"Frank, what are you..." Laura entered the room talking but broke off, gasping when she saw Pierce standing in the doorway, a gun aimed at her son. "You!" she snarled, her eyes glazing over in fury.
"Well now," Pierce said, smiling as he entered the kitchen and closed the door behind him. "This might just be my lucky day after all." He lifted the gun and pointed it at Frank's head. "Say goodbye to mommy," he ordered.
"No, please?" Laura begged.
Pierce looked at her in amusement. "Joe may take after you in looks but it ended there, didn't it?" he sneered. "No matter what I did to him, he never once begged. Then again," Pierce added with a slight shrug. "I guess he knew it wouldn't make any difference."
Before Pierce could take aim again, the door opened one more time a ball of fur flew at Pierce, knocking him into the door. Rambo's teeth clamped onto Pierce's wrist causing him to drop the gun.
Fenton and Callie came rushing in to see what was making all the noise, stopping in shock at the scene before them.
"Aren't you going to help him?" demanded Callie of Frank, wondering why he was letting the dog attack this stranger.
"Nah," Frank replied, grinning in delight as Pierce yelped in pain. "Rambo's doing just fine on his own."
"Heel!" ordered Joe, coming into the room. At once Rambo let go of Pierce and backed off. Fenton snatched up the gun and aimed it at Pierce, cocking the hammer.
"Put that down," Joe hissed, his face flushed as he pushed Fenton's hand away. "There will be no weapons in this house."
"Joe," whispered Pierce, his eyes bug-eyed as he looked at him in shock. "What are you doing here? With them?" he added, his voice laced with disgust.
"I live here," Joe informed him, stooping down and picking up Pierce's hand to check out the damage. "You're lucky," he continued. "Looks like Rambo barely broke the skin."
"Rambo, huh?" Pierce asked, smiling. Joe knew how much he liked that particular movie.
Joe grinned at him then called to Rambo. "Come here," he ordered. "Friend," Joe told the dog, putting a hand on Pierce's shoulder. Rambo sniffed of Pierce then licked his face.
"I repeat, what are they doing here?" Pierce asked, his voice a sneer as he jerked his head in the Hardys' direction.
"They went off the road," Joe explained. "They're stuck here until the roads get cleared."
"Great," Pierce stated in a sarcastic tone. He gave Joe an impish grin. "But then, the car I stole went off the road a ways back too."
"Where is some rope?" Fenton asked Joe. "We'll tie him up."
"You'll do no such thing," Joe declared, glaring at him.
"He's an escaped convict," argued Fenton.
"And stranded here as are you," Joe stated firmly. "I told you to get rid of that thing," he added, seeing Fenton still holding the gun. "Take it out to the car, now. I will have no weapons around my children."
"Children?" Pierce asked.
"Joe, have you forgotten..." Frank began but Joe cut him off.
"I've forgotten nothing," snapped Joe. "Pierce is my friend and will be treated with respect or you may confine yourselves to your rooms for the duration of your stay."
The Hardys were stunned. Joe was siding with the man who had abused him in prison over them! It wasn't possible.
"You lied to us," Frank said, glaring at Pierce. "You never did any of those things to him." Frank knew he had to be right. There was no way Joe would ever have Pierce as a friend if he had done even one of the things Pierce had claimed.
"Oh, I did," Pierce bragged, knowing it would hurt the Hardys to hear it. "And more."
"Im...impossible!" sputtered Fenton. "Joe would never..."
"You have no idea what I would, or did do," Joe asserted, his face flushed and his eyes a bit hazy. "And yes, Pierce raped me, sold me and forced me to do all kinds of things I wish I could forget but, unlike you, he never betrayed me." Joe clamped his mouth shut. Where did that come from? he wondered. They can't hurt me anymore. I don't care one way or the other about them.
"Joe," Laura said stepping closer to him.
Joe stood up to move away from her and help Pierce to his feet but destiny had other plans. As he stood, he began swaying. Seconds later, he was falling.
"Well now," Pierce said, smiling as he entered the kitchen and closed the door behind him. "This might just be my lucky day after all." He lifted the gun and pointed it at Frank's head. "Say goodbye to mommy," he ordered.
"No, please?" Laura begged.
Pierce looked at her in amusement. "Joe may take after you in looks but it ended there, didn't it?" he sneered. "No matter what I did to him, he never once begged. Then again," Pierce added with a slight shrug. "I guess he knew it wouldn't make any difference."
Before Pierce could take aim again, the door opened one more time a ball of fur flew at Pierce, knocking him into the door. Rambo's teeth clamped onto Pierce's wrist causing him to drop the gun.
Fenton and Callie came rushing in to see what was making all the noise, stopping in shock at the scene before them.
"Aren't you going to help him?" demanded Callie of Frank, wondering why he was letting the dog attack this stranger.
"Nah," Frank replied, grinning in delight as Pierce yelped in pain. "Rambo's doing just fine on his own."
"Heel!" ordered Joe, coming into the room. At once Rambo let go of Pierce and backed off. Fenton snatched up the gun and aimed it at Pierce, cocking the hammer.
"Put that down," Joe hissed, his face flushed as he pushed Fenton's hand away. "There will be no weapons in this house."
"Joe," whispered Pierce, his eyes bug-eyed as he looked at him in shock. "What are you doing here? With them?" he added, his voice laced with disgust.
"I live here," Joe informed him, stooping down and picking up Pierce's hand to check out the damage. "You're lucky," he continued. "Looks like Rambo barely broke the skin."
"Rambo, huh?" Pierce asked, smiling. Joe knew how much he liked that particular movie.
Joe grinned at him then called to Rambo. "Come here," he ordered. "Friend," Joe told the dog, putting a hand on Pierce's shoulder. Rambo sniffed of Pierce then licked his face.
"I repeat, what are they doing here?" Pierce asked, his voice a sneer as he jerked his head in the Hardys' direction.
"They went off the road," Joe explained. "They're stuck here until the roads get cleared."
"Great," Pierce stated in a sarcastic tone. He gave Joe an impish grin. "But then, the car I stole went off the road a ways back too."
"Where is some rope?" Fenton asked Joe. "We'll tie him up."
"You'll do no such thing," Joe declared, glaring at him.
"He's an escaped convict," argued Fenton.
"And stranded here as are you," Joe stated firmly. "I told you to get rid of that thing," he added, seeing Fenton still holding the gun. "Take it out to the car, now. I will have no weapons around my children."
"Children?" Pierce asked.
"Joe, have you forgotten..." Frank began but Joe cut him off.
"I've forgotten nothing," snapped Joe. "Pierce is my friend and will be treated with respect or you may confine yourselves to your rooms for the duration of your stay."
The Hardys were stunned. Joe was siding with the man who had abused him in prison over them! It wasn't possible.
"You lied to us," Frank said, glaring at Pierce. "You never did any of those things to him." Frank knew he had to be right. There was no way Joe would ever have Pierce as a friend if he had done even one of the things Pierce had claimed.
"Oh, I did," Pierce bragged, knowing it would hurt the Hardys to hear it. "And more."
"Im...impossible!" sputtered Fenton. "Joe would never..."
"You have no idea what I would, or did do," Joe asserted, his face flushed and his eyes a bit hazy. "And yes, Pierce raped me, sold me and forced me to do all kinds of things I wish I could forget but, unlike you, he never betrayed me." Joe clamped his mouth shut. Where did that come from? he wondered. They can't hurt me anymore. I don't care one way or the other about them.
"Joe," Laura said stepping closer to him.
Joe stood up to move away from her and help Pierce to his feet but destiny had other plans. As he stood, he began swaying. Seconds later, he was falling.