"You coming in?" Joe asked Gray when he stopped in front of the Hardy household without killing the motor of the rental.
"Not this time," Gray declined the invitation. "Try to stay out of trouble, hmm?"
Joe grinned at him then got out of the car and went inside. "I'm home!" he called out. The words weren't even out of his mouth before Frank and his parents appeared in the foyer.
"Oh, baby," Laura said, wrapping her arms around her son.
Joe hugged her back and gave an involuntary sigh of relief. It felt good to be home. He looked at his brother. "Reynolds?" he inquired.
"Is fine," Frank answered. "How about you? What happened? Why did O'Neil kidnap you? How did he die? How did you get out of jail?"
Joe sighed heavily. "Come on in and sit down," Laura commanded before he could answer. "Are you hungry?"
"Actually, yes," Joe acknowledged, releasing his hold on her with a little reluctance.
"Then go into the living room and relax for a little bit. I will fix us all some breakfast and you can tell us while we eat," Laura reached up and patted his cheek affectionately before hurrying toward the kitchen.
Fenton took Laura's place at Joe's side and gave him a quick, tight hug. "We were so worried," he said, his tone more fierce than he realized.
"I was too," Joe said with a self-conscious grin. He shook his head. "O'Neil wasn't a bad guy. Just..." he paused, searching for the right word. "Confused," he ended.
Frank came over and took his turn at embracing his brother then led him into the living room. He was anxious to find out what had happened but knew better than to get Joe to talk without their mother present. Fortunately, breakfast didn't take long to prepare and Fenton even helped by setting the table and pouring the orange juice. Joe took a few bites before beginning the tale of his ordeal. When he finished, his face was not only sad but also distraught. "I shouldn't have fixed that trap," he moaned, shaking his head. "I killed him."
"It was an accident," Fenton told his son firmly. "You had to get away. O'Neil was a strong man with a background in martial arts."
"He was?" Joe gasped in surprise.
Fenton nodded his head. "He obtained his black belt when he was only sixteen and didn't stop there. Even if you didn't know it, using the wire the way you did was probably the only way you could have escaped. The fact that he fell on it the way he did was really a fluke. I've used the same rig myself a few times. There were injuries but nothing life threatening."
Joe gave his dad a small smile. "Thanks, Dad," he said. He didn't know if his dad was saying that just to make him feel better or not, but it was working nevertheless.
"What about the murder charges?" Laura asked. "Were they dropped or do you have to go back to Texas?"
Joe shook his head in response. "They were dropped. The police ruled it an accident as well."
"You need to call Camille when you finish breakfast," said Frank, changing the subject. "She's been really worried about you."
"She has?" Joe asked, looking a bit pleased.
"I like her," Laura said. "She came over yesterday while your brother and father were out looking for leads. She's a very nice girl."
"You don't mind her being a bit, well, opinionated?" Joe inquired. He liked Camille a lot but he knew what others thought of her.
Laura raised an eyebrow at her youngest son. "Like you, you mean?" she countered.
Joe laughed out loud at that. "Yeah, but we get along in spite of ourselves."
"Finish your breakfast and then go call her," Fenton said, looking at his youngest son with a critical eye. "You look exhausted. I want you in bed soon."
"I am pretty beat," Joe admitted. "I don't suppose this warrants a day out of school?" he inquired, cocking a hopeful eyebrow at his father.
Fenton smiled as he shook his head. "You'll be fully recovered by Monday morning," he replied. He had to give his son credit; in spite of everything he had endured as a junior detective and as the blood son of an Assassin, Joe was still a typical teenager in some aspects.
Joe finished his breakfast and left his parents and brother to clear the table while he went into the living room and called Camille.
"Hi, babe," Joe said in his sexiest voice when Camille answered her line.
"Joe!" Camille squealed in delight. "Are you all right? When did you get home?"
"About an hour ago," Joe answered the last question first. "And I'm okay, I guess."
"You guess?" she asked.
"Remember what we talked about not too long ago?" he asked her. "If I take after my family, the one I was born into not the one I was raised by?"
"Yes," she replied slowly.
"I killed O'Neil when I escaped," Joe informed her. "I guess I take after them in spite of my environment," he continued. "I...I don't know who I am anymore."
This concludes Stalked. Stay tuned for the next installment in this trilogy.