(I don't own the The Hardy Boys)

A special thanks to (JustAnotherGirlInTheWorld) who has helped me with my grammar and improve my story.

You have been a great help! :)

*I am giving you a heads up Before you read this, there is attempted RAPE mention and some gun violence. This is my first time writing anything this violent. So Please be nice. I would like a lot of reviews. Let me know what you think?

The Hardy Boys

(Heartless)

Sequel: A Friend in Need

Chapter 15

Frank drove the van down a dark street with one dirty, yellow streetlight working. The Scoreboard Arcade was in a run-down area on the south end of town, which was known for its high level of gang activity.

"A perfect place for Heartless recruiters to hit," Frank thought to himself, "I wonder where D.K. Mathers is hiding himself?"

He parked the van two blocks from the arcade. Fenton and Chief Collig, along with a tack force of Bayport police officers, were close by.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Joe said as he started to get out of van. Frank grabbed a hold of his arm, pulling him back in the van.

"Joe, if Mathers is here, he will be desperate and dangerous. We're here to check and see if Shepherd and Fontain are in the arcade. Then we can come back to the van and call dad."

Joe nodded in understanding, but just to make sure he really got, Frank continued.

"You stay by my side," Frank warned his little brother," If you do anything stupid, I'll kill you myself. Got it?"

Seeing the seriousness in Frank's eyes, Joe agreed and answered. "Got it... And please, be careful."

Frank nodded his head. "You too."

He had an uneasy feeling in stomach, and was not sure what to expect. He was glad they waited until it was dark to start this, which gave them an advantage. Blade and Jase had told them that the best time to go to the Scoreboard Arcade was around ten at night. That was when Shepherd and Fontain usually showed up.

As the brothers went inside the arcade, it took Frank and Joe a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. The eerie glow of the games was the only source of light. Loud music with explicit lyrics blasted out of the speakers on the wall. Frank did a quick scan of the place and saw that there were a couple of teenage boys of about fourteen playing video games. Then Frank heard the sound of loud cheering coming from the back of the place.

"I wonder what's going on back there?" Joe asked.

"I don't know."

Frank shook his head, feeling his detective instincts kicking in, and decided to go and check it out. "Let's find out."

As they went to the back of the arcade, the sound of loud cheering erupted, and they saw that it was coming from a group of teenage boys.

Joe's heart almost stopped, and he got closer to see what was going on. He grabbed his brother's arm when the realization came to him. "Frank, it's Kurtis Shepherd!"

Frank's mouth dropped in shock, seeing the reason for all the cheering. Kurtis Shepherd had Angela Santos pinned up against a pinball machine, his arm up against her. Angela's red top was ripped opened, exposing her large chest.

"You feel real good, baby," Kurtis whispered in a husky tone, fondling her left breast. Then he slid his hand under her short black skirt, causing her to flinch.

"Please Stop!" she cried desperately, terror filling her voice, "Somebody help me!"

"Leave her alone!" Frank shouted from out in the darkness. In an instant, he was thrusting out his right leg and swinging it around into a swift kick. That gave Angela the perfect chance to run for it, and she did just that. Frank caught Kurtis Shepherd just behind the ankle, knocking out his leg from under him. He flew backward and landed hard on his head.

Kurtis Shepherd was out cold.

"That felt good." Frank whispered under his breath, taking a minute to calm himself.

Suddenly, Jackson Fontain came out of nowhere. He pulled out a hand gun from his back pocket, looking furious, and the crowd of teenagers ran out the back door.

"It felt real good, slamming your brother's head on the floor," he snarled, cocking back the handle of the gun and aiming it at Frank, "He was suppose to die! But now I'm gonna to kill you instead!"

"No!"

In an instant, Joe was lunging at Jackson Fontain and tackling him to the floor. The two started wrestling violently with the gun, each with a look of fury on his face.

All of the sudden, a loud "BANG!" rang out into the air. Then a dead silence filled the arcade. Jackson Fontain and Joe laid motionless on the floor.

"Joe!" Frank cried, pushing Jackson off of Joe. "Oh God, please no!"

Frank knelt next to Joe, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest. He could not take his eyes off of the blood on Joe's shirt.

"Joe! Joe!"

Suddenly, Officer Riley and Fenton entered the room, running at full speed.

"Frank.. what?"

Fenton's heart dropped when he saw Joe lying there, his shirt appearing to be bleeding profusely.

"Joe, no!"

Fenton sank to his knees besides Frank. Placing two fingers under Joe's neck, he muttered, "He has a pulse. He's alive, at least."

Slowly, Frank and Fenton both let out the fearful breaths they were holding. Fenton ran a hand along Joe's chest.

"Wait... it's not Joe's blood."

Fenton and Frank turned to Officer Riley, who was kneeling next to Jackson Fontain. His shirt, too, was covered in blood.

Officer Riley looked up and said, very slowly, "He's dead."

"Joe, open your eyes," Frank said after a moment, brushing a strain of blond hair out of Joe's eyes and pleading for him to respond. "Joe, Dad and I are right here."

"Frank?" Joe's eyes fluttered open. Fenton could feel his body shaking like a leaf.

"Dad?" Joe asked, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at his father.

"Oh no, oh God no!" he murmured quietly as he caught sight of Jackson's body, "I swear, I didn't mean to..."

Fenton put his arms around Joe, who fell into his father's embrace, crying desperately.

"Dad, Jackson was going to kill Frank! I didn't mean to kill him. I swear!"

"I know," Fenton said in a soothing voice, wiping away Joe's tears, "Shh...it's okay. I promise you."

"Joe, it was clearly self-defense. You did nothing wrong." Frank reassured his little brother, rubbing his back.

"Frank... I thought..." Joe said, and then he practically flew into his brother's arms, knocking them both to the floor. Fenton had to support Frank to keep him from hitting his head.

Frank just laid there holding his little brother.

"Shh...it's okay," he murmured, feeling hot tears running down his face.

About an hour later, Frank and Joe were being medically checked out by paramedics.

Chief Collig, along with several officers, entered the arcade. Officer Riley and Fenton quickly filling them in on the situation. Chief Collig knelt next to the white sheet that covered Jackson Fontain's body.

"Do we know who his is?" he asked as he pulled back the white sheet.

"Jackson Fontain," Officer Riley answered, "He has a Heartless symbol tattooed on his left arm."

"What about the other one... Kurtis Shepherd?"

"Officer Baker is escorting him to the hospital with a possible connection," Officer Riley answered.

"Good, I want an update on his condition," Chief Collig ordered, "When he recovers I want him questioned, as well as everyone else here questioned."

"Yes, sir."

"Where is the girl?" Chief Collig asked.

"We don't know, sir," Officer Riley replied, "She just disappeared."

Before he left, Officer Riley handed Chief Collig a white handkerchief, revealing a hand gun.

"Joe's finger print is on the trigger," Officer Riley said as he and the other officers left the arcade.

Chief Collig just gave a slight nod going over to the Hardys. Fenton was standing next to Joe, who was sitting in a chair with Frank's arm around him. He was still pretty shaken up. Fenton squeezed Joe's shoulder.

"Joe, everything will be okay. Just tell the Chief what happened."

Joe cleared his throat to say something, but no words came out.

"I didn't mean to..." he stumbled, clearing his throat again. Joe took a deep breath as he pleaded, "It was an accident. He was going to.. kill Frank. I had to!"

"Chief, I promise you," Frank said, going into big-brother mode to defend his little brother, "It was in self-defense." Frank and Joe both took turns telling him what happened with Angela being almost raped by Shepherd, and Jackson Fontain pulling the gun on Frank.

"Jackson Fontain was going to kill me. Joe saved my life..." Frank said, his voice trailing off.

Chief Collig had watched the Hardy brothers grow up. They were good detectives, following in their father's footsteps. The boys, along with their father, had helped out the Bayport Police for many tough cases. The Hardy brothers had built up a good reputation for themselves. There were times when he would butt heads with the youngest Hardy member, but deep down the Chief always admired both brothers for their passion for crime fighting.

"Self-defense is what it sounds like to me," Chief said, putting a hand on Joe's shoulder, "That is what is going into my report."

Fenton nodded his thanks.

"Thank you, Chief," Joe said, a relived look on his face. "So what do we do now? We still haven't found Mathers yet."

Fenton put his arm around his son.

"We are going home to get some rest. Then we'll talk about what to do next."

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