Prisoner of Desire

PART 1

Chris awoke to a pounding headache.

Slowly his eyes came into focus. He was in a strange bed. His green eyes surveyed the unfamiliar room. It was clean and sparsely furnished. Besides the bed, there was a table, a couple of chairs, a commode, a bookcase full of books, a wardrobe, and a dresser. His shirt and boots had been placed neatly on a chair nearby. Where was he? A hotel? A brothel, maybe? He reached back to rub away some of the pain in his head and felt...a bandage. Was this a hospital? Just what the hell had happened to him?

He tried to collect his thoughts to see what he could remember. He had turned down an alley as he headed to his room for the night. He remembered a flash of white light exploding in his skull, and that was all he remembered.

The afternoon sun was now casting long shadows across the spotless wooden floor. How long had he been here? And where was here?

Chris started to get out of bed, but the heaviness of one leg and the clank of metal stopped him abruptly. He yanked back the blanket and stared. An iron band was locked around his ankle. Attached to the band was a long, thick, heavy chain.

Chris stood up slowly. He swayed as the room seemed to tilt slightly. The chain was connected to a ring set in the wall near the bed. He tested the chain with all his strength, but it was secured tightly to the wall. He moved slowly around. The chain was long enough to allow him to circulate the entire room, but not quite enough to reach the door.

Chris looked around, hoping to find something he could use as a tool to escape. He opened the wardrobe and found it was full of men's clothes. He eyed them curiously. Whoever owned them was about the same size as he was, he noted.

Who had brought him here? And why?

He closed the wardrobe and headed for the dresser, dragging the chain behind him. There was something on the dresser, something metal that caught the light with a dull shine...A key?

He squinted at the small, grey object, the pain in his head almost obscuring his vision. He moved closer to the dresser and carefully picked up the metal object. His eyes were still a little unfocused so he brought it closer to his face. It wasn't a key.

It looked like...Sarah's locket.

He studied it again. How did it get here?

Ella Gaines had had it last, and it disappeared when she did. The seven hunted for it, but had finally given up. For a moment, he thought this all might be her doing, then dismissed it. She knew better. She had to know he'd kill her on sight if he ever saw her again. She had barely escaped with her life when Vin's bullet missed her.

But someone had brought him here and had caged him like an animal. He tried to pace but the weight and noise of the chain only made him angrier. He sat down and tried to collect himself. Someone was trying to scare him, he was sure.

There was nothing to do but wait.

He didn't have to wait long.

Chris heard a key turning in the lock. His lips quirked slightly at the idea of locking the door when the prisoner was already chained.

He had been wrong.

Ella Gaines stood in the doorway. She wore a long dressing gown and big smile. Her dark brown hair hung loosely around her shoulders. Beside her was a large, silent Mexican manservant with a tray in his hands.

"Awake at last," she smiled. "How do you like the room?"

Chris regarded her coolly, controlling his emotions with an effort. "It'd be more comfortable without this chain."

"I'm sure it would," she smiled. "But I can't take that chance. You might decide to leave before I can convince you to stay. I've told you we belong together. Now I have time to show you."

"Where am I?"

"My ranch. Our ranch. I bought it for us."

Chris made a lunge towards her. She took a step back, looking at him from the hallway.

"It'll do you no good. I'm not carrying the key with me and no one else knows where it is. And don't count on anyone helping you to escape." Chris sat down on the bed, watching her warily. Ella continued, "I pay generously for silence. Poor Raul here is a mute. So is his sister, Maria, who'll also be tending to your needs. Scarlet fever when they were children."

Ella moved closer to him. She reached out, gently tracing her hand on the scar on his chest. He flinched at her touch. "When I saw you get shot, it nearly broke my heart to run away from you. You needed me. Do you forgive me?"

Chris caught her hands in his. "Stop it, Ella."

Ella stepped back, never losing her smile. "It's all right. You'll come around. We have forever now."

She nodded to Raul, who set the tray on the table. On it were some medical supplies and a plate of food. No knife, Chris noted wryly. The food on the plate had already been cut up for him. Raul stepped back. He pulled a small pistol from his pocket and pointed it at Chris.

"First, we're going to check your head injury," Ella continued. "I'm sorry but Raul was much too rough with you. I've spoken to him about that."

She unwrapped the bandage, checking the few neat stitches under it. She seemed satisfied, then re-wrapped a fresh, ready-cut bandage around his head. "There! Now eat your supper before it gets cold."

Chris eyed the plate warily. "Did you cook this?"

"Maria's a wonderful cook. Try it and see. You must be hungry by now."

In truth, he was, but he wouldn't let her see that.

"You should eat. And then rest. Raul did hit you awfully hard." She turned to go, taking the medical supplies with her, then paused. "Oh, if anything happens to me, there'll be no one coming here at all. Just so you know."

She closed the door and Chris heard the key turning.

He looked at the steaming food on the tray. Finally he sat down and began to eat. He was hungrier than he'd thought. It wasn't long after he'd finished, when he began to feel unusually drowsy. Chris laid down on the bed, the chain clanking heavily with his every move. 'She drugged the food', he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

+ + + + + + +

It had taken more than a day and a half for Vin to fully realize the truth.

Chris was gone. Just plain gone. Not like he'd left. But like he'd evaporated. Vin had roamed all over town, hoping to find him -- or at least some trace of him. Finally, in an alley, Vin had found Chris's gun still in its holster. It was on the ground, protruding from behind a stack of boxes. Now Vin was looking for Buck and the others.

He found Buck sitting outside the jail with JD. "Found this." He showed the gun to Buck. "In an alley. No sign of Chris."

Buck took the gun and squinted up at Vin. "You think somethin's happened." It was a statement, not a question.

"Don't you?"

"Chris's gun and no Chris? I'd say so."

"You think someone took him?" JD looked from Vin to Buck to Vin again. "Who'd wanna take Chris?"

Vin and Buck looked at each other and answered simultaneously: "Ella Gaines."

"Ella Gaines?" JD was incredulous. "Can't be. She's long gone!"

"Maybe," said Vin, doubtfully.

"Let's go get the others," said Buck.

+ + + + + + +

Vin, Josiah, Nathan, Buck and JD found Ezra in the saloon.

"You mean that odious woman has absconded with 'Bareback Larabee'?" Ezra smiled broadly from his chair at the poker table. "Oh, poor fellow."

"We don't know that," said Vin soberly. "But that's what we think happened."

"I take it by your faces, then, that you think some dire events have befallen him?"

Buck nodded. "Ezra, you know sure as the wind blows that that woman's crazy. She nearly got us all killed last time over Chris. Don't you think that, if she's got him, she might just kill him this time?"

"We gotta find him," added JD. "And fast."

Buck agreed. "Chris don't want nothin' to do with her now and when she figures that out, she'll make him pay."

"So where do we start?" JD looked around the table.

"We could start at Red Fork," suggested Vin. When they'd last seen Ella Gaines, she'd had a ranch not far from Red Fork.

"We won't find him there," Nathan pointed out. They all knew that after Ella had disappeared, the ranch had been sold at auction. She hadn't been seen or heard from since.

"No, but we gotta start somewhere." Vin hesitated before continuing. "You might wanna try askin' the local docs, too."

Buck's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I didn't find just Chris's gun in that alley. There were drops of blood."

"Well, why didn't you say so before?" Buck demanded.

"Because they might have nothing to do with whatever happened to Chris," Vin shot back.

"Or that blood might be Chris's! Or whoever took him!"

Ezra looked puzzled. "I thought we decided it was Ella Gaines."

Vin shook his head. "Ella Gaines is too small to have done this without help."

Ezra took a breath before he spoke. "Then, Mr. Tanner, should we also inquire at the undertaker's, in case we're not looking for a live body?" They all stared back at him in silence. He looked at them calmly. "I'm not the only one who's thought of that."

"But you're the only one who's sayin' it," Buck snapped. All this standing still when something needed doing was getting to him.

Josiah spoke quietly. "I suggest we stop burnin' what's left of daylight here and ride for Red Fork."

+ + + + + + +

When Chris awoke from a drugged sleep, he found himself still in the same room.

That wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that, besides the chain around his ankle, his wrists were now roped to the head of the bed. He raised his head. It was night and a few thick, white candles were lit around the room. Chris groaned softly. What did she have in store for him now?

As if on cue, Ella emerged from a shadowy corner and into the soft, flickering light. Her hair was down around her shoulders and she wore a long dressing gown that trailed to the floor.

She smiled and sat beside him on the bed. "I have so much to teach you," Ella whispered in his ear as she stroked his hair. "About pleasure. And about pain." She raked her nails across his chest, drawing a tiny, dotted line of blood.

Chris turned his head. Ella bent low and kissed his neck. His body stiffened slightly. Where once Chris would've responded with real heat, he now felt nothing but revulsion in the pit of his stomach whenever she touched him.

She straightened, seeming not to notice. "There's a fine line between pleasure...and pain. I learned all about that all these years. When we were together all those years ago, that was real pleasure. Then came all those years of wanting you, knowing your heart belonged to another. That was pain. Then when we were finally together again, and making all those plans--"

"--You made all those plans, Ella. Not me."

Her eyes grew stormy, but her smile never wavered. "And when I had to leave you like that, that was more suffering than you know. And now we're together...so you can guess what that means..." She trailed her finger down his chest.

Ella stood up and walked to the dresser. "I crave that now, being on the edge of that fine line. It's exciting, you know." She picked up a candle, and returned to her place on the bed. "And now I can share with you what I've learned. And you can learn to enjoy it, too, as I have."

She gently stroked his face, looking at him with wide, serious eyes. Then slowly, Ella tipped the candle. A hot pearl of candle wax spattered onto the smooth, bare skin of his chest. She smiled with satisfaction as Chris hissed in pain. He sucked in a breath and bit his lip, as she dripped a small line of wax across his belly. As if in a trance, Ella began to slowly dribble the hot liquid wax all over his torso in white lines and patterns. Chris bit back a cry of pain, and his back arched, the muscles in his arms straining against the ropes.

Ella laughed lightly and licked her lips. She righted the candle in her hand. "You see? That very fine line. Can you feel the pleasure, too?"

She stood up. "That's enough for a first lesson." She placed the candle back on the dresser and started to leave the room. "Raul will untie you when he brings your food." She paused in the doorway and turned to look at him. "We have all the time in the world now. And I have so much to show you."

Chris closed his eyes, drawing in slow, deep breaths against the searing needles of pain. The woman was truly insane. And he knew that, if he didn't find a way to escape, she would eventually kill him.

+ + + + + + +

It was the middle of the night when the Boys arrived in Red Fork, bone-tired and saddle-weary. They hated to halt their search for even a moment, but they had ridden pretty hard. They needed rest and so did the horses. The Six paired up, sharing rooms in a small, cheap hotel at end of the main street. They would meet at the Red Fork saloon in the morning and draw up some kind of plan over breakfast.

Buck couldn't sleep. He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. JD was curled up in a ball, sound asleep next to him. Buck hoped they were wrong about Chris being kidnapped by Ella Gaines, but something in his gut told him they weren't. He remember how happy Chris had been when Ella had come back into his life. The mourning had finally come to a close and Chris was ready to risk another chance at love and happiness. Buck didn't really know Ella Gaines, but he had seen the changes in his friend, the renewed interest in ranching and horses and raising a family. Buck hadn't been altogether convinced that Ella was the best choice, but Chris had known her and Buck trusted his judgement. Most of the time. Ella was sure a pretty little thing, too. Pretty but deadly, he thought.

Buck wasn't the only one still awake.

Vin leaned against the wall, gazing out his window to the street below. He could hear Nathan snoring softly in the bed behind him. Nathan had dropped off to sleep almost immediately, having put in long hours at the clinic before they'd left for Red Fork.

Come the dawn, they would need a plan and Vin didn't really have one. Here he was, a tracker, and no clue where or how to begin to find Chris. Like Buck, he remembered Ella Gaines, too. He hadn't trusted her from almost the moment he met her-something around the eyes maybe. Or maybe just his instincts. And Vin trusted his instincts.

A few small fires still burned, but the street was mostly empty. Vin sighed in weary frustration. He raised his head and looked out towards the stars. "Where are you, Chris?" he whispered softly.

+ + + + + + +

It was early the next morning when the door to Chris's room opened. Chris had remained tied to the bed all night. It was almost impossible to sleep like that, so he'd only manage to doze lightly from time to time.

Beads and lines of white wax still clung to his chest. Raul walked noiselessly into the room, quietly set down a tray, then stood, as if waiting. Moments later, Ella entered, carrying a small, white-glass jar. Chris spoke first.

"Are you going to untie me now?"

"Not yet."

Ella sat on the bed and studied him a moment. She reached out a hand and began to remove the drops of wax on his chest and torso. She looked at the tiny red marks left behind.

"Poor Chris," she cooed softly. "That had to hurt, didn't it? I wasn't going to come back tonight, but I felt so bad." She opened the jar and began to gently rub a cool salve into the red burn patches on his skin. Her tone became reproving. "It's your fault, you know. I wouldn't have had to do this if you understood how I feel." She bent down and kissed one of the burn marks. "Why do you make me hurt you?"

"I do understand, Ella," he said in a hoarse whisper. He didn't really, but she had to believe he did if he was ever going to get out of here. "Let me show you."

Her eyes glittered, and she smiled like a hungry she-wolf. It made Chris's flesh crawl.

Ella quickly untied the ropes around Chris's wrists. Ever-cautious, Raul leveled his gun at Chris. Chris sat up and started to put his arms around Ella. She pulled away.

"No" she said. "I want you to hunger for me. Like I have for you all this time. It's only fair." She traced a tiny heart on his chest with her finger. "Now eat. Before it gets cold. I'll be back later, I promise. We have plenty of time."

Not if Chris could help it.

He looked at the tray. The food was still being cut up for him. Chris knew the food and maybe even the water were drugged with something that made him sleepy. But he also knew that starving himself to death was not a preferred method of escape. He would have to keep his strength up if he ever hoped to get away.

He ate slowly, crawled back into bed, and waited for the drugs to have their effect.

+ + + + + + +

The next morning, Buck and JD headed into the Red Fork saloon to meet the others. Buck and JD had been there before, when they first met the late Handsome Jack Averill. JD scanned the room as he and Buck walked in. He was relieved to see that none of the men they'd met that night were in the saloon now.

Ezra, Vin, Nathan and Josiah were already seated at a table by the far wall, having breakfast. The mood was a somber one at best.

"Now what?" JD hoped somebody had a plan.

"We start lookin'," said Buck, with a shrug.

"Well, I know that, but how?"

Josiah was cutting a particularly tough piece of ham. "Like Vin said, we pick a direction and start askin' the local citizens . . . and doctors."

"--And undertakers." Buck added, looking pointedly at Ezra. Ezra said nothing, studying his coffee with great interest.

"And we ask them what?" To JD this didn't sound like any kind of a plan at all.

Buck was out of patience. "If they've seen Ella Gaines! If they've seen Chris! If they've seen anything!"

Ezra looked up at last. "However we do it, gentlemen, I suggest we finish our repast and commence our search."

+ + + + + + +

When Chris awoke, he was still groggy. He opened his eyes and sat up with an effort. His head felt full of lead. He went to rub the back of his neck and found that the bandage was gone. It bothered him to think that Ella was in the room with him when he was unconscious. His fingers traced four tiny stitches at the back of his head. The spot was still very tender to the touch.

A bathtub had been brought into the middle of the room and wisps of steam rose from it. Chris walked over to it and dipped a hand into the water. It was hot, but not scalding.

The door opened and Ella walked in. Raul followed closely behind her, gun in hand as always. Maria stood next to him, soap and towels in her hands.

Chris straightened and looked at her with a sardonic smile. "I can take a bath by myself."

"I've come to scrub your back, of course." Ella stood there, hands on hips, grinning at him. "Now strip," she ordered.

Chris stood there, defiance in his emerald eyes.

Ella looked amused. "Shy? Oh, come now, Chris. I've seen it all before . . . ;Remember?" She smiled lewdly.

Chris didn't move.

Ella looked at Raul. He handed the gun to her, then walked over to where Chris's chain was secured to the wall. In one quick, fluid motion, he reached down, grasped the chain with both hands and yanked it forcefully, toppling Chris to the floor. Raul took a step towards him.

The thought of this man touching him, forcibly undressing him, made Chris shudder inwardly. "I can undress myself, thanks," he said hastily to Ella.

Ella smiled broadly. Raul took the gun from Ella as he resumed his place near her.

Chris got to his feet. He unbuttoned the fly of his pants, then hesitated. "The chain?"

"You can bathe with it on. Maria!"

Maria entered the room as Raul took a step closer and pointed the gun at Chris's head. Maria unlocked the chain. She hastily locked it again as soon as Chris had removed his pants and drawers. Then she left the room.

Ella turned to Raul. "Wait outside."

+ + + + + + +

Chris had bathed as quickly as possible. He hated the idea of Ella touching him, but he knew she'd have her way. Raul wouldn't hesitate to shoot him. He could see it in the Mexican's dark eyes. And Ella, twisted as she was, would let him.

Ella watched Chris as he toweled off. She reached up to touch his hair. "I love it when your hair is all damp and clean and sweet-smelling like this," she whispered.

Chris dodged her hand and reached for his pants.

"No," she said sharply. She opened the wardrobe with a bit of a flourish. "I bought you a whole new set of clothes. This is what I want to see you in."

"I told you I wasn't one for suits, Ella."

Her anger flared again. "I went to a lot of trouble to get these for you. If you can't appreciate them, then maybe you shouldn't have them until you can. Maybe you should learn to appreciate what I give you! Raul! Maria!"

They entered the room almost immediately. Ella indicated the wardrobe of clothes. "Take them out of here. Take everything out of here. Including those gunslinger clothes."

Raul handed Ella the gun, disappeared with the clothes, including Chris's own clothes - shirt, hat, pants and boots - then reappeared a moment later.

"Strip the bed," Ella ordered.

Chris watched her as the servants quickly carried out her orders, removing anything Chris might use to cover himself: clothes, bedding, towels. She held the gun barrel level with his chest. He stood there, staring back at her warily, trying to guess if she was just angry enough to gun him down right there.

Within minutes, Raul and Maria were done and left the room.

"I like you better this way anyway," she shrugged.

Then he was alone in the room.

+ + + + + + +

Ella didn't return to Chris's room for the rest of the day. Raul brought in some food, then returned to collect the tray and dishes. Chris tried to read one of the many books in the bookcase to pass the time, but all he could really think about was escaping from Ella and this nightmare he found himself in.

If he could get Raul's gun, maybe he could shoot off the lock and escape. But no one got close enough for him to try to get it without getting himself shot. He was sure some kind of opportunity would come. He just had to stay alive long enough to take advantage of it.

As the unseasonably cold night came on, the room's temperature dropped. Chris was feeling every degree of it. He lay huddled on the mattress, trying to retain what warmth he could.

How could he have been so wrong about Ella? Had she always been like this? He doubted that. He was sure that she had to have become this way over time. When he last saw her, he had been ready to leave his friends for her, to finally get past his grief and maybe one day take another try at family life. Now he was trapped in this hell she'd created, and looking for a way out where he would still be alive. Because a love like hers was going to put him in a pine box.

His body shivered uncontrollably, even after he finally succumbed to an uncomfortable sleep that marked the end of another day at Ella's mercy.

+ + + + + + +

The day had been proving to be a long one for the remaining Six as well. They had decided they would canvas the town first before widening their search. They hadn't been hopeful that they'd find out much, but a slight chance always remained that Ella Gaines had returned to Red Fork and was holed up somewhere.

As he walked along the boardwalk, Ezra barely noticed the people around him. He was still wondering if they were anywhere near being on the right track. He wanted to find Chris Larabee as much as any of the others, but so far he'd turned up nothing. He only hoped one of the others had had more luck.

Ezra was so lost in thought he collided with a woman coming out of the grocery store. He bent to pick up her parcels. When he looked up, he found himself staring into the dark brown eyes of a pretty young Mexican. She looked flustered and embarrassed.

"Pardon me," he smiled, touching the brim of his hat. "I should have noticed so comely a lady such as yourself." As he looked at her more attentively, Ezra decided 'exotic' described her best. She had a figure like an hourglass, deep olive skin and shiny, black hair. Her large, wide-set brown eyes, though, were what truly mesmerized him.

She smiled and nodded, then started past him.

Ezra followed her. "Ezra Standish, madam. Pleased to make your acquaintance. And your name is...?"

Again she smiled, but said nothing.

Ezra persisted. "Do you understand English?"

She nodded. Ezra speculated if she didn't understand him at all and was just nodding. He tried again.

"Do you speak English?"

She shook her head. Now he was really confused. How could one understand English but not speak it? Then it dawned on him and his expression sobered.

She smiled again and set her packages in a wagon that was hitched nearby. She took a small card out of her pocket and handed it to Ezra.

"Maria Teresa Lopez," he read aloud. "How do you do, Miss Lopez?"

She pointed to the card again.

"Maria," Ezra corrected himself, and returned the card to her.

Just then a large Mexican man walked up to wagon. He gave Ezra a surly look, nodded curtly to Maria, then climbed into the wagon.

"I see your husband is ready to go," he said, a note of disappointment in his voice.

She shook her head emphatically.

"Not your husband? Your beau then?"

Again she shook her head.

"How is it a lovely creature like yourself is not spoken for? Perhaps I can call on you sometime?"

She shook her head again, and this time she looked afraid. The big Mexican in the wagon shot them both an ugly look.

"Perhaps I'll see you in town, then," said Ezra hopefully.

She smiled again, then climbed into the wagon beside the big Mexican. He snapped the reins and the wagon pulled away. Ezra watched them go before joining the others in Vin and Nathan's room.

+ + + + + + +

The mood in the room was grim. No one had been able to find out anything.

"These are the most unobservant citizenry I have ever met," complained Ezra.

"We'll try again tomorrow," shrugged Vin.

"We don't even know if our hypothesis about Mr. Larabee is correct," Ezra pointed out. "Ella Gaines may have nothing at all to do with his disappearance. You don't bet on your hand before you see your cards."

Josiah agreed. "Ezra has a point. It does seem kinda like we're grasping at straws."

"Maybe," said Vin. "But I still think it's her. Call it an instinct."

Buck looked at Vin. "If you're instincts tell you that it's her, then that's good enough for me."

JD spoke up. "This could take awhile. And we can't have all of us gone from town while we look for him."

Vin nodded. "JD's right . . .Some of us'll have to go back to protect the town. Who wants to go?"

Silence. Vin looked around the room.

"Nathan, you'll be need at the clinic."

Nathan shook his head. "I'm as concerned about Chris as everyone else."

"Josiah?"

"Those souls'll keep a little longer. I'm always interested in returnin' a lost sheep to the fold."

"JD?"

"Oh, no you don't! If everyone else is gonna stay, I'm stayin'. I ain't gonna be sent home like some schoolboy. I can look for Chris just as well as anybody else can!"

"Gentlemen, there's only one democratic way to do this," smiled Ezra, pulling a pack of cards out of his jacket. "We draw for it."

Vin agreed. "Three highest cards stay. The rest go home."

Ezra shuffled the deck and laid it on the bed. Nathan drew first: a four. Then Josiah: a king. JD picked up a six. Vin drew a ten. Buck drew a card and scowled: a two. Finally, it was Ezra's turn. A jack.

"All right," said Vin. "Nathan, JD and Buck go back. If we need ya, we'll send a wire for ya."

Buck was still scowling. "Hey, Ezra, wanna trade?"

Ezra shook his head. "Mr. Wilmington, I always abide by the luck of the draw."

"Yeah, right. That wouldn't have anything to do with that pretty Mexican filly I seen you talkin' to?"

Ezra just smiled, as he headed for his room. "Good night, gentlemen."

+ + + + + + +

It was just before dawn when Chris awoke with a start. He was still laying on his side, curled up in a ball. A pair of hands was lightly stroking his back. He twisted suddenly, catching Ella's hands in his.

"Stop it," he hissed at her through clenched teeth.

Ella was alone in the room with him. For once, he saw a hint of fear in her eyes. That was all he needed to tell him that Raul was not standing guard outside.

Before Ella could say anything, Chris rolled over on the mattress. He knelt over her, his hands around her throat. "I should have killed you when I had the chance," he whispered hoarsely, "for what you did to my family." He began to squeeze. All he could see in his mind's eye were the graves of his beloved wife and son.

Ella flailed helplessly, trying to break his grip. Her legs squirmed in the swath of shift and bathrobe until a well-placed knee finally found its mark. Chris rolled off her, gasping in pain, and Ella scrambled to the door.

She stood in the doorway, gulping in huge breaths of air and rubbing her throat. Chris lunged for her in a fury, but she was just out of reach.

She looked at him for a moment. "I can see you haven't yet realized that I'm the woman that you really love," she said at last, her voice a bit raspy. "But you will."

And then the door closed.

Chris sat on the bed, cursing himself for again failing to avenge Sarah's and Adam's deaths. He never hated anyone so much in his life as Ella Gaines. And when he got out of here, he would be back to make certain she'd pay for what she'd done to Sarah and to Adam. "I promise you both," he whispered softly.

+ + + + + + +

It was mid-morning when the door to Chris's room opened. There stood Maria with a tray of food, and Raul with the ever-present gun. Chris sat on the bed, watching, as Maria set down the tray. As she left, she passed Ella on her way in.

"Maria, make the bed in here," said Ella. Ella was carrying some folded black clothing. Her hands clutched his boots and hat. She set the hat and boots on a chair. She approached Chris with the clothing in her arms. She gave him a beaming smile.

"I'm so sorry about last night. I was so angry with you over those suits and then when I came to see you, you so upset. I understand if you're not ready to wear them yet. Look. I brought you your clothes. They're all cleaned and pressed, too. Maria cleaned them, but I folded them myself. See?" She held them out to him.

When Chris didn't move, Ella set them on the table. Maria returned and began making up Chris's bed. "Raul, watch Mr. Larabee. Maria, I think Mr. Larabee wants to get dressed."

Maria came over and unlocked the chain by Chris's ankle just long enough to allow him to put on his drawers and pants. She quickly locked it again as Chris finished putting on his shirt, then she finished making the bed.

Ella stood in the doorway. "We can discuss the wardrobe later. Maybe even make some plans."

Chris smiled back. Because Chris already had a plan.

+ + + + + + +

Vin, Ezra and Josiah watched the others saddle up to return home.

"Now you wire us the moment you got somethin'," Buck reminded them for the third time. He looked at Ezra. "And I don't just mean that little Mexican girl."

Vin nodded to Buck. "Just be ready."

Nathan hesitated. "Maybe I should stay. If Chris is hurt, you might need me."

Josiah shook his head. "Clinic needs you more. 'Sides, they got a doc here in town."

"Hopefully, we won't need 'im," added Vin.

Nathan nodded and mounted up. He took one last look at them, then rode off with Buck and JD.

+ + + + + + +

Chris hadn't seen Ella the rest of the day, but her presence had certainly been felt. When Raul brought meals to him, Ella had left little notes and flowers on the tray. She was staying away for the rest of the day to give him time to forgive her for being so mean about the clothes. She reminded him how his coldness to her made her do such cruel things to him. She hated to do it, but what choice did he give her?

Chris really wanted to see Ella now. But not for the reasons she wanted him to. His plan would have to wait a little longer.

+ + + + + + +

The rest of the day had been uneventful for Vin, Ezra, and Josiah, too. Ezra and Josiah met Vin as he came out of the sheriff's office.

"Any luck?" asked Ezra.

Vin shook his head. "He said since we can't prove that any crime's been committed, he don't see no reason to waste any time talkin' to us."

"He's got a point," said Josiah.

Ezra looked at them both. "So what do we do? Go home?"

Vin's eyes hardened. "I say we give it another couple of days. I know it don't make much sense, but I can feel he's close by."

Josiah laid a hand on Vin's shoulder. "If that's how you feel, I'll go along with it."

"Agreed," nodded Ezra. He didn't feel the same certainty as Vin did, though.

+ + + + + + +

For Chris, the next morning started the way most of them had. Raul brought food. Ella was with him, but Maria was not.

Ella rushed to where Chris stood by the table. She threw her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. "Did you miss me like I missed you? Oh, I hope you did. Did you?"

Chris slowly put his arms around her. "I did," he whispered gently in her ear. He could smelled the familiar scent of roses in her hair. He had once loved that about her. Now it made his stomach tighten. "And I have a little surprise for you."

Ella looked into his face with wide, excited eyes and grinned broadly. "What?"

"I thought it over," he said, releasing her and taking step back. "About those suits you bought for me. Why don't you pick your favorite and I'll wear it today? But you know how I feel about them, so hurry before I change my mind."

Ella beamed as she left the room. She was still smiling when she returned, a suit in hand. She crouched, her back to Raul and quickly unlocked the chain at his ankle so he could change clothes, as he hoped she would.

"Ella," he said huskily. "I haven't thanked you for buying this for me." He moved to put his arms around her, before she could lock up the chain. Instead he gave her a hard shove into Raul. They fell backward into a heap and Chris bolted for the open door.

It felt odd without the added weight on his ankle and his ankle hurt where the iron band had rubbed a raw spot, but Chris hardly noticed as he ran into the hall. He was on the second floor, he knew, from the one window in his room. That window had always been kept locked.

He could hear Ella screaming. A gunshot just missed him as he turned and started down the stairs. Raul made a grab for him and they tumbled down the stairs together. Chris landed one punch to Raul's face before slipping out of his grasp and racing down the hall. The house was big. Too damn big. Chris lost precious seconds trying to find his way out of the unfamiliar building.

He burst out the front door into the daylight, squinting against the brightness. He could hear Raul's footsteps behind him. To his left was a small corral. He was in luck. There was a horse, and it had a bridle but no saddle. Chris ran to it and threw himself onto the horse's back as Raul came out of the house. Chris kicked his bare heels into the horse's flanks and galloped past Raul, who quickly dodged out of the way.

Chris was still disoriented. Since he didn't know where he was, he didn't know which direction to go. He hesitated a moment, then headed anywhere. He could sort it out later. When he was free of the place. And Ella Gaines.

There was a long fence in various stages of disrepair around the property. Chris turned the horse and was riding toward a large gap in the fence when there was a sound almost like a small explosion. Chris felt a bolt of white pain pierce his left thigh that caused him to lose his grip on the reins. He tumbled to the ground.

Through the dull, aching roar in his ears, he could dimly hear hooves approaching. He knew who it was. He lay on his back and closed his eyes as Ella and Raul rode up.

Ella looked at him with a triumphant smile. "Tripwire," she said by way of explanation. "After that terrible ordeal with Handsome Jack, I had to protect myself from trespassers. I've got little surprises all around the place. That one had steel shot in it." She sounded proud of it, he thought.

Chris groaned and clutched his bloody thigh as shards of agony traveled the length of his leg.

Ella got off her horse. She tore off a piece of cloth and wrapped it around his thigh to staunch some of the bleeding. She looked at him and clicked her tongue. "You did it to yourself, you know." She shook her head sadly. "Why you insist on being this way when deep down you know how you really feel, I don't know. Raul, get a wagon and bring him back to the house. And send Maria for the doctor. And hurry." She gently stroked his face. "Poor Chris," she cooed softly.

Chris could barely see her face. Pinpoints of light danced in front of his eyes before the lights were obscured by oblivion.

PART 2

It was getting near to noon when Ezra left the saloon feeling rather pleased himself. He'd been getting a bit low on funds since he'd arrived in Red Fork, and an hour at the poker table had done wonders for his mood and his wallet. But it had yielded no new information about Chris Larabee.

His mood lifted still further when he saw Maria driving a buckboard into town. Yes, this was proving to be a good day. But before he could walk up to her, she had reined the horses in front of the doctor's and hurried inside. Moments later, she and the doctor drove off. Since she appeared to be all right, Ezra assumed it was some other member of the household who required medical attention.

He would inquire when he saw her again. And he hoped that would be soon.

+ + + + + + +

Later that afternoon, the doctor was brought back to his office by Raul. Doc Sanderson watched as the big Mexican didn't immediately return to the ranch, but instead took the buckboard a little further down the street. Probably to complete a few errands, the doc concluded.

He went into his office, took off his hat and settled into an armchair to think about the mysterious patient he'd had today. Sanderson had seen him before when he stitched up a small but deep cut on the back of the man's head.

It had been a deep, lacerated wound. The piece of metal appeared to be nestled tightly against bone. Sanderson had tried to remove it, but it was wedged in there tight and he couldn't get a grip on it. Saboted steel, almost like cannon shot. He hated those kind of injuries. He'd seen plenty of them in the war. If you went after it, you might break some blood vessels, maybe bring on gangrene. Most times, he'd just sawed the leg off. Best way in wartime, as far as he was concerned.

Sanderson had already spent a good amount of time on the effort, when he finally turned to the woman and said "If he wants to keep that leg, might be best to just close 'im up and hope for the best. There'll be pain, though. And he'll have a definite limp."

"I appreciate your efforts, and I'm sure he does, too." She had looked so calm about the whole thing. Almost glad.

He hesitated. "If I broke the leg, I might have a better chance of gettin' it out-"

"Leave it in," she'd said flatly. "I'm sure you've done all you can do."

She'd paid him very generously for his services. And to not ask any questions.

+ + + + + + +

It was evening when Chris opened his eyes groggily. His eyes adjusted to the light and he snapped them shut again with a groan. Either he had died and this was Hell or, worse, he was alive and this was Ella's house. A piercing pain in his leg told him he was still alive.

He lifted the blanket. His clothes had been removed and a white bandage was wrapped around his left thigh. And that infernal chain was attached to his left ankle.

"The doc left a few hours ago." Ella's voice. She was sitting in a chair, watching him. "Groggy? The doctor had to give you something when you started thrashing around. He took those four little stitches out of your head while he was here. He said it was healing nicely."

She moved the chair closer to bed, bringing with her a pan of water and a cloth. She gently wiped the sweat brought on by pain and weakness from his face and chest as she talked.

"I did you a favor. Doc Sanderson's really an excellent doctor, better than that friend of mine. Doc Sanderson was in the war, but you know how those army doctors were. A deep wound like that, all they know is to saw a man's leg off. He was all ready to take yours, but I wouldn't let him. I made him leave the shot in there instead."

Chris tried to move his leg. He could feel the agony of metal rubbing against bone. His face went white as a moan escaped his lips.

Ella set aside the pan of water, went to the table and brought back a small brown bottle and a spoon.

"He left you some laudanum for the pain. I'm afraid your injury is going to give you a permanent limp," she said sadly, sitting beside him again. "I'm so sorry, my darling. But you'll always have me to take care of you." She reached out to touch him.

Chris tried to push her away. "Bitch," he growled through clenched teeth.

Ella's face clouded over. She stood and set the bottle and spoon on the chair.

"You're trying my patience, Chris. I know you're in pain, but you've no one to blame but yourself for that. You haven't appreciated anything I've done for you, even after I fought to save your leg. Maybe if you were to hunger for me as I have for you, you'll appreciate me more fully."

She started to leave, then paused in the doorway. "And I can teach you a thing or two about hunger." Then she disappeared down the hall for the night.

Chris noticed she didn't lock the door this time. Why should she? He was a cripple now. Even if he somehow got out of the chain, he couldn't get far.

He slowly sat up on the edge of the bed to test his leg. He moved the injured limb carefully until he could get both feet on the floor. The chain only made the pain of movement worse. Finally, he forced himself to stand. Pain shot through his leg, the leg buckled, and he crumpled back onto the bed. He lay gasping, beads of sweat on his forehead and upper lip.

He stretched out on the bed, taking in deep breaths until the pain subsided to something manageable. Then he reached for the laudanum still on the chair. At least he would be able to find escape his physical pain.

+ + + + + + +

That same night found Vin and Josiah sitting out in front of the Red Fork Hotel.

"Still nothin'," spat Vin in frustration. He sighed. "Maybe my instincts are wrong. Maybe we're just chasin' our tails and it's my fault."

Josiah looked at him. Vin looked tired. Josiah knew he'd been restless every night since they'd arrived. "We all want to find him."

Vin barely heard him. "I just feel so sure he's somewhere nearby."

Josiah looked down as he spoke. "Maybe you just want it to be true?"

Vin shook his head. "It sounds crazy, I know. But I've never been so sure of anything in my life."

Josiah nodded in understanding. "Then we'll give it one more day."

"Thanks for believin' in me, Josiah."

Josiah shrugged. "Faith's my business."

Vin managed a slight smile. "How do you explain Ezra bein' here, then? You know he had to have fixed them cards."

Josiah smiled. "That Mexican girl he's after might have somethin' to do with it. And maybe he believes in luck."

"You think faith and luck are the same thing?"

Josiah stretched and prepared to return to his room. "Faith, luck, intuition. I think it all comes down to believin' in something you can't see. 'Sides, one more day can't do no harm."

+ + + + + + +

Ezra took a mid-morning stroll over to the general store. The bell over the door tinkled as he walked in.

"Howdy," said the storekeeper jovially.

Ezra smiled back. "I need some shaving soap...and, ah, some cigars."

As the clerk wrapped up Ezra's purchases, Ezra asked in his most off-handed manner, "Do you know the Mexican woman who was in here the other day? A mute girl?"

"Oh, yeah. She and a fella -- guess that's her brother or something -- come in here from time to time. Don't really know 'em. Not much for conversation, if you know what I mean." He laughed heartily at his own boorish joke. Ezra smiled tightly.

"Funny thing, though," he continued. "They just bought more supplies than usual. Like they're expectin' company or somethin'. Be a pretty quiet party, eh?" The storekeeper laughed again.

Ezra paid the man and left quickly. He didn't like the man's sense of humor, but the storekeeper did have a point. The fear he saw in Maria's eyes and the surliness of her...brother? They didn't strike him as being people who'd welcome visitors.

Ezra, Josiah, and Vin had stayed in Red Fork largely because of Vin's instincts. Now Ezra's instincts were niggling at him.

+ + + + + + +

As Ezra was leaving the general store, Doc Sanderson was having a late breakfast and pondering his mystery patient. The whole thing just bothered him.

Sanderson knew he wasn't supposed to see it, but there had been a chain by the bed. It hadn't been used while he was treating the wounded man's injuries, but clearly it was meant to keep the man a prisoner. But why?

He lit a cigar and slowly blew out a puff of smoke. He'd been well paid for his silence and lack of curiosity. And that money would come in handy. Sanderson was tired of scrabbling in a dirt-water town. He hoped to make some real money by opening a practice that catered to the hypochondriac society matrons of San Francisco.

Maybe this mystery man he'd treated was wanted somewhere. There'd been six men-gunslinger types-in town looking for a man. There were still three of them in town staying at the hotel. Maybe this was the man they were searching for. And maybe he was worth more than Sanderson had been paid.

The doc picked up his hat and headed for the hotel.

+ + + + + + +

Doc Sanderson walked up to the hotel desk clerk. "I'm lookin' for three men. There were six of 'em before. Know who I mean?"

The clerk nodded. "Yeah, doc, but they're out. Probably since near dawn, 'cause they was gone when I got here. You wanna leave 'em a note?"

"That would be fine. Thanks." Sanderson penned a quick note and left. He didn't see the large Mexican observing him from across the street as he walked into his office. The Mexican started across the street.

+ + + + + + +

Ezra had hoped to see Maria in town since her quick errand to the doctor's. He had been feeling a little guilty, since he should probably have spent more time thinking about finding Chris and less about running into Maria. But now the storeowner's observation about laying in supplies made him wonder. It was probably nothing, but Ezra had learned to play his hunches.

His back stiffened and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he saw Raul leave the doctor's office. Something about him definitely didn't sit right with Ezra.

Ezra quickly ducked and watched as Raul got on a horse and rode out of town. Ezra hurried to where his own horse was hitched in front of the hotel and followed Raul at a safe distance.

This was one of those times Ezra liked: when he couldn't lose. He was going to find Maria...and maybe there was a slightly-better-than-outside chance he'd find Chris.

+ + + + + + +

By mid-afternoon, the only person who had come into Chris's room was Raul. He left fresh water in a pitcher on the table, but no food. Chris wasn't surprised. Ella was trying to punish him. And she wasn't doing a bad job of it. He felt weak and hungry. And thirsty.

Chris eyed the pitcher. Normally, it would have been just a few strides away, but in his weakened condition, it seemed much, much farther. Still…a man could go without food for awhile if he had to, but not without water.

Chris pushed back the blanket and, after several painful attempts, stood shakily on his good leg. He started to limp, but pain roared through his wounded leg. He crashed to the floor, trying to bite back a scream. The gunslinger lay there for several minutes, his chest heaving as he sucked in deep breaths until the tides of pain subsided a bit.

He clawed at the bed, struggling to get onto his good leg once more. Even the slightest movement sent shock waves of agony through his leg. His fall had strained at the stitches and the white bandage around his thigh showed a few drops of blood. He grimaced as he dragged his injured leg behind him. Slowly, painfully, he made his way toward the pitcher of water on the table.

Chris picked up the pitcher and drank greedily from it. He stood there a moment, balancing awkwardly on one foot. Finally he hobbled back to the bed, carrying the pitcher with him, sloshing water all over the floor. He set the pitcher on the chair by his bed. Chris was now bathed in sweat and breathless from his exertions as he carefully eased his body back under the blanket.

He poured himself a dose of laudanum. His hands were so sweat-slicked and shaky with weakness, he only managed to get a few drops into the spoon. He swallowed the laudanum anyway and tried to sleep.

+ + + + + + +

Buck was in the jailhouse, pacing like a very irritable tiger. Ever since they had arrived home, he'd been like this. JD found that nothing anyone said could seem to placate the big Irishman, so he'd finally lapsed into silence.

"Why don't they send somethin'? Anythin'!" He shouted for the umpteenth time to no one in particular. "It's drivin' me nuts."

He stopped and fixed a steely gaze on JD. "Where's Nathan," he demanded. "How long can it take to check on a wire?"

JD sighed. He didn't know why he continued to bother. It was only asking for trouble. "I'm sure he'll be right back. They said they'd wire us when they needed us. Maybe they don't need us yet."

Buck flared. "They need us all right! We got his gun and no Chris! And all this waitin' around ain't gettin' us any closer to findin' him!"

JD wondered if Buck was just going to lose it and strangle him right then and there when Nathan walked in.

'''Bout time!" Buck snapped.

Nathan ignored the outburst and spoke to JD. "Nothin' yet. They may even be on their way back right now."

"Then what?" Buck demanded.

But nobody knew the answer to that.

+ + + + + + +

It was a few hours later when Chris awoke. The light coming through the window told him it was dusk. He heard the door opened slowly. Chris craned his neck, but he couldn't see who it was. He wondered if Ella had changed her mind again. Whoever it was cautiously approached the bed.

It was Maria.

In her hands, she held a small bowl of thin soup. She stared at Chris for a long moment with wide, sable eyes. Finally, she knelt beside him and set the bowl on the chair, next to the spoon and the laudanum bottle. Raul must have refilled the water pitcher because it had been moved from the chair back to the table.

Chris's stomach rumbled in response. Maria carefully helped him to sit up, rearranging the pillow behind his back. She handed him the bowl and spoon. He ate hungrily. When he was done, she took the bowl and spoon, then reached into her pocket and put something in his hands.

Bread. A roll. And it was still warm. Chris looked at her. She smiled softly back at him and watched as he devoured it almost as quickly as the soup.

She poured him a glass of water, then helped him to lie down again and pulled the blanket up to cover his chest.

"Thank you," he said, in a raspy whisper.

Her warm hand gently touched his face, and then lightly brushed his blond hair off his forehead. Chris looked into her eyes and he could see the sorrow there. Or was it pity? For a moment, he suddenly felt cold all over. He pulled the blanket closer.

Maria glanced over her shoulder toward the door, snatched up the empty bowl and hurried noiselessly from the room.

Now that he'd eaten something for the first time all day, he felt at least slightly better. He lay there, his eyes focused toward the ceiling and began to think. The idea of spending the rest of his life crippled and living with the insane woman who murdered his family didn't bear thinking about. He wondered if Maria might help him escape, but he doubted it. He knew it had been a big risk for her just to bring him food.

For an instant, Chris wondered what Mary Travis would have thought of him like this, no longer able to walk without maybe a cane or crutch. What kind of life could he give someone like her? He just as quickly dismissed all thoughts of Mary from his mind. It didn't matter. Sooner or later he would probably die here.

But he wasn't ready to die just yet. There was still the Six. He wondered if they even knew he was missing, or if they would be able to find him. They were the only real hope he had left.

+ + + + + + +

Ezra had followed Raul for a long distance to a remote ranch. It was well hidden, situated in a small valley and surrounded by trees. Ezra had taken a position a good distance from the house and had been waiting for a few hours now. He wanted the sun to set completely before approaching the house.

He had thought several times about going back for Vin and Josiah. But he decided he didn't want to drag them back here if Chris wasn't there.

If they found only Maria, the embarrassment would be more than he could endure. If he did encounter her, he was prepared to tell her he had gotten lost while searching for his friend. Besides, he wouldn't mind seeing her in any case.

Ezra looked up at the horizon. Soon it would be dark enough to move.

+ + + + + + +

It was nightfall when Vin and Josiah returned to the hotel. Vin had been quieter than usual all day. Josiah had tried be of some comfort to him, but he knew the failure to find Chris had been like a crushing weight on the tracker. In the morning, they would have to return home and tell the others they'd turned up nothing. Neither one of them was looking forward to it.

They trudged through the lobby to the stairs that led to their room.

"Mr. Tanner?"

Vin turned sharply. The desk clerk was holding out a folded piece of paper.

"The doc left ya's a note."

Josiah took the note. "Much obliged." He and Vin stepped outside before reading it in the light from the hotel windows. "From Doc Sanderson. Says ‘My office. May have information about your friend.'"

Vin stuck his head back inside the hotel. "Doc Sanderson. That his office down the street?"

"Only doc we got," said the desk clerk.

"Obliged."

+ + + + + + +

From outside, Doc Sanderson's office was dark. Josiah tried the door, then looked at Vin. It was unlocked. They moved cautiously through the darkened waiting area into the office itself.

Sanderson lay sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood.

"Looks like he's been beat to death," observed Vin.

"And that your instincts might be right."

"Guess you better go to the sheriff's and report this. With that price on my head, I don't wanna risk goin' in there again. Should we wire for Buck, Nathan, and JD?"

Josiah shook his head. "Not yet. We don't really have much more to go on than we had before. It may be that someone don't want us findin' Chris and it may be just coincidence."

"You think it's just coincidence?"

"Don't know. But before we have Buck tearin' through here like a dust devil, let's see if we can found out anything more tomorrow."

Vin nodded in agreement. "I'll go find Ezra. Let him know what's happened."

+ + + + + + +

It seemed like hours before the last lights in the windows of the house went out. Ezra waited several minutes longer before moving closer toward the house.

He crouched low and moved cautiously, quietly, through the underbrush and past a small pond. When he was still several yards from the house, he paused. Something near his feet glinted silvery in the moonlight.

Ezra knelt, lit a match and bent to get a better look. A tripwire. Clever. Whoever owned the property evidently had set out to discourage any unexpected visitors. He decided to exercise more caution as he proceeded.

He made it to the edge of the trees and paused again. It was all open several yards from where he was to the house. He still saw no activity.

Ezra selected a well-shadowed area near a corner of the house. He crouched low and sprinted toward it. He silently let out a small sigh of relief when another window went black. Soon the entire house would probably be asleep. He hunkered down and waited several minutes.

+ + + + + + +

When Ezra decided to disappear, he sure did a good job of it, Vin though acidly. Bad enough they had to find Chris. Now he had to waste time looking all over town for the gambler. He'd started in the most obvious place, the poker table at the saloon. Those still hangin' around at this late hour hadn't seen him.

When Vin left the saloon, he noticed that Ezra's horse was also missing. First he figured Ezra might be out riding a little ways outside of town in search of Chris. They'd all done that and had turned up nothing and besides, it would be too dark to search now, so it didn't seem likely.

Then he thought of that Mexican girl Ezra had taken a shine to. Ezra was probably out making time with her in the moonlight somewhere. Impressing her with his courtly ways. Damn his hide, anyway. Here they were, searching high and low for Chris, and all Ezra could do was think of himself. Vin had nothing personal against the man. Hell, Ezra had been there right along with them more than once. But sometimes his sense of priorities . . . Vin shook his head ruefully.

The sheriff would likely still be at the doc's office with Josiah. Vin decided to look for Ezra just a little longer, then rejoin Josiah at the doc's office, after he was sure the sheriff had left.

+ + + + + + +

Ezra cautiously went around to a door at the back of the house. It was unlocked. With all the traps around the property, the owners must have been pretty confident about their security.

The door swung silently on well-oiled hinges. Ezra opened it just enough to ease his slight frame past the door and into the house.

Ezra found he could see his way around better then he'd hoped. Shafts of moonlight broke up the darkness in the house. Off to his right, just past the kitchen, he could hear a man snoring. Probably the big Mexican sound asleep.

Ezra moved carefully into the middle of the house. The house seemed even bigger inside than it had looked from the outside.

He saw no one else so far. The gambler found the stairs to the second floor and hesitated. He climbed the stairs like a cat, pausing again at the landing. Which room first? Which door?

A hand touched him lightly on the shoulder and he spun around.

Maria.

He breathed out a sigh and smiled reflexively at the sight of her. Then it occurred to him. How was he going to explain his presence? His story about being lost was going to sound pretty lame under the circumstances, even to him.

Maria was staring at him, studying his face. She put a finger to his lips, then took his hand. She led him down the hall and around a corner, then stopped before one of the doors.

Ezra looked her questioningly, and she nodded. He opened the door a crack, and peered in. He felt all the breath leave his body and his blood ran cold.

It was Chris Larabee.

Sort of.

Ezra stared numbly. For Ezra there were few sure bets in life, but he would never in his life have bet on seeing Chris Larabee this way. For a long moment, he wasn't even sure it was Chris Larabee. Ezra stared, transfixed, as if he were watching a dream. Or a nightmare.

He saw Chris get out of bed, struggle shakily to his feet, and lurch awkwardly toward the table. A long, thick chain was attached to his left ankle. Chris was naked except for a bandage wrapped around his left thigh. There were dark brown stains on it, like dried blood. He was hunched over, obviously weak and in pain.

Ezra started to open the door wider when a shrill scream stopped him. He turned to see Ella backhand Maria sharply across the face. Then she came at him, arm upraised, a pair of shears in her hand.

He tried to activate the sleeve gun but during his days in Red Fork the mechanism had become clogged and sticky, and it jammed.

Before he could unholster his gun, Ella slashed at him. Her first strike hit the base of his throat, glancing off his collarbone and narrowly missing any arteries. She was fast, all arms and hands and blades, as she struck at him wildly.

Ezra winced as the tip of the shears cut into the muscle in the right side of his chest. Ella cut him in the same area again as he raised his arm to protect himself. He grabbed at her arm with one hand while the scissors jabbed repeatedly at his upraised arm. Blood dripped from his arm and the pain in his chest was intense. Finally he managed to grab at the shears and wrench them from her grasp. Behind her, he could see Maria staring in horror to her right. He glanced to his left just in time to see a fist like a ham headed for his face.

He crumpled to the floor. Before he passed out, he could hear Ella say to Raul, "Get rid of the body. And if it isn't a corpse yet, make sure it is when you're done."

She kicked Ezra in the stomach for good measure. Then everything went black.

+ + + + + + +

Chris was trying to get to the water. The chain seemed to get heavier every time he tried. Chris kept placing the water pitcher by the bed, and Raul kept returning it to the table every time he came in to refill it.

Chris was almost at the table when he heard the scream and turned sharply. It was hard to see through the mists of pain, weakness, and laudanum that clouded his vision, but it looked like Ella and...Ezra?

He shook his head slightly and squinted. Ezra was struggling with Ella. But that couldn't be. Maybe Chris was dreaming? It was almost too much to hope that he'd been found.

Raul punched Ezra hard in the face and the smaller man dropped to the floor like a rag doll. Chris watched numbly as Raul threw Ezra over his shoulder and disappeared. Ella paused, looked at Chris, and walked away.

Chris stood there a moment, his thoughts jumbled. At last his shoulders sagged. There was nothing he could do to save Ezra now. Or himself. He took the pitcher back to the bed and set it down in its usual place on the chair. Then he slowly climbed back into bed and tried not to think about anything at all.

+ + + + + + +

Vin returned to the doc's office only after he was sure the sheriff had left. Josiah was poking around in drawers as Vin walked in.

"Ezra's disappeared," Vin said flatly.

One thing about Vin, thought Josiah, he wasn't one to mince words. "Think he's with that Mexican girl?"

Vin shrugged. "Dunno. Probably. Find out anything?"

Josiah shook his head. "Not yet. Sanderson lived kinda comfortable for bein' a doc in this town. Had quite a lot of money in his pockets."

"So we know it wasn't robbery."

Josiah nodded. "Well, he thought he knew somethin' about Chris. And now he's dead. Why don't we get some sleep and then search this place in the morning, at first light?"

Vin agreed. "It oughta keep. Ezra should be back by then. It'll be easier to search if there's three of us."

+ + + + + + +

Ezra awoke feeling woozy. Several places in his body ached, but what alarmed him most was his lack of mobility. He was laying on his side with a rope tied around his chest and arms, and another around his legs. His wrists and ankles had also been securely tied.

Gradually he became aware of his surroundings. He was outside and it was still dark. He could smell cool, damp earth and realized he was on the ground by the edge of the pond, several yards from the house.

Raul stood over him, grinning. Ezra didn't like the looks of that grin at all. He could guess what was coming next. What a way to die, he thought. Drowned like an unwanted cat. And worse, he'd been able to doing nothing at all for poor Mr. Larabee, who'd obviously suffered a great deal already. He watched Raul raise his foot. Ezra felt himself shoved into the icy, slimy pond as Raul walked away.

+ + + + + + +

The pond proved to be deeper than it looked. Ezra struggled in the brackish water, his wounds hampering him. With an effort, he forced himself to calm his mind as if he were about to draw to an inside straight in a high stakes game. He managed to turn over and float on his back. Methodically, with his back to the shore, he began to kick, trying to make his way closer to the edge of the pond. He bobbed up and down, and tried to breathe whenever his mouth cleared the water.

It worked. He could feel the slimy mud beneath his fingers, but now he had a new problem. His hands were tied and his feet could not gain purchase on the steep, slippery sides of the pond so he could climb out. He glanced around but doubted he could make it to another spot along the pond's banks.

His efforts and his wounds were causing him to tire quickly, and he began to slide into the water. He struggled again, raising himself slightly, and took a deep breath before slipping under. He struggled against the ooze but only seemed to sink further into it.

Someone was pulling him by his hair. His head broke the surface of the pond and he took in a gulp of fresh air. The pulling of his hair ceased. Ezra blinked water out of his eyes as someone reached under his arms and slowly, awkwardly dragged him out of the pond.

Even with his eyes closed he knew it had to be Maria. Ezra lay there a long time, spitting out water, gasping and coughing as she worked at the ropes around his arms and wrists. He tried to untie his ankles, but his fingers were cold and stiff. Maria knelt in front of him. She gently pushed his hands away and finished untying him.

Ezra knelt facing her. His throat was sore from the wound and from swallowing pond water. "I am indebted to you," he said. His voice was little more than a hoarse whisper but it was the best he could manage. "You must go back to the house," he urged. "If they found out you've helped me–" He shook his head, not wanting to think about what Raul and Ella might do to her.

She looked at him, her large brown eye filled with concern. Gently she touched the wound at his throat, then the ones on his chest, then his arm.

Ezra caught both her hands in his. "No. Don't worry about me." He forced a smile. "I've got friends in town. They'll take care of things. Now, go. Hurry!"

She paused, staring at him. Ezra wondered if she'd heard him. She reached up and framed his face in her hands. She looked at him with hooded eyes, then leaned forward and gave him a long, lingering kiss. Despite being cold and wet, Ezra could feel the heat of her kiss stirring his blood from deep within his body.

He pulled away from her slowly. "Please go," he said softly. "I'll come back. I promise." He watched her run towards the house. Ezra headed away from the house, hoping his horse was where he'd left it. He knew he was hurt bad. He would need reinforcements, and he couldn't hope to make it back to them by walking.

+ + + + + + +

The dawn was streaming into the window into Chris's room as he gradually awoke. He awoke fully as Raul walked into the room carrying a tray of food. Ella followed as usual, her hands behind her back.

Raul helped Chris to the table and deposited him in a chair, then brought the other chair from the bed to the table.

Ella smiled at Chris. "Go ahead. Eat. You must be starving." She sat across from Chris, keeping one hand behind her back, and watched him eat. He ate quickly, in case her demeanor changed again.

"It has been torture to stay away from you all this time," she said. "I only want to do nice things for you. Look. Isn't it beautiful? I had it made just for you." She showed him the cane that she'd been hiding behind her skirts. It was ebony with an ornate metal handle.

Chris looked at it expressionlessly.

"Why do you make me do such things to you?" Ella pouted. "It hurts me to treat you like this, it really does. Why do you want to make me feel bad?" Her voice began to rise. "I've bought you clothes and brought you wonderful meals by an excellent cook. We've got this beautiful ranch. I went to a lot of trouble for us."

Her whole body seemed to tense. "One of your friends was here last night."

So it wasn't a dream. Ezra had been here after all.

She continued. "Raul took care of him. But if there's one, there's bound to be others. There were six, as I recall. I've planned a beautiful future for us!! And they'll spoil everything! They're YOUR friends!! WHY CAN'T THEY LEAVE US ALONE!?"

She swung the cane, sweeping the dishes off the table. Pieces of broken dish scattered all over the floor. Ella struck at him where he sat at the table, landing a blow on his arm. He tried to rise from the chair, but couldn't move fast enough to avoid a sharp blow across his back.

Chris twisted around and grabbed the cane in one hand. He caught Ella's wrist in the other and twisted it sharply. She cried out in pain. She tried to jerk her other hand away. The cane flew across the room.

With all the strength he had left, Chris shoved her roughly away from him. Ella was caught off-balance. She staggered back, stumbled and fell amidst the dish fragments. She sat there a moment, then raised her hand in front of her face. She stared in wonder at the blood that was oozing from it. She frowned. Her eyes turned black with cold fury. She looked hard at Chris. "Raul . . ." she said in a low voice.

Chris didn't see the blow coming in time to duck. Raul's fist caught him sharply in the face. Chris's head whipped around, but he managed to stay upright. Raul struck him again and he fell to the floor. A current of pain shot through his leg. Raul kicked him sharply in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him. Chris instinctively curled into a ball to protect himself.

Raul stood over Chris, lifted his foot and brought it down full force against the injured thigh. Chris heard the snap of bone before he felt it. He didn't have strength enough to hold back anymore. He screamed in agony.

Her anger spent, Ella stood over him, breathing heavily. She looked at him calmly. Chris heard her voice sounding from very far away. "I hate it when you're mean to me. It's a good thing I know how much you really love me, or I couldn't forgive you like I do." She left the room without a backward glance. Raul followed her.

Chris welcomed the blackness that allowed him to escape from the agony that shrouded his body.

+ + + + + + +

It had been a long journey back to town for Ezra. Much longer than the ride out. He ached all over. The chest wounds were not deep and had not bled too much. But the long slash on his arm and the wound at the base of his throat were another matter. His sleeve was soaked with blood and finally he had had to stop to fashion a temporary bandage. He wrapped another one snugly around his throat. He truly could have used the services of Mr. Jackson right about now, he thought.

It was dawn when Ezra made it into Red Fork. He had decided to secure the services of the local physician first. Once he was sufficiently treated for his injuries, he would find Mr. Tanner and Mr. Sanchez. They would be anxious to get to Chris.

So was he. He didn't have much farther to go if he could just hang on.

All along the way, he had been increasingly tempted to stop and rest. But in his own weakened condition, he was making slow enough progress as it was. His last image of Chris flashed through Ezra's mind again. As he had several times already, he straightened up in the saddle and kicked the horse a little faster. Each minute Chris spent in that woman's captivity was a minute too long.

PART 3

In Doc Sanderson's office, Josiah was going through the doctor's records. Vin had tried, but he didn't read as well or as fast as Josiah, and the medical words confounded him. He settled on searching through the rest of the office.

They had been searching the doctor's office for less then half an hour, when they heard someone slowly enter the waiting area. They looked at each other and stepped back, watching the closed curtains that separated the waiting room from the office.

The curtains separated again and Ezra staggered in. He looked at Vin and Josiah in surprise, and collapsed onto the floor.

Quickly they knelt beside him. Josiah felt for a pulse.

"He's alive." He looked at Vin. "Now I think it's time to send for the others."

Vin stepped over Ezra and started out.

"Vin!" Vin stopped and turned, waiting. "Tell them to hurry. Especially Nathan."

Vin nodded and hurried from the building.

+ + + + + + +

Chris had not moved from the same spot on the floor all day. He felt cold all over. He had lapsed in and out of consciousness most of the day. He had thought he heard Raul come in once or twice, but he couldn't be sure. Nothing seemed real.

Except the pain. That was very real. Everything hurt. His thigh had swelled and it was bleeding again, but not enough to be dangerous. Not yet. His right eye had swollen shut, and he could tell his jaw was swollen, too.

He wondered why he wasn't dead. Chris took in a deep breath despite his bruised ribs.

God, he just wanted the pain to go away.

Sometimes when he closed his eyes, he could almost see Mary. Or Buck. Or Vin. Or any of a number of people he'd cared about and had hoped to see again. He would try to picture them in his mind, but their faces would grow dim and unfocused until he couldn't recognize them anymore.

Chris wondered if Buck and Vin had been looking for him. Ezra had found him but Ezra was dead.. And he wondered if maybe the others had given up. He wouldn't blame them if they had. Then it occurred to him that it was possible they weren't looking for him at all. Not if they thought he belonged here with Ella.

He started to think about Ella. Everything seemed to set her off. Maybe she was right and it really was his fault. That he deserved this. Maybe if he'd never left her in the beginning. Never married Sarah.

He shook his head to clear it, but a dull throbbing around his eye and jaw made him stop.

If he hadn't tried to escape, he would still be able to walk. Hadn't she told him how she'd fought to keep that doctor from taking his leg? And she still loved him even though he was a cripple now. Mary might've felt that way, too, but he couldn't be sure of that. She might not have.

Maybe if he told Ella how grateful he was to her, she would stop getting angry at him. And the pain would stop...

Maybe...

And then he slipped into oblivion again.

+ + + + + + +

Josiah had managed to move Ezra to a cot. He was putting a bandage on Ezra's forearm as Vin walked in.

Ezra's clothes lay in a pile on the floor. They were dry but they had obviously been waterlogged. Vin stood, staring at them, puzzled. Just what the hell had happened last night?

Josiah glanced up at him. "He's got a throat wound here. Missed anythin' important. Some chest wounds, but they ain't deep. Musta fought back pretty hard. This arm took the worst of it. I've got the bleeding under control, but Nathan's gonna need to stitch it. You send the wire?"

Vin nodded. "Yep. If they hurry, they oughta be here by tonight."

"Good."

Vin picked up his hat and started out the door.

"Where you goin'?" asked Josiah.

"I ain't waitin'. I'm gonna ride out and see if I can find out where Ezra's horse was last night."

"Now, hold on. You go off by yourself and you just might run into the same people that Ezra and Sanderson did. Best to wait for the others."

Vin tried to argue, but he couldn't think of a good response. Finally he sighed. Josiah was right. It would be better if there were five of them. Whoever was helping Ella Gaines, they were definitely people who meant business.

+ + + + + + +

It was dark when Nathan, Buck and JD arrived in Red Fork. When they hadn't heard from Vin, Ezra or Josiah by the previous day, they had been all set to return anyway. All day it had been all Josiah could do to keep Vin from changing his mind and going after Chris's kidnappers - and Ezra's attackers - ;on his own.

Nathan finished applying new bandages to Ezra's wounds. "Looks like he's gonna be okay." He wiped his hands on a towel and looked over at Ezra, who was reclining on a small cot set up in the doctor's office. "Needs to rest, of course. And with that throat wound, he really oughtn't say much right now."

Buck smirked. "Ezra? Keep quiet for awhile? That'll kill 'im sure."

"I can hear you, you know," a Southern voice rasped from the cot.

Buck grinned. "Well, welcome back to the land of the living."

Ezra tried to sit up and stopped. His chest ached with the movement. His arm was bandaged and in a sling. And his clothes were missing.

Vin hunkered down close to Ezra and looked him levelly. "You found Chris, didn't ya?" he asked quietly. Ezra nodded. Vin swallowed. The next question was a harder one to ask. "Is he alive?"

Ezra nodded again. "Last I saw, Mr. Larabee was still among us." His voice was already strained.

"Where?" Vin leaned in closer so Ezra could whisper. He listened carefully, as Ezra told him how to find the house and Chris's room. Vin straightened and turned to the others. "Let's go."

"I'll stay here with Ezra," said Nathan. He closed the door behind them, settled into a chair and tried to read one of the doc's medical books.

+ + + + + + +

It was a long ride out to the ranch and just enough moonlight to see. There were lights in the windows of the house and there appeared to be no one outside.

When they were still a good distance from the house, Vin reined his horse and signaled the others to dismount. He crouched down and waved to the others to spread out and stay low. They began to move carefully through the underbrush on the furthest edges of the property.

"Now be careful," Buck whispered loudly, as he looked over at JD. "We spread out first, then we want to get real close to the house without lettin' 'em know we're here."

"I know!" snapped JD. Sometimes Buck talked to him like he was ten. He hated that.

Buck sat on his heels and grinned. "Well, I just don't want you drawin' fire is all. A bullet might mar my good looks."

JD shook his head and rolled his eyes with a sigh, but kept moving.

+ + + + + + +

The next time Chris became aware of his surroundings, it was dark outside. Night. He thought for a moment about trying to get into bed, but the effort required to move at all was just too much. His body felt cold all over and he shivered slightly.

He lay there with both eyes closed. He didn't feel like moving ever again. He could hear Ella walk into the room. She knelt beside him. She touched his face and his good eye flickered open. He saw that her hand had a small bandage on it.

"You know," she said softly. "When I was a little girl, my mother used to kiss my hurts to make them better. I know that sounds silly but it always worked. I always felt better. And you have such silky lips." She brushed the fingertips of her bandaged hand lightly against his mouth.

Chris understood what was wanted. Slowly, he struggled to raise his head a little. He lightly touched his swollen mouth to the palm of her hand. The contact sent another dull ache through his jaw. His head dropped back against the floor from the effort.

Ella smiled and tenderly stroked his blond hair. "At last you understand. We're going to be so happy together. You'll see." She laid her hand on his shoulder and felt his body trembling with cold. "Why don't you get into bed?"

He felt Raul try to lift him. His body protested and he moaned. "No," he said, in a barely audible whisper. "Please..." Raul lowered him back to the floor and Chris curled up again.

"All right...It's all right," she cooed. "You can stay there if you want...I'll keep you warm." She stroked his hair again, then bent over him and kissed his cheek. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

+ + + + + + +

Something had been bothering Ezra for awhile since the guys had left. Something he'd forgotten to tell Vin. Ezra sat up with a start. The traps!

Ezra looked at Nathan, who was sitting nearby. He got to his feet. The room spun and he sat down again. "I gotta go," he rasped.

"No, you don't," said Nathan sharply. He put his hands on Ezra's shoulders and tried to ease him back onto the cot.

Ezra pushed Nathan's hands away. "They're riding into a trap. That property has been tripwires all over the place."

"Ezra, if you don't rest, you ain't gonna make it there conscious. 'Sides they're long gone. Vin's with 'em. He won't let nothin' like that happen." He hoped that was true.

Ezra looked at Nathan in exasperation. "Look, where are my clothes?"

"They were ruined from whatever swamp you fell in. We had to burn 'em."

"Burn–?!"

"Vin brought over some of your clothes from the hotel. They're on the table. But you still ain't goin' nowhere. Ezra, they'll be all right."

Ezra sighed and fell back against the pillows. He rubbed his throat and looked up at Nathan. "All right, Mr. Jackson. You win. Do you think you could at least make me some tea for my throat?"

"All right." Nathan started for the back of the building, then stopped. He picked up Ezra's boots and jacket, and took them with him. "Just to make sure you ain't goin' nowhere."

Ezra glared at him.

"Mighty cold night," Nathan grinned, then disappeared, headed for the little stove in the back.

Ezra waited till he heard Nathan at the stove. He grabbed his pants and shirt and headed out the door. He had to warn the others. And besides, that evil woman owed him some new haberdashery.

"Say, Ezra, you want any sugar in that tea?" Nathan called out. He came back to an empty room. Nathan rubbed the back of his neck and let out a tired sigh. He should have known.

+ + + + + + +

Vin craned his neck in the moonlight. He could just see that Josiah, JD, and Buck had finally taken positions in a semicircle around the front of the house. They began to creep silently towards the house.

Suddenly he stopped. Something didn't feel right. He looked down at the wire by his feet. Why hadn't Ezra told them about this, he thought irritably. Vin exhaled slowly until his frustration subsided. Ezra was hurt after all, and maybe he just forgot. But still...

He whistled softly and Josiah turned. Vin pointed to the wire. Josiah straightened slightly and took a few steps toward the tracker until he could see what Vin was pointing at. He nodded and waved to JD.

JD had been crawling on his hands and knees and was now stopped. He had just found a wire of his own down near his wrist.

"Buck!" he whispered loudly.

"Not so loud, Kid!"

"But -"

"Ssh! Stop makin' so much danged noise! You'll -" Buck took a step forward. A loud shot cracked through the quiet night air and Buck felt something whistle past his ear.

He looked at JD.

"Oops."

+ + + + + + +

Chris was awake again. And awake meant pain. And cold.

A hurricane lamp was lit on the table. Raul must have left and come back. He felt Ella's body leaning against him. She had her arms around him. Her warm breath exhaled rhythmically against his shoulder. He tried to see her face in the lamplight, but couldn't raise his head enough.

Suddenly he was dimly aware of a sound like a shot in the distance. At least he thought that was what he heard. He wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Ella lifted her head sharply and glanced around. She scrambled to her feet and hurried to the window. She peered out for a moment, then turned to him.

"That'll be the rest of your friends, no doubt," She said coldly. Ella walked slowly towards him. "I knew they'd come."

Chris felt his whole body tighten instinctively, as her voice began to raise. "I just knew it! Everything was going to be so perfect! They're ruining everything!"

She was screaming now, her entire body shaking with rage. "They're here to take you back with them! I won't let them! If I can't have you, NOBODY ELSE WILL! They're not taking you away from me! NOBODY IS! EVER!!"

She grabbed the lamp from the table and hurled it to the floor. It shattered and erupted in flames. She whirled around and ran from the room.

He could hear her running through the house. The crash of another lamp, the whoosh of flames. Another crash. More. He could hear and smell fire but his body refused to move. He knew he should try to get out, should try to do something, but the chain on his ankle and the agony in his body stopped him.

Chris knew it wouldn't be long before the warm air near the floor was replaced by choking smoke. He would die like his family had. In a fire started by Ella Gaines. The realization made him hate her again.

He felt strangely calm. Soon he would be away from her. And he would be with Sarah and Adam again. The thought made his eyes tear, or maybe it was the smoke; he wasn't sure and it no longer mattered.

It was just a matter of time now.

+ + + + + + +

Vin froze as the sound of a shot echoed across the ranch.

Buck had set off one of the traps, but he appeared to be unhurt. Damn! They couldn't have announced themselves more thoroughly than that. He looked toward the house for any sign of movement. The windows were brighter than before. It looked like...

Fire!

Vin straightened and ran toward the house. JD took his cue from Vin and immediately started running in a low crouch in the direction of the house. Josiah and Buck saw them and followed, but they were still several yards behind.

As they neared the house, Josiah called out to Buck. "You smell kerosene?" It looked as if several small fires had been set throughout the building.

Vin kicked at the door and ran inside. JD was right behind him. The entry hall was already in flames. They looked around but saw no one. Vin took the stairs two and a time and raced down the hall to where Ezra said Chris's room was located. He hoped Ezra hadn't left out anything this time.

Josiah and Buck had reached the front door of the burning house when Josiah suddenly stopped and caught Buck's arm. "Did Vin tell you which room was Chris's?"

Buck shook his head. They stepped back from the house and began to scan the windows, looking for some sign of where Vin and JD had gone.

As JD cleared the top of the stairs, he saw Vin run down the hall and turn a corner. He followed, already starting to choke on the heated smoke that was filling the hall.

They paused in the doorway, squinting through the thickening smoke. Part of the room was already on fire.

"Chris!" Vin shouted over the roaring fire. "Chris!"

Vin and JD could just see someone lying on the floor, silhouetted against the flames. It was Chris. He was laying on his side, naked, his knees drawn to his chest. And he wasn't moving.

JD and Vin rushed into the burning room and knelt beside him.

"God, Chris," said Vin in a choked whisper. "What'd she do to you?"

Vin had hoped to find him alive, but not like this. Chris's body looked as if he'd been badly beaten. His left thigh was bandaged and swollen, and it looked to Vin as if it were broken.

JD quickly yanked the blanket off the bed. "We can carry him in this!"

Vin nodded and hastily removed his belt. He cinched it around Chris's knees, binding one leg to the other as an emergency splint.

As he helped JD maneuver the injured gunslinger into the blanket, he noticed the chain attached to Chris's ankle. Vin crossed the room to examine the chain where it attached to the wall, then knelt beside Chris again. He drew his weapon and pointed it at the lock on the ankle band.

"Sorry Chris," he muttered, and fired. As the lock was blown off, Chris cried out softly, his leg flinching. The weak, piteous cry tore at Vin's heart, releasing his anger. Vin fervently wished he could put his hands around that woman's throat right now for what Chris must have suffered.

Buck and Josiah heard the single shot from Vin's gun. Buck pointed to an upstairs window, and he and Josiah plunged into the burning house.

With Chris in the blanket, JD took the end by Chris's head, Vin took the other end and together they carried Chris out of the room. JD started down the stairs first. Vin was just about to follow when a pair of hands grabbed him roughly from behind and pulled him back, causing him let go of his end of the blanket.

It was Raul.

Raul wrapped an arm around Vin's throat and dragged him backward down the hall, further away from the stairs. Vin pulled his gun from its holster, but couldn't aim it. With both hands, Vin shoved the butt of his gun into Raul's gut, causing him to double over. Vin snapped his elbow up into the big Mexican's face and Raul staggered back. Vin twisted out of his grasp and headed back to the stairs.

JD had lost sight of Vin, and he still had to get Chris out of the building. The heat and flames grew more intense and his eyes were tearing. He was trying to decide what to do when Josiah suddenly passed him on the stairs. Josiah grabbed Vin's end of the blanket and together they carried Chris outside.

As Vin started downstairs, he could feel Raul right behind him. He was more than halfway down when there was a loud, ominous creaking. Suddenly a section of ceiling caved in over the stairway, causing the stairs to collapse, and sending the two men crashing to the first floor.

Vin was pinned, sitting amidst fallen timber, his back against the wall. He coughed and tried to see through the thickening smoke. Raul was slowly crawling toward him over the debris, a malicious grin on his face. Vin looked around and saw his gun nearby. His whole body strained but it was just out of reach. That was when he looked up to see Ezra's Mexican girl standing by the collapsed stairs. She was staring at him and at the gun. Vin struggled again to reach it.

Raul took another step towards Vin. He was almost close enough to reach the tracker. From seemingly out of nowhere, Buck lunged at Raul. His fist slammed into Raul's face and both of them stumbled over the wreckage. As the two men struggled to regain their footing, Raul picked up a large piece of burning wood. He swung it at Buck, who dodged it. He took a step toward Buck and swung again. Buck reached for his gun as he stepped back, but lost his balance and fell. Raul grinned.

There was a shot. Raul dropped the wood. His eyes slowly glazed over and he fell. Buck looked at Vin. Vin was looking at the girl, who was holding his gun in both hands. Buck scrambled to his feet, took the gun from her, and began to shove aside the tangle of wood that trapped Vin.

Vin tried to stand and instantly regretted the move. His knee had twisted. Nothing serious but it was painful. Buck helped him to his feet. They started out the same way JD and Josiah had gone, then stopped.

Flames now blocked the door Josiah and JD had just left through. They needed another way out and fast. And there wasn't time to look for one.

They looked around frantically when Buck felt a tug. Ezra's Mexican girl pointed frantically.

"This way?" shouted Buck.

She nodded. Buck didn't wait for her to show him. He turned his back to her and, with Vin leaning on his shoulder, hurried toward the back of the house.

Buck half-dragged, half-carried Vin out the door and several yards away from the house. When they looked back, the rear door was a wall of flames and the girl was nowhere to be seen.

Maria was following a few steps behind the two men, when suddenly she was caught by the arm. She began to fight, desperate to free her arm from whoever was trying to drag her back into the burning house. She froze in terror when she saw it was Ella Gaines.

"TRAITOR!" Ella gave Maria's arm a vicious twist, pinning it behind her back. The girl's face contorted in pain. Ella shoved the Maria away from her. Maria stumbled and fell. She looked up at Ella with wide, frightened eyes.

Ella's face was dark with fury. Her dress was torn and sooty, her hair hung in tangles, and she was carrying a fireplace poker in her hand. She took a step toward Maria and raised her arm. Maria saw the fireplace poker swinging at her face. And then she knew nothing more.

+ + + + + + +

Ezra rode up in time to see the house burning out of control. He slid from his horse and started toward the house, but his knees buckled and he sank to the ground. He needed rest, just as Nathan had admonished, and his wounds ached horribly. He watched the house anxiously, too exhausted to move. He saw Josiah and JD emerge from the burning building, carrying a blanket Ezra presumed contained Chris.

He looked around but couldn't see Vin, Buck or Maria. Maria. He'd promised he'd come back and he had. Where was she? He wanted to call her name but his injured throat wouldn't let him. He struggled to stand so he could go search for her. He hoped she was already outside somewhere.

Josiah knelt beside Chris, wrapping the blanket around him to protect him from the chilled air. He looked up at JD. "We gotta get him back to Nathan. And fast. See if there's a wagon or something in the barn."

JD looked toward the house. "Where's Buck and Vin?"

As if in answer, Buck and Vin appeared from around a corner of the house. Vin was leaning on Buck and limping slightly.

JD ran to the barn as Buck set Vin on the ground near Josiah. When Buck straightened, he saw Ezra a few yards away. Ezra was barefoot and he wasn't wearing his coat, but he seemed to not notice the cold. In the light of the blaze, Buck could see the worry and fear in his face.

Buck slowly walked over to him. This wouldn't be easy, but it had to be done.

Ezra stood up on shaky legs and looked searchingly into Buck's face. "No!" he whispered. He started to run toward the house, but Buck caught him around the waist and held on tight. He dragged the struggling Ezra further away from the house.

"Ezra, no! There's nothing you can do! Ezra!" Ezra stopped struggling. Buck felt him go limp in his arms and released him. Ezra sank to the ground and sat there, stunned.

Finally he looked up at Buck. "I promised her I'd come back," he whispered tonelessly.

"And you did. But, Ezra, there was nothing you could do." He put a hand on the gambler's shoulders. "She never came out. If it helps, she died savin' Vin and me."

Ezra looked away and nodded.

Buck laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm goin' to help the others with Chris. You meet us back in town when you're ready."

Ezra nodded again.

Buck patted his shoulder and walked away.

+ + + + + + +

It had taken awhile to get Chris back to town. They took him to Sanderson's office. Nathan was still, there, waiting. He was sure someone was bound to come back needing him. He always hoped that wouldn't be the case, but it always seemed to work out that way.

Vin burst through the door, followed by Buck. They were carrying someone in a blanket, and Nathan could glimpse a blond head inside. They'd found Chris. He noticed the boys were dirty and they all smelled of smoke. But explanations would have to wait. Vin and Buck laid Chris carefully on the doc's surgical table.

Nathan opened the blanket and examined Chris thoroughly. "Lord have mercy," he said softly.

It was the first time anyone had had a good look at Chris since they'd found him. Chris's body was covered in welts, bruises and dried blood. His left thigh was swollen and purplish. It was wrapped in a worn, sooty bandage that had old bloodstains mingled with fresh ones on it. His ankle was bloody from a fresh wound. There was a cut on his lower lip, and his jaw and right eye were slightly swollen.

Vin felt his stomach lurch at the sight and JD turned away, not wanting to see Chris this way. Buck's hands balled into angry, helpless fists.

Finally Josiah spoke. "Let's wait in the next room, let Nathan do what he has to do."

It seemed like an age before Nathan stepped into the doc's waiting room. Nathan sighed, feeling more tired than he ever had in his life. "He's real weak. Bruises. Welts. Cuts ain't bleedin'. Looks like there was some swelling to this eye and his jaw." He took a deep breath before continuing. "But that leg. It's broke, but it's a clean break that oughta be easy to set...But there's somethin' else in there . . . Someone's gotta take it out."

Buck shrugged. "Why don't you do it?"

JD looked at Nathan in surprise. "Yeah, why not? He needs you."

"What he needs is a surgeon. I ain't no surgeon."

"What about these medical books? Won't they help?"

"All them Latin words?" Nathan shook his head again. "Won't do me no good."

The room fell silent. Nathan was afraid. And if Nathan was afraid, Chris had to be worse than they thought.

Buck moved closer and put his hands on Nathan's shoulders. He looked into the healer's brown eyes and his voice was strangely quiet.

"Nathan...You know I've known Chris a lotta years. Now I know he trusts you to do your best. And so do I. That's all anybody's askin.' If somethin' goes wrong, we'll always know you done your best. So will Chris. Now if you're gonna do it, it's gotta be right now . . .or he's got no chance at all ."

Nathan looked at the floor. Finally, he looked up and nodded. "Somebody's gotta help me get that metal out. That broken bone cuts an artery and he could bleed to death. Vin? Would you help me?"

Vin looked surprised. "Me?"

"You been with the Kiowas and Comanches, ain't ya? I'll take any kind of healin' I can get."

"I learned some stuff, but I ain't no medicine man." Vin read the apprehension in Nathan's face. "But if you think I can help ya--and Chris--then I will."

+ + + + + + +

Ezra rode back to town slowly as the sun was coming up. He never knew a man could feel so tired. His thoughts hopped around between Maria and Chris. He regretted not getting to know Maria better. There was something special about her. And she saved so many of them. It was one debt he would have been glad to repay.

Part of him wanted to head straight for the doc's office. He knew Chris would be there in Nathan's capable hands. But the weaker, more tired part of him won out. He would head for the hotel for some sleep and clean clothes. Then he would see Chris. He needed to see Chris.

+ + + + + + +

Vin stepped out the back door of the doc's office and into the sunlit alley. He sighed heavily, and sat down on a small bench against the wall. He leaned over, his head in his hands.

Josiah came out and looked down at him with concern. "How you doin'?"

"Good," he replied unconvincingly.

Josiah sat down beside him. "Doubt that. You've hardly slept or eaten in nearly 2 days."

Vin shrugged and leaned back against the wall. They sat in silence for a long time.

"I should've found him sooner," Vin said bitterly.

"We found him alive."

Vin looked at the ground. "Barely. And now...I don't know if what we did...if he's going to walk...if he's even going to make it..."

"He's got a better chance now than he'd have had without you."

Vin shook his head. "I don't know about that."

"That's that 'faith' thing, again, Vin."

Vin looked at his hands. For the first time he noticed the dried blood on his hands and shirt. Chris's blood. "Josiah? I just...need to be alone, all right?"

"Sure." Josiah patted him on shoulder, stood up, and started to go back inside.

Vin tiredly rubbed his eyes with one hand. He had known Chris was somewhere close by all that time. Somewhere. And yet he couldn't find him. Then when they finally did find him, Chris was as near dead as alive.

Vin stared down at his bloodied hands. He'd had those hands probing inside the warm, blood-slicked flesh of his friend. Now it was over and all anyone could do was wait. Vin's tight grip on his emotions finally gave way to fatigue.

When Josiah looked at Vin one last time before going inside, Vin was hunched over again. Josiah could see the young man's shoulders shaking in silent, exhausted sobs.

+ + + + + + +

Every now and then, Chris would hear someone calling his name. Then a jumble of hushed voices. He started to open his eyes, but he found he was too tired. He wanted to tell the voices to shut up, to let him rest, but his throat was too hot and dry.

When Chris finally awoke, he found himself again in bed in a strange room. He groaned softly, trying to control his rising panic. Not again. He remembered the house burning. Had she taken him somewhere else?

The next thing he noticed was that his leg and ankle hurt like hell, but the weight of the chain was gone. Chris frowned. His leg was splinted and wrapped in a clean, fresh bandage. Chris struggled to get up, but the slightest movement sent waves of pain through his entire body. He couldn't believe he could hurt so much in so many places. Chris shut his eyes against the pain. He tried again to get up but somebody was holding him down.

Then a familiar voice said gently, "Easy there. You're out of that house now."

"Nathan?" Chris was surprised at how weak and gravelly his voice was. Nathan gently lifted Chris's head and held a glass of water to his lips. Chris swallowed gratefully as the water relieved some of the burning in his throat.

Nathan smiled and stepped away. "He's awake now."

Chris heard Buck's voice. "Good. It's been 2 days already."

Vin, JD, Josiah and Buck came into the room. Chris tried to sit up, but he was too weak.

"Now don't move," Nathan cautioned. "That leg's broke and stitched up. Speakin' of which, Vin took this out. Thought you might be better without it." He showed Chris the spotty, blackish piece of metal.

"Am I gonna be able to walk?"

"Not yet. You take care of that leg and eventually you will."

Chris nodded grimly. "Ella?"

Buck shook his head. "Don't know. Mighta died in the fire. Maybe not. The house was destroyed. Didn't find a trace of her."

Somebody was missing.

"Ezra," he said at last. That's right. Ezra had tried to save him and now he was dead. Ella killed him.

"Present," drawled a voice from the back of the room.

Chris stared, his green eyes wide with surprise.

"C'mon," said Nathan, propelling Buck and the others out the door. "There's too many folks in this room."

Ezra needed Chris. He needed to be around someone who could understand his sense of loss and his anger. He studied Chris a moment. Chris still looked pretty bad, but he'd been cleaned up and freshly bandaged. Chris had suffered far more than he had, he thought. He turned to join the others. Perhaps later. Or never.

"Maria?" Chris croaked weakly.

Ezra stopped. Slowly he shook his head. Finally, he turned back to look at Chris, searching his face for understanding. He found it. It was all he really wanted just then. Not sympathy. Just understanding. Now they both shared a common understanding of what it was to lose someone you love. And what it was to hate Ella Gaines.

Ezra reached into his pocket and approached the bed. "On my way over here, the hotel clerk gave me this. He was told it should be delivered to you."

Chris looked at the lumpy envelope with dread. "Open it."

Ezra tore open the envelope. He poured the contents of the envelope into his hand and held it out. Sarah's locket. Chris tried to reach for it but his arm dropped weakly back to his side.

Ezra took Chris's hand and placed the locket in it. He gently curled Chris's fingers over his palm and placed Chris's hand by his side.

"There's a note." Ezra pulled it out and read "'Please keep this safe for me. I'll be back for it.' Well, we know she's alive." His eyes flashed angrily. "It seems to me she deserves to be punished appropriately for her crimes. When you have sufficiently recovered, do you plan to look for her?"

"Nah, I don't have to," said Chris.

Ezra looked at him quizzically.

"She'll find me." And it frightened Chris a little to know that was true.

The End