Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Fourteen:
"I Knew You Were Trouble, pt. 1"
While Nick went out to either gather his thoughts, get a breath of fresh air, or possibly seek out Leonard, Seth McMahon, and Seth's buddies, Andrea Mangano paid a visit to Barkley Ranch in order to warn Nick that her husband wanted revenge and was very angry plus that he (Nick) was in danger, but was instead met up by Jarrod and later introduced to Victoria and Heath. Not too long after, a badly beaten Eugene came stumbling in, fell down, and went unconscious. Once he came to, he revealed that he was attacked by a mob of angry men yelling: "Ci sarà sangue!" who mistook him for Nick. Knowing her husband had to be involved, Andrea felt personally responsible and left immediately due to that feeling and fearing her husband may pass by and see her there. Meanwhile, Nick was at the place where he and Stefania met and was just about to go through a master plan in his head when he heard voices yelling all sorts of things. He would make the mistake of going to the source of the yelling and immediately get hog tied & gagged. Back at the ranch, Heath was tending to his horse when Coco came riding in with Nick's hat on her head. Heath and a few seconds later Jarrod would see this as a bad sign. Heath suggested telling Victoria, but Jarrod declined only for Victoria to come out, overhear them, and ask a question. Now, the question or questions that remain are: Will Jarrod and Heath answer Victoria's question? What happened to Nick? What's going on with Stefania? Will Nick and Carmine come face to face? Stay tuned and find out!
Author's Note: I do NOT own The Big Valley or its characters. I ONLY own this fic and the characters of: Stefania Mangano, Carmine Mangano Sr, Carmine's friends, Leonard Barkley, Seth & his gang, and the Mangano family. Plus, as you can see by the title, this is the first part to another multi parter chapter and I modeled it after the Taylor Swift song: "I Knew You Were Trouble". Full disclosure, I am not a fan of Taylor Swift herself, but I like her music & this is one of my favorite songs by her :D
WARNING/TRIGGER WARNING: There's going to be some mildly intense moments as a result to a possible abduction in this chapter. Rated 'T' for a reason.
(Flashback to part 13)
"Eccolo! L'uomo bianco! (There he is! The white man!)" a man yelled after spotting Nick.
"Prendetelo! Gli faremo pagare per quello che l'uomo bianco ha fatto al nostro popolo! (Get him! We'll make him pay for what the white man has done to our people!)" another man yelled before hopping onto his horse.
"Perché dobbiamo prenderlo?! Abbiamo già dato una grattata a quel Nick Barkley. (Why do we need to get him?! We already gave that Nick Barkley a rub down.)" a third man asked.
"Questo è probabilmente Seth McMahon. Corrisponde alla descrizione! (This one is probably Seth McMahon. He fits the description!)" a fourth man told him.
"Massimo, Vito, Enzo, Arturo, montate in sella e andiamo a prendere Seth McMahon prima che sia troppo tardi! (Massimo, Vito, Enzo, Arturo, get mounted and let's grab Seth McMahon before it is too late!)" a fifth man barked.
"Luca, pensi che quell'uomo sia Seth McMahon? Sembra troppo alto. (Luca, do you think that man is Seth McMahon. He looks too tall.)" Massimo looked up at Nick then back at Luca.
"Sta arrivando da questa parte! (He's coming this way!)" Enzo's eyes got big when he saw that Nick was coming towards the others and him.
"Una volta che è a pochi metri, prendi lui e Arturo, tu ci lanci la corda. Poi, ci divertiremo un po' con lui. (Once he gets within a few feet, grab him and Arturo, you throw us your rope. Then, we'll have some fun with him.)" Luca ordered before getting into position.
"Non vedo l'ora di ripagarlo con la ricompensa che lui e il suo popolo meritano dopo tutto quello che hanno fatto al nostro popolo. (I can't wait to give him the pay back he and his people deserve after what all they have done to our people.)" Arturo nodded and put his hand on the rope that was on the saddle.
Once Nick got within a few feet of the men, they pounced on him. Despite his efforts to fight the men off, Nick was quickly overpowered and knocked unconscious before being hog tied & gagged by Massimo, Arturo, Enzo, and Vito. Luca went up to Coco and instructed her to go off, which she did.
*25 minutes later, back at Barkley Ranch*
Heath was outside brushing his horse's mane when the sound of hoof beats could be heard which got his attention almost immediately. He saw it was Coco, but seeing as she was all by herself, Heath grew worried about Nick and by the look on his face, one could tell he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Heath, I was just-Hey, it's Coco. What is she doing here?" Jarrod walked over to Heath.
"Jarrod, she's all by herself. Usually Nick is with her." Heath couldn't take his eyes off of Coco.
"That he is Heath. Everywhere he goes, she goes." Jarrod nodded.
"This is not a good sign." Heath shook his head.
"Nope. He never goes anywhere without Coco and she never goes anywhere without Nick." Jarrod took Coco towards the barn.
"Jarrod, this could only mean one thing." Heath followed Jarrod.
"Yeah, either Nick got hurt, fell off of Coco, or was kidnapped. Remember when that kid Danny Wiggins kidnapped Nick and sent Coco back here all by herself?" Jarrod started to remember that time for a brief moment.
"Oh, yes. You don't think he's at it again, do you?" Heath asked.
"No, because the time Coco came back, she didn't have Nick's hat on her head." Jarrod took Nick's hat off of Coco's head and looked at it, before getting bug eyed, "Heath, remember how Mrs. Mangano was telling us about how angry Mr. Mangano is?"
"Yeah." Heath nodded.
"And you know how Eugene came back bruised, bloody, and beaten just moments earlier and said men jumped him, believing he was Nick?" Jarrod started to piece everything together.
"Yes. What does-" Heath was cut off.
"You don't think those men who got to Eugene also have Nick, do you?" Jarrod turned to him and looked him dead in the eyes.
"I hope not. God only knows what they may do to Nick." Heath sighed.
"We better go and try to find him. I'll get Fred to organize a posse." Jarrod started to walk over to his horse only to be stopped when a hand tugged on his arm.
"No, Jarrod. We should tell mother first." Heath shook his head.
"Do you think that is a good idea?" Jarrod raised an eyebrow.
"Is what a good idea?" Victoria asked after walking outside and hearing Jarrod's question.
(Now)
"Pardon?" Jarrod turned to his mother and looked troubled.
"Jarrod, I asked you and Heath a question. Is what a good idea?" Victoria asked once more, a bit firmly this time.
"Mother, Nick's horse Coco came back with his hat on." Heath started and tried to ignore the seeming death glare Jarrod was giving him.
"That's what you two questioned on whether or not it was a good idea to tell me? I don't understand." Victoria was a bit taken aback.
"No, no, mother, you don't understand. Coco came back to the ranch without Nick. The only other time she did that was when that Danny Wiggins kid abducted him and held him for ransom." Heath explained to her.
"I remember that time. I was so afraid we were going to find Nick...well, you know. However, you don't think-" Victoria paused and started to think about the possibility only to shake her head, "It couldn't have happened. It couldn't. Not again."
"Not from Danny Wiggins, but remember how Mrs. Mangano informed us that her husband is very angry and then, Eugene shows up beaten within an inch of his life not too long after plus he said that the men who got him mistook him for Nick." Jarrod reminded her.
"Oh no. No. You don't honestly think those men who got Eugene got Nick, do you?" Victoria had fear forming in her eyes.
"We can neither confirm nor deny it, but considering what happened to Eugene and how angry Mr. Mangano must be, it is highly possible." Heath nodded.
"Jarrod?" Victoria turned to Jarrod.
"Right now, I'd believe anything." Jarrod told her.
*Meanwhile, somewhere with Nick*
*SPLASH!* A bucket of water was thrown and Nick regained consciousness immediately after. As soon as his vision cleared up, he looked around and saw that he was somewhere very unfamiliar to him.
*Nick's POV*
'What in the Sam Hill? Where am I? This place is awfully dark and very unfamiliar. I've never been here before. I've been a lot of places, but never here.'
I try to move around, but end up struggling instead.
'What the-I'm all tied up and I feel a gag in my mouth.'
I get wide eyed as I start to piece together what had happened to me.
'I'm bound and gagged! I must've been knocked out, taken somewhere, and bound & gagged. What do I mean "I must've"? That's exactly what happened, but my question is: Why? Why would somebody take me? Why?'
I think about it and get an idea.
'Maybe they want some money and it isn't like I don't have plenty of that to go around. I am a Barkley after all and-'
I shake my head.
'Nah, I don't feel like that's it. I mean if somebody wanted money, why would I be gagged? I would be held at gunpoint and of course, knowing myself, I would get into a brawl before any rope came around me. In fact, I would fight tooth and nail. Nobody ties Nick Barkley up!'
I look up and think of that time Jarrod and Macklin set that trap for Alderson. I roll my eyes.
'Okay, okay, I was tied up that one time, but by my wrists. Not hog tied like I am now and I certainly wasn't ga-'
I then think of the time that Danny Wiggins kidnapped me and roll my eyes, again.
'Okay, I was tied up that time, too but only by my wrists! Nothing else and I certainly wasn't gagged both times, so this time has to be different. It just has to be different.'
I feel cool breeze by my body and shiver just a wee bit despite the breeze feeling nice.
'Wait a minute! Did I just shiver? I never shiver in my clothes. Well, I never shiver either! Nick Barkley never shivers for any reason. Plus, why does it feel like I can feel the air and everything a lot more than usual?'
I look down and from the little sunlight there was, I get wide eyed again when I discover that I am in nothing, but my longjohns.
'Okay, this is different! Very very different! I'm in nothing, but my longjohns! My longjohns! I've never had this happen before!'
I start to breathe a little heavily.
'This is not good! This is not good at all!'
I hear footsteps.
'Somebody's coming. Okay, maybe they can explain all of this in the best way possible. I hope. In the meantime, let's not panic, because a guy panicking is not a sight to see. Plus, Nick Barkley never panics.'
*Outside of Nick's mind*
Nick's breathing went back to normal and while he was trying to keep himself from panicking, the footsteps got closer. Pretty soon, the person was standing right in front of him holding what appeared to be another bucket of water.
"Luca, il nostro prigioniero, si è svegliato. (Luca, our prisoner has awoken.)" a voice said.
"Perfetto, Enzo. Ora possiamo passare all'interrogatorio. (Perfect, Enzo. Now, we can get to the questioning.)" Luca rubbed his hands together.
"Just one question if I may, Luca." Massimo spoke up and reverted to English.
"What is that, Massimo?" Luca reverted to English as well.
"Why is he in his unmentionables? We could've kept his clothes on." Massimo was clearly disturbed by the fact that Nick was in his longjohns.
"Do you not remember what he did to Carmine's precious angel Stefania?! Ripped her clothes off to where she was exposed in her unmentionables. He gets the same treatment and worse!" Luca stomped his foot.
Nick squirmed and made some angry muffled noises as if to convey something or at least try to.
"What's wrong, pretty boy? You can't handle it?!" Arturo walked over to where Massimo, Luca, and Enzo were and grinned as Nick kept struggling and making muffled noises.
"Poor pretty boy. He can't handle being on the other end of the stick. The end where Stefania was just two days ago!" Luca knelt down and was almost nose-to-nose with Nick, "Now, McMahon, we got your co-conspirator Nick Barkley real good. Now, we deal with you and if you tell us where Orville, Zeb, Jeff, and Dodie are, things may get easy for you. However, you must co-operate first."
Nick made some more muffled noises and struggled harder at the rope that was hog tying him.
"Careful, careful. You do not want to get rope burns, Signor McMahon. Then again, what do we care? Keep struggling. It's fun to watch." Arturo started to laugh.
"Oh, don't worry, Signor Seth. Arturo is just kidding. He is funny at times." Massimo patted Nick's cheek before slapping it hard.
"And Massimo is too handsy. Now, if you two don't mind, I'd rather do the talking and questioning." Luca shook his head out of annoyance, "Now-"
"Wait, Luca. Shouldn't you take the gag out first? He cannot answer if he is gagged. Unless you speak gibberish." Enzo pointed out.
"Don't get cute, Enzo. Of course, I'm taking the gag out." Luca shook his head at Enzo, before turning to Nick, "Okay, Signor McMahon. I am taking the gag out and when I do, you are not to scream for your mama, is that clear?"
Nick rolled his eyes and nodded his head, clearly eager to get the gag out of his mouth and tell these men who he was and wasn't.
"Okay. Easy now, pretty white boy." Luca yanked the gag out of Nick's mouth.
Nick gasped and coughed for a good few minutes, before stopping and trying to catch his breath. It would be another few minutes before Nick managed to calm himself and look up at Luca. He had a look of helplessness in his eyes despite his best efforts to try and hide it as he never ever showed vulnerability that much. If he did, it was rare.
"The gag is out of your mouth, white boy. Start talking!" Massimo growled.
"Massimo, do you mind?" Luca gave him a look before turning to Nick, "Okay, McMahon, where are your friends Orville McIntyre, Zebulon Williamson, Dodie Gunderson, and Jeff Hyatt?! Where are they?!"
"Alright...let's back up here...I...I am not...I am not Seth McMahon." Nick coughed after saying the last part.
"Menti! (You lie!)" Luca slapped him.
"You know, Signor McMahon, it doesn't help to lie and where we come from...lying is not tolerated." Vito spoke up.
"I tell you guys that I am not Seth McMahon. I don't even fit the description. My name is Nick Barkley." Nick told him.
"You can't be Nick Barkley." Enzo shook his head.
"Oh? Why not?!" Nick tilted his head to the side.
"We gave him a good rub down and work over." Massimo smirked.
"Oh? What did this Nick Barkley look like?" Nick asked.
"He was short and had sandy brown hair. Looked like a young college kid." Massimo replied.
Before Nick could say another word, a sixth man came in and stood next to Luca.
"Luca, cosa sta succedendo qui? Perché questo ragazzo è tutto legato? (Luca, what's going on here? Why is this young man all tied up?)" the man asked as he looked Nick over.
"Paulie, ce l'abbiamo fatta! Abbiamo preso McMahon! (Paulie, we got him! We got McMahon!)" Massimo told him.
"I am not Seth McMahon. I am not Seth McMahon! You got the wrong guy and whoever you gave a rub down to was not Nick Barkley. I am Nick Barkley. Nicholas Jonathan Barkley." Nick protested.
"LIAR!" Massimo reverted to English and slapped him.
"I am NOT lying! Why would I lie about something?" Nick shook his head in disbelief.
"Exactly! Why are you lying?! You know what you did to Carmine's dear daughter and you know what your friends did, so why are you covering it all up?" Massimo grabbed a hold of Nick's hair.
"Massimo, are you sure you got Seth McMahon?" Paulie reverted to English.
"Of course we are, Paulie and we know that your brother will be so proud." Massimo nodded.
"Brother?" Nick raised an eyebrow before turning to Paulie, "Is Carmine Mangano your brother?"
"Yes. Carmine is my older brother. Sal, Santo, and Luigi are my younger brothers. What's it to you?!" Paulie looked Nick dead in the eye.
"Maybe he can straighten this whole-" Nick was cut off.
"He's very angry with you and for good reason, McMahon! You hurt my niece and let two of your idiot friends violate her! You did all of that and now, you must pay. In fact, you already are by being stripped to your unmentionables. You let one of your friends strip Stefania to her unmentionables, so it is only fitting you suffer the same thing and see how you like it." Paulie got down on one knee and was nearly nose-to-nose with Nick.
"I tell you that I am not Seth McMahon. He's shorter than me by a couple feet and has stubble. Do you see stubble on my face?" Nick groaned out of annoyance.
"No. You do have a clean face. No trace of stubble, but you could've shaved your face." Paulie scoffed.
"What will it take for you guys to believe me? I mean if you ask me, we're wasting time. Precious time that is! While you hold me here, the real culprits are running free and probably harming another unfortunate soul as we speak. Stefania wasn't their first victim and she won't be their last!" Nick raised his voice.
"Real culprits? You are one of the real culprits! You and Nick Barkley! We gave Nick a good rub down plus a good talking to and now, we're going to do the same with you, pretty boy. Then, you're going to take us to your buddies McIntyre, Gunderson, Williamson, and Hyatt!" Paulie slowly pulled out a very shiny knife and gently pressed the tip of the knife on Nick's neck, "Maybe this will speed things up."
"That Nick Barkley, could you describe him again, please?" Nick's voice became slightly shaky as the tip of the shiny knife continued to press into his neck, indicating a slight hint of fear despite the fact that he was trying to remain stoic and calm.
"He was a short guy. White obviously. Had sandy brown hair and looked like a college kid. Why?" Luca told him.
"That's not N-Nick Barkley." Nick replied.
"What?!" Massimo asked.
"That's not Nick Barkley. That's my brother Eugene! You guys obviously got the wrong men!" Nick swallowed hard as the tip of the knife felt like it was starting to be stuck into his neck rather than being simply pressed.
"Us...wrong?! I don't think so, my friend!" Paulie slowly pulled the knife back and held the blade at Nick's throat, pressing it into his throat instead of into his neck, "And the more you lie, the more you cut your own throat!"
"Paulie, he can't cut his own throat if his hands are tied behind his back." Vito pointed out the obvious.
"And I'm not lying! Go ask my family at Barkley Ranch. They'll confirm I am who I say I am. Ask Stefania, she knows!" Nick added.
"Don't you dare mention her name! In fact, don't you dare talk to her, look at her, write her, or even think about her. You hear me?!" Paulie whispered into Nick's ear.
*Back at Barkley Ranch, a few moments later*
Jarrod and Heath were sitting around outside, trying to decide on what to do in regards to Nick. Meanwhile, inside, Victoria sat on the couch and stared at the clock. It was obvious that her fears were beginning to take over despite her efforts of trying to mentally reassure herself that Nick was okay. As each minute passed, the fears intensified and after briefly glancing at the portrait of Tom, her mind started to think about the night he went off to Barkley Mine and got murdered. Once again, she was fearing that Nick would have a similar fate today, considering what happened to Stefania and that according to her mother Andrea, Carmine Mangano Sr was angry and hellbent on getting the men who attacked and r*ped his daughter, starting with Nick, whom he thought did the heinous act. Little did Carmine Sr know that Nick wanted what he wanted...revenge. As she continued to go over everything in her mind plus thinking about the night she lost her husband, she stood up from the couch after a while and walked to the staircase.
"Mother, are you alright?" Audra was walking down the stairs.
"I'll be back, Audra. Take care of Eugene in the meantime." Victoria went up to her room.
"Where are you going?" Audra followed her mother.
"I have a bad feeling about what happened to Nick. He hasn't returned home and after seeing Eugene take a bad beating, God only knows what happened." Victoria shut the door.
Audra, troubled by this, went outside to were Jarrod and Heath were.
"You see, I-Well, Audra, what are you in a hurry for?" Jarrod stopped mid sentence when he saw Audra come running out.
"Jarrod, Heath, I'm worried about mother." Audra told him.
"What happened? Is she alright?" Heath asked.
"I really don't know. All I know is that she went upstairs to her room and had a determined look in her eye." Audra turned to Heath.
"She may be going out to look for Nick. I gotta stop her." Jarrod went to go into the house, but was stopped when a hand grabbed his arm.
"What do you mean that she may be going out to look for Nick?" Audra had a confused look on her face.
"Audra, Nick has been gone for a long time and well, seeing that Mrs. Mangano informed us that Mr. Mangano is after Nick, mother may think that something's happened to him. Heath and I have thought the same thing especially since Eugene was worked over by a group of men yelling: "Ci sarà Sangue!" which is "There will be Blood!" in Italian. Knowing that, that happened to Eugene, God only knows what may have happened to Nick, if anything happened." Jarrod explained.
"Jarrod, there's no "if" about it. Something did happen to brother Nick, because Coco came back here by her lonesome wearing Nick's hat. The last time Coco came without Nick we found out that Danny Wiggins had kidnapped him. Remember?" Heath firmly replied, clearly convinced that something indeed happened to Nick.
"Heath, we cannot jump to conclusions and assume the worst. We have to think things over logically. Plus, do you think it will be a wise idea for mother to go looking for Nick by herself? I mean since those men nearly beat Eugene to death, lord knows what they may do to mother. Also too, you have to remember that Nick tends to get into brawls and if he's going to go down, he won't go without a fight. He stands a better chance than Eugene or mother." Jarrod paced back and forth.
"Are you saying you have no confidence in mother at all?" Heath put his hand on his hip.
"I'm not saying that at all, Heath. I'm just trying to go about things logically and prevent anybody else from getting hurt. No use in getting the whole family beat within an inch of their lives or letting them disappear. One Barkley is missing and another Barkley got seriously hurt. That's enough." Jarrod grabbed his saddle and sighed, "I'm going to do what father would've done in a time like this."
"No, that's what I'm going to do, Jarrod. You're welcome to come along, but I don't recommend it." Victoria came out in her usual outfit she wore when she went off riding.
"Mother, I won't allow it and father wouldn't allow it either." Jarrod shook his head.
"Jarrod, I'm not going to fight with you on this. I'm going out to look for Nick. God only knows what happened to him. If you want to come along, then okay." Victoria went into the barn in order to get her horse and wagon.
"Mother, you can't go. I won't let you!" Jarrod followed her into the barn and put his hand on the wheel of her wagon, "And you know as well as I do that father wouldn't let you go either. Which is why I'm going to go. Alone. You stay here with Eugene."
"Jarrod, like I said, I won't fight with you. I'm going whether anybody likes it or not. I mean think about it, Nick's life could be hanging in the balance and we can't just sit here! We can sit here on our hands and not do a damn thing!" Victoria quickly covered her mouth after saying "damn thing" and gasped.
"Mother, everybody says "damn" and say if you did go, which you're not, but if you did and got hurt, you know Nick would never be able to live with this. None of us would, but especially Nick since he is the one missing." Jarrod put his hand on her shoulder.
"I know, Jarrod, but I also know that if something bad happened to Nick or if he was killed, we wouldn't be able to live with that either! I mean look at what happened to Eugene and...and that night with your father." Victoria looked at the ground.
"We all know, mother. We all know what happened to father and what happened to Eugene today which is why I want to keep the rest of the Barkleys safe. No sense in the whole family getting hurt or worse. You know father would feel the same way and he would be on his way which I will be after you promise not to go." Jarrod had a somewhat commanding tone to his voice.
"Jarrod, I have to go and I will!" Victoria stood her ground.
"Mother, I can't let you. We can't take a chance and...remember that time Nick was abducted and father felt the same way?" Jarrod folded his arms.
"I do, Jarrod. In fact, the fight we had." Victoria looked out at nothing in particular as she started to remember that time.
*Flashback to that time*
After receiving a telegram demanding $50,000 in ransom for Nick's return, Victoria was getting herself ready to go make a withdrawal of that sum from the bank and deliver it to the person in exchange for Nick's safe return. Just as she was fixing up her hair, Tom came marching into their bedroom.
"Victoria, what are you doing?" Tom asked as he shut the door.
"I'm getting ready." Victoria set her hairbrush down and put her black hat on.
"Getting to go where? Did I upset you?" Tom sat down on their bed.
"No, Tom. I just need to go to the bank." Victoria finished getting ready and left the room.
"Go to the bank? Why? We have money in the safe." Tom got up and followed his wife, "Victoria. Victoria. Victoria, wait! Wait!"
"Tom, I don't have much time." Victoria stopped and turned her attention to him.
"On the contrary, I think you do. Look, Jarrod has been assaulted, both Audra and Gene are acting funny, and you're in a hurry to go to the bank plus when you dropped that piece of paper, you acted as though it was one of your vases. Now, what in blazes is going on? What is everybody keeping from me?" Tom was obviously very suspicious of everyone, Victoria included.
"You're missing one person." Victoria put her hands on her hips.
"Oh yeah. Nick is nowhere in sight. It seems as though our ranch and home are short a Barkley. Where is that son of ours?" Tom looked around.
"That's just it. He is missing, but not because he chooses to goof off." Victoria made a slight hint.
"Huh?" Tom had a quizzical look on his face.
"Oh, Tom." Victoria collapsed against her husband's chest and sounded as if she was about to cry, "Nick's missing! I received a telegram demanding money for his return!"
"WHAT?" Tom shouted the question.
"Tom, lower your voice." Victoria told him.
"Victoria, how dare all of you keep that from me! How dare all of you!" Tom was upset.
"Tom, I'm sorry, but-" Victoria was cut off.
"There is no 'buts' about this, Victoria. You may be Nick's mother, but he's my son, too! I deserve to know these things! I'm his father for goodness sake!" Tom slightly raised his voice.
"I know, Tom and I'm sorry. It's just that you weren't home when the telegram came and I was so panicked that...well, I didn't have time-" Victoria was cut off, again.
"You didn't have time to tell your own husband that one of our children was missing due to being kidnapped & since you're going to the bank, I assume he is being held for ransom, right?" Tom raised an eyebrow.
"Tom, I didn't want to worry you, because I know how worked up you get whenever one of us gets hurt or something. Plus, I didn't want to add extra stress since you have been stressed these past few weeks." Victoria rubbed his arm.
"Victoria Diana Barkley, that is my job. It is my job to worry about all of you. After all, I am the man of the house and the head of the family, so it is my God given right to worry about my wife and children plus everything else. I don't like it when things are hidden from me, especially things like what's happened to our Nick." Tom leaned against the stair rail.
"You're right, Tom and I am so sorry I have been secretive about it. I just thought I was doing you a favor by not adding to the stress." Victoria felt very bad about hiding it from Tom.
"Oh, Victoria..." Tom pulled his wife into a hug and rubbed her back, "It's not your fault. You were just thinking about me, but there comes a time where you have to put all of that aside and right now is one of those times."
"I know, Tom. Which is why I need to get going." Victoria slowly broke away from the hug after a few minutes.
"Get going? Where?" Tom asked.
"To the bank then to go find Nick." Victoria started to go down the stairs, again.
"Oh, just like that, you're going to go do that?" Tom followed her down the stairs.
"Tom, I have to and I will. You just stay here with Jarrod, Audra, and Eugene. I shall return with Nick, safe and sound." Victoria started to go to the front door, but was stopped when a hand grabbed her wrist.
"Oh no, you're not. I won't let you go." Tom shook his head.
"Tom, he's our son. What are-" Victoria was interrupted, again.
"I know he is which is why I will be the one to go get him. You stay here with Jarrod, Audra, and Gene. I'll be back with our Nicky in no time." Tom headed to the parlor room.
"Tom. Tom. Tom." Victoria followed her husband to the parlor room, practically running.
"Victoria, I've made up my mind and neither you or anybody is going to change it!" Tom grabbed a shotgun and started to load it.
"Tom, I'm going to go. End of discussion! You've done enough traveling lately." Victoria grabbed a hold of the shotgun.
"Victoria, it will not kill me to travel some more and besides, a rescue mission is something we husbands and fathers are built for doing. Not mothers and wives!" Tom grabbed the other end of the shotgun.
"Tom, you can come along with me if you'd like, but I don't recommend it. Now, I'm going so hand me the shotgun!" Victoria pulled at the shotgun.
"Victoria, two things; One, don't ever pull at a gun, because one of us just may be holding the end with the trigger and who knows what could happen & Two, you're not going! Somebody needs to stay home with the rest of the Barkleys and that's what you're going to do!" Tom pulled at his end of the shotgun, despite saying what he just said about not pulling at a gun.
"Don't be ridiculous, Tom. It will do you good to stay home and besides, what harm will it do me to go looking for our son?" Victoria pulled at her end.
"Victoria, we can't risk anything! Jarrod was horribly assaulted and God knows what's happening to Nick. That's two! One Barkley is missing and the other one is in Jarrod's situation. There's no need to add more to the injured or missing list, is there? I don't think so!" Tom pulled at his end.
"Tom, I'm going. Now, give...me...the...shotgun!" Victoria pulled at her end about three times.
"No, no, no, no, no and no! In that order! Victoria, what's so awful about staying home?! Nothing! Now, let go of the gun! I'm going and that's that! Besides, look what happened to Jarrod and think about the fact that Nick is missing and God knows what's happening to him as we talk. Like I said, that's two Barkleys being hurt and in trouble. I want to keep the rest of the Barkleys safe. No...sense...in the...whole...family...getting hurt or...worse." Tom pulled at his end about six times.
"Why? Are you saying you have no confidence in me?!" Victoria stopped pulling at the shotgun.
"No, Victoria, I'm not-" Tom was cut off.
"You don't think I can do it?" Victoria asked, again.
"Victoria, I'm not-" Tom was cut off, again.
"Is it, because I happen to be a woman? What is it, Tom? What is it?" Victoria raised her voice.
"I DON'T WANNA LOSE YOU!" Tom shouted, before literally picking his wife up off her feet and slightly shaking her.
Victoria didn't say anything. In fact, she really didn't need to, because her shocked expression and eyes getting big were speaking for themselves. She was shocked for three reasons; One, her husband never shook her or anybody like this unless something else was bothering him and he just wasn't saying anything. Two, she never knew her husband to pick her up off her feet without being clumsy or feeling weird about it due to nerves, and three, her husband was never that good at expressing his fears or talking about stressful moments he had or was having, so hearing him say: 'I DON'T WANNA LOSE YOU!' in the way he said it just indicated fear in his voice and he was not one to show fears or the likes.
"I'm sorry, Victoria." Tom gently set his wife down onto the nearby chair and sighed, before turning away from her.
"Tom..." Victoria stood up and gently turned him into her direction.
"I can't lose you or Jarrod or Audra or Eugene. We came close to losing Jarrod and we're in the process of losing Nick." Tom had tears form in his eyes, "I can't risk it! I can't risk you getting hurt or killed. I can't, Victoria. I can't. That's why I have to be the one to go get Nick."
"I understand, Tom but I don't want to lose you either. None of us do." Victoria shook her head.
*Back to the present day*
"Unfortunately, we did end up losing your father." Victoria sighed sadly.
"We all know, mother. We all know, but he did have it right about not risking anymore Barkleys by going off to get the money and Nick. Remember?" Jarrod put his arm around his mother.
"I know, but what he never knew was that I followed him from far behind. He never knew it." Victoria started to smile a little.
"I think he does now, mother." Jarrod smirked.
"Uh oh!" Victoria briefly put her hand over her mouth again only to take it away just as fast, "Well, he can't lecture me now, can he?"
Before Jarrod could say anything, a saddle fell off of its hook and landed hard on the ground.
"I stand corrected." Victoria jumped after the saddle fell.
"I guess he still can in some ways." Jarrod chuckled before picking the saddle up and walking over to his horse, "Now, mother, you just go back into the house. I'll go look for Nick."
"Jarrod, I'm going too. Like I said you're welcome to join me." Victoria still stood her ground.
"Signora Barkley! Signora Barkley!" a voice called out.
To Be Continued...