I am on a ROLL 3 chapters in 24 hours OMG! Well guys the drama and suspense only increase from here as we discover more of Duke and what he's up too. Please please review and tell me what you think he has planned for Kathleen and Lila. AND What is Adam going to do when he finds out Duke is Alive and has taken Kathleen. Also will Joe be ok? and Will he remember what Duke said?

Duke

That one word changed everything for Kathleen. The man she loved and was going to marry. The love of her life she thought dead for 5 years he was standing before her. She had so many questions to ask him, but there was something different about him.

"Duke what happened? I thought you were dead." Duke wrapped her up in his arms in a tight hug. It had been much to long he thought to himself.

"There was an accident love, and I was injured. As soon as I recovered I tried to come and find you but you were nowhere to be found. All is alright now love we are together again and nothing will ever tear us apart again." Kathleen hugged Duke tighter as he gently kissed her head. Everything was going according to plan. Now all he needed to do was get her back to his cabin and then head down south.

Kathleen released him to look behind for her sister. Lila was still frozen in place with silent tears falling.

"Lila everything is going to be alright dear. Duke is here and he will help us. Now we just have to wait for Adam to come back." Kathleen had gone over to Lila and wrapped her in a comforting hug as she looked back at Duke who was pulling out his gun.

"I'm afraid we won't be waiting around for Adam my dear. Ya'll are coming with me back to my hideout." Kathleen's eyes widened as she stared at the man who she once knew. He completely changed before her eyes to a rugged man, thirsty for blood. He walked over to the girls and grabbed Lila by the arm, pulling her out of Kathleen's arms.

Lila yelled profanities and fought back against Duke who only threw Lila to the ground. Lila hit with a thud as her vison blurred. She shook it off and was about to get back up when a concerned Kathleen intervened with arms stretched separating the two. Duke had his gun pointed at the girls ready to fire at a moment's notice when Kathleen spoke in a confused, shaken voice.

"This is ludicrous Duke. Explain yourself, because this isn't the you I remember."

Duke lowered his face out of sight behind the rim of his hat. He let out a sinister chuckle before beginning," You are right as usual my beauty. I never could fool you could I? You never knew the real me my darling. You were always a part of a bigger plan. I needed you to fool a partner of mine into letting me become a partner of his mining business. He wanted a family man to partner with him so he would have an heir to carry on the business he created. I had the bright idea to take over the business as soon as I got on the paperwork and using it as a cover-up for my buddies and I crime sprees. I just needed a wife. Jeff was from around here so he told me about a young girl who seemed like the perfect match for me. I came down and checked you out and decided you would be perfect. So I lied and courted you and found myself falling for you. There was only one thing standing in my way and that was your family. After proposing to you I had a word with your father and he refused to let us marry. Well I had plans to complete and I couldn't let anything interfere with them so I got a few of my friends together and we killed your parents. I had plans to rob the bank so I could get the money to pay my portion of the deal and start a life for us, but things didn't go as planned so I switched spots with my brother. He took the blame and I was a 'victim' in the robbery. The guys got me out of the morgue we buried another body then broke my brother out. I have been searching for you ever since so I could finish this deal. Finally after 5 years I hear about you in a local newspaper and what do I find? My fiancé living with the famous Cartwright's."

Kathleen couldn't believe it. No it couldn't be true. It was all a lie; an act to gain control over a mining business? Duke killed my parents. Duke murdered my parents and he still wants me to marry him.

"You sick son of a bitch. You killed my parents because my dad wouldn't let you marry me? Do you realize that you put my family through HELL!?" Kathleen spit the words out at him with her green eyes alight with vengeance. She lunged at him and grabbed her shirt yelling things at him with tears in her eyes. He only smiles before he grabs her by the throat lifting her up just enough to where her toes barely brush the ground. Kathleen begins gagging and thrashing about from the lack of air. Lila has been watching from the sidelines still in shock. It's like she isn't connected to her body, but when she sees Duke grab her sister she snaps back into reality. He's going to kill her if I don't do something. Lila sees a large branch and grabs it coming up behind him. She swings back and knocks him in the back of the head. Duke goes down grabbing at the back of his head feeling the warm, stickiness of fresh blood. Lila runs over to Kathleen grabbing her arm dragging her away. Kathleen is still gasping for breath.

"Come on Kathleen we need to get out of here before he recovers."

Kathleen only barely hears what Lila is saying. The world is shifting around her as she tries to shake off the dizzy feeling. She lifts her hand to her throat and feels the red tender flesh.

Before they can make a run for it Duke is there with a gun stuck in the back of Lila's head. She freezes at the touch of the cold metal to her skull. Her eyes close waiting for the red, hot searing pain the lead bullet would make traveling through her head.

"You will peacefully go with me Kathleen and you will do as I ask of you or you can stand here and watch me kill your sister just like I killed your Father and Mother. And if that's not enough I will get Isabelle and you can watch me kill her as well. If you still don't corporate I will find and kill everyone you love till you have no one left to love. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! You cannot win Kathleen. It Is Over." Duke's face never changed from the cold, emotionless stare of pure evil. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Kathleen knew it was over, he had won, but she would not let him hurt Lila, or Isabelle, or Adam. Adam what would Duke do to Adam when he returned? Kill him before her eyes to make a point no doubt. She had to get him to leave now before Adam arrived. She couldn't bear to be the cause of his death, or anyone else's. She had to figure out how to get him to release Lila and run off with her.

"Alright Duke you win. I will go with you just take us now ok? I won't fight you and neither will Lila."

"Kathleen-"

"Lila listen to me okay? This has to be done. I won't lose you or Isabelle to this freak. Just do as he says."

A slow smile spread across Dukes lips as he released Lila and shoved her to the ground. He walked over to Kathleen and picked her up by her wrist pulling her to his lips and kissed her roughly. Kathleen struggled against him, but it was of no use. He pulled away and directed her to some horses tied behind the tree. Lila followed repeating every profanity known to man before getting up on the horse behind Kathleen. Duke led the way with the girls following. "Step 2 complete only 2 more to go."

Lila looked behind them as the sun finally set on the horizon. "Kathleen what is going to happen to us next?"

As a tear fell from her eye Kathleen quietly whispered," I don't know Lila."