- Chapter Seven -

"Over the Edge"

Luke, Jud, and Cooter had left the car behind them, creeping cautiously toward the house through the trees. The thick woods came up close to the mansion, so with a little luck, Luke hoped they would be able to make it to the house unseen.

"When we get close, Cooter, go around back," Jud said in a low voice. "Luke and I will start casing the front of the place. Maybe we can see where they've got Bo." Cooter nodded in agreement and settled his ball cap more firmly on his head. The trio of men separated as they approached the house. Cooter disappeared into the tall landscaping that wound itself around into the backyard.

The three men inspected the house as best as they could; they didn't see anybody in the downstairs rooms, but there was an entire second floor that they couldn't get to.

"You think they've got Bo upstairs?" Luke asked.

"I don't even know if he's here at all," Jud reminded him reluctantly. "It's only a guess. And you know they're not gonna put him in a room where he can get out easily." Luke had to admit that his brother was making sense. He was about to suggest that they try to find Cooter and try to break in when the sound of a door opening made him freeze. He dropped to the ground immediately, hiding beneath the decorative shrubbery beside the house. Jud instantly joined him, and they peered out between the branches with bated breath.

Luke stifled a gasp as he saw a familiar figure emerge from the front door, flanked by Morgan and Hacker. Bo's hands were bound and Hacker was pressing a handgun against the small of his back. They were heading for the car again. The defiant and fearful expression on Bo's face sent a chill down Luke's spine.

He gave Jud a quick glance. "There's only two of 'em," he whispered. "If we move now, we can take 'em." Jud replied with a quick nod. Slowly and silently, the two brothers rose from their hiding spot and moved across the lawn.

"That's far enough, Jud!"

Everybody spun around at the sudden bark coming from the house. Luke's heart dropped to his feet as he saw Clayton standing on the porch. A powerful handgun was cradled in the criminal's palm as he walked forward with slow, confident strides.

Bo had turned around at the same moment. He was astonished, relieved, and alarmed all at once to see Luke and Jud standing behind him. I shoulda known that stubborn cuss wouldn't just sit back an' wait for me to come home. Aw, Luke, you were so close! Just another minute and we coulda busted outta here! Then he looked past his cousin and saw the gloating expression on Clayton's face, and he felt hope die within him. Morgan and Hacker were taking him away to kill him, and unless some miracle happened, Luke was as good as dead.

"I underestimated you, Jud," Clayton began. "That was a stupid thing for me to do. I'm not going to do that again."

"Let Bo and Luke go, Clayton." Jud spoke quietly, but his voice was threatening. "I mean it. This is between you and me."

"They're in too deep now. You dragged them into it, not me." Clayton looked over to Hacker and Morgan, sill standing close behind Bo. "Get him out of here." Before he had finished speaking, the two men had seized Bo's bound arms and hauled him toward the car.

"No!" Luke bolted forward, but skidded to a stop seconds later when Morgan raised his gun. Trapped between Clayton and his henchmen, Luke could only watch helplessly as his best friend was dragged away. Bo fought to free himself, but with his hands tied, the two men easily overpowered him. When Hacker took one hand away to open the door, Bo managed to wrench away from him, but Morgan was right there to catch him and slam him against the car. Luke heard his cousin bite back a pained yelp as he hit the gleaming metal. Before he could recover, the two men had taken hold of him once again and forced him into the back seat of the car.

"Luke!" Bo called out to his cousin and caught one last glimpse of his face before the door slammed shut, locking him inside the dark car once again.

Luke could only stare after them as the car started up and headed for the road. Morgan wasn't speeding. He was taking his time, letting Luke watch him drive away with the knowledge that Bo wasn't going to come back.

When Clayton cleared his throat behind him, Luke slowly turned around…but if Clayton had expected to face a beaten man, he was disappointed. Luke fearlessly drew himself up and frowned darkly as the older man's calculating gaze swept him from head to foot. "So you're Luke Duke," he commented casually. "I should have known Bo was lying. He doesn't look a thing like Jud."

"Where are they taking him?" Luke demanded.

"Bo isn't your concern any more. He behaved very admirably, though. A very self-sacrificing young man." Clayton smirked. "Too bad his efforts were wasted." Luke was only half listening, trying to figure a way out of the situation. Clayton was standing too far away for him to knock the gun from his hand. He was considering just charging the other man when he saw a flicker of movement over Clayton's shoulder. Cooter had seen the whole thing from around the far corner of the house, and he was creeping cautiously up behind the armed criminal.

Stall, Luke, he told himself. "All right—so you kill me," he said. "You think that's gonna sweep this under the rug? You'll blow it wide open…there's a whole county of people lookin' for Bo right now. Some of 'em know your name. When I don't come back, they'll come lookin' for me. You ain't gonna get away with this for long."

"You aren't the first person to say that to me," Clayton replied. "And you won't be the last. Believe me, I know how to shut people up." He shifted his aim and leveled the muzzle of his weapon at Luke's chest, curling his finger around the trigger. "Sorry, Luke. I'd say it's just business…but it's personal now."

Cooter made his move. He covered the remaining ground between himself and Clayton in a split second, and wrapped the gray-haired man in a bear hug from behind as he tackled him. They hit the ground hard and the crack of gunfire echoed through the trees as Clayton's hand clamped around his weapon. The bullet buried itself harmlessly in the dirt. Luke jumped forward to help his friend. Between the two of them, they had him pinned to the ground before another moment had passed.

Luke's brother had scooped up the discarded firearm, and when they hauled Clayton to his feet they saw him hefting it casually in his hand, glaring coldly at the crime boss. "Start talking, Robert," he growled. "Where did they take him?"

"You've made your last mistake, Jud Cane," Clayton said venomously.

"I wouldn't talk about mistakes if I was you," Luke put in, tightening his grip on Clayton's arm. "You're caught dead to rights—an' if you know where they're takin' my cousin, you'll tell us so we can stop 'em. Are you gonna get charged with kidnapping or are you gonna get charged with murder?"

The look Luke received from Clayton was filled with fire, but he could see the first flicker of uncertainty in the other man's eyes. Finally an expression of disgusted defeat settled on his face as his drive for self-preservation won out over his desire for revenge. "They're taking him to the dam," he spat. "But it's too late now. He'll be dead before you get there."

His grim prediction went unheeded. Spurred on by a last burst of hope that they could reach Bo in time, the three friends raced back to Jud's car—but not before taking Clayton to a nearby storage shed and binding his hands and feet securely with a tough length of extension cord. They closed the padlock on the windowless shed as a final safeguard against escape, and then they were burning rubber on the back roads, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.

xxxxx

The road out to the dam was deserted and Morgan took full advantage of it as he ignored the posted speed limit. Bo was sitting as still as he could, slowly working his hands behind him in a vain attempt to loosen the ropes. He wished he could make more effort, but with Hacker sitting right next to him he knew if he moved too much he would be found out.

And he tried to ignore the hollow pain that kept welling up inside of him. For all he knew, Luke was already dead. Clayton would have no reason to keep him around, not even to blackmail Jud; he'd probably just kill Jud, too. They had gambled and they had lost. He wondered where Jesse and Daisy were and what they knew, fighting back the thought that he would never see them again. Oh, no…I ain't gonna give up yet. You can kick a Duke when he's down, but he sure as heck ain't gonna stay there. Y'all ain't beat me yet.

His stomach tightened as he saw the trees thinning up ahead. A long length of chain-link fence came into view, topped with strips of barbed wire. The sedan rolled to a stop in front of a tall gate that was fastened closed with a thick length of chain and a padlock. Bo expected his captors to try and break in, but instead they led him away from the gate and stopped about a hundred yards down the fence. Morgan pulled a small set of pliers out of his pocket and twisted a few links in the fence. Bo saw that the fence had already been cut through, held closed by just twisting the links back together. In just a few seconds, a man-sized hole sprang open with a cold, metallic rattle. The bald man slipped through the space and turned to smile insidiously back at Bo.

"Just like I told you," he said, voice laced with self-satisfaction, "I've done this before."

Bo felt a chill run down his back. He knew if they got him through the fence, his chance of escape would be all but gone. It was now or never. He twisted away from Hacker and ducked, head-butting the other man just below the sternum. Hacker grunted in pain and doubled over, releasing his hold on his prisoner. Bo spun on his heel and turned to run, but a stunning blow from behind made him stumble and he fell to his knees. Morgan had been watching and had slipped through the fence before Bo had been able to take three steps.

Bo squeezed his eyes shut, wincing as pain radiated through his head. Morgan had struck him with his pistol. If Bo had been standing still, it would have rendered him unconscious; but he had been moving away enough so he had just caught a glancing blow. All the same, it hurt enough to stop him in his tracks. Then Hacker had recovered and wrapped an arm around his neck, hauling him roughly to his feet. Bo struggled at first—then he felt the cold edge of a knife blade press against his throat and he stilled instantly.

"We should just kill him now," Hacker said through gritted teeth. "Get this over with and get the hell out of here. Nobody knows to look for him here. Just tie him to a rock and toss him in the lake and they'll never find the body. This lake is too big for them to drag."

"No," Morgan said coldly.

"Clayton's probably already killed Cane and his brother. Who's going to come looking? Let's just get rid of him and get out of here before someone sees us."

"I said no! You've got him now, don't you? Just hold onto him long enough to throw him in."

Hacker let out an irritated snort, but he didn't argue. With his knife still held against Bo's neck, he followed Morgan through the fence and across the field towards the dam.

xxxxx

Luke could see DeFord Dam through the trees. It was out in the country, sitting in the middle of sprawling fields and forests, holding back a large lake. The pale concrete was dry and bare at the top, but several meters down, there was an opening where the lake water spilled through and tumbled down into a wide, swift-flowing riverbed. Then he sat up as if an electric current had run through him. He had caught sight of the gray car parked beneath a cluster of trees beside the fence. He steered the car around a curve in the road so fast that the tires squealed and the back end fishtailed.

"Luke, we ain't gonna get there at all if you smash us up," Jud said, grabbing on to the door.

"I see their car," Luke replied. "Quick, look around and see if you can find Bo."

Cooter squinted and leaned out the window. "Can't say that I—Luke! There they are! Those two goons are already on the dam. I see Bo, but it don't look good from here. Put that pedal through the floorboards, Lucas!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!"

Bo's mind was racing as he was forced out onto access walkway on top of the dam. DeFord Lake stretched smooth and blue-gray off to his left, but the only thing between him and a long, hard drop was a waist-high concrete wall on his right. It was maddening knowing that if he tried hard enough, he could get away—he'd be willing to take a chance and dodge a couple bullets—but the cold knife blade was pressed so tightly against his skin that it was beginning to cut him, and if he fought against it he would slit his own throat. Then he felt Hacker reach down and start fumbling with the rope that bound his hands. His heart began to pound and his lean frame grew tense—this was his last chance to fight. He could be shot, stabbed, drowned…or maybe, just maybe he could escape.

Hacker had just pulled the rope off Bo's arms when the sound of a car engine met his ears. His head whipped around to look back the way he had come. "What the hell…?" He gasped as he saw a car emerge from the trees and tear across the field. "Morgan!" His sudden exclamation caused his companion to spin around, staring in shock at the approaching vehicle. "Dammit—tell me that's not Jud Cane's car."

"Hold on, y'all!" Luke said. He braced himself and crashed into the chain-link gates at sixty miles an hour. The lock snapped on impact and the gates flew open with a ringing crash. He didn't slow down until they were almost at the access walkway to the dam and running out of road. He stomped on the brake and the car slewed around in a half circle as it screeched to a stop. Luke didn't even bother to turn off the engine before he, Jud, and Cooter bailed out and bolted toward the dam.

Morgan's breath hissed between his teeth and face twisted into a snarl as he drew his weapon.

And Hacker's grip on Bo slackened just enough.

Before he could be stopped, Bo lunged backwards against him, throwing the other man off balance. Bo wrapped both hands around Hacker's wrist, forcing it away from his throat and twisting hard. The dark-haired man cursed furiously as pain shot up his arm. His fingers opened reflexively and the knife clattered to the ground. Bo spun around and threw himself against Hacker, sending him stumbling against Morgan. The sound of a gunshot rang out as the bald man misfired, the bullet he had intended for Luke going wide as Bo barreled into him.

Hacker hit the ground, but rolled to his feet almost immediately. He sprang forward and grabbed hold of Bo, dragging him away from Morgan by slinging his heavy arm around the young man's neck yet again. His large hand closed around Bo's left wrist and he jerked his arm behind his back.

Bo let out a strained growl as he fought against the confining grip. "Can't you think of somethin' new to grab?" He rammed his right elbow back against Hacker's ribs, but the other man was too incensed to notice the pain. He was heavier and more muscular than Bo and matched him inch for inch in height, and he used every pound to his advantage as he wrestled his prisoner forward to the wall.

"So long, Duke," he hissed. He gave a violent shove—

Luke felt as if the ground had dropped out from beneath his feet. He skidded to a stop, shocked, and unwilling to believe his eyes.

Bo was gone.