Author's Note: Thank you, faithful reviewers! You keep me writing! Finally, here is the action. Rated T for violence. Don't forget to review at the end! Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Ultimatum

Later that night Bo, Luke, Cindy, and Brenda were all sitting around the kitchen table, finishing up a delicious ham and cabbage crock-pot meal the pastor's wife had brought over for them shortly after the funeral.

Luke was pleased to see Bo acting like himself again; joking, laughing, and flashing that snake charming, ice-melting grin that Luke was so used to. It was like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, and his lighthearted banter helped ease some of Brenda and Cindy's grief. The blanket of tension that had encompassed the Wheeler house for the past two days seemed to have lifted, if only for a short while.

Despite the good meal and hearty conversation going on around him, Luke couldn't concentrate. He couldn't stop thinking about those two businessmen at the church. Every time their image came to his mind, his heart filled with dread.

"Hey Bo, lemme see that business card," he said suddenly. Bo obliged, sliding the rectangular paper out of his shirt pocket and handing it to his cousin.

"What's wrong?" he asked, watching Luke's eyebrows furrow into a frown.

"Just like I thought. This card ain't legit."

"What?" Bo snatched it from Luke's grasp, bending his head down to examine it.

"Lookee there," Luke pointed. "There ain't no address; no fax."

"So? There's a phone number." Luke shook his head.

"These guys said they was lawyers, which means they gotta work at some professional firm 'round here."

"Well it says, 'Fowler and Weston, Attorneys at Law'," Bo read, giving Luke a confused frown.

"You ever heard of 'em?" Luke asked Brenda.

"Never. An' I've lived here my whole life."

"Maybe they're new," suggested Cindy.

"Yeah, but they'd have to have an address—this thing don't even look official," Luke insisted.

"Well, what did these lawyers want, anyway?" inquired Brenda as she gathered dishes to put in the sink.

"They was askin' me if Robbie had a will. I told 'em no, an' that was it," Bo answered. Neither Duke boy saw her eyes widen in shock and fear as she rinsed the dishes in the sink, her back turned toward them.

"Yeah, you told 'em no, an' they didn't seem to like that answer," Luke said grimly.

"What're you sayin', Luke?"

"I'm sayin' I don't think those guys were real lawyers."

"Well, there's one way to find out," Cindy cut in. "You call that number and I'll look up the firm in the yellow pages."

"Right," Luke grabbed up the business card and headed to the phone. The others waited anxiously as he dialed, then waited as the line rang...and rang...and rang. Finally he hung up. "No answer."

"And I can't find 'Fowler and Weston' in the yellow pages," Cindy said, setting the phone book on the table and closing it.

"So now what?" asked Bo.

"I...dunno."

Balladeer: Uh-oh. Time to sell my chicken farm. 'Ole Luke done finally not know somethin'. Last time he admitted to not knowin' somethin', the sky practically fell down. Actually, it was a tornado, but it sounds better with a little exaggeration.

"Um...I got something I got to say," Brenda said slowly, sitting down at the end of the table. All eyes were on her as she struggled to get her words out through stammering lips.

"One thing I didn't tell you about Robbie...he uh, he...gambled. A lot. More than most men, I suppose. And he...probably lost a ton of money..."

"Probably?" Luke repeated, forcing her to be brutally honest.

"Well...he told me he'd had some trouble with these two guys...he lost...a lot."

"How much?" Cindy prompted. Brenda squeezed her eyes shut as she said the amount.

"Fifty Thousand dollars."

"Fifty Thousand dollars!" Bo exclaimed.

"Holy smoke," Luke echoed, running a hand through his hair. He exhaled loudly. "Tell me he paid it back," he said in a pleading voice, but he knew better.

"He died penniless. So far in debt he had creditors breathing down his neck 'til the day he died," Brenda said dourly. Then the reality of what Luke was saying hit her. "Are you insinuating...?"

"Did you know any of the people he gambled with? Did they know you?" Luke asked intently.

"Yes, some. But surely you don't think that they'd..."

"For Fifty grand? You can bet your life they would," Luke's voice was rough with anxiousness and anger.

"Wait. Are you saying that those two businessmen you met at the church were really gamblers who are lookin' to get their money back?" Cindy asked.

Balladeer: That girl catches on fast.

"It's possible. An' if that is who they are, then Bo's in big trouble."

"Why me?" Bo asked, suddenly frightened by the worry in Luke's eyes.

"'Cause you're the next of kin. That's why they asked if you had a will. They think you got the money."

"Well, I'll just have to explain to 'em that I don't got the money."

"Oh, that'll go over real well," Luke said sarcastically.

"Well, what m'I supposed to do!" Bo's voice squeaked like it usually did when he was nervous or afraid.

"Now just hold on, here. Nobody's got to jump to conclusion's here, all right? We've all had a long day, an' I for one, have to go to work tomorrow. We can't do anything about Luke's hunch," Cindy emphasized the word 'hunch' as if she didn't believe him. "Until tomorrow. When it's daylight. Until then, I want y'all to get to bed." She leaned over and kissed Brenda on the cheek. "I'll drop by after work tomorrow. Call me if there's trouble, 'kay? An' I better not find anybody sleeping on that couch tomorrow, either. Y'all got beds for that," She called, winking at Bo as she walked out the door.

And then there were three.

"Well. Guess she's right. Ain't nothin' we can do now," Luke said quietly.

"I'm sorry, boys. I didn't mean for you to walk into all this mess," Brenda apologized.

"Aw, s'okay, Brenda," Bo chuckled slightly. "Trouble is me an' Luke's specialty." She smiled, then sighed.

"I'm going to bed. You boys don't stay up too late, ya hear? You'll need to be alert for tomorrow so we can figure out what's going on."

"Yes ma'am," the boys agreed simultaneously, watching as she headed to her bedroom in the back first floor of the house.

"We'd best call Jesse," Luke said after a short silence.

"Duke residence."

"Uncle Jesse?"

"Bo! How're ya doin', son?"

"I'm doin' fine, uh...how're you?" Bo ducked as Luke went to cuff him in the head. He'd told him to act natural. Askin' how Uncle Jesse was doin' was not natural.

"We're good, we're good. We was wonderin' when ya'd call. It's near ten o'clock, don't you boys ever sleep?"

"Uh, yeah, we was just headin' to bed after we talk to you." Bo paused, not knowing what to say. Why did Luke make him do the talking? "How's Daisy?" Luke went to slap him again, and this time Jesse heard the scuffle through the phone. He paused; knowing something was wrong, but not knowing what.

"Bo? Daisy's just fine. We miss ya. Ya sure you boys is okay?"

"Yessir, Uncle Jesse, we're fine as wine," Bo said nervously. Luke groaned. It was hopeless. Obviously Bo didn't know how to act natural.

"Uh-huh. You sure there's nothin' you ain't tellin' me?"

"No sir," Bo answered quickly, then found his escape. "Hey, Luke wants to talk to ya, here he is!" He fumbled the receiver into Luke's protesting hands, then shrugged and stepped away. Lying to Uncle Jesse was not his specialty.

"Hey, Uncle Jesse," Luke greeted in a friendly voice. He wasn't prepared for the response.

"Lukas Duke, you better start spillin' the beans right now! I know your a-hidin' somethin' from me an' ya know I hate bein' in the dark! If you don't tell me what's goin' on right now, I'll drive over there to Savannah an' tan both your hides right over my knee! An' I can do it, too!"

"Uh...hold on Uncle Jesse, lemme get my thoughts straight." Luke sighed. "Okay, there're these guys..." So Luke told Jesse what had transpired in the past 24 hours, ignoring taunting glares from Bo across the room.

"So what're you gonna do?"

"We don't know yet. We weren't gonna plan nothin' 'til daylight."

"Well, you just remember to be careful, an' watch out for Bo. We love ya, an' we'll be a-prayin' for ya. Keep in touch."

"Will do. Love you, Uncle Jesse. Bye." Luke hung up and slumped against the wall. He turned to Bo in mock anger.

"If you ever do that to me again I'll give you a whuppin' ya won't ever forget." Bo smiled innocently.

"All I did was act natural, just like ya told me. You was the one who told Jesse everythin'." Luke shook his head.

"I know, an' I'll never hear the end of it, will I? Come on, I'm beat. Let's get to bed." Bo chuckled and followed him up the steps. Both boys oblivious to the two familiar-looking men in a car out front, justwaiting for the last house light to flicker off.

"That's it. It's all dark. Let's go," said Tom Weston as he reached for the door handle of the battered four-door car.

"Wait, you idiot! We gotta make sure they're asleep. Give 'em an hour," Jake Fowler replied irritably.

One hour later they quietly stepped out onto the street and made their way over to the side of the Wheeler house.

"Here, put this on," Jake ordered, handing Tom a black ski mask. He put one on as well, and then they pulled out a crowbar and screwdriver and began to shimmy open the living room window. Once done, they stepped inside and headed straight for Brenda's back room like they owned the place.

Brenda awoke with a jerk as a cold hand clamped over her mouth. In the dark, she couldn't see who it belonged to, but the voice chilled her to the bone.

"Don't scream." She was roughly rolled onto her side and felt her hands being tied behind her.

Whimpering, she asked, "What do you want?"

"Tell us where the boys are sleepin'," the man who'd covered her mouth demanded. She pursed her lips and lied.

"They aren't here. They're at a hotel." She winced as the man behind her violently tightened the ropes against her wrists.

"Don't lie, lady. It'll only make it worse," he hissed by her ear.

"Where's your daughter, Brenda?" the first man asked casually. "She still work at Big Mama's?"

"You...you leave her alone!" Brenda whispered frantically, unable to fight the man who was now tying her ankles together.

"Where are the Duke boys?" the man demanded. "Tell me and I promise not go near little Cindy-Lou."

"They're...t-they're upstairs..." she was silenced as a tight handkerchief was pulled around her mouth. Then men exited quickly, and she was left with her guilty tears.

Balladeer: Don't ya just hate ultimatums? Either way, ya lose. Recognize those baddies? Uh-huh. Wake up boys, trouble's comin' with a capital 'T'.

Jake and Tom stealthily made their way upstairs and crept to the guestroom where the boys slept, unaware of the coming danger.

Luke, whose futon was closest to the door, was the first approached, waking up violently to a hand clamped tightly over his mouth and a cold object pressed into his side.

"Don't move or blondie dies," he said in a menacing voice. Luke raised his hands in surrender, glancing over across the room where Bo was being awakened in the same manner. A light was flicked on, illuminating the intruders, who were tall men in black ski masks.

"What do ya want with us?" Bo demanded angrily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Only what's rightfully ours, that bein' the 50 grand your old man took from us." The boys looked at each other in shock, suddenly fully alert. Luke had been right!

"We don't got it," Luke said sternly. The first man pulled his handgun into plain view and the other followed suit.

"You ain't even Robbie's son, so shut it!" Tom growled.

"You leave him outta this, then," Bo said defiantly. He refused to flinch when Jake went over and pressed the barrel of the pistol right in his chest.

"You ain't makin' the rules, hayseed. Now. Where's the money?"

"I told ya I don't got it," Bo insisted, hating how his voice sounded like a whine.

"Hey, Jake, maybe he wasn't lyin' about that will," Tom called from across the room. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Luke's brain as he realized who the intruders were. He kept it to himself, though, for now, and wondered if Bo recognized them.

"It don't matter. I'm gonna have that money, one way or another,"Jake glared at Bo, then flicked his arm up and fired the gun right next tothe boy'sear. Bo cried out in pain, clutching the side of his head and falling sideways ontothe floor.

A hollow 'thud' sounded as the bullet got stuck in the wall, and Jake lifted his head up and screamed at the top of his lungs. "WHERE IS IT!"

"I toldya...I don't know!" Bo shouted, grimacing at the throbbing pain in his ear. He pulled his hand away, and was surprised to see blood. He'd ruptured his eardrum.

"He doesn't have the money, how many times do we gotta tell ya!" Luke yelled, jumping to his feet. Before he could reach Bo's side though, Tom slammed the butt of his pistol on the back of Luke's head, watching with a dry smile as he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Balladeer: I don't know 'bout y'all, but I'd be hidin' under the covers 'til this thing's over. Them boys mean business.

TBC...