Hardy Boys Fan Fiction at the Hardy Detective Agency Presents "In the Name of Love" by CQB

–PAST...
"Wake up, Precious!" the man in the black ski mask said softly as he woke the small boy, "We’re going bye-bye."

Before 4-year-old Joey Hardy could fully wake up, he was lifted and carried down a steep hillside. He didn’t know where he was, but he knew he wasn’t near his house. Even in the dark, Joey could see that they were in a wooded area.

The child squirmed in his captor’s arms, but the man had no trouble keeping the toddler under control. He smiled as he looked into a pair of angry blue eyes. "My but you are a tough little guy!" the man laughed.

Joey looked around and saw lots of trees and some big rocks. The man carried Joey toward the rocks and entered an opening along one large rock.

Inside the cave, the man set the child down and lit a kerosene lamp that was on the ground. The man walked back behind some more rocks inside the cave. When he came out, he was carrying a coil of rope. He quickly tired the rope around Joey’s wiggling body, and then carried him behind the rock.

Joey became very frightened as the man began lowering him into a dark hole in the floor of the cave. Joey began to kick and he tried to scream through the tape that covered his mouth. When he felt the ground beneath him, Joey began wiggling, trying to get loose. He suddenly felt the rope fall down the hole.

"Bye for now, Precious," the man in the mask said, peering into the darkness, "I hope you’re not afraid of the dark!"

~ ~ ~ PRESENT...

"I can’t believe this!" Vanessa Bender cried in delight as Joe opened the door of the ’55 Thunderbird for his girlfriend. "He just offered it to you for our date?"

"Yeah," Joe smiled at the pretty ash-blond girl, "I mentioned that I was taking you to dinner tonight and he asked if I wanted to drive the T-bird."

"This car is gorgeous!" Vanessa gushed, gently running her hand over the white leather.

"It’s a beauty of a car, for sure," Joe agreed, "But having you in it makes the car perfect!" As corny as it was, Joe’s compliment made Vanessa blush.

Half an hour later, they pulled into the local burger place where many of their friends were hanging out.

"Whoa, Hardy! Where’d you get the hot car?" Biff Hooper called out, seeing the classic T-bird glide to a stop near his own Blazer. Biff was tall, blond and muscular and was Joe Hardy’s best friend, next to his brother Frank.

"It’s borrowed, so look but don’t touch!" Joe cautioned with a grin. Chet Morton and Tony Prito, two other friends of the Hardy brothers, came over to admire the car, too. While the boys talked about the car, Vanessa joined the rest of the girls at an outside table.

"She belongs to Mr. Reed," Joe offered, watching his friends check out the Thunderbird. "I can’t believe he actually let me drive this mean machine!"

"Hey, can your parents adopt me so Mr. Reed can be my neighbor, too?" joked Chet, clapping Joe on the back.

"Sorry, Chet," Joe laughed, "I don’t think they could afford to feed both you and me!" Both Joe and Chet were known for their hearty appetites. Joe, however, converted his entire calorie intake into muscle, while Chet just became stocky.

All to soon, it was time to take Vanessa home. At the Bender home, Joe walked Vanessa to the door of their old, refurbished farmhouse.

"Thanks for coming tonight," Joe said, glancing at Vanessa’s gray eyes, but then he stared at his feet. They had only been dating a few months, but Joe really liked Vanessa.

"I had fun, Joe. Thanks," Vanessa bent forward and gently kissed Joe’s cheek. Joe blushed and looked back into Vanessa’s eyes.

"’Ness, I, um...I really like you," Joe stated nervously. Man, he wanted to kiss her so bad! Finally, he got enough nerve. He reached up and took her chin in his hand. Joe bent forward slightly, barely brushing Vanessa’s lips, when the porch light flashed on.

Both Joe and Vanessa jumped apart as Vanessa’s mother, Andrea, came to the door. She greeted Joe and held the door open for Vanessa to go inside. Vanessa and Joe exchanged a quick smile, then Joe walked toward the T-bird, whistling.

"So, Romeo," greeted Mr. Reed a few minutes later, as Joe closed the door of the Thunderbird now parked in Red’s garage. "How was your date?"

"It was great," Joe said with a grin, "’Ness loved the car. I can’t thank you enough for letting me borrow it tonight."

"As long as the weather is nice, you can borrow her for your dates anytime you’d like." offered Red.

"Really? I mean, that’s too cool!" Joe responded, his eyes wide with excitement. "You have got to be the greatest friend a guy ever had. Thanks so much, Red!"

"I enjoy having such terrific young people living next door to me." Red said, "I consider you and your brother as my friends. Now, young man, I suggest you get home before you miss your curfew and get in trouble." Joe thanked Mr. Reed again, and then ran into his house. Joe was inside and never saw Red watching him, a grin spreading across the man’s face.

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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.