©Becca

Chapter XX

<Do ya see anythin'?>

<No, I can't see a thing.> Buck signed back to Ike.

They were posted in the weeds closest to the shack, their eyes glued to the windows and door for any sign of movement from within.  The riders had been there about half an hour, dismounting from their horses a good way below the rise the shack stood on with its small forest.  They'd found Lightning untethered nearby, apparently reluctant to abandon his owner.  The rest of the posse was hidden amidst the denser underbrush awaiting Buck and Ike's return.

<We know she's there, but looks like they know we're coming.> Buck signed.

<How can you tell if you can't see anything?> Ike wanted to know.

<They're avoiding the windows on purpose.>  Buck motioned for his friend to follow as they headed soundlessly back toward the others.

Teaspoon eagerly greeted the two as they emerged into the tiny clearing where the posse was waiting.  "You see anythin', boys?" he asked anxiously.

Buck glanced almost nervously at Kid who sat on Katy just glaring in the shack's direction. "No, but I'm pretty sure they know we're comin' 'cause they're stayin' away from the windows," he said softly.  "I didn't even hear Jon cryin' and he was hollerin' his head off before."

Teaspoon patted the two on the back.  "Ya done your best," he said half-heartedly. It wasn't that he wasn't proud of the two riders, it was just that the longer this rescue took, the more he felt like it was doomed to end badly.  Sure they outnumbered Madison and Creeping Fox, but the two men had hostages that were near and dear to all of them and that added advantage to the bad guys.  He looked up at Sam.  "What do ya think?"

Sam opened his mouth to speak but the voice they all heard didn't belong to the territorial marshal.

"You boys might as well come out.  We know you're here, Cain!"

The men all looked at each other indecisively in response.  Sam instructed Rachel to stay there in the clearing with the wagon and the horses while he and the men went forward to confront Madison.  "When we get Jon and Lou, I'll send Gary back here with them and he'll stay with you until it's all over," he said.  "Alright, men, let's head out."

The posse emerged from the dense trees slowly, all but Cody who'd scurried up one of the sturdier pine trees and was covering the door with his rifle.  They all pointed rifles and pistols toward the now open doorway.

"You and your man come on out nice and easy Madison and nobody'll get hurt," Sam called.  "There's no way out for you now."

"You forget, Marshal that I hold all the cards," came the amused reply.

"From the way you dress I thought you fancied yourself a gentleman, a man at the very least.  Any real man would have a hard time seeing a woman's blood splattered for no good reason.  All we want is the boy and Louise, unharmed.  Now if you do that, maybe we can come up with some kinda deal."

There was a laugh and a shadow appeared in the doorway.  "Deal!" the voice scoffed.  "Cain, both you and I know there ain't a snowball's chance in hell of either me or Creeping Fox getting out of here alive.  I've got nothing to lose, Marshal, whereas you boys stand to lose something I'd reckon you value pretty highly."

Madison walked out of the shack slowly, pushing Louise ahead in front of him.  Her head was down, her shoulders slumped and although she stood upright, the whole posse could see she was in pain.  "Looks like we got ourselves a Mexican standoff gentlemen," he said smugly.  A hand carressed Louise's swollen and bruised cheek almost absently before he gripped her chin hard turning her head forcefully to show off his handiwork.  The sudden movement made the injured woman moan at the newly inflicted pain and she bit her already bleeding lip to keep from screaming.

The riders growled and hammers clicked back, cocked and readied to shoot upon a moment's twitch of the finger.  In response, Madison pulled a knife from nowhere and, pulling Louise's head up by her tangled hair, held the knife to her throat.  "Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you boys," Madison sneered.  "One little jerk and the whore's smile becomes a permanent one from ear to ear.  Now, drop your weapons all of you or I'll forget my history with Miss Louise and stop bein' nice."

Unable to do anything else, the men dropped their weapons for Lou's safety.  Teaspoon glanced at the Kid who stood tensely beside him.  The lack of sleep, worry, and anger were beginning to take their toll on the young man.  He stared at Madison as he hurt Louise again and a cold, calculating hatred burned in Kid's normally calm blue eyes.  It was almost the fire of madness and the look chilled even Teaspoon's experienced heart.  By hurting both Jon and Louise, Madison had found Kid's breaking point and the older man found himself almost pitying Madison should the angry young man beside him ever get his hands on the monster before him.  Teaspoon reached over and pried the pistol from Kid's hand watching nervously as it immediately clenched into a fist.

"As Louise will no doubt tell you, Marshal," Madison said, still addressing Sam, "I am a man who enjoys others' pain and fear.  I love nothing better than to watch spirited women lose their spirit and if that involves their pain, then all the better."

Kid, who'd barely controlled himself at the sight of the bruises covering Lou's face, suddenly lunged at Madison.  "You bastard!" he spat before Noah, Ike, and Buck got hold of him.  He stopped struggling against their hold as Madison wrapped a large arm around Lou's throat.

"And here we have the faithful lover," Madison sneered sarcastically.  "Fancy yourself a hero boy?  Pretty little thing ain't she and I know you've been enjoying her company."  The tone of his voice left his meaning remarkably clear and he grinned at the sickly confused look on Kid's face.  "Oh, yes, I saw the two of you in Seneca.  You see I was staying at the boarding house across the street.  You should really learn to close the curtains beforehand, Louise.  I'm sure decent folk don't appreciate it."

He'd watched them...together, Kid thought appalled.  He almost wanted to be sick at the thought that this perverse man had practically invaded something that had been so special and sacred to them.  Kid's anger built until the only sounds from him as he struggled against his friends' hold were unintelligible snarls.

One of Sam's men moved to help hold Kid back in almost the same moment that Jimmy reached beneath the back of his coat for his other pistol.  He brought it forward quickly, taking a perversse pleasure in the momentary flash of uncertainty and a little fear in Madison's startled eyes.  The abuser's eyes met Jimmy's steely, determined gaze and the steady gun pointed at him.  "Let her go Madison," he growled.  "You've got no way out."

"The famous Wild Bill Hickok come to deal out my death in the form of murder?" Madison asked.  "What kind of law do you marshals follow out here?"

"I wouldn't do that Hickok."

Creeping Fox slowly stepped out of the cabin, a shotgun aimed at Louise.  "I don't think we'll die today, but if you make one more move, the woman will."

Jimmy cursed in his mind.  He knew Cody probably had a good bead on the Indian from his hiding place, but there was a greater chance that Lou'd be hurt or killed no matter what happened.  He almost visibly battled with himself to make a decision and finally released the hammer and lowered the gun.

Madison's eyes twinkled.  He ignored the rest of the posse and focused his attention on Louise's lover.  "I'm not so different from you, boy," he said lowly.  "We both enjoy that fire that lights up her eyes.  Haunts your dreams doesn't it?  Does it bother you that she's damaged goods?  No, I suppose not because you love her, but what is love except an all-consuming need for someone?  I need her maybe that means I love her, hmm?"  Madison sent a large hand, the knuckles bruised and stained with Lou's blood, down her cheek and further to toy with the button on her torn shirt.  "I wonder what goes through your head when you hold her.  When you kiss her and touch her do you wonder how many have been there before you?  Do you wonder who she's thinking of as she calls your name at the end, when she's down on her knees...."

The more vulgar Madison got, the whiter Kid's clenched fists got and the harder his chest heaved until he suddenly burst from his friends' hold with a roar.  Blind to anything but his anger and outrage at the man who'd used and abused Lou, who threatened both her and Jon's lives, Kid charged at Madison.

Oh, my God, he's gonna get them both killed, Teaspoon thought.  "Jimmy, stop him!" he shouted to the rider who happened to be closer to the charging man.  All hell broke loose as the posse scrambled for the guns that lay on the ground at their feet.

During the confrontation, Louise had focused on breathing and ignoring the pain shooting throughout her body, the pounding of her head, and the nausea making it difficult to stand upright.  She was not going to show anymore weakness than she already had.  She knew Kid was there, his eyes worried and angry, but she couldn't lift her eyes to meet his.  She'd stared at the ground a foot in front of her abhorring the situation she was in.  Suddenly, Teaspoon's shout registered in her head and Lou saw Kid moving toward them, a look of fury on his face.  Confusion was rampant as Kid's actions startled Madison into relaxing his grip on her.  Louise took advantage of her captor's lack of concentration and fell to her knees, breaking his hold.  Lou stayed on her stomach knowing that it was her best chance of getting away from the shack alive and avoiding the bullets sure to come raining down at any moment.

Creeping Fox saw Louise fall and knew he had to act.  He turned to see the young man charging Madison, not unlike an enraged bull, a mask of hate and rage twisting his handsome features.  Startled, the Indian raised the shotgun and fired.

Seeing all hell break out below him, Cody watched as Creeping Fox drew a bead on Kid.  Cody's rifle went off just a fraction of a second afterwards, hitting the henchman squarely in the head and knocking the bullet slightly off course.  Fox's bullet struck Kid squarely in the left side of his chest. Cody watched in horror as the stain spread on the back of Kid's shirt.  From above, he saw Kid's hand touch his front and look at the blood on his fingers before falling forward.  "Oh, sweet Jesus," Cody gasped, hoping that God was listening to the only bit of prayer he could manage.

The others watched in horror as Kid fell.  The stunned silence that seemed to last a millennium was shattered a moment later by a collective anguished shout from the riders.

Jimmy watched in horror as his best friend fell before him, the hand that had reached out to grab Kid coming away with only a piece of his blue shirt..  With a vehement curse no one had heard since his first days with the Express, Jimmy raised the pistol he still carried and began firing losing track of how many bullets he fired.  Kid's dead, Kid's dead, rang through his head and he was dimly aware that Teaspoon, Sam, even cool-headed Buck and Noah had done the same until the air was ripe with the acrid smell of gunsmoke and the click of empty pistol chambers.  The black powder-smoke obscurred their view of the bodies, but as it began to clear, a form rose from the carnage.

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