Just a Jab Ch. 13

Rhonda thought to herself, "Oh my god, what is happening? It is one thing to be naked but to be joined afterwards by more women. Stop thinking you idiot. These people have been given some horrible news. I may not know Bronwyn but she is loved by this group, which makes her one of my group. Oops, did I say my group. Yes, I am feeling really strongly towards John and not just from today. I am here to give these lovely people what help and comfort I can, because I want to do it. I hope they will accept me into the group as this guy is totally worth it," with that thought she snuggled closer into John and even grabbed one of Linda's hands and held it, stretching her arm to incorporate Janet into a hug.

A little while later, Linda was able to talk a bit, "Thanks for the hug guys, I needed that. We have called everyone to let them know what has happened. Sophia will be here soon, she is taking the afternoon off work to be here. The others will probably come over as well when they can. It is good that both Adriana and the twins are having their last exams today. They like Bronwyn and will be devastated at what has happened."

Rhonda asked, "Who's children are they and how old are they?"

Linda answered, "Adriana is Janet's daughter and is twenty. She is studying science at uni. Kim and Sal are our neighbour, Sophia's twin daughters. They are finishing high school now and will be eighteen this weekend. They have become friends with Bronwyn recently, although they don't know she is part of John's treatment. We haven't even told them exactly what treatment John needs although they will find out soon enough I guess. Bronwyn just moved into our spare room yesterday after she couldn't keep renting her old unit. She has become a part of our family as well as helping John."

Janet spoke up, "Yes she is a very special person to us. She and I work together for John. Although that is a separate issue to his treatment which is purely personal. We might work for him but us loving him is why we want to be with him."

John said, "Yes we do love each other," and he gave her a short kiss.

Rhonda spoke without thinking, "You're such lucky women."

Linda and Janet replied, "Yes we are," and Linda smiled and added, "I think he's a very lucky man as well."

Rhonda went wide eyed as she realised that she had spoken aloud instead of just thinking her comment, "Oh sorry I didn't mean that to come out."

Linda continued, "That's alright honey. I may be his wife, but I am not silly enough to think I can be the only one who loves him, or who he loves," smiling as she turned her head to try to look at Rhonda who also swivelled her head to look back, "It looks like you might be falling under his spell as well?"

Rhonda grinned and answered, "Might be, not really sure."

"No problems. Give it time," as Linda put her head back on the pillow with a huge smirk on her face.

Janet sat up saying, "Come on you lot. My tummy is growling with hunger. A coffee and biscuit was not enough to last the day. We need to try and sort some things ourselves over what we can do."

The others agreed and moved, with Linda and Janet going to the kitchen and the other two to get cleaned up and dressed. They met in the kitchen a short time later to eat what had been prepared and talk trying to make sense of what had occurred.

The front door had been left unlocked and a whirlwind burst through it and made a beeline for John enclosing him in a bear hug, Sophia had arrived, "John, Linda, what the heck has happened. Tell me it was a joke. no don't say that, it would be too cruel for you to do that. How, why, what, I don't understand."

John manoeuvred her around on his lap and told her most of the story. He left out only certain bits that he felt only Bronwyn could tell.

"Oh my god, guys," Sophia looked around for the first time since arriving, "Sorry Janet, I had a bit of tunnel vision. Hi. You must be Rhonda, pleased to meet you, unless we have met before in which case. Hi."

Janet laughed and said, "Hello Sophia, you are forgiven. It is a shock."

Rhonda also chuckled at this gorgeous ball of energy, "Hello Sophia."

Janet then said, "Adriana is at her final exam this afternoon but I left a message at home for her, so she will certainly ring later."

Sophia then spoke, "I should go home quickly and change out of my work clothes and leave a message for the girls. I will just tell them to ring me first so they do not walk in unexpectedly. They also have their last exam this afternoon and will be home before dinner, assuming they don't celebrate with their friends. See you in a few minutes."

Sophia moved and was about to ask John if he was doing okay, but recalled that he was surrounded by women all able to take care of him. Chuckling to herself at how silly her thoughts were she dashed home to get changed. A minute later the door bell went and Linda went to answer it, returning with Paula behind her. John again found himself in a tight hug, but this time he managed to stand up in time. Although he was hugged in such a way that his head was resting on her shoulder.

"Oh John. This is absolutely the worst thing that could happen. I don't understand, she's such a great person. What happened, do you have any idea?"

John answered her, "Sit down love," and he introduced Rhonda and went through the highlights of what has happened and a little about Bronwyn's history.

Paula was astounded that their 'little Bronnie' could have such a background. Paula is six feet five, so Bronwyn's five feet certainly could be described as little. John also explained that Matt is involved as well and was working out a plan. The house was now filling up as John sat back down looking at those around him. He was thinking about family and how he might not have had one of his own but these friends were now his family. They were probably better than family as they had all chosen to be together, rather than forced because of blood relationships. His main example of siblings were Linda and Michael, her obnoxious loser of a brother. Linda was probably the only person who put up with him, and that was under sufferance. Even his wife and daughters could not stand to be anywhere near him.

John received a call from Barry and Greg who had to man the office. They offered any help he needed because they liked Bronwyn and hated to think of anyone hurting her. John told them the important parts of the story, reiterating that the police would be of no help at all. Greg had heard about Jedd before now and agreed that, from what he knew, the guy was really bad news. Their wives, Harriet and Karen, also rang during the afternoon to provide moral support, knowing there was little they could do to help, but offered anyway, just in case. John and Linda spoke to them and were thankful for the support.

As the afternoon went by the house filled up. Glenda had shown up soon after the call from Barry. They were all feeling the strain and were needing to take action to help, but not being able to do anything led to anxious feelings. At any moment there was at least one person wandering around trying to work off the nervous energy and the feelings of helplessness.

By mid afternoon John was starting to sweat and let Linda know his tingles were getting near breaking point. Janet was wandering past and happened to catch John's words and offered to help. In her words she was so pent up with anxiety for her co-worker and the feeling of having let her down she needed something to do to keep occupied. What better way than being close with John. They quietly disappeared upstairs hoping to be unobtrusive, which was silly since all the women in the place kept at least one eye on the love of their life.

Sophia was also keeping close attention to Linda, knowing too much stress would be unhealthy to the unborn baby. She noted how strung out Linda was looking and gave the doctor a ring. Sophia knew she would be able to actually talk to the doctor quicker than you normally would as she worked at the same clinic. Making the call in the back yard Sophia told Dr Mabel Stabler about the situation in general and how it was affecting Linda. Mabel checked her appointment list and advised she would visit the house soon, as she had almost finished her schedule today. This relieved Sophia's concerns about her friend and went to let Linda know about the coming visit.

Meanwhile John and Janet had finished their first coupling and were resting together. Glenda entered the room and asked if it was okay to join them, just needing a cuddle from John if Janet wanted to finish what was started. Given the nod she quickly undressed and cuddled into John opposite Janet. A few minutes later Janet asked Glenda if she could help as she was still a bit tender from last night.

Not needing to be asked twice Glenda rolled onto John and slipped his tool into her sheath. John noted just how easy it was to slip inside without too much jostling. He hardly needed to do anything as Glenda made all the necessary moves whilst Janet remained cuddled into his side with her head resting on his shoulder. Janet only had to move back a bit from the waist down to allow Glenda access to ride John. He felt like he was in heaven with so much attention from these beautiful women. It was also obvious that Glenda had been wanting more than just a cuddle.

They were still upstairs resting when Polly, Philipa and Penny arrived. Linda was about to explain where John was and give a more detailed description of Bronwyn's kidnapping when her doctor arrived. Mabel checked Linda's condition and other than slightly elevated blood pressure she and the baby were doing well. The doctor advised her to get some minor relaxants that can be bought over the counter, and suggested that Linda try meditation or yoga to help cope with stressful times.

They returned to the group where Linda explained the situation to them, then as she was winding this up, John and the two women rejoined them. The recent arrivals got up from the chairs to give John a hug and kiss, excepting Mabel who just hugged him. They ventured outside with some cold drinks and chatted as each tried to come to terms with what had happened to Bronwyn. Some knew her better than others but they each felt a connection to her, if only through their bond with John.

Matt rang to let them know of his progress. He sounded up-beat and told them he had a plan and would come over later to go through it. He only had a couple of glitches and asked if they could think how to borrow a couple of vans of the same type that could not be traced back. Also if they knew anyone with trained dogs, especially of larger breeds that could be borrowed for a day. John promised to try, even though he was a little confused at this request. At the end of the short conversation Matt said he would be over in a few hours.

The group sat in a generally bemused mood after the phone call. Matt had sounded so sure of himself that he had a good plan, but his query about a dog was confusing to say the least. Regardless they sounded out some ideas about vans and dogs. Most were the obvious like hiring trucks and getting a dog from the dog home.

Glenda put forward a suggestion that could have some merit, at least to John. She said that one of their old friends from their teen years, Trevor, had set himself up as a go to guy for odd things. Of course she advised that this mostly meant things on the illegal side of the street, but he could be of help. She got out her phone and made a few calls and managed to track down Trevor's number. John went with Glenda to another room and called for his assistance. It turned out that Trevor was happy to help as he remembered them both fondly. He had some delivery vans they could borrow that were currently not in use. He chuckled when they checked if the vehicles could be tracked to the owner as they needed them to be non-traceable. Trevor gave them assurances that would not be a problem and they made arrangements to pick them up tomorrow morning. Trevor said he looked forward to seeing them after such a long time.

The others sat and talked but it did not take long for the conversation to dry up with ideas, so they chose to wait for Matt to give more details of what he needed. Dinnertime approached and the group went inside to see what could be done for a meal with so many around.

Sophia was about to go back home when Kim and Sal rushed in through the back door and to their mother. They were scared and the note left for them did not contain much detail. After a few what's happened queries Sophia told them about Bronwyn's kidnapping, and that they were now working on what can be done. At this moment the front door banged open and a distraught Adriana raced into the room and went straight to her mother. Janet then had a turn at describing the events to a distraught daughter. Whilst this was happening the twins left their mother and gave Linda a quick hug and settled on the couch with John, who put an arm around each as they cuddled into him for comfort. When Janet finished explanations Adriana similarly hugged Linda, said hi to everyone, and sat on John's lap. She hugged him around the neck as the three females fidgeted around to each find a comfortable spot without leaving John.

They ate dinner in almost silence, each immersed in their own thoughts. It was unlikely anyone actually tasted the meal, which was possibly a good thing as it was a mix of many tins of soup and toast that varied from barely warmed to black. Felicia and Francine arrived as they were finishing the meal and fortunately there was enough left over for them to eat. Rhonda explained to them what had happened. John asked them nicely how they knew something was wrong and was told that Polly and Penny had shared the day shift today and let them know of problems. A phone call later today to Penny and they knew to come here after work. To them it was a matter of showing support to friends in time of trouble. John let them know how much he appreciated them being here.

Following the meal some of the women had to leave to be home for their families or to other commitments. This left John and Linda with the most of the main women in his life when Matt entered the house. He was greeted by a very serious and sombre group as he looked around the faces. The strain of Bronwyn missing was telling on the lines that had formed and in the pale and drawn skin. He recognised that these people loved the young woman who had been taken earlier today. Before sitting at the table he looked into each persons eyes. John, Linda, Sophia, Kim, Sally, Adriana, Janet, Polly, Paula, Glenda and Philipa each steadily returned his look. Matt nodded and sat with his bag on his lap.

"Okay everyone, I have some idea on how we can get Bronwyn. I cannot guarantee we will be on time to save her completely from whatever is planned, but it is the best I can come up with. I believe it will take Jedd a little time to do whatever so I hope we can be done in time before then. I will need tonight and tomorrow to put everything together so we can get her tomorrow evening."

He put up a hand to forestall any questions or outbursts to move quicker.

"Remember this man is a very powerful guy and we need to protect ourselves for afterwards as much as we need to protect Bronwyn now. Moving too soon will cause problems later, and that will make things far worse for her and for all of us. Here is what I have been able to come up with, it is not perfect and could fail miserably. With good planning and some luck we will do this. Now before I start I must ask each of you to think about whether you want to get involved or not. If things go pear shaped, and there is a very good chance they could, it could be dicey for everyone."

Again Matt gave each person a look and received a nod in return. His last look was on the twins and it was obvious from the look in his face that he did not want to say this next part.

"Kim and Sal, I know you want to be in the mix with the rest of us, but you are not yet legally adults and I would be too afraid to involve you," they were opening their mouths to respond but again he held up a hand, "This also applies to Adriana and Paula that although you are over eighteen I do not want you directly involved. But don't worry this means you get to be the support which is just as necessary. If something does go wrong then we will need you to pick up the pieces.

"John, you will be playing the lead part and I hope you can act under pressure," Matt continued talking as John's gaze never faltered, "I am using the invite you got from the scumbag in order to gain entrance to the property. It will be your job to get into the house and disable the security. I am aware of what they have as it was a system I helped devise. Fortunately it is old and outdated, but effective against normal uninvited guests.

"While you keep ma and pa scumbag occupied I will find Bronwyn and get her out of where ever she is being kept. This is where you others are needed as we must get her away without being found again. Did you manage to find some vans that cannot be traced back to us?"

John answered, "We think so. Glenda remembered a guy we both knew as teens who has become something of a go-to guy. Trevor Stoker is the man and he has some delivery vans he could lend us. We will pick them up mid morning tomorrow."

Matt looked surprised at this, "Good work. Of course, I should have thought of him. He is generally known as the Turk, mostly because of his dark complexion, big moustache and the thick coffee he likes to drink. I have used him in the past. It's amazing that you should know him, but then we all have to come from somewhere."

Linda spoke up, "We could not come up with a trained dog, sorry."

Matt said, "No problems, I managed to track one down through some associates. It should do the job nicely."

John now asked, "What are the details Matt. You have managed to say almost nothing so far and I am really intrigued," getting nods from the others in the room. Matt asked for and received a glass of water, then told them his plan in as much detail as he could. He laid out the tasks each person would be doing which helped soothe any ruffled feathers. John and Matt would each be working alone, but the women would be paired for their own safety and confidence.

He made the activity sound so simple and straightforward, but each person knew that problems could arise so easily. He told them that it did rely on his knowledge of the place which was a few years old, but he knew the man and that he relied more on his control of important contacts to protect himself. It was unlikely the security at the house or studio would have significantly changed in that time. Secretly Matt knew this was the major flaw in his plan, because if things had changed they were all sunk.

At the end of Matt's talk Philipa asked about repercussions. She could not see a man like Jedd taking this lying down and would certainly chase down the people concerned.

Matt answered, "This part is mostly why I need the time to prepare. I will have to set up an app for John to turn off the system from inside the house, and I need to write the software to do what is necessary. If all goes according to plan then Bronwyn will be free of them for good, otherwise she may need to disappear with a new identity and location. That would have to be the last resort to keep her safe in the future.

"Now I need you, John, to call scumbag and arrange to visit him at home tomorrow evening. It needs to be after dark so I can get around the place unseen."

John did as told and tried as hard as he could to be civil to the man who answered the call. Jedd had a very warm baritone voice which must be good for his movies. A rich manly voice saying things like 'suck my cock' and 'roll over I will fuck you good' is obviously an advantage. Jedd was acting happy for the return call but did not reveal any information over the phone when asked by John. By the time John disconnected the call he was sweating from the effort of sounding pleasant. He went outside for a couple of minutes to calm down and hoped his stomach didn't rebel.