THIRTY-FIVE
"Lucky!" Luke bolted upright in bed. It’s been two long months since Robert took Lucky into hiding and ever since, Luke has been haunted by dreams of his Cowboy in danger and Luke helpless to help him. "Lucky." Luke sighed, realizing it was just another nightmare.
This nightmare though seemed different from the rest…more urgent…more real. He can still hear his son begging him to come save him. The only thing that can calm Luke’s nerves now is to hear the proof that everything was well with Lucky. Picking up the phone, he dialed the secret number that Robert had given him a couple of months ago. Lucky’s private and secured line. He had to hear Lucky’s voice…to be reassured that he was still safely hidden from that madman Faison.
"Hello?" A sleepy voice answered. "Dad?"
"Hello Cowboy."
"What are you doing calling at this time of night?" Lucky asked, his voice groggy.
"I couldn’t sleep and decided I could use some company. How are things there? Pretty quiet I hope."
"Yeah. No sight or sound of Faison. How about you? Is it time for Liz and I to come home?"
"Sorry Cowboy. He’s still out there. But don’t worry, we’ll find him. And when we I do…"
"Dad just be careful. I’ll never forgive myself if anything happened to you because of me."
"Son…this whole thing is my fault. Helena hired Faison to get back at me. He brainwashed you to get back at my best friend…so you see, it has absolutely nothing to do with you and everything to do with me."
"I wish I could believe that," Lucky sighed. "Tell everyone I miss them."
"I will cowboy. You take care of yourself and the cowgirl. Ok?"
"I’ll do my best. I love you dad."
"I love you too Lucky. You take care of yourself and if you see Faison…"
"I know call Robert."
Luke laughed, a tear shining in his eye, hating to say good-bye to his son. "I love you Lucky. And I promise, no matter what I’m going to bring you home one way or another."
"Good-bye dad," Lucky hung up the phone, knowing how hard it was for Luke to do so.
"Good-bye cowboy," Luke whispered, laying the reciever back in the cradle. As soon as Luke hung up the phone ranged. Grumbling, Luke picked up the phone, wondering who could be calling at that time of night. "Spencer here."
"Ah Mr. Spencer," an all too familiar German accent floats through the phone. "Do you know where your Cowboy is? I do."
His face losing all color, Luke looks at the caller id by the phone and notices that the call is from the same town Lucky’s in. "Faison!"
There was just evil laughter before the phone disconnected.
"Faison! Faison stay away from my son!" Slamming down the phone, Luke quickly dresses, grabs his car keys and race downstairs. Hoping into his car he peeled out of the driveway and headed for Canada, determined to rich his son before Faison did.
*
Elizabeth had just gotten done wiping down the counter when Luke came stumbling into the diner. His eyes were wildly darting about the place looking for his son.
"Mr. Spencer?" Elizabeth stepped out from behind the counter worried. This is the first time she’s seen Lucky’s dad for two months and by the look of him, it’s been two months of hell.
"Where’s Lucky," Luke grabbed her, holding the girl in a tight grip.
"What?"
"Lucky! Where’s Lucky!" Luke demanded almost shouting. He hated scaring his son’s girl like this, but it was imperative that he knew where Lucky was.
"Luke what’s going on here?" Anna
comes out of the kitchen, Robert right behind her. "In fact what are you
doing here? Faison may have followed you."
"Dad?" Lucky appeared in the entrance of the diner, shocked to see
his father there.
"Lucky!" Luke raced to his son and pulled him into a tight hug, never wanting to let go, wanting to protect him from all the bad things threatening him. "Lucky thank God," Luke begins to sob.
"Dad what’s wrong? Is it mom? Lulu?"
"Luke what is this about?" Robert asked, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. "Come set down," Robert tries to pull Luke away from Lucky, but Luke’s hold on his son tightens.
"Luke come on. Let go. Lucky’s fine. Now come over here, set down and tell us why you come all this way looking like a mad man," Anna is the one that pries Luke away from Lucky, but Luke quickly grabbs Lucky’s arm as he’s led to a nearby table. "Now tell us what’s this is about."
"Last night…after I hung up with Lucky I had gotten a call. The caller asked if I knew where my cowboy was. It was Faison…I know it was. I looked at my caller Id and the call came from here. In Canada..;in this town. He knows. Faison knows Lucky’s here and he made the mistake of letting me know he knows."
Elizabeth gasped in surprise as Luke took a gun out from his jacket.
"Luke! Put that away!" Anna demanded.
"Not a chance. The minute Faison shows his face, I’m blowing him away."
"Dad…listen I know you’re scared, but you’re scaring Elizabeth with that thing. Put it away," Lucky calmly told his father, taking Elizabeth’s trembling hand, ignoring the ding of the bell. Anna looks up to see a middle aged man enter.
"Luke please, we have a customer. Put the gun away," Anna pleaded.
Glaring at Anna, Luke tucks the gun back into his jacket. "Don’t keep your customer waiting."
Anna only nodded and went to wait on the man.
"Now Luke, tell me what this is all about again?" Robert lowered his voice.
"Faison. He’s here. In the same vicinity
as Lucky. I don’t know how he found you but he did."
Robert nods but comes to attention when he hears his wife’s startled gasp.
"Anna!" Robert stands from his seat when he looks up to see the
stranger tightly grasping his wife’s wrist, a evil grin spread across his face.
"What do you think you’re doing! Get off of her!" Robert demanded.
The man just laughed. "Why Robert don’t
you recognize your old friend?" The man pulls on his face and everyone at
Robert’s table gasp in surprise to see the face peel off to reveal Cesar
Faison. "You honestly didn’t think you could hide her from me forever did
you?"
"Robert!" Anna screamed in terror trying to free herself from the
madman’s grip.
"Let her go," Robert warned noticing how Luke stepped in front of Lucky, blocking any attempt Faison may make to get to Lucky.
"Never. And I promise you, I won’t hurt her. Just as long as you give me what I want."
"And what may that be?" Luke growled.
"Why young Mr. Spencer of course."
"No!" Elizabeth tightened her grip on Lucky’s hand.
"Think again pal," Luke pulls out the gun and aims. "You’re not taking my son anywhere."
Faison laughed. "You fool Spencer. Do you think you can stop me? Think again!"
"What can you possibly want with Lucky now?" Elizabeth glared at the man who had put their lives through hell.
"Why Miss. Webber, I have great plans for young Mr. Spencer. I must say it’s a good thing that Mr. Scorpio here saved him from jumping off those docks. It would have been a waste."
"You’re not getting anywhere near my son," Luke growled, tightening his grip on the gun as he removed the safety.
"Well then I’m just going to have to do this the hard way," Faison grinned evily. Before anyone could make a move, he withdrew a tiny capsule and threw it to the ground. Dense white smoke, laced with some sort of chemical filled the room making it hard to see. Feeling dizzy, Elizabeth tried to tighten her hold on Lucky’s hand but it was no use. Soon she’s not holding his hand anymore but falling to the ground. "Lucky!" She yelled out, barely noticing the signs of a struggle, which seemed to stop all too quickly. She reached out trying to find him, but it was of no use. Darkness overtook her, placing her in a world where only one thought existed. Lucky.