Sorry about the wait. Things are pretty hectic at the moment.

---14---

Daisy put down the CB and bit her lip. Her heart ached, heavy with fear at message LB had given her. The road ahead of her blurred and she blinked back the tears. Now wasn't the time to cry.

She stepped on the gas.

It was the time for speed.

---

"I can't let ya through, Jesse." Rosco said.

"This here is Atlanta." Jesse objected. "You ain't got no jurisdiction in Atlanta."

Rosco kneaded his hat, clearly uncomfortable with what Boss had asked him to do. "Even so, Jesse."

Jesse went to push past anyway, but both of them were solid as rocks.

Jesse flared up. "You got no right to interfere in my business and I demand you move outta my way this instant!"

"That's kinda like unstoppable force meetin' immovable object, ain't it?"

---

Luke leaned over the chess game, almost touching the shoulder of the player who was whites. Ricky stiffened, fingers on a pawn. His eyes flickered to his opponent, who was completely, studiously oblivious to Luke's presence. Then he looked at Luke.

"Whatya want?"

"Who made the knife?" His voice was harsh.

"Look, Luke-"

"The knife?" He hissed. "Who made it? Or who smuggled in it here?"

Ricky turned in the chair. "Luke, I like ya. I like ya cousin, too, but that ain't a-"

His words were suddenly bitten off as Luke grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up onto his feet. The pawn slipped from his fingers, knocking other pieces asunder. Despite this, Ricky's opponent didn't ever twitch.

"WHO WAS IT?"

Ricky twisted. "I don't know."

Luke shook him. "That ain't good enough."

"You know I can't tell ya!"

Luke's grip relaxed, just a fraction. That was true of course. The penalties for grassing in here were swift and brutal. "Then who can?" He demanded.

No answer.

Luke backed him against the wall. His chest made of whump sound as the air was driven from his lungs. But Ricky just shook his head.

Luke sighed but didn't back off. He tried another way. "Who do I see if I want a knife?"

"Luke-"

Luke tightened his grip.

Ricky's opponent wandered over, looking Luke up and down. His stance told Luke he had no desire to rescue Ricky or interfere in any way.

"You want a knife, boy?"

Ricky's eyes widened. "Griff," he began.

Griff smiled at Luke. "Step into my parlour, kid." He gestured at the door. "And we'll talk some terms."

---

"JD, you and I both know them two boys don't belong in no city jail!"

"They been trouble since the day they was born!" Boss snapped. "Jail might teach 'em some respect for the law."

"Respect!" Jesse spat out. "How in tarnation is anyone supposed ta have respect fer the law when the likes o' you two is runnin' it!"

A squeal of brakes drowned out Boss' response and they all turned to see Daisy's yellow car slew to a halt. She didn't bother parking, simply flung open the door and ran over.

"Uncle Jesse!" She cried out and suddenly all the tears she'd held back came choking out.

Jesse hurried down the steps to her and hushed her, trying to make sense of the words in between her sobs.

"It's Bo!" She wept. He's been taken to Tri-county."

Fear clutched Jesse's heart. "Is he alright?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. T-There was a fight…Oh Uncle Jesse, he was stabbed."

---

"Pretty much ev'ry prison has someone who can lay their hands on just bout everythin' from tyre irons to curlin' irons…but fer a price. In the City of Altanta, that someone is Griff, an' he's got more debtors owin' than a whole bushels of Hoggs."

Griff stared at Luke, lips twisted, brows drawn down.

"Ain't got nothin' I want, Duke."

"Maybe not now."

"Farmboy ain't ya? So maybe not ever." He smiled. "Sides, I got me enough markers in here."

"Ain't gonna be in here forever." Luke told him. "They ain't gonna owe you nothin' out there. But I'm a Duke, so a debt's a debt, in or out."

Griff chuckled. "You're just askin' fer trouble, ya know that."

Luke shook his head. "Just followin' it through. One lookin' fer trouble is the one who went after my kin."

Griff came up close to Luke, stood toe to toe, eye to eye. Luke didn't flinch, just met the stare with one of his own.

Then he broke into a smile.

"Louis." He said and began walking away. "Louis Canner."

Luke's face changed into a hard mask.

"I have a baaaad feeling about this."