- Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
Hey all!

So sorry for the delay but I thought i'd update this one for a little change of pace. Once again i'm just a little slower but I haven't stopped lol i'll try to get a new chapter of one of these three stories to you soon. :O)

Thanks for reading!
28



Trapped!




Nick dragged his feet behind his brother as they both approached the front door. “I can handle it from here you know.” He said, rolling his eyes at Kevin.



“I thought I might as well pop in and say hello to Anita, see how she’s doing and all.”



Nick knew he was being lied to and that annoyed him greatly, but why? “You think he’s going to be here, don’t you?” He asked when he finally figured it out.



“What do you mean?”



“You think Charlie will be here with Patty. That’s why you’re here.”



Kevin was amazed at how perceptive his baby brother was. He’d make a great agent some day if he ever allowed the kid to do that. In his mind, he had all but forbidden it from happening. It was bad enough that Brian went into the field; he could never handle it if Nicky did.



“Maybe…”



“I can’t believe you man.”



“Why?”



“Patty wouldn’t be any part of this.”



“Relax buddy, I never said she would be.”



“Then why do you think he’d be here?”



“Just a hunch, but I’m probably wrong…you wanna ring the doorbell?” Nick shrugged and then rang the bell.



Charlie remained still and quiet in the bushes, literally less than two feet away from the two brothers. He was trying his best to remain calm but when he heard that stupid ass punk say his name, he almost lost it. They were looking for him, which means they knew something. He really blew it now, he thought to himself just as Patty opened the front door and led the Richardson brothers inside.



Once the door closed Charlie made his move, quietly stepping through the bushes and as far away from the house as possible. It seemed like minute by minute things just kept getting worse for him. Why did he have to be so impulsive and attack that stupid agent? He knew he should have just let things be.



The worst thing was that he didn’t have anywhere to go. Sure, he could probably go home but what was there for him? A mother so out of it she probably didn’t even remember his sister was dead? Besides, since the feds were looking for him that would be the first place they’d look.



As much as he hated to admit it, he knew there was only one place he could go and that was right where he was. He took a look back at the house and slowly made his way over to the side where once again he could remain out of sight.



He jerked quickly though when he felt a hand over his mouth, kicking at the man who held him tight. “Stop it kid!” His assailant said roughly in a whisper. He recognized that voice instantly so he listened and quieted is arms and legs.



“There ya go boy…just calm yourself down.”



Once he felt the boy loosen up and stop resisting, Jack removed his hand away from Charlie’s mouth. “What the hell are you doing here?” The teenager had the nerve to ask in a very demanding voice.



“Saving your ass it seems.” He roughly grabbed the kid by the shirt and guided him towards the back of the house where there was a cellar door waiting opened for the two of them. “Get inside and don’t say another word.”



Charlie had an impatient look on his face but nodded as he fled down the steps. Jack did the same as he closed the door. He watched silently as the older man paced in front of him with a very nervous expression on his face. “I still don’t get why you’re here.” He whispered.



Jack turned suddenly, backing the kid into a corner and slamming him against the wall as he did so, “And I don’t get why you would break into a fucking federal agent’s house!”



“I told you I wanted revenge!”



“But you got sloppy and now there’s a fed right upstairs and he’s looking for you! That is a problem!”



“How did you know?”



“I know.” Jack let go of the boy and moved closer to the steps, hoping to hear what was being said above. All he could make out was muffled voices. “You better hope that you don’t screw everything up for me now kid!”



That made Charlie take a few steps back. He knew how dangerous this guy was and it just kind of dawned on him that now he was stuck in a basement with the man and no one knew where he was.



“I’m sorry…I knew I shouldn’t have come here, but I had nowhere else to go.”



“You better hope that he leaves without sticking his face down here or we’re going to have some problems. I’d hate to have to kill your precious little girlfriend and her mother just because you were sloppy.”



“NO! Please, Patty had nothing to do with any of this.”



“Well, like I said you just better pray that the cellar door does not open.” As he said that he took out his gun, unlocking it and aiming it at the door.





~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




When Patty opened the door Nick felt at ease instantly. She just had this calming effect on him. He wished he could feel like that all the time. She seemed equally as pleased to see him, but yet there was a slight look of anticipation in her eyes. Was that fear? He hoped not.



“Hi.” She said smiling at Kevin and then glancing over towards Nick. “I thought you were camping this weekend.”



“We were but we’re done now.” He rolled his eyes at his stupid reply to which both Kevin and Patty laughed.



“Yeah, I see that.” She decided to mock.



Kevin looked at his brother’s flushed red cheeks and laughed. He really like this girl, he thought to himself before remembering that she was involved with the kid who broke into Howie’s house. “Is your mother home Patty?”



“Yes, but I believe she’s in the shower getting ready for work.”



He nodded at her, “Anyone else here?”



“My mom’s boyfriend is around somewhere.” She sounded less than thrilled when she said that but Kevin was kind of happy to hear that maybe Anita had moved on.



“Maybe I can speak to him for a minute?” Actually he had no reason to want to talk to the boyfriend but it would buy him some time to look around the place. See if there were any signs that she was hiding Charlie here.



“I’ll go see if I can find him.” She smiled at Kevin and then turned and walked away.



“Why do you want to talk to the boyfriend?”



“I just want to say hello to an adult, sorry if that bothers you…oh and by the way, you’re blushing.” Kevin winked at his brother and pat his back.



“Oh my God, go away!”



Kevin was just about to ruffle his baby brother’s hair when he heard some movement coming from the basement. “Did you hear that?” He asked Nick as he looked at the closed door.



“Yeah, maybe it’s a dog or something.”



“Yeah, maybe.”



“Oh God, Kevin you have that look on your face. Can you stop being an FBI agent for like ten minutes?”



“What if he’s hiding in the basement Nick?”



“Charlie?”



“Yeah, what if he’s here and Patty doesn’t know about it?”



After hearing that, Nick looked a little more seriously at the situation because maybe Kevin was right. What if Charlie was there and he did nothing about it? Maybe that’s why Patty looked so scared. “You really think that might be him?”



Kevin shrugged and moved a step closer to the door. “Why don’t you move into the living room for a second buddy.” He said motioning for the boy to leave.



“No way.”



“Nick.”



“No, I’m not going anywhere.”



There was no question in Kevin’s mind that there was someone downstairs. He heard more movement and from the sound he could tell it was a pair of feet, human not animal. “I’m not asking, I’m telling.” His eyes grew wide as he stared at his little brother. Now he wished he had never brought him there.



“Kevin…” Before he could finish Patty was back this time bringing Anita with her.



“Hello Kevin.” She extended her hand and then did the same to Nick. “How are you both?”



“We’re good…listen Anita, do you know of anyone who could be in your basement?”



“The basement? Why?” Patty’s eyes grew wide at the question. She had a sneaking suspicion that Charlie was hiding down there because when she went to check her room, he was nowhere to be found.



“I thought I heard someone down there, that’s all.” Kevin answered.



Patty looked at her mother as she went to open the door and quickly said the first thing that came to her head, “Oh Jack is down there mom, he went to go throw his stuff in the dryer.” She felt her throat dry and prayed to any God that would hear her that her mom’s boyfriend wouldn’t suddenly surface from upstairs. She couldn’t find him when she went looking so maybe it was really him down there. Maybe Charlie did leave for real.



“Oh…okay. My boyfriend is down there so…mystery solved I guess.” Anita said shrugging at her daughter suspiciously.



Kevin nodded slowly, “Okay good. You can never be too careful these days.”



“Don’t I know it?”



Kevin glanced over at Nick who had an ‘aren’t you leaving yet’ look on his face. “I guess I’ll leave you guys alone then.” He said winking at his brother once again making him blush slightly. “Call me and I’ll come pick you up when you’re ready to come home, okay?”



Nick nodded and hugged his brother. “It’s okay if he’s here for a little bit?” Kevin asked Anita who seemed surprised that the blonde was being left behind.



“Absolutely, I mean I’ll be heading to work for a few hours but my boyfriend will be around, if that’s okay with you?”



“It’s not like we’re going to do anything bad.” Patty said as she rolled her eyes at her mother. She hated being talked about as if she wasn’t in the room.



“I know that darling, but you guys are just kids.”



Both of the ‘kids’ made a disgusted sigh at that statement and that made Kevin and Anita smile at one another. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later than buddy. Thanks Anita.”



“Not a problem Kevin, see you later.” They all watched as the agent made his way out of the house.



Charlie and Jack were watching too and when they heard the front door close they both ran to the small window and watched as Kevin got into his car and left, “Good,” was all Jack said as he put his gun down and placed it in his back pocket. He wanted to just aim it at the stupid kid’s head and fire but there would be time for that later. For now, he had dodged a huge bullet. “You’re really lucky kid that, that didn’t have to get ugly.”



Charlie breathed another huge sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure what this man was doing here but he slowly made the connection that maybe he was the ‘mysterious’ boyfriend that Patty had so disapproved of. That was the only thing that made any sense. Talk about coincidence though, what were the chances of that happening?



Jack gave Charlie a look, “I’m going upstairs to find out what he wanted. Stay here, I’ll let you know when you can come up.”





~*~*~*~*~*~*~






Nick and Patty looked at each other as Kevin left, he was feeling anxious suddenly. “Mom we’re going up to my room to talk. Is that okay?”



Anita looked at her daughter and gently caressed her chin, “Yes baby…that’s fine, but keep your door opened please.”



“Mooom.”



“I’m just joking, now I am late for work already, I’ll see you when I get home. Maybe Nick would like to stay for dinner?”



“Thanks Mrs. Nicosia.” She nodded at him and smiled as she watched the two teenagers make their way up the stairs.



Jack opened the cellar door a few minutes later and smiled at Anita, “Hey beautiful.”



She turned towards him and gave him a long kiss on the lips, “Hi…you just missed some company.”



“Sorry, I was doing the wash.”



“Patty told me.”



“She did?”



“Yup, she said you went down to put clothes in the washer.”



“So, who was here?”



“Some old friends. Remember that FBI agent I told you about?”



“Yes, vaguely.”



“He brought his little brother over.”



“Oh?”



“Yup, he’s upstairs with Patty now.”



“You left them alone up there?”



“I trust my daughter completely, besides…they are just friends.” The news of Nick upstairs alone with Patty excited Jack. This could be the opportunity they have been waiting for. The kid was in arms length of him. How easy it would be to grab him, kill the girl and that stupid ass boyfriend of hers and be long gone before either Anita or the stupid Richardson’s even realized it. Sure it wasn’t exactly the plan they had concocted but if you have the chance why not take it right?



“Honey?”



Jack turned back to Anita, “Yes?”



“Aren’t you going to answer me?”



“I’m sorry baby, I didn’t hear the question.”



“I hate when you zone out.” She lightly tapped his butt, “I said why don’t you pick us all up some Chinese food for dinner. I invited Nick to stay and I don’t feel like cooking.”



“Okay…yeah...sure thing.”



“Okay I better get going, I’ll be home in a few hours. Do you mind being here with the kids?”



“Not at all, I’d like to get to know Patty better anyway.”



“I think she’s taking a real liking to you as well.” She said winking at her boyfriend, but he knew she was lying to him. He could tell that her stupid daughter hated his guts and that was fine with him. He planned on killing her the very first time he met her and she rolled her eyes at him. He hated teenagers, especially uppity girls.



He was getting antsy now that this new plan could very well go into action. He had to call Ariana and see if it was okay. The last thing he wanted to do was act irrationally before consulting with her. He learned from past experience that to make his girlfriend mad was the same as signing your own death certificate.



“I’ll see you later than baby.” Anita said, softly kissing his lips.



“Later honey.” He answered, careful to watch her walk away, not sure if this was the last time he would ever see her. He did enjoy his time with Anita and to be honest if he had to pick between the two, he would have a hard time deciding.



Once she was in her car, he moved to his cell phone and dialed Ariana. Hoping that she would give him the go ahead to take the boy now and be done with it.





~*~*~*~*~*~*~*






Nick bit at his bottom lip as he walked up the steps towards Patty’s room. He had so many feelings when it came to the girl he was following. The most prevalent one though was delight. She made him feel like a kid again. The kid he was before all the horrible stuff happened. “Do you remember when I’d come to your house for sleepovers?”



She turned to him as they reached the top of the steps and smiled, “Of course I do and I also remember you always crying like a baby that you missed your family.”



“I did not!”



“Sure you didn’t.”



“I was just doing it to make you feel bad.”



She laughed at him as she led him into her room, “Right, I’m so sure Nick. You’d be all I miss my Mommy…” She suddenly stopped herself when she realized that after all these years that statement was truer than ever for him. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…”



“It’s okay.” He was quick to reassure. “She’s been gone for a long time now.”



“I know.” She sat down on her bed and motioned for him to do the same. “It doesn’t make it any easier though, does it?”



Instead of answering her he decided to change the subject, “So, my brother said you came to see me about something. He made it seem like it was important. Is everything alright?”



He could tell instantly by the way she started playing with her sweater that maybe things weren’t that good after all. “It’s Charlie…he’s involved in some things Nick.”



“I know…has he come here?”



“He was here before; he was up here with me when you and your brother came. He must have sneaked out of the window.”



“He broke into Howie’s house. You remember Howie?” She nodded but seemed confused by that.



“When?”



“Last night. He actually beat him up with a baseball bat.”



“What?”



“I don’t know why Patty…but…he’s into some bad things. I wish I could say more…”



She nodded and the look on her face, led him to believe that deep down inside she knew that. “He had a huge bag of money with him the other day. I’m not sure why or where it came from but he had said he wanted to make a fresh start with me…Nick I think…”



“Where did you get that?” She looked up as Nick got up from the bed and walked towards the sketch that Jack had given to her.



“My mother’s boyfriend gave it to me.”



He turned towards her as a look of panic emerged on his face. “You’re in on this?”



“What are you talking about?”



He seemed to pale as he once again looked at his sketch. How on earth could this have ended up here of all places? “I made this.”



“What?”



“That picture…I drew that picture.”



“You did?”



He nodded, ripping it from the wall and turning it over to make sure. There in tiny print were his initials. “See?”



“You made this…is this me?”



Now he was embarrassed but still more horrified than anything else. He started to wish his brother would have never left. “Yes, it’s you.” He finally admitted in a whisper, “But I still don’t understand why it’s here. I left it in the park.”



“Why would you do that?”



“Because I…Patty bad things are happening and I wish I could tell you what they were, but I can’t.”



“Why not?”



“You said your mom’s boyfriend brought this here?”



She nodded, “He said he found it and thought it looked like me.”



Nick nodded but once again felt an urgent need to get out of there. Something wasn’t right, he just felt it. “We need to leave.”



“Nick, about Charlie…I think he may have been involved in that explosion at your brother’s place.”



“Why?”



“Because he took me there and told me it was the reason we would be having a fresh start. Next thing you know, it’s gone.”



He wasn’t expecting to hear that at all, in fact the news took him so off guard he had to sit down. Was it possible that this stupid jerk was also a murderer now? He always felt like Charlie was no good, but a murderer?



“Let’s go, we should go tell my brother about this.”



“But if I’m wrong…”



“I have a feeling you’re not wrong. It feels like everything is starting to connect in some weird way and I’m not liking it very much.”



“What do you mean?” She asked, but Nick had only one thing in mind and that was getting out of there before Charlie had a chance to come back.



“I’ll explain on the way to my house.”



“We’re going back to your place?”



“Yes, it’s not safe here.”



She nodded and followed him to the door but both of them stopped in their tracks when they were greeted with the sight of Jack standing there. “Well now, where do you two think you’re going?” He asked as he blocked the door.