"What the hell!!" Frank Hardy struggled to get free from mans grip as the car sped along the freeway towards the city. The man let go of Frank saying "Cool it, would you? I’m only doing what I was told"

"What you were told by whom?" asked Frank, looking the man up and down, he must have been at least two inches taller than Frank and was built like a pro wrestler.

Suddenly a familiar voice came from the front of the car.

"What he was told to do by me big brother"

"Joe!" Frank couldn’t believe his ears. He now looked at the driver’s seat of the car and there indeed was a disheveled and grey looking Joe Hardy. Joe looked back at him, but didn’t smile.

"But how did you know..." Frank began and then stopped. "Of course, Dad rang Vanessa" he continued.

"And Ness rang me, I see that super deductive mind of yours is still in working order" There was more than a hint of sarcasm in Joe’s voice.

"And who is your friend, pray tell" asked Frank, turning his attention to the man beside him.

"Jim Rogers, meet Frank Hardy, my big brother" Joe said, never taking his eyes off the road.

"I’d say I’m pleased to meet you, only I don’t really know if I am" Frank looked at the man who had proffered a hand to him.

"Look" Jim spoke, "I’m sorry about that, we had to get you out of the airport before too many people knew that you had arrived, I’m on your side"

Frank smiled and shook the man’s hand before turning his attention to his younger brother who by this stage was negotiating the car into the car-park of a very run-down and seedy looking motel.

"Would you mind telling me what’s going on Joe, PLEASE" Frank wasn’t smiling anymore.

I’m going to Frank, but I’d rather we were out of sight first. The three got out of the car. Joe handed the keys to Jim; the two had a murmured exchange which Frank couldn’t here before Jim got into the passenger seat of the car and took off.

Joe ran his hands through his now too long hair and looked at his brother. "Come on" he said "My rooms this way".

Frank followed Joe into a surprisingly large and airy motel room with twin beds, one of which Joe had obviously slept in, judging by the mass of bedclothes everywhere, the other bed was piled high with papers.

"Sit down" said Joe, "Do you want a soda or a beer or something

Frank walked over to Joe and stood in front of him, very close. "NO I DON’T. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE PLAYING AT."

Frank was angry at his brother’s attitude, at the secrecy, at everything. He stood, staring Joe in the eyes.

Joe sat down suddenly in the only chair in the room. "Ok, look, I’m sorry for taking off all gung ho without telling you"

Frank was going to yell again, but sensed that it would do no good, that Joe was willing to tell him at least part of what was going on."

"I came out here just over three weeks ago. I had been tracking Frazer as much as I could in Bayport, and when I heard he was in the West Coast I headed to LA to see Jake Falucci, but I guess you know that, you’ve been talking to him too I assume?"

Frank nodded, but didn’t say anything, just looked at Joe.

"Well anyhow, Jake told me that Frazer had come out here so I followed him. I rented this motel room because it’s inconspicuous"

"Frazer is out here to meet with the heads of one of the oldest mafia families on the West Coast, apparently he does a line in assassination amongst other things, and this mafia chief wants someone killed."

"Anyhow, Frazer came out to Vegas to find this man and kill him." "The only problem is that he seems to have become invisible since he came into town, I know that he passed through the airport, I saw him on camera, but that’s as much as I know"

Joe raised his head and looked at Frank. Frank thought that he looked ten years older than the last time Frank had seen him. He seemed to have developed worry lines all over his forehead. His eyes were not their usually dazzling blue, but were dulled, probably through lack of sleep. He was unshaven and his clothes looked creased and unkempt.

Frank didn’t say any of this to Joe though; he simply asked "How does Jim Rogers fit into all this?"

"I knew him in college; he saved me from getting beaten up by those thugs on the beach one night when you were out with Callie, do you remember?

Frank did indeed remember Joe telling him the story.

"I knew he had gotten into the security game out here so I looked him up when I came out. He’s a good friend, looks out for me, you know?

"I thought that was my job" Frank said, softly. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud but Joe’s words had hurt him. "He looks out for me"

Joe sighed. I know I’ve pushed you away Frank, but I didn’t know what else to do, how else to handle what happened. I was afraid that if I had stayed around you any longer feeling like I did, that I would have ended up hating you"

"What do you mean feeling like you did?" asked Frank.

Joe stood up and began pacing the room. "Like, I don’t know really, I just couldn’t get your words out of my head, I kept replaying that scene in the forest over and over in my head. I just needed to get away from….from those memories."

"From me you mean" the pain and hurt were evident in Franks voice and they stopped Joe in his tracks.

"Maybe, but not because I hated you, and not forever" He sat back down facing his older brother.

"Then why didn’t you let me know that you were coming out here instead of making me fly back and forth across the country like an idiot?"

"A couple of reasons" Joe said, and smiled at his brother for the first time. "First of all you needed to go home, to realize that no-one thought of you as the big bad wolf"

Frank couldn’t help smiling at this.

"Secondly", Joe continued. "I didn’t want you to come out here because you would only add to my worries"

Frank was about to protest but Joe interrupted him. "Frazer is still after you, Frank, you know that. He doesn’t just give up that easily. It’s you that he wants."