"At least he knows we love him," Vanessa replied, hoping to salvage at least a little bit of dignity. "Want some?" she offered as the waiter set a large serving of strawberry shortcake in front of her.

Frank looked at the tempting dessert and considered the offer. He wanted to get upstairs and check on his brother despite Joe’s orders to the contrary, but the mouthwatering confection proved too enticing "Okay, a few bites…then I’ll go check on Joe."

"But he said he wanted to be left alone," Vanessa reminded him.

"And since when has that ever stopped him," Callie teased, as the sound of laughter cleared the air.

*****

Joe was violently spun around and for the first time he was able to see his attacker, immediately recognizing the face from the pictures his father had shown him.

‘NO!’ Joe found himself staring up into the menacing eyes of Craig Rashman.

"My little brother is not going to rot in prison because of you!" Rashman said, his voice dripping with hatred.

Once again, Joe felt the hands of steel wrap around his already sore neck and begin squeezing. Rashman leaned hard into Joe, forcing him to bend over backwards. Joe could feel the waist high railing digging into his lower back.

"You see, this is what real brotherly love is all about. Eliminating the problem completely," he said enjoying the look of pure fear in Joe’s eyes. "Not simply pushing it aside for a while, say into a county jail to await trial…like your brother did." Slowly, Rashman increased the pressure on Joe’s throat, smiling with pleasure at Joe’s now frantic and ineffective attempts to dislodge his hands.

"Your brother should have killed mine when he had the chance. If he did, we wouldn’t even be here right now."

‘Frank! Help me! Please, help me!’ Joe’s mind screamed. He panicked as dots started to swim in front of his eyes.

"He had the chance to protect you – to eliminate the problem permanently and he couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t do it. I would never let someone get away with hurting my little brother like that – ever," he growled, increasing his grip for emphasis.

Leaning even harder into Joe, Rashman pushed him still further back over the rail and Joe could feel his feet start to leave solid ground.

"I will do whatever it takes to protect my little brother – at all costs," Rashman snarled practically shaking Joe like a rag doll. "And that means getting rid of you."

‘The trial is over! He could still go to prison even if you kill me!’ Joe wanted to scream.

"Even your old man couldn’t be bothered to protect you. He could have killed me – he should have. Then none of this would have happened." The giant of a man leaned forward staring deep into Joe’s eyes. "Prison can’t stop us, Hardy, because it’s never over until we’re dead."

Smiling at the stark terror that suddenly appeared on Joe’s face, Rashman lifted him up by the throat. Joe practically dangled in his hands, his toes just barely grazing the ground. Letting go with his right hand, Rashman drew back and let fly with a punch, catching Joe square on the chin and sending him flying back over the rail.

*****

Frank walked through the lobby using the time to decide exactly how he would approach his younger brother. Inserting his keycard into the slot next to the elevator doors he automatically looked up at the letters over the doors, patiently waiting as the car descended the twenty floors to the lobby.

The doors finally swooshed open and Frank stepped inside. As the elevator rose, Frank was once again impressed with the smooth ride feeling as if he weren’t moving at all. The chime sounded announcing he had arrived at the penthouse. Emerging into the hall, Frank approached the doors to the suite card in hand. Unlocking the doors, he entered the dark suite, finally understanding just how tired Joe must have been; he hadn’t even bothered with the lights.

Frank stopped to turn on the lamps on the end tables before continuing down the hall to Joe and Vanessa’s room. He quietly opened the door, not wanting to wake Joe if he was already asleep. Stepping inside he heard an unfamiliar voice and wondered who Joe could possibly be talking to.

‘Must be the television,’ Frank thought noting the absence of light in the room. ‘No light… not even from the TV…’