Cross was not expecting Alyssa’s reaction. With a swift move, Alyssa brought her right leg brace down on the older man’s foot. Not wanting to look obvious, she quickly sported her best innocent look. "Not with these things on my leg… OH! I am so sorry," Alyssa cried out. "I didn’t mean to hurt you! Are you all right?"

Cross was too busy recovering from the painful attack to his foot. This gave Alyssa time to stand up and get out of the chair that was once her prison. She even almost cried tears as she helped Cross to her seat.

"I didn’t break anything did I? I am so sorry. These things can be so awkward," Alyssa pouted as Cross massaged his foot. "I am such a klutz!"

"I’ll be fine. You just got my toe with the ingrown toenail," Cross grunted.

"Here you and you brother are trying to help us and look what I do," Alyssa said, crying. Inside, she was secretly laughing. However, she knew she had to play the role.

"WAY TO GO ALYSSA!" Adam almost shouted triumphantly. Then his heart quickly sank when he heard Cross’s next move. Frank smiled as he still kept a hold on Adam, but then quickly his smile turned into a frown.

"It is fine miss. Don’t worry about it," Cross reassured her. "Now where were we?" Cross stood up and slowly moved towards Alyssa, who stood her ground bravely.

"My brother will be coming any minute now. While I appreciate your…" It was then that Cross put his hands on her waist. She normally loved the feel of a certain male wrapping his arms around her waist, but Cross was not that male. Alyssa knew she had to keep it together, at least until Chuck came back. "As I was saying, I appreciate your interest, but I am really not the girl for anyone."

"You are perfect to me. Do you know how long it has been since I have been this close to a woman? Not to mention, such a beautiful woman?" the older male answered. Alyssa could feel his hands moving slowly up her body as he pulled her slowly to his body.

"Me? Beautiful? I don’t think so. I think you are just being too kind," Alyssa snorted as she tried to back away. But it was no use. Cross had her tightly in his arms. Instead of smelling Adam’s welcoming cologne, all she could smell was damp mustiness. She had to swallow just to keep the water down.

"Yes, you are beautiful, especially in these nice tight jeans. They really show off your curves," Cross said as he grabbed her backside. "Just the way a woman should look."

Adam was going nuts downstairs. His skin was literally crawling, thinking of that man with his hands on his girlfriend. All he could do was stand there and listen to his beloved Alyssa get pawed right above him. Tears started to form in Adam’s eyes as he felt completely helpless. Frank was just as sick, but he kept a firm hold on Adam.

"Adam, she can take care of herself. Callie does and Alyssa can too. Just give her a chance," Frank whispered into the younger Kramer’s ears.

"As I said, you are just too kind," Alyssa echoed again with her best innocent voice. She did not want to anger the man out of fear of what he would do. She could not bear placing anyone in danger, especially Adam. She kept thinking in her head, but nothing was coming to mind as Cross slowly made his move.

Okay, I can do this. I CAN DO THIS. I HAVE to do this or I might lose Adam for good. I can’t bare the thought of not having Adam hold me ever again. Just place yourself in a good place Alyssa. Just try to picture this as being Adam on one of your dates. You are at Orchard Lake with Adam, the boy you love. Chuck will be back soon… I HOPE!

Those were Alyssa’s thoughts as Cross’s lips touched hers. Her body went rigid and she instantly felt dirty.

"You act like you have never been kissed before! You poor sweet thing," Cross said, noticing Alyssa’s cold reaction.

"It has been a while you can say," Alyssa’s voice trembled.

Adam heard the fear in Alyssa’s response. He felt like he was going to die right there. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as his heart nearly stopped. Frank could feel Adam’s tension.

"Alyssa is fine. She can handle this. If you even make a move, Cross can kill her right here, right now. I would rather have her alive," Frank whispered again. He could only imagine what it would have been like for him if it was Callie up there.

"But Callie doesn’t have braces on her legs. She can run. Alyssa can’t!" Adam said weakly.

"She is smart and she is a fighter. She is going to be fine. You have to trust in her," Frank exclaimed in a low voice. "You just have to believe in her."

Adam knew what Frank meant, but it was hard. It was his job to protect her from stuff like this and instead, she was protecting him!

"My brother will be back soon," Alyssa said sternly.

"That is fine. Let’s enjoy each other until he gets back," Cross said as he leaned in for another kiss. Alyssa was just about to her breaking point. Her body started to shake and tears started to form in her eyes. She bravely fought those tears. It was then that she heard a most wonderful sound. It was a sound that she would forever be thankful for… Chuck’s car was coming up the lane.

"I need to get straightened up or my brother will be mad," Alyssa said as she pulled away from Cross. Cross seemed to back off sensing that trouble might be near. He didn’t want to call any attention to himself, especially with the Hardy brothers captive in the basement below.

Alyssa slowly made her way to the front door and out onto the porch. Adam breathed a sigh of relief as Frank released his death hold on him.

He heard Frank whisper in his ear, "When we get out of here, I promise that Cross is all yours little brother."

Adam had to grin, but still could not shake the feeling of helplessness that was still gripping him.

He heard Alyssa join Chuck and car doors shutting. Then the sound of the car became faint as it made its way away from the house.

"I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU! LETTING THAT GIRL IN HERE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Samuel shouted angrily.

"We never had a problem. Besides, that chick was all over me Samuel," Cross said with a snicker. "Here we helped out a couple of people, set them on their way and I got some action."

Frank could only imagine the rage that Adam was feeling right now. Adam just stood there in the darkness, listening attentively.

"Only because no one else would have that cripple," Samuel fired back. "She might be pretty, but she is still a cripple. You had just better hope that they never suspected anything or James will kill us both."

"James will never know that they were even here if you keep your mouth shut," Cross spouted back.

"Easy for you to say, because he just passed their car pulling out of the driveway just now," Samuel said, pointing towards the window. Sure enough, James Cooper was making his way up the long flat driveway.

"As I said, they never suspected a thing," Cross commented.

"Hey, tell it to the boss man, not me!" Samuel reprimanded.

Frank walked over to where Adam was standing and he placed his hand on the younger Kramer’s shoulder.

"I promise to take out Samuel even harder for that comment," Frank said with confidence. "Alyssa is a strong and smart girl. Don’t ever let her go!"

Adam smiled slightly at Frank’s comment. He was once so angry at Frank, for holding him back. But now he realized that Frank only did it to protect Alyssa, not to hurt her. He was using his head… just like Jason. Adam wished more than anything that Jason was there beside him because his heart still ached. He could not get the image of Cross with his hands all over Alyssa out of his mind. No matter how much Frank acted like Jason, there was only one Jason Kramer. However, Adam had a new respect for Frank. He turned around and returned the gesture. "Thanks Frank. Now let’s wait and see what the cavalry brings."

 

Meanwhile, Chuck made his way down the lane. He could tell that Alyssa was troubled, but they were not out of sight of the house yet. Then, just as they rounded out of the driveway, another car was getting ready to turn in. The man glared at Chuck and Alyssa. All Chuck could do was to show him a friendly wave. The man tried to return the gesture, but it was obvious that the driver was not happy at the appearance of Chuck and Alyssa.

As Chuck entered the road and made his way down it. The car was silent. Then, Alyssa moved slowly over to him and put her head on his shoulders. He immediately slammed on the brakes and turned to her.

"What is wrong Alyssa?" he asked, his eyes wide with fear. Alyssa just trembled as she snuggled in closer to him.

"Adam is in there. We need to get help," She said as she hugged Chuck fiercely.

"What is that for?" Chuck asked, taken back by the hug.

"For rescuing me. Please, just keep moving. I will be fine. I will tell you everything as we go. Just keep driving until we get a signal," Alyssa replied softly, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I am fine now. I just need you to hold me right now."

Chuck listened intensively as Alyssa told him about what happened in the house. She reassured him that she was fine and the only thing that mattered was that they knew Adam and Frank were in that basement.

"Why didn’t you level that jerk!" Chuck asked, still pushing the petal all the way to the floor.

"Because I knew that Adam’s life depended on me being calm and playing the part. I did it for Adam," Alyssa softly replied.

Chuck hugged her with his one free arm. He could not imagine how his best friend was holding up after hearing such a conversation. Chuck only hoped that Frank would keep Adam’s anger in check until they could get help.

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 them without express permission of the authors.