window but don't bother to try to open it, because it's been sealed shut. I'll be standing right here, so don't try anything funny." Carolyn continued as she untied Callie's wrists and opened the door, "you have ten minutes to shower, change your clothes and do whatever else you need to."
Callie immediately began rubbing her wrists once they were free. "Wait!" She asked before going inside, "What did Ryan mean by punishing Joe? He said he has something set up just for him. What is he doing to him?
"All I can say is it's going to hurt." Carolyn replied. The phrase sent chills down Callie's spine.
Callie's eyes widened as the most disgusting thought hit her. "Please tell me Ryan's not...I mean h-he's... He's not going to...rap..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the fowl word.
"Rape Joe." Carolyn shook her head finishing the nasty word. "No. That's not Ryan's thing."
"How do you know?"
"I just know."
"Then what's he doing to Joe!" Callie shouted.
"You'll see him tomorrow and find out then!" Carolyn shouted back, she opened the bathroom door and pushed Callie inside before she had a chance to argue anymore. "Hurry up and take your shower!"
Ten minutes later, Callie emerged from the bathroom wearing the white T-shirt and gray sweatpants that had been left for her. She had combed her long wet hair back behind her shoulders. She looked down and frowned at the clothing. They were too big on her and they were also hot and uncomfortable, but she didn't care. All she could think about was Joe.
"What's the matter, princess not stylish enough for you." Carolyn mocked her.
Callie looked back up at the crazy woman standing there like she said had said she would. She had a smirk on her face while pointing a knife at her. Callie just glared at her.
"Are you hungry? I know Handsome ruined your breakfast because of his nasty behavior. I can make you a sandwich and give you a bottle of water."
"I think the water is the only thing my stomach can handle right now." Callie said declining the offer of food. "The disgusting display that you and Ryan did to Joe this morning just makes me want to vomit."
"Well, a simple no, would've been fine, princess." Carolyn shot back. "Alright, let's go get your water." She grabbed Callie by the arm and shoved her down the hall towards the kitchen, her knife pointing at the girl's side. They entered the kitchen, and she shoved Callie toward the fridge.
"Open the fridge and get your water. Try to do anything stupid and I'll slit your throat." She threatened.
Callie did as she was instructed and took out a bottle of water from the fridge. Just as she closed the fridge door, she heard something and froze in her tracks.
"Take it like a man, Joseph!" Callie heard Ryan shouting. "Don't shed a tear! Don't make a sound! It will all be over soon!"
She turned in the direction of the shouting, it was coming from a door on the other side of the kitchen. "What's behind the door?" Callie demanded.
"It leads down to the cellar."
The next thing Callie heard what sounded like something leather hitting flesh multiple times, followed by Joe screaming.
'Slap!'
"Frank!"
"Slap!"
"Frank!"
"Slap!"
"Frank!"
"Slap!"
"Frank!"
"Slap!"
Callie gulped nervously. Oh God. Oh God... Joe. Without thinking she dropped her bottled water on the floor and rushed towards the door.
"Forget it, girly. Ryan's got the door locked!" Callie heard the crazy nurse call to her as she tried to open the door. "Trust me. You don't want to interrupt him when he's in one of his moods. I can't explain it, but it's like he becomes almost animalistic. That's his thing if it's not blowing things up with bombs, it's whipping the flesh off of a person who's done him wrong. A leather strap is how Ryan dishes out punishments. Kinda makes you wonder what Ryan's got in store for your fiancé, doesn't it?"
"Oh Frank." Callie gasped as she burst into tears. "Poor Joe..."
"You had better get away from that door before Ryan catches you... " Carolyn began to say.
"I don't care if your boyfriend catches me. Joe's taking the abuse to protect me and for what you did to him. Even if I can't be in the same room with him, I'm not going to let him endure the pain alone. I'm staying right here... until the end." Callie slowly slid down to the floor and she pressed her ear against the door. "I'm here Joe. I'm here." She whispered.
"Not a word!" Ryan shouted.
"Slap!"
"Frank!"
"Slap!"
"Frank!"
"Slap!"
"Frank!"
"Slap!"
"Frank!"
"Slap!"
Callie held her breath while wiping the tears off her face. After the last five slaps and the screaming stopped everything went eerily quiet.
"Okay. Times up. Back to the room you go." Carolyn ordered, grabbing Callie by the arm pulling her to her feet. Callie tried to protest, "Stop I need to know if Joe's, ok?"
Carolyn ignored her and guided her back to the room with the knife in her hand. Soon Callie found herself back on the bed. This time she only had one wrist tied to the bedpost. The crazy nurse locked the door behind her as she left the room. Callie lay on the bed staring up at the ceiling tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't stop thinking about Joe. The sounds of him screaming and the sounds of a whip hitting his flesh, on top of what Ryan and Nurse Crazy did to him in the bedroom would be forever ingrained in her mind.
Oh God, please let Joe be okay. Her tears continued to fall from her eyes and run down her cheeks as she turned to look at Joe's empty bed. She could see blood stains on the mattress and the remnants of their breakfast were still lying on the floor in a mess. No one deserved to be treated like that, especially Joe. Frank, please, you need to hurry...I'm trying so hard to be strong and brave, I'm so scared. I need you. Joe, he really needs you...I don't know if he's going to last much longer.