A/N: Thank you for the reviews, Killian and Virtute! And yes, when you get tangled up with the Hardy Boys, your life tends to get a little more exciting. LOL The bad guy clearly wants something here...but what? This and more questions will be answered soon. But not before more action, a little romance, and hopefully a lot of humor, too. Stay tuned! And thanks for reading! I really appreciate it. :-)

Chapter 20

Con Riley jogged up to Emily's front door. "What do you think you're doing?"

"My girlfriend is in there and I need to get her out," Joe told him. Girlfriend? Where did that come from?

"That's what we're here for," Con said, motioning to two other officers who fanned out around the perimeter of the house. "You stay back." He drew his weapon and paused waiting for the signal from his back-up that they were in place. A crackly noise came over his walkie-talkie.

"Found Frank Hardy back here, boss."

Con rolled his eyes. "Of course." He glared at Joe as he spoke softly into the walkie-talkie, "Keep him outside the house."

"Aren't you going in?" Joe hissed.

"Not blindly. That could only hurt your girlfriend. Now stay back before I decide to handcuff you to the cruiser."

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

Emily heard the wooden door splintering over her head. She braced herself more tightly against it, knowing all the while it was a futile effort. The door swung off its hinges and opened as the intruder barged into the small room.

Emily gasped and scooted across the floor until her back met the edge of the bathtub. The man seemed startled by her presence and stared down at her. She gulped. "W-who are you?" she whispered.

She struggled in vain to find some sort of way of identifying him, but he was wearing a dark blue ski mask and had black leather gloves on. He moved toward her and she shrunk down, keeping a tight grip on her make-shift weapon.

"Where is it?" he grated, reaching down for her.

She tried to duck out of the man's way and scramble around him, but he was much stronger, and grabbed her arm roughly, hauling her to her feet.

She thrashed violently, trying as hard as she could to pull herself toward the door, so she could have a chance for escape. He was squeezing her so tightly, she thought for sure he must be breaking the bones in her forearm.

Desperately, she turned and lashed out with the shard of glass, catching him in his upper arm, and dragging the glass downward. He yelped and loosened his grip on her slightly. Emily twisted and slipped away, dashing out of the bathroom. The man clutched at his arm as he dove after her. He managed to snag the hem of her nightgown and yank it, sending her sprawling onto the tile floor of the kitchen.

She cried out as he grabbed her leg, pulling her back toward him. The towel-wrapped shard slipped from her grasp, and she found herself completely defenseless.

"You bitch," he seethed as his hand grabbed a fistful of her hair. He pulled it, forcing her back onto her knees. He knelt down behind her and held her against his chest. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "Now you're going to tell me where it is. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Before Emily could reply, the slight squeak of a door hinge betrayed Con's Riley's presence to the intruder. He hurriedly shoved Emily forward and took off, slipping quickly and silently down the cellar stairs.

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

Joe waited approximately ten seconds, then eased himself through the front door after Con. The police officer glared at him, then gestured for him to stay behind as they picked their way through the overturned furniture in the dark. They stepped into the kitchen, where Joe quickly spotted Emily, face down and motionless on the tile floor. Ignoring Con, he rushed over to her, as Frank entered the room from the back door.

"Emily?" Joe knelt down and softly stroked her hair.

Frank looked toward Con. "Your officers are chasing him. The guy slipped through the outside basement door."

Con flipped on the kitchen light. "He must have been pretty familiar with this place." He reached for his radio. "Yeah, get me an ambulance up on campus. The French house. Right off Presidential Circle." He knelt down on the other side of Emily and reached for her wrist. "Strong pulse," he commented. "I wouldn't move her though."

As Con released her wrist, Emily began to stir and she tried to push herself into a sitting position. Joe put his arms around her to steady her and she began thrashing. "No, don't hurt me," she cried. "Please, I don't know what you want."

"Em, it's me. It's Joe." He turned her toward him and she blinked. "It's Joe, Emily. The intruder is gone."

She shook her head as if trying to clear it. Then her eyes widened. "He went into the basement. He might still be there."

"He escaped," Frank told her. "The police are after him now."

Emily turned at the sound of Frank's voice, and Joe could tell she suddenly became aware of her surroundings. He watched her, still holding her tightly in his arms, as she looked up at him. "Thank you," she whispered, her eyes watery.

Before Joe could reply, Con interrupted, "Had you ever seen this guy before? Can you identify him?"

As Emily turned to fully face Con for the first time, Joe warily gauged his reaction to her. He noticed the officer's eyes widen as he took in Emily's face and figure. Con fumbled with his notebook and looked away quickly when he caught Joe's hardened stare.

"I-I don't know. I couldn't tell what he looked like. He had on a ski mask, and it was so dark..." Emily's voice faltered and she shivered slightly in Joe's arms.

"Can't this wait, Con?" Joe asked, in an irritated tone. "I want to make sure she's not hurt, and she's not really dressed for an interrogation."

Joe watched as Con's gaze scanned over Emily's thin silk nightgown. The flash of anger that came over him was startling. She's not yours, he reminded himself.

Emily folded her arms across her chest, and Joe sensed his comment made her acutely aware of her lack of clothing. He jumped up and went into the living room. Spying an afghan draped over the back of a sofa, he grabbed it and kneeling down next to her again, placed it around her shoulders. She smiled up at him, a grateful expression on her face.

Con cleared his throat. "Well, I guess we can keep this brief for tonight. Is there anything you can tell us about the intruder?"

Emily's brow furrowed. "He wanted something specific, but I have no idea what it was. His first words to me were 'Where is it.'"

Con scribbled furiously. "Did you recognize his voice?"

She shook her head. "No, but I think he was trying to disguise it on purpose." She looked up. "I did injure him, though."

Con paused. "How?"

"I broke a glass in the bathroom. I didn't have any other weapon, and I was really scared." She smiled at Joe as he gently rubbed her back. "When he came into the bathroom, I jammed the glass into his shoulder and dragged it down his arm. I know I got him, because he released his grip on me and started swearing."

"Where's that glass now?" Con demanded.

"I-I don't know. When he yanked my nightgown, it slipped out of my hands."

"Here it is," Frank said, pointing to a jagged shard on the floor. "It has blood on it." He smiled at Emily. "I'd say you got him good."

The back door swung open and the two other Bayport police officers entered the house, clearly out of breath.

"He got away," one of them told Con. "I don't know how he did it. It's like he just vanished into thin air."

"Swell," Con muttered as his two officers delivered their report. "Listen, don't move anything here," he said to Frank and Joe. "We'll work on the scene tonight, but I also want to get a look at it in the daylight." He turned to Emily. "Is there somewhere else you can stay for the weekend?"

"She's staying with me," Joe interrupted.

Frank raised an eyebrow, while Emily gave Joe a grateful smile.

"Can I get some of my things?" she asked Con.

He scratched his head. "Uh, yeah. Let me go in your room with you. I don't want anything disturbed unnecessarily." He nudged one of his officers who was on the radio directing more units to search for the suspect. "I need a camera."

The officer grabbed one out of a bag of gear he'd brought in from the cruiser. Con smiled at Emily. "I'll have to go with you and take some photos and collect any evidence first. After I clear the room, you can get your things."

Emily nodded and Joe helped her up from the floor. "Are you okay?" he asked, his arm still around her.

"I think so," she replied, sagging against him. "Just a little woozy. I banged my head on the tile when he grabbed my nightgown."

"I heard Con call for an ambulance," Joe told her. "Let's get you looked at before we go anywhere."

OOO

His smile was warm and reassuring, and Emily felt tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said, feeling secure for the first time that night.

Joe pulled her close to him and hugged her. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

Emily nodded against his chest, thinking she wanted to stay that way forever. Warm, safe and protected. Con's voice interrupted her. "Which room is yours?"

She wiped her eyes as she stepped back from Joe. "Third door on the left at the end of the hall."

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

An hour later, after being checked out by the EMTs and pronounced "okay, but watch that bump on her head", and having hurriedly thrown a few items into a small bag under Joe and Con's supervision, Emily stood at the front door of the Hardy house. "Are you sure your dad won't be upset?" she asked, a bit nervous. "I mean, you are bringing home a strange girl at three in the morning."

"Oh, Frank does that all the time," Joe quipped.

"Joe," his brother protested, rolling his eyes, while Emily giggled.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Joe assured her. "You'll like Dad. I promise."

"Although you probably won't meet him until breakfast," Frank said with a grin.

"Oh man, we could have fun with this." Joe chuckled as he opened the front door.

Frank clicked on the hall light. "Behave, Joe." He guided Emily inside. "Ignore my moronic brother. May I show you to your room?"

Emily looked around the Hardys' welcoming and comfortable living room and smiled. "Thank you. That would be great."

Joe snatched Emily's bag from Frank and glared at him. "I've got it." He steered her toward the stairs, placing his free hand low on her back to guide her.

OOO

When they got to the top landing, Joe gestured to the guest room, down the hall and to the right. He stepped in first and clicked on the small light on the bedside table.

"Oh, this is pretty," Emily said. She looked appreciatively at the full-sized mahogany four poster bed, covered with a fluffy duvet and piled high with pillows.

Joe grinned. "Frank and I don't do the decorating. That's Aunt Gertrude's job. She's visiting her friend in Southport for awhile, so you won't have to be interrogated by her while you're here."

"Aunt Gertrude?"

"Yeah, my mom died in a car accident when I was three. Drunk driver. Aunt Gertrude came to live with us and she's been here ever since."

"Oh Joe, I'm so sorry." Emily's voice was full of sympathy.

"Thanks." He smiled. "That means a lot."

She moved to gaze at the old-fashioned dresser topped with a cheval mirror. "Well, your Aunt Gertrude has good taste."

He set her bag next to an antique rocking chair. "I think she's just making up for the lack of style in mine and Frank's rooms."

She gave him a dimpled smile that made his heart beat faster. "I'll have to check that out, then. I'm sure there's some sort of style there. Even if it's a little...eclectic."

"If by 'eclectic', you mean 'messy', then I'll agree." He walked over to her. "How's your head?" he asked, softly brushing away the hair on her forehead to get a closer look at the swelling.

He felt her shiver slightly at his touch. She smiled at him. "Not too bad. The pain killers the EMT gave me are helping a lot. It could have been worse. I'm just thankful I was able to brace myself with my hands when I fell."

Joe's face was grim. "I'm going to find this guy. And he's going to pay for hurting you."

Emily reached out and touched his arm. "Thank you for being there tonight for me. You saved me."

He pulled her in for a gentle hug. "Thank you for calling me."

"I didn't know what else to do."

"You did the right thing. I just wish he hadn't got away."

She sighed deeply. "Me too."

Joe felt her sag against him and he leaned his head back a bit. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "I'm just exhausted. I guess this night is catching up with me."

He smiled. "Well, why don't you get some sleep and we'll try to figure it all out in the morning."

She giggled. "It is morning."

He chuckled against her hair. "You're right. Later in the morning."

"Sounds good." She stepped out of his embrace. "Thank you again."

Joe fought to keep the look of disappointment off his face. "Um, no problem. Goodnight, Emily."

"Goodnight. And tell Frank thanks, too" she said softly as he stepped into the hall, closing her door behind him. As he went to step forward, he ran into Frank.

"Have a minute?"

"Yeah," Joe replied. "Your room or mine?"

"Mine," Frank told him. "I can't think in yours. Too messy."

Joe rolled his eyes and followed his brother down the hall. He sat on the bed and looked up at him expectantly.

Frank paced for a minute or two. "Okay, a couple of things. So, whoever was harassing Emily hasn't given up. They still think she has whatever they're looking for." He turned to Joe. "What on earth are they looking for?"

"No idea. And she says she doesn't know either." Joe was thoughtful. "It obviously has something to do with the museum. And, if it's something she has, it's something she doesn't know about or something she took inadvertently."

"Something that implicates the murder suspect, maybe?" Frank suggested.

Joe nodded. "Yeah, if she has damaging evidence in her possession, the murderer is definitely coming after it."

"Which means he won't give up until he has it."

"And, he's not stupid. He got away from the cops."

"So, we need to get Emily to give us everything she has that relates to the museum. Papers, memos, books...anything and everything," Frank continued.

"Yeah," Joe agreed. "Con should be finished over there by daylight. We can leave right after breakfast." He shifted his weight on the mattress. "I guess this changes our priorities on the case a little bit."

Frank nodded. "We need to find out what this guy is after before he really hurts Emily."

"Hopefully Con can pick up some kind of clue in the house that might ID the guy."

Frank glanced at Joe out of the corner of his eye. "So what's going on between you two?"

"Me and Con? Nothing," Joe said with a grin. "He's not my type."

Frank rolled his eyes. "You know who I'm talking about."

"Oh, you mean Emily." Joe leaned back against the headboard. "Not nearly as much as I'd like."

"So I was right. There is a girl out there impervious to the charms of Joe Hardy."

Joe tossed a pillow at his head. "I wouldn't say that. I just thought I'd have a date by now, at least."

"Cut her some slack. She's had a hell of a week and she was just attacked by a lunatic in her own home."

Joe shook his head. "It's not that. She's holding back."

"Feeling 'connected' again?" Frank asked with a grin.

"Shut up," Joe retorted. "Something is scaring her. And I don't mean the nut who broke into her house. And until I find out what that is, I'm not going to get anywhere with her."

Frank almost made another smart remark, but stopped when he saw the look on his brother's face. "You really care about her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think I do."

"Then don't give up." He walked over and slapped his brother on the back. "Put your detective skills to good use and get the girl."