Here is the next action packed chapter! Enjoy! Joe shows some brilliance here. Please review! Amber

Chapter 15

Callie and Frank were looking at houses in Cambridge MA. He was after all going to be studying at MIT and Callie was going to Harvard. His parents were with them as well as Joe. This was the third listing the realtor had shown them. Callie was pleased with this house; it had a small yard and hardwood floors. It had four bedrooms, a den, a formal living room and dining room, and three and a half baths. It had a fabulous kitchen, a large den, and a finished basement. The basement is where the laundry was behind a set of double doors. "What do you think?"

"I like the space. The little yard will be nice for the baby once she is big enough." Frank said.

"I love the kitchen and there will be plenty of space for when you guys visit." Callie said.

Laura Hardy smiled, her eyes misty. "It is a beautiful home."

"I like it too. I can help design a security system for you guys." Fenton concurred.

Joe was checking out the electrical wiring. "Looks like you could have a nice widescreen TV above the fireplace. These bookshelves on each side are nice too."

Callie turned to the realtor. "We'd like to make an offer at full price with all cash."

The realtor beamed. "I knew you'd like this one. I'll call the owners realtor right now."

They returned to their hotel and decided to get ready to go to dinner. "I'm craving Italian." Callie said.

Frank chuckled. "I don't think my parents or Joe are going to complain about where we take them to eat babe."

Callie sighed. "I know, it's just been so surreal." She rubbed her rounding stomach. There was no hiding it now. They would spend the night here. They wanted to do a full inspection of the house before paying of course. Then they'd sign the paperwork to close. Then her favorite part, go shopping for furniture. All the furniture in her house in Bayport was being sold or donated. Callie noticed that all the paintings had been taken. The collection was worth ten million dollars. She imagined her dad took them. He hadn't had permission but Callie wasn't going to go head to head about it either. It's not like she needed the money. Callie put on a burgundy cashmere sweater dress, black leggings, and black boots. She applied her makeup and jewelry.

Frank made reservations for seven thirty and quickly changed himself into a white collared shirt, a hunter green cashmere sweater that Callie had bought him along with a nice pair of khaki pants. It was snowing outside so he put on boots as well. A knock was heard at the door. Frank looked through the peep and opened it. "Hey Joe, are mom and dad almost ready? Callie is craving italian."

Joe smiled. "Almost. I could eat some lasagna."

Callie came out. "Hey Joe. I like that sweater."

Joe looked down. He was wearing a thick grey sweater with black dockers. "Vanessa gave it to me for Christmas."

Fenton and Laura Hardy stepped out of the room next door. "Ready?"

Callie nodded. "I'm starving."

They piled into the van with Fenton behind the wheel. Laura was riding shotgun, Joe sat in the very back of the van and Frank and Callie sat in the bucket seats. Callie's phone rang. She looked at the display. "It's the realtor. Hello. Yes Pete, they accepted the offer! That's great. You can get the inspection tomorrow. Awesome! When can we sign the paperwork? Yes, okay next Saturday is great, Frank and I will come down in the morning. Thank you for this. We're on our way to dinner. Yes well. Someone else has hijacked my taste buds here lately." Callie laughed. "I know right...well you are a miracle worker thank you so much. Bye. We're getting the house!"

Frank leaned over and kissed her soundly. "That's great."

Callie laughed. "The inspector is going to inspect it Wednesday. I can't imagine he'll find anything. It was just completely renovated. Now we need furniture."

BOOM! The van lurched forward. Callie and Laura both screamed.

Joe turned. "Some schmuck just hit us!"

Fenton above the smoke of the airbag saw someone get out of the car in front of them with a gun. "We have bigger problems." He took out his gun and put a bullet in the chamber. He was waiting for the Boston FBI field office to respond. He saw the man with the gun come to the passenger side of the van where Callie was sitting. He yelled. "Get out of the van!"

Two men from the back car got out as well. They too had guns drawn. The first man said. "Now Mrs. Shaw!"

Frank took her seatbelt off and pulled Callie to the floor and got on top of her. These punks were after his wife. They have no idea who they just pissed off. Frank was fiddling with his jammer. He hacked into both of their vehicles and compromised both engines. They wouldn't be able to leave. When these bozo's hit the car an alert went straight to the closest FBI headquarters and local law enforcement.

Joe got down on the floor in the back and pulled out extra magazines for his dad. He passed them to Frank who handed them to Fenton. He did the same thing with a bulletproof vest that said FBI on it. Fenton put it on making sure one of the attempted kidnappers could see it. He glanced at Laura who had crouched down under the dashboard. The deployed airbag obstructed the view of her head. Fenton Hardy was spitting mad on the inside. He cooled his rage with chilling ice so that he could focus on the task at hand. He saw a black SUV come from the other direction with lights and sirens. The men surrounding the van with their guns got several rounds off each but the bullets bounced off the car and ricocheted.

"What the FUCK! Boss we got to go!"

They turned and ran from the scene on foot. Fenton got out of the van locking the door and took off. He saw a police cruiser coming on scene. He hollered. "They have guns!" He dove behind a car as ringleader of the men openfired. He yelled to other drivers in the immediate area and made eye contact with the man driving the red sedan that he sought refuge in front of. "Get down! Stay in your vehicles!" He addressed the gunmen next. "You three have nowhere to go! FBI drop your weapons, get on the ground with your hands up!"

Meanwhile in the van. Frank was comforting Callie by rubbing her back. He called out. "Anyone hurt?"

Callie took one deep breath followed by another. "I'm not hurting Frank."

Joe answered. "I'm fine."

Laura soothed. "I'm okay honey. A little bruised from the airbag. Frank could feel Callie trembling. "Sweetheart, we're safe. I'm calling an ambulance."

Callie hissed into his ear. "But it may not be safe yet."

Frank was practically nose to nose with her. 'So she wasn't objecting to an ambulance.'

Joe called from the back. "I'm fine. We need to help dad."

Laura Hardy said sharply. "And where is your bullet proof vest, 10 years police experience, and FBI training with years of ops Joseph Allen Hardy? You all will stay put!"

Joe cursed a blue streak but complied. He looked out the back and saw the police cruiser and the FBI SUV. Fenton Hardy had just engaged the attempted kidnappers. "You have nowhere to go! FBI drop your weapons, get on the ground with your hands up!"

The men started shooting. Fenton fired twice hitting two in the chest. The third was hit in the head by a female agent.

Fenton ran toward one of the kidnappers and rolled him over. "Who sent you?"

"ASAC Hardy!" The female agent inquired.

Fenton ignored the agent. "Who sent you!"

"I've been shot! I want a lawyer."

Fenton wanted to punch the man, but there were witnesses. He instead ran to the van and opened the armored door. "Anyone hurt."

Laura Hardy snapped. "You will be if we don't get an ambulance here right now."

Fenton paled. "Callie? Frank? Joe?"

Three voices chorused. "We're fine."

Laura got out of the van. "Let me see what I can for those two up there." She grabbed latex gloves and towels.

Joe got up. "I'll help mom." He climbed out of the back of the van and hurried with her to the two men with chest wounds. "How can I help?"

Laura said. "Apply pressure to the other man's wound using this." She threw him gloves and a clean towel.

Joe put on the gloves which were small, but provided protection. Then he put the towel on the wound and held it there. "What's your name dude?"

"Charlie."

Joe leaned down. "Dude you just got shot what happened? One is dead."

"Does he have red hair?" He asked, gasping a second.

Joe looked over at the dead guy. "No, he has blond hair."

"Thank god! The redhead is my brother."

"What's his name?" Joe asked soothingly.

"Mark. We steal in order to survive, but that blond guy offered us big money to kidnap this young pregnant blond for her father."

Joe kept the pressure. "Woah, dude that's pretty serious."

"We were told to ram the van, Steven would go from the front and us from the back. We tried to break the glass of the van but it wouldn't break."

Joe soothed. The young man was obviously in shock. "You're going to be okay. I see an ambulance coming."

Joe saw the glassy look in his eyes. He was in shock. He moved away so the medics could get to him. Fenton handcuffed him to the gurney. "They're all yours. Fielding, Hastings. One in one ambulance one in the other. I don't want them out of your sight. They go into surgery scrub up. Got me."

"Yes sir!"

Joe took the soiled gloves off his hands and put them in an evidence bag that Fenton was holding. Joe grinned. "I got some information for you."

"The one I tried talking to lawyered up."

Joe shrugged. "Well I was holding the other guy's wound. I asked him his name, he said Charlie, he asked if the guy that was killed had red hair. I said no blond. The guy was relieved because the redhead was his brother Mark. Said that the blond, the leader offered them a lot of money to kidnap this young pregnant blond for her father."

Fenton sucked in his breath. "He said that to you! Joseph get some paper and write down everything you both said. Word for word do you hear me!"

"Yes sir." Joe went to the van and pulled out a spiral notebook and wrote down the whole conversation word for word twice. He gave one copy to his father. He kept another copy for himself.

Frank finally asked. "Joe what were you doing?"

"Writing my conversation with one of the bimbo's."

Frank snatched the notebook. His eyes narrowed. "He said this!"

"Word for word."

Callie looked over Frank's shoulder. "Joe, you were brilliant! You didn't ask him any pointed questions. You gained his trust by telling him about his brother, then he spilled. That should hold up in court as long as the defense doesn't break you down."

Joe sniffed. "Not bloody likely. I didn't know the new cars were bullet proof. How did dad pull this off?"

Laura said. "I'm curious myself."

Frank had to bite his cheek to keep from smiling. His father was in hot water. What his mother didn't know was that the FBI was not only protecting Fenton but also him. He was a secret contractor with them and after he graduated college he was going to join the bureau. It was best to keep all that to himself.