‘Someone cut him with a knife’ thought Frank to himself, his anger rising as he saw all the painful jagged tears in Joe’s skin. Frank didn’t know how his brother was still alive, surmising that the cuts although obviously painful weren’t that deep.

He noticed however that beads of sweat were rolling down Joe’s face. ‘He's running a fever’ thought Frank. ‘Some of the cuts must be infected’

What scared Frank the most was the look in his brother’s eyes. When faced with grave danger they usually had a look of fierce determination and defiance, a look that told his captors that Joe Hardy wouldn’t go down without a fight.

This look was missing now, however and was replaced with a look that Frank rarely saw in his brother’s eyes, one of fear.

Joe’s sapphire blue eyes looked directly into Franks and as there eyes met Joe started to nod his head as much as the ropes would allow, as if he was trying to tell his brother something

‘What’ thought Frank to himself ‘What is it baby brother, what are you trying to tell me’ Frank tried to look calm, to reassure his brother with a look that things were going to be alright.

Frank looked at Vanessa; she seemed unhurt so far, her long blond hair covering most of the rope around her neck. She wasn’t crying, Frank noted, she was trying to be brave, but he also knew that this was more for Joe’s sake than her own. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears though and her teeth had begun to chatter, which Frank knew was a sign of shock.

"Joe, Vanessa," Frank said aloud. "Don’t worry, I’m going to get you out of there, I promise."

He looked at Arnold Frazer, who was standing just underneath Joe. His green eyes glistened and he had a smile on his face. A long thin scar ran the length of Frazer’s cheek and disappeared into his ear. At first glance he looked like and old man, but in reality he was only in his early forties.

"You’re enjoying this Frazer, aren’t you?" Frank’s voice came across a lot stronger than he actually felt. "Why don’t you stop messing around and tell me what you want for once and for all"

"Frank Hardy, aren’t you even going to say hello? Its been quite a while, I haven’t seen you since you since the day you murdered my only son in cold blood" Frazer walked over to Frank, who was being held fast by Frazer’s men.

He took Franks arm and pinned it behind his back, causing Frank to stumble and fall face first onto the ground. Keeping hold of his arm Frazer put one knee on Frank, and with his other had grabbed Franks hair, jerking his head painfully up.

"Did you think you could just burst I here and rescue them, Frank, DID YOU. Frazer’s voice rose menacingly with each word, and by the end of the sentence he was shouting into Franks ear.

"You like to play the hero Frank, don’t you? Big brother saves little brother and little brother’s girlfriend. Well that’s not going to happen this time Frank. A look of pure hatred came into his Arnold Frazer’s eyes.

Releasing Frank, Frazer stood up and dusted down his black suit. "Boys, why don’t you show Frank here to his new quarters, and give him some new clothes to wear. Then take his clothes, shoes and van as far away from here as you can. I don’t want Daddy and the little friends to find us.

Frank looked at Frazer, how had he known?

"Frank, Frank, Frank. I’m a professional. I knew that you wouldn’t come out here without back-up. Now I don’t know where the microphone or tracking device is but I do know that it has to be somewhere in your clothes. My boys here will take Daddy and his helpers for a little drive.

‘He’s a professional’ thought Frank. ‘Of course he knew, why did I even think that I could get away with it? Stupid Frank stupid’

Two giants of men came out from the side and grabbed Frank, he started to protest but saw Arnold with his foot ready to pull out Joe’s stool from underneath him.

"Ah ah Frank, no fighting now, or poor Joey here gets to swing from this tree.

Frank relented and let himself be walked across the clearing and down into an underground cavern. The cavern was crudely built and lit only with old fashioned lamps. He was forced to undress and given a pair of black trousers and a black sweater to wear. Franks heart sank as he saw his shoes and their inbuilt tracking device leaving in the hands of Frazer’s goons.

They locked Frank into a small cell with a wooden door. The cell had no windows and Frank found himself in total darkness. He sat down with his back to the door put his head in his hands.

‘How did I get myself into this situation, its something Joe would do, not me’ he thought miserably. The difference was that Frank would always be ten steps behind his baby brother, ready to jump in and rescue or defend his brother if necessary.

"You always managed to get out though Joe, don’t you?". Frank said this aloud, trying to combat his fear of the small pitch black dark room. "Even without me you always managed to get out." "Now its up to me"

He was so afraid of what Frazer was going to do. Why was he dragging it out so long, why hadn’t he killed him, Joe and Vanessa already?

Frank shivered. He had an idea that Frazer’s plans went much further than killing. Standing up Frank’s eyes had adjusted to the dark and he walked around the cell looking for a weak spot in the crude mud walls but could find none. Suddenly a thought struck him.

"Joe! Vanessa!" he shouted "Joe, are you in here, can you hear me" "JOE".

There was only silence.

Wherever Joe and Vanessa were they couldn’t hear him. Frank was alone.

Alone with only his thoughts.

‘It’s going to be long night’ he thought to himself.

***

Joe Hardy and Vanessa Bender lay huddled up together in a corner of the room that had become their prison cell. Frazer’s men hadn’t bothered manacling the couple this time; it was as Frazer knew that neither of them had the strength to escape.

‘It’s as if they are giving us one last night together’ thought Joe.

Vanessa lay with her head resting on his shoulder. He had one arm around her he was stroking her hair with the other, trying to calm her. She had cried herself to sleep, and the sound of her sobs almost broke Joe’s heart. He was in so much pain, and lying against the wall didn’t help, but couldn’t bear to let go of her.

‘I’m useless’, he thought, ‘I should be able to get us out.’ But the truth was that he had lost so much blood and was so weak that he couldn’t even stand up without assistance. They had received only a little water, and no food.

‘Where are you Frank" he thought. He needed to talk to his brother, to tell him what Frazer had planned. He had to tell him what to do and why he wanted him to do it. Together the brothers could always find a way out of even the trickiest situation

This was different though. Because Frank was the target and Joe and Vanessa merely the pawns.

Vanessa stirred in Joes arms and shifted her head slightly before resuming her restless slumber. Joe winced and bit his lip to avoid crying out loud, such was the intense pain Vanessa’s unconscious movements made.

He couldn’t ask her to move though. "One of us should sleep, I know I won’t" Joe thought to himself.

‘Especially since…’ Joe thought back to the revelation Vanessa had made the previous night. Her words haunted him and he couldn’t get them out of his mind

He looked down at his sleeping girlfriend and knew that if anything happened to her, he would never live with himself.

‘Frank, whatever you do please don’t let anything happen to Vanessa’

He said this out loud, as if by doing so Frank would somehow hear it.

Then Joe Hardy rested his head on Vanessa’s and silently cried tear of exhaustion and fear. Fear of the inevitable. For the first time in his life, Joe Hardy couldn’t see any possibility of a happy ending