Chapter 19: Out for Some Fresh Air

As Kira was waiting at the bar for the pitcher of beer and the water that she ordered, Kira watched as a couple of large and suspicious men headed into the back room that she knew to be Hogg's office. She knew that they should be familiar to her, she just couldn't place them. As the Bartender walked back over to her, she got his attention.

"Hey, Steve, who were those men that just went in to see Hogg?"

"Not sure. They've been coming in for about three weeks but never order anything."

Three weeks, which would have included the time span of when the others were kidnapped.

"Do me a favor; send this on over to the table, would ya? I'm gonna go freshen up." Kira dropped a few bills on the counter for the drinks and started to walk off.

"Wait! This is too much."

"Use it to pay for my brother's tab then," Kira said back as she made her way to the side door.

Once outside, Kira made her way to the window to Hogg's office. She couldn't hear anything, but she did her best to follow the conversation anyway. Hogg seemed to be trying to placate the other two, especially the older gentleman in a grey suit. The younger one in a dark suit just seemed to be along for the ride. Not really saying anything. He had the air of being hired muscle. As the older man leaned in to say something, he was stopped, apparently by someone calling to him on the CB. He left Hogg sweating in his chair as the older man returned the call on the CB then looked toward the window.

Kira ducked to avoid being seen but saw the younger man heading toward the door to the outside. Kira cursed under her breath as she pulled away from the window. Looking across the parking lot filled with cars, it became obvious to her that the older man had left someone to watch from the outside.

Kira had two choices. The first one was to go back inside and act normal and hope that they wouldn't follow her into the bar full of innocent bystanders. Kira chose the second option.

Kira sprinted toward her truck, cursing the three-inch heels as she went. Jumping into her truck, she slammed it into gear and took off with a sedan close behind her. Not a dark one, as would be typical of a goon on TV or anything, but a white one.

Figures, after all, here in Hazzard the bad guys wear white.

Kira glanced into her rear-view mirror as she pushed the truck as fast as it would go; she had already passed a hundred miles an hour and her speed was still climbing. Unfortunately, the car behind her was still far too close for comfort.

Kira was forced to slow a little to make the next turn which gave away precious ground to her pursuers. When the men behind her started shooting, Kira was willing to admit that spying on Hogg wasn't the smartest thing that she had ever done. Briefly she wished that Bo were with her since he was seasoned enough at country driving that he most likely could have taken the curve at full speed. She may race like the devil on a motorcycle on the track but driving the truck on a backroad in the dark was a bit different.

"That's it. Looks like I'm gonna have to go to Ridge-Runners U." Kira gunned it once again as she started out of the curve.

Kira tried to pull ahead but this road had just too many sharp turns to get going fast for too long. Just as she was pulling away from yet another turn, Kira felt the truck lurch forward. The car behind her was trying to run her off the road. Kicking her truck into four-wheel drive, Kira figured she might as well as accommodate it.

Once off road, Kira actually began to pull away from the sedan behind her. In fact, the car soon pulled off of their pursuit entirely within a matter of moments after Kira left the black top. Kira turned her lights off and ran dark for a few minutes before finding a place to turn around and stop. She stayed where she was as she watched the sedan drive away. The top thought on her mind was that once again Hogg seemed to be in the middle of mischief that she doubted would end well for the Dukes.

Heading back toward the Boar's Nest, Kira continued to run dark. Figuring it was safer to drive with no lights for now than to attract the attention of anyone who may still be waiting for her to come out of hiding. Unknown to Kira, the men in the sedan had written her license plate number down before breaking off their pursuit. They figured that it would be easier to track her down, to see if she had seen or heard anything she shouldn't have, later on.

When Kira got back to the parking lot, she was able to get a spot just one place over from where she had been parked earlier. Hopefully, no one would notice the difference in where the truck was parked. Going back inside, Kira hung back to try to see if she'd been missed. Luckily, it appeared that everyone had already paired off. Bo was sweet talking a blond at the table as Judd seemed to have been able to convince her twin to dance. Luke, too, was dancing with a brunette. Daisy was sitting at the bar talking to Enos who must have come in while she was out for her impromptu night race.

As she was deciding whether or not to head back to the table, a tall blond that she had yet to meet came over and asked her to dance. Glancing up, Kira saw Luke looking her way. Where she most likely would have refused at any other time, Kira decided that she might as well accept so as to help explain her absence from the table. So, dance she did. Though for the rest of the night she couldn't seem to really enjoy herself.

Kira had finally been able to excuse herself from the blond and headed over to the table to give her aching feet a break. She was not used to wearing such high heels. How Daisy can wear them on a daily basis was beyond her. The table was empty for now, which was just fine for Kira. Picking up her water, Kira stared at the door to Hogg's office. She started to think about what she'd seen through the window and the fact that Hogg actually didn't seem to be in control at all. Then remembering how Luke had referred to the fact that Hogg tends to set things in motion only to lose control of them. Kira thought that precisely seemed to fit the scene that she had seen.

"Hey, where'd you go earlier?"

Kira snapped her head up and saw that Luke had joined her at the table, sans the brunette who he had last been seen with. Kira shrugged one shoulder. It looked like she hadn't snuck in unnoticed after all. "Just went out for some fresh air."

"In the truck?"

"You came looking for me?" Kira evaded the question. She wasn't used to explaining her actions to anyone. She knew that Luke was only looking after her like he had done for the others all his life. Heck, he probably couldn't stop doing it if he tried.

"As a matter of fact, I did after you were gone for half an hour without any word to the rest of us." Kira looked toward the others to see if they had taken an interest in her and Luke's conversation. "I don't think any of them noticed. And Bo's still favoring that foot of his." Kira then noticed that Luke had edged his own feet just out of stomping range; Kira found herself fighting a grin as he did so. "I figured that if you ended up in any real trouble, you'd call Bo, so I let it go. You gonna answer my question now?"

Looking at Luke, she could see an awful lot of Jesse in him. And she sensed that he wasn't going anywhere until she shared just what she had been up to. So, despite the fact that it was the opposite of what she wanted to do, she told Luke about the two men who had gone into Hogg's office and about how she had watched them from the window. She then told of how the lookout had informed those inside about her and of her mad dash down the road when they came out after her. She also told Luke how she had a nagging feeling that she'd seen the older man before and felt she should know him but couldn't place him. She left out her suspicions of his involvement with the kidnapping.

Once Kira was done, Luke did what the oldest, more responsible Duke does best. He pointed out how dangerous getting involved with the suspicious men really was and how she should have found a way to get help instead of going off alone with no one knowing that she was in trouble.

"Gee, I'm sorry, Luke. I guess I should have come back into a room full of innocent people and HOPE that they would have just let it go. Not to mention, hope that they didn't decide to use them guns that they were only too willing to pull out. But you're right; I should have come back in to alert the cavalry. And panic everyone else in here to boot."

Luke blew out his breath and shook his head. Arguing with Kira about why she shouldn't have gone off alone ain't nothing like trying to talk some sense into Bo. He knew Bo like the back of his hand; knew exactly how to talk to him. Kira, well, he's still figuring her out.

"Luke, go back to your dancing and carrin' on. I promise I'll be a good girl and stay right here. Now go on. There ain't nothin' left to talk about no how."

The next morning Kira felt a little guilty for getting short with Luke. She knew that pokin' around with guys like the ones Hogg obviously was associated with was like playing with fire. Unfortunately, fire is exactly what has always drawn her. She always seemed to have a knack for smelling smoke, and then would run headlong into the flames as if they could never hurt her. If it could, she would have been reduced to flames and embers a long time ago.

Kira had wanted to talk to Luke to apologize but when she woke up, she found all the guys had left for their usual Saturday morning breakfast of beer and doughnuts at the garage with Cooter. That left only Jesse and Daisy to wait for Kira to wake up so they had let her sleep instead of getting her up with everyone else. When she walked into the kitchen to find the two sipping on coffee, Daisy told her that Bo had taken her truck and said that he didn't think she'd mind.

"He was right, I don't. Though I was planning on going to go buy him some new boots to replace the ones I demolished last night."

As Kira mentioned the events of the previous night, Daisy started to giggle as she informed Uncle Jesse of just how she had kept Bo from interfering while she had put Ernie in his place.

"I'll have to remember that one, Kira."

"Remember it, nothing. I got the idea from Bo when I asked him what you would have done last month. He's the one that said that you would have put one of your heels right through his foot."

"Hey, I'll tell ya what; I was planning on going into Capital City to pick up a few things. You can ride along. I'll give ya some more tips on how to manage all these Duke Men."

"Sounds good, I'll go get ready," Kira said as she stood up from the table.

"After you've had your breakfast," Jesse boomed just before she left the room.

Daisy gave her a grin as Kira rolled her eyes before turning back toward their uncle. Sitting at the table, she began to eat, though as little as she thought that she could get away with. Not really sure why it mattered to Jesse whether she ate or not but figured that it wasn't really worth an argument. She and Daisy then went out the door towards Capital City within an hour.

Kira left Daisy while she headed over toward the Men's footwear department to get Bo some new boots. She really hadn't figured on things working out so well. She knew that Bo needed new boots but didn't know how to get around the whole Duke pride thing to just go out and get them. Luke's was easy since it was a present and he had the good grace not to refuse a present. It looked like putting her heel through Bo's shoes last night had solved two problems for her, not just one.

Kira asked the sells clerk for their best boots in Bo's size and surprised him when she didn't flinch at the price when he went to ring them up. She then went to find Daisy. She was right where she had left her trying to pick out a pair of shoes to match her new Sunday dress.

She shops the same way Sam does, Kira thought to herself while shaking her head. Maybe I should invite Daisy up to Atlanta and send them two off together.

Finding a place to sit, she waited for her cousin to decide between the three pairs of shoes that she had narrowed down the choices to. If Kira thought that it would speed things up any, she would have just bought all three pairs for her. Somehow, though, she had the suspicion that instead Daisy would find complimentary outfits for the remaining two pairs of shoes.

While putting the packages that Daisy had acquired, both of clothing with accessories along with the staples needed for the farm into the back of the Jeep, Daisy took a peek into the box that held the boots that Kira had purchased then sent Kira a critical look.

"Kira, can I ask you something? I mean, I don't want to seem nosey or anything. If it's too personal, I'll understand."

"Daisy, you can ask anything you want. If I think the question is too personal, I just won't answer it. What 'cha want?" Kira joked.

Daisy gave a slight smile since Kira was very likely to be true to her word and just not answer her. "Well, it's just that I know the price of nearly everything in this store by heart, and I saw the boots that ya bought Luke. Plus, you paid both the mortgage and Bo's hospital bill. I don't mean to pry, but how can you afford all this?"

"You mean since everyone knows that you don't get rich working as a Public Defender? I guess Bo hasn't filled the rest of ya'll in on what he knows about my past, huh?"

"I haven't heard much. He probably told Luke more though." Daisy continued to look at her waiting to see if Kira would share. "But like I said, if it's too personal..."

"No, I might as well tell you. Especially since Hogg checked up on me after I left last time. You see, Ben's will is a matter of public record. Hogg now knows to the penny what Ben left me in his will. Ben Kyle was a very successful lawyer whose clientele was among the richest, and the most élite in the country. Plus, he was fairly shrewd with the stock market.

When he died, in addition to paying for my way to Law School, he also left me nearly a third of his estate; which completely ticked his kids off. That is probably one of the reasons he did it. He left one-third to me, one-third to various charities, then had his two kids split the remaining third. They tried to contest the will but didn't have a leg to stand on. So as long as I went to Law School. Anyway, I really don't have to worry about money."

Getting into the jeep, Daisy sat for a minute longer before putting it into gear. "Oh. Then why do you work as a Public Defender?"

Kira shrugged her shoulders before answering. "I guess I got tired of helping people avoid going to jail simply because they could afford a good lawyer when others who couldn't shell out for a decent defense went up the river for crimes they really didn't commit simply because their lawyers were just too over worked and burned out to care. There's been a couple of times that I went ahead and sprang for a P.I. myself because I knew that my client was innocent, I just couldn't prove it." Now it was Kira's turn to ask Daisy something. "Daisy, Luke told ya'll about what happened last night, didn't he?"

"I wasn't gonna mention, but yeh. You know he was just worried about ya, right?"

Kira nodded. "I ain't used to that, though. Not to the level that this family carries it. Anyway, I realized that I may ride like a demon on a bike, but I ain't really ever had much practice for that kind of drivin' in a car that I really could've used last night. You think you could give me some pointers, you know, Ridge-Runner style?"

"Sure, but why not ask Bo or Luke." Kira gave Daisy a hard look for the suggestion. "Okay, forget I mentioned it. I know where you're coming from on that one. This will be our secret. I still have a few hours before I have to get ready for work. I'll take us out somewhere where you can get some practice in."

The girls got back to the farm with just enough time for Daisy to get ready to head out to the Boar's Nest for her shift. They had nearly lost track of the time while having so much fun. Daisy didn't really think that she needed to actually teach Kira anything. She just needed a little practice, was all. So, they drove around the back roads and even outran Rosco when he tried to give them a speeding ticket. Daisy was glad that they had finally found something that they seemed to be able to bond over since it certainly hadn't been shopping. Shopping with Kira was worse than taking one of the guys along; or maybe even a little worse than taking both.

Kira saw the General Lee parked out in the yard but noticed that her truck was still M.I.A. so she figured that Bo must have stayed out at the garage. When she went inside, however, she was surprised to see all three Duke Boys sitting in the living room.

"Hey, Bo, if you're here, where's my truck?" Kira continued up toward the stairs as she spoke.

"Still at the garage. We pounded out the dents in the tailgate and the back bumper, but the paint wasn't dry. Cooter'll fetch it out just as soon as it is."

Looking at Bo, Kira could tell that he wasn't all too happy that she hadn't told him about the incident from the night before. "Ya'll didn't have to do that. I could have gotten it fixed with no problem."

"It shouldn't have needed to be fixed at all," Bo scowled.

Kira leaned against the wall with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Stealing a glance, Kira saw that the brothers were wisely keeping their mouths shut. "You gonna sit there and tell me that you've never got a dent in the General?"

"That ain't the point; you shouldn't have took off like ya did."

Shaking her head, "I'm not gonna have the same argument with you as I had with Luke. I get it. You fellas are allowed to take risks but I ain't. With that in mind, I'll head on up and take care of some nice, boring, SAFE work that I brought with me. And you really do need to work on your arguing skills. That whole, 'that ain't the point' bit was really lame." Kira headed on up the stairs as she hollered back, "But thanks for fixin' the dents anyway."

Kira tossed the new boots across the room to land on Bo's bed before heading back down into the guest room and pulled out her bag with the case files that she had brought with her. Pulling out a map that she had bought, Kira started plotting the locations of the various crimes. She also color coded the markers based on the types of crime that were committed. She wasn't sure if there was a pattern, or even what she was looking for. But she just had the feeling that she was on to something. She just had to figure out what.

Over dinner, everyone was discussing their plans for the next night since it was New Year's Eve. Jesse had plans with some of the other old Ridge Runners and each of the fellas had arranged dates when they were out the night before. Bo and Judd each had a date with one of the Johnson twins and Luke had a date with Grace, the brunette that he spent much of the previous night with.

"Come on, Kira, are you sure that you're just gonna sit around here by yourself. I'm sure we could find ya a date, if you're just afraid that you'll be a fifth wheel or something."

Kira dropped her fork at Bo's mention of finding her a date. "Bo, I love ya, but I think I'd trust Pauline to find me a date before I ever would you."

"That could be arranged, too," Bo grinned.

"You wouldn't?" Kira blanched at her brother.

"Nah, I'd let her favorite nephew do it." Bo looked in Luke's direction as he winked and busted out laughing.

This got Luke going now, too. "You are the one that said that Bo and I are lucky that we live too far from Placid for her to meddle in our love lives. It seems to me that Atlanta really isn't all that far from it though."

Kira looked back and forth between the two and was doing a pretty good imitation of a fish out of water as she tried to come up with something to say in response. Surely, they wouldn't actually invite that kind of trouble into her life.

"Oh, you do hate me, don't you?" Kira consoled herself with the fact that there was no way that they could pull off the ugly trick on her in time for the party the next night. "Trust me. I will be fine going over my case files. I'd much rather be doing that than going out with a mystery man of anyone's choosing. Though just thinking about this conversation is bound to give me nightmares for weeks. Not sure what would be scarier; Pauline playing matchmaker or one of ya'll."

The conversation steered away from Pauline though Bo was still thinking about it. He just might have the ultimate way to get Kira back from stabbing his foot with them danged three-inch heels last night.