Sorry it took me so long to up date. I had to rewrite this chapter because somehow I deleted part of it. Thank you to those who have stuck with me. I will try and update a soon as I can. Here is the new chapter. I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think?

I don't own anything

The Hardy Boys

Mind Games

Chapter 21

There was a heavy silence in the air as Fenton, Frank, and the Gray Man carefully made their way up the flight of winding stone steps, gripping the metal railing tightly and swallowing the realization they were going deep inside the mountain. On one side of them was a stone wall and on the other was nothing but a jaw-dropping view of Siena.

The Gray Man glanced over at the two Hardy men. They were both quiet and lost in their own thoughts, but he knew perfectly well that they were thinking of the youngest Hardy; the worry and fear was evident in their eyes. He felt bad for them, wishing there was something he could say to put their minds at ease. But there was simply nothing he could say that wasn't a stone-cold lie. The only thing that would help them now was finding Joe Hardy alive and well.

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream startled everyone out of their thoughts.

"Joe!" Frank and Fenton cried in unison.

Frank bolted up the stairs without a second thought, Fenton and Gray right on his heels. The two of them ran breathlessly until they approached the fifth landing when Frank had come to a complete halt, causing a chaotic train-reaction. Fenton and Gray almost lost their footing and had to grip the metal railing tight to keep from going over and falling to their doom. They took a second to compose themselves, then Fenton saw as Frank's face turned pale.

"Frank, what..." He started to ask, but then he looked up to see Sei Duro standing on a small terrace balcony dusting off his suit. He felt as if his heart had dropped to his feet when he didn't see Joe standing anywhere nearby. "Oh, God, please no."

Sei Duro finally looked up and greeted, "Hello Detective." His voice was as smooth and satisfied as chocolate.

"Where's my son?!" Fenton demanded, narrowing his eyes and giving the man a death-glare.

Sei Duro said nothing as a sly smile slid across his face.

Fenton shouted, "Where's Joe!?"

Finally the Heartless leader spoke, and when he did there was nothing but the upmost pleasure dancing in his eyes. "I'm afraid there's been an unfortunate accident," Sei Duro replied sympathetically, nodding towards the balcony. "Young Joseph has fallen to his death."

Frank, Fenton, and the Gray Man gasped at this.

"Joe." Frank looked down over the metal railing, his eyes glued to the 1,200 foot drop and sharp rocks below them. There was no way anyone could survive a fall like that. "No, no, no Joe!" He then sank to his knees, to weak to keep standing, feeling as if someone had knocked the wind out of him. He couldn't process the thought that Joe... his best friend, and partner, his little brother was… dead!

"No!" Fenton gasped. He too looked over the railing, gripping it for support. Suddenly, the image of the dead, blond-haired boy in his files crossed his mind. It had scared the life out of him, thinking it was Joe. Now his worst nightmare had come true and the world seemed to be falling apart at the very seams. "Oh God, this is happening. Joe..." Fenton's mind started reeling, going into panic-mode. Again he was in complete shock, unable to process that Heartless had really done it, had really killed his baby boy. "No, please God, no!" Then, instantly, Fenton thought of Laura. "Oh God, How do I tell her? Our baby is dead..."

The Gray Man was absolutely disgusted to see the Heartless leader practically gloating at the sight of Detective Hardy and his son falling apart over the loss of the younger Hardy.

"You killed my son!" Fenton exclaimed. And at this, he finally lost it. Releasing his anger, he began puffing up his chest, his breathing growing heavy and ragged. "You took Joe's life. Now I'm going to take yours!"

Frank turned his head in time to see his father lung at Sei Duro, grabbing the front of his jacket and shoving the man up against the mountain wall. He held his breath as Fenton and the Heartless leader stood up, nose to nose, both with pure hatred gleaming in their eyes.

"Joseph was a fool!" Heartless spoke venomously. "I warned your boys not to underestimate my power." Sei Duro gave Fenton an evil grin. "No one can beat me. I always get what I want, and no one is going stop me... Not even you, Detective."

Fenton did not falter, the anger continued to pulsate from his being, and for a moment it blinded him of all else. Sei Duro took advantage of this.

"Here, allow me to help you find your son." He shoved Fenton hard on the chest, causing him to lose his footing and sending him against the metal railing. With quick reflexes, Fenton gripped the railing tight, the only thing that kept him from going over.

"Dad!" Frank shouted, just as he caught a glimpse of Sei Duro pulling his gun out of his back pocket.

"You're a fool, Detective… just like Joseph," Heartless snarled, cocking back the handle of the gun and aiming it at Fenton's chest. "Now he's dead… just like you will be!"

"No!" Frank jumped to his feet and began to lung at Sei Duro. In a spilt second, the evil man turned the gun at him.

"No! Don't kill my son!" Fenton's eyes widened. He had already lost one son, and he couldn't bear to lose the other one. It would completely tear him apart. "Frank!

"Put the gun down, Sei Duro!" Gray ordered, aiming a 9mm Beretta pistol at the evil man's head. "You're a dead man!"

The Heartless leader looked at Frank, Fenton, and than Gray. There was an intense silence that filled the air, everyone waiting intently for Sei Duro to respond. All of the sudden, however, an evil grin spread across his face, his uncontrollable chuckling breaking the silence like the slash of a knife. "So be it!" Then he cocked back the handle of the gun, ready to fire it at the center of Frank's chest. "Looks like I win."

"I guess you're right," Frank replied sadly, truthfully, as a tear ran down his cheek. His entire body was trembling. "You've already taken the best part of me. My little brother is… dead." His voice trailed off. "Go ahead, then, kill me. I have nothing left to live for now." Frank raised his hands up in defeat and fell into silence.

"But before you kill me…" Frank said after a few moments, breaking his silence, "There's one thing you should always remember, Sei Duro."

"What's that?" Sei Duro narrowed his eyes at this, keeping his gun on Frank, hate etched in every crevice of his face.

Frank took a deep breath and said, "Never underestimate a Hardy."

Fenton came seemingly out of nowhere, sending Sei Duro a roundhouse kick in a semicircular motion and knocking the gun of his hand. It skidded across the balcony.

The blow caught Sei Duro off-guard, but he quickly recovered as he and Frank made a mad dash for the gun. Sei Duro was too quick, however, and scooped up the gun in his hand just before Frank could get to it, ready to fire.

"No!" Fenton cried out.

"Now you die!" Sei Duro said, his malicious eyes caught in a glare in Frank's direction.

Suddenly, the Gray Man started firing off a round of bullets into the man's chest. Sei Duro clutched his heart, the red stain of blood soaking his jacket, and he staggered backwards from the shock and pain of it, arms flailing. Then, all of the sudden, he toppled over the balcony as the gun flew out of his hand, both going over the railing.

With what was left of his reflexes, Sei Duro quickly latched onto the metal railing, gripping it so tight that his knuckles started to turn white as he clung to the very edge of the balcony, the very edge of his life. Fenton, Frank, and Gray watched the Heartless leader wince in pain as he clutched his bleeding chest, struggling to catch his breath while his other hand still gripped tightly. Frank knew this was an opportunity he wasn't going to miss. He stepped up to the metal railing and stood there, glaring down at the white-knuckled hand with his brown eyes burning with hatred.

"You killed my brother, you son of a bitch," Frank whispered, balling his hands into fists. "You don't deserve to live." He calmly took a deep breath, mustering up his hatred, then went on. "Joe and I made a vow that no more lives would be lost to people like you. I'm going to keep my brother's name alive and honor that promise.

"I know that's what J…Joe would want me to do." Frank stumbled on the words, and clearing his throat again, he added, "I'll do whatever it takes to put people like you out of business for good. I'll do it for all the people that you hurt, like Little Antonio, Tony, the poor boys you put to death." Then his voice quivered out, "For Joe."

Sei Duro locked eyes with Frank. "Go ahead... kill me," he challenged breathlessly. "If... you think you're man enough."

Fenton and Gray watched as Frank's face suddenly became cold and serious. Fenton suck in a breath as Frank planted his hand firmly on top of Sei Duro hand.

Frank stared down at the evil man and realized that, at this moment, every part of him wanted to kill him. No one would say a word if he did, he reasoned. Like he'd said, he didn't deserve to live. He killed Joe.

After a tense moment he thought, Frank finally realized what he had to do.

"No," he said through clenched teeth. "No. If I did, I'd be no better than you." Frank bent over the rail, extending his right hand to the Heartless leader. "We don't believe in the kind of justice you do, Sei Duro. We believe that justice should be fought in a court of law, not by our own hands."

"You're a fool too! Just like your brother!" Sei Duro hissed. "I would never show you mercy." He had to clutch his chest tighter, and as he did his other hand started to slip from the railing.

"I know. That's why I'll never become Heartless." Frank leaned out farther, extending his arm to the best of his ability. "Here, reach up and take my hand. I'll pull you up."

Sei Duro looked up at Frank, eyes caught in a glare. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Frank, no, don't do it!" Fenton warned.

"Take my hand, Sei Duro."

Sei Duro reached up with his blood-slicked fingers to Frank's hand. Than, all at once, he said, "No," and with that the Heartless leader gave one finale curse in Italian, let go of the railing, and tumbled down the 1,200 foot drop into death. Frank, trembling and pale, watched as Sei Duro's body was impaled by the sharp rocks below. He felt as if he going to be sick.

At that moment there was a smothering silence that filled the air. No one spoke a single word.

"Good, he's dead. Heartless is dead," Frank finally spoke up, breaking the silence. "He can't hurt anyone ever again," he managed to add, he body shaking with emotion as he gripped the railing. He felt hot tears running down his face, and he bit his bottom lip to ease the flow of them. He looked up as the sun was setting over the beautiful mountain side and just continued to gaze at the view of Siena, refusing to fall apart. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, then quickly wiped his eyes.

"How could you do this, little brother? It wasn't supposed to be like this. We had a plan, Joe, you and I had a plan. I'm going to graduate high school in the fall, and then start collage. Joe, you were… supposed to do the same next year. So we could go to work full-time with Dad as private investigators. That was the plan! Joe, you're my partner. What am I going to do without my partner?"

"Frank," he heard his dad whisper. He could hear the spinning emotions in his voice, too.

"Joe's still down there," Frank said quickly, wiping the tears away then taking a deep breath and turning around to face his father and Gray. He continued in all seriousness. "It'll be dark soon. Joe hates the dark. He always has since we were little. He still has a nightlight somewhere hidden in his room. He doesn't think I know, but I do." Tears began to stream down his face. "We have to find him."

"We will son..." Fenton's voice was filled with heavy emotion as he said this, choking his words. Suddenly he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He just couldn't believe it his baby boy who was dead. Fenton put his arms around Frank and the two fell into each other's embrace, crying softly.

The Gray Man took a step back, giving the father and son some time to grieve. Then a wave of sadness came over him, and trying to hold himself strong, Gray turned his head away. There were times when people would describe him as cold and uncaring because he rarely displayed his emotions. Mostly it was because of his line of work as a Network agent; he had to stay on his toes. However, if anyone truly knew him, they would know that he could be the most unselfish and caring guy when he wanted to be, as well as fiercely brave when necessary. He couldn't believe it himself that Joe Hardy was dead. The kid he'd butted-heads with from time to time. The same kid who would never back down from a fight, even when it was in his own best interest. The same kid who worked with his older brother, a detective-due whom Gray had come to admire for their passion for crime solving.

Then, suddenly, the Gray Man thought he heard something.

A voice called out, "Frank!"

The Gray Man's eyes widened. "Could it be?" He then turned to Frank and Fenton. "Frank, Fenton listen!"

Frank and Fenton quickly calmed themselves and listened intensely.

"Frank... Dad! Somebody help me!

Frank and Fenton looked at each other, their hearts pounding out of their chest. They knew that voice. Could it be? They immediately look over the balcony. "Joe!" Frank called out to his brother. "He's alive! How can it be?"

"Frank... Dad! Somebody help me!

"There's no telling how badly he's hurt," Fenton added quickly, looking over the railing and desperately wanting to see his son's face.

Then Joe's voice got louder. "Frank... Dad! Somebody help!

Frank looked over the railing but couldn't find Joe. "I don't see him!"

"Joe, where are you?!" Fenton called out to his son, the desperation growing in his voice

"Down here! Hurry… I can't hold on!"

"It sounds like he's underneath the balcony," Gray noted. He, too, was feeling the stress of the situation.

Immediately, Frank got down on his stomach and crawled under the metal railing to the very edge of the balcony. Fenton and Gray holding onto his legs, Frank soon found himself dangling upside down over the edge. Ignoring the blood rushing to his head, Frank looked right and left before spotting Joe just a few feet away, hugging a rock ledge. He could see Joe's body shaking like a leaf as he hung onto the ledge.

"I see him!"

"Can you reach him?" Fenton shouted.

"I think so!"

"Joe!" Frank called out, extending his right hand as far as it could go. "Here, reach up and take my hand."

"No… I can't." Joe shook his head, gulping nervously and refusing to let go.

"Joe, take my hand!"

"No. Frank, I... I can't..."

"Joe, just listen to me," Frank panted. "I am right here. Dad and Gray are here too." He paused to catch his breath, then went on, "Just reach up and grab my hand. Dad and Gray will pull us up!

Again, Joe shook his head no.

"Please... Joe," he pleaded. "I'm not going to let you fall."

"Frank, hurry! Grab your brother!" He heard his father's voice ring out; he could feel Fenton and Gray clamp down on his legs.

"Joe, you trust me, right?"

Joe gave a slight nod and said quietly, "Yes."

Okay… then take my hand."

Joe reached up to grab Frank's hand, and then suddenly, he slipped. "No... Frank! I can't. I'll fall!" He then went back to clinging to the ledge, trembling from his fear.

"Joe... try again. Come on, you can do it," Frank encouraged. "Just take my hand. Everything will be alright."

Okay," Joe replied. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and with a shaky hand, reached to grab his brother's hand. Frank gripped his brother's hand tightly and clamped shut his other hand, holding onto Joe for dear life.

"I got him! Dad, Gray, pull us up!"

"Don't let go Frank…" Fenton grunted as he and the Gray Man began to pull Frank back with all their might. He reached out and grabbed Frank's belt on his jeans. Soon he saw the top of Joe's blond hair, and with one final pull, both brothers were alive and safe on the balcony.

Frank and Joe leaned back against the railing, panting desperately and trying to catch their breath.

Joe started crying. Going into big-brother mode instantly, Frank grabbed Joe into a hug and held him tight to his chest without another word. At first, Joe sat stiffly in Frank's arms. Then, suddenly, his body began to shake uncontrollably. Joe took in a sharp breath and sobbed once. That was all it took. Soon the tears began to pour down his face. Heart-wrenching sobs shook Joe's entire body, and he clung to Frank as the horrific images of his ordeal came crashing down on him. How close had he come to death?

Frank sat there holding his little brother. "Shh... It's okay," he whispered, feeling hot tears running down his face. "I've got you."

He looked up at Fenton, sobbing but smiling despite himself. "We have him back. We have our Joe back."

Fenton knelt beside his boys, wrapping his strong arms around them both. With tears in his eyes, he silently prayed, "Thank You God."

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