Joe’s weakened body betrayed him and he drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Rita!" Buck’s voice bellowed as he walked into the cabin. He grew angry when he couldn’t find the woman. His fury continued to grow as he inspected the bedroom and found all her things missing.

"G-r-r-rh!" he growled as he busted into the other bedroom, expecting the boy to be gone, too. He found the kid lying on his side, very still. At first, Buck thought the kid had died, but a shuttering breath escaped the boy’s parched lips and he moaned softly.

"Well, well," Buck chuckled as he walked over to Joe, "At least that stupid cow didn’t take you away. I can still finish the plan without..." Buck’s ears picked up the sound of approaching sirens.

"She called the police! My cell phone!" Buck raced to the other bedroom and franticly searched his coat pockets. The phone was gone. He heard cars pull around the cabin.

"Don’t panic," he told himself, moving back into the bedroom with Joe. He looked down at the boy and a smile crossed his face. "No need to worry as long as I have young Joseph! They won’t do anything to jeopardize him."

* * * * * *

Chief Ezra Collig had his men circle the log cabin. They didn’t know if the woman who had called was still on the premises or not, but since there was a maroon mini-van beside the cabin, Collig assumed that Joe Hardy was not alone.

Chief Collig pulled out his bullhorn and called into the cabin.

"It’s over! We have the place surrounded! Come out with your hands on top of your head and you won’t be hurt!" Collig shouted. The officers and the Hardy men stood anxiously waiting for a response from the cabin.

"Let the boy come out and things will go much easier for you!" Collig tried the bullhorn again.

Buck pulled Joe Hardy up on the edge of the bed. Joe fought the wave of nausea that overcame him as he leaned, unwillingly against Buck for support. Buck quickly duck taped the boys hands behind his back and pulled a piece of tape over Joe’s mouth.

Joe watched his uncle’s manic activity through pain-dulled eyes. Joe almost smiled beneath the tape as he watched all the trouble Buck was taking to tie him up. ‘Like I could really do anything,’ Joe thought, ‘This is definitely overkill.’

* * * * *

Rita saw Buck’s van return and knew immediately it had been a mistake to leave Joe alone. She backtracked to the cabin, slipping into the back door unnoticed; she hid in the pantry closet.

Buck pulled Joe off the bed, but the boy couldn’t stand, collapsing against Buck. Buck grunted in disgust, wrapping his left arm around Joe’s waist and half dragging him toward the front door. In his right hand, he clutched his Glock.

"Fenton!" called Buck through the front door. He opened it, just enough for those outside to see Joe. "Joseph will die if anyone comes any closer!" Chief Collig and Fenton Hardy exchanged a grave look. Both noticed that Buck Hardy’s voice was high pitched and nervous, indicating that the man wasn’t stable.

Fenton Hardy picked up the bullhorn and begged Buck to let Joe go, while the police all took aim at the cabin door, waiting for opportunity to take out the kidnapper. Frank and Billy Hardy crouched down beside the police chief’s car, praying for a happy ending to the tense situation. The cabin door slammed shut.

Joe Hardy was being taped to a wooden, ladder-back chair, the rugs digging into the torn flesh of his raw back, bringing fresh blood. The duck tape held him upright in the chair and he fought to stay conscious, looking for an escape from this nightmare. Joe heard his father’s voice on the bullhorn and found strength in it, closing his eyes as the pain wracked through him.

Hearing Fenton Hardy’s voice had enraged Buck. He dragged the chair that held Joe prisoner to the door. Using the boy and the chair for a shield, he opened the front door and pushed Joe’s chair into the doorway. He held a handful of Joe’s hair in his left hand and the gun pointed at the back of Joe’s head with his right.

"You want Joseph, Fenton? You want your son back? Come up here and get him!" taunted Buck. It was all Billy Hardy could take. He jumped up from the safety of the police cruiser and walked to where his father could see him.

"Dad! Why are you doing this?" Billy cried in anguish, tears flowing down his cheeks, "Joey’s never done anything to you! Please Daddy, let him go!"

"You and your precious sons!" ranted Buck, ignoring Billy’s pleas, "Fenton, you poisoned my son against me! All these years, all he talks about are you and your brats! He has a scrapbook of all Frank and Joe’s accomplishments!" Buck began waving the gun wildly, still gripping Joe’s hair. Each tug on his scalp sent a wave of pain through Joe’s already pain-wracked body, causing him to moan beneath the tape.

"Daddy, please!" begged Billy once more, "I’ll move back home with you, I’ll do whatever you want! Just let Joe go!"

Rita had stayed hidden in the pantry until she heard Buck move to the front door. She quietly made her way across the room to the fireplace. She picked up a cast iron ash shovel. She slowly made her way toward the doorway where Buck was standing behind the boy.

* * * * *

Collig’s men were on the alert, but unable to shoot as long as Buck was using Joe as a shield. No one noticed the figure moving in the darkness of the cabin behind Buck. When Buck started waving the gun wildly in the air, Rita brought the shovel down hard on the back of Buck’s head. Buck pulled the trigger, but the shot went wild, hitting a tree. Buck fell to his knees and toppled forward beside the chair.

Joe Hardy’s eyes flew open wide at the sound of the gun going off so close to him. He watched Buck fall, then saw Rita come through the door and kneel beside him. Rita looked into Joe’s blue eyes.

"I’m so sorry, Sugar," she said sadly, pulling the tape gently off of Joe’s mouth. "I never should have left you alone." Several police officers moved in close, with guns drawn and aimed at Rita.

"Step away from the boy!" Chief Collig called through the bullhorn.

"No!" Joe called out, as loud as his hoarse voice would allow, "Don’t hurt her!"

"Thanks, Sugar," Rita said as she stood up. She bent and kissed Joe on the top of his head, "It’s gonna be alright now." She raised her hands above her head and walked toward the waiting police. Con Riley raced up the steps and cuffed the unconscious form of Buck Hardy, while Fenton and Frank ran to free Joe.

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors 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.