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DANGEROUS
MISTAKES by Lady Emily Chapter 14 |
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The Chapters |
Nancy was
paralyzed with fear, barely able to breathe as Daniel held the blade to
her neck, a fraction of an inch away from slitting her throat. She had
never felt so helpless. She didn't want to look, but she found herself
unable to blink as Daniel held her shoulders with one hand and raised the
knife in the other, ready to stab her to death on her own pristine white
loveseat. Nancy tensed herself for the pain as the knife descended... and
was stopped by the arrival of a third hand. Mad with
fury, Nancy's captor whipped around to face an equally furious Frank
Hardy. Just the sight of him reassured Nancy. She closed her eyes and
leaned back, her heart pounding. She knew she was safe now. Frank's
fist made sharp contact with Daniel's face, sending him staggering
backwards, fighting to regain his balance. Using his other hand, Frank
twisted Daniel's wrist. The knife dropped to the floor and Frank kicked it
out of the way. With a last blow to the face and a push against the wall,
Daniel slumped to the floor, unconscious. Frank briefly considered
wrapping his hands around the pale boy's throat and squeezing, just as
Daniel had done to Nancy, but he needed to make sure she was okay first. Nancy's
eyes remained closed as he bent over her, but before he could say a word,
she smiled faintly. "Took you long enough." Her eyes fluttered
open. "I was beginning to have doubts about whether you would come
through." Frank
smiled weakly at her joke, and then met her gaze and held it as he reached
for the knife and gently began freeing her from the layers of duct tape
binding her wrists and ankles. "Nan..." he whispered, his voice
cracking as he realized how close a call it had been. As soon as
her wrists and ankles and been cut loose, Nancy flung her arms around
Frank and held him tightly. "I'm sorry." she began earnestly. Frank was
bewildered. "For what?" he questioned softly. "For
not returning your calls after you left last year." Nancy explained
into his shoulder. "For not believing in you. For not realizing that
you would never hurt me." Frank
shook his head. She never ceased to amaze him. "I should have told
you about the threats instead of shutting you out. But I was afraid, Nan;
I wanted to protect you." He pulled a clean handkerchief from his
pocket and carefully held it to the bleeding cut on her neck. "Some
protection!" Nancy
pulled out of the hug. "The others. We have to get to them,
quick!" Frank
shook his head. "We don't know where they are." "Lake
Michig-" Nancy began. Frank cut
her off. "But where on Lake Michigan? They could be anywhere. There's
hundreds of miles of coast." Nancy was
dumbfounded. Was he really giving up that easily? Frank gave
her a little smile. "But... Daniel would know where they
are." The pair
turned to Daniel just in time to see him shakily raise a whistle to his
lips and blow three sharp blasts. Nancy turned to Frank in alarm. "A
signal?" Frank
grabbed Daniel by the collar of his shirt. "What was that?" he
growled through clenched teeth. Daniel
gave them a tired but triumphant smile. "Backup." he rasped.
"Any second now." Frank
pressed on the boy's throat, rendering him unconscious, just as they heard
footsteps approaching the house. Without stopping to consult each other,
Nancy and Frank took places by the door. The door
burst open, and Frank lunged. Joe jumped
out of the way. "Hey, take it easy, bro!" Nancy
beamed. "Joe!" "In
the flesh." Joe cracked as Frank pulled him into a hug. "And,
ah, I think I took out the last of them out there." he grinned,
blowing on his knuckles. "Are
Bess and Sam with you?" Nancy questioned anxiously. Joe rubbed
the back of his neck. "Not exactly..." he gave Nancy and Frank a
quick rundown of what had happened since they'd been separated. "Bess
will take care of it." Nancy sighed, sinking into her chair. Thank
God, she thought. This nightmare is finally over. |
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Home Library Authors Rogue's Gallery Vehicles Chums Message Board Rap Sheet Links Contact Disclaimer 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. |
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