"That's two hundred you owe me," Spirit told Joe, holding out her hand. "And I know you've got it. You practically wiped me out when I landed on St. James Place."

"You should never have traded," Joe told her as he gave her two bills.

"But I got Boardwalk from you for one measly orange piece," Spirit groaned. "How was I supposed to know I would keep landing on orange or red?"

Joe gave a modest shrug. "Monopoly is my best game," he said.

Spirit's eyes sparkled because it sounded to her like Joe was subconsciously remembering things. "Yeah, well, all you have to do is land on Park Place and then roll snake eyes and I win," she said, happy she had two hotels of her own.

"Never happen," Joe told her. Spirit picked up the dice and gave them a shake. She started to let them slide from her hand but Joe captured her hand in his left one and held a finger to his sips.

Joe released her hand and stood up. "Stay here," he hissed quietly.

"Forget that," she whispered, lying the dice down and following him as he moved to the rail to peer down at the living room below. Spirit touched Joe's arm and pointed to the window nearest the fireplace. A figure could be seen trying to get it to raise.

"Call the sheriff," Joe whispered, heading toward the stairs.

"You can't go down there," Spirit hissed as she picked up her cell phone from the small table by the Futon.

"It's me they are after," Joe argued.

"Exactly," she acknowledged. "Stay put."

"No," Joe refused. "Hide. You will know where I've been taken if I don't get them first."

"Them?"

"There are two," Joe said. He had seen a second figure try another window before the first had moved.

Joe hurried down the stairs and turned on the lights, hoping it might scare the intruders away but instead the action spurred them on. The front door crashed open and in poured not two, but three men. All wore jeans and black shirts and had on ski masks but Joe's eyes locked on those of the first intruder and he recognized Phipps even through his disguise.

"What do you want?" demanded Joe, acting more brave than he felt.

"You," Phipps replied, reaching for the youth.

Joe grabbed the outstretched arm and pulled it forward. Spinning around and stooping, he stuck a foot beneath one of Phipps's ankles as he did so. Phipps sailed over Joe's shoulder and crashed into a chair causing it to break from the force of his hit.

The two other men converged on him, but Joe was prepared. He curled his right hand into a fist and planted it in the midsection of the second intruder. The third grabbed Joe in a head lock but as the second man reached for his stomach in pain, Joe brought his elbow back and felt it connect with his attacker's ribs. He lifted his left foot and brought his heel down hard on the man's toes but the action was useless because of the steel-toed boots he wore.

Phipps got back to his feet and rejoined the fray. Before Joe could succeed in breaking the headlock, both his arms were taken in a firm grip and brought painfully behind his back. Joe winced as they were stretched to their limit.

Phipps pushed Joe into his comrades' arms when they got to their feet and yanked off his mask. "I warned you, boy," he snarled as he began smacking Joe with just enough force to start him bleeding. Phipps continued to strike Joe until he lost awareness of his surroundings.

"Leave him alone!" Spirit yelled down from the loft, unable to watch Joe being beaten any longer.

"Get her!" ordered Phipps.

Joe was released immediately as the two men still holding him rushed to do Phipps's bidding, but Joe had taken too many blows from Phipps to be of any help and sank to the floor, his vision fading away as did Spirit's screams.