Standstill Bonds

Chapter 28 ~ The Devastating Truth

As the car sped through the city streets, Jotaro's mind was like an unrelenting storm. Fear gnawed at him like a beast in the dark, its claws sinking deeper with every passing second. He feared for Josephine's safety, was enraged at Pucci for taking her, and anxious about what she might be going through. All of that poured out into a rapid, unfiltered rant.

"If that son of a... lays a finger on her," Jotaro growled, his voice low and dangerous, "I'll make him wish he was never born. I'll unleash Star Platinum on him until there's nothing left. He won't even see it coming."

Polnareff, sensing his friend spiraling, interjected with a steady voice, "Jotaro, we'll get her back. But losing control won't help anyone. Focus."

Holly, her knuckles white as she gripped the steering wheel, pleaded with him, "Please, Jotaro, Polnareff's right. We need a plan. Anger won't help Josephine right now."

Despite their efforts, Jotaro's mind remained a tempest. His agitation was palpable, Star Platinum's presence flickered in and out, like a shadow tethered to his fury, mirroring the rhythm of his racing heart. Pucci had crossed an unforgivable line... again.

"I promised myself I wouldn't let anyone get close again..." Jotaro muttered under his breath, "Damn it. This is my fault."

Polnareff glanced at him from his seat, "No, Jotaro. This is not your fault. Don't start blaming yourself now. We need to stay sharp, or we'll lose her."

Holly, her eyes never leaving the road as the car weaved through traffic, echoed Polnareff's sentiment. "We'll find her, Jotaro. We're almost there."

Jotaro's whole body tightened, the veins in his hand popping as he clenched the armrest. Deep beneath the storm however, a small glimmer of hope remained. Josephine had managed to send her location. She was fighting too, in her own way. The car roared through the streets, passing motorists honking as Holly swerved around them, pushing closer to their destination.

"He thinks he can use her against me... He's wrong. Nobody messes with my friends."

-

Meanwhile, Josephine stood firm as she stared down Pucci, her defiance crackling like electricity in a storm cloud, "If you hurt me, Mr. Jotaro will make sure today is you last day," she spat.

Pucci responded with a soft, condescending laugh, pinching the bridge of his nose, "You really are in the dark, aren't you?" he said with an almost pitying smile. "Jotaro never saw fit to tell you about our last encounter, did he? About why he couldn't bring himself to finish the job."

Josephine's brow furrowed in confusion, her frustration bubbling over. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Pucci gazed into the distance, his tone dripping with mock sympathy as he replied, "I see why Jotaro grew fond of you. There's something about you that reminds him of her."

Her patience snapped. She took a step forward, her voice sharp and insistent. "Who is her?"

Pucci turned his gaze back to her, surprised at her ignorance. "You truly don't know about Jolyne?"

"Jolyne?" she echoed, her mind scrambling in confusion.

"Jolyne, Jolyne Cujoh. Jotaro's daughter. His one and only weakness... until now." His eyes flicked toward Josephine with unsettling motion, the implication of his words sinking into the pit of her stomach like a stone.

Josephine's world tilted, Jotaro had a daughter? And he had never told her? All this time, he had kept that hidden from her? Her voice wavered, barely more than a whisper. "H-his daughter?"

Pucci nodded slowly, his gaze softening with twisted sympathy. "Yes... you've unwittingly stepped into the remnants of a tragedy."

The pieces began to fall into place for Josephine. Jotaro's guarded demeanor, his constant insistence on keeping her out of harm's way, his anger when she made such reckless choices, when she pushed to be a part of something he didn't want her involved with; it all made sickening sense. She staggered back, her thoughts racing and her voice cracking as she asked the question she dreaded the answer to.

"Wait... you... you killed Mr. Jotaro's daughter, didn't you?"

Pucci's sigh seemed almost regretful, but the casual cruelty of his words hit her like a knife to the heart. "Yes, my dear. Jotaro's daughter met her end by my hand, five years ago," he said, his tone void of any remorse. He spoke of the would he inflicted on Jotaro's heart as though recounting a simple fact. He described how Jotaro had tried so desperately to stop him, managing to land a crippling blow that could have ended it all.

"He was so consumed with trying to kill me that he never saw the attack I sent her way. By the time he realized, it was already too late. When he was about to kill me he found her... floating lifeless in shallow water, along with all her friends. Tragic really, but he should have finished the job while he had the chance, and I wouldn't be stood here now."

Josephine's knees shuddered, the world around her narrowing to that one horrible truth. Jotaro had lost his daughter, and it was Pucci who had taken her away. The weight of it all crashed down on her, and she could no longer contain her rage.

Her voice, trembling with anger and grief, rose to a furious crescendo. "Mr. Jotaro will get justice for what you've done!" she screamed, summoning her Stand with a surge of desperate energy. It floated beside her, its dark claws ready to slice through him a thousand times over.

Pucci didn't react, didn't flinch, he simply took a few steps closer to her with an unsettling calmness.

 "You truly have no idea who you're dealing with..."