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

Author's Notes at the bottom after the end of the story. And yes, this is the final chapter. :) I hope you've enjoyed. Drop a review if you get a chance. :)

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Chapter Twelve

Joe could see Travis just ahead of him through breaks in the trees and foliage. The soothing greens and browns of the forest surrounded him along with the sounds of the insects and occasional bird. Travis was standing at the edge of a field now. It was an area where hunters often staked out a spot to catch deer eating. The hunter and the farmer benefited… but not the deer caught in the crosshairs. What he didn't see was a rifle. Why is he here hunting without a rifle? Joe stopped. He needed to figure out what was going on before he went any further. He stepped behind a tree when Travis turned around. He watched carefully as the man scanned the woods and the area where the trail was. Is he meeting someone here? For the first time, Joe felt a little nervous.

"Come out!" Travis yelled into the woods. Then he pulled a pistol from a shoulder holster under his jacket and held it pointed down at his side. "Come out if you're man or woman enough to face me!"

Joe's brow furrowed as he pulled a little further back behind the large oak that was shielding him from view. Woman enough? Travis obviously knew he was being followed but had no idea who it was. Joe took a deep breath and stepped into the open. Travis didn't have his gun up so Joe kept his rifle diagonal across his chest. He was assuming that Travis wouldn't take the chance on shooting another hunter.

Joe moved to twenty yards away from Travis who was intently studying his face trying to figure out who he was. "Do I know you?" The tone was perplexed as the eyes continued to scan Joe's features.

"Not really," Joe replied. "But you almost killed me once." He saw Travis still trying to figure it out. "I usually have blonde hair and no beard if that helps any, but maybe you've almost killed a lot of blonde guys."

Travis took a step back as recognition set in and he said, "Joe Hardy."

Joe nodded and the two stared at each other. Travis still had his pistol at his side and Joe kept his rifle across his chest. He could bring it around quickly. And he was wearing Kevlar. Travis probably wasn't.

"I'm going to put the gun down on the ground, okay?" Travis asked with his eyes on Joe.

"Okay," Joe replied as he slowly moved his rifle to be more in line with Travis.

Once the pistol was on the ground, Travis took a couple of steps forward, which meant he'd have to turn his back to Joe to get the weapon on the ground. "I've kept up with you. I know what you did for Mr. Sacco with the Martinez cartel and then for Mrs. Sacco and Elena."

"I didn't do any of it for the family. I did it because it was the right thing." He paused; his eyes boring into Travis's eyes. "Robert knew what happened the night you kidnapped me. Elise told me that they didn't share the details with RJ's family. So tell me, how did they know about the plastic bag?" Joe's hands tightened on the rifle.

Travis' mouth opened, then closed as he tried to figure out what to tell Joe. The fact that the Saccos had given up his location spoke volumes. He obviously knew that every question and answer that was exchanged with Joe could be the one to end his life. If he truly knew what had gone down with the fake hit and then at the bank, he knew that Joe Hardy could end his life quickly if he chose to. Finally, Travis spoke. "You probably don't remember all the conversation that RJ and I had in the basement, but those items weren't there by chance. They were ones that RJ and I used regularly. RJ had probably talked to his dad about his work."

Joe was tense. He had wanted answers, but as Travis spoke, it just brought to the front of his mind that he wasn't the first person that RJ and Travis had tortured. He was just the first person to survive. "His work?" Joe asked in a tone that fully conveyed to Travis the danger he was in and Joe's anger. "His WORK?!" he shouted.

Travis didn't nod or answer. He stood quietly and then said, "Whatever you do, I deserve it. I know you won't bother my family. That it'll just be me paying the price. You're not the kind of man to kill people that are innocent." He paused just a moment and added, "But I'm not innocent." Then he slowly moved his hands to the top of his head and turned around. He knelt on the ground with this back to Joe. His pistol was out of reach.

Joe stood there a moment and then brought his rifle swiftly around and lined up the shot. It would be a mess at this range if he took it. There wouldn't be any chance that police would see this as a hunting accident. "How did you know someone was coming?"

Travis voice was calm and resigned. "There was a PI nosing around recently. This town's too small, even with tourist season, not to spot someone out of place. Me and my family are just starting to fit in. And because we do now, the people in the village let us know about the stranger asking questions. I didn't know it was you. It could have been any number of people. But with your reputation and your father's, I figured one day you might get close."

Joe lowered his rifle but still had it pointed in Travis' direction. But now his voice was the one that was perplexed. "So why did you come out here, where you could be killed with no one around to help?" Joe only realized now that he could have been led into a trap himself by not having back-up or scouting the area. He had let his need to close this chapter cloud his thinking. He spared a quick glance to either side but saw and heard nothing out of place.

Travis let out a loud breath. "Because I'm tired of looking over my shoulder and wondering if one of the tourists is here to kill me. Tired of worrying that in an attempt to kill me, that one of my family might die too." He shook his head side to side. "Out here, I'm the only one who has to pay the price."

Joe finally let his rifle lower so that it was pointing at the ground. "Stand up and turn around." He waited for Travis to do so and then said, "You don't have to look for me anymore. I can't say that about anyone else. But it won't be me or my family. From what I've been able to find out, you and your family are valued members of this community. Stay that way and I won't turn you in."

Travis nodded. "It's more than I deserve."

Joe nodded in agreement. "It is. It's more than you gave the other people you tortured and murdered. But I'm not your judge and executioner for those. One day God will be your judge and He'll decide your fate." Joe turned and walked away into the forest. He didn't fear that Travis Rosetti would pick up his gun and shoot him. If he did that, the Hardy family would hunt him to the end of the earth and the judgement that he had just escaped would return to find him.

Joe's thoughts left Travis Rosetti and turned to his wife. He and Vanessa still had a few days before they were due back in Bayport. They would leave this area for sure. But maybe he would take her hiking along the shore of Lake Superior. If he was laying old ghosts to rest, it might help. Maybe like the overlook on Shore Drive, the views of Lake Superior and Michigan's Upper Peninsula would become lovely peaceful spots for him to enjoy. It was time to embrace the man he had become.

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Author's Notes: From "Taken" to "In Your Hands" is total of 14 stories! Whew! Spanning nine years of writing time. The boys have only aged about 4 years I think. :) You might be asking if I plan to continue and if I have another story in the works. As to that, I'll say that I do have a few ideas, but nothing close to being fleshed out to write. LOL I have even considered an amnesia story because I haven't done one and I'm not sure any series is complete without one. :-D So here are some ideas I have and you can let me know if you have a favorite among them:

- amnesia
- you know that Camille will be coming up for parole in a couple of years...
- then there's that seemingly Assassin football player from ENCU, I think I named him something like Ian McTaggert
- and let's not forget Frank and Callie's wedding
- then there's the Assassin, Maya, who still has it in for Joe

Oh, and please don't read too much into the "embrace the man he had become," line. It's not Joe going off on a vengeance or turning completely to the Network to be a sniper. In this story, he had to face a part of his past that had been haunting him. And... he beat it! He overcame his memories of RJ in the bank and then he put his search for Travis Rosetti in the past. He's ready to move on with the rest of his life with Vanessa. Now, whether his past is ready to let go of him...

Feel free to let me know what you think. Can't say if I'll act on any of it. :) And definitely can't say when. :) Also, if you want Frank centric, you'll have to suggest the story to another writer. LOL I'll always be a "Joe girl" but I have to have Frank as well because they're better together. Thanks again to everyone who has read and a big hug to those who reviewed! I'll be sure to respond to anyone who has PMing enabled! Praying that everyone has a great 2024!