Four Brothers

[veiledndarkness]

Title: Strays 20/?

Author: veiledndarkness

Pairing: Bobby/Jack

Rating: R

Summary: What's it all worth when you're alone?

Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made and no harm intended.

Notes: AU, the brothers were not raised together by Evelyn.

Please be advised that this story does contain language which may offend some readers.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19



X
Angel sat in the backseat of the car with Bobby, a look of resignation on his face. He shifted his shoulders, rolling them. The tension in the vehicle was overpowering. "Y' know that Victor isn't gonna be a pushover, right?"

"Doesn't matter." Bobby stared out the window, his expression deceptively blank and calm. "I can't do this, I can't run around, searchin' for days. I wait too long...He'll kill him, I know he will." His voice caught and shook for a second. "Can't take that chance."

"This is fuckin' suicide. For all you know, the kid's already dead an' this is a death trap for you."

"The kid's got a name!" Bobby snapped. "An' he's not dead, I know he's not."

Angel sighed. "Yeah, an' how do ya know that? Sweet promised you, huh? Bullshit."

"I have to believe he's not." Bobby closed his eyes, his forehead furrowed in pain. "Cause if he is..."

"Then what? You fall apart an' let some slimy little motherfucker like Victor Sweet take over? I'll eat my fucking gun 'fore I let him win like this."

Bobby glared at him. "You shut your mouth."

"Don't like hearin' the truth? You never did. Look how many times them boys hurt ya? How many times do you gotta get stabbed in the back b'fore ya start thinkin'?" Angel shook his head. "I ain't gonna stand by an' watch you go down like this."

Bobby looked away from him, his jaw clenched. "I'll take care of this."

"Uh huh..." Angel grunted, letting the conversation trickle off.

The car cut through the snow covered grounds, bringing them away from the house, deep into the city. Angel felt for the gun in his coat pocket, his eyes narrowed. Victor Sweet was someone he'd never trust to keep his word.

X

"Jerry, first, you need t' slow down, I can't hardly understand you," Green rested his head to one hand, slumped back in his chair. "Start from the top, man."

"Victor, he's got Jack on Fourth! I got word today, Green, go, go now, he's not plannin' on keepin' him there much longer, I think he's gonna kill him, for the love of fuckin' God, get him now!"

Green rubbed a circle on his temple with his thumb, afraid to get his hopes up. "I've got warrants drawn up, Jerry, we're headin' out t'day. You know which building?"

Jerry blew out a breath. "Jesus...I think it was near Fourth and Abrams, industrial, used to be a storage facility, no name on it, number 7938. You gotta go, Green, I talked t' Bobby, he's gonna take Camille out if Jack dies.."

"Fuckin' hell..." Green groaned. "I'll send a unit over to keep an eye on her. Where's Bobby right now?"

"I don't know, he won't answer his phone!" Jerry's voice trembled. "Please...she's all I got, don't let him kill her."

"Jerry, calm down," Green pointed to Fowler, standing up then. "We're on our way, take some deep breaths, ok? We'll find him. Keep callin' Bobby if you can...if we can head him off with this..."

"I will, I promise, just...hurry," with that, Jerry hung up.

Fowler put his coat on. "We got somethin'?"

Green nodded, his stomach coiling with unease. "It don't feel right, but yeah, c'mon, we're wastin' time. Jerry said somethin' about Sweet gettin' ready to take out Jack."

"Well that's fantastic," Fowler muttered. "I always wanted t' see what would happen when a crime lord goes fucking apeshit crazy."

Green tossed his coat on. "Yeah well, let's try an' make sure it don't get that far, huh?"

X

Luke kicked Jack, rousing him from his fitful sleep. "Get up, we're goin' for a visit," he said, yanking Jack up by a fistful of his hair.

"Ow, goddamn it!" Jack cried out, unwanted tears springing to his eyes. "That fucking hurts!"

"Aww, poor baby," Luke rolled his eyes. He shoved Jack up against the wall and snapped a handcuff on his free hand. Jack sucked in a gasp, his face pale. He swayed on his feet, dizzy with pain. In a blur of movements, Luke removed the handcuff attached to the wall pipes, re-locking it to Jack's wrists, binding his arms behind his back. He pushed him forward. "Walk."

Jack stumbled, dropping to his knees with a muted sob. "I'm tryin'," he mumbled, his shoulders hitching.

Luke gripped his arm, his fingers digging in cruelly. He dragged him forward, ignoring the gasps and pants for breath next to him. "Goin' for a visit," he said again. "Sweet needs ya t' make a point."

Icy cold fear ran down Jack's spine. He shuddered, nauseated. "God..."

Luke chuckled. "Ya best do what he wants, you 'member what happened t' that bitch at the house, m' sure."

Jack looked at him, enraged. "Her name was Lucy," he hissed. "Lucy, do ya hear me! Her fucking name was Lucy!" He spit on him as best he could, the small gob landing on Luke's cheek.

"Oh you fuckin' faggot!" Luke roared, his fist flying into Jack's face, sending him crashing down to the ground.

Jack hit the ground, tears running down to mix with the blood that flowed from his mouth and nose. He let out a hysterical laugh, his eyes glazed and bruised. He laughed and laughed, unaware of the blows falling on his body. Pain ran through him, his body one constant ache. He laughed harder until a vicious punch silenced him. He stared up at Luke, the tears falling silently then.

Luke panted, his fists covered with Jack's blood. He couldn't believe it, the fucking kid, that damned kid, laughing at him! He let out an unintelligible shout of fury. Jack closed his eyes, shaking, his tears choking him. Minutes ticked by before Luke leaned down and scooped him up. He slung Jack over his shoulder as he walked, completely unnerved by him.

Jack looked back at the room that had held him the last few days, the walls running, melting away as he was carried out by Luke. He closed his eyes, praying feverishly for Bobby to come for him even as the thought occurred that if he hadn't come by now, maybe...maybe he wasn't intending to, after all.

X

Fowler pushed his foot down on the gas pedal, swerving and avoiding the other people on the road expertly. Green held on to the side door of the car. "Fowler, I swear t' God, if you crash us, so help you."

"I'm not gonna crash, besides, no one's gonna ticket a cop," Fowler said, speeding them around another corner, row and row of factories and buildings in the distance. "I got years of practice for speed driving."

"On what? Grand Theft Auto? That don't fuckin' count!" Green gripped the door handle a bit tighter.

"Ha ha, so funny, you're hilarious, Boss, I ever tell you that?" Fowler dropped the gas pedal a little, slowing down as they neared the intersection of Fourth and Abrams. "Where's 7938?"

Green caught a glimpse of the numbers as they sped past some of the buildings. "There!"

Fowler slowed into the nearest parking lot, eyeing the building. "Christ..."

"Nice drivin' Ace, next time, you're in the passenger seat," Green wiped a hand over his face. He got out of the car, their back up car coming to a stop behind them. "Let's go."

Fowler jogged up behind him, squinting through the heavy drifts of snow. "The fuck...Look," he pointed to the snow covered stairs in front of the building. "Is that blood?"

Green's breath caught in his throat. He approached the stairs, hearing his heart beat echoing loudly in his ears. It was blood, droplets and streaks here and there. "Shit."

He looked to the door, noting that it hung oddly, as though kicked open. "C'mon," he gestured to Fowler and drew his gun, palming it tightly.

Fowler nudged at the door with his boot, frowning. "Guessin' the door was knocked nearly down. Heavy boot kick."

"Prints are fresh, blood is too," Green took the flashlight from his coat and braced his arm over his gun, entering the building with extreme caution. The halls were dimly lit, small naked bulbs placed high up. The floors filthy and covered with loose tiles and boxes piled everywhere.

They made their way from room to room until they reached the last one. Green turned his head, feeling uneasy at the sight of more blood, droplets sprayed in various areas. A small bag of garbage sat off to one side, a white bucket with a lid nearby. Green took in a small breath and approached the pipes that ran along the wall. "Scratches in the metal...they kept him chained up here."

"Like a dog," Fowler muttered behind him. "Green, man, this isn't lookin' too promising. There's blood all over the place."

Green walked about the small room, his eyes half closed. "They moved him. Got wind that
Jerry found out an' moved him 'fore we got here. He's too valuable t' be killed outright. Not yet, anyway. I'll bet ya Victor knows exactly who Jack is. Damn it!" he hit his fist off his hand, furious. "Damn it t' hell!"

Fowler touched one hand to the pipes. He shivered. They were icy cold. The whole room was cold, no warmer than the brutal winds outside. "Where ever they took him, it wasn't long ago. Blood's not dry yet, they haven't cleaned anythin', still loads of evidence in here. Get the guys in here, see if we can't find anythin' out, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, c'mon, I think I got an idea," Green walked away from the room, anger darkening his face.

X

"How long's he been here?" Victor got out of his car, his eyebrows knitted together in displeasure.

"Ten minutes," the man shrugged. "Waitin' in your office."

Victor laughed a bit. "A' right, I been lookin' forward to this for a long time." As he walked to the office, he smiled. He'd waited so goddamn long to have this moment, knowing that Bobby would be ready to cave. He puffed his chest out and strutted into the office, the door swinging shut behind his bodyguards.

Bobby stood by the windows, his face blank, but telltale signs gave Victor much amusement. Red-rimmed eyes, lines etched into his forehead, a tension to his mouth. He sighed inwardly, greatly pleased. His smile faded a little at the sight of Angel standing a foot behind Bobby, a gun clasped in his hand.

"Aren't we all gentlemen here, Bobby? You brought your attack dog t' a meeting? That offends me."

"Ain't that a shame?" Bobby turned to look at him. "See, I know your boys are carryin', so I made sure I wasn't empty handed neither. Fair's fair, am I right?"

Victor smiled tightly at him. "Have a seat, Bobby. I think we got lots t' talk about."

Bobby stepped away from the window and walked to the desk area. Angel moved behind him smoothly, his gaze trained on Victor. As Bobby sat, so did Victor. He nodded to the two men by the door and sat back in his chair. He smiled once more at Bobby. "So..."

"Cut the bullshit, Victor. Where is he?"

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Who?'

Bobby stared back at him. "I'm warnin' you once an' once only. Do not fuck with me."

"I don't like warnings," Victor murmured. "S' not a polite way t' talk."

"Where is Jack?"

Victor stretched his hands out on the arm rests of his chair. "He's safe. Well...safe enough."

Bobby looked ready to explode, he noted with satisfaction. "What the hell do you want, Victor? Huh?"

"I want a lot of things," Victor tapped two fingers on the chair. "I want you t' step the fuck down. You're too old an' frankly, things need a shake up."

"And if I won't?"

Victor let out a dry chuckle. "D' ya really have t' ask what will happen? Or maybe...maybe a visual cue is all y' need." He nodded to one of the men who opened the door as footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Bobby's hands gripped the chair and he turned his head, his eyes wide at the sight of Jack being carried into the room. Angel let out a rough sound behind him, horrified by the sight of the severely beaten body.

Victor smirked. "Thank you, Luke. Put 'im right there," he nodded, indicating a spot only a few feet away from Bobby.

Luke dropped Jack to the carpet, his body hitting the ground with a thud. Jack made a feeble moan and curled up into an awkward ball, his hands cuffed in front of him, his limbs twitching. His face was a mess of dried blood, fresh blood, black and blue bruises. His lips were split in three places, both eyes black. Blood trickled down over his ears and neck. His shirt was bloody, his jacket as well.

Only Angel's hand kept Bobby from leaping out of the chair. Bobby swallowed, his face pale. "Jack...The fuck did you do t' him?"

"Me? Why, nothin' at all, in fact." Victor shrugged. "Well, I might've slapped his face a little, but he was rude, an' bein' rude jus' ain't acceptable. Luke had t' discipline him a coupla times."

"You sick, fucking prick," Bobby breathed, his voice a mere whisper. "He had nothin' t' do with me and you."

Victor snorted. "On the contrary, Bobby, he has an awful lot t' do with us."

Luke nudged Jack, who moaned again, the sound pitiful. "Wake up, kid. Look who came t' see you."

Jack opened one swollen eye. He peered up at Bobby, shaking violently. "B-Bobby," he managed, attempting to smile. "Knew you'd...you'd..." he clutched at his chest, a low sob emerging.

Bobby snarled and looked at Victor, absolute fury blazing in his eyes. "You...."

Victor grinned. "Me, indeed. I got two problems right now. One is that I seem t' be missin' a few men. Word on the street is that you did it. That's not ok. An' two, is that you still haven't agreed t' step down."

"What I did, you brought down," Bobby moved forward in his chair, shaking off Angel's hand. "You started this, Victor!"

"Oh no, no, see you started this when y' took over for Chris, when y' systematically wiped out the other gangs till no one was standin' but you an' anyone too scared to run!" Victor sneered at him. "What this is...with him.." he pointed to Jack. "This was vengeance an' t' make a point. See, you had this comin'."

"An' stealin' him was your answer?!" Bobby shouted. "The fuck did Jack ever do t' you? You nearly killed Lucy, you tortured my Jack! And I know, oh I fuckin' know you were behind Evelyn Mercer's death! I know it, I know it like I know my name!"

"Funny you should mention names," Victor waved his hand. "I gotta ask you somethin'. Lil' Jack here, he's actually real important. T' both of us. Did you ever get his last name, hm?"

Bobby growled, Angel's fingers digging into his shoulder. "Don't change the subject, you fuckin' bastard."

Jack made a small sound on the floor, his eyes closed. "Don't..." he pleaded.

"Why, you don't recognize him?" Victor leaned forward. "You don't recognize him, do you? Amazin', after all these years...well I guess he woulda been so little, maybe he woulda looked different then, but that don't matter much in the end. Point is, I remember, oh yeah, I remember a lot from back then."

"What the fuck are you babblin' about?" Bobby huffed. He badly wanted to reach out and scoop Jack up, to cradle his broken body in his arms.

Jack covered his ears, his fingers and wrists bruised and bloodied as well, deep gouges from the handcuffs on each hand, dangling from each wrist and coated in blood. "No, God no..."

"You always did like settin' shit on fire. Tell me somethin' Bobby, did you know everyone was inside when ya set up them fire bombs? Did you know that little Jackie here was playin' outside?"

Bobby stilled, his body numb. "....What...."

Jack lifted his head, eyes wide, his mouth open to take shallow breaths. Victor nodded slowly. "Oh yeah, the Donnelly's never took great care with their kids. Did ya take Jack outside? Couldn't live with bein' a baby killer? Did you know how many people were inside?"

"He..." Bobby looked at Jack, his eyes gleaming with something unrecognizable. "Your name..."

Victor clapped his hands. "Jack Donnelly...See, now if I was gonna fuck the kid of my rival, I would do a fuckin' background check, Bobby. Good advice for the future. An' now you get t' tell dear little Jackie why you murdered his family."

Jack held his head, shaking all over. "Oh my god....no, NO! Tell me it wasn't you!" he screamed, his ragged voice startling them all. "Tell me you didn't! He's lyin', he's lyin'! Tell me, tell me!"

Bobby's mouth worked several times, no words coming to his defense. He looked away as Jack broke into great sobs. "I didn't know..." he whispered finally.

Victor smiled proudly. "Bobby...don't y' see what you do t' people? You destroy them in the end. Anyone that loves you, dies in the end. Your own mama didn't even want you, lovely Miss Evelyn, she took pity on ya, an' look what happened t' her. Wrong place, wrong time," he added with a devilish grin and a wink.
"Your lil' maid, nearly dead, Jackie...well can't imagine, he's gonna wanna stick around knowin' you murdered his whole family an' left him t' grow up a fucking....stray...like you. An' that lovely housekeeper, she's alone right now, ain't she?"

Angel moved his hand, aiming his pistol at Victor. "You shut your fuckin' mouth."

Victor stood and walked around the desk, his smirk daring Bobby to let Angel fire. "Anythin' bad, it was you. Anythin' Jack shoulda had, y' removed it. An' here you are...cause of you, he's all broken now," he looked down at Jack's frame, watching his shoulders shudder from sobs. "Broke 'im, without even layin' a hand on him. Bravo," he clapped his hands again, mockingly. "Oh bravo. Even I would have t' try harder t' do that."

He was up on his feet, leaning in to Victor's space, his eyes narrowed to furious slits. "Do you have any idea what I'm gonna do t' you?" he hissed. "Malcolm would slit y' throat if he knew what you were doin', a bitch is what y' are, takin' out people from a distance, good people, ones not like you an' me." He lifted his hand from his pocket, a gun clasped in his palm.

"Go ahead," Victor laughed. "Y' an' your attack dog an' your precious Jack, y're outnumbered. Ya think for one second my men won't protect me?"

Bobby fisted his hand in Victor's sweater, snapping him forward with a bitter laugh. "Y' stand alone, Victor. You'll never have what it takes t' be like me. An' this....this is for my mother," he said, pressing his gun to Victory's stomach. He fired, the blast of the gun echoing in the room.

Jack cried out and clutched his hands to his ears, badly panicked. Victor looked down at his stomach, blood seeping out over the white fabric. He shook, his mouth falling open. "Shoot him! The fuck y' waitin' for!" he gasped, clasping a hand over the middle of his stomach.

Bobby turned and fired, the next bullet driving deep into Luke's shoulder. He fell back with a grunt, tripping over Jack. Angel aimed his gun at Luke, disgust curling his lips. He fired, sending a bullet into Luke's forehead. He waved his gun at the men by the door, both watching him in absolute silence.

Bobby took a step back, a twisted smile on his lips. "They won't protect you, Victor. They don't respect you, they don't fear ya. You're a weakling, the kind that takes out old ladies an' young boys. You're pathetic."

"You..." Victor darted desperate looks to the men by the door, to Luke's body on the floor and then back at Bobby. "You son of a whore!"

"Oh keep goin'," Bobby placed his gun on Victor's shoulder, his thumb resting on the trigger.

Victor sobbed out a cry of pain, another bullet driving deep into his shoulder. He slumped back against his desk, shaking.

Bobby loomed over him. "I want you t' know somethin' before I burn this place t' the ground," he whispered. "Malcolm was twice the man y' could ever even dream of bein'. I respected him. You coulda been great, Sweet. Now you're jus' a waste."

He backed up and fired once more, the bullet striking Victor's left kneecap. He let his arm drop to the side, relishing the screams of pain in front of him. "Get the fuck outta here 'less you wanna burn with him," he said to the men.

"Mercer..." one said, his skin a sickly gray color. "We got guys that wanna leave."

"We'll see." Bobby turned away, leaving Angel to herd them from the room. Ignoring Sweet, Bobby knelt beside Jack. He crouched down, moving a section of Jack's dirty hair back from his forehead. "Jackie," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Jack cringed back from him. "Don't you fuckin' touch me."

Bobby swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. He let out a shaky breath and grabbed his lighter from his pocket as Angel returned, a gas can in hand. "Douse him," he said, his voice rough.

Angel upended the gas can over Victor and his desk, Victor choking and gasping on the blood and gas that covered him. He tossed the canister to the side and picked Jack up, cradling the too thin, abused body to his chest. He backed up from Bobby, his grip leaving Jack unable to fight. Jack slumped against him, tears sliding down his cheeks still.

Bobby flicked the lighter, letting it kiss the edge of Victor's sweater. "Good bye, Victor. I'll see ya in Hell."

Victor shrieked, the flames racing up his sweater, catching fast. His screams followed them out of the room and down the hall. Bobby walked beside Angel, his face blank once more. Jack shuddered. He looked like a stranger.

X

Comments

[veiledndarkness.livejournal.com]

Thank you :) No, not smooth at all. Jack is furious, as to be expected. The next chapter should be up in a few days.

[seyyed.livejournal.com]

Lots of good, lots of bad...
Good: Bobby got Jackie back and Sweet got what he deserved.
Bad: ...now they have to reestablish trust with each other again. Oh man.

Can't wait for more!

[veiledndarkness.livejournal.com]

Oh, heads will roll in the next chapter lol..

[littlewitch34.livejournal.com]

I like how you had Bobby (have Angel) use the gas to finish him off. It's such a good parallel to the movie and the scene with the gas.

[veiledndarkness.livejournal.com]

Yes, I still want parallels to the movie whenever possible without overdoing it.

[shadow1290.livejournal.com]

PLease please please tell me your going to be updating soon? They have to have a good ending?

MORE SOON!!

-shadow

[veiledndarkness.livejournal.com]

I will be updating in the next few days, yes.

[aliceinked.livejournal.com]

i can't wait for the next chapter!!! this has got to be the ONLY au story i have ever even tolerated and i absolutley love it!

[veiledndarkness.livejournal.com]

Thank you :) I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

[aliceinked.livejournal.com]

ur welcome! how many more chapters is there gonna be?

[veiledndarkness.livejournal.com]

There's two more in total. I just posted the new chapter tonight. After that, one more.