"Alright now, Cooter make sure you wait for my signal, no matter what happens here you and everyone else waits, got it?"
"Alright Buddy Roe, but you be careful right. Having Bo in Tri County was bad enough."
"I know…just keep a close eye and ear out."
"I'll keep my ears peeled and my eyes open. I'm gone."
Tears pricked softly at Bo's eyes as he lay on the couch of the living room; listening to the CB he requested Uncle Jesse leave on for him. He had tried earlier to wiggle the toes of his right foot, the one that wasn't covered with a layer of white, but the realization that he really couldn't move anything below his waist hit him.
In the hospital it had sounded so crazy that he didn't really believe it, he was sure that the awful sensation of not being able to feel his legs was just a side effect of the drugs they had been giving him. When the doctor had told him that that feeling may be permanent, he still couldn't believe it. At first he had asked if it was just a really cruel joke. Even when he was sobbing into the safety of the soft folds in Luke's blue checked shirt he still couldn't get his head round that fact.
But now that he had time to himself, now that he realised exactly how much danger Luke was putting himself in to get back at the two men who had done this, he felt truly vulnerable and helpless. He needed Luke to be able to get through this; Luke had promised that he would return and that he would get Bo back on his feet again. He trusted Luke with his life…he just didn't trust Luke with his own and as he listened again to the plan crackling over the private frequency on the CB, his heart skipped beats and his mouth ran dry…and an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.
Luke stood in the middle of the forest clearing, leaning on Dixie as every snap of a twig sent jolts of surprise coursing through his spine and every rustle of leaves caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. He glanced at his watch and reached over to flip the CB channel to the Hazzard net, pressing the button of the handset and lodging it firmly between the gear stick and the edge of the seat, the speaker facing outwards so it could pick up the conversation.
He jumped as the sound of approaching footsteps and hushed voices came though the trees and leant casually against Dixie's hood as Ronnie and Nigel stepped into view. The smirk on the two men's faces was enough to make Luke's blood boil, even thought he kept his calm and serious composure. He stepped slightly away from the car, hands curled into fists at his side.
Nigel and Ronny carried on walking towards Luke, seeing he wasn't armed with anything, not even the trademark pocket knife that they had seen both him and Bo wearing before. They smirked as they saw his hands clench into fists and stopped just a little way away from him.
"Well, well, well. Luke Duke. We wondered how long it'd be before you came running to us to end your life just like we ended your dear cousin's."
The muscles along Luke's jawline tightened at the mention of Bo. Of course, he knew that Bo wasn't really dead, but thinking how close these men had actually come to killing him, seeing the mental images of Bo lying in that hospital bed hooked up to god knows how many machines made his whole body tense and shake with emotion that he rarely ever let anyone see.
"Don't you dare talk about him."
"Oooo, struck quite a nerve there didn't we hayseed."
Ronnie's taunting voice pounded along Luke's fraying nerves and the two men delighted in seeing the man trying to compose himself. They had no idea why Luke had asked them to meet him, they could only guess that he wanted his revenge as was normal with the jobs that they did. It wasn't uncommon, and they had dealt with it many a time before.
Nigel took a few more steps towards him, still wearing the same sickening smirk.
"O'course, you should a realised that once you'd seen our faces, we had to get you too. It was a very foolish thing ta do, lookin' for revenge."
Luke tensed further as Nigel drew the handgun from its holster at his side and slowly raised his hands in the air.
"Now…now come on I mean…when did I see your faces?"
Now it was Ronnie's turn to join in the fun, withdrawing his handgun and stepping towards the other side of Luke.
"Well sure you remember. In the hospital when you foiled our second attempt to put your cousin out of his misery."
Luke felt his back press against Dixie's hood and swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat, looking firmly and defiantly at the two men that now stood either side of him.
"Well yeah but…but I didn't really see your faces I mean…I's too concerned 'bout Bo and gettin' you off a him…"
"One way or another hayseed, you seen our faces now…"
Luke flinched slightly as the click of the two guns cocking rang through the silence and the barrel of one pressed against his left temple, while the other dug into his side.
"And we just can't let you go."
"Look fella's….would you just at least…let me say my last words…you gotta honour that rule don't ya…"
"No we don't…but we'll humour ya, considering we didn't let ya cousin before we done run him off the road."
Folks that were the dumbest thing they's could ever let Luke do…just watch and see.
"YYYYYEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAWWWWW!"
The rebel yell vibrated round the trees, sending flocks of birds scattering from their nests and the commotion of animals scurrying through the trees. Luke took the few moments that Ronnie and Nigel were startled to bash the guns out of their hands and send a left hook cracking along one's jawline and a sharp right jab to the other's stomach.
Kicking the guns away into the tall grass, Luke yet out another rebel yell before being tackled and pinned to the ground, the cold metal of a knife pressed against his throat. He swallowed gently as he looked up at Nigel, whose jaw was rapidly turning a nasty shade of red, defiant as always as Ronnie pulled him to his feet and pinned him up against a tree.
"That was a big mistake. I could've made this real quick and painless for ya, but now that you ticked me off, I'm gonna get rid o'you real slow."
Luke cried out as the edge of the blade sunk into the skin just underneath the left side of his jaw, and started its slow and painful tear across his throat.
"Hey y'all! I suggest you let him go before I do something you's gonna regret."
Nigel and Ronny turned to see Daisy striding out the woods, arms folded across her chest, smiling. Not that they noticed that of course, they were too mesmerized by the long legs that were making those strides which protruded from a short pair of denim shorts.
However, mesmerized as they were, neither of them released the hold they had on Luke and Ronnie was just able, after a couple of moments gaping, to finally breathe out a couple of sentences.
"Now…what's a pretty young lass like you doing out here?"
Daisy flashed them the sweet innocent smile that Luke smirked at when he saw it. Anyone who knew Daisy would take that as a normal friendly smile that could melt the hearts of anyone who looked her way. But, the people who REALLY knew Daisy would be gone about 20 miles and further by this time.
"I was just out walkin' with a couple o'friends of mine."
Nigel and Ronnie exchanged worried glances, still never relenting on their holds on Luke, the knife that was held against his throat still lodged painfully in the wound that it had been making.
"F…friends?"
"Yeah. You wanna meet 'em? Hey Uncle Jesse, Cooter, come on out here."
Luke grinned as Cooter and Uncle Jesse stepped out from the bushes, Jesse brandishing his shotgun. But the smile soon changed to a wince and gasp of pain as the knife moved slightly more and the warm trickle of blood he could feel winding its way down his neck quickened.
"Now I don't know what game you's is playin', but if any of you makes one more move then this guy'll be dead on the floor before you even know it."
Cooter laughed and shook his head.
"I don't think you's in much position to be makin' the rules."
"And why….not…."
But there was no point in him finishing the sentence as the sound of multiple guns cocking sounded from all around the clearing and sure enough, farmer after farmer stepped out from the shadows as well as Enos and Rosco, each pointing loaded guns at the two men. Eventually, the knife slipped sharply away from Luke's neck and the holds were released, allowing him to stumble forward to Daisy's waiting arms.
"Alright you two just…FREEZE."
Instinctively, Luke started to weakly raise his hands, the rapid loss of blood making his head swim and his thoughts cloud. As Rosco walked past Luke, he gently lowered his arms for him.
"N….Not you Luke….s'them I'm after this time. Enos! Let's cuff 'em and stuff 'em."
Luke watched with grim satisfaction as Ronnie and Nigel were cuffed by Enos and Rosco and everyone cheered as the pair were loaded into the back of the police cars and driven away.
"Luke you did it! You got them!"
"Y…yeah Daisy…"
He leant weakly against Dixie as she turned to fling her arms around Cooter, and pried the CB handle out from its place between the seat and gear stick.
"Hey Cooter, did you get all that on tape?"
"Sure did buddy roe, all we got to do is take it to Boss in the mornin' to prove Bo's innocence and then let the state police have it to put them two away for good."
Luke smiled and flipped the frequency to the private channel where he knew Bo would be listening, anxiously waiting for an update.
"Hey Bo, this here's Luke…we're makin' our way back to the farm. We got 'em good cousin…we got 'em….real….real good…"
"LUKE!"
Bo screamed at the CB in the kitchen. As soon as Luke had started to speak Bo knew there was something seriously wrong. Luke's voice was weak and trembling and the inability to be able to string sentences together properly did not go unnoticed. When Bo heard no more after Luke's voice trailed off and he briefly heard Daisy's cry, he threw the magazine he had been reading at the wall in anger and fear, yelling to no one in particular.
"Lukas Kevin Duke! You better get back to this farm house and keep your promise to me or I'll never forgive you for this! Never!"