My Halloween gift to you all…an update! Thanks for stickin' with me…enjoy and please review! -Jordyn
WARNING! This chapter is rated T for language.
Cheap Charlie's looked a lot like it sounded. The customers were by no means the jet-set of Atlanta. Most were just good ol' boys looking for good ol' times. And a few, Bo reckoned as he scanned the hard faces in the barroom, were there simply to lay low for a while, staying out of the limelight for whatever reason.
Cooter hitched his thumbs into his jeans and set his jaw, like Bo noticing the tough faces of the men in the room. He may have been a happy-go-lucky grease-monkey with a wide toothy grin, but Cooter Davenport could hold his own in any brawl when he had a mind to… and knowing that one of the men in here may have been the ones to hurt his friends…well that put him in a mind to right quick.
Bo must have been thinking the same thing. Though normally the blond Duke carried himself with an easy saunter, today he held his head high, taking every advantage that his 6'4 frame could demand. His happy grin was gone…replaced by a stern frown…the mark of a man on a mission.
Bo went to the bar motioning the bartender over.
"What d'ya want," he asked, in a tone anything but hospitable.
"Some information," answered Bo not about to be deterred by the man's gruffness. "I'm lookin' for a fella that comes here…named Jimmy…you know him?"
The man gave a smirk. "Well maybe I do and maybe I don't…what's it to you?"
Bo scowled and took out his wallet. He had a five-dollar bill… that was all. Chances were that it wouldn't be enough, but he had to try. He reached in to offer the money when he felt Cooter's hand on his shoulder stopping him. The mechanic reached into his pocket pulling out a twenty dollar bill, handing it to the man.
The bartender pocketed the money and laughed as if he just heard a great joke. "Turn around fellas…he's right behind ya," he said pointing to a smoky corner of the room.
Bo immediately began walking in that direction, though with all the smoke and dim light in the room, he wasn't able to make out anything but a shadow. Soon though, Bo came to an abrupt halt causing Cooter, who had been right at his heels, to bump into him.
"Bo…"
The young Duke's jaw was tight, recognition seen clearly in his eyes. "Cooter call the police…"
"What…"
"There's about to be a murder."
Within seconds Bo was standing tall and terrible over the man's table, his shadow looming like a storm cloud.
"You want somethin' stranger?" asked Jimmy staring up at Bo.
"Oh not much… just wondered if you recognized me is all… course probably after ya kill a few people they all start lookin' alike to you…. An' I look a might different since the fire you put me in…" he smirked slightly. "Course maybe Luke toldja that you failed…that I survived…maybe he told you that right before you ran him over you son-of-a…"
Jimmy pushed the table he'd been sitting at into Bo and took off out the door at a dead run.
Bo barely took time to blink. He knew full well that the old tow truck would never catch a lighter car…especially not when the driver did not want to be caught. So quicker than a tomcat on a mouse did Bo take off after the man, determined to stop him from leaving the parking lot. A swift tackle was all it took.
"Get offa me!"
"Not til you pay for what you done t'Luke!"
"I didn't lay a finger on your blasted cousin!"
Bo slammed him hard against the floor for that. "No? Then who told you Luke was my cousin?!" He didn't wait for an answer. All the anger and fear and hatred welling inside of him let loose like a locomotive: powerful and unstoppable.
Cooter and a few of the locals eventually managed to tear Bo off of him, Bo fighting with all he was worth to finish him off. "Lemme go, Cooter! Damn it…lemme go he's gotta pay!!!!" yelled Bo, a dribble of blood trailing down from a split lip, his hand holding his stomach yet still scrambling to go after the semi-conscious man that lay still on the floor.
Cooter kept a firm hold, never having seen Bo so angry. The youngest Duke had always been said to have a quick temper, but in his eyes Cooter didn't see anger. He didn't even see rage. He saw pure unadulterated hatred. "Bo…he's done…he ain't gonna hurt you or Luke no more…c'mon now…"
Bo was shaking, overcome with the many emotions he was feeling. "It's him Cooter…he did this to me," choked Bo, with a touch to his scarred face. "To Luke…"
"Ok…ok you can tell the police when they get here….just calm down…."
"No!" screamed Bo. "No I won't calm down….I won't…"
Cooter sighed heavily hoping the police would come soon. Bo was mad enough to eat nails and Cooter knew if he let go even for a second Bo would tear the unconscious man apart.
Soon enough, Bo found himself talking softly to a police officer after the man had been taken away. As it turned out Jimmie was James "Lucky" Logan, one of the FBI's most wanted criminals. He had earned his nickname "Lucky" because luck always seemed to be with him allowing him to never get caught.
His luck ran out the day he met Bo Duke.
The officer scratched his cheek with his pencil looking at Bo. "Let me get this straight…you pulled up, asked for directions….and he shot this blond haired man he'd been talking to…"
"Yes sir," said Bo softly. "Be-between the eyes…"
Cooter frowned putting a hand on his friend's shoulder offering the only support he could.
"Hmm…funny…if you saw him…why would he not shoot you too?"
"I…I dunno…musta…known he was out of bullets….m-made me get outta the car…g-go with him," said Bo stuttering a bit.
"So they decided to burn the body…and the only witness to the crime…"
Bo nodded. It was getting harder and harder to talk. The tears that were leaving sloppy wet trails down his cheeks weren't helping much either. "Yes sir."
The officer just continued writing. "So they decided t' make it look like a car accident…"
Bo whimpered nodding. "They…put me in the barn…s-set fire to it…no one woulda known…woulda thought…I was just…just a vagrant…" explained Bo softly with a shiver.
The officer nodded a little. "I see…but…I don't see where your cousin fits into all this…seems to me if they thought they took care of you they'd lay low a while…not seek out your cousin…"
Bo shook his head. They hadn't sought Luke…he'd sought them. "He must've got too close… was trying to find…who…who hurt me…knew too much…"
That had always been Luke's downfall. Sometimes he was too smart for his own good. His smart mouth gained him more meals at the mantelpiece than any of the cousins. His quick mind allowed him to gain rank quickly in the Marines: a sergeant in less than three years. It was for this reason he had been considered a " catch" by the Cong, and why he had been captured instead of killed instantly. Now his intelligence had found trouble again…and this time, he hadn't found a way out.
Cooter sighed. "Bo…you don't know for sure….I know you wanna believe that this fella hurt Luke too…but you don't know…."
"Yes I do know!" exclaimed Bo unclenching one of the hands he'd had balled into fists the whole time, only to reveal a thin circlet of silver. "This is Luke's! I pulled it off that bastard's finger!"
Cooter stared at him. "What…"
"It was his daddy's wedding band…he never…went anywhere without it…" choked Bo showing the engraved initials on the inside: R+R. "See there…Rob…an' Rachel…his folks…"Bo shook his head, his tears now flowing freely down his cheeks. "Was always on his pinky…he…he swam with it…bathed with it….slept with it….it was taken offa him….he took it!"
Cooter swallowed seeing Bo starting to break down. "Bo…"
"He took it!" continued the blond with a sob. "He was bleeding…dying…and he took it!"
Cooter wrapped an arm around Bo's trembling shoulders. The policeman seemed to take the hint. "I think we got enough for now…we'll be in touch…meanwhile, you might wanna get him to a hospital…he may be in shock…"
Cooter nodded. "Will do…c'mon buddy," he added as he gently helped Bo up.
"Tri County…" whimpered Bo.
"Buddy I'm sure there's ones closer than that…"
"Tri County….or I don't go…."
Cooter sighed. "Whatever you say buddy roe."
They pulled up soon enough, Cooter's arm around Bo helping him inside. "Stay here," he said sitting him down in the waiting area. "I'll go find a doc in this place."
He hurried off soon returning with a white coated doctor at his heels. "Bo, this is Doc Marshall…he's gonna take a loo…Bo?!"
Bo was nowhere to be found.