Joe realized something was wrong when Frank yelled out: “Everybody get down!” Then his older brother was tackling him to the ground. As they fell, Joe felt a searing pain on the top of his shoulder. He heard Callie and Vanessa gasp as they fell to the ground; when she saw Frank tackle Joe, Callie grabbed hold of Vanessa and pushed her down.

When Frank screamed out his warning Fenton had immediately used his body to protect Laura. He half-carried, half-dragged her back inside the hotel. A valet was walking behind a couple who were about to leave the hotel, and Fenton moved to stop them.

“Don’t go out there – there’s a sniper – call the police!” He turned back to Laura. “I’m going back to get the girls – stay here!”

“Please be careful, Fenton!”

He gave her a reassuring smile before he cautiously walked out the door. Fenton stayed close to the wall wishing that he had his gun. He kept low as he moved forward. To his surprise the valet ran past him with a gun in his hand. The valet ran towards the girls, then stood over them aiming his gun up at the building across the street.

Gray stood crouched next to Frank and Joe; he was also armed and had his gun hand raised. He glanced at Fenton then turned his attention back to the roof top.

“Fenton, are you armed?”

“I don’t normally take my gun when I’m on vacation, Gray!” Fenton replied sarcastically.

The Gray Man was about to respond with a sarcastic reply when the valet let out a shout and fell to his knees. The valet had his hand pressed against his chest, and blood oozed out between his fingers. Letting out an expletive, Gray shot off a few rounds as he ran towards the building the sniper was in.

While Gray shot at the sniper, Fenton ran out to help the valet and get the girls out of harm’s way. When Callie saw Mr. Hardy, she quickly scrambled up and helped Vanessa to her feet. Glancing at Frank, Vanessa saw that he was picking Joe up. The valet managed to hold onto Fenton as he was dragged back inside the hotel.

Frank heard Joe let out a hiss and thought that he had hurt his shoulder when he fell. The older Hardy knew he had hit Joe hard when he tackled him. It wasn’t until he got his younger brother back safely in the hotel that Frank realized Joe had been shot.

Laura was helping Fenton put pressure on the valet’s chest, whom the private detective suspected was a Network agent. They could hear the sound of sirens. A guest in the hotel came up, informing Fenton that he was a doctor and offering his help. That was when Frank called out to his parents.

“Mom, Dad – Joe’s been shot!”

Luckily an ambulance had been dispatched along with the police. Two EMTs had run in when they heard Frank. They hurried over to the Hardy boy.

“The valet over there has a chest wound,” Fenton informed them, pointing over to the injured man.

“I’ll go check him out, Bill.” The second EMT hurried over to the valet.

Bill grunted his answer as he looked over Joe. He cut Joe’s shirt to examine his wound.

“I wish you didn’t have to do that!” sighed Joe.

“Sorry kid, but you can always buy another shirt.” Bill chuckled at the younger Hardy.

“It’s not my shirt…I borrowed it from my brother!” Joe whispered loudly.

Frank’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized his brother. “That was my favorite shirt!”

“I thought it looked familiar!” laughed Callie.

Bill tried not to smile as he examined Joe’s wound. “You’re a lucky guy – it looks like the bullet just grazed you.”

Joe let out a sigh of relief until Frank spoke up.

“Good, then I can pound him later for ruining another shirt of mine!”

Joe could hear a tinge of anger in his brother’s voice but when he looked over at him he saw a mischievous twinkle in Frank’s eyes. He smiled at his older brother and was rewarded when Frank returned the smile.

Gray was about to enter the building when two police cars screeched to a stop. Agent Anderson emerged from one of the cars. Anderson took the stairs up to the roof while Gray ascended the fire escape. Halfway up the building, Gray encountered Linda Green. She was dressed in black; her hair was tucked inside of a baseball hat. He noticed a few loose tendrils of red hair.

“I see you’ve changed your hair color.”

“Hello Arthur. Since you’re not dead yet, I assume that Bruce has committed the ultimate sacrifice for the Assassins?” Linda didn’t move as Gray came closer.

“Yes, he was a good Assassin. Before you do the same – I must tell you that you were very good. You really had me fooled and I’m not easily fooled.”

“I’m sorry. If it makes you feel better – I did come to…care for you,” she replied as she lowered her lashes then looked imploringly at Gray.

They stood face to face staring into each other’s eyes. Gray reached up and caressed her face, and Linda tried not to smile as the Gray Man leaned closer…and she let out a gasp when he gripped her jaw and pried her mouth open. Linda tried to move her head but Gray had a firm grip. He found the false tooth and pulled it out then pushed her away.

“’Fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me’!” The Gray Man smiled as he watched Linda’s expression turn from shock to anger.

Linda wanted to rake her nails down his face but before she got a chance, the Gray Man turned her around and cuffed her hands. He held tightly to her arm as they went down the stairs where he handed her off to a Network agent. He then crossed the street, walking back to the hotel to check on the Hardys. He was a bit concerned when he saw the ambulance in front of the hotel. A gurney was being wheeled out; the Gray Man quickened his steps. Joe and Frank walked out – the Gray Man’s steps faltered for a second.

“How many lives is that now, Joe?” Gray asked when he saw the bandage on the younger Hardy’s shoulder.

“We could ask the same of you, Mr. Gray.” Fenton came up behind Joe.

“Did you get the sniper?” asked Frank.

“Yes and you won’t have to worry about Miss Green anymore. The Network has her in custody.”

Joe had kept quiet during the exchange. He was silently watching the Gray Man and noticed a slight change in the man’s demeanor. The Network agent still had his hard edge but now it seemed a little softer…compassionate even.

“As much as I would rather go back into the hotel and order room service, we did promise Joe a Mexican dinner.” Laura lovingly smoothed back Joe’s hair.

“Can I have a minute with Mr. Gray before we leave?” Joe looked imploringly at his family.

Curious as to why Joe wanted to speak with the Gray Man, Fenton consented as he shepherded his family and friends away. Making sure his family was far enough away that they couldn’t hear him, Joe turned his attention to the Gray Man.

“We never finished our talk. Who was she – this person you loved and lost?”

“You must understand one thing,” Gray began. “All my life I was never one to show my emotions. That’s just how I was raised. I had been with the CIA for almost two years when I was recruited for a ‘special’ government agency.”

The Gray Man paused staring up at the sky.

“Her name was Elise and she was one of our European operatives. She never knew about my feelings for her – besides, it was against Network policy to be romantically involved with your fellow agents. We had information on an Assassin control base. Elise was on the first team that stormed the building….No one saw the trip wire….The building exploded a few seconds after they rushed in.”

Joe closed his eyes in pain. Killed in a fiery explosion just like Iola. He felt a sudden sympathy for the older man. Already detached from his emotions, the sudden loss of someone he loved had caused the Gray Man to withdraw even more into himself. Joe knew exactly how that felt. He turned to glance at his family and an overwhelming feeling of love coursed through him. He felt very lucky – he had had his family to help him through his loss. His family and Vanessa, who had shown him that he could love again. Who did the Gray Man have? Was it any wonder that he was so hard-edged? So willing to lose innocent lives if it meant the Network would win in the end?

“Mr. Gray – even though Miss Green only got close to you so the Assassins could kill you…you did come to care for her, didn’t you?”

“Just as a friend, but...” Gray clenched his jaw not wanting to say anything more.

“But it could have turned into something else. That’s what you were going to say.” Joe waited expectedly for a reply but the Gray Man was silent.

Joe started to leave then paused to look at the Gray Man.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to answer…I think I know. That should show you that you can care for someone….You are human, after all.”

Without another word, Joe turned and walked back to his family. He needed to change shirts before going to any restaurant.

Arthur Gray watched Joe return to his family and friends. He observed the happy group, and smiled when Vanessa and Joe kissed. He stood there until they disappeared into the hotel. The police cars were gone, the curious bystanders had left. The Gray Man saw Agent Anderson waiting for him.

“Anderson, what are you still doing here?”

“Waiting for your orders Mr. Gray. How soon would you like to return to the agency?”

Mr. Gray put his hands inside his pants pockets. He stood quietly for a minute then smiled. “I think I’m going to finish my vacation.”

With that said, the Gray Man left a stunned Network agent as he walked away.

The End

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.