Sandy agreed with Bones' plan. If it was a trap they'd need to think quick on their feet and worrying about two wounded kids would most likely get them killed. Dismounting, the tracker scanned the the perimeter of the town for any signs of movement but the sleepy town was as still as the grave.

The rifleman decided to take his repeater along and as he slipped the scabbard over his shoulder took note of the yellow sticks his partner slipped into his coat. The potential of 'Trinitrotoluene' or more commonly known by its abbreviated name of TNT was starting to catch on in the west. Sandy and Bones had discovered it when they raided a mining expedition funded by the Hudson Bay Company. They found the sticks to be insensitive to bumps and friction and so there wasn't any real risk of accidental detonation. Hell, even shooting the stuff rarely set it off.

"If comes to that, we'll take as many as we can with us." Sandy vowed coldly in a voice only audible to his partner.

It was a short walk to town, but there current location was well hidden in between two low lying mesa. A good place for Maddie and Chase to hold up with horses while they investigated the town.

"If we're not back by sundown you two clear out. Do you understand?" Sandy told Chase directly knowing that the young half-breed would heed his words.

The two men then proceeded to make their way to town, but they stopped to listen to the Keegan girl's suggestion of her and Chase slipping into town. Sandy scratched the stubble on the side of his face as he pondered the girl's plan. She made a compelling argument when she revealed she knew her way around the town, but the fact that the town folk would recognize her did not bode well for Sandy.

"Someone might recognize you, Maddie." He told her, "Sometimes, the most trustworthy souls can betray you and not by their own choice. It's too risky. You stay here with Chase and watch the horses. We'll be back as soon as we can."

Sandy turned his back on Madison before she could retort and walked toward the stark form of the thin gunfighter silhouetted against the deep purple horizon. They moved quickly toward the town, following a dried creek bed that took them near an alley into which they silently stalked.

"Dammit, Bones." Said Sandy looking back over his shoulder from whence they had come, "I have a bad feeling that girl isn't going to stay put. Let's be quick about this."

The darkened alley opened up onto the main street which stretched east to west. Already the first light of dawn was beginning to spill down it, colouring the buildings and road a soft orange.

"What are we going to do, Bones? That is, if we find out the Marshall is in league with McInitre?" Asked Sandy.

Bones looked down the alleyway just ahead of the dry creek that he and Sandy had followed to the edge of town, the sun was coming up and they were all out of bright ideas and time.

What would they do if the Marshal was dirty? There was no other place to turn, if the Marshal was in league with McIntire then he would have to be dealt with harshly.

"We'll drill the bastard if he tries to sell us out Sandy, I imagine we'll find out real soon if we are expected or not in this town."

Bones put one foot out of the shadows and into the pale early sunlight and walked onto the street. There was but a few people up and about at this early hour. A man with thinning hair and a bright white shirt was opening his small storefront, he was stacking a few boxes of rosy colored apples out in front of his modest shop. He went about his business, paying Bones and Sandy no mind. A young man was leading a group of three horses down the quiet street, the animals were without saddles and the young man lead them down the road to a small shady stable building where he led them into the structure and was gone from sight.

The town seemed normal and friendly enough, Bones looked up and down the street for the Marshal's shingle.

"You suppose he's in his office yet?'

Bones squinted in the sunlight, the bright light pained his dry and dusty eyes a bit. The thin man walked with his friend further down the street, dozens of windows and a good number of doors stared out at Bones and Sandy as they walked through town. Bones wondered if the windows and doors held hidden enemies, he wondered if they were already in McIntire's sights.

"I can't think of a worse place for a fight Sandy, we better find the Marshal's place of business and get off the streets."

McIntire rode out at 4am, behind him, his iron wagon carried the riches of his hard earned work maintaining a lawless town that only he controlled. He divided the 20-man team into two separate groups and the 3rd group, his special force of paid killers, six gunslingers, and two trackers that met only to make these one-way runs to Coyote Hills. The money was that good.

Since the run began, the Apaches warrior Goylahkla would send parties of four or five warrior scouts, who would sit on their ponies in the darkness and wait. McIntire's routine runs cost him, many men in these canyons for the sake of his gold. But he didn't care, he offered each man, three days' wages for his run straight thru to Coyote Hills.

He didnt like Apache Goylahkla. Goylahkla forced mcIntire to hire more guns and he became a frantic on changing times and days, weeks even to keep Goylahkla guessing.

And he didn't like Ian Keegan. His horse ranch was in the way of progress. If it weren't for the little sweet tart Maddie, he would have gunned her daddy in cold blood and taken the ranch from him. There was more Silver and Torquoise on that ranch than all the wild horses he gathered for the US Army.

McIntire had his strategy worked out before each trip and wasted no time cutting across the open territory. He exchanged his six-up team from A. N. Fisher Stagline, in two places along the route. At Coyote Hills, there was a small Wells Fargo Assay office where a Mr. Madison Larkin waited for McIntire.

As the two 10-man team split, the canyon walls began to raise. The 6-up wheel team drove on pulling the ironclad wagon. Ready to take on any takers that got in his way.

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

One of the 10 man teams took a switchback up the canyon wall and a more indierct route to Coyote Hills.

Maddie was pacing back and forth, limping on her injured leg, but unable to stay still. Damn, arrogant men. Chase kept telling her to sit down...stay put. He knew her well enough to know that there was a good possiblity that she would head into town, regardless what Sandy had told her to do.

Maddie was torn between going after Sandy and Bones and staying with Chase and his injury. She looked over at Chase, a gleam in her eye that he knew too well.

"Maddie....you heard Sandy. You're too stay put here with me and wait. They have their hands full as it is."

"And are you suggesting that I would only make it worse?"

"Yeah, Maddie. It is. Now, don't look at me like that. You know that you don't have the know how to do something like this that they do, so just stay put."

Maddie was not happy with Chase's words. She knew people in Coyote Hills...people her and her famly considered friends....people that she just knew wouldn't betray her. She checked Chase's bandage on his shoulder, made sure that he had plenty of water and that his horse was close by.

Chase knew what she was doing and was having a fit, but Maddie ignored him as she mounted Jasmine.

"I know what I'm doing, Chase. They think I'm just some dumb girl who can't take care of herself. Well, I'm not!!"

"I know that, Maddie, but this is a dangerous situation and they're used to handling things like this. Now get off Jasmine and stay put!!"

Maddie glared at Chase before she rode in the direction of Coyote Hills, leaving a cursing Chase behind. The closer she got, the more she began to regret her decision, but she didn't turn around as she should have, but she knows where Mr. James lives and he owns the James' Mercantile in the middle of town. He had always been good friends with her ma and pa. She rode up to what looked like an old warehouse and tethered Jasmine to the side of it, slipping into town through a different alley. Looking around as she gets to the street at the end of the alley, she pulls her hat low over her face, not seeing Sandy and bones, but they see her....or at least Sandy does. She heads straight for James' Mercantile and steps inside.

Once in, she sees Mr. James and walks calmly over to him. Once he's done waiting on a customer, she looks around and sees that the store is empty. She raises her hat so that he can see her.

"Mr. James....it's me, Maddison Keegan, Ian Keegan's daughter from Shady Gulch. I need your help."

"Maddison Keegan!! What in tarnashin' are you doing here?! Don't you know there's a bounty out on your head?"

As he drags her back to the backroom, she explains everything to him. Once she's done, he tells her to wait there when the bell above his door jingles, indicating that he has a customer. Maddie paces back and forth, waiting.

Out in the front of the store, one of the sheriff's deputies has come in, having noticed Maddie slipping in. Mr. James tells him about her in the back room, the reward meaning more to him than his friendship with her father. Telling the man to go get the sheriff, the deputy heads back to the back room as Mr. James runs out.

Maddie turns around just in time to see the deputy approach her and quickly draws her .38 only to have him slap her before she gets it pointed and cocked. The gun flies from her hand as she hits the wall.

"Now, Miss Keegan, let's not be too hasty. Mr. McIntire has already warned us about you and your friends and told us that yer quite the spitfire. Well, we'll deal with that if we need to. Now, why don't you jest come with me quietly so I don't have ta hurt ya's."

Marshall Richard Barr sat before a fine looking breakfast and savored his morning cup of coffee. Normally he wasn't up at the crack of dawn and it was so refreshing that he considered making a habit of it. Taking a bite of hot buttered biscuit, he took the time to go over some paper work while he waited. It also wasn't often he ate breakfast on his desk at the Marshal's office either, but duty called and thanks McIntire's investment in the telegraph wires he and his men had the jump on four desperado's heading their way.

Rubbing his hands together excitedly, the Marshal leaned back and looked over at the stock-still man staring out the window. "Mitch, m'boy, I have a feeling it's going to be a great day." he declared.

Mitch Murdock, Barr's number one deputy didn't respond, not that the Marshal had expected him to. He remained still as a statue, with the exception of the small throwing knife he adroitly twirled around his fingers. A serious man, the Marshal could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen, Murdock laugh and when he did smile it was usually due the pain he or someone else inflicted on another. There wasn't a kind bone in his body, the Marshal reckoned but he'd never had a more loyal deputy. Besides, the Marshal admittedly enjoyed hearing the sound of his own voice rather than listen to others ramble on anyway, so in truth they were a perfect match.

The Marshal took another sip of his coffee and moved aside the shot gun on the desk so that he could get a better look at an article that caught his eye in the Shady Gulch Tribune. "The rodeo's comin' pretty soon." he announced happily, "You gonna enter that knife throwin' contest again?"

Murdock's ears pricked up at the mention of the contest that he had won at the previous rodeo two years ago but his eyes stayed concentrated out the window. The Marshal's office and jail was at the end of Main street and one could see clear down the street and easily keep an eye on the town.

"They're here." Notified Murdock as he skillful slipped the knife into his belt along side the other's which ringed his waist. He then turned and awaited the Marshal's direction.

Marshall Barr threw his head over his shoulder in a relaxed manner and looked up at the grave deputy. "Well, I suppose we ought ta go out and greet our guests." he said as he picked up his shotgun, "Are the men in position?"

Murdock nodded.

"Good. I'll tell ya though, I'm in no rush. What say we let them get comfortable. My pa always said, 'never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction'. I'm not quite sure yet what we got out there yet."



The corner's of the deputies mouth curled ever so slightly in anticipation of what was to come.



Buck Daniels another one of Marshall Barr's deputies swaggered in through the mercantile's back door, pistol in hand. "Good eye, Jeb." he complimented while pointing the barrel of his gun directly at Maddie's forehead. "Bang!", he shouted, then proceeded to laugh at his own joke.

"Com'on girl." Ordered Buck, waving his pistol toward the back door, "The Marshal would like ta have a few words with ya."

"Go on git!" Encouraged the other deputy, Jeb, menacing the girl with his own pistol, "An' don't be tryin' anything stupid or we'll jus' have ta tell the boss we had to kill ya in self-duh-fence."

The men intended to get the girl out behind the mercantile where they could properly bind her hands with some rope. They had been watching her since she arrived and already had her horse, Jasmine in the back alley. The plan was to her walk down to the jail and toss her in a cell until they rounded up the others and the two men didn't have any allusions about having a little fun with the girl. McIntire had given strict instructions that she wasn't to be touched but allowed them to use whatever force was necessary to apprehend her.



Sandy's keen eyes searched the shop windows, alleys and roof tops for any signs of movement. A few times he caught sight of something questionable but he couldn't be sure. "Yeah, we're sitting ducks out here." Replied Sandy, then he pointed down to the end of the street, "There's the Marshal's office and it seems he's home." He figured by the light in the window, still visible in the dim hours of the morning.

The rifleman hesitated for a moment as Bone's caution was beginning to rub off on him. "Y'know, Bones. What say we duck into this here saloon and contemplate our situation for a moment. Shall we?" Suggested Sandy with his fine English tone.

Off to their left was a two story building called the 'Silver Sage', a quaint establishment with a saw dust floor and the roughly constructed furniture characteristic of small, isolated towns. In the far corner, a man snored in a chair while leaning back against the wall, obviously a remnant of the night before sleeping off his drink. A bald headed man, dressed in the common attire of bartender was polishing glasses and rearranging bottles when Sandy and Bones strolled in.

"Sorry, gentleman. The saloon doesn't open for another couple of hours." Said the bar-keeper, apologetically, "Could I offer you a cup of coffee?"

Maddie just glared at Buck as he made fun of shooting her in the head, not giving in to the dread she was feeling. She looked through the door into the store and saw Mr. James speaking with a customer. When he turned her way, her blue eyes spit fire at him and he excused himself from the lady he'd been talking with and walked back to the storeroom.

"Don't look at me like that, Maddie. I've got a business to run and kids to raise and the bounty on your head was just too good to pass up. I always told your pa that he needed to take a switch to your backside and get you under control. Apparantly, he didn't take me up on the free advice."

"Well, at least my pa wouldn't think about stabbing a friend in the back, Mr. James. You're not even half the man he is....hell, you're not even half a worm."

Buck shoved her roughly out of the back door, causing to trip over the step and sprawl out in the dirt. She stood up and dusted herself off, turning her angry gaze onto the two deputies.

"Make you feel like real men, pushing a girl around? Then again, looking at the two of you, there's nothing that you could do that would do that. Make you feel like real men, I mean. After all, there has to be a man already there and I just don't see that."

That got her a smack from Buck and 'shut yer yap!', which for once, she did as they bruisingly bound her hands together in front of her and yanked her out from behind the mercantile. They walked down the wooden walk-way, in front of the saloon.

"Damn, boys....you really are real men....you even have to tie my hands so that I don't hurt ya. Little ole' me and you're scared that I could hurt both of ya."

"Shuddup, ya little bitch!!! McIntire told us to do what we had to keep you in line and that you're a right little firecracker....not to be trusted, he said."

That told Maddie all she needed to know. The sheriff was in McIntire's pocket and she was going to be a special delivery to McIntire if she didn't figure out how to get out of this mess she'd gotten herself into. Glancing into the saloon as they passed the swinging doors and headed out into the street, she saw Sandy and Bones and hoped that they'd heard what had been said about the McIntire. She was going to get their attention then thought better of it. She didn't want them getting hurt because she'd decided not to listen, so she clamped her lips together and trudged along with the two idiot deputies.

Bones was getting that tingling in his hands, sometimes this strange feeling would come just before a gunfight broke out. Bones figured that there was nothing supernatural about the sensation, it was probably just old raw instincts tugging at his mind.

Bones swung his eyes up and down the street, so far he did not see anything to get itchy about. Bones nodded to Sandy and two of them walked through the doors of The Silver Sage.

The bartender was just setting the glasses out, he offered the two strangers some coffee.

Bones looked back to the door one more time and nodded to the barkeep.

"I have some of that coffee."

The pudgy man brought two cups over and went back to his duties. Bones sipped the black liquid, it was fresh and hot.

"I like this much better than the street Sandy, a man could shoot it out all day in a place like this."

Bones glared at the barkeep, if the bald man heard his words he didn't let it show.

"It might be a good move to send someone from this establishment over to the marshal's place, he would have to come to us and we could buy him a drink, you know, feel him out a little bit."

Bones figured that most men enjoyed a stiff drink, even more if if was paid for. God knows that Bones was achin for a drink, but he put it out of his mind. Most men enjoyed a little whisky, maybe the marshal was one of these men, a reasonable man.

"If the marshal agrees, we would have a good shot at presenting our side of things."

Bones shot another look at the barman, he was at the end of the bar and seemed to be minding his own.
Bones looked around the saloon, it was a simple, small place. It had two good sized windows facing the street and a small set of entry doors. other than a back door these were the only way in and out of the building.

Bones sipped the coffee some more.
"Of course if he is not a reasonable man, we'll burn him down."

The barman stiffened up this time and nervously went back to his set up.

Sandy smiled when the bartender reacted nervously to Bones' ruthless words. His friend sure had a way with them. Nodding in agreement to the plan he took a slurp of his coffee and pondered who they could use as a messenger boy. The look on the bartender's face told him that he'd be reluctant to do them any other service than to pour them some more coffee and the old cow poke in the corner was still sleeping off his drunk. His eyes drifted down to the saloon doors as he searched for a candidate and that's when he saw two men ushering a woman with dark hair, her head just reaching the top of the swinging doors. That alone wasn't enough to alert him, but then he took note of the boots the woman was wearing and recognized them straight away.

"Damn." Cursed Sandy under his breath and glancing over at his partner knew that he had recognized the Keegan as well. "Well, there goes a pair of aces into the Marshal's hand."

Discouraged Sandy ran his hand along his face, rolling his fingers along his grizzled face, holding back the urge to drive his fist into the table. Why the hell couldn't she have just stayed put! He still wanted to talk with the Marshal, but it was more than apparent that they were aware of their presence and set to round them up, if not shoot them dead.

"When you're in a hole, the first thing you should so is stop diggin'." Called out a rough womanly voice.

Sandy would have recognized it anywhere. His eyes shot toward the stairway from where it emanated and there leaning against the wall was the figure of a tall and strong woman, her feminine form more enhanced rather than hidden by the manly clothes she wore.

"Jesse?" He questioned wondering how she found them as Sandy quickly rose from his seat. "Dammit, Jesse. It is you!"

"Well a course its me. Damn, Sandy, I keep tellin' ya that there doubt a yours ain't becomin' of a man." She joked, her grim expression stretching into a warm smile as she tightly embraced her old friend, "It's good ta see ya, Red Coat. I was sure you were dead, until I saw this."

Jesse pulled out a couple of rolled up posters and tossed them on the table. They unfurled, revealing an accurate depiction of Sandy, and beneath it was Bones under the heading, 'Wanted'. Spinning a chair around and straddling it like it was a horse, her dark blue eyes shot over to the thin man, "So how the hell are ya, you old saddle bag." she greeted. "Same old situation. Different time, huh, boys?"

Well Shiit. You gotta be kiddin'! Where'd you get this boy? Ethan half dragged the boy by his britches into the 2-story house of A.N. Fisher Stagecoach Country Inn. The woman in a long blue dress and white apron dropped a bowl of fruit on the floor seeing Ethan dragging the boy into the house with his rifle in the other hand. He dropped the boy on the floor and quickly apologized. I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't expect to get a reception like this from no boy or stagecoach stop out here in the middle of nowhere. You have anymore of these on the wall? The woman bent over to cradle her son and pointed to the office wall.

What's wrong with your mom, boy? My daddy was shot and killed and then my momma was beat and was was... the boy was on the verge of tears, was raped by Sheriff McIntire's deputies that came back through here after there Coyote Hills run last year. They said they'd come back and kill us both if any of this leaked out to Marshal Barr. Momma hasn't talked right since it happen.


Ethan shook his head...that bloody bastard. Boy, I saw horses in the corral, is he on his way here? Yes sur...he's due in a few hours. Ethan shook his head...thats why the posse turned around. Ethan smiled as he thought of his options. McIntire would be pissed if I stole in his horses and rode ahead to Coyote Hills with this woman. I could plead my case there. He looked at his and the three other WANTED posters. He noticed all four had the same crease in the ink paper which meant these came out the same time. Where'd you get these, boy? Delivery from Coyote Hills Post office, Pony Express service. Wat? Did ya say, Coyote Hills? How? You ain't from here are you mister? There's wires strung a few miles from here. Oh TW wat did you git yurself into this time...Ethan sits down in the chair.

He thought about his options. Tell your momma to pack some bisquits and put on some riding clothes, I aint stayin here waitin for McIntire and you aint either.

I realized this was the second time, I'd have to leave the herd behind but as I released the wild horses that McIntire had hitched up at a six horse team...I couldn't wait to see his face expression when that wagon of gold would be delayed gittin into town.



Com'n Lightening we got some ridin' ta do now...let's gitty up, spurs dig in, Lightening stood on her hinder quarters as the first bullet wized by my head...shit It was the posse coming over the ridge and seein the horses scatter in all directions The woman and boy riding separate ponies had already fallin behind. I pulled out my hawkin and fired, twisted in my seat. I watched as a rider fell off his horse. Guns firing, bullets whizzed by my head...this was not the perfect plan. Pulling out both six shooters i twisted around in the saddle and watched as the boy took one in the shoulder and fell forwards grasping the the mane. He slowed down to a trot, his momma as well dropped behind. The main group stopped and a small posse of six horses fired back this way...

Maddie stumbled a little only to have her arms damn near jerked out of their sockets when Buck yanked hard on the rope.

"Damn, girl!! Can't ya walk?"

He chuckled at this, then lost his grin when he saw Maddie glaring at him. He had a right mind to put the arrogant girl in her place, where a woman should be. Instead, he yanked hard on the ropes again, causing the rough material to chafe her wrists. When she didn't even wince, he became even more annoyed with her.

"I can ride and shoot just as good as any man on my pa's ranch and from the looks of you, I've worked a hell of a lot more than you have, so this little rope isn't going to bother me, if that's what you're trying for, you idiot."

Buck reached out lightening quick and grabbed her by the throat, chocking her, enjoying seeing something other than indifference leap into her blue eyes.

"Don't you ever shut your yap?! I can't wait til Mr. McIntire gets his hands on you.....he'll teach you your place and I hope to be there to see it."

Maddie tried not to let her uneasiness show at the mention of this, but failed. Buck smiled a black-toothed smile at seeing this and squeezed a little harder, cutting off her air and bruising her throat. Jed stepped in and whispered something in his ear, causing Buck to let go of her.

"You're lucky, girl. McIntire wants you alive. He don't care much about the others, but you're to be returned to him....alive. Now git!!!"

Maddie felt her spirits sink as she knew now that she'd royally messed up. She should have stayed put instead of rebelling against Sandy telling her what to do. It was stupid of her and she knew it. She made a promise to herself that she would definately do better at listening to Sandy and Bones and trying harder to do as she was told. She wasn't real sure how in the hell she was going to do this, not with her temperment, but she would try if they got out of this alive and unharmed. Before she knew it, she was being shoved into the Sheriff's office, damn near running into the Sheriff's desk.

What the devil...why are horses running loose? Juan catch the horses and bring them back around...Yaw McIntire spurs his pony and moves out in front of the wagon, that is slowing down at the stagecoach stop.

McIntire spots TW trying to make a clean get away, "he aint gettin away." He looks at the closest gunslinger, Hey Fish take five men and chase that sonofbitch down...and don't kill him. I want him to hang in Shady Gulch fer killing Digger and Fltch.

"Sure thing, El sheriff....Fish rides ahead and fires several rounds, blam blam blam..."Damn kid got in the way." The boy falls forward in the saddle and grasps the mane the horse. The woman slows down and jumps off her horse and runs to the boy. Craddling him in her arms, her tears streamed down her dirty face.

Juan rides back up with eleven horses. Wooohooo boy....woooh. He eases the horses back into the corral and slips off the saddle.


McIntire orders his men, to change horses, put the tired horses in the barn stable and git inside for some grub and fresh coffee, he pulls the woman to one side. And where in the hell were you taking off to..were you running from me? Git back inside and feed my men before I finish the boy off.

Johnny see about that boys flesh wound?

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

Fish finally traps TW inside a canyon. Ethan Dawson..this deputy Duke Simpson, you're trappped. We can wait all day fer ya or if I send my deputies after ya, they aren't gonna be happy...so come out . In response, TW fired a shot over the boulder. Harry go to the left and get behind him. A few minutes later, Harry dragged out Ethan Dawson with his lasso and dragged him over the desert floor , yelpin his victory over the stranger fugitive. Lightening tied off to Harrys' saddlehorn.

Marshal Barr steadied his coffee cup when Maddie struck the desk after Buck's hard push. The deputy hadn't taken notice that the marshal was having his breakfast and quick to apologize, "Awwwwe, sorry thar, Marshal."

"That's alright, Buck." Said Barr as he rose up from his chair.

The marshal tipped his hat back and let his hands settle on his hips while he regarded the girl with a shake of his smiling face. "Well, well, now. What have we here? Why ain't ya with your friends down at the Silver Sage?"

Marshal Barr made a point of knowing everything that happened in his town. He knew of Sandy and Bones' location from simple deduction, but the girl's presence was puzzling. Then it quickly occurred to him that they probably weren't aware of her at all.

"Disobeying orders again, hey, Miss Keegan." he speculated, "I bet those gunmen told ya stay put, and... well, you just couldn't bring that pretty little head of yours around ta listenin' to 'em. Am I right?"

The Marshal turned away from the girl and strolled around his desk toward her with a confident smile on his face. He knew he was right and really didn't need it confirmed. He sat down on the corner of his desk beside her so that they were eye to eye.

"Your pa always joked that stubborn streak o' yours would land you in hot water. Did you know we used ta ride together?"

It didn't surprise Barr, that Maddie didn't know the stories. Ian Keegan didn't much care for the man he was, the Marshal out of respect for his old partner would keep those stories between them.

"It was a long time ago, well before you were born. Anyway, the past is the past, let's talk about the present. Let's talk about the bounty on the head's of your new friends. McIntire is none too pleased you'd throw in with such sorts. He's asked me to fetch ya back to Shady Gulch, and we both knows you're not goin' to be headin' back quietly now so I've arranged a nice cell for ya."

Marshal Barr nodded to his men and Buck and Jeb proceeded to usher the girl back to the jail where the Marshal had made a cell as comfortable as possible for McIntire's prize.

"Try not to bruise her up too bad boys." Mentioned the Marshall, "After we round up yer friends, I'll arrange a stage to take ya back to the Gulch, Miss Keegan. You just be a good little girl now and we won't have to chain ya up to boot. Y' hear?"

The only way out of the office was back they way they came in. Back through the Marshal and his quiet, stone face deputy. Even if Maddie somehow managed to get away from Buck and Jeb, she'd have to deal with Barr and Murdock and despite any history that Barr and her father shared the girl would be mistaken thinking he'd pay her any favour.

Jeb opened the barred door that lead down the corridor to the cells and Buck shoved Maddie ahead of him.

Ethan couldn't stop the catching of breath in his throat, the dust kicked up from the horse, clouded his brain and every rock and juniper tree he slammed into, he screamed in agony. Duke rode back with the others towing their prize behind their horses. Jumping off the horses, each tied their horse to the railing in front of the country Inn. Leaning in the doorway, McIntire lit his pipe and acknowledged them. "Well Duke...wat do we have here?"

The gunslinger lifted his rawhide boot and flipped over Ethan that was face down in the dirt. "Sheriff, I reckoned from your Wanted poster...this here is Ethan 'Tumbleweed' Dawson..cattle hustler and deputy killing of two of your men." Kicking TW in the gut, "You don't look tuff without this .50 cal Hawkin, do ya boy?"

"Tie him up and string 'im to the gaff hook on the barn. We'll take him with us when we ride to Coyote Hills this afternoon. Duke, you boys git washed up and git some grub, you earned another $10 per man fer catching 'im."

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

Ethan was hurting, his head and shoulders throbbed. His lip was busted open and seeped. Dried caked blood from his nose, bloodied his red shirt. He tried to get a fix on where Lightening was, if he could get free... Hanging with stretched arms above his head, something kept shining in his closed eyes. The deputies and posse guarding the wagon were all inside. What the hell...TW squinted, and turned his head downward. Somewhere out past the corral, somebody was trying to make contact with him.


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Chase was pissed at Maddie Keegan, that girl never listened to what he said. He kicked the dirt up when she got on her horse and rode toward town, even after Sandy told her to stay put. Damn her. Chase paced back and forth, then got on his horse and ran straight in the other direction. He didn't know where he was headin', but knew he couldn't stay there and wait for Maddie to return.

He rode for several hours down the trail until he heard gunshots. Riding bareback, he slid off the back of the horse and slapped the horse's hind quarters. The horse turned in the opposite direction and galloped across the open plains. Chase ran toward the gunshots and watched Ethan being dragged behind of the white men. Chase crawled closer to the action and could only watch. He recognized two of the five white men from Shady Gulch. They stopped and got off their horses and passed the stranger between them, taking cheap body shots with a rifle stock. One after another, all kicked, stabbed and punched him. Chase watched, as the white man stood up time after time to all five. Stay down dude..he whispered to hisself. The white man tied up, in a torn red shirt stood up only to be knocked down again and again. Geezus...it was like watching Maddie Keegan out there instead of this cowboy.

Chase whispered to hisself..dude just stay down and they'll leave you alone. TW stood back up in defiance, barely able to spit the words out...he told Duke, he hit like a saloon girl and Duke hit Ethan in the stomach and this time Ethan went down and stayed down in the fetal position. "Well boys, I guess we better head back before McIntire sends out a search party for us. Then the cowboys got back on their horses and began to drag Ethan again...Chase could barely watch. He ran after them, not fully understanding what he planned to do except the need to rescue this man. Chase followed this party on foot for another mile. He could not let another man die at the hands of Sheriff McIntire.

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Now he laid down behind Juniper and flashed his knife to the lone cowboy in hopes to alert him of the possible attempt to rescue him.

Hidden in amongst the rocks and boulders on the hill side above the A.N. Fisher Stagecoach Country Inn Goylahkla and a band of twenty worriors watched as the white eyes drug the cowboy up and strung him up by his arms by the barn. As the cowboys unhitched the horses from the wagon, he signaled eight of the warriors to circle around and make their way towards the corral. A flash of light, relected off a mirror from one of the warriors signaled Goylahkla that they were in positon. Before the cowbouys could hitch up the fresh horses, Goylahkla whistled like a whiporwill and the bands of warriors swooped down from the hills. The warriors that had worked their way around by the corral, threw deer antlers tied to ropes over the rails of the corral pulling the rails down as the rode by. They then drove the horses out into the desert. One of the warriors tossed a lighted torch into the barn and another tossed one onto the hay stacked in the corral.

Meanwhile Goylahkla and the other twelve raiders rode towards the stage coach station firing at the Inn and surrounding area with their repeating rifles and hand guns. As the raiders rode out into the desrt, Goylahkla circled back and stopped just out of range and lifted his rifle. He then rode off into the desert rejoining his warriors and the stolen horses.

Chase couldn't believe it when the great Apache warrior attacked. Dammit!!! How was he supposed to get to the strung up cowboy now? He stayed low, watching as the horses were set loose and Goyhakla attacked the inn, his warriors setting fire to the barn, close to where the man was hanging by his arms.

Watching and staying low, Chase made his way to the barn where the man was tied. His shoulder was killing him, but he pushed the pain down, concentrating on the injured man.

"Psst!! Hey, cowboy!! I'm gonna cut you loose, but you gotta follow me or we're both gonna be about six feet under."

Chase didn't wait for a reply from him, he simply made his way to him, watching all around him the best he could and cut Ethan loose. He saw one of Goyhakla's warriors riding towards him and knew they'd been spotted. He quickly made sure that the necklace his mother had made him was visible. It was beautiful beadwork made in the shape of an eagle, the colors in blues, reds and golds.

When the warrior gave him a hard look then a nod, Chase knew this was his one and only opportunity to get the cowboy and himself out of here. He wouldn't get a second.

"C'mon.....stay low and follow me."

He led Ethan back to where his horse was tethered, a few bulletts barely missing the two of them. His shoulder was seeping again, but he ignored it. He needed to get a horse for the man he'd just cut down and get back to where Sandy and Bones had told him and Maddie to stay. Even though Maddie had ignored Sandy and now she was God only knew what kind of trouble.

He grabbed his horses reins and led them away from the carnage, back towards the rock formation where he'd been hidden.

"Name's Chase Jones. And if you're up for it, my friends and I could possibly use your help."

As they walked away from Goylahkla and his fun, Chase explained to Ethan what was going on. He told him about Sandy and Bones killing McIntire's best man who was like a son to him. How they were on their way to Coyote Hills to get the sheriff. He told him about the bandits, getting shot, and then he told him about Maddie.

"That girl is like a little sister to me, but damn if she ain't a whole lot of trouble with a capital 'T'. Sandy told us to stay put to make it easier for him and Bones to get into to town, make sure that the sheriff wasn't in McIntire's pocket and make it back out with a little problems as possible. But, Maddie, she knows people who are friends with her pa and felt that she would be better suited to go into town. Sandy told her to stay put.....do you think for once she'd do as she was told? Nope. And I promised her pa I would keep her safe, but unless you hog-tie the girl, it's gonna be impossible."