Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

Rating/Setting: Rating is T. The series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/21 and J/20. In the first story (Taken), the boys are J/16 and F/17 and they have aged as the series continued. Takes place about 2 months after Sometimes 'Never' Happens.

Summary: Taken Series: What was supposed to be a simple meeting at the bank for Joe becomes anything but ordinary. Circumstances are clouded as Elise Sacco and her daughter are also at the bank. Is it a bank hold-up or is something more going on? F 21/J 20

**Don't even try to make sense of this story without having read the rest of the series. See my author's page for the reading order. And if you do go back and read them all, be sure to leave a review at least at the end of the story so I'll know how you like it. :-)

Author's Notes: Candylou - you'll like this chapter as Fenton is involved. The FBI is involved but we get to see a little more of Fenton in this story than in the last few I've written. Enjoy. :)

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Chapter Three

The bank was mostly silent. Quiet murmurings of the other hostages could be heard in the background, but Joe did not hear it. He was focused on two of the men. Joe sat with his back against the beige upholstered couch and watched Robert and Tony talk in low voices near the hallway that led to the bank vault. It had been about fifteen minutes since he'd learned who they were. During that time, all electronic devices had been taken up and closed in an interior closet. The ringtones could be heard every so often, but they were very faint. He supposed that the sounds would increase as those outside learned what was going in the bank and tried to locate their missing loved ones. Handcuffs had been passed out and all but Elise and Elena had put them on. For some reason, Robert had put theirs on the desk behind the pair. It was obvious they would be used later, but for now he was allowing them a bit of freedom. Joe shifted a leg so it went out straight while the other was bent at the knee in front of him. He was glad that his legs weren't restrained and that he hadn't been patted down. The metal letter opener was still safe in his pants pocket, but the silver cuffs winked at him in the chandelier's light. Joe returned his gaze to Robert and Tony and asked Elise, "What did Robert tell you?"

Elise's voice was calm as she answered, "To be honest, my brain overloaded with what he said about you and Elena…." Her words grew softer and tapered off for a moment before returning with the strength she had been showing. "Once he's completed his revenge, he has a plan to escape through some old tunnels located under this building."

Joe looked at the bags that Robert and Tony were carrying and then turned to look around the couch at the third robber, Stripes. Stripes' bag was now on the floor, and it looked rather full and there was no money in it yet. Stripes was over by the other hostages walking back and forth intimidating as many of the hostages as he could. The fourth man was large in a hulking way, and he had dropped his equally big backpack beside Stripes'. But Hulk wasn't in the main room; he had gone behind the counter with one of the tellers. Joe looked to Elise, "The fact that he told you that isn't good news for anyone in here."

Elise glanced at Robert and then turned her gaze to Elena, who was being held tight to her mother's side as they sat on the floor against the desk. "I don't think he plans on letting anyone out."

Joe nodded his agreement. If anyone in here got to talk to the police, the police would know that the robbers didn't exit the building in a conventional way, and they would soon find their hidden exit which would be the opposite of what Robert would want. But if something catastrophic happened to the building, such as a fire or explosion… then it could take weeks at the earliest to determine that the robbers' bodies weren't in the death count. Joe thought about it some more; it would take an explosion to make enough debris and mangle the bodies to the point that it would take weeks. He looked again at the backpacks and realized that they weren't big enough to carry the explosives to take down the entire building, but depending on the explosive and where it was placed, it could take out enough support beams to bring down several floors and destabilize the entire structure. However, if there were tunnels under the building, he was sure the men had checked them out to make sure they were viable to escape through before detonating.

The phone on the desk behind Elise began to ring. Joe looked at it and then at the cameras around the room. Earlier, Robert had been standing by this desk. Since the robbers didn't seem to be troubled by this, Joe figured that Tony had managed to hack into the system and disable the cameras. Robert and Tony both looked at the phone and then Robert began to walk slowly toward the desk. No hurry, more of saunter. Robert holstered his handgun on his hip and then picked up the phone. "Hope Trust Bank, can I help you?"

The conversation was one-sided as the call was not on speaker phone. Wise move by Robert.

"Well, Agent Gilroy, things will be just fine here if you follow our plan. We could even be out of here before sunset and maybe even beat rush hour traffic."

Gilroy! Joe thought. He knew that FBI Agent. If Gilroy had seen him on the camera footage, then he would most likely alert his father who would of course contact Frank and Vanessa… but what could they do? Nothing, he said to himself. Even if they contact ORT and the Network, there isn't much they can do in this situation without endangering the hostages. And since he knew Robert Couch's plan for himself and Elena Sacco, he would probably need to do something himself. He glanced up, not just me. Me and Elise Sacco. Elise was staring him in the eye once again in an unspoken alliance.

.**********.

"Chris, it's been a while," Fenton said as he answered his phone which had FBI Agent Chris Gilroy's name and number programed in. It had been there since Joe's abduction by Dominic Laird several years earlier.

There were voices and various noises in the background as Gilroy answered, "I'm afraid I've got some bad news. Hope Trust Bank was held up this morning and there's now a hostage situation."

"Hope Trust," Fenton repeated and leaned back in his office chair making it squeak. "Joe went there for an appointment this morning. Are you telling me that he's one of the hostages?"

"I'm sorry, Fenton, he is. There's more, but I'd like for you and Frank to come to our command center so I can show you what we have." Gilroy paused, "I'll let you tell Frank and Joe's wife."

Fenton rubbed his hand across his eyes and then massaged the bridge of his nose. "I'll tell her, and she'll be coming with us. She's a strong agent in her own right and we won't leave her out."

Gilroy let out a short laugh, "I wasn't implying that you should. But I have to say that Frank and Vanessa are the only ones you can bring. I can't have my own people thinking that I believe they need assistance in this."

Fenton felt sorry now for his comment. Gilroy didn't have to call him or allow any of them to assist. He could have just left it to the police to make the calls to the families. But he didn't. He called. "I'm sorry, Chris. We are grateful to be allowed to assist in whatever way you think is appropriate. Text me the address and we'll be there as soon as we can."

Gilroy gave an order to someone at the command center and then came back to the call. "Sorry about that. No problem, Fenton, I know you are under a lot of stress from this. I'll get the address to you now. See you soon." The call ended and Fenton's phone lit up with an incoming text.

He stood up and began to set up a conference call with Frank, Vanessa, Laura, and Sam. This wasn't going to be easy, but at least the robbers wouldn't have a reason to target Joe. If his son could keep his head, this could end with no injuries and just another crazy thing to add to list of impossible experiences. Fenton placed the call and headed to his car.

.**********.

Vanessa, Frank, and Fenton watched the monitor in front of them in silence. Chris Gilroy had met them on the street fifteen minutes earlier and walked them into the command center, introducing them briefly to the people who needed to know who they were. Now they were watching the final five minutes of surveillance footage before the robbers cut the feed. The screen was divided into sections, and at the moment, they were glued to the one that had Joe talking to a woman at a desk. Then they watched as he went over the desk taking the woman to the floor with him. Their eyes moved to the section showing the door and the robbers. Sound was turned on for one camera and they listened as one robber spoke. Eyes moved across the screens taking in all that was occurring and when Joe was singled out to move over to an area that only contained a robber, a woman, and a young girl. The tension in the room increased dramatically.

"That's Elise and Elena Sacco," Frank said with his eyes still on the screen. It was only a few moments later that the screen image froze as the last one before being cut. Frank looked now to Gilroy, "What was she doing there?"

"We have contacted Nick Sacco, and he says that his wife and son usually make the monthly trip to Hope Trust for miscellaneous small deposits and sometimes to put something in their safe deposit box."

"Safe deposit?" Fenton asked.

"Not this time." Gilroy said as he shook his head in a negative fashion. "He said the deposits would have totaled under a thousand. Not anything to write home about for them. And no, the deposits aren't usually any more than that. Mr. Sacco said that he wouldn't endanger his wife or child with anything more."

Fenton nodded his head and then let out a deep breath.

"Then why are the three of them singled out?" Vanessa asked the question they all had.

"Right now, we don't know."

"The only thing that Joe and Elise have in common is the Sacco Family and what happened to Joe with RJ Couch and then the hit put on Nick by the Martinez Cartel." Frank's eyes returned to the monitor. "I can't imagine that this was random."

"We don't think so either," Gilroy responded. "In fact, we're having someone zoom in on Elise and Joe. They both speak with the robber and Elise looks angry. We're hoping that someone trained in lip-reading will be able to give us at least some of the conversation."

This was great news to the Hardys but not enough for them.

"Have you been trying to get the video feed reestablished?" Vanessa asked, her eyes going back to the frozen screen showing her husband's back.

"We have our best on it, but I know that both you and Frank have been trained in digital forensics and I'm hoping you'll give a look at what we're doing. I don't know that you'll have anything new to add, but if you do, we're happy to take it." Gilroy gestured back the way they had come. He didn't wait for them but started walking to their next destination.

Vanessa and Fenton were hot on his heels, but Frank lingered a moment, his eyes glued to the frozen screen showing his brother and Elise Sacco. Then he turned and quickly left.