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Disclaimer: We don't own or pretend to own the Mag 7. That belongs to Mirisch Co. and CBS.
Warnings: PG13 for language and violence.
Authors' notes: This is somewhat graphic, so beware,  smarm/h/c. The poem in the story is from
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. If the time period is off some, please forgive us for the creative
liberty taken. The poem at the end of the story is from 'Poems that touch the Heart'; compiled by
A. L. Alexander.
Maggs and I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has given us such
kind support over the last SIX!! Months!!. Yes, six long months have passed since we began the
second in the Cross’s We Bare Series but it has been a lot of fun. Although, as Maggs says,
DUFE has been like a ‘burr under our saddle’, it has been a great opportunity for us to explore a
lot of things about the characters and ourselves! It’s also given us a chance to hear from so many
you out there in computer land. We love that part the best. !! So it is with great pleasure and
some sadness that we offer up the Conclusion of Deliver Us From Evil!! Enjoy!

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Some people were never meant to exist in this  world; that’s why God gave writer’s the ability to
create their own......

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“EACH OF US IS THE EMBODIMENT OF TWO DISTINCT AND OPPOSING  FORCES;
GOOD AND EVIL.  EACH FIGHTING FOR SUPREMACY INSIDE US.”
...............HENRY JECKYLL, DR JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE

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Somewhere outside of Four Corners......

In the soft, luminescent glow of moonlight, blood glistened like liquid rubies strewn across the
frost covered ground.

“Oh God,” Vin Tanner moaned as he slowly pushed himself to his feet and stared at the carnage
around him.

Haunted lifeless eyes returned his puzzled look as if pondering the same burning question raging
through the bounty hunter’s soul. “What the hell happened?”

*************************************************************

“I can’t believe I got talked into going to Eagle Bend twice in one month.” Buck Wilmington
complained. “Isn’t it ever Ezra’s turn?”

“Do you remember the last time Ezra went to Eagle Bend?” Chris Larabee gave his friend a
sidelong glance.

“We got him out of jail didn’t we?”

“Only after we promised the sheriff we wouldn’t let him come back.” Chris frowned, “Why are
you complaining now, we’re almost home.”

“Cause I’m tired, hungry and there wasn’t one single pretty girl at Eagle Bend.”

“ ’Single’ being the optional word.”

Buck snorted, “I’ll have you know Chris that I have mended my ways considerably.” Before the
older gunslinger could reply, hoofbeats could be heard pounding in the distance, advancing on
them in a heated pace.

“Rider coming.” Wilmington said quickly, his hand automatically going to his sidearm.

Larabee’s eyes narrowed, and something resembling a grin crossed his face. “Take it easy Buck,
I’d know that horse anywhere.”

A large white stallion, with a glistening black blaze adorning its face, galloped into view.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Wilmington muttered, as the rider pulled his mount to a halt near to
where Chris and Buck had stopped. “If it ain’t our old friend, Lukas Conley.”

“Funny, I don’t recall us being friends Wilmington.” Conley’s deep voice held no hint
of humor. “In fact, I think I swore if I ever found you in my town again, I’d bury you there.”

“Good thing we’re not in your town, ain’t it?” Buck replied with a short laugh.

“What brings you out this way, Lukas?” Chris quickly interrupted the impending argument.

The older man shifted in his saddle and focused his attention on Larabee. “I wish I could say it
was for a friendly visit. Its been a long time Chris.”

“Too long.” Larabee replied sincerely. The legendary gunslinger had never had many friends, but
at one time, he had counted Marshal Lukas Conley among the reserved few.

 “I heard you was helping Judge Travis out in Four Corners?”

“We are.” Buck was the one to reply.

Conley ignored the interruption. “You and six others.”

Chris nodded, “Thats right.”

“I might need your help.” Lukas removed his dusty, black hat and ran a hand through his short
salt and pepper hair. “I’m on the trail of a murderer, one of the sickest bastards I’ve seen in a
long time.”

“You think he’s headed to Four Corners?” Buck’s mind instantly shifted gears and went
to thoughts of their partners. Vin and J.D. should have been the only ones in Four Corners, unless
Ezra had returned from his trip to Shilock. Nathan and Josiah had planned a visit to the Indian
reservation to take medicine and supplies, and Buck was pretty sure they wouldn’t have returned
yet.

“Could be.” Lukas replied, but continued to look at Chris. “I lost his trail back in Ballintine.”

“I know the place.” Larabee nodded for his friend to continue.

“Seems the killer continued his streak there after he left my town. Use the same method and
everything. The sheriff and his deputies had already left hot on his trail before I arrived. I ain’t
never caught up with them.”

“Must be one mean hombre, to warrant such attention.” Buck eyed Chris nervously, the sinking
feeling in the pit of his stomach beginning to grow.

“If you call cutting a storekeep and his woman up beyond recognition mean, then yeah.” Luke
snapped. “Not to mention robbing a bank and blowing away a teller.”

“Take it easy Luke.” Chris held up his hand. “We’re all on the same side here.”

“Sorry,” the sheriff relented. “I ain’t had no rest since this mess started last week.”

Cold gray eyes flicked from Chris to Buck and back, “And I don’t plan on sleeping till Vin
Tanner is hanging dead from the end of a rope.”

**********************************

Vin Tanner was locked in a waking nightmare. Not only could he not remember how he had
gotten to this particular clearing in the woods; he had no idea who the three dead men scattered
around him were.

It was evident by there mutilated corpses that they hadn’t left this world under the best of
circumstances. The tracker suddenly felt very ill. There was so much blood. It was all over the
ground, splattered against the trees, and even covering his own body.

At first he had thought he had been wounded, but upon closer inspection not one scratch had
been found. Only the terrible pounding in his head and the overwhelming nausea assaulting him,
gave testament that he had somehow been involved. That and of course his bloody knife and gun
he found lying near him.

The tracker stumbled past one of the bloody bodies and made his way toward the still smoldering
ashes of the campfire. He was freezing. He wasn’t sure it was from shock or the cool October
night air. But thoughts of getting warm were soon vanquished when his eyes fell upon a black,
bowler hat and a silver star he would know anywhere.

“J.D.,” he whispered into the night, a vague memory flashing through his mind, too quickly to be
grasped. ‘Oh no.’

“J.D.!!” The bounty hunter’s yell was so loud it startled even him. Unfortunately, no reply came,
only mocking dead faces, silently watching the distraught young man.

“J.D. where are you?” Another violent wave of pain crashed upon Vin, and the tracker fell to his
knees, hands clutching his head tightly. A name, a familiar face, shown like a beacon behind shut
eyes.

“Chris,” he sighed softly. “Chris will know what to do. He has too.”

************************************

“What the hell are you talking about, Conley?” Chris Larabee’s voice had lost all it’s
congeniality.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Buck joined in, giving the Marshal a menacing glare.

“I don’t find anything funny about murder, Wilmington.” Lukas turned back to Chris whose face
had become its usual stone front. “Do you know something about this Tanner that I don’t ?”

“I know you’ve been misinformed,” the gunslinger replied icily.

Lukas shook his head. He knew his old friend had changed over the years, but he had never seen
him act so hostile. Well, unless something or someone he cared about was threatened.

“Misinformed? What the hell are ‘you’ talking about, Chris.?”

“He’s talking about you making a big mistake. Vin Tanner wouldn’t no more murder someone in
cold blood than I would.”

“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better, Wilmington,” Conley scoffed. “After all, I don’t
put wife-stealing, lying , and  back-stabbing scum much above a murdering bastard.”

“Why you...” Buck made to move towards the older man, but Chris quickly maneuvered his
horse between the two.

“You best watch what you say, Lukas, especially when you have no idea what trouble you’re
headin’ for.”

“I may not know what lies ahead, but I’ve seen the destruction this Vin Tanner left behind and I
aim on bringing him down for it. No matter what your friend here has to say about it.”

“Buck was speaking the truth, Luke. The Vin Tanner I know wouldn’t kill anyone unless he had
no choice.”

The Marshall eyed Larabee carefully. It wasn’t like the man he knew to take vouching for others
lightly. In fact, he knew the legendary gunslinger to be an excellent judge of character. Well,
except for where Wilmington was concerned.

“This Tanner  you claim to know, he a buffalo tracker turned bounty hunter? Wanted for murder
in Tuscosa?”

“He was framed for that!” Buck shot, vehemently, answering Conley’s question before Chris
could.

“Like I said , Marshall,” Chris never took his piercing stare from the older man. “Vin ain’t no
murderer. You’ve got the wrong man.”

“I’m afraid the facts say differently.” Lukas sighed, and looked away, uncomfortably. “There was
a witness from the first murders. He got banged up a bit when he tried to stop Tanner from
escaping. Said he recognized him from a wanted poster in Tuscosa. I checked it out, the
descriptions matched."

“That’s all you got?” Buck scoffed. “Damn, your witness might not have gotten a good look at
the killer. You did say he got in a scuffle with him.  Or he could’ve even had a grudge against
Vin, decided to finger him as the killer on purpose.”

Conley rolled his eyes, “ Then I guess the little boy who saw his mama gunned down in the
Ballintine Bank had a grudge against Mr. Tanner too? Huh?”  When Buck or Chris didn’t say
anything Lukas continued. “Because when the sheriff questioned him , he told that the teller had
called out the name Tanner just before the bandit slit his throat. His physical description also
matched that the first witness gave.”

“I don’t care what anyone said or heard. You’re wrong!” Buck insisted, getting more angry by the
minute.

Chris was mulling over the information Lukas had supplied them with when a terrible thought
suddenly crossed his mind.  “ The Sheriff from Ballintine,” Larabee’s head snapped up to glare at
Conley. “You said he and his deputies were looking for Vin also."
 
“They are,” the Marshal confirmed. “The man he left in charge told me about the witness and
what direction the small posse was headed.”

“Oh no,” Buck mumbled, realizing the possible problem.  “They could’ve by-passed us while we
were in Eagle Bend last night.. They may have already made it to Four Corners.”

“Let’s ride,” Chris didn’t give Lukas Conley a chance to object or even respond. His only
concern now was Vin  It wasn’t likely the lawmen would be too open to discussion on the bounty
hunter’s innocence and he also knew it wouldn’t be like Vin to go along quietly. And of course
there was J.D.  There’d be no way the kid would let their friend go. Least not without a fight.

“We better get there in time,” Buck growled, casting Chris a glance that let the gunslinger know
the two were on the same wave length.

Then, they were off. Conley watched the two retreating men for a moment before spouting a
number of choice curse words, and following after them at a frantic pace. Only reunited with
Wilmington and Chris for less than fifteen minutes and he already had the overwhelming feeling
trouble was nipping at his heels.

One thing was for certain, life around his old friend was never dull. Friends. He just hoped they
he and Larabee could remain that after Luke hanged Vin Tanner. Because that was exactly what
planned to do.

***********************************************

Four Corners.....................

Ezra Standish paced in front of the Sheriff ‘s office  door for at least the ten thousandth time
since the sun had come up. He didn’t know what else to do. He had tried playing solitaire. Even a
game of chance didn’t interest him. It was unnatural. Perhaps his mother had been right about
making attachments. If you cared for no one, then there would be no one to lose  But then again,
nothing ventured, nothing gained. Wasn’t that what gambling was all about?

Of course, Ezra usually made sure the cards were stacked in his favor before making a wager, but
the game of  life rarely left any opportunity for cheating. Even for a pro like himself. So, now he
was forced to wait and hope. Hope that the odds would somehow fall in his favor legitimately
and that Chris Larabee would once again prove to be their Ace in the hole.

He didn’t have to wait long.  In the distance, the gambler could see two horses racing their way
into town. No, make that three. The two in the lead were definitely Chris and Buck . But who
was the third? Reinforcements?  No, that didn’t make since. His friends shouldn’t even know
there was trouble. Unless, they had found some misfortune of their own. Although entirely
possible, Ezra hoped it wasn’t the case. The Seven, make that three at the moment, were going to
need all their efforts to stop the travesty which was about to befall one of their own.

“Ezra!” Buck Wilmington was the first to pull his horse to a skidding halt in front of the office.
“Where’s J.D.?” He demanded, practically jumping from his saddle.

The gambler started to open his mouth only to have another question launched at him. “Have you
seen Vin? How long have you been back in town? Is Josiah and Nathan back too?”

“Mr. Wilmington, if you would allow me to explain.”

“Explain what?” Chris Larabee didn’t like the guilty look on Ezra’s face. It was much too
familiar and was bound to mean he wasn’t about to like what his friend was going to say. He  slid
from his horse and didn’t bother to acknowledge the other man who followed suit.

But Ezra did. The gambler’s trained eyes gave Luke Conley a knowledgeable once over and
quickly decided the man was dangerous. Dangerous in a way Chris was dangerous. And that
worried him.

“It’s all right, you can talk in front of him.” Larabee’s words brought the other man from his
musings and for once Ezra realized he was quite clueless as what exactly he should say.

So, he told the truth "I’m afraid that while you and Mr. Wilmington were away on your
excursion, circumstances beyond my control led to the unfortunate removal of one of our elite
entourage.”

“When?” Chris asked quickly , as Buck swore and stomped his foot on the ground.

Conley was still trying to figure out what the man in the fancy clothes had just said.

“Last night. Just before dusk. Three gentlemen, and I do use that term lightly, rode into town and
proceeded to make their business known to our young sheriff. It seems as though they had
procured rather disturbing information concerning our compatriot, Mr.Tanner.”

“We know about the murders, Ezra.” Buck was in no mood for one of his friend’s drawn out
explanations. “What about Vin and the kid?”

Their card wielding friend raised a questioning eyebrow but continued on, “The lawmen insisted
on knowing if Mr. Tanner had been through our fair town as of the last forty-eight hours.  Mr.
Dunne informed them, ever so politely, that no one by that name had graced us with his presence
and that would have been that, but, unfortunately, our young bounty hunter  had spotted the three
, armed , outsiders entering the sheriff’s office and...”

“And had come to check on J.D.” Chris finished for the gambler.

“ Well, yes, and you can imagine the surprise when their wanted felon entered the local lawman’s
office and proceeded to ask them their intentions.”

“What did the kid do?” Wilmington asked, anxiously. “And don’t tell me he did anything
stupid.”

Ezra  shook his head and gave his friends a mischievous smile. “On the contrary. Our sheriff did
exactly what any law abiding public official would have done. He arrested Mr. Tanner for
murder.”

“He what!?” Buck and Chris asked simultaneously.

“He took him into custody,” the gambler explained. “It was , after all ,the only way ‘he’ could
extradite ‘his’ prisoner back to Ballintine.”

“Damn, I think I’m beginning to wear off on the kid,” Buck beamed proudly.

“You still haven’t told us where exactly the Sheriff from Ballintine or the prisoner Vin Tanner
is?” Lukas Conley was beginning to grow weary of this game. Getting a straight answer from this
man was about as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. And much more frustrating.

“Didn’t I?” Ezra drawled casually, unwilling to let his growing uneasiness about this stranger
show. “I thought I mentioned they rode out at dusk, along with our sheriff and the ‘prisoner’, Mr.
Tanner.”

“You just let them go?” Chris said a little harsher than he meant to.

Ezra’s impassive facade wavered for a brief moment and Larabee instantly regretted the
insinuation he was sure his words had held. After all, the gambler had more than proven himself
over the last year.

“I had no choice, Mr. Larabee. The Ballintine lawmen were none too receptive to J.D. riding with
them and he was wearing a badge. I don’t think having another intruder along for the jaunt  was
exactly in their agenda. Besides, I had no way of knowing that you and Mr. Wilmington had been
informed of these turn of events. With Nathan and Josiah gone, I was elected the bearer of ill
tidings."

Chris merely nodded. Ezra was right to stay and warn the others. But, there would be time for
apologies later, after their group was intact.

“If they left late in the evening , they may have camped close to here. Which means they’d only
have a half day’s lead on us back to Ballintine.”

“I can get us some supplies and we can head back out,” Buck suggested, just as ready as Chris
was to find their friends.

“I need to send a telegraph and then I’m coming with you.” Lukas informed them, starting to turn
and head across the street. But something on the edge of town caught his eye and he stopped
mid-stride. At the end of the road, opposite the side he and the others had rode in from, came a
horse.

It was instantly obvious that there was something wrong. The horse appeared to be riderless and
was walking somewhat sideways due to his head being turned in an unnatural manner.

Conley looked back over his shoulder to see that the others were now also following his line of
sight. As he returned to watching the approaching animal he immediately saw the problem. There
'was' a rider on the horse. Slumped low against the nape of the animal's neck, hidden from sight
at a distance, the man’s right arm hung limply to the side, still grasping the reins, which were
pulling his mounts head as if to turn.

“Oh God.”  The Marshal barely heard the whispered words, before Chris Larabee rushed past
him like a whirlwind.

“That’s Bailey!” Buck would know J.D.’s horse anywhere.

Lukas only watched as all three men rushed down the street towards the approaching mount.

Chris was the first to reach the animal and Bailey shied slightly when the gunslinger quickly
grabbed her bridle. It was obvious she was spooked and after what Chris saw next, it was no
wonder.

Vin Tanner,  nearly covered from head to toe in what looked like blood, was draped across the
saddle, unmoving.

“Vin!” Buck’s loud voice startled Chris and caused the large mare to balk.

“Easy girl,” Larabee soothed. “Easy now.”  His words not only did the trick on Bailey but also
brought about a stirring from above.

“Chris?” Vin Tanner managed to lift his head from it’s uncomfortable position resting on the
saddle horn, to seek out the voice he was sure he had just heard.

The older gunslinger let out the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. “Jesus, Vin, I
thought you were dead,” he said softly taking the reins from his friends grasp and handing them
to Ezra, who was staring at the bounty hunter in stunned silence.

“I think...I should be,” Vin moaned and tried to push himself up straight in the saddle.
Unfortunately, a wave of dizziness decided to crash upon him at that very moment and he only
managed to send himself sliding off the side of Bailey.

“Vin!” Chris and Buck both rushed to their friend’s side. Larabee was the one to make it to him
first, just before the younger man tumbled from atop the horse.

Catching the bounty hunter in his arms, the gunslinger gently eased his friend to the ground.

“Shit,” Buck cussed. “Is he all right?”

“I don’t know,” the gunslinger swallowed hard and tried to identify any wound on his friend, that
could explain the great amount of blood loss. He quickly checked his chest and arms, and then
ran careful fingers over the tracker’s head before brushing strands of blood stained hair away
from his face. “I can’t find any gunshots.”

Blue eyes suddenly blinked open, and a hand reached out, “Chris? Is that you?”

“It’s me, Pard. Just lie still O.K.?”

Vin’s eyes went from Chris’s worried face to Buck’s and his eyes widened in fright. “Oh, God.
J.D.!”

Buck took a reflexive step back as if the tracker had physically struck him. “What about J.D.?”

Vin’s sudden and ghastly appearance had thrown Wilmington for a moment and he hadn’t even
considered the fact that J.D. was supposed to be with the tracker. And if Vin wasn’t injured.... if
it wasn’t his blood everywhere... then who’s was it?  “Where is he, Vin? Is he all right?"

“I..I..don’t know.”  The younger man made to sit up, but Chris gently pushed him back down.

“Don’t move. We don’t know how bad you’re hurt yet.” Larabee turned to Ezra, “Go get Nathan
and Josiah. Now.”

“Is he going to be O.K.?” The gambler inquired before swinging himself into Bailey's saddle.

“He’ll be a lot better once Nathan’s here,” Chris replied grimly.

Ezra needed no more encouragement as he tore off for the Indian village in a heated pace. It was
a two hour ride at best , but the gambler intended on breaking records to get there.

“J.D.,” Vin mumbled again, in a confused voice. “Where’s J.D.?”

“He was with you, kid, don’t you remember?” Buck placed a comforting hand on his friends
forehead but wasn’t bothering to hide his fear now. He was on the verge of panic, his mind racing
through the many ways a man could lose as much blood as Vin was sporting. “Did he get hurt or
something? Why isn’t he with you?”

“Buck,” Chris warned softly, noticing how agitated the hurt man was becoming. He was worried
sick about J.D. too, but upsetting Vin wouldn’t do any of them any good.

The tracker shoved at the hands holding him down. “I’ve... got.. to find, J.D.  I’m s’pose to watch
out for him.”

The young man’s words were not as weak now, but slurred, almost as if he’d been drinking.

“Sounds like he might have hit his head or something.”  Chris and Buck had completely
forgotten about Conley, who was now watching the scene with idle curiosity.

Wilmington and Larabee ignored the man's commentary and continued to focus their attention on
Vin. “Vin, we just need you to calm down. We’ll find J.D. I promise.” Chris assured.

The tracker calmed some but his hands tightened around Chris’s jacket. Something was
definitely wrong. “There was so much blood, Chris. All the others were dead. Dead! Slaughtered
like animals.”

“The Sheriff from Ballintine and his men..” Vin’s last words drew the Marshal closer to the three
men. “He probably killed them and finished off your sheriff too.”

Buck was instantly on his feet and in the man’s face, “Don’t you ever say that!” He grabbed
Lukas by his shirt. “Vin didn’t kill nobody and J.D.’s not dead. I’d know it if he were.”

“I’m sorry , Buck.” The tracker’s words tore at the older man’s heart  and he roughly released the
now speechless Conley.

Wilmington had never heard his friend sound so lost or defenseless and his protective instinct
sent him back to Vin’s side. “I couldn’t find him, I tried. There was just so much death and I
couldn’t think straight...” The bounty hunter was now looking pleadingly at Wilmington.

“It’s O.K., Vin. Just take it easy," Chris tried again, feeling incredibly helpless. He could almost
feel the bounty hunter's runaway heart pounding in his chest, where the gunslinger hands were
pressed.

"Yeah, I’m sure the kid’s fine. He’s pretty good at taking care of himself.” Buck forced a smile
for the younger man’s benefit. “Probably off playing sheriff, tracking the men who did this.”

Tanner shook his head, getting upset again. “No, he couldn’t.” He managed to pull one arm free
from Chris and jammed it in his duster pocket. “Not with out this, he wouldn’t.”

With one trembling hand, the bounty hunter held out J.D.’s silver sheriff’s star and waited for
Buck to take it. “J.D.’s dead. I know it.”

*************************************************

Lukas Conley leaned up against the wall of the make-shift clinic he had been waiting in for the
last three hours and watched Buck Wilmington in quiet amazement. He’d never seen the man so
still before. It was a little unnerving. The younger gunslinger had not moved more than a few feet
from his position by the door to Vin Tanner’s room and hadn’t spoken a single word. His  only
motions were to turn the small tin star he was holding over and over in his hand, stopping
momentarily to look at it as if it hid some magical answer to the location of their missing sheriff.

Luke was definitely puzzled. He almost felt sorry for Wilmington.  Almost. Hell, he’d seen men
lose their wives, even their brothers, and not look so down-hearted.

And Chris. What was up with his long time friend? He hadn’t come away from the distraught
murder suspects bedside since the three had carried him to the clinic. Larabee had never seemed
the type to forge such loyalties. But something had changed. Maybe hitching himself up with the
odd band of misfits he had aligned himself with did the trick.

Riding with Wilmington would be bad enough. But teaming up with a raving-mad murderer and
a showy, embellishing con-man? Then there was the giant of a man who kept spouting biblical
verses left and right and the colored, who the others had called a doctor!

Why, when they’d shown up from the reservation , Conley had almost choked on his tobacco.
He hadn’t even had the privilege of meeting the appointed lawman of the group, but from bits
and pieces he’d picked up, the sheriff was no more than a teenager. What in the hell was Chris
Larabee thinking? Maybe losing his wife and son had really pushed him over the edge.

But then again, these Seven, were suppose to be the best. He’d heard more than a few stories
about their magnificent feats.

Conley chanced another glance at Buck and felt a twinge deep in his gut. He wasn’t sure if it was
sympathy or maybe envy. It’d been years since he had even come close to caring so much about
another person, and even longer since some one gave a damn about him. Perhaps, there was more
to this team of men than one could see on the surface. Might be, despite their obvious
differences, their was some kind of connection that others didn’t quite understand. Maybe, that
bond would be impossible to break, and he’d have to take on seven men instead of the 'one'
wanted man he had bargained for.

Luke sighed, and ran a hand over his tired eyes. Or maybe, he just needed a good night of shut
eye.

Before anymore strange thoughts could invade the Marshal’s thinking, the door to Tanner’s room
swung open and the ‘doctor’ stepped out.

“How’s Vin?” Buck asked , anxiously.

Nathan shook his head. “I didn’t find not one scratch on him.”

“That’s good....right?”

“It’s good, but it don’t explain all the blood, or the way he was acting.”

“I’d say killing four men would account for the mess he’s in. Maybe it’s about time I question
him about that very matter, ” Luke offered, stepping towards the door, only to have Jackson
block his way.

“My patient is slipping in and out of consciousness, and barely recognizes his friends. His heart
rate is way too fast and I don’t like the look in his eyes. So, if you’d be so kind, sir, I’d rather he
not have visitors.”

Luke didn’t like it , but the look in the dark man’s eyes left no room for argument. He’d get his
moment with Tanner. After all, the law was on his side and the telegraph he’d sent would make
sure justice was served.

“What do you think it is, Nathan?” Buck was doing his best to ignore how much of an ass Conley
was being.

“I’ve seen something like it before, remember when we fought Colonel Anderson when he was
high on laudanum?”

“You think Vin took laudanum?” Wilmington asked, disbelievingly.

“Not exactly, but maybe some other kind of drug. Something that would have knocked him out
and maybe helped mess up his memory. It could explain why he’s acting the way he is and...”

“Oh, that would be convenient,” the Marshal interrupted with a short laugh. “I guess you boys
would come up with about anything to get him off the hook.”

“Shut up, Lukas,” Buck growled. “Before I give Nathan, here, another patient.”

“Easy, Buck,” the gentle doctor, laid a hand on his friends shoulder. “ We don’t need anymore
trouble than we’ve got.”

Wilmington unclenched his fists and willed himself to calm down before turning a hopeful
glance in Nathan’s direction. “Did Vin say anything else about what may have happened to the
kid.?”

Jackson sighed, tiredly, “Sorry, Buck, he’s still not making much since. Just keeps talking out of
his head. Asking Chris to help him find J.D.”

“And that’s exactly what I plan on doing.”  All three men looked up as Chris Larabee strode out
of the bounty hunter’s room. “Stay with Vin, Nathan. Buck and I will be back when we get some
answers.”

"What about Ezra and Josiah?" Buck asked, coming alongside his friend.

"I wanted them to stay here and wire Ballintine for some more information. Maybe they can
come up with some answers before we get back."

“I wouldn’t mind getting some facts on this situation , myself.” Conley spoke up. “I’m riding
with you.”

“Suit yourself,” Chris barely spared a glance in his old friend’s direction. “But get in my way,
and I’ll forget we ever had a past.”

*************************************************

Several miles out of town............

The three men had rode in relative silence. There wasn't much need for chit chat. Any
plans Conley had imagined about at least a friendly reunion with his old buddy, had
been quickly doused when he had came after one of their own. And as for Buck and
Chris, they didn't need words to communicate the thoughts running through their
heads. They knew what the other was thinking..feeling..hoping. And most of it
wasn't good.

Mindful of the ever lessening amount of daylight, they had kept their pace as fast as
possible, while still being able to track the barely visible trail Tanner and Bailey had left.

It still took them over an hour to make it to the small clearing where the doomed men
had chose to stop for the night. Chris had spotted the buzzards circling above it a ways
back, and Buck’s heart tightened with the imagined images of what lay in store for
them.

Nothing he had thought up could have prepared him.

An overwhelming coppery smell assaulted the trio upon entering the tree encircled
camp and even the hardened Conley flinched when he took in the carnage before them.

What was left of one of the dead greeted the riders with what looked like a twisted
grimace. His eyes had been dislodged by the ravenous vultures above or by some other
creature brave enough to roam during the day and his half-eaten face stared upward
with a torturous scowl.

Sitting propped against one of the trees, he seemed almost like a hideous sentry
keeping watch over his sleeping crew. Of course peaceful could not describe the
slumber his associates had been stricken with.

The other two men were lying several feet away, both had their throats cut and one
sported a gaping bullet wound to the chest. Although the major assaults had obviously
been lethal enough in and of themselves, the perpetrator had seen fit to add an
uncountable number of stab wounds to each victim.

Who ever had done this had been a monster. A cold-hearted, very angry, monster.

“Sweet Jesus...” Conley breathed, trying to control the nausea threatening to send him
to the bushes.

“Please, God, don’t let J.D. be here.”

Chris turned at the choked plea from his friend. Buck had dismounted and  was
squatted down near one of the prone forms, holding what the other man instantly
recognized as their young partner’s bowler hat.

“Come on , Buck , let’s search the outskirts of the camp,” Larabee suggested, swinging
down from his horse. Keeping his friend busy was the best way he could help him
through this, short of bringing J.D. back safely, anyway.

Wilmington nodded and pushed himself to his feet. He clutched the hat close to his
chest and took a deep breath.  Thinking the worst wasn’t going to make things any
better. Nothing would be better till J.D. was back and Vin's name was cleared.

The three split up and made a sweeping circle of the border around the clearing, neither
man finding much. After nearly a half hour, Conley found a canteen and a bandanna,
which could have belonged to any of the dead men from Ballintine. Chris was empty
handed and Buck didn't know if he was more relieved or frustrated at not having found
any signs J.D.

It was as if the boy had vanished into mid-air. He was about to call it quits when his
eyes caught sight of  a flash off of something metal near one of the outlying bushes.

“Hey , Chris, you better come over here,” Wilmington called after bending down to
retrieve the object. It was a  knife. A blood stained knife. Vin Tanner’s blood -stained
knife.

“Damn it,” Larabee muttered as he took the weapon from his friend. “This whole thing
just keeps getting worse.”

“Worse for Tanner, anyway.” Luke joined the other two men. “I'm assuming of course
that you all recognize that pig sticker. Looks like it could have been used to  do a lot of
this handiwork.”

Before Larabee could reply to the Marshal’s accusations, a thrashing in the surrounding
foliage startled all three of the gunslingers, causing each to draw his weapon and await
with bated breath for the appearance of some wretched beast. It would have been an
understatement to say the grizzly seen surrounding them had put the three a little on
edge.

To their mutual relief nothing appeared but a large black horse, wearing a halter and
what was left of a lead rope. It looked upon the three with what could only be described
as a sadness in it’s large almond eyes.

“Must have been one of the lawmen’s horses” Chris assumed. It  wasn’t Vin’s mount
and Bailey had returned with the bounty hunter.

“The rope’s been cut. There’s blood on it.” Conley had gently eased up to the animal
and now held it’s halter.

“The killer must have let ‘em go after he did what he came for.” Larabee kneeled down
next to the left over ashes of the campfire where a half-filled coffee pot still sat
untouched.

He let his eyes roam over the blood-splattered dirt, taking note of the different
footprints etched into the softened clay. Vin could have told him more, but from the
looks of it , only six different sets of prints were visible. Excluding the sheriff and his
deputies, Vin and J.D. , the killer would have had to been solo.

“You mean Tanner let the horses go?”

Chris’s eyes shot up to glare at the Marshal. “No. I mean the killer let them go to cover
his tracks. I already found three sets of hoof prints away from this place. He probably
figured it’d  be hard to tell which trail to follow, if he had several leading in different
directions.”

“Maybe your tracker friend realized the same thing.”

“Then why the hell would he come back to town, Lukas?!” Buck spat, angrily. “If he’s
the cold blooded murder you’re so sure he is, why didn’t he get as far away as possible,
while he had the chance?”

“Who knows?” the seasoned lawman shot back. “Maybe he did take some kind of
potion like your doctor said. Might be he's just plain crazy. A man’d have to be , to do
something like this.” Conley let his arm sweep around the sanguineous mess before
them. “And if he killed the boy too, then...”

Buck snapped. His hands were around Luke’s throat before Chris could catch him.
“Damn you, Conley,” Wilmington rasped. “I warned you before...”

“Buck!” Larabee grabbed his friend and pulled him away from the other man. When he
did, the Marshal threw a cheap shot to Buck’s chin, nearly sending him and Chris to the
ground.

Amazingly enough , both gunslingers stayed on their feet and Wilmington would have
retaliated if his friend hadn’t maintained an iron grip on his arms.

“If you ever touch me again, Wilmington, I will kill you where you stand. I swear it,
"Conley spat. “I’ll send you after your precious sheriff,  straight to the gates of hell.”

Now Chris had heard enough. He roughly pushed Buck away from him and out from
between he and Conley. In a blink of an eye, the man in black had the Marshal by the
collar and had plowed him into one of the trees behind them.

“You never did know when to shut-up, Luke,” Larabee said in a deadly whisper. “That
‘sheriff’ you keep referring to happens to mean a whole hell of a lot to Buck. And to me.
And whether he’s alive or not, there ain’t no call for you to use a boy you don't even
know to rub salt in old wounds.” Chris pushed Conley harder against the tree and then
released him. “Now either, help us clean up this mess and get these men back to town
or head on back to Camden.”

The gunslinger didn’t give Lukas a chance to reply before he turned and started back
towards Buck who was wiping at his now bleeding lip. “Damn it, Chris, you should
have let me beat that smug look off his face.”

“No time for that , Buck. We got to find J.D.”

“He ain’t here, Chris. Thank God he ain’t, but we’re right back where we started from.
You already said there was more 'an three different trails to follow. How we going to
tell which is which.?”

“We ain’t Pard,” Larabee’s hard blue eye’s met Buck’s questioning gaze. “Vin is.”

**************************************************

It was nearly dark when the three trail weary men returned to Four Corners. Chris had
pushed the horses hard, not only because of the impending nightfall, but because all he
could think of was Vin. He didn’t want his friend to wake up alone. Yeah, Nathan and
Josiah were there. Even Ezra. But something inside of Larabee knew that the bounty
hunter would need ‘him’ there. Or maybe it was Chris who needed to be there. Perhaps,
he needed to feel useful, like he was helping his best friend in some way.

In a way he hadn’t been able to help J.D. No matter the reasons, the gunslinger was
more than relieved to be home. Buck must have shared his sentiment because he had
left his post beside the horse carrying what was left of Ballentine’s lawmen and joined
Larabee in the lead. Apparently, Conley hadn’t felt the need to complain about being
the one to take the burden of leading the stray mount they had found, or maybe Chris’s
mood was as palpable as he hoped.
 
“There’s Ezra,” Buck’s words were low, and monotone. It was eerie to see the fiery
Wilmington so lifeless.

Chris spurred his horse towards the saloon. “Maybe, he and Josiah have some news for
us.”

“Long as it ain’t bad.”

“Gentlemen,” Ezra greeted his partners as they sidled up to the hitching post. His eyes
then went to Conley and the blanket covered forms draped across the unfamiliar horse
at his side. The gambler’s face grew pale. “I take it your venture was not a fortuitous
one?”

“We didn’t find J.D.,” Chris quickly supplied, knowing the path his friend of chance’s
thoughts were headed.

“Then you have better news than I,” Ezra lamented.

“Is Vin all right?” Now Chris was the one jumping to morose conclusions.

“Mr. Tanner is still unconscious, but was resting quite comfortably the last time I
checked. I was referring to the task you requested my services for prior to your
departure.”

Ezra let his eyes travel from Larabee to Luke. “It appears there was no need for me to
contact the telegraph operator in Ballintine, because their was a wire already waiting
for us from the mayor of that fair township. It seems he was very eager to know when
we would be turning over Mr. Tanner to them?”

“How the hell did they find out he was here so fast?”

“Perhaps, you should ask your old acquaintance , Marshal Conley.” Both Buck and Chris
turned to glare at Luke, who was offering no explanation. “It appears he sent word to
the mayor of Ballintine that his sheriff had succumbed to unforeseen circumstances and
would, more than likely, not be returning to duty. He also expounded in great detail
about Vin’s misfortunate condition and implied his guilt in the presumed murders.”

“You son of a bitch, “ Buck seethed. “You just couldn’t trust us to handle this could
you...?”
 
“Apparently not,” Ezra spoke up again before Conley could. “The telegraph to
Ballintine wasn’t the only wire the good marshal sent...”

“I was just doing my duty, Chris,” Conley tried to explain, but there was no need for
further words because as if on cue, Judge Orin Travis, grimed face and looking all of
like a flustered parent, stepped from the saloon.

“Judge,” Chris tipped his hat, as Buck fought the urge to pull Conley from his horse and
beat the daylights out of him.

“Chris,” the older man leaned against the railing of the porch. “Did you find the men from
Ballintine?”
 
The gunslinger nodded towards the horse behind him. “All three of them.”

“What happened?” The judge’s voice was calm and unpretentious as usual.

“They were murdered,” Lukas was the one to answer. “Killed, then cut up so bad you couldn’t
even much tell they had been humans.”

“Could it have been Indians?” Travis pushed his hat back away from his eyes a little, giving him
a better view of Larabee.

Chris shook his head. “Didn’t look like their way. One man was shot and no scalps were taken.”

“They were killed about the same way the two in Camden were, only worse. We found the
bounty hunter’s knife at the scene,” Conley spoke up. “It could be one of the murder weapons.”

“That don’t mean Vin used it.,” Buck pointed out, heatedly.

“Oh, he just gave it to the killers in his ‘drugged’ state I guess.” Lukas shot back.

“Keep it up, Conley, and I’m going to give you somethin.”

“Boys.” Orin held up his hands and spoke as if addressing two brawling children on a school
playground. “We have enough problems to consider without adding fighting amongst ourselves
to the ever-growing list.”

“It was hard to tell exactly what took place,” Chris was trying to focus on the problem at hand.
“We were losing light, and I wanted to get the bodies back before the wolves or coyotes came
out.”

Travis sighed and rubbed at his tired eyes. It had been a long four hour ride from Shilock, where
he had been holding court when the telegraph from Marshal Conley had come through. He really
didn’t feel like opening the gates of hell at this very moment, but what other recourse could he
take.

“I suppose we should go talk to Vin, since he is our only witness and suspect at this time.”

The look on Larabee’s face was painful. “What?” He finally dismounted from his horse. “You
ain’t meaning to tell me you’re buying into the possibility that Vin is guilty of this?”

Orin knew it was coming. It hadn’t took him long to see the kinship that had formed between the
seven. Hell, it was one of the reasons he knew they were right for the job. In his eyes, the
closeness, the bond, well that was an advantage. It gave them a reason to fight harder. It gave
them something to protect. Only now, he was on the receiving end of the very fierceness he had
hoped Four Corners would gain from.

“All I’m saying is that I have three dead lawmen to account for and I would like to hear Vin’s
side of the story. Perhaps he is awake and can help us clear this whole mess up before things get
further out of hand.”

“Further out of hand?!” Buck was now looking at the Judge as if he had grown another head. “If
you’d cared to have noticed, this ain’t some small travesty of Justice you can fix with a magical
rap of your gavel. J.D.’s missing! We didn’t find not hide nor hair of him, except for his stupid
hat.” The gunslinger shoved the black bowler towards the judge , and it was then Chris realized
his friend hadn’t ever released the grip he had on the hat, since finding it at the scene. Just like
he’d never be able to let go of J.D. if the kid didn’t make it out of this all right.

“I understand your concern, Mr. Wilmington,” Travis offered with a true sincerity that surprised
Chris somewhat. “ I hope to find Sheriff Dunne safe just as much as the rest of you.”

"I doubt that,” Buck grumbled but looked somewhat remorseful for his outbreak. He liked the
judge and all, but sometimes found the man crass and unfeeling. And maybe he held him a little
responsible for appointing J.D. sheriff. Well, maybe a whole lot.

“That is exactly why I think it best we talk with Mr. Tanner.”

“Only if we see him first.” Chris put his demand on the table and it wasn’t up for
negotiations. “If he’s well enough for visitors, then you can ask him about J.D. But
nothing about the murders until I say so.”

“What is up with you, Larabee?” Conley exploded. “The man’s a murder suspect , not a
piece of porcelain. I’ve seen you kill men for being suspected of less. What are you, this
kid’s protector or something ?”

“Or something,” Buck was the one to answer through gritted teeth. How could a man
like Luke Conley expect to ever understand what the Seven shared.

“Take it or leave it Conley.” Chris turned blazing blue eyes on his old friend. “As long
as J.D.’s missing, were still the law around here. You really wouldn’t want me to arrest
you for obstructing justice now would you?”

Luke was slow to reply so Judge Travis seized the opportunity to interrupt the
increasing tension. “Your request seems reasonable. If Nathan gives the O.K., we talk to
Mr. Tanner. If not, we wait until the morning."

Orin looked from Buck to Conley, " Now let's get a move on. Mary's holding my supper
and for once, I’d actually like to have some sleep when I come to this town.”

*********************************************************
 
“Has he woken up any since we’ve been gone?” Chris Larabee asked, anxiously
watching the too-still form on the cot in Nathan’s room.

“He came to a little, whilst Josiah and I were cleaning him up, but that’s ‘bout it. Didn’t
say anything, just looked really confused and all.”

“Did you find anything else wrong with him?” Buck had stepped over to the bounty
hunter’s bedside.

“Just some bruises around his wrists, and a couple on his face.”

“Like maybe someone had been holding him?” Chris offered. “These marks on his face
look like they could have been made by someone’s fingers.”

Wilmington gently touched the nasty looking purplish marks on either side of Vin’s
chin. Chris stepped around to the other side of his sleeping friend. “Maybe they forced
his mouth open , wanting him to drink something.”

Buck looked up at the other gunslinger. “That’d fit Nathan’s theory about him being
given some kind of drug.”

“Josiah thought that same thing,” Nathan stepped around Chris to lay a cool cloth
across Tanner’s forehead. “He done went over to old lady Cromley’s farm.”

“The witch?” Buck asked with some alarm. It wasn’t any secret that the Spinster
Cromley was rather feared by most of Four Corners. Generations of families had
revered her and her ancestors as workers of the evil craft. But Larabee had never been
much one for superstitious ramblings.

“She ain’t no witch , Buck.” Chris shook his head. “Casseopaya is just a lonely old
woman who likes to have her privacy.”

“An old woman who just happens to wear all black, have a black cat named Salem,
keep all kinds of bones hanging from her front porch, and don’t you remember when
she tried to put that hex on me?”

“It ain’t no crime to wear black, Buck,” Chris pointed out. “Besides, I think you and J.D.
were stealing apples from her orchard when she screamed that little curse at you.”

“Don’t make no never mind why she done it, I couldn’t perform for a whole week , if
you know what I mean.”

Chris held up his hand to ward off the horrendous story Buck was about to relate. He’d
heard it at least five times now, and it grew more ridiculous with each telling.

“Why ‘did’ Josiah go see Casseopaya, Nathan?” Larabee asked.

Nathan couldn’t help to smile at the look on Wilmington’s face. The man twitched at
the very mention of the spinster’s name. “Josiah, says he remembers hearing that the
Cromley’s dabbled in natural medicines, herbal stuff and all. Said Miss Cromley’s ma
was a gypsy, knew lots of concoctions and potions. He thought maybe Casseopaya
might have an idea as to what Vin could have been given.”

“Well, if anybody’d know how to make a man suffer, I’m sure it’d be the old witch,”
Buck shuttered.

*******************************************************

As soon as Vin Tanner opened his eyes, the horror came flooding back with frightening
clarity.. The conversation around him stopped immediately and he could feel the eyes
upon him. Moving his head slowly, he finally rested his gaze on what he hoped was his
savior.

“Where’s J.D.?” That was the only thing the bounty hunter cared to know right now.

Chris Larabee’s face was grim. He was more than relieved to see his friend awake but
he could have done without the pain and confusion he read in the tracker’s eyes. What
hurt the most though was knowing there wasn’t a way he could spare his friend.

“We don’t know, Vin. We were hoping you could tell us.”

A stillness spread inside the room. Several expressions crossed the young man’s
helpless features, until a look of sheer terror took hold. “Oh God!”

Nathan dropped to Vin’s side at the exclamation, fear clutching at him. “Vin, just take it
easy, ya hear me?”

Tanner wouldn’t or couldn’t respond. He was pale and very, very still. “I-I hear him
yelling my name.”

Buck Wilmington, who had been standing quietly until now, crouched at Nathan's side
and asked softly, “ Who do you hear? J.D.? What happened to him, Vin?” he urged
gently. “Come on pard, we need to know. I need to know.”

“He, he.... Ugh,” Vin weakly slammed his clenched fist into the mattress. “I can’t
remember.” Tortured blue eyes searched out Chris’s face. “I know he was with us on
the trail to Ballintine. I know he wouldn’t stay behind. I tried to get him to. But you
know how he is?”

“Stubborn as all get out.” Chris agreed and sat down on the side of the bed, offering
comfort with his closer proximity. Vin turned soft eyes to his friend and started to say
something when the door burst open.

**********************************************

“You’ve had enough time Larabee.” Lukas Conley looked fit to be tied. “The prisoner
looks like he’s feeling well enough to talk with us. Hell, he looks good enough to head
on down to the jail where he belongs.”

The bounty hunter jumped, startled at the unexpected entrance of the stranger looming
above them now. Chris laid a steadying hand on his best friend’s shoulder before
turning to Lukas. “Look Conley, until we know Vin’s okay, he ain’t going nowhere.”

Buck stepped around the cot to place himself protectively between the irate lawman
and Vin. “That’s right Luke. He’s not moving till we say.” Buck’s voice rang through
the room with a deadly sting but to his surprise the marshal only smiled.

“Seems the Judge has come around to my way of thinking and it really doesn’t matter
what ‘you’ say, Wilmington.”

The men were so engrossed in the impending fight, that they hadn’t noticed the judge
enter behind Conley. “He’s right Chris, maybe it would be best if Vin was taken to the
jail. Right now he’s a murder suspect, and if he has no physical wounds, we need to
confine him.”

“You were eavesdropping?” Buck addressed Conley with a barely controlled rage.

Luke smiled. “Too bad I didn’t run into old Casseopaya before you decided to up and
bed my wife , now wasn’t it.”

“That’s enough, Conley.” Judge Travis’s voice rung with authority. “I agreed to move
Vin because talk is already spreading around town. I thought it would be in everyone’s
best interest if Mr. Tanner is safely behind bars.”

“What’s he talking about, Chris?” the soft question brought Larabee’s attention back to
the patient beside him. He hadn’t wanted to tell the tracker like this. Not in front of
everyone. Not in front of Conley.

“Do you remember the lawmen from Ballintine coming to town yesterday?”

Vin thought for a minute and then nodded. “They came for me. Said something about
some murders and a bank robbery.”

“That’s right. Well, Marshal Conley over there is here under the same false pretense. He
claims he has a witness that identified you as a suspect in a killing in Camden last
week.”

The tracker’s brow furrowed. “I wasn’t in Camden last week. I ain’t never been there,
that I can recollect. I was out on the range for six days straight, remember?”

Chris gave a slight smile. “I remember, pard,” then added softer, “I’m not the one with
the amnesia..”

The tactic worked and Vin seemed to loosen up a bit. A weak imitation of his slow grin
swept across his tired features. “Yeah, I forgot.”

“You seem to do a lot of that.” Conley walked closer to the bed. “But I ain’t buying
this bit about you being out on the range, anymore I am the theory you didn’t kill those
men from Ballintine as well as your own sheriff.”

Tanner’s smile instantly faded, “Chris? What the hell does he mean?”

“Take it easy, Luke’s just spouting off at the mouth. We don’t know what’s happened to
J.D.”

“And the men from Ballintine?” A terrible scene flashed through the tracker’s mind.

“They’re dead.”

“Did ...did I kill them?”

“Why don’t you tell us.” Marshal Conley asked snidely.

“Shut-up, Luke. Before I shut you up.” Buck threatened. “You didn’t do anything
wrong, Vin. We think whoever took J.D. was the same one who killed Sheriff Wallace
and his men..”

“They must have given you some kind of drug,” Nathan’s kind voice cut in. “That,
along with the shock of what happened is probably why you don’t remember things too
clearly just now.”

“And maybe he don’t want to remember. If I’d butchered three men and killed one of
my own partners I wouldn’t be so quick to fess up to it either.”

“That does it,” Chris breathed. He rose slowly and faced off with his former friend.
“I’ve had just about enough of your cheap shots and insinuations.”

“And I’ve had enough of your tap dance routine. I never imagined the great Chris
Larabee as a Mother hen nurse maid.”

“Enough.” All five men turned and looked at Nathan, the gruff tone of his voice
surprising them. “You will not upset my patient any further with your petty bickering.”

“Your patient is also my prisoner. I believe my authority outweighs that of a wannabe
doctor any day of the week.”

The dark man turned to Conley. “As far as I remember, Marshal, a man was innocent to
proven guilty. You sure ain’t acting like Vin has a chance in hell of being innocent, so
forgive me, if I have a hard time accepting you as a legitimate lawman.”

“Nicely said, Mr. Jackson.” Judge Travis stepped forward and laid a hand on the
healer’s shoulder. He knew it was not the quiet man’s way to speak up so boldly. Of
course, it was not every day that one of his family was threatened and one will often do
more for someone he loves, than he would ever do for himself. “I think Lukas may have
forgotten that Vin is still ‘just’ a suspect and should be treated accordingly so. We’ll take
him to the jail but under his physicians care.”

Despite the judge’s intentions, Chris Larabee retained his defensive stance in front of
the bounty hunter’s bed. “He ain’t done nothing wrong. He ain’t going to jail.”

The tracker knew his best friend. Chris wasn’t going to let this go. “No. The judge is
right. If I did kill,” Vin took a slow, deep breath, “somebody. I need to be in jail so the
townsfolk can feel safe and not lose faith in the Seven.” Instead of easing the tension,
Vin’s words seemed to make Larabee even more determined.

“Maybe he’s right Chris. Ezra can’t hold off the questions and suspicions for much
longer. Besides, I’ll be with him at all times.” The healer’s logic apparently got through
because the gunslinger eased his position and moved back to Vin’s side.

“We’ll take him, but this ain’t over.” Larabee willed himself to conceal the anger he felt.
He didn’t want his friend to misread it’s direction.

“Need a hand, cowboy?” A shadow of the tracker’s old smile returned, but only briefly.

“Naw, I think I can make it.” Vin rose slowly, trying not to show his discomfort. He
could feel Nathan’s concern and quickly reassured him. “Don’t worry Nathan. I’m
fine.”

“Are you sure you’re O.K.?” Buck stepped forward and steadied the younger man once
he was up and on his feet.

Vin’s eyes met his and he sighed, “I won’t be O.K. till we find J.D.”

Buck nodded his understanding, “None of us will.”

********************************************************

Everyone was now gathered inside the jailhouse. Vin had been placed in a cell and
Nathan stood close by. Ezra had abandoned all hopes of calming the townspeople and
now stood guard outside the door. Chris and Buck had joined the judge and Conley at
J.D.’s desk where they were discussing what turn of events should take place next.

“I think he should be transferred back to Camden to stand trial,” Luke offered, in his
most diplomatic tone. Upsetting Orin Travis would not be a good idea.

“In your town? Under your watchful eye?” Buck shook his head. “Why don’t we just
hang him right now and save him the long ride.”

Chris looked disapprovingly at his friend’s choice of satirical humor, but concurred
with the underlying sentiment. “He stays here until we find J.D. and figure this whole
mess out.”

“Here under his partners’ ‘watchful’ eye. I’m sure he will be treated quite fairly.”

“At least we’ll know he’s got a fighting chance.” Wilmington snorted.

“I’d say his chances would be about as slanted as your gambling friend’s odds on poker
night.”

“Gentlemen,” Orin sighed deeply and regretted even starting this conversation at such
a late hour. “As of right now I see no need to move Mr. Tanner.”

“I knew you’d see fit to take their side.” The words were out of Conley’s mouth before
he could stop them.

“But,” Travis cut the other lawman off with a menacing glare and then faced Chris. “I
also think it would be best if I relieved you and the others of duty until this matter is
resolved.” The expressions Buck and Chris shot Travis would have struck fear in the
devil himself.

“Best for who?” Nathan softly demanded from his vigil by Vin’s now sleeping form.
Before an answer could be given, the door opened and one haggard looking Josiah
Sanchez entered.

“Evening Brothers.” The big man quickly made his way across the room and held his
hands up to the wood stove. “How’s Vin?”

“Better.” Buck replied. “But we’re fired.”

“Excuse me?” Josiah looked from the judge to Chris. “Something I should know
about?”

Larabee looked past the judge, without meeting his gaze.  “It’s not important. Did you
find out anything from Spinster Cromley?.”

Nathan had now left Vin’s cell and joined the others. “Did she know of anything that
might have fit the symptoms I told you?”

The holy man nodded.  “Belladonna.”

“Bella who?” Buck asked , puzzled.

“Not who. What.” Chris was the one to answer. “It’s an herb.”

“Brother Larabee’s right. Casseopaya told me that this magical little ingredient could be
used to put a person to sleep when used in the right quantities. But if someone ingests
too much, it can cause erratic behavior and memory loss. Even death.”

“Then it’s possible someone could have forced Vin to drink something laced with the
stuff?” Buck chanced a glance back to their sleeping friend.

“It would have had to have been someone who knew what they were doing.” Josiah
explained. “Casse said that a person dabbling in such things, without proper
knowledge, would easily finish a person off.”

“She would know.” Buck snorted.

“Did she say how long the effects might lasts?” Chris asked, standing up to pace in
front of the tracker’s cell.

Josiah shook his head. “She said it depended on the amount taken and the person
affected. You know, size, activity, physical state.”

“You don’t really expect us to take the word of an old crone as evidence do you?” Luke
asked rolling his eyes heavenward. “This just keeps getting better.”

“What if we could prove Vin had been drugged? Would you listen to Casseopaya
then?”

“And just how are you going to do that, Chris?” Judge Travis asked wearily.

“By finding J.D., and the real killer and bringing him in to confess.”

“Oh, is that all,” Conley scoffed.  He knew Larabee was good but tracking down men
that didn’t exist was even a little out of his league.

“Yep, that’s all.”

“You do that, Chris, and I might just have to kiss that old Witch Buck’s so afraid of.”

“Huh, ain't much punishment in that.” Buck grinned evilly at Nathan. “ Old Casse’s
bound to kiss better than his wife. So be prepared to pucker-up, Lukas.” Wilmington
roughly slapped the Marshal on the back “You just gave me even more incentive to
prove you wrong.  I can’t wait till J.D. gets a load of Casse’s new boy toy.”

Conley just glared at the smug faces in front of him, “That is of course, ‘if’ you find the
poor kid.”

Larabee made a move to close the distance between he and his one-time ally.  “Oh, we’ll
find him. You just make sure nothing happens to the ‘prisoner’. Because if it does, you’ll
take his place at the gallows. I’ll see to it, personally.”  With that, Larabee turned to the
healer, “Nathan you stay with Vin, the rest of us are gonna go after J.D.”

After giving the orders, and a curt nod in Orin’s direction, the gunslinger lead the way
out of the jailhouse. Once he and the others had entered the night air, Buck turned
puzzled eyes on his longtime friend.

“Chris, how we going to find J.D. , if we can’t track him. I thought that’s where Vin
came in.”

Larabee took a quick look around the now darkened streets and then met each of his
friends’ expectant stares. “Who say’s Vin ain’t coming with us?”

**************************************************

J.D. Dunne’s world was one of pain and confusion. He had awoke several hours ago to
find himself bound and gagged, lying on what appeared to be the cold dirt floor of a
cellar. His wrist’s were throbbing from being tightly restrained and he was sure the wet
stickiness covering his palms was his own blood.

The sheriff’s ribs ached and his face hurt. He recalled being hit and there was a vague
memory of someone pushing him down the stairs.

‘What the hell was going on?’  J.D. squeezed his eye’s shut and tried to ignore the
pounding in his head. He knew he had been on the trail with the lawmen from
Ballintine and Vin. ‘Oh, God! Vin. What had happened to Vin?’

The teen took a deep breath and almost choked on the dry cloth stuffed in his mouth.
Think, J.D., think. He remembered going to check on Bailey before bedding down. He
also remembered he wasn’t paying much attention because his thoughts were on Buck
and Chris and his hopes for their impending arrival. And then he heard a noise, a
footfall behind him.

He turned, figuring Sheriff Wallace had sent one of his deputies to keep an eye on him.
He was wrong. ‘Shit!’  J.D.’s eyes flew open and fear surged through every limb, as the
memory struck him like the flash of a lightening bolt.

“Buck!” The ‘kid’ tried to yell, but it only came out more as a muffled cough.  J.D. tried
not to panic, as he considered his options. He had to get away. He had to warn the
others.

************************************************

“The boy’s probably getting thirsty by now.”  Magdeline Saint said with a calculating
smile that lit her emerald green eyes.

“Probably.” The older man across the table from her, grinned and reached for her hand.
“I imagine he's also in some amount of pain, if he’s conscious yet.”

The young woman brought the rough palm up to her cheek and nuzzled it. “He could
never suffer enough for what he and his friends’ did to you.” she purred.

“My dear Magdeline, you are the only saving grace I have found in this misery I have
been made to endure.”  Black eyes hungrily roamed the length of the woman’s frame.
“Whatever have I done to deserve you?”

“I only did as the dreams told me.” Magdeline rose and with a sweep of her long black
dress, came to bow in front of the man she knew to be her savior. “My visions’
prophesized that one such as you would be sent to me. I would die for you.”

Her lover laughed heartily. “There will be no need in that my child.” He run a large
hand through her raven black hair. “There will only be seven deaths’ to come and you
shall bear witness.”

Magdeline smiled.  “Can I at least hurt the boy some more? Revenge is so sweet.”

“Oh, there will be time for that, my dark angel. With you by my side, I will introduce,
he and his accomplices’ to the lady anguish.” The big man quickly brushed a kiss atop
the girl’s head before rising. “Because I have met anguish; I have peered into her empty,
unforgiving eyes. I have touched her shriveled bosom and felt her clammy arms
holding me tight.”

The man limped the length of the room. “Her bitter sweet lips, hath burned her mark
upon mine; and that kiss has stolen my soul.” He turned back to face Magdeline. “Just
as I will take the Magnificent Sevens’.”

*********************************************

“Vin, you doing all right?”

Nathan paced restlessly across the length of the cell.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Except for I think I’ve lost my mind.”

It had been a long night and the tracker had only slept now and then. The healer had
kept vigil by his side but found himself of little use in easing his patient’s discomfort.
Nathan stopped suddenly and whirled toward his friend.

“Now don’t you go thinking you could have done any of this. Especially, anything to
J.D.”

The tracker raised to a sitting position and stared at the dark man.

“I don’t know what I’ve done, and none of you know what that drug could have caused
me to do.”

Jackson sighed, sitting on the cot beside the younger man.

“No, but I know what kind of man you are.” His dark eyes held his friends distraught
stare. “And thats all I need to know.”

“Your confidence is overwhelming.” Marshal Conley spoke up from his position behind
the desk where he had been dozing off and on. “But kinda of stupid if you ask me. As
far as I’m concerned he all but confessed to the crimes.”

“I didn’t hear either one of us invite you in this conversation.” Nathan Jackson rarely
lost his temper, but Lukas was pushing his luck.

Before the lawman could reply, the door to the sheriff’s office burst open and one out of
breath boy entered.

Jesse Parker shot a quick glance toward the occupied cell before turning panicked eyes
toward Conley. “Come quick Marshal, the livery’s on fire!”
 
Lukas looked unsure for a moment but the kid urgently grabbed at his sleeve and
headed to the door. “Hurry up sir, I believe the stable boy’s still inside.”

Nathan smiled to himself as he gave a reassuring squeeze to Vin’s shoulder. “Chris
must be on his way ,” he whispered. Jess Parker was the stable boy.

“Just take it easy son, I’m coming.” But before he turned to go, the Marshal pointed a
finger in Jackson’s direction. “I’ll be right back, so don’t even think about trying
anything.”

The healer raised his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t worry about me, you have the
keys to the cell, after all.”

Conley looked down at his belt as if making sure Nathan’s words were true and then
took off after the youngster.

Vin closed his eyes and hoped Nathan’s words were true.  The tracker hadn’t realized
how much he needed the support of the others until those few uttered words. But as
much as he wanted to stay awake, the darkness called to him, and the return of the
pounding in his head made it too hard to resist. The last thing he remembered was
Nathan’s murmured reassurances before the axis of his reality tilted and suddenly he
was assaulted by a terror-filled shout.

“Vin, help me!”

****************************************************

“I thought you said there was a fire son?” Marshal Conley came to a screeching halt
after reaching the corner that allowed him a clear view of the livery stable. “I don’t see
any smoke.”

“Maybe you aren’t looking hard enough.” Josiah Sanchez’s deep voice caused the
lawman to whirl around to face him. “A man often sees only what he wants too.”

“What is this, Sanchez, some kind of ruse?”

Before replying, Josiah gave Jesse a slight nod to send him back into the shadows. “I
thought we might have a chance to discuss our situation like gentleman.”

“As far as I’m concerned, we’ve already said all we needed to say.”

The gunslinger shrugged, and before Conley could make a move, a sharp pain erupted
at the base of his skull and he fell to the ground unconscious.

“By all means, have it your way.” Ezra Standish dropped the board he was holding and
bent down to retrieve the keys to the jail cells. “I have always been a man of few words
myself.”

Josiah smiled at his friend’s blatant exaggeration. “Sometimes silence can speak
volumes, brother.”

“Remember that sermon, Mr. Sanchez, when we find our young sheriff. I fear he will
have quite a story to tell.” The gambler’s smile could not hide the worry behind his
words as he rolled Conley over and began tying his hands.

“Sorry Ezra,” the preacher stooped to assist in the task at hand. “but  even hearing one
of J.D.’s outlandish tales would be like angels’ singing in heaven’s choir.”

Standish raised his eyes to meet his friend’s, “Amen to that, Josiah. Amen indeed.”

*******************************************************

“No,” Tanner shouted and pulled against the invisible bonds holding him. He could
hear J.D.’s voice calling to him from somewhere beyond. The urgency and fear in the
kid’s cry seized his heart in a vise-like grip. He had to break free, but something or
someone was determined to prevent that. With strength born of sheer adrenaline, he
surged forward, intent on escaping the demonic laughter echoing around him. *You’ll
never make it in time and your friend will pay the price.* An evil whisper caressed his
ear and he jumped back, blinking against the harsh light now encompassing his vision.
He was expecting to see the devil that was the cause of this torture; but instead looked
up into the worried face of his best friend.

“Vin, its me Chris. Take it easy.”

Larabee stood inside the now opened cell concerned at what he just witnessed. It had
taken both him and Buck several times to awake the tracker from the nightmare
gripping him.

“Vin, you know who we are?” Buck asked softly, stepping up behind Chris.

“Buck?” The reply was a little slurred but definitely what the three wanted to hear.
“Where’s J.D.?”

“We don’t know for sure, Vin.” Nathan kneeled beside the cot. “Don’t you remember?”

The tracker sighed deeply and ran a hand over his weary eyes. “I remember, but...” he
paused for a moment trying to collect his bearings. “but, I was sure I heard him calling
me. Someone had him, someone I should know.”

“Who Vin?” Buck urged.

The younger man shook his head in frustration and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. “I
can’t see their face, but I know their laugh.” He opened his eyes once more and
searched out Chris’s face. “ I tried, I really did.”

“I know that. We all know that.” Larabee forced a smile for his friend’s benefit. “Now if
your done with your beauty rest, its time to go, you ready?”

The bounty hunter seemed puzzled at first, then looking to Chris, nodded in agreement.

“Good. Josiah and Ezra have gone to get the horses. We need to get out of here before
first light.”

“Where exactly are we going?” Vin asked, as Larabee and Wilmington helped the
younger man to his feet.

“We’re going to the campsite where we found the men from Ballintine.” Chris
tightened his grip on Tanner’s arm when he felt the slight shiver run through his
friend’s body. The very suggestion of going back to the place where this nightmare had
begun was something none of them relished, especially Vin. “Its our only lead to J.D.”

That seemed to be the only encouragement Vin needed as a look of conviction now
replaced any traces of fear. “Then what are we waiting for? Lets ride.”

*****************************************************

The first traces of dawn were cascading around them when the six rode-weary travelers
arrived at their destination. Early morning sunshine streaming through the tree canopy
had taken away some of the harshness from what remained of the gruesome scene.
Although, blood stained earth and scattered remnants of shredded clothing provided
an eerie aura to the site.

“I’ve seen battlefields will less blood spilled.” Nathan observed with ghastly awe.

“Be glad you were spared a personal viewing of the participants in this particular war,”
Ezra lamented as he dismounted his horse. “I helped Mr. Sanchez in delivering the
remains to our friendly undertaker, Mr. Choi. And its not a task I’d care to repeat.”

“Just be glad you weren’t here when it happened.” Vin replied with a far away look.

“Are you remembering something?” Buck had pulled his horse alongside the bounty
hunter.

“Flashes mostly.” Tanner sighed and dismounted Bailey. “Nothing that makes any
sense really.”

“Don’t push it,” Chris was suddenly behind him. “We brought you here to track, not
force you to remember.”

Vin rubbed at his throbbing temples. “I know, but its just so damn frustrating.”

“God reveals all mysteries in time, Brother Tanner.” Josiah had now slid from his horse
also, and stood by the bounty hunter.

“Josiah’s right Vin.” Nathan agreed. “You’ll remember when your mind’s ready.”

“Where does that leave J.D.” The buffalo hunter was not to be comforted.

Chris wanted to say something but knew no words could give his best friend the peace
of mind he needed. Nothing short of unraveling the puzzle could do that. “The tracks
we found are over here.” The gunslinger touched the younger man’s shoulder before
heading to the south end of camp.

Buck followed while the others hung back to give the tracker some room. It was hard to
watch their friend suffer through a battle none of them could assist in; but they were
appeased by the knowledge that vengeance was close at hand.

******************************************************

A hand touched his forehead, a soft voice called to him. J.D. slowly pulled himself from
the serenity of sleep. “Buck?”

A soft giggle alerted him that his visitor was definitely not the one person he wanted to
see. Memories of the last 24 hours flooded his mind and he jerked completely awake.
Hazel eyes blinked open and quickly focused on the smiling face of a young woman.
 
She seemed somewhat familiar and J.D. tried to speak, but the dryness in his throat
hindered his words. “Who?” he finally croaked.

The girl laughed again and knelt closer to him. “I’m the dark angel,” she said proudly.
“Magdeline, betrothed of the chosen one.”

The kid swallowed hard and tried to discern if he was still caught in some bizarre dream.

“And you are to be the sacrifice at our union.”

Okay, so it was nightmare.

Long fingers reached out and touched his dark hair. “Its a pity that something so lovely
must perish.”

J.D. attempted to scoot away, but found himself tied securely to the bed he was now on.

Magdeline’s piercing eyes seemed eerily vacant as she continued stroking the sheriff’s
hair. “Alas, it is how my love wants it.” Her hands slid down to touch his face and the
kid shivered at their icy caress. “And I will deny my prince nothing.”

In an instant her gentle brush changed and a burning sensation flared across his face
where sharp nails had viscously sliced down his cheek. He gasped in pain and cursed
loudly which only seemed to amuse his tormentor.

“Oops,” she cried innocently. “Did I hurt you?”

“Get away from me,” J.D. breathed as Magdeline leaned even closer, their mouths
almost touching.

“I will enjoy your death, almost as much as that of your friends’.”

“What about my friends’?” J.D.’s heart tripled its beat, all concern for himself forgotten.

The evil witch seemed not to hear him as she let her tongue slide along the wound he
had just suffered. The kid flinched at the sickly warm sensation and Magdeline pushed
herself away. She smiled and licked at her blood stained lips. “Your blood will be our
wine, your flesh our bread.” Planting a gentle kiss against his forehead, she
whispered, “And the destruction of the seven guardians' shall serve as
our entertainment.”

************************************************

“There was at least five different horses’ here.” Vin looked around at the trampled
ground, squeezing his eyes shut as a vague memory called to him. *I’ll leave you a
horse just in case you survive my pet’s little concoction.*

A hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present. “You all right, cowboy?”
Chris’s face was a mask of concern.

Vin blinked and shook his head. *I’m sure J.D. will be anxious to see you again, that is if
I decide to let him live.*

Larabee was knelt in front of him now. “Come on, Vin, whats going on?”

Tortured blue eyes looked up at the gunslinger but it wasn’t Chris’s face the tracker
saw. A blurred image of a beautiful woman swam before his eyes. The bounty hunter
jerked away from the vision as vile laughter filled his ears. *Sleep my sweet, I will take
good care of your friend.*

“Vin?’ Buck’s urgent tone broke the spell and Tanner was relieved to find his partners’
before him once more.

“There was a woman,” he muttered. “She was with the faceless man.”

Chris shot a disturbed look to Wilmington. “Maybe you should get Nathan.”

“No,” Vin objected. “I’m okay. I was just remembering. The girl was the one who gave
me the potion," he explained. "The man with her is still a blank. I can hear his voice, but
his features are still blurred.”

“But you think its somebody we know?” Buck asked anxiously.

The younger man sighed. He knew this was eating away at his friend and he hated
being the cause of such heartache. “I feel that it is, but I can’t be sure.”

“There’s only one way to be sure,” Chris spoke up. “We split up and follow these trails
until one of us finds the son-of-a-bitch behind this.”

******************************************

Vin adjusted his spyglass and watched his two friends slowly pick their way down the
sloping valley that led to the small cabin in the distance. They had come across the
dwelling about an hour after splitting with the others. It seemed quiet enough. No one
had came or gone in the last little bit since they had been watching, so Chris thought it a
good idea to check it out.

If the smoke pouring out of the rock chimney was any indication, someone lived there.
And maybe, if they were lucky perhaps that someone had at least seen the people who
had killed the deputies and taken J.D........

J.D.

The bounty hunter lowered his glass and rubbed at his weary eyes. He prayed the kid
was all right. He had to be. And if he wasn’t, Vin would never forgive himself. Oh sure,
the others kept telling him that none of this was his fault, that he was powerless to
prevent what took place.

Still, a part of Tanner clung to the notion that he had failed. He knew it. J.D. knew it.
And even Chris knew it.

The older gunslinger would never admit it. On the contrary, he was Vin’s most
supportive ally, and vehement defender. Larabee would go any distance to protect a
friend, a brother. That was not questionable. But a part of being their unvoiced,
unappointed leader, was accepting the weaknesses of each of his men. Weaknesses like
Vin’s inability to remember vital details that could save one of their own.

But what even Chris wouldn’t risk was a flaw that might bring more harm upon them.
Vin sighed and rolled his head from side to side, trying to ease the tension building in
his taught shoulder muscles. That was why he was still up on the ridge watching Chris
and Ezra ride towards the house alone.

His friend had insisted it was for the best; that Tanner could keep an eye on them and
get the others if worse came to worse. But Vin knew how to read Larabee like a book.
Hell, what was hard to see, when you were looking in a mirror. Chris was worried.

Worried about Vin and what might occur if he went along.

The tracker raised his glass once more and watched as Ezra and Larabee dismounted
and hitched their horses on one of the rails of the porch. He couldn’t blame Chris really.
His headaches were getting worse, not better. It was as if something was trying to
pound its way to the surface of his brain and using a very large hammer to achieve the
task. The attacks had increased in intensity since finding the scene earlier that morning
and Nathan tried to comfort Vin with the fact that the more frequent occurrences could
mean he was close to remembering.

But all Vin saw was that he was becoming more of a liability. And watching as Chris
knocked on the door, he was glad his friend had insisted that he not come. At least he
couldn’t put them in danger that way or fail to back them up as he had done J.D.

Yeah, Chris had done the right thing, he thought as the door was opened and he easily
caught the okay sign Ezra sent him by removing his hat.

Vin started to lower the glass when his heart leaped from his chest and into his throat.
Sweat sprung up on his forehead and if he hadn’t been alone he’d of swore someone
had punched him in the gut.

It couldn’t be.

His mind had to be playing tricks on him again. The tracker blinked his eyes and
refocused the glass on the grinning old man talking to Chris.

“Oh God,” Vin whispered, swallowing back the fear that suddenly made it hard to
breathe.

It was like a dam had broke from somewhere deep inside of him and memories that
seemed completely locked away before now washed over his consciousness threatening
to carry him away in the swell.

He remembered who killed those men. He recalled being roughly grabbed from behind
as he recovered from the shock of seeing a ghost appear out of the darkened forest
carrying J.D.’s hat and star. He remembered the demon from the past taunting him with
J.D.’s fate and he recalled watching the evil man slit the Ballintine sheriff’s throat right
in front of him as he was held helpless to prevent any of it.

Now that things were becoming clear, Vin had no problem imagining what kind of sick
soul could wreak such havoc. After all a monster didn’t have to worry with any such
thing as a conscious. Josiah had been right when he called the man a devil and now
Chris and Ezra were about to innocently enter the gates of Hell.

The bounty hunter scrambled to his feet and his mind raced with questions of what
exactly he should do. The cabin was too far away to shout a warning. He could have
fired his gun but that could have brought about sever repercussions from the man now
holding the door open for his friends. Of course, one expert shot could have pierced
the bastard's heart, but that same bullet could also rob Chris or Ezra of their life if either
moved the wrong way. Vin wouldn't take that chance.

Once again he was forced to play the part of the helpless spectator as he watched Ezra
and Chris disappear into the cabin, totally innocent of who their host was.

The last thing he saw before the door to the dungeon swung closed, was the knowing,
sadistic smile of Ayden Cross.

*******************************************************

“So brother Nate,” Josiah watched as Nathan leaned closer to the fresh set of hoof prints
they had just come across. “How close do you think we are?”

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. “Close, but I’m not sure of exactly how old these are.
They could have been made this morning.”

Josiah sighed and kneeled next to his friend. “Maybe the others are having better luck.”

“And maybe their not,” An unfamiliar voice spoke up behind them. Nathan and Josiah
whirled to face their unannounced visitor but both were stopped short by the click of
yet another gun from their right.

“Easy there, boys. Sam’s a little bit jumpy, you don’t want to do anything that might
spook ‘im.”

“Bolton’s right, I have an itchy trigger finger.” The tall dark-haired man now holding a
shotgun on them grinned revealing a set of crooked yellow teeth. He spat a mouthful of
tobacco juice on the ground in front of him and pushed his coon-skinned cap away from
his bushy eyebrows. “Shot the last three men I killed by accident.”

“Nothing I dislike more than a careless gunman,” Nathan quipped, reluctantly raising
his hands in the air.

The man Sam had called Bolton now stepped around in front of the two prisoners to
join his accomplice. “Nothing I dislike more than a darkie who don’t know his place in
the order of things.”

Josiah watched as the gangly blond kid stepped closer to the healer. “Don’t speak
unless we tell you to, got it.”

Jackson clenched his jaw but nodded. It wasn’t the first time he’d run up against
ignorant prejudice and was certain it wouldn’t be the last. The fool sure wasn’t worth
dying over.

“Good boy,” the younger gunman snickered and stepped back a couple of feet. “You
listen real good, a lot better than the kid.”

The kid? J.D.?

Josiah’s anger continued to grow but he pushed it back with years of learned patience.
Such emotions clouded a man’s mind and rarely did anything but hinder his task.

“May I be so bold as to ask what wrong we may have inflicted on you gentleman to
warrant such measures?”

The older assailant named Sam grinned and scratched at his bearded chin. “I reckon
you can ask, but I doubt we’re gonna tell ya.”

Bolton snorted as if he’d just figured out the punch line to some private joke. “Damn
straight. The boss wants that pleasure himself.”

“And this boss, I suppose we have wronged him at some point and time?”

“Yeah,” Bolton nudged Sam. “You could say your paths have ‘crossed’.”

Josiah exchanged a wary glance with Nathan. He was beginning to get a very bad
feeling about this whole thing. Even worse than before.

“Enough talk,” Sam’s rough voice broke his reverie. “We’ve got business to attend to.”

The old man lifted his gun higher and aimed it straight for Josiah’s chest. “Are you the
preacher of the group?”

Josiah met the dark, empty eyes and nodded. “That would be me.”

The kid, Bolton, smiled wider and moved around the side of the big, holy man. “Then
forgive me father, for I am about to sin.”

The last thing Josiah remembered was hearing Nathan shout his name, before a
thousand stars exploded behind his eyes and he was sure he saw crows circling around
his throbbing head.

*******************************************************

Buck pulled out his pocket watch and quickly noted the time as almost noon. Almost 36
hours since J.D. had disappeared.

A day and a half in the hands of God only knew, suffering through any number of vile
things that Wilmington’s vivid imagination insisted on revealing to him. It had been
even longer than that since he’d seen the kid. He and Chris had left a few days before
and he and J.D. hadn’t parted on the best of terms. It wasn’t anything serious, just
one of their usual spiffs.

J.D. being stubborn, Buck being even more stubborn. Now it all seemed so stupid, a
complete waste of precious time, but like his Ma always said, hindsight was always
twenty-twenty. If Wilmington had felt any premonition of what lay in store for them, he
wouldn’t have let the kid out of his sight. In fact, once they found J.D. he may never let
him go out alone again. That was if they found the kid.

“Damn it,” Buck swore out loud. He couldn’t think like that. Wouldn’t think that. Buck
Wilmington didn’t give up. Especially on one of his friends. Never on J.D.

With a new determination the gunslinger spurred his horse on along the path and it
was when he rounded the next bend that he heard it. Crying. A woman crying.

Buck pulled his mount to a creeping pace and cautiously made his way towards the
noise. She was huddled in the middle of the trail, knees pulled up to her chest, head
resting in her hands. Long black hair hid her face, but her slight shoulders were shaking
as she was wracked with sobs.

Wilmington dismounted and noted the distraught girl didn’t even look up. He could
see the rips in her dress sleeve and the dried blood splattered on her white dress tail.

He knew Vin had said there had been a woman with his attackers. But maybe she had
been as much a victim as he and J.D. Maybe this poor creature was that same girl. Either
way, Buck couldn’t ignore a hurt woman.

“Mam?” the gunslinger inched closer to the girl. “Are you all right?”

The woman slowly lifted her head and frightened brown eyes peered up at Buck under
long dark eyelashes. Her face was angelic and under any other circumstance Buck
would have been quite taken.

“Don’t hurt me,” A soft, lilty voice pleaded with a child-like ring.

Wilmington smiled and kneeled a couple of feet away from her. “I won’t hurt you miss,
I’ll help if you let me.”

The girl shook her head and scooted further away. “I don’t know you,” her voice broke
and she chewed at her trembling lower lip.

“We can fix that,” the gunslinger replied reassuringly. “My name’s Buck. Buck
Wilmington.”

A slight smile crossed the girl’s face and she quickly reached up to brush at the last
remaining tears streaking down her prominent cheeks. “I’m Magdeline.”

Buck smiled and he stepped closer. “Nice to meet you Magdeline.” He extended his
hand and slowly the girl took it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. “Are you
hurt?”

Magdeline released his hand and took a step back, shaking her head. “I’m O.K.”

Buck tilted his head and took in the woman’s haggard appearance. “I hate to say this
mam, but you don’t look O.K.”

The woman frowned and once again she bit her lip, running a hand over her unruly
curls.

Buck held up his hand in apology. “Not that you don’t look as pretty as a picture.” And
she did. “But this is an unlikely place for a young woman such as yourself. And you
were crying.”

“I don’t remember how I got here,” she confessed looking down at her hands. “I don’t
remember much of anything.”

Buck sighed, “Its O.K. I have a friend with the same problem.” Wilmington stepped to
her side and took the chance of putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “He’s
starting to remember though, I’m sure you will too.”

Magdeline surprised him by latching her arms around his waist and burying her face in
his chest. “Its terrible,” she sobbed. “Not knowing what happened to you. Not knowing
what was done to you.”

Buck wasn’t quite sure how to react. But he knew the girl was suffering. He’d watched
Vin go through the same torture the past two days. He’d watched, unable to do much to
comfort his friend, but if he could offer some solace to this woman, he would.

“Shh,” he said softly, “Your safe now.”

Magdeline quieted some but didn’t release him. “And your friend, is he safe?”

Buck nodded. “He’s safe.”

“I have a friend too,” the girl confessed in lighter tone. “But he’s not safe. He’s hurt.”

Wilmington listened silently, willing to let the girl tell her tale.

“Some men hurt him and I had to watch.”

“I’m sorry,” Buck told her.

“He kept asking for them to stop, he kept calling out a name.” Magdeline’s voice had
become stronger now, but her grip was loosening.

“Your name?” Wilmington asked gently.

Magdeline laughed. “No.” She lifted her head and met Buck’s sympathetic gaze.
“Yours.”

“What?” Buck realized his mistake much to late to remedy it.

The weeping, fragile girl had the reflexes of a copperhead snake. In one fluid movement
she pulled Buck’s gun from his holster and held it firmly against his chest.

“Buck, help me.” She taunted. “Buck, please.”

“Who the hell are you lady?”

The girl laughed once more. “Why I’m just a poor lost girl waiting for a big, strong man
to come along and save me.”

Wilmington took a threatening step forward but Magdeline inched back and pulled
back the hammer of the revolver. “I’m also an excellent shot and not discouraged in the
least by messy displays of violence.”

One look into the dark pools of insanity and Buck knew she would easily drop him
where he stood.

“Where’s J.D.?” he bit out between clenched teeth.

“Somewhere safe,” Magdeline replied sarcastically. “Just like your poor Mr. Tanner.”

“If you’ve...”

“What?” she interrupted jerking the gun up to rest between Buck’s eyes. “Hurt them?”

The girl tightened her grip. “Like you hurt my love.”

“I don’t know what the f**k you’re talking about lady.”

“So it is you who can’t remember now?” Magdeline laughed bitterly. “Well my Dark
Prince remembers. He recalls every horrid thing you and your friends did to him and I
promise you Mr. Wilmington no amount of pain I helped inflict on your friends could
ever quench my thirst for revenge.”

The girls full lips contorted into a thin twisted grin. “But I enjoyed every little ounce of
pain I helped inflict on your J.D. Every scream was music to my ears. Every plea for you
or one of your other pathetic misfits brought a wave of ecstasy through my body. I can
still taste the sweetness of his blood, smell the fear...”

“Shut-up!” Buck shouted. “Just shut the f**k up.”

“What? Is the truth as painful as not knowing? Would you wish I give you a little
something to ease your mind.”

“Like what you gave me?”

Magdeline tried to turn quick enough to cover Vin Tanner, who had just stepped out of
the surrounding woods, but she wasn’t quite quick enough. Buck lunged for her taking
them both to the dirt covered ground and knocking the gun from her grasp.

The girl fought like a mountain lion to squirm from Wilmington’s grip but her efforts
proved quite useless as Buck roughly tossed her aside and retrieved his gun from Vin.

“Don’t even think about moving,” the gunslinger warned, wiping at a place on his
cheek where she clawed him. “I’d love to have a reason to shoot you.”

“Go ahead cowboy,” Magdeline spat. “My master’s love shields me from
your evil.”

Buck glanced a look at Vin. “This witch the woman you remember?”

The tracker nodded. “Oh yeah.”

“Yes,” the girl’s voice had grown soft again. “Vin and I shared some quality time
together.”

The bounty hunter glared down at the girl.

“Didn’t we my sweet?” Magdeline cajoled. “We even traveled together.”

“Shut up Magdeline,” Buck ordered, not liking the glazed look coming over his
younger friend’s face.

The woman only grinned at Buck. “We went to Eden, don’t you remember ‘Eden’,
Vin?”

At the mention of the word Eden, the bounty hunter let out a short cry of pain and
crumpled to the ground, holding his head in both hands.

“Shit,” Buck cussed, going to his fallen friend. His concern for the younger man
outweighed his desire to punish his captive.

“Vin, you alright?” Buck heard Magdeline get up and scurry away. He knew he should
stop her, but seeing the pain etched on Vin’s face convinced him that staying with the
bounty hunter was his only option.

“Hurts,” Vin managed to get out, rocking slightly on his heels.

“Take it easy,” Buck comforted, not sure what to do. The tracker had seemed fine. Fine
until Magdeline had said something about Eden. What the hell had that meant.

“Damn it,” Vin gasped, his breath coming in short pants. “I’m sorry.”

Buck laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Just keep breathin’, pard. Nice and easy.”

“My head felt like someone had stuck a knife right through my skull.”

“Are you going to be O.K.?”

Vin nodded and finally lifted his head to meet Buck’s concerned gaze. “It’s gettin’
better.”

“Good.”

“The girl,” Vin looked around. “She got away.”

“She won’t get far.” Buck assured. “We can track her back to where J.D.’s being held.”

Vin’s eyes met Wilmington’s. “I already know where J.D.’s being held.”

The older man looked confused.

“Chris and Ezra are there too.”

“How?” Buck had been so consumed with their present situation he hadn’t even
noticed the absence of the two men he knew were suppose to be with the tracker.

“We found a place about a mile west of here. They went down to check it out.”

“And..” Buck prodded.

“And thats when I saw him.”

“Saw who?”

“I was watching from the ridge above and at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks
on me.”

“What do you mean?”

Vin looked up at the older man, “It was Cross, Buck. Ayden Cross is alive and he has
Chris, Ezra, and J.D.”

Buck shook his head as if his hearing wasn’t working quite right, “What’d you say?”

Vin took another deep breath, more than a little relieved that the pain in his head had finally
subsided, “I said Cross is the one behind this. Somehow he survived what happened back at the
cave.”

“Come on, Pard. You’re talking a little crazy here.” Wilmington refused to believe what his
friend was saying. “I saw the kid shoot him, we both saw the sick bastard fall in that crevice.”

“I don’t know how he managed it, Buck,” Vin said exasperated. “We were pretty much about to
meet the maker ourselves, if you remember?”

The gunslinger stood up and started to pace in front of the tracker, I try not to think about that
whole God’s Country thing. It was worse than one of those books J.D. reads or stories Josiah
tells.”

In fact, none of them had talked about the incident since it happened.

“It’s not one of my favorite memories either, Buck.” Vin carefully pushed himself up. “I don’t
remember much except for Cross, and I try to convince myself that most of what I recall about
him was just my twisted imagination.”

Buck sighed and rubbed at his eyes where a rhythmic pounding had set up, threatening one hell
of a headache in a couple of hours, “Well, I remember everything about Preacher Cross. I
remember the way he tried to remove my heart while I was still breathing,  I remember how he
immensely enjoyed watching you bleed to death, and I sure as hell remember how he felt about
the kid,” Wilmington said angrily, facing the bounty hunter. “ So you can understand why I have
a little problem accepting the fact that the evil son-of-a-bitch is back and has J.D. and the others.”

Vin took a step towards Buck, “You’re not tellin’ me anything I don’t know already. I was there,
too.”

Buck threw his arms up in the air. “Yeah, but were you there every night, for weeks after we
made it back, waking J.D. up from some horrible nightmare. Promising him that you were
alright, that I wasn’t dead, and that he was safe.” Wilmington grabbed hold of his friend’s jacket.
“I promised him Vin. Cross was dead. He’d never hurt him or any of us again. Don’t even tell me
I was lying.”

Tanner didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t blame Buck for his anger because he felt the same
encompassing rage whenever he thought of Cross. Not only was the sick monster the one who
screwed up his head and took J.D, but now he had Ezra and Chris. And if there was one thing
about his first encounter with Ayden Cross that Vin was thankful for, it was that some of them
had been spared the faux preacher’s cruelty. Chris had been spared. But now it seemed as if
Ayden had returned from the grave to take even that small morsel of comfort from him.

“I’m sorry , Buck. But I’m not wrong about this.”

Wilmington released him. “Damn it!” The older gunslinger swore and ran his hands through his
dark hair. He looked back at Vin. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to take this out on you.”

“It’s O.K. I felt the same way when I saw that grinning bastard back at the cabin.”

Wilmington nodded and tried to regain control of his temper. He didn’t want the younger man to
misinterpret exactly ‘who’ he was angry at, but he had to be sure the tracker wasn’t experiencing
some after effect of the drug he’d been given. “So you remember everything? You remember
Cross being there when the murders went down?”

“He was there alright,” Vin replied grimly.

Buck sighed wearily, “Maybe you better tell me what happened with Ezra and Chris.”

*******************************************************

Chris hadn’t really liked the looks of the place. The cabin was unkempt, not cared for, as if no
one had lived there in a long time. The shabby dwelling looked ominous even in the brightness of
midday and he had found himself fighting back a feeling of dread as he and Ezra had stepped up
onto the poorly constructed porch.  But now as he stood in the main room of the small house, he
felt somewhat bad about jumping to conclusions.

The old man who had cautiously let them in, was in a wheelchair, which could explain the
dilapidating state of the place. He had explained how he and his granddaughter were the only
residents, and preceded to offer them a cup of coffee, which Ezra had tried to tactfully decline.

“Mr. Ableson, we don’t mean to dispel your hospitality, but it isn’t necessary. My associate and I
only wish to engage in some discourse concerning a young friend of ours.”

“Where are you from , son?” their frail host chuckled slightly, scratching at his silvery beard. “I
ain’t ever heard such work go into asking a simple question.”

Ezra smiled and shot Chris an amused look, “I do tend to get rather carried away at times. I
suppose it is in my nature.”

Ableson nodded, “Well, I myself prefer the direct method.” The man of the house turned his
chair to face them, all thoughts of refreshments forgotten. “Now what exactly is it you two want
to know, Mr. Standish?.”

Later, Chris would wonder why he nor Ezra hadn’t picked up on the old man calling the gambler
by name. Neither had related the information. And how they had missed the importance of the
fake alias the stranger had given them, could only be accredited to carelessness and worry.

“We were hoping you might have seen some strangers pass through here sometime yesterday.
They could have had a woman with them and a younger man, in his teens.”

Ableson rolled closer to Chris and lifted his head so their eyes met, “This country ain’t much the
sort for women and children.”

Something inside Chris’s gut twisted. He’d seen eyes like those before. They were the eyes of a
predator.

“Did you see anyone or not old man?” Larabee asked in a tone that drew a quizzical look from
Ezra.

“Don’t reckon I did,” Ableson smiled and glanced down at the blanket covering his motionless
legs. “But then again, I don’t get out much.”

“What about the lady of the house?” the gambler inquired. “You mentioned that your
granddaughter resided here with you.”

“I did at that.”

“So where is she?” Chris asked, looking around the small house, he’d already gave a once over to
upon entering. There was one room off to the side with the door closed, but he had heard nothing
to indicate anyone else was home.

Ableson shrugged, “I believe she was out looking for one of her lost pets.” His eyes went to
Chris’s once more, “But you know how young ones are these days.  You let them out of your
sight for a few moments, and they’re gone in a blink of an eye.”

“Would you have any inclination as to when she may be returning from her quest?” Ezra was
beginning to grow annoyed with their host’s little dance.

“I’m sure it won’t be too long now but...”  As if on cue, and before Ableson could finish his
thought, footsteps pounded on to the front porch and the door to the cabin was flung open in a
rush of excitement.

Both Ezra and Chris pulled their weapons and whirled to face the prospect of an unwelcome
threat. However the only sight that greeted them was the somewhat winded and disheveled form
of a young woman.

“Speak of the devil,” Ableson’s voice chimed from behind them. “Gentlemen, meet my
granddaughter, Magdeline.”
 
*******************************************************

“So, Chris and Ezra went into the house with Cross willingly ?” Buck asked as he and the bounty
hunter carefully made their way back along the trail that would lead them to the cabin where
Chris and the others were apparently being held . “They weren’t being forced or anything?”

Vin shook his head, “Why would he need to force them? Neither of them have ever saw Cross.
Besides, from what I could see, Ayden seemed kind of sickly and he was in some sort of
wheelchair. He looked like a helpless old man and the last thing he appeared to be was a threat.”

“And we both know what an act the man can put on.”

“I started to warn them,” the tracker continued. “But then I began remembering. I know that there
were others with Cross, at least two besides the girl, and I was afraid of setting the preacher off.
You know how unstable the bastard is.”

“You did the right thing, Vin,” Buck assured. “We’ll find Nate and Josiah so the odds are in our
favor when we bust in on Cross’s little party.”

Tanner averted his eyes from the other man, “I was suppose to be watching their backs. Chris
was counting on me.”

“You wouldn’t have done them any good if you’d went in there alone, Vin. Then Cross would
just have one more of us than he does now, and there’s no telling what Magdeline had in store for
me.”

The bounty hunter slowed his horse a little and looked back at Wilmington, “What the hell do
you think Cross is up to, Buck?’

The older gunslinger sighed, “I wish I knew, pard. I wish I knew.”

*******************************************************

“Gentlemen,” Magdeline quickly stepped into the cabin and crossed the floor to stand beside
Ableson. “I hope I am not interrupting.”

“I take it you did not find your lamb, my dear?”

Magdeline’s face flushed and she knelt in front of the old man’s chair. “I found him, but a wolf
appeared and carried him away. I’m sorry I failed.”

Ezra and Chris exchanged looks, as Ableson petted the woman.

“Hush now child. God’s will should never be apologized for.” That seemed to appease the girl
and her personality appeared to change in a flash of clarity as she stood and faced the other men
in the room.

“Now will you gentlemen be joining us for dinner because I must begin preparations?” A feral
grin crossed the woman’s face as her eyes lighted on the gambler. “I do hope you will be joining
us, Mr. Smiley-Pants.”

A cold chill danced down Ezra’s spine and he instinctively took a step closer to Chris. “I regret
that we will have to decline your kind invitation, mam, but duty does call us elsewhere.”

“My, my, you do talk real pretty.” Magdeline noted with delight. “And I do love your red coat.”

“Miss,” Chris stepped in front of Ezra to face the girl. “We were hoping to ask if you might have
saw some strangers passing through here sometime yesterday.”

“Strangers? We don’t get many newcomers out here.” Magdeline tilted her head. “Were they on
horses?”

Chris looked down at Ableson, who was watching the exchange with something akin to
amusement. “They most likely were on horseback.”

“Then, no,” the girl smiled sweetly. “I saw some devils, but they were traveling by the wind.”

Chris felt a hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps, we should go now, Mr. Larabee. I think we have
wasted enough of these fine citizen’s time.”

“Must you leave so soon?” Magdeline stepped around Chris to peer at the gambler with innocent
emerald eyes. “I was hoping we could get to know one another better.”

“Maybe we should go,” Chris interjected, pinning Ableson with a hard stare. “But if need be,
we’ll be back.”

“I look forward to it.” The older man grinned.

“Mam,” Chris tipped his hat at the sulking woman and followed the gambler to the door.

“If we do return, Mr. Larabee,” Ezra said softly. “I will gladly keep look out with Mr.Tanner.”

Ezra didn’t wait for a reply before continuing his hasty retreat. He could still feel the disturbed
woman’s eyes on him and he said a silent prayer that J.D. had not encountered those two
characters.

His hand was nearly on the door when it was kicked open with a force that caused him to stumble
back a couple of feet.

Chris’s hand instantly went for his sidearm as Nathan Jackson was roughly pushed through the
entrance way and an unconscious form of Josiah was dropped before them.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Mr. Larabee.” Ableson’s voice sounded behind them, and Chris
turned side ways to try and cover both angles.

Their ailing host from before had now shed the wool blanket to reveal a sawed-off shotgun
resting on his lap. “That is if you hope to see your young friend alive again.”

Ezra had also revealed his derringer but was now facing a standoff with the two men who had
brought in their partners.

“What if I just kill you now,” Chris held his weapon steadily at Ableson’s heart.

“Then Sam over there will shoot Mr. Standish as he tries to kill Mr. Bolton, who will
undoubtedly try to avenge my death.”

Not to Chris’s surprise, the older man slowly stood up from his wheelchair and lifted his shotgun
towards Josiah’s unmoving form. “I will, on the other hand, maybe get off one round, ending
your poor excuse for a holy man’s life. It would all be rather messy, don’t you
think?”

A laugh escaped from Magdeline, who was now perched on the corner of the kitchen table. “And
I do detest an untidy home, Mr. Larabee.”

Chris considered his options. There wasn’t many. Nathan was unarmed and by the looks of it his
hands were tied behind his back. Josiah was out and Ezra was outnumbered, and the old man had
mentioned J.D. Larabee slowly lowered his weapon and motioned for Ezra to do the same.

“Who the hell are you, Ableson?”

The older man smiled, “I’m your worst nightmare, Larabee.”

***************************************************

“Damn it to hell.” Buck cussed as he watched Nathan and Josiah being taken into the cabin
below them. “We’re too late.”

“They must have doubled back on them,” Vin sighed, taking his spyglass from Buck and looking
back towards the house.

“It looked like Josiah was hurt,” Wilmington growled. “Its no tellin what happened to Chris and
Ezra.”

“I know,” Vin agreed grimly. “I can’t see a damn thing through those windows.”

Buck looked at his friend, “Then maybe we should get a little closer.”

******************************************************

“You didn’t answer my question.” Chris said as he was disarmed by the strange girl, who he
seriously doubted was the old man’s granddaughter now.

Magdeline also took Ezra’s gun and winked at him as she skipped away.

“I’m an old friend,” their captor explained with a sweep of his hand. “One you have been
deprived of making the acquaintance of.”

“I’m beginning to believe I would much rather have left well enough alone,” Standish drawled as
his arms were roughly pulled behind him by the very large mountain man who had carried Josiah
to the cabin.

“Now don’t be so hasty, my boy,” Ableson chided. “I wouldn’t want Sam to get riled up at you.
He detests rudeness.”

The grizzly of a man jerked the gamblers arms even tighter as if in agreement to his colleagues
statement.

“It’s nice to know you’ve taught him some manners.”

Ableson shook his head, “And I thought the kid had got most of his smart mouth from
Wilmington.”

“You have J.D.?” Chris was tired of the word play and wanted some answers.

The old man smiled, “I can’t get use to calling him that, but yes, I have your young partner.
Perhaps now would be a good time to bring him out and let him go about the grand
introductions.”

*At least he’s alive.* Chris sent up a silent thank you. “I think that would be a good idea.”

“Magdeline, go have Avery bring up the boy.”

The girl giggled and disappeared through the one doorway Chris had noted and so Larabee took
the opportunity to kneel next to Josiah, who was starting to come around some. Ableson didn’t
protest, but the gangly kid who had come in with Nathan held his revolver on them.

“They hit him pretty hard,” Nathan’s voice held an unfamiliar anger. “Said the boss wanted to
surprise him.”

“Turn about is fair play, my dear doctor,” the old man made his way over to where Jackson was
now being secured by Sam. “Josiah, after all, did pull the wool over my eyes not too long ago.”

Josiah moaned and his eyes slowly blinked open. “Take it easy, Josiah,” Chris soothed.

“What hit me?” the big man asked, struggling to sit up.

“That would have been me,” Bolton snickered, only to recieve a silencing glare from Ableson.

“Hold your tongue, boy. Or I will cut it out.”

Sanchez quickly turned his head towards the voice he’d tried unsuccessfully to erase from his
memory over the last six months. “Oh God! I’m dead.”

Chris looked at Nathan and Ezra who both returned his puzzled stare.

Josiah, with Chris’s help, shakily pushed himself up to a sitting position. “I just never thought I
messed up bad enough to end up in Hell.”

Their captor laughed, “You did always say the most amusing things, Brother Sanchez.”

“You know this man, Josiah?” the black-clad gunslinger’s voice didn’t seem to break the spell
over Josiah. He seemed unable to pry his eyes from the gloating man.

“I know him.”

“Who is he?”

“Yes, by all means, brother, do tell your friends who I am.”

Josiah swallowed hard and finally met Chris’s gaze, “He’s the devil.”

******************************************

“I counted eight horses in the barn,” Vin joined Wilmington behind a small stand of trees about
seventy-five yards from the cabin. “Two were Nathan and Josiah’s, and mine was there also.”

Wilmington nodded towards the house, “Chris and Ezra’s are still out front.”

“The tall sage gave me minimal cover to the barn, but there’s nothing the rest of the way to the
house,” the tracker informed his friend.

“Maybe they’re not expecting us.”

Tanner shot his friend an incredulous look, “This is Cross we’re talking about here, Buck. He
knows we’ll come after the others. He’s counting on it.”

The other gunslinger seemed to think for a moment then a slight smile crossed his face, “Then
maybe we give the man exactly what he’s waiting for.”

*******************************************

Larabee looked to Nathan as if maybe Josiah had been hit on the head a little ‘too’ hard, before
turning concerned eyes back to the wounded man. “What do you mean?”

But before Sanchez could answer another voice stole everyone’s attention.

“Chris!”

Larabee turned to see J.D. being roughly drug into the room by yet another large outlaw.  The
kid’s hands were tied and a bandanna hung loose around his neck as if maybe it had served as a
gag before. He was pale and his face held the evidence of the rough treatment he had endured.

Chris felt a wave of relief wash over him at seeing the kid still breathing but that was soon
replaced with anger. The man holding J.D. shoved him and the kid nearly fell flat on his face
before the big man caught him by the hair of the head and steadied him.
“Did I tell you to talk?” the teen’s captor growled.

“Get your hands off of him,” Larabee said coldly.

J.D.’s tormentor just smiled and pulled the kid closer to him. “Or what?”

The old man Josiah had revealed to be the devil held up his hand to quiet his henchman,
“You’ll have to look over my brother, Mr. Larabee, he tends to get a little zealous when it comes
to his work; a habit from his long years in prison I suspect.”

“I never look over men like him. *Thats* not in my nature.”

“Oh yeah, once a hero always a hero.” Avery snorted in disgust. “But that might be changing
pretty soon. It’ll be hard to find people to look up to you like this kid does, when your wanted for
robbery and murder.”

“Is everyone in this house delusional?” Ezra said, trying to inch away from Magdeline who was
now inspecting the buttons of his jacket with extreme fascination.

“They’re not delusional, Brother Ezra. They’re evil.” Josiah spoke up.

Their host stepped toward J.D. and dropped an arm around the young man’s shoulders. “Now
J.D., can you believe the way your friends’ are talking about me.”

The kid was uncharacteristically silent as he tried to wiggle himself free from the man’s grasp.
Chris had never seen him so shaken. Whoever this man was, he had done something to make J.D.
a believer.

“What do you want from us?” The gunslinger asked, trying to draw the attention away from the
frightened youth.

“Retribution,” Ableson answered simply, patting J.D. roughly on the side of his already battered
face.

Chris clenched his jaw, but his expression remained impassive. “Retribution for what?”

“For causing me to lose the greatest fortune known to man and leaving me for the buzzards.” The
first hint of anger Chris had heard from the man now tinged his words. “I was on the verge of
greatness, when you and your miserable friends took it all from me.”

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Magdeline had perched herself across Ezra’s legs and now
whispered in his ear.

“Excuse me, Mr. Satan, but could you please, before you continue your lamenting on exactly
how we wronged you, remove your housecat from my lap.”

“Magdeline, get off the man. You can play with him later.”

The girl didn’t seem to pleased about it, but did as their captor said. “Thats okay if you don’t
want to play, Mr. Smiley-Pants. I can always play with my old friend J.D.”

“Look Ableson, or whoever the hell you are.....” Chris started when J.D.’s strained voice cut him
off.

“Cross.” The kid’s eyes met Larabee’s. “He’s Ayden Cross.”

A disturbing scene of watching Vin Tanner die in his arms, flashed before Chris’s eyes. “Cross?”
he mumbled, trying to let his mind wrap around that unthinkable concept.

“Hallelujah brothers, he’s seen the light.” Avery proclaimed, giving J.D. a viscious punch to his
abdomen. "But I still didn't tell you that you could talk."

“Touch him again and you are a deadman,” Chris warned, giving the younger Cross an icy glare.

“And I suppose you believe looks can kill, Larabee,” the man laughed and delivered another
blow to J.D.’s side. The kid doubled over but the henchman jerked him back upright keeping his
arm tight across the kid’s chest.

“No, but being sanctimoniously drawn and quartered will do the trick quite nicely, I assure you,”
Ezra’s voice had lost it’s grace now, which was being quickly replaced by barely controlled rage.

Avery laughed but released the kid and let him drop to the wooden floor, “Then that might be an
idea for you Mr. ‘Happy Jeans’, wasn’t it.”

“Enough, Avery,” Ayden’s voice halted his younger brother’s move toward Ezra.