Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.

Matt and Jeff are brothers. Twenty-three year old Matt took a job out of town upon graduation. He had been away for the past one and a half years, calling home often but only came back to visit his dad and eighteen-year old brother a couple of times. When his family didn't hear from him for almost two months, they started to get worried.

Warning : This story involves the criminal underworld, with plenty of bloodshed, death and violence. So, be forewarned!

Chapter 1

"Wait up, Jeff!"

Jeff turned to see Shannon, Maria and Bill walking briskly towards him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"We're heading to town to catch a late night movie. Bill said we could stay over at his place tonight. Want to come?" Shannon asked.

"I don't think my dad would let me. He has to work late tonight and he wants me to stay home just in case Matt calls," Jeff replied with a sigh.

He wished he could hang out with his friends but he didn't want to miss out if Matt called. The last time he spoke to his brother was about two months ago. Matt had sounded nervous and reminded him to take care of dear old dad while he was away. He promised to send home more money and said he would call back within the next two days, but he never did. They were beginning to worry but didn't know how to get in touch with him. He left no forwarding address, no contact number and never told them who he was working for. Matt told them that he was a commodity merchandiser for a huge conglomerate that paid him very well and that he was stationed in New York. But how were they going to find him in a big city like New York?

"Do you think something has happened to him?" Maria asked innocently and Shannon hissed at her to shut up.

Jeff lowered his head and remained silent. That thought did cross his mind but he pushed it away. 'No, Matt is alright. He has to be!' Jeff kept telling himself.

"Don't listen to her, Jeff. Matt will call you soon. Who knows, he may be trying to reach you right now as we speak!" Shannon assured him.

Jeff allowed himself a small smile and said, "Thanks Shanny but Matt knows better than to call me at this time. He knows I'll be still in school."

"Listen, do you want me to come over and keep you company tonight? I can always catch the movie another time," Shannon offered. He didn't want to leave Jeff alone when he was feeling depressed.

"No, you guys go ahead. I'll be fine, but thanks anyways." Jeff moved forward to give his close friend a hug and then said, "I better get going. My dad's waiting for me at home. I'll see you all next week." They bade each other farewell and went their separate ways.

Jeff slung his bag over his back, collected his bike and rode home. His mind was on Matt and he didn't notice the black car following him at a distance. If he had been more aware of his surroundings, he would have realized that the car stood out like a sore thumb. It had no business travelling along the rocky, bumpy back roads leading to the woodsy area surrounding his home in Cameron, North Carolina. Their nearest neighbor stayed about two miles away. The place was isolated, with no mall and no gas station.

Jeff turned the corner and smiled at the sight of their humble abode. They had been living there like forever! It was built on family land which belonged to their forefathers who passed it down from generations to generations since 1919. Jeff loved every square inch of the 100 acres of beautiful pinewoods. He and Matt had spent their childhood exploring it. It was their sacred haven. He sighed. He missed his brother so much! 'Why hasn't he called?'

The lights in the house were turned on. "Daddy hasn't left for work yet," Jeff muttered to himself.

He pushed the bike to lean on the side of the house before taking the steps quickly to open the door.

"Daddy?" he called out and his father's voice rang out from the kitchen, "I'm in the kitchen, son."

Jeff entered to find his father seated at the kitchen table, peering at a small book in his hands. He had put on his reading glasses but was still squinting.

"You need to replace your glasses, Daddy. You have them for like what, five years? You can't see clearly with them anymore."

Gilbert Hardy just shook his head and said, "I can still see with it. It ain't broken so why change it?" Thrift and save was their daddy's motto.

Jeff rolled his eyes before going to the sink to wash up. As he was drying his hands on the towel, his father called him over.

"Jeffrey, can you come and take a look at this? I'm not sure if my eyes are playing tricks on me."

Jeff filled a glass with water and walked obediently towards his father. As he drank from it, he bent to look over his father's shoulder to look at the book he was studying. His eyes widened suddenly and he choked on a mouthful of water. Water sprayed in every direction as he spluttered and gasped. His father got up from his seat.

"Now, look at what you've done! I need to change again!"

Jeff stood there stunned and speechless. Before his father could move away, he grabbed him, "Daddy, can I take a look at your savings book?"

"Huh?" was his father's response.

Jeff grew frantic with excitement, "Your savings book! Can I see it?"

With a look of bewilderment, Gil passed it over to Jeff who took it from him. Jeff opened it and stared at the numbers. He couldn't believe his eyes! Finally, he raised them to look at his father and spoke in a mere whisper, "Do you know how much is in here?"

"Well, I thought I had some savings of about twenty grand, half of which Matt had sent to me via telegraphic transfer. But there seems to be more in there."

Jeff nodded numbly. He looked at the numbers again, just to make sure. He swallowed hard, there had to be a mistake! He asked his father, "Daddy? How much do you think it says in here?"

Gil took off his glasses to wipe them clean before putting them on again. "Let me see," he took his savings book back from Jeff and studied it for a prolonged period before shaking his head in resignation. "Son, I think you're right. I need to change my glasses. There're too many zeroes in here."

Jeff opened his mouth to tell his dad that there was nothing wrong with his glasses or his eyes when someone pounded at the front door and interrupted him. He let out a sigh of frustration and headed out of the kitchen to get the door.

'Who can it be?' he wasn't expecting any of his friends to come over and his father's friends only came down on weekends. He felt uneasy all of a sudden. The poundings persisted but Jeff found himself reluctant to open the door. He backed away slowly as they grew in urgency.

His father came out from the kitchen and asked, "What is it, Jeffrey? Why aren't you answering the door?"

Jeff ran towards him, "Daddy, something's wrong! I can feel it! We need to call for help!"

He ran to the phone and picked it up but it was dead. They had cut the line.

"What are you yammering about?" Gil asked as Jeff dashed upstairs but not before telling him not to open the door.

"Open up in there! We're here about Matt Hardy!" a voice finally called out, followed by more pounding.

Gil immediately made his way towards the door. Something must have happened to his older son!

Jeff got down in time to yell to his father, "No, daddy! Don't open the door!" He was holding a shotgun in his hands.

Apparently, the men outside heard him and started to rattle the knob and pounded harder at the door. Jeff pulled his father away from it. They whipped their heads towards the kitchen at the sound of broken glass. Whoever they were, they were done with being nice and they were trying to break in from the back door!

Jeff released the safety catch on the shotgun and hissed at his father to go upstairs and hide. But his father simply said, "Give me the gun, Jeffrey. I want you to climb out the window and run as fast as you can for help."

"Please daddy, we don't have time for this!" Jeff pleaded with his father as he cocked the gun and aimed it at the kitchen doorway, preparing to shoot at anyone who comes through it.

"Give me the gun, son!" Gil commanded.

Jeff's eyes clouded with tears and Gil softened his tone. "I want you to go now and get help. I'll try to hold them as long as I can but you have to leave now!"

Removing the gun gently from Jeff's hands, he bent to kiss him on the forehead and said, "May your mother's soul guide you to safety. Now, go!"

Jeff choked back his sobs and climbed the stairs. He turned to give his father a last look at the top and cried out, "I love you, daddy!" before disappearing from sight. He ran to his bedroom and opened the window. Looking out carefully, he checked that the coast was clear before climbing out. He walked gingerly along the ledge until he reached the huge overhanging branch. He wrapped his arms around the thick branch and threw his legs to hug it, shimmying slowly down before dropping three feet to the ground. He didn't land properly and twisted his ankle.

"Shit!" he grimaced in pain. Putting his weight on his good leg, he limped as fast as he could towards the woods. He knew them like the back of his hand. He would cut through them and get to his neighbor's house to call for help but he had to hurry. His father was in danger! The sun was going down and soon it would be dark. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the throbbing pain. He hadn't even made it past the clearing when he heard a gunshot. He froze. That shot didn't come from their shotgun. Without second thoughts, Jeff turned back. He didn't realize that he was crying. With tears coursing down his cheeks, he hurried as fast as he could towards the house but suddenly, a body hurtled out of nowhere and brought him down. A hand was clamped tight against his mouth and a voice hissed out, "Lie still and don't make a sound! We can still try to get your father out! Do you understand?"

Jeff nodded and the man released his mouth slowly. Jeff turned his head towards him and pleaded with him, "Please, you have to get my daddy out!"

The man with blue eyes stared at him before nodding, "We'll do all we can but you have to co-operate with us," he said in a hushed whisper.

He stopped talking and listened attentively before speaking to no one in particular in hushed tones, "Cena here, I have Jeff Hardy with me. I repeat, I have Jeff Hardy with me."

He seemed to be getting instructions as he nodded, "I'll stay with him." There was silence and then, "Two minutes and we're moving in! Roger that!"

He turned back to Jeff and whispered, "No matter what happens, I want you to keep down. It's important that we get you out alive."

Jeff whimpered and asked, "What about my daddy?"

Cena reached out to tuck a fallen lock of Jeff's shoulder-length hair behind his ear and said gently, "Our men are trying to get him out."

He knew that one shot meant only one thing, Gilbert Hardy was gone. Rhode's henchmen had taken his life to show Matt Hardy that they mean business. They would not hesitate to kill his family members if he sold them over to the FBI!

Suddenly there was a roar and flames engulfed the back of the house. Five men dashed out the front door. Immediately, shouts were heard followed by gunfire. Rapid shots were fired in succession and the air filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder and petroleum. Jeff raised his head to stare in disbelief as the whole house was engulfed in flames. He struggled to get to his feet but Cena pulled him back down.

"Stay down, Jeff!" he barked but Jeff had only one thing on his mind, to get his daddy out.

He struggled against Cena while crying out, "Let me go! My daddy's in there! Please, let me go!"

Out of desperation, Cena pinned him down with his body weight and held his small hands down. He whispered against Jeff's ear, "I'm so sorry but I can't let you go in there."

There was a sudden explosion and the whole house collapsed. The flames shot up high in the air and several minor explosions followed. Jeff lay limp under Cena, sobbing loudly. His daddy was gone. That thought burnt in his mind and he cried harder, unable to stop the flow of tears. Cena finally got off him and pulled him into his arms. He just held him, letting him cry. There was nothing he could say to ease the pain and loss that wracked the young man's heart and soul. He just witnessed his father perish in the fire. No words could console him.

Soon, voices were heard and two men ran towards them. Cena helped Jeff to his feet but his injured leg crumpled under his weight. Without hesitation, he lifted Jeff into his arms and carried him to the waiting vehicles sitting in front of the house. Two of Rhode's henchmen were shot dead and three were arrested.

The surviving gunmen turned to look at Jeff and one of them shouted, "You're next to die if your brother talks!" before he was pushed into a waiting vehicle.

Jeff let out a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. His whole world had collapsed. Biting down on his lip, he tried to hold back the fresh flow of tears threatening to burst. His body trembled as he fought for control but he lost. An anguish cry finally tore from his throat, "Dad...ddy!" and he broke down with heartbreaking sobs. He clung tightly to Cena and wept piteously. Cena held on tight to him, staring at the burning house with a grim expression on his face. Someone was going to pay for this!

~*~

Ganglord Dusty Rhodes looked down at the traffic snaking slowly along the streets from his 40th floor office building located in New York City. He turned as his secretary buzzed to inform him that Messrs Teddy DiBiase Sr and Bobby Orton had arrived.

"Send them in, Julia, and get Cody, Ted and Randy to join us," he instructed.

He straightened his tie and went towards the door as it opened to greet his guests.

"Teddy, Bobby, so glad to see that you can make it!" He extended his arms wide open to exchange hugs with each of them. "Please sit. Our boys will be joining us in a few minutes. Now, what would you like to drink?"

As soon as each man held a glass of brandy in his hand, they heard voices outside before the door opened unceremoniously and Cody Rhodes strode in, a furious look on his face. Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase Jr followed closely behind but they gave their elders a nod of respect.

Cody immediately headed towards his father, "What is so important that I have to drop everything? This has better be good!" He folded his arms and looked crossly at them.

Dusty cleared his throat before speaking, "Mind your manners, Cody and greet your elders!" but Cody just turned his head away.

Dusty smiled warmly at Randy and Ted and turned to his partners, "You must be very proud of your son! They are fine young men!"

His smile waned as he looked back at his own son and he sighed heavily. Cody was spoilt rotten by his mama from a young age. He never had to work hard for anything in his life, being born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Dusty was desperate to groom his only son to take over his empire but at the way things were going so far, it didn't look like Cody was a suitable candidate. He was only interested in throwing parties, gambling, womanizing, jetting from one country to another, living the high jet life of the filthy rich. Money rolled in like water and he didn't even have to lift a finger or break a sweat, unless he was romping in bed with a woman!

Dusty was at his wits end. As each year passed and he thought of retiring, he couldn't help thinking that maybe, he should just groom someone else for the position to run his empire. There were two likely candidates and they were standing right in front of him at the moment.

Randy was known as the Viper. He was cold, calculated, very detailed and had a good head on his shoulders. He was, by far, one of the most intelligent men he had ever met, well, besides himself, of course! Ted Junior, on the other hand, was easy going, friendly and trustworthy. He was always smiling and you just couldn't help liking him. He was a good listener but somehow, he didn't strike Dusty as the right man to take over. He was lacking in two qualities that made a good leader - he just wasn't cruel and fearsome enough.

But, Randy? He looked back at Randy. The young man kept to himself a lot and was known to be hot-tempered. So far, he hadn't seen him with anyone; woman or man. Dusty smiled to himself. There was nothing strange having bedfellows of the same gender. He did it time to time himself. And with the businesses that he owned; drugs, prostitution, firearms and gambling, his men could have anyone they wanted! But Randy had not indulged in these privileges.

"Dad, can you hurry this up a bit? My dates are waiting!" Cody whined and pouted.

Dusty just shook his head and got on with business. "I received news this morning that we've lost two men. Three of them are now held by the FBI."

He paused before speaking slowly, "Make sure that their families are taken care of. They have been loyal. As long as they maintain their silence, we'll continue to feed, clothe and take care of their families' needs. Teddy, send your men to take care of it, will you?" and Ted Sr said, "Consider it done!"

Dusty looked pleased and turned to Bob Orton next, "Have you found out anything yet on Matt Hardy's whereabouts?"

'Cowboy' Bob Orton sighed and said, "My men are still out looking for him but we haven't found any clues. He just disappeared into thin air!"

Dusty frowned. "You hired him, Bobby. I'm holding you personally responsible for this mess Matt Hardy has created! I want you to find him and take him in alive! I want my money back! You hear?"

Bob nodded and spoke with conviction, "We'll get him! I'm sending Randy out to attend to this personally. If Matt wants to play, then, we'll oblige. We just need to flush him out and I know just who we can use to make him come to us, his beloved younger brother!"

Dusty thought for a moment before speaking in a quiet, unsettling tone, "The last I heard, the FBI has his brother and you ordered the killing of their father. You don't have his brother, so how is that going to work?"

Bob looked uneasy but Randy spoke up, "I'm sorry for interrupting but may I speak on behalf of my father?"

Dusty gave him a small smile and nodded, "Go ahead, Randy. We're listening."

"My father wants me to track and find out where the FBI has taken Jeff Hardy. I need four reliable men to back me up. Once I find out where they're hiding him, we'll take them out and bring Jeff back with us. In the meantime, no effort is being spared to continue our search for Matt. He's bound to turn up. He can't hide from us for long!"

Dusty nodded his approval and clapped Randy on his shoulder. "I'm very pleased with how you think. Handpick your own men and get on it immediately! You have everything at your disposal, just don't disappoint me."

"I won't, sir," was Randy's cool response.

"Good!" Dusty turned back to Cody, "I want you to take a page from Randy here. Do something useful with your life instead of squandering my money away!"

"You have more money than I can spend!" Cody retorted and turned to leave. "I don't know why you call me here, you don't need me! It's just a waste of my time!"

Dusty caught hold of his arm and pulled him to face him, "Waste of time?" He let out a harsh laugh. "How dare you say I'm wasting your time?! I want you here to learn the ropes but apparently, you're not interested. Fine then, leave! I wash my hands off you! But you're not getting a single cent from me until you come to your senses! Get out!"

Cody turned around furiously and pushed Randy and Ted out of his way. He swung the door opened and slammed it shut behind him. A long silence ensured. Dusty finally let out a heavy sigh and moved to sit on his chair. "That boy will be the death of me!" he said.

"He's young, Dust, give him time. He'll come around," Teddy Sr said.

"I hope he does before it's too late," Dusty said as he leaned back and closed his eyes. He felt the coming of a headache. He waved his hand, dismissing them and they left quietly, leaving him to his own thoughts.

~*~

They found his father's burnt body in the living room. An autopsy showed that he died of a gunshot wound to his head before the fire broke out. He had died instantly. The news offered Jeff no comfort. He hadn't spoken to anyone for days and he didn't know where he was. He didn't know how many days had passed since that fateful day. All he knew was that his father was dead. No, his father was murdered! Those thoughts plagued him, when he was awake, when he was asleep. He couldn't think of anything else. When he closed his eyes, he kept hearing the gunshot and saw the flames that engulfed his home with his sweet daddy inside. Every time that happened, he would wake up screaming, tears running down his face. The man who found him the first time was always there. He would run into his room and held him, talking soothingly to him until his hysterics passed. He would then fall asleep again. Days passed and he lost track of time. He didn't even realize that he didn't attend his father's funeral. Jeff was deliberately kept out of sight and he didn't know that he was no longer in North Carolina.

Jeff woke up one morning and realized he smelled. Making a disgusting face, he had dragged himself through the showers and came out with only a towel wrapped around him. His hair was still damp and the curls framed his pale wan face. His dark emerald eyes had lost their luster and he looked listless. He suddenly realized that he had no change of clothes and that he was hungry. He looked woefully at the clothes he had just shed and decided against putting them on. He pulled open the closet and with a sigh of relief, grabbed the short white terry robe and put it on. His eyes immediately went to the door. He frowned. Did he hear someone on the other side? Slowly, he got up and walked towards it. He put his ear against it and heard voices. Chewing on his lip thoughtfully, he contemplated opening it but he was suddenly afraid. He recalled the pounding of the door just before … he forced his thoughts away from that memory and turned them to his current predicament. He needed clothes and food. Slowly, he turned the knob, opened it slightly and peered out. The man who always watched him was there and there were two others. They were sitting around the table and talking. One of them got up and walked to the window. He pulled the curtain slightly apart and looked out. After a while, he walked back and said something about someone on their way up. Someone knocked and the three men suddenly went on the alert. They cocked their guns. Two stood on either side of the door and the man with blues eyes walked towards his door.

Cena saw Jeff peeping out before the door shut quietly. Smiling to himself, Cena turned around and stood guard outside. He was glad to see Jeff up and about. The main door opened and they heaved a sigh of relief. The dark tall man entered, carrying boxes of pizzas and a bag and locked the door behind him. "Pizzas here, lets eat!" he said.

Cena watched with amusement as his friends attacked the food with gusto. He turned to stare at Jeff's door before rapping lightly on it.

"Jeff? Do you want to come out and join us?" he raised his voice to make himself heard.

His friends stopped eating to look at him and the dark man asked, "Is he awake?"

Cena nodded, pointed to his eyes and mouthed, "Saw him!" Just as he turned back, the door opened slightly and Jeff looked at him shyly between the gaps.

"Hey, come and eat. The pizzas are fresh from the oven," Cena said with a friendly smile as he pushed the door wide open, his eyes taking in the pale, smooth long legs before he raised his eyes to the wet curls framing those large emerald orbs with long lashes. Jeff's sensuous full lips caught his attention.

Jeff closed his short robe in the front and said softly, "I don't have anything to wear."

Cena thought for a bit and said, "I may have something for you."

He went to his bag and rummaged around, finally pulling out a pair of track pants and tight fitting tee shirt. He walked towards Jeff and handed them to him, "Put these on, they're still too big for you though. We'll get you some clothes later on."

Jeff took them and mumbled his thanks before closing the door. A minute later, the door opened and he stepped out, looking awkwardly at everyone.

Cena took his arm and guided him forward, "Let me introduce everyone. This is Dave Bautista, pointing to the dark-haired well muscled man, Ken Kennedy and John Morrison. I'm John Cena and to avoid any confusion, you can call me Cena. Here, take a seat and eat."

The men shuffled to make room and Jeff sat down on the sofa. His stomach growled loudly at the sight of the food and he blushed with embarrassment. Everyone chuckled and Cena said, "You haven't eaten for days. Now, eat while it's hot."

He cracked open a can of soda and offered it to Jeff. "Soda okay?" and Jeff nodded as he bit into the pizza and mumbled thanks around his food.

He ate three pieces and sipped at the soda while listening to them talk idly. As soon as all were done eating, they cleared the boxes and everyone turned their attention to him.

Cena hesitated before asking, "Do you know who we are?"

"The police?" Jeff asked.

Cena smiled and said, "Close enough. We're FBI agents."

Jeff looked confused and then it dawned on him. "You're here about the money?"

The agents looked at one another before Cena asked cautiously, "What money?"

Jeff hesitated to answer but they were FBI agents. Maybe they could tell him what was going on. "The money that was left in my daddy's bank account."

"What about it?" Cena probed.

"It wasn't Daddy's money. Someone made a mistake and transferred it to his account."

"How much was it?" Dave asked as he leaned forward in anticipation.

Jeff took a deep breath and said, "Fifty million dollars."

My first gangland fic! Hope you like it! Please let me know your thoughts.

Reviews greatly appreciated ……………………………………