When I hugged Nick I felt like a Judas, betraying my brother with a kiss. I know how things ended for him, maybe I would meet the same fate. I held onto Nick forever, not wanting to let this kid who I have looked after for such a long time, this kid who barely came up to my chest when we first met, this kid who I loved as much as my own blood, go. I was letting Nick walk right into the enemies hands. And I was doing it with a smile.

He pulled away first and gave me one of his smirks. I smiled back but then I had to look away. I kept my eyes down watching the carpet until I heard Howie say "No matter what happens" That brought my eyes back up to Howie, who was hugging Nick as tightly as I had before.

That's when I figured it out, Howie was the twelfth one. He had to be.

AJ stood by my side not realizing all that was at stake. I wish I was that clueless. Right after Nick walked out of the kitchen I walked over to Howie who also had his head down. I put my hand on his shoulder, he looked so torn, so agonized, how could I have not seen it before?

"He got to you too?" I whispered, making sure that even AJ couldn't hear.

"What are you talking about?" Howie asked, before I could answer all of our heads turned towards the direction of the living room where we heard Dave say, "Brian put the gun down!"

Without saying another word we all ran to see what the heck was happening, when I got there I was stunned to see Brian, my cousin who couldn't ever bring himself to hold even a paint ball gun without flinching, holding a real gun aimed right at Dave's chest.

"Brian what are you doing?" Nick asked, visibly shaken by seeing his one time best friend holding a gun aimed at another human.

"Nick, I'm sorry but I can't let you go see Trish. Move away from Dave"

"Brian don't be stupid, put the gun down and we'll talk this through" Dave said, slowly inching his way towards my cousin. I kept my eyes down making sure that Dave was not going for a weapon of his own.

"Dave, I can't let Nick leave with you. He stays here got it?"

"Brian put the gun down" I noticed that Brian's hand was shaking viciously. So did Dave. He took three huge steps towards Brian and grabbed the gun away tackling him and making him fall to the ground. I found myself there trying to pull Dave off of my cousin. Nick and AJ now doing the same thing. Howie ran to the door and motioned for the guards, who were sitting in their car, to come and help.

While my attention was focused on Howie, Dave pushed me off of him with AJ soon following, He stood up also pulling Nick to his feet. This wasn't going to be good. Not good at all. I was hoping the guards would hurry up and get in here but "Howie shut that door now!" Dave commanded now holding the gun that Brian had held earlier right at Howie. Howie shut the door and walked back towards AJ and I. Brian just remained on the floor laying down.

Nick started struggling to break free of Dave's grasp. "Let me go" He said.

"Come on we need to go see Trish now. I am running out of time here!"

"What's with the gun man?" AJ kind of made his way behind me now, for which I was kind of happy. If anyone here took a bullet it would be me.

Upon hearing AJ's question, Dave lowered the gun, "Sorry, I just can't have you guys screwing things up. Nick and I need to go see Trish right now" Dave was still holding Nick by one arm the uneasiness really beginning to show it's way through his demeanor.

"You know...on second thought I don't think I want to go see Trish" Nick said, his voice escalated to near panic.

"It's too late for you to change your mind" then Dave looked up at me, "You think you're the only one that has a big stake in this?"

"What is he talking about Kevin?" Nick asked. I didn't answer him. I couldn't.

"Let's go Nick, it will all be over soon"

Before anyone else could protest Dave was out the door with Nick by his side being pulled along. He looked back at us, traces of confusion etched on his face. As he passed by the police car, I was sure they would get out and ask why it was that Dave was pulling Nick but they didn't even move. Nick got into the van, the same one I had been brought to Joe's with, and then they were gone.

Just like that.

When my attention was turned back to the living room, I noticed that my cousin was balling uncontrollably on the floor. Howie was sitting next to him patting his back, "Brian what's wrong?"

"He's gonna kill her"

I felt my eyes widen. I walked close to him and as he looked up at me I asked, "Kill who?"

"Leigh" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Brian who is going to kill Leigh? You aren't making any sense" AJ said now sitting on the other side of my cousin. Both men looked like they were ready to call a paddy wagon. I however understood completely, what I didn't get was why.

"Joe" I said. AJ and Howie looked at me like I was crazy but Brian only nodded.

Joe watched from the car that was now beginning to have that familiar smell he loved so much. The smell he kind of missed. The smell of death and decay. Dave was running late. At least five minutes behind schedule and that had Joe mildly worried. He couldn't afford to have his plan go up in smoke now. He laughed at his choice of wording. "Up in smoke, been there done that" He said laughing and smacking one of the dead guards on the back.

Just then he saw Dave leaving the house pulling Nick along, looking like it was against his will. That made Joe sit upright but seeing Nick struggle excited him just a touch. He missed seeing his young lamb squirm. He wanted more then anything else to open the car window and let Nick 'accidentally' see him, but that would have ruined the surprise.

Nick would know soon enough what would be waiting for him when he got home.

Once he saw that Dave's van was gone, Joe got out of the car, happy to breath in some fresh air and walked towards the front door of Nick's house. Yup everything was falling nicely into place.

Brian sat up now wiping the tears from his face, "How did you know?" He gained enough composure to ask me. I walked over to the sofa and sat down, "Because he threatened to kill Kristin too" I didn't even try to be soft, I figured the jig was up now. Only a matter of time before our worlds came crashing down.

"What are you guys on?" Howie asked, now I knew he was in the dark about everything. Lucky him.

I ran to the phone to call Kristin, see if she was still alive. Praying to God she was, and a wash of relief flooded me when she was the one who answered the phone, "Kris?"

"Hey baby"

"God, are you alright?" I asked her. Brian had run into the kitchen probably doing the very same thing on his cell phone to Leigh.

"Yeah I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"The guy who had you...he"

"What guy? Kevin are you okay?" It was a trick, a rotten dirty trick. I was just about to say that out loud when the front door opened and in walked Joe.

I wanted to scream into the phone, hurry call the police! Maybe if I had, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. I was silent as he walked towards me, "Tell her you'll call her later" He whispered to me.

"Honey I'll call you back" I said and before she could respond he hung the phone up on us. AJ, Howie and I all stood around staring at him. How was he even in this house? How is this even happening?

"I thought you were dead" Howie's voice sounded like mine when I had encountered Joe earlier. Total shock topped with fear.

"I'm very much alive Howie, but thanks for your concern" Brian came running into the room, "She didn't answer the phone!" He cried. When he saw Joe standing there smiling at him he almost fainted. He wobbled but grasped at a chair easing himself down onto it.

"Aww, were you calling your wife?" I felt goosebumps appearing on my flesh as he walked towards my cousin.

"Did you have her killed?"

"You failed to keep Nick from leaving, you know what that meant" Brian put both of his hands over his head as he bent down and broke into sobs.

"But, you got what you wanted, Nick is going to see Trish" I said, walking over and placed a consoling hand on Brian finding that I couldn't even look at AJ and Howie.

"You're right, But there couldn't be two winners in this game"

"I don't understand" Brian was also trying to figure out what was going on.

"Brian here was supposed to keep Nick home while you were told to make him leave. I basically wanted to see who would be more persuasive to my little lamb. Looks like you won" My cousin and I stared at each other in disbelief.

"And now Leighanne will be killed, care to say goodbye to her?" He asked holding his cell phone out to Brian as he dialed a number.

"You can't please...please don't kill her"

"Yeah it's me....kill her!" Joe said into the phone then silence. He held up the phone so we could all here the two loud cracks that rang out on the other end of the line.

"NOOO!" Brian screamed lunging for Joe, who took two steps back causing Brian to land on the floor.

We had no idea what to do. I had no idea what to do. AJ and Howie just stood in a stunned silence while I walked over to Brian and tried my best to make him feel better. Like that would have been possible. Part of me also felt relieved. That could have been MY wife.

"I don't understand what is happening here. What is happening?" AJ's whole body was trembling.

Joe stepped over Brian, who laid on the floor in a heap of grief, and took a seat on the recliner, "Well, you are in for a show young man. All we are waiting for is our star"