At home, in his room, Joe thought about what Taylor had said. He had to admit that none of it made any sense. 'Am I losing it, or what? If Taylor was working with the Assassins, would she confess it like that?' He started to pace as he thought about the events of the past few days. He then decided to call Iola and see if she wanted to go out, the perfect way to get his mind off what was going on. Chet answered and informed Joe that Iola had gone to visit with Callie before she was transferred to the Women's Prison. Joe sighed and hung up the phone.

Callie tried to smile as Iola told her about the latest escapades at the Morton farm. "What happened at graduation? Tell me everything." Iola described the event as best as she could. Callie closed her eyes and tried to imagine the way the ceremony went. When Iola was finished, Callie asked her, "Did anything else happen?"

"You're not going to like it."

"What?"

"Frank and Joe had a fight."

"A what?"

"Well, more like a battle of words. Trust me, it worked out better than the fight that they had a few days ago." Iola told her friend all about it. Callie stared in disbelief. Frank had never gotten in a fight with Joe over anything before. She was now bewildered to learn that they had traded blows. Iola glanced at her watch and then said, "I've got to go. I'll visit you in a couple of weeks."

"Okay."

At the Men's Prison, the Gray Man had a feeling that he was being watched. There was a guard that he didn't recognize walking behind him. 'You fool, you haven't been in here long enough to know all the guards. He might be someone that has worked here for years.' At that moment, the guard grabbed the Gray Man by his arm and led him away from the other prisoners. Down an empty hallway, the guard gave the Gray Man a shove and pulled out his weapon and pointed it at the Gray Man. While the former British agent stared in horror, the guard removed his hat and the Gray Man found himself staring at Frank Hardy. With a cold smile, Frank asked the Gray Man in French, "Vous jamais avez dansé avec un ange de mort dans les feux d'Enfer?" He then pulled the trigger.

"In other news today, Arthur Gray was found dead in the Bayport Men's Prison. It appears that while being led to solitary confinement, Mr. Gray was able to steal a guard's weapon and turned it on himself. Miss Callie Shaw has been placed on Suicide Watch at the prison where she is currently residing, awaiting transfer to the Bayport Women's Prison."

In his home in Paris, Vachel-Thiery laughed as he watched the news. Things were working out better than he had thought that they would. Next to him, an Assassin asked, "How much longer until we destroy Joe Hardy?"

"I have yet to decide. I want you to go to Los Angeles and make sure that the 'company' there is working as well as it should. If there is even the smallest problem, inform my niece. I want her and Frank ready to take over when it is time."

"Yes, Mentor."

"And while you're at it, make sure that Iola understands that her next task will begin soon."

"What task is that, Mentor?"

"Simple, she will be the one that will lead young Mr. Hardy to his destruction."

At Westbrooke Manor, Joe carefully searched the first floor for any clues as to what had happened. Taylor and Frank had simply purchased another property and were waiting for something that they had not explained before selling this property. The large mansion was cold and felt almost like a tomb. Joe shuddered at the thought and continued his search. The first floor yielded nothing of interest with the exception of a large statue in a corner of the library. Joe ignored it and went to the next floor. On the second floor, he discovered nothing that seemed out of place at first. And then the beam of the flashlight that he was using landed on what looked like a copy of the Mona Lisa. Joe walked over and studied the painting carefully. It was clearly a copy, not a one of a kind item that Vachel-Thiery was known for collecting. Looking at the frame, Joe noticed that there was a corner that was thicker than the other. Reaching out, Joe pressed it and jumped back when a panel opened in the wall. Behind the panel was a set of stairs. Joe quickly walked up the flight of stairs and was shocked to learn that there was a third floor. The rooms on this floor resembled hospital rooms with bars on the windows. In one room, the window was broken from the inside, a book on the floor next to the window. Joe left the room and walked further until he found what looked like a walk-in closet. Inside were bottles and vials, the labels in languages that he couldn't understand. Joe was about to pick one up when he heard a voice behind him, "I'm glad to see that you've made yourself at home. I would ask you to stay, but it's not time for that yet." Joe turned and found Taylor and Frank standing there, looking at him. In Taylor's hands was a deadly looking submachine gun. "I suggest you leave, Joe. This is loaded, and I have an excellent aim."

"So you told the truth earlier. You do work with the Assassins."

"They killed my grandfather, my aunt, and my mother. You killed my father, a man that was blackmailed into working with them. The Gray Man killed my uncle and my aunt. What would you expect?"

"And you came here to do what…kill me?"

"If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. No, I want more than that. I don't just want to watch you die; I want to see you pay for your crime. I want to see you locked away, removed away from the people that care for you. I want you to suffer the same thing that my father suffered. I want you isolated away from all help, all hope, all love before you lose everything. I don't want your life, Joe Hardy. I want you soul. And I want to see the Network destroyed for taking away my mother. I never had a chance to know her. I want to destroy them the way they destroyed my family."

"And you're helping her?" Joe aimed the question at Frank.

"What can I say? She has a good point." Frank gave a slight shrug and then placed a hand on Taylor's shoulder. "She's right about everything. The Network and you."

"But dad works with the Network."

"We're both willing to overlook that. It's you neither of us can forgive." Taylor lifted the gun and was about to pull the trigger when Joe raced past them, in desperation. It wasn't until he reached the ground floor that he remembered that Taylor had said that they were going to kill him. Before he could figure out why they were letting him go, he heard a man's voice yell, "BAYPORT POLICE! GET ON THE GROUND NOW!" Joe turned to find several police officers aiming weapons at him. Joe moved slowly and followed their instructions.

Taylor smirked as Joe was taken away in the back of a police car. She then turned and looked at Frank and said, "The games have begun."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"That's the end of this story... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" (ducks the eggs and tomatoes being thrown at her.) "But I promise that there's more to come, HONEST! Please wait for the next installment, Family and Assassins."

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Vous jamais avez dansé avec un ange de mort dans les feux d'Enfer ? Have you ever danced with an angel of death in the fires of Hell?