Sorry it's late, but between shopping and the Iron Bowl, I wasn't around a computer all day!
Roll Tide :-)
Tired, everyone went to bed, preparing to wake long before dawn. But Luke knew for a fact he couldn't sleep, not until Rebecca was safe. Although he was just as tired, his mind wouldn't let him rest. So, he quietly left the cozy little house, hoping a walk in the balmy night air would clear his mind.
He knew he was doing the right thing. This was an issue between Thomas and himself. If he could talk Thomas into letting her go, he would go with Thomas in her place.
How he'd get out of Thomas's grip, he didn't know. He'd figure that out later.
Rebecca wouldn't like it. He'd have to leave her with the General on the bridge. She'd probably balk, just as he would if he were in her shoes. He'd have to convince her, too.
Deep in thought, Luke didn't realize where he was heading. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the skeletal frame of the house. His and Rebecca's home.
He reached out and touched one of the boards, still warm from the summer sun. Luke knew there was a strong chance this would not turn out well. But, if anyone had to die, he would rather it be him. His family would understand. They would do the same thing if they were him.
He turned and walked back to the Duke farmhouse, his mind made up. He quietly put the General in neutral and let it coast most of the way to the main road, not wanting to let anyone know what he was doing.
Enos flashed his headlights at him from the side of the road, and Luke fired the General up.
The deputy had agreed to keep quiet about Luke's deception under one condition. He would follow Luke, backing off a safe distance. He would park a mile away in a little cove and keep on eye on what would unfold on the little bridge from the underbrush. If something went wrong, he could at least radio for help.
Luke reluctantly agreed to the plan. He glanced up at the cruiser's headlights in the rearview mirror, actually a little glad he was there.
When they reached Crossfork Road, Enos backed off, his headlights no longer visible.
Luke's heart raced. This was the right thing to do. It was the only thing to do.
Rebecca was startled into wakefulness, a scream in her throat. She had fallen asleep at an uncomfortable angle, and her entire body ached.
It's not a bad dream. It's real.
A dull headache had formed on the side of her head where he hit her, the blood dried on her forehead. She tried to shift against the tight bonds, her legs numb, but couldn't.
Thomas knew what he was doing.
She wondered if it was close to midnight. Since she was at his mercy, all time seemed to run together. She didn't know if it was night or day, or how long she had been here, for that matter. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she had not had anything to eat or drink in God knew how long.
She heard footsteps and held her breath. The door creaked open, and Thomas snatched her up.
"Time to go," he said cheerfully.
Rebecca didn't get a good look at their surroundings before, but when he hauled her to the car, she realized where she was. It was an old abandoned cabin up about a mile outside of town. She had ridden her horse up her one time and found it, far away from the main road.
The last glimpse she got was of Thomas's twisted features as he slammed the trunk lid shut.
Luke was early. He waited in the General, the sound of his pounding heart the only noise. There was no sign of Enos. Good. Maybe he had time to get settled before Thomas arrived.
He had an uneasy feeling he was being set up. Maybe this was a trick, and Thomas would ambush him. He glanced in all his rearview mirrors, but didn't notice anything fishy.
Chiding himself, he instead focused on his surroundings. The bridge wasn't much of a bridge, only maybe 10 feet long, and it spanned a small creek that petered out not far from here. Woods surrounded them on either side, and there wasn't a house for miles.
It was the perfect site for what Thomas had planned, whatever it may be. Luke was sure of that.
Headlights slowly coming down the road startled him. The white car came to a stop on the side of the road, but the bright headlights shined in Luke's face. Thomas didn't bother to turn them off as he emerged from the stolen vehicle.
There was no doubt it was him. He was leaner than Luke remembered, and his hair was much longer than the military buzz cut, but it was most certainly Thomas.
And he was alone.
Luke climbed from the General.
"Nice car," Thomas muttered.
Luke was in no mood for small talk. "Where is she?"
Thomas gave him a sick smile. "Don't worry, Duke. I've got her."
Luke gave him a cold stare. "This is between me and you. No one else has to get hurt."
"I lost 10 years of my life because of you," Thomas sneered, losing some of his cool veneer. "Do you think I'd bargain with you now? I have the upper hand, and I plan to keep it."
Luke was afraid of this. "I'm the one you really want. Just hand her over, and I'll go with you. Nice and quietly." At least until he could get his hands around Thomas's throat.
Thomas studied him closely. He didn't think it would be this easy, Luke actually volunteering to go with him. Not wanting to question his good fortune, he shrugged and turned around.
Luke watched Thomas as he slowly walked to the trunk of the car, even having the nerve to whistle as he unlocked it.
Being in the cramped trunk was almost as uncomfortable as the floor of that closet. Rebecca hunted for something to use as a weapon, but the ever-resourceful Thomas had removed everything, even the spare.
When the car came to a halt, she held her breath. Vague voices drifted through the trunk lid, the sound of footsteps drew closer.
When he opened the trunk, he brandished a knife, and Rebecca struggled the best she could, so sure he was going to slit her throat.
However, all Thomas did was untie her wrists and feet and remove the gag. Rebecca was so surprised, she didn't have time to react when he yanked her up on numb legs, producing a gun from somewhere in his dark coat.
He held it to her jaw as he guided her around the car, the cold metal against her face sending chills down her spine. She struggled to remain calm, grasping desperately at Thomas's solid forearm around her throat.
She was hurt. Hurt and scared. The sight of her terrified face after she had been missing for so long almost made Luke's knees buckle. Without thinking, he took a few steps in their direction.
Thomas pointed the gun at Luke. "Not so fast, Duke. If you want to make this trade-off, we do it my way."
Luke backed off, his hands held in front of him. "Just don't hurt her, OK?"
Thomas didn't make promises he didn't plan to keep. He kept silent. "I'm going to let you go now, girlie girl. I want you to walk. Slowly. Towards him."
Rebecca nodded the best she could, wondering if she could even hold herself on her own two legs.
"OK, Duke. When she gets to the hood of your car, you start walking towards me. Real slow like. No sudden moves."
Rebecca struggled in his grasp. This man was vile, evil. He'd kill Luke. She knew it.
"Try any funny stuff, and I'll shoot him first, then you," he whispered in her ear before letting her go, shoving her towards Luke.
She walked slowly as instructed. Luke was on the other side of the little bridge, and Thomas had parked several feet from it on the opposite side. Her eyes never left Luke's as she focused on not running pell-mell to him.
Luke didn't like it. This was too easy.
Enos admired the eldest Duke for wanting to give himself up to save the woman he loved. Enos didn't doubt for a moment that he'd do the same thing. But, he wasn't going to stand by and watch Luke be hauled off by a crazy man that kills children. So, he brought along a little "security."
The deputy had grabbed all the explosives he could find stored in the cellar of the courthouse. Most of the time, they were only used to blow stumps, but Enos had something else in mind.
He hastily set up the pile of dynamite in a little clearing near the bridge, running the trip wire back a little ways behind a tree. With binoculars, he took stock of what was happening. Thomas had let Rebecca go, thank God.
Enos hoped his little diversion would work. For both their sakes.
Luke wanted to meet her halfway. As long as she was out in the open, she was a target for Thomas. But, all he could do was stand beside the General and watch her slowly make her way towards him as Thomas had instructed.
"OK. That's far enough." Thomas barked.
Rebecca didn't want to stop. So she kept walking.
"I said, stop, girlie girl."
She hadn't gotten very far, just starting to step foot on the little bridge. She shut her eyes, wondering when all this agony was going to end. She opened them to a pained expression on Luke's face.
She was so close!
Thomas's chuckle made her shiver. "You didn't think I was going to let her go that easily, did you?"
Luke realized what Thomas was planning a split second before he pulled the trigger.
Rebecca saw the look of fear on Luke's face. He cried out as she whirled around in time to take both bullets in chest, knocking her to the ground at the edge of the road. She fell in a silent heap near the ditch.
"God, no!" Luke started to go to her, fear pounding through his veins.
"I suggest you stop, Duke, or you're next." Thomas pointed the gun at Luke. He had forgotten how good it felt to shoot someone.
Somehow, Thomas's warning registered in Luke's mind. He stopped, his eyes never leaving Rebecca's still form. She had fallen out of the headlight beams, but he could tell she wasn't moving. All his dreams had shattered the moment those bullets tore through her body. His blood pumped through his ears, almost deafening him.
"When I get my hands on you, Thomas, you are a dead man."
Enos heard the gun shots. He knew they didn't come from Luke. Luke didn't carry a gun.
This was bad. Very bad.
Without stopping to see what had happened, he lit the fuse. It sizzled as it ran across the ground to the dynamite. He took cover behind a tree, his hands over his ears.
