"Okay," Frank replied. "Hey Joe, grab us a soda too."

"The usual?" Joe questioned Frank.

"Yeah, and don't take all night. I know how you are with Eric," Frank stated.

"Yeah, yeah," Joe replied rolling his eyes as he walked into the store.

Just as Joe thought, Eric Wyatt, also a senior at Bayport High was working.

"Hey, man," Eric said as he caught sight of Joe. "Is Frank with you? It's been ages since I've seen your brother."

"Yeah, Mr. Personality is pumping gas," Joe replied with a sly smile.

"Man, Frank's cool,"' Eric stated.

"I know," Joe said. "I got lucky in the big brother department."

"Yeah, the closest thing I have to a big brother is my cousin Robert in New York. We were real close, until last year.  After dad was transferred to Bayport, we lost touch. He's a couple of years older than me. I've heard through the grapevine, that he's in with a really rough bunch," Eric sadly replied.

"Whoa man, I'm sorry," Joe said, realizing just how lucky he was to have a brother like Frank.

"Uh Joe, can I ask a favor?" Eric said sheepishly.

"Sure."

"Could you watch the counter for me? I need to go to the back for a minute, if you know what I mean?"

Realizing Eric must have to go to the bathroom, Joe laughed as he shook his head yes.

"Thanks. You can check out the new security cameras old man Henry had installed. The robbery last month spooked him, and he sank a load of money into the monitors in here and the cameras outside," Eric said, as he headed to the back.

*****

"I can't believe Ben tried to double-cross Mr. Ryland! He had to know what would happen if he got caught," Robert Wyatt mused aloud, seated in his car behind the gas station.

Robert was Eric's cousin from New York. The one time he had visited his cousin in Bayport, Eric had proudly shown Robert the gas station where he worked. Robert thought the isolated gas station would be a perfect place to do what had to be done. It also didn't hurt that he had noticed the place did not have any security. Robert thought this was strange, but then Bayport was a rather small town, compared to New York.

"Look how nervous he is," Ricky said. "He knows he's been caught."

"Well, he's going to get what he deserves!  Nobody betrays Mr. Ryland around me," Kevin said through gritted teeth.

Robert, along with Ricky Morrow and Kevin Lyons were all trying to move up in the ranks of Ryland's organization. Webber Ryland was the leader of a rag-tag group of young men he had "rescued" from the streets. In return for their participation in his illegal activities, he let them live in the guesthouse of his large estate in rural New York. He also provided them with a sizeable salary. It really wasn't all that much, but to these young men who had nothing, it was everything.  They would do anything for Ryland.
Robert Wyatt didn't exactly come from the streets as the others had. He had a loving but very poor family. He had grown restless and tired of living from hand to mouth over the last year, and had joined the group.

Ben Taylor was just as hungry for more than what life had dished out to him. He had secretly been holding back, but one of the higher-ups in the organization had figured it out. Robert and the others had been ordered to take care of the problem.

As the three young men emerged from their car, Kevin said, "There's no need for small talk here, Ben. Mr. Ryland knows what you've been up to."

Ben wanted to run, but he knew he wouldn't get very far, as Kevin and Ricky were now holding him at gunpoint. Ricky was the newest member of the group, and he was very nervous.

Kevin noticed him looking around and asked, "What's your problem, man?"

"Robert, I thought you said this place didn't have any security," Ricky said. "Isn't that a security camera mounted on the building?"

"Oh, man! They must have put that there recently," Robert replied.

"Robert!" Ricky shouted. "You idiot! How could you bring us here? What are we going to do now?

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Kevin began. "Robert, your cousin works here, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Robert questioned.

"Get in there and get those security tapes! Ricky and I will conclude our business with Ben here," Kevin said evilly.

"How am I going to get the tapes? What will I tell Eric?" Robert rattled off the questions in quick succession.

"I don't care how you get them! Just GET them, and if your dear little cousin gets in the way, you know what to do. It's him or us!" Kevin exclaimed.

Kevin cursed out loud. Ben, deciding the ensuing argument might provide his best chance for escape, took off running. But, he wasn't fast enough. Kevin quickly grabbed him by the arm and Ricky followed suit, punching him hard in the stomach. Ben didn't even flinch at the punch; he was in shock, overwhelmed by his fears. He was now certain he was going to die.

*****

Walking behind the counter, Joe couldn't believe his eyes. There were four small black and white monitors. He could see the van and the gas pumps from one. Another gave a view of the entry, while a third displayed an ever-changing view of the inside of the store. It was what Joe saw on the fourth camera that shocked him!

Robert, terrified of what he might have to do to get the tapes, was expertly picking the lock on the back door. He breathed a sigh of relief, when he stepped into the storeroom, thankful that an alarm had not sounded. Seeing a figure approach, he hid behind some boxes. Robert’s eyes widened with fear as he heard his cousin talking to someone, suggesting they check out the security monitors.

Joe kept his eyes glued to the fourth camera, which gave a view of the rear of the store. He could make out two cars, and two men holding a gun on a third man. As Joe stared at the monitors in disbelief, he was unaware of the presence of yet a fourth man. Momentarily shocked by what he was seeing, Joe suddenly realized he had to help the man.

Robert felt his heart start to beat even faster than it already was. ‘Great!’ he thought to himself. What was he going to do now?

There was obviously someone else to deal with now, and whoever it was had undoubtedly just witnessed Ben's murder. He had heard the muffled gunshots seconds ago and was sure the deed was done. When he saw his cousin go in the bathroom, he quickly came out of hiding and locked the bathroom door.

Trying to decide on his next move, he noticed a rather large piece of wood that had broken off of a pallet that held cases of soft drinks. Picking it up, he headed into the store. Sure enough, there was a blonde young man with his back to Robert watching the monitors! He had seen everything! Not wanting to waste any more time, he swung the board at the boy, and watched him crumple to the floor.

‘Now to find the tapes,’ Robert thought to himself. ‘The recorder has to be in the office.’

As he busted through the office door, he was rewarded with the sight of the recorder. He swiftly ripped out the tapes and headed back out front to take care of the witness. He had to protect himself and his new "family" at all costs. As he knelt down next to the prone figure on the floor, he caught sight of a dark-haired man walking towards the entrance.

Realizing he did not have time to take care of his new problem, he reached down, and left with the boy’s wallet and tapes in hand.

As soon as he made it back to his friends, Robert eagerly said, "Let's go!" Ricky was already behind the wheel of Ben's car.

"Did you take care of it?" Kevin asked dryly.

"I got the tapes, but I'm afraid we might have another problem," Robert replied

"What?" Kevin yelled as he drove away with Ricky following close behind.

"My cousin never saw me; I locked him in the bathroom.  But, there was another kid there. He was watching the monitors and saw everything."

"I can't believe this! You took care of him didn't you?" Kevin yelled outraged.

"I knocked him out before he knew I was there, but another guy was coming. I couldn't finish the job, but I will," Robert stated.

"What do you mean? How?" Kevin questioned.

Pulling out a wallet, Robert said, "Because we know who he is and where he lives. His name is Joe Hardy, and he lives right here in Bayport."

*****

Frank sat alone in the van patiently waiting for Joe. Deciding he probably had plenty of time to waste while his younger brother talked with Eric; he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Callie's number.

Callie answered on the second ring. "Hello."

"Hey, Cal," Frank greeted her. "I wanted to make sure you and the girls made it home safely. I was a little worried, since the roads are still wet from the storm."

"Hey, yourself handsome," Callie said softly. We made it home about half an hour ago. "Where are you guys?"

"We decided to go ahead and fuel-up tonight, so we won't have to worry about it in the morning. We're at old man Henry's place."

"How's Joe? Vanessa is worried about him," Callie asked.

"Tell Vanessa Joe is fine. I'll have him call her when he gets back to the van. He went in to pay for the gas, and I think Eric's working tonight. I'll probably have to go in and drag him out. It's already been twenty minutes," Frank replied.

"I'm sure you're right. Could you go in and get him? I think Vanessa really needs to hear his voice right now," Callie stated.

"I will. I love you Callie," Frank said smiling to himself.

"And I love you too," Callie happily replied.

Opening the van door and stepping out, Frank prepared to drag Joe out of the store. He knew Joe would not be happy about his big brother telling him it was time to go, but hoped Joe would understand when he told him about Callie's message.

When he entered the store, Frank was surprised not to find Joe and Eric knee-deep in a football story. In fact, he didn't see them at all. Calling out their names, he thought he heard someone yell, "Get me out of here!"

Heading towards the voice, Frank realized it was Eric. Someone had locked him in the bathroom!

"Eric, it's Frank Hardy, I'll have you out in a minute."

Using his lock picking tools, Frank quickly freed Eric. "How did you get locked in there, and where's Joe?" Frank questioned.

"You mean Joe's not watching the front?" Eric asked confused.

"There's no one out there. When I came in the place was empty," Frank stated as he darted for the front of the store. "Joe?!" Frank called out in a panic. "Joe where are you?"

As Frank approached the counter, he noticed a hand snaking out from behind it!