Jack watched as Bo sped away from the farm and saw the older cousin fall to his knees in the dusty gravel. That phone call had done the trick, now all he had to do was wait for the one called Luke to be alone.
He grinned as he thought of the money riding on this race, how pleased the Boss would be when the money came rolling in and all thanks to this local hic who had a wild dream and a money problem with a golden heart and an unwavering loyalty to his family. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly as he thought of how such an insignificant person was making such a huge impact on the organization.
Eventually he saw the two people surrounding the crying young man gently step away, the older one whispering something to him as he stood up and both him and the girl went back into the house. Now was an opportune moment for him to strike and he knew it, with Luke being as upset and vulnerable as he was….but he also knew his family would be watching from the house. He couldn't risk being caught by them…
Luke gingerly got to his feet, looking back at the house with tear laced eyes, sniffing gently before putting his hands to his hips and sighing softly, looking back out over the falling night sky. He wanted to be alone, to be able to think things over. There was no way he was going to let his youngest cousin lose his life, he just couldn't, all he needed was a plan.
With a quick glance back to the farm house, he walked silently over to the fence and swiftly leapt over it, picking his way through the trees and shrubbery of the dense forest that stretched out for miles. There were noises all around him, noises that forcefully reminded him of times he didn't want to remember. But he didn't let them overtake him, he had learnt years ago how to suppress the memories the forest sounds brought.
Eventually, his trek stopped at the Hazzard Lake where he flopped down by the water's edge, one knee raised, his chin resting on it as he looked out over its calming waters. He breathed in deeply, trying to calm his swirling emotions and clear his head so he could think.
He had the proof; he just needed Bo to hear it for himself, needed to show his younger cousin what it was these guys were planning. If Luke couldn't get any physical proof then Bo would never believe him and he wouldn't stand a chance of ever getting him back. He loved his younger cousin; he couldn't just stand by and see him get hurt.
As Bo races away once more from the farm, for good this time, he can't help but think about what his older cousin had said. Luke couldn't still be keeping up this charade. Bo knew that Luke was usually the hero, why couldn't he just let him have his 10 minutes of glory, why couldn't he let Bo take charge of looking after the family for once?
It hurt to think that maybe Luke didn't actually believe he could do this, didn't believe that he had the skill to earn this for his family. After everything they had been through together, after all of the fights and good times, Luke was turning his back on Bo….and that hurt him more than any punch ever could. It felt like Luke had practically torn him in half.
He skidded into the old race way and slid out the General and kicked one of the tyres in frustration and despair before sinking down to sit on the floor, leaning on the abused tyre sobbing. One of the most important people in his life may as well have been dead to him at that moment, he didn't know if he could ever face Luke again after making him feel like this, although another part of him desperately wanted Luke to wrap his strong, secure arms round his shoulders and apologise.
He looked up as he heard scuffling beside him and stood to his feet as Chris walked over. All it took was for Bo to shake his head and Chris wrapped the comforting arm he needed round his shoulders and gently walked him towards a spare camper van, not saying a word.
Luke spent at least an hour and a half at the lake, going through old memories of all the good times that he had had with Bo, thinking about how now that was all going to be thrown away because some jackasses had talked his headstrong younger cousin into a lie about saving his family.
Sometimes he really regretted Bo's desire to make everything better , he was so innocent and so willing to give to anyone who needed it…..his dreams so easily smashed to pieces. He knew Bo would be feeling at least ten times the amount of pain he was feeling at that moment and it made him feel all the worse. Not only had he failed in protecting his younger cousin….but he had also managed to hurt him in a way that he didn't think Bo could ever recover from….not that it mattered….he would be dead soon anyway….
Finally, Luke could hold back no more. He thumped his hand down in the ground and cried out loud, screaming Bo's name up to the sky, cursing him for his golden heart, cursing him for being so naïve, so trustworthy….cursing himself for leaving Bo for some girl at the race track. If he hadn't have been trying to get a date and actually watched his little cousin, none of this would've happened….none of it and they would all be happy.
Eventually his sobs died down and he sat once more quietly, watching the moonlight shimmer gently over the water. There had to be something he could do, it wasn't like him just to give up hope without first trying some sort of plan…he just had to start thinking logically. All he really needed was evidence….hard copies of betting transactions or a recorded conversation….so all he had to do was sneak into the race track and get them.
He jumped to his feet; he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that before. Then again, he thought Bo might have had the common sense to listen to him when he was trying to tell him something important before. He took one last long look out the lake and was about to turn around….when he felt something that felt horribly like the barrel of a gun press into the small of his back.
"That's it….you just raise your hands where I can see 'em and there won't be any reason for you to get hurt."
Luke swallowed and slowly raised his hands above his head, trying to keep his anger and breathing under control. He didn't have time for this, he had to find the evidence and find Bo.
"Look….I ain't got no money on me alright….I really got to go…."
"Oh it's not money we're after….."
He tensed as he heard the gun cock behind him.
"Get on your knees…."
"Sure thing…"
Luke slid slowly down, but when he reached the right height, he swung his arm out sharply and knocked the gun from the guy's hands. He turned round and delivered a sharp punch to the man's jaw, who staggered backwards and fell to his back. Luke was quick to scramble over and pull the guy to his feet, ready to throw another punch his way….until the sharp point of a pocket knife pressed against his stomach.
"I said…..get down on your knees."
Jack watched as Luke swallowed again and slid down to his knees with his hands raised above his head again and grinned, slowly circling him before delivering a hard kick to the side of Luke's ribs.
Luke fell off his knees to the floor, gasping for breath and clutching his chest, breathing in a wince as his arms were wrenched behind his back and he felt the cold metal of handcuffs snapped around his wrists. He struggled as much as he could as the guy rolled him onto his front, but soon stopped as a knee pressed hard into his back, keeping him pinned to the floor, making his bruising ribs scream with pain.
"You ain't gonna…..get away with….with this….my family…"
Jack chuckled as he heard the all too familiar threat. He had done this many a time before and had heard practically every commonly used expression there was.
"Oh yeah, your family will notice your missing and come and find you huh? Well I got news for you Duke….I sincerely hope they do."
The words sent a chill down Luke's spine and he turned his head as much as he could.
"What d'ya mean…."
"Nothin' you need to worry about."
Before Luke could respond, one hand had a grip on the back of his head and the other pressed a rag over his nose and mouth. The combined actions made it impossible for Luke to turn his head away or struggle and the blow to his chest and the pressure on that bruising already made it hard for him to breathe.
He had no choice but to gasp in lungfuls of air through the rag….lungfuls of air through a chloroform soaked rag. He groaned and choked slightly as the foul smelling chemical hit his senses, but there was nothing else he could do. He struggled again underneath the grip, knowing it was pointless.
He only hoped, as he slipped into a black oblivion, that his family would do a better job of looking after Bo than he had done.