‘A shame he’ll have to be killed,’ he thought as the smile vanished. He felt it a waste to destroy such skill and intelligence no matter whose side it was on. ‘His wife too…counting the girl from the DoD, that makes three bodies.’

Grayson frowned. Unlike others in his field, he detested killing witnesses. It was his firm belief that a body left behind provided a wealth of information – not to mention evidence. He preferred there be no witnesses at all, especially in this case. Fenton and Joe Hardy wouldn’t stop in the search for Frank and Callie’s killers – he was certain of that. He’d have to go into hiding for a while and let the lower level of the organization take the heat for this one. Hopefully, those that were captured would be enough to satisfy the Hardys’ quest for justice.

‘Ross can be sacrificed for the cause, but Carper has the potential to go far,’ he thought, deciding who would be left dangling for the authorities.

Looking at his watch, he saw it was time to contact Frank Hardy with details for the exchange. Gazing around the cabin, he sought out Carper – and frowned. The brightest star in his organization was staring at their hostage. The usual icy look in his eyes had turned to one of concern as he kept a close eye on Callie Hardy. It was obvious, at least to Grayson, that Carper had become protective of the beautiful young woman. When this operation was over, he’d have to have a long talk with Carper, and he hoped Carper would give him the answers he wanted to hear. Clearing his throat, he got Carper’s attention. With a curt nod, he let the man know it was time to make the call…

*****

Frank picked up the phone and pressed a button, lifting it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Do you have the disc?"

Frank recognized the voice as belonging to Carper. "Yes, where do you want to make the exchange?" he responded.

"Not so fast. Your visitor hasn't left yet and neither have your brother or his fiancée. You didn't recruit them to help, did you?" Carper asked warily.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid? We're talking about Callie's life!" Frank said angrily. "My brother is moving a little slow today thanks to you and your partner. He'll be leaving shortly and taking Vanessa with him. And my visitor had to be told about your 'request', didn't he? Otherwise, how could I possibly convince him to give me what I needed?" Frank mentally crossed his fingers hoping he sounded convincing.

"So why is he still there?"

"To make sure you didn't try and double-cross me, or make any more demands," Frank said curtly.

"I suppose I'll have to take your word for that." Frank heard a sigh before Carper began to speak again. "Go to Windows restaurant. Take the cable car to the top of the overlook; Ross and I will be waiting there. You'll give me the disc, which I will take to my superiors. Ross will keep you and your wife company while I’m gone. Once we have verified the disc is authentic, I’ll contact Ross and he will release you and your wife. You’ll both be free to go," Carper explained.

"I want to talk to her," Frank demanded. He heard the phone being passed and then Callie's voice.

"Frank? How are you?" she asked, concern in every word.

'She's been kidnapped and threatened with death and she wants to know how I'm doing,' Frank thought as he attempted to speak over the lump in his throat.

"I'm fine, Babe. Are you all right?"

"Mm-hmm," Callie replied. "And I'll be even better once we're back together."

"Soon, very soon...I promise," Frank replied.

"I love you," Callie said softly as the phone was taken away.

"See, she's fine, just like I promised," Carper said. "And as long as you do as you're told, the two of you will walk away from Windows together. Be there in ninety minutes."

Before Frank could reply, the call was ended. He turned towards Joe and Gray.

"An hour and a half at the overlook at Windows restaurant," he said somberly.

"What?!" Joe exclaimed, jumping up and wincing as he did so.

Frank walked to his brother’s side and looked Joe in the eyes. "Are you sure you’re up for this? I don’t want you hurt any worse than you already are. Gray has plenty of reinforcements-" Frank stopped mid-sentence as Joe held up his hand.

"I was mildly irritated when they kidnapped me. I was really annoyed when they strung me up like a piñata and used me for a punching bag, and I was just plain pissed off when they tried to shish-kebob us, but then they grabbed Callie," Joe stated, getting more agitated as he went on. "They crossed the line when they snatched my sister-in-law…now it’s time for payback," he finished, his blue eyes burning with a need for revenge.

Frank bit back a smile at Joe’s colorful recounting of events. He also felt a rush of pride at Joe’s obvious protectiveness of Callie. ‘They’ve come a long way…’ he thought.

"Now that we’ve got that question answered, I suggest we formulate a plan," Gray said dryly. "We don’t have much time to get organized."

"Right," Frank agreed and then looked from Joe to Vanessa. "But you two have to leave – soon."

"Hey!" Joe protested, thinking Frank was trying to keep him from participating in the rescue. "I’m fine and I’m not being left out of this!"

"Nobody said you would be," Frank replied. "I just meant they have someone watching the cabin and Carper made sure to point out to me that you and Vanessa were still here. He point blank asked me if I recruited you to help."

"And you were able to answer honestly, since I volunteered," Joe smiled.

"Right, but we need to figure out where you and Vanessa will fit into the operation so you can leave. Personally, I’d like you to stay at the bottom in case something goes wrong," Frank said vaguely, knowing Joe would understand his meaning. "If it goes bad, I know you’ll make sure they’re caught."

"Absolutely," Joe said soberly. "But it won’t go bad."

"Joe and Vanessa can take a position just outside the restaurant," Gray began. "They’ll easily blend in with the crowds and won’t be noticed. Especially since they are about to leave for the lodge and pick up the snowmobile they rented for the afternoon," he finished with a smile.

"Nice plan, but we don’t have a snowmobile reserved for this afternoon," Joe stated.

"Of course you do. I just made your reservation while you were busy arguing with your brother."

"We were discussing, not arguing," Joe corrected him. "And…thanks…for the rental."

"No problem," Gray brushed off the thanks, as he quickly became all business again. "I’ll station some agents at the top of the outlook, in the cable cars and at the restaurant. No matter how many people they’ve brought in to help, we’ll still have them covered."

"That’s assuming Carper doesn’t take the disc too far for verification," Frank reminded them.

"He can’t. By the time this all goes down they’ll have to move quickly. The cable cars stop running before dusk, so they need to have it all wrapped up before then," Gray surmised. Standing he picked up his coat and headed for the door. "I suggest you two leave immediately," he said to Joe and Vanessa. "Frank…I’ll be with the agents up top," he finished, disappearing out the door.

*****

Grayson emerged from the car and motioned for Carper and Ross to join him. He scanned the parking lot and surrounding areas as he reviewed the plan one last time.

"You’ll take Mrs. Hardy to the top of the outlook. Her husband should be arriving shortly after you get there. Get the disc from him and bring it to me in the restaurant," he said, looking directly at Carper for a moment. "Ross, you’ll stay with Hardy and his wife. As soon as I have looked over the disc and I’m satisfied it’s authentic, we’ll call you. When you get the call, simply walk away and leave them there. I want them to think they’ve been freed."

"And if the disc is a fake, I wait for reinforcements and we bring them back down. We dispose of them and go after the brother," Ross finished.

"Very good," Grayson smiled thinly, pleased that this time the plan would come off without a hitch. The operative who had been watching the Hardys’ cabin had reported in when Arthur Gray left and again when Joe Hardy and his fiancée hiked to the lodge and picked up a snowmobile. "Gentleman," he bowed his head slightly and strode towards the restaurant.

*****

Callie pulled the new coat tighter around her as her eyes darted about the platform. Wedged tightly between Carper and Ross, she couldn’t escape even if she wanted to. The coat Carper had brought her was a few sizes too big, allowing cold air to penetrate straight through to her bones. She shivered, partly from the cold and partly from the fact that she didn’t recognize anyone else in the jumble of people who were milling about the overlook.

Callie hadn’t expected to see her husband just yet, knowing whatever he had planned would look like he was following their instructions to the letter. She had at least hoped to see Joe or even Vanessa among the tourists gazing out at the breathtaking scenery, letting her know Frank had some assistance. As yet another cable car docked and the doors whooshed open, Callie watched the people who were getting off anxiously. Her heart soared when she saw Frank emerge from the crowd and then plummeted just as quickly when she realized he was alone. Where was Joe? Had Frank really kept everything from him? She had no time to think as Frank approached and stopped directly in front of them.

Instinctively, Callie started to reach out for him when Carper stepped in front of her. Silently, he held out his hand, palm up, staring at Frank. Without at word, Frank slipped something out of his pocket and turned it over to Carper.

"Wait here," Carper instructed Frank. "And don’t try and be a hero or your wife – and probably a few innocent tourists – will die."

"Can I at least hold her?" Frank replied, somewhat sarcastically.

Callie wasn’t sure but she thought Carper flinched at the thought. "I suppose, but my partner will be watching your every move."

Seconds later, Callie felt herself being swept up in Frank’s arms. She threw her arms around his neck as her eyes began to tear.

"Shhhh, it’s okay, Baby," Frank murmured softly as she choked back a sob. Now that she was back in his arms, her resolve to be strong was starting to slip. "Everything will be fine…trust me."

‘He’s not alone!’ Callie thought, elated. Before she could enjoy the warmth of being so close to Frank, she suddenly felt herself being roughly pulled back.

"Enough with the cuddling," Ross said curtly. "Just stand here and enjoy the view."

Callie heard a low growl from her husband, but he remained silent. Seconds later she felt Frank’s arm around her waist and she snuggled close to him. She wasn’t sure how long they stood together like that, but soon a low chirp sounded from next to her. She and Frank watched as Ross pulled a cell phone from his pocket.

"Yes?" he said into the small mouthpiece. "Okay, I’m on my way." Turning to Frank and Callie, he smiled a smile that made Callie shiver.

"Looks like you were able to follow instructions this time, Hardy. I’ll be on my way. Wait five minutes and then you can leave."

As Ross turned to go, Callie saw Frank give the slightest nod of his head. Men suddenly converged on them from all directions and within seconds pandemonium reigned. She was roughly shoved aside and stumbled, falling to her knees and landing heavily against the railing that prevented tourists from getting too close to the edge. She heard swearing, screaming and shouts of "POLICE!" and "FBI!". Looking up she saw Frank reaching down for her. Extending her arms towards him, she saw a movement behind him and her heart stopped.

Apparently Ross realized he was about to be caught and wasn’t going down without a fight. Grabbing Frank’s collar, Ross pulled him up. Callie was sure Ross intended to use him as a shield and was shocked when Ross grabbed Frank’s arm instead. With a whip-like movement, Ross threw Frank towards the railing giving him a hard shove, momentarily confusing the agents surrounding him. Seeing his opportunity, Ross barreled through the crowd and squeezed through the closing doors of the only cable car in view with police and Federal agents in hot pursuit. Only Callie’s eyes remained on her husband as a scream tore from her throat.

"FRANK!!!!"

She watched in disbelief as the momentum of Ross’s shove carried Frank up and over the safety railing towards the gaping valley below. Scrambling to her feet, Callie blindly grabbed for him. Relief flooded through her as her hands closed around Frank’s forearm. It lasted only a few short seconds as Callie felt herself slowly being pulled forward. Lacking the upper body strength necessary to hold Frank’s dead weight, Callie realized he was pulling both of them to their deaths.

"Callie, let me go!" Frank yelled, knowing she was dangerously close to plunging over the rail herself.

‘Never!’ Callie promised herself, clutching Frank’s arm even tighter.