Chapter Three
Kyle and Troy slipped across the road and onto the Duke's property at 8:57 on the dot.
They had exactly three minutes to get in and secure the kid.
Just as they were about to break in, Troy tapped on Kyle's shoulder.
"Kyle, we got company, lights on the road, headed this way!"
Kyle looked down the road where Cooter's car was coming.
"We hide in the barn till this guy leaves, then we go in." Kyle said as he and Troy headed for the barn.
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Cooter pulled to a stop outside of the farmhouse at exactly 9:00 p.m.
"Thanks fer the lift, Coot." Luke said as he got out and closed the passanger side door.
"No problem, buddyroo." Cooter replied.
He stuck around until Luke was safely inside the farmhouse, before he turned his truck around and headed for home, not knowing that two sinister men were lurking in the barn.
Meanwhile Luke was searching the house for Bo.
He found him in the bedroom, reading a book.
All of the lights in the house were off except for Bo's small lamp, which was shining brightly.
"Hey cuz." Luke greeted as he walked over and sat on Bo's bed.
Bo looked up from the book he was reading and smiled at Luke.
"Hey Luke. Where'd ya go?" Bo asked.
"To town. Was hangin' out with some friends." Luke said, as if he really didn't care.
"Hmm." Bo said as he shrugged his shoulders and turned back to his book.
"What'd you do all day? Please tell me ya didn't stay home!" Luke said.
"No. Went huntin. Caught a deer." Bo said in a bored voice.
"You caught a deer? All by yerself?" Luke asked, slightly disbelieving.
"Yeah. Why's that so hard ta believe?" Bo asked.
"No reason, jus' yer only 12!"
Bo rolled his eyes and sighed. He always knew Luke would do this. Pass judgement on his abilities before Bo had a chance to convince him otherwise.
Luke was about to say something else when someone knocked on the door.
"Wonder who that is." Luke said as he walked to the front door.
"Uncle Jesse?" Bo guessed.
"If it were Uncle Jesse, he wouldn't knock." Luke pointed out as he opened the front door, to get a face full of a pistol.
"Um...hi!" Luke said as he tried to bolt, but Kyle grabbed his shirt collar and stopped him.
"Nice try, kiddo!" He said as he and Troy entered the house.
Bo stood where he was, to frightened to move.
"Boss, thought you said there was only one kid here." Troy said as he tied Luke's wrists behind him, and removed Luke's new pocketknife from it's holster.
"There was! Guess he came in on that truck." Kyle said as he walked over to Bo.
Bo gulped as the man studied him, from head to toe.
"Yeah. He'll do nicely." Kyle muttered as he ruffled Bo's hair.
At the touch, Bo slunk back against the wall.
"No need ta be frightened, kiddo. I ain't gonna hurt ya...much!" Kyle said before he burst out laughing.
Luke, meanwhile, was having enough of this.
It was one thing to tie him up, it was another to frighten his cousin.
With all his detirmination, Luke walked over and stood infront of his cousin.
"You leave Bo alone! If it's a kid you want, take me, but don't you touch ma cousin!" Luke said defieantly.
"Sorry, no can do pal! If we don't find what we want here, we're takin yer cousin, an you can't stop us!" Kyle said as he wrenched Luke away from Bo, to smack against the wall.
"Luke!" Bo called out as he saw Luke impacted the wall and slump to the floor, out like a light.
"Alright. Troy search the place, I'll watch pretty boy here." Kyle said as he grabbed Bo and quickly tied him up before searching him to make sure he didn't carry a pocketknife or any other weapon.
Bo was clean, not carrying anything in his pockets.
"Open yer mouth." Kyle commanded. Not wanting to get hurt, Bo did as he was asked, and seconds later, the man stuffed a wadded up cloth into Bo's mouth, before he tied it off with another cloth.
Troy searched the place, but all he found was forty dollars in a cookie tin.
Kyle sighed. "Forty bucks? That won't even get us to the county line! Alright, take the kid and let's get out'a here."
Bo tried to run, but Kyle never released his hold on Bo's shirt till Troy grabbed him and dragged him outside, with Kyle hot on their heels.
They dragged Bo across the road, towards their pickup truck.
Once there, they opened the truck door and shoved up to the floor on the passanger side, while Kyle got in and held his gun trained on Bo while Troy also got in and started the engine.
"No sudden moves, an you'll live fer a long time, boy!" Kyle said as Troy got the truck moving.
"Where too, Boss?" Troy asked as he left the Duke farm behind.
"Chickasaw. That's where the dealers are, an that's where we'll sell blondie." Kyle replied with a small chuckle.
Bo shivered with fright. He was going to be sold!
How was he ever going to get back to Luke, Daisy and Uncle Jesse again, if for one, Jesse wasn't home, and two, they had no idea where to look!
Who would ever look for him over in Chickasaw?
While the Troy continued to drive, Kyle still held the gun trained on Bo, who was thinking about Luke.
Was Luke ok? Was he even awake after being knocked out?
Bo hoped so, but he didn't think that he was ever going to find out.
