"So tell me, Hardy, where is your beloved big brother now, when you really need him?"

Rashman’s taunting voice was almost music to Frank’s ears.

‘Joe is alive!’ Glancing at the spot Rashman was focused on, Frank saw a pair of hands clinging desperately to the bottom of the railing that encircled the balcony. He allowed himself a brief moment of relief, quickly realizing he had to act fast or Joe really would be lying on the pavement twenty stories below.

After Craig had unleashed the punch that sent him flying over the railing, Joe had twisted and turned, his hands frantically grabbing for anything solid. He felt the smooth metal of one of the bars on the railing in his right hand, but hadn’t been able to get a good grip and it slipped away. In a final last ditch effort, Joe had blindly lunged out with his left hand and clutched the metal support with a death grip. Slowly his hand slid down, down, down and came crashing to a stop when it made contact with the cement floor at the bottom of the rail, where he now swung precariously from the penthouse balcony.

Despite the adrenaline rush, Joe was already starting to lose his grip. Squeezing his eyes shut, Joe held on for dear life, forcing himself not to look down as Rashman’s words echoed in his head and ripped at his heart. Joe prayed this was one of those times Frank ignored his request for solitude, somehow knowing Joe desperately needed him.

‘Please, Frank…where ARE you…’

Still rooted in the same spot, Frank quickly assessed the situation and realized he had to act fast. If he took the time to summon help, Joe would surely slip – or be pushed – to his death before Frank returned. He would have to subdue Craig Rashman and pull his younger brother to safety on his own. Deciding to use the element of surprise to his own advantage, Frank stepped onto the balcony and responded to the heartless question Rashman had posed to Joe.

"So tell me, Hardy, where is your beloved big brother now, when you really need him?"

"He’s right here." The deep familiar voice floated out from behind Rashman and Joe exhaled with relief. Immediately, the sounds of a struggle ensued, with Joe helpless to do anything but hang on and listen.

Using his martial arts skills and sheer willpower, Frank was able to drive Rashman back. However, once the momentary shock of a third party wore off, Craig Rashman regrouped and Frank rapidly had to switch gears from offense to defense. It took only seconds for Frank to see he was badly outmatched in both size and strength.

Although none of them hit their mark, a flurry of punches forced Frank to retreat until his back was against the railing. As one punch slipped through his upraised arms and connected with his mouth, Frank’s head snapped back painfully.

Taking advantage of Frank’s awkward position, Rashman wrapped his hands around Frank’s throat and squeezed for all he was worth. He had foolishly toyed with Joe moments earlier, allowing enough time for the cavalry to arrive; he wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.

As Frank felt his air supply dwindle to nothing, his eyes widened in momentary surprise at the brute strength Craig Rashman possessed. As Rashman shifted slightly to readjust his grip on Frank’s neck, Frank twisted his head, catching a glimpse of his brother dangling helplessly twenty stories above the street. Watching in horror, he saw Rashman’s foot inadvertently slam into Joe’s right hand. He heard Joe cry out and instinctively let go of the rail, slipping that much closer to death.

‘NO!’ Frank’s mind screamed. His heart stopped until he saw Joe grab the rail with both hands once more.

As Rashman’s hands tightened around his neck, Frank grimly accepted that his original plan – subdue and restrain Craig Rashman until the police arrived – wasn’t going to work. Hearing his brother’s heavy breathing and occasional grunts of effort to simply hold on, Frank knew he had to end things now.

Abandoning his attempts to break free, Frank brought his hands up and clapped Rashman hard on the ears. With a yelp of surprise, Rashman released him, allowing Frank to attack with everything he had. He only hoped it was enough to save both himself and his brother.

From his position, hanging below the floor of the balcony, Joe could see nothing at all of what was going on, but he clearly heard everything. Grunts. Groans. The sound of a fist striking soft, tender flesh. A table was broken into pieces. He heard the sound of breaking glass and a few shards rained down on him.

‘Come on, Frank! You can do it!’ Joe tried to send his brother some encouragement.

Joe heard a gasp and a cry of pain he immediately recognized as Frank. Instinctively, Joe tried to pull himself up to get to his brother, but he was quickly losing all strength and it took everything he had just to hold on.

Suddenly the struggle was right above him, two bodies fighting for control. A foot slammed into Joe’s right hand and with a cry of pain he let go of the rail and felt himself slipping, slipping…

‘Don’t look down! Don’t do it!’ Joe admonished himself. Ignoring the increasingly heavy breathing coming from above, Joe concentrated solely on reattaching his right hand to the support column of the railing and holding on for dear life.

As the fight wore on, Joe knew Frank had to be tiring. Craig Rashman was huge. Bigger than his brother, and for the past several years he’d had plenty of time to work out in the prison gymnasium. Joe realized a long, drawn-out struggle would be to Rashman’s advantage. And Joe was weakening; he knew he couldn’t hold on much longer, waiting for the fight to end.