HDA - Where Troubles Melt by Cherylann Rivers Introduction

In disbelief, Joe looked up at Jeremy Wilkins, who had muttered those words. At the same time, he couldn't help but to try and plan some way of helping Vanessa and Iola.

"What?!" Chris Ramses asked in disbelief. "Don't you think it's time for Frank and Joe to watch their girlfriends die?" He asked the second question a bit more rationally than the first, as if trying to hide his surprise at Wilkins' statement.

Frank sucked in his breath, and Joe glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. They both saw it-for some reason, the men weren't on the same page. That could work out to be an advantage, he thought to himself. Then, he also saw why Frank looked confused. The men had referred to Vanessa and Iola as their girlfriends. Where was Callie?!

"Listen, Chris," Wilkins began, still holding onto a terrified Vanessa and Iola, who were both struggling to remain calm. From this distance, Joe saw Iola shaking and Vanessa crying, and he began to feel his own heart break. Not them, he whispered to himself. Let them come after me instead.

"What?" Ramses snapped angrily.

Wilkins smirked, and Joe began to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "We've managed to smuggle out a substantial amount of gold from here as it is. Since we have operatives on the inside, we've managed to evade the police thus far. The last thing we need is to have a messy situation on our hands here. There's a much better idea I have."

Ramses and Smith, holding onto Chet, Joe, and Frank, looked up at him.

"Go on," Smith said calmly.

Joe began to struggle against his captors, but stopped instantly once his arm was twisted painfully behind him. He winced in pain. Vanessa, watching this, cried, "No!" She was instantly pulled back against Wilkins.

"Let her go!" Joe shouted.

"Joe," Frank hissed, "Be quiet! You're not helping."

"Ah, the wise elder brother," Smith said sarcastically.

"Anyway," Wilkins cut in, a maniacal look in his eyes. "Perhaps we should go to plan B. It would be a more fitting ending, don't you think? After all, we mustn't forget that daddy needs evidence of what's been done. We are in Oz, now, remember. Anything can happen." He started to laugh.

After a few moments, Ramses began to smile, as did Smith. The girls remained immobile.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ramses spoke. "Ah, Jeremy. Plan B, I believe, is EXACTLY what should be called for. I'm sorry we didn't think of it earlier. Excellent idea, really. Ready boys?" With that, Wilkins shoved Iola and Vanessa forcefully behind him, and Smith and Ramses each shoved Frank, Joe, and Chet apart from one another. Unable to move, Frank and Joe stared at each other.

"Now!" Ramses continued. He looked into the distance at a figure that Joe could barely make out. He made a subtle nod towards him. In an instant the lights went out.

To Joe Hardy, those moments were of utter panic and confusion. He heard screaming in the distance, and felt sick to his stomach as he recognized the girls' voices. However, in the pitch dark and with his arms restrained tightly behind him, he could do nothing. "No!" he shouted, over and over again. "Leave them alone!" He heard the unmistakable grunting of Chet or his brother somewhere next to him. Never had he felt so completely confused. A fist hit his face and caused him to see stars as he grimaced in pain. With no way to swing back, all he could try to do was to turn the other way.

And then, as quickly as it had come, it was over. The lights flicked on as he heard the voices of the men shouting. Weakly, he looked up, and gasped.

Somehow, someway, Callie Shaw had appeared out of nowhere. Then, Joe saw him-Shelley Butler was holding onto her tightly from behind. She looked terrified. Chet Morton was lying on the ground, apparently unconscious, and Ramses was standing behind Frank, who had blood streaming from his forehead and from the side of his mouth. He looked like he was struggling to focus. Horrified, Joe finally saw Vanessa, crouched down next to Smith. Iola was nowhere in sight.

With a tight smile, Butler met Joe's eyes. "Now, Mr. Hardy, you have a serious decision to make.""

"Where's Iola?!" Joe shouted. He tried to implore Frank to help him as he struggled, but Frank still appeared in pain, and out of sorts, as he stared at Callie in horror.

"We really have very little time, Joe," Butler said evenly as he tightened his grip on Callie. Joe watched Callie struggle to breathe as Butler squeezed her waist with one arm and her throat with the other. She stared coughing as she struggled, but the more she resisted, the tighter his hold became. She started turning blue, unable to make any noise.

"Leave her alone!" Joe begged. "Leave her alone! She didn't do anything; neither did Vanessa and Iola. You want Frank and I, and…"

"Shut up!" Butler hissed. The other men remained, ready to strike. Callie looked like she was about to collapse. "I said you have an important decision to make."

"What?" Joe choked out.

"Who do you want to die with?"

"What?" Joe cried.

"Callie, Iola, or Vanessa?" Ramses picked up on the conversation. The ease with which he asked the question made Joe sick. "Unless you decide, Callie here will die now."

"No," Joe whispered.

"Oh, yes," Smith smiled.

Callie moaned in pain as she began to lose consciousness. Frank, beginning to come around, managed to get out, "Callie!"

"Quiet!" Smith barked, and brought his hand across Frank's ear, causing him to hear buzzing and reel back in pain.

"Frank!" Joe called out, unable to watch his brother in pain.

Frank was hit in the face again, causing him to see double. As he felt himself begin to pass out, he caught one last glimpse of his girlfriend. "Baby…" he managed. He slipped into darkness.

Joe heard it, and gasped. The baby! Oh, God! If Callie died, she'd also lose the baby. As it was, he didn't know how Callie had held up to this point. He had no idea how Callie could keep a healthy child as she was being squeezed so tightly.

"So, Joe," Smith added menacingly. "Do you want to save Callie over there or Vanessa over here? You'll die together with one. The fate of the other will be unimaginable, and you'll never know what becomes of her. Ready?" He cocked a gun at Vanessa's temple. Joe watched her lips tremble.

"You have 10 seconds." Ramses added.

Joe looked at Vanessa, his eyes filling with tears.

"8 seconds."

Joe glanced over at Callie, who was nearly unconscious and a ghastly shade of bluish- white.

"6 seconds."

Looking at Vanessa, she met his eyes, and, surprisingly, gave him a small nod. "The baby," she mouthed, tears streaming down her face.

"4 seconds."

Joe looked at Callie, who was now immobile on the floor. He suddenly knew what he had to do.

" 3 seconds."

Joe turned to Vanessa, and mouthed "I love you," trembling worse than he had in his life.

"2 seconds."

"I know," she mouthed back. "Love you."

"One second, Mr. Hardy."

He heard the gun cock.

"Stop! Stop it! I … I know who I should die with." Joe choked on his on words.

Butler smiled. "Your decision?"

Tears streaming down Joe's face, he could think only of saving two lives versus one. Maybe if he was with her, somehow he could protect that fragile balance and save her.

"Callie," he whispered. "Put me with Callie"

He saw Vanessa nod slightly in agreement and in terror as she was pulled violently away from Joe's sight……

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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 them without express permission of the authors.