RUSTY | frank castle

THIRTY EIGHT

Sniffing involuntarily, Frank coughed at the smell. His eyes opened, and he tried to move but he was . . . restrained.

His legs were tied to the office chair he was sitting on and his arms were tied behind the back of it. He couldn't move. He looked to the side, seeing Rusty beside him in another chair. She was about a half a metre away from him, but she was still unconscious. 

"Welcome back." It was Billy. He chuckled. "Nice place you got here."

Frank quickly looked towards the computer, seeing a young girl, probably in her twenties, with wavy hair and a bright blue jumper as she typed on David's keyboard. Frank realised she was trying to stop the countdown. 

"It looks since I decorated with your guys."

"Well, there are always more guys."

Frank hummed, looking again at Rusty. Both of them were stripped of their coats and jumpers. She only had her brown t-shirt, her trousers and her Dr Martens she always loved some much. Frank realised he was about the same, though he had a grey vest. 

"Somebody always wants to get paid."

Frank scoffed, though his face remained emotionless. "I guess you'd be the expert on that, wouldn't you, Bill?"

The man smacked his lips, standing up straight and walking slowly over to Rusty. Frank's whole demeanour changed as he watched Russo. He became tense, afraid that he'd do something that will hurt his Rusty.

Looking at Rusty toed to the chair in front of him, Billy spoke to Frank. "All those poor bastards that we strung up back in the day. . ." Billy sighed as he brushed some of Rusty's curly hair out of the way as her head hung low, making Frank clench his jaw and grip the chair tighter. "You know, I never really thought to myself. . . 'But for the Grace of God go I'. Well, you, in this case."

Frank pushed by his anger and nerves. "Ticktock, Bill, huh? Ticktock."

"What was Homeland doing there?" He asked, seeming a bit bored. 

Frank shook his head. "I don't know. Nothing to do with me."

Russo hummed a little, bringing the same substance that he used on Frank up to Rusty's nose. It took a second, but Rusty soon coughed lightly, and then woke up, jumping a little in her seat as she tried to break free. 

Frank whispered to her, telling her that's it okay. The ex-marine quickly realised what situation she was in, and she tore her eyes away from Frank to glare at Billy. 

He looked at Frank, saying. "Am I supposed to believe that?" He spoke, making Rusty frown. She wasn't caught up in the conversation, but Frank's remark made her more comfortable.

"I don't give a shit what you believe." He paused. "Uh, I don't know. Maybe Lieberman. . . Maybe he- maybe he. . . he set it up behind y back. Why don't you go ask him? Okay?"

Those words filled Rusty in. Billy wanted to know about Homeland. Frank's last sentence knew that everything had gone to Frank."

Billy nodded a little, just looking at Frank as he spoke. 

"You think me and Rusty wanted you and Rawlins under arrest, huh?" Frank shook his head. "Locked up? Nah. No way."

Rusty ignored the feeling to wince at the pounding her head was going through. They must have hit her temple pretty hard. She looked at Frank for a few seconds, deep down not wanting to agree with his words of "I'm gonna kill you, Bill."

"I'm gonna watch you die."

Frank grunted, and Billy just chuckled. "Oh, man. You are a . . . trip. You know that? You really think that, huh? You two still think that you get to kill us? That you get to win?" Billy leaned in closer to Frank's face, attempting to be intimidating. "You don't get to win, Frank."

He stared at Russo, fighting the red in his mind that just wanted to strangle the fucking life out of him; right then, right there. 

"I'ts over." Billy continued. "You have one choice left, and that's how you and how she dies. That's all I can give you, man.

"Now, I kept my end of the deal. Lieberman's wife and kid are free."

"Where is he?" Frank asked. 

To which Billy quickly replied, "Tell me how to get into those computers." He looked at both him and Rusty. "I'll make this easy for you."

Rusty shrugged. "Ask Lieberman. He's the one that knows how to do all that shit."

Russo hummed. "Unfortunately, your geek friend is no longer with us."

Rusty's jaw clenched. She jerked at her hands, then her feet, but it was no use. "You killed him."

Billy couldn't help but smirk a little as Rusty, who's eyes seemed to glisten with salty tears, gave hi a death stare. He thought he would be in hell if she just wasn't tied to that chair. "Homeland got sloppy."

Frank didn't say anything, but looked at Rusty, who had hung her head low, her hands shaking it what seemed like pure anger. 

"Put three bullets in him. Yeah." He ignored Rusty. "Shitty news for all of us.

"So now, this whole situation . . . he walked back to the metal frame, and then turned to look at the two who were side by side, tied to their chairs, "becomes unavoidable." 

Russo sighed; Frank spoke up, his speech seemed a little slurred. He tended to do that when he was saddened by something. Rusty found it heartbreaking. "How 'bout my wife and kids?"

Rusty lifted her head, looking at the floor as she listened to Frank. Her heart was breaking. Why was he doing this to himself?

"Was that unavoidable?"

Billy Russo narrowed his eyes, staying still in his spot.

"Did you do it, Bill?"

Billy gulped silently.

"Did you pull the trigger on my wife?"

Rusty stopped herself from crying as she remembered Maria's happy face. She was always so beautiful, and then their children were so energetic, happy. She remembered when they wanted to teach the dogs how to play dead. Dead. They were so clueless; all of them were. One tear escaped Rusty's eye as she lifted her head to look at Billy. He glanced at her, his teeth clenched.

Frank's voice turned into a whisper, and he sounded so broken. "My son?"

Closing her eyes, Rusty let a few more tears fall onto her trousers. She watched the material suck it up, and then it disappeared, like it was meaningless. Just like Rawlins found Frank's family meaningless. 

Frank swallowed the lump in his throat. "My baby girl?"

Rusty looked at Frank, seeing tears pooling in her eyes. Her own tears just spilled. One, then another, and then another. The two made eye contact, and Frank just seemed like he was shattered from inside out. Rusty's eyes were so sorry. 

"Don't do this to yourself." She whispered so quietly she thought it would be incoherent if it were any quieter. 

The man she cared so much for shook his head a little, his eyes still connected with hers. He gulped again, and one single salty tears trailed down his cheek. ". . . I'm sorry."