Note: I would like to say thank you for all my reviews. And issue a WARNING. This chapter has some rude lang, and themes of rape. If you're not comfortable with such things then do not read.

Love, Danielle

Chapter Two

The Gamble

Serena swallowed the lump in her throat and bravely tried to hold back the tears that brimmed on her blue eyes. Sitting in the cold bath water in the up stairs of a whore house she remained perfectly still. Around her women moved in waves of swinging hips and clouds of perfume. Legs clutched close to her chest she suffered through the bathing with as little fuss as possible. Her head was still ringing from the last slap that she had just received.

"Tilt your head back," a young woman said behind her. The brunette was named Molly, and in that last five minutes Serena had learned something important. Despite the fact Molly had been at the saloon since she was five, the men here hadn't been able to burn the heart out of her. Sure, she would get no help, Molly had been rather clear on that fact, but the young woman wasn't going to her hurt either. At the moment, that was extremely important.

Tilting her head back she shivered as the cold water ran over her hair and down the length of her body.

"All done," Molly declared, "Now stand up, and let's dry ya off."

Serena's eyes immediately darted to the large man standing a few feet away. He eyed her rudely and smirked at the prospect of seeing her naked.

Rapidly she shook her head, "Please…please have him turn around," she begged, licking her cracked lips. Molly looked startled at the request, and then frowned in Alan's direction.

Molly nodded, and offered the frightened woman a small smile. She had been naked in front of so many men often that she had forgotten about modesty. "Turn around," she commanded.

Alan sneered in her direction, but other wise made no movement. Molly sighed heavily, and moved to pick up a large drying clothing from the pile next to the bed, holding it open she did her best to shield the woman as she stepped forward quickly to be covered.

"Is she clean?"Beryl inquired while sailing in to the room, "Much better. Now here are the clothes I wish you to dress her in," stuffing them in to Molly's hand she grabbed Serena's chin and took a long steady inventory of all the girls' assets. "Seiya wants her dressed and presentable to parade around the lower quarters for a bit. In fact, cleaned up she might fetch a rather large price." Turning sharply she left, indicating for Alan to follow her.

Serena frowned at the older woman's backside. She had spoken much better than others around her, and yet her speech was hesitant and slightly accented. Mimicking, Serena realized, the woman was mimicking others better speech. Better than many she had heard, but still the speech was imperfect.

"Here, put these on," Molly pushed a bright gaudy sapphire gown in to her hands. Glancing down she found no undergarments.

"There are no undergarments," she said dumbly.

Molly snorted, "Of course not. Ya won't be needing them. Now get dressed before Alan comes back if ya don't want to be naked around him," she urged, "Then will do something with this mass of hair."

Serena all but flew into the garments, pulling the last of the straps up as Alan walked back through the door, carrying a long piece of rope. She scowled in this direction; she could certainly guess what that was for, the bastard.

Inwardly she was appalled at her language, never having thought ill of another person, but she was stressed, her body ached even after the cleansing bath, and she was about to be sold to God knew what type of man. With no say or help on the matter. In fact if she had been so terrified what would happen to her if she fainted she would have promptly done so as the mention of a virginal price.

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Darien folded this hand and watched as Seiya scraped more winnings in to his pile of gold. The hour was growing late, and the last of the sunlight had disappeared over the horizon in sake of the moon and stars. All three brother had been drinking heavily, as had the other man who had joined there card game, and while a glass of whiskey sat in front of him, he had nursed it carefully. Keeping his eyes and movements alert and slow but steady.

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Serena felt Molly give her hair one last pat before requesting her to rise. She did so in an unhurried fashion, afraid of her legs giving out because she was trembling so much. Roughly, Alan began to bind her hands together. Along the side the large man she saw a mirror, and barely recognized the reflection that greeted her eyes.

Thick paint ran along her eyelashes and lips, giving her a sultry and lush look. Her golden hair was pulled up away from her heart shaped face, lifted slightly to allow the long locks to drape across her back. The vibrate blue gown clung tightly to her small breasts and chest. In fact the view was obscene with no undergarments to protect her flesh from bursting from the fabric. The material spread out in waves along her hips, ending a inch or two above her feet, allowing her to walk easily in the tightly slippers they had forced her in to. It was rather obvious that the woman for whom the dress was sown for was of smaller proportions.

Alan jerked roughly on the end of the rope, causing her to stagger forward. Swallowing thickly she braced herself to enter the large room of the saloon. Inside she could hear the blustering of voices, and the giggling of the entertainment. Following behind her captor she found the place crowded, and thick with heavy, white smoke.

She was led around the room like a prized horse.

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Drunkenly Seiya slurred his speech, "Ya goin' fold or not," he demanded angrily. The night was getting long and if he hadn't lost enough coin to the devil eyed bastard sitting across from him, then he was getting damn tired of men grabbing his prize. Ignoring that the man might have answered him, he called out across the room, "Beryl! Bring that bitch here!"

The proprietor turned sharply to glare his way. She wasn't used to being addressed in such a way; however she was smart enough to realize that the bit of fluff was going to bring in a heavy prize and so he could speak to her any way he wanted.

Snatching the end of the rope from Alan's large hands, Beryl calmly made her way over to the outlaw.

"Is there a problem?" she asked sweetly.

Seiya shifted to fast in his seat, nearly toppling over he grabbed for the woman's arm to steady himself. Beryl frowned as his hand pinched her delicate skin, her wide mouth pressing in to a thin rim.

Seiya ignored her as well, and reached for the bindings of young woman. "I'll take care of her," he grinned wickedly.

"Now if you rut on this one," she cooed, attempting to satisfy him, "Then we will not receive as much money." She was not about to lose a larger cut because he could not keep his pants on.

Seiya sneered at her, "I won't be ruttin' on the bitch, but the boys won't mind me a touchin' her. After all I found her, and she's mine until I sell her."

Serena was shaking as he pulled her down next to him, forcing to her drape half her body on the floor and the other half on this lap. Tears burned in her eyes, but she forced them back, and shivers of revulsion quaked through her body.

"Now, no needin' to be shiverin' I ain't goin' hurt ya," he landed the flat of his palm on her backside. Picking up his cards, he rubbed her hind end, firmly offering a few swats and several suggestions on what he planed on doing to her.

Darien's gaze hardened as he eyed the slim woman wiggle her way off the drunken man's lap. Frightened she pressed herself to the leg of the table and out of reaching distance of the outlaws and anyone randomly passing by. Laying his cards on the table he revealed his hand.

Higher than the others around him, he had won the pot again.

"God Damn It!" one of the brothers snapped out, slamming his hand hard on the table. Scrapping his chair back he pivoted to the left, where he could still keep an eye on the game but enjoy the women wandering around. Darien kept his features passive; he had obviously taken all his money.

The outlaws were getting hot tempered, which meant mistakes were going too made, and that meant with any luck he was going to be able to drag their dead bodies all the way to the sheriff's office to collect the reward.

He didn't like men who mistreated women. He liked these men even less.

Quietly he watched the as Seiya McLain shuffled and dealt the cards. His movements were clumsy and slow from to much drink. Six hands later the outlaw was as broke as his brothers and twice as mad. Snarling he dug deeply in to his pockets and came out with nothing but trash. Darien grinned stupidly back at the outlaw giving the impression of a man to far in his drinks to notice the predicament.

On his back he could feel the warmth of the sun, daylight was beginning to break. Not a moment to soon as far as he was concerned. If this round at the tables did come to pulling guns then at least he would have the advantage of not having the sun in his eyes. Personally he was looking forward to killing the three men, but in private and out in emptiness of Texas desert. Less to worry about and no where for the cowards to hide.

Serena resisted as she felt the ropes around her wrist being pulled at. Amazingly she had fallen asleep beneath the table out of nothing short of pure exhaustion. Leaning all her weight down she tried to gain leverage against who ever was pulling on her. She failed, and not surprisingly as she was dead tired and the filthy outlaw had drunk rage on his side.

"Stupid bitch!" he snarled, slapping her hard enough to send her head spinning and fling her against his chair and on to the floor. She groaned as her head knocked against the back of his chair. Rubbing the back of her head she glared up at him. She was getting damn tired of getting knocked around and the first chance she got she was going to put a bullet through his cold heart.

"All or nothin'," Seiya bargained to the man across the table at him.

"Ya got nothin' to play with," Darien reasoned, keeping his eyes level on the outlaw. Out of the corner of his dark blue eyes he caught the movements of the brothers. Their attention had shifted drastically.

Seiya sneered, "Her," he indicated to Serena.

Darien shrugged in indifference, "What would I do with her?" he asked mildly.

Seiya threw back his head and laughed in a booming voice, "What wouldn't ya do with her?" he questioned back. The little girl was pretty and if he could manage to take the pot on the poker game and sell the bit of goods then he would come out nicely for a bad days work.

Serena snapped her head back and forth from one man to the other. She knew what the one was capable of, nothing but evil and hurt. But the other man? The one with dark blue eyes the color of the midnight sky and long black hair. Hell, he looked like the outlaw, the three brothers claimed to be. He was large, broad in the shoulders and hard. Everything about him screamed danger and cold certainty. And heaven help her he was as beautiful as the Greek sculptures she had seen in pictures. The gamble was the unsavory or the unknown.

Pressing down her fears, she decided the unknown was a much better option.

"Ah! Now Seiya that girls goin' fetch a good price. Why ya wantin' to go messin' that up?" Yatna whined.

Seiya glared his brother in to silence, and awaited the other man's answer.

Darien nodded in acceptance and held out his hands for the deck. It was after all his turn to deal. The thick deck was slapped in to his hands, and across the table the outlaw grinned widely. Clearly thinking he had the upper hand.

Darien kept his features neutral, he shuffled and cut the deck and began to deal. The was too good of a dealer for the outlaw to notice he was dealing from the bottom of the deck. Laying out five cards he set the rest next to him and began to survey his cards. They placed the finial bet. All or nothing, including a beaten, terrified woman that looked to be more trouble then she was worth.

"I want three," Seiya proclaimed, a greedy look in his eyes.

Darien pulled three from the deck. "Dealer takes three as well." Glancing down he surveyed his cards. Nothing showed on his face.

"Two pair," Seiya gloated, laying down two tens and two sevens.

A good hand.

His was simply better, "Straight," he announced, tossing his line on to the wooden table.

The shouting began immediately.

"SON OF A BITCH! DAMME! SEIYA I TOLD YOU," one brother yelled, turning to face the table.

"YA CHEATIN' BASTARD!" Seiya snarled, placing his hands on the table he began to glare. This chair tipped over in his hurry, crashing loudly in the sparse room.

He was a cheating bastard, Darien thought, but he most certainly wasn't going to admit to the fact. Silently he matched the other man's stare until a movement caught the corner of his eye.

Serena barely had time to scream before the gun went off. Echoing in the saloon's common room. Before her eyes laid a dead men, surrounded in a growing pool of blood and three others holding guns to each other. Reacting out of fear she snatched the large whiskey bottle off the table just was another shot went off. Luckily, the shooter was aiming for the other man. She nailed Seiya about the head with the thick bottle, and definite PING could be heard through the chaos that surrounded them. He was stunned, staggering to the side he dropped his gun and bent to regain balance. The bottle in one hand she bent to retrieve the lost gun and came to her feet. Standing beside the man with cold eyes.

He looked as surprised by her actions as she was. In the momentary calm she was able to fully see that one man was dead…really dead, she thought to herself, another injured, and Seiya appeared to be collecting his living brother and holding the defensive. For a moment Serena was certain that she was going to start vomiting at the sight before her. But the intense growl from the man beside her cut off that urge quickly.

People began to flood the common room of the saloon, called by the gun shots and the racket that Yaten was making about his wounded leg. Seiya looked shifty and frightened as people began to surrounded him. Grabing his brother Seiya dragged him through the increasing thong of people and out the saloon doors.

Storytellers would later say that no man had ever ridden faster out of a town. Almost as if the devil himself was on his heals. Or at least that was how the Dime Novel wrote it.

"What happened here?" Beryl snapped, indicating to her common room.

"Bad card game," Darien answered, turning he cut Serena's bonds with a knife he carried in his boot.

"Here now!" she yelled, stepping forward to snatch at Serena. Obviously concerned that her prize was going to run. As she came forward, Serena raised the thick whiskey bottled threateningly, determined to break it about the ugly woman's head.

Beryl stopped, and reviewed the situation. Turning to Darien she reasoned, "Now I won't have you running out with the girl. She belongs to me now that Seiya's left."

Darien regarded her coldly, disgusted by her, "Actually Seiya lost her to me in the card game. She belongs to me," He holstered his gun, unconcerned about those around him. His bounty had run scared.

"NO!" Beryl screamed, "It can't be true."

"But it is madam! I seen it all," a nasally voice piped up from the back, "The whore belongs to him fair and square."

Serena's eyes widened, and she began to turn. She was damn tired of men and women calling her a whore! She was a lady. Serena quickly squished the urge to stamp her foot in protest. A firm hand was placed on her back side to keep her from moving. She stopped cold, not wanting to test a man who had just shot another.

Beryl left in a huff, furious over losing such a nice profit.

Darien bent down and caught the collar of the dead brother, indicating for the woman to follow him he walked out of the saloon and down the street to the sheriff's office. The wanted poster had said 'DEAD OR ALIVE' and dead was exactly what the law was going to get. One dead McLain. Only two more left.

Serena followed closely behind him, desperately trying not to look at the dead man. With both whiskey bottle and six shooter in hand she marched along the dusty morning road like a woman with nothing left to lose and with every intention of shooting the first person who crossed her.

Darien smiled, ungodly amused at the actions of the tiny woman following behind him. Who would have thought that some who had been beat down had so much spirit in them? Hell, he was sure that she was willing to take on the entire saloon with nothing more than that empty whiskey bottle. Hell, he was certainly never forget the look Seiya McLain's face when she hit him over the head with the amber bottle. In fact he was sure he would take the image to his grave.

In the sheriff's office he slapped down the wanted poster and dropped the dead man at the sheriff's feet. A 150 dollars later, he managed to pry the loaded gun from the small woman next to him, to allowed her to keep the bottle as she glared at him. Just about daring him to take in from her. If the damn thing made her feel better then that was just fine by him. She followed him back in to the saloon, up the stairs and in to his bedroom before she realized just where she was. He watched panic fill her eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I need some sleep and by the looks of you so do you," he said, hoping to end the terror he saw in her. Locking the door and placing a chair in front of it he check the windows before moving to the bed and removing his boots.

"What's your name?" she croaked out, placing the bottle on the table and dropping in to the small wooden chair.

He looked up briefly from undoing his shirt and belt, "Darien Darling."

Serena waited for him to return the question, but it seemed that none was forth coming, "I'm S…S..Serena Wilson," she introduced herself. She got a grunt in return. Fascinated she watched him pulled off his pants along with the other clothing before realizing he was stark naked under his pants. Flushing she turned quickly around to give him privacy. Why she had no idea. He hadn't thought of her feelings.

"Come to bed," Darien grumbled, he moved over to the other side to the small bed, wanting to give her room. He fell asleep waiting for her answer.

Serena bit her lip in indecision, then picked up his shirt and pulled in on after she shed that horrible dress they had made her wear. Climbing in to bed she struggled to get comfortable and not touch the man next to her. Inhaling deeply she sighed at the scent of his clothing, still warm from his body the shirt smelled clean and musky, and it was intoxicating. She drifted off easily on sleep, content that for the first time in a long while she was safe.

Did you like it? Please tell me. I'm sorry it took me so long to get up, but I had a bad case of writers block.

Love,

Danielle. Thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter.