So, he'd been warned had he?
Well, we can't have that; Trish frowned as she watched Matt leave the Boars Nest a few moments after Bo.
She knew Bo would head right back to the farm. It was something of a routine. He would be expecting her call later tonight.
She smiled. He hadn't yet missed one of her late night calls; unlike that other loser in Bexar County. She was a woman that demanded absolute devotion from her men. Bo hadn't let her down; though there were times that she was sure he was more interested in the baby than in her. She squeezed her hand into a tight fist. She hated being pregnant, didn't even want the brat. Yet, getting pregnant had proved to be quite useful. After all, it had been the pregnancy that had gotten Bo's attention.
She had made it clear to him that she and the baby were a package deal. After that it had been all plan sailing. She and Bo had settled into a routine that focused greatly on her needs and wants. Bo might not have enjoyed every minute, but he was already in love with his baby, so he would bend to her given will. She got devotion from the man she adored, and he got his daddy dream. Trish smiled. It worked for both of them.
At least, it had been working, until someone had let slip about her actions the night of the party. And now Daisy was snooping to her little hearts delight!
Trish knew that Matt had met Bo tonight to tell him about her 'sordid' past in San Antonio; she also knew that it was Daisy that had asked Matt to talk to him. The fact that Daisy hadn't done the telling herself made Trish smile a little. She had been working hard at eroding the tight bond between Bo and Daisy. Now it seemed she may have been succeeding. After all, why would Daisy ask Matt to talk with Bo when she could have done so herself?
Trish wasn't sure how Bo took the news about her ex, but she knew she could smooth any rough patches over with him. All it took was a phone call telling him that she had had a bad day, she was aching or she thought she'd felt the baby move. Bo would focus on her again, and forget whatever Daisy or Matt was telling him. She laughed out loud.
There was still the problem of Matt and Daisy and their snooping though. Trish's lovely face was scrunched into a scowl as Matt drove away.
Nothing would stop her from having what she wanted.
Even if it meant tearing apart the entire Duke family.
Matt drove home deep in thought.
After his conversation with Bo he tended to agree more with Daisy than before. Matt had seen the look of absolute devotion in his eyes. There was no way that Bo would be easily swayed by anyone close to him; least of all Daisy. He knew that Bo was getting heavily involved in a situation that would probably turn ugly. The last thing he wanted was for Bo to get his heart so involved that it became impossible to break free.
Trish could be the most persuasive person when she needed to be; and Matt agreed with Daisy's assumption that Trish could pull any stunt to ensure keeping Bo in line.
But there was no reasoning with a fool in love. He sighed. He'd done all he could. He wasn't sure what Daisy would do now, but if she did have something up her sleeve, it had better be good.
Matt glanced at his rear view mirror. A set of headlights told him he was cruising a little too slow. He put his foot on the gas and pushed his Dodge a little faster.
He turned his mind back to Bo. If he pushed any further it was bound to ruin their friendship. Bo could be stubborn and hot headed at the best of times, and being with Trish had bought out a different side to him. Knowing he was about to become a daddy had made him more intense, more emotional and even brasher. He'd made it known that Trish and the baby were his priorities, and he wasn't listening to anyone that thought otherwise.
Matt glanced in his rear mirror again. The headlights behind him were now almost at his bumper. 'Some crazy fool in a hurry to get nowhere' he thought, easing his car as far over to the side of the road as he could.
Rather than passing him though, the headlights bore down on him, slamming into the back of his car.
'What the heck?'
Matt fought to control the car against the onslaught of the other driver. The fool was trying to run him off the road!
As he fought the steering wheel while being hit again, he realised the other driver was about to succeed.
One last powerful hit spun his car sideways. He slammed on the brakes in a vain attempt to avoid colliding with a tree. The brakes screamed, dirt spun. He turned the wheel sharply, hitting the tree with the side of his car.
The impact was powerful. His head hit the window, glass rained down on him.
As he looked through eyes covered with blood, he saw the headlights stop, wait, and then drive on.
His last conscious thought was that he had gotten too close. Trish had made the first strike.
"Matt"
The voice was soft, a whisper close to his ear.
"Matt"
He could feel her breath against the side of his face. He frowned against the pain in his head, and focused on the voice.
"Matt, honey, wake up"
No, he wanted to say. Let me dream a little longer.
"Matt Hardy, if you don't open your eyes I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week"
Well that got his attention.
He opened his bruised eyes and squinted against the sudden glare of the light.
A low moan escaped his lips as he turned his head slowly towards the vicinity of the voice.
Daisy.
"How do you feel?"
She had to be kidding.
"Like I got hit by a brick wall"
"Did you get the license number?"
"Of the wall?"
She frowned. "No, of the car that ran you off the road"
Matt looked at her for a moment, recalling the previous night.
"No" he finally said. "But I have a good idea about who was behind the wheel"
Daisy was silent for a long time.
"Matt," she whispered, "I'm so sorry"
He smiled weakly at her.
"What else were we to do? Bo's in over his head. And now we know for sure that Trish will do about anything to have things her way."
"There's no way he's going to believe that Trish is responsible for this Matt"
He sighed.
"I know. And if we try to make him see otherwise, we're only going to push him further into her web"
The friends lapsed into silence, each wondering how best to approach Bo with this new information; both knowing it wasn't going to be easy.
