Sorry for the long delay!

Authors Note: Most of the bad guys are based on wrestlers I don't like, feel free to imagine the ones you don't like :) or see if you can figure out who mine are!

Please R and R, thanks and happy reading!

Vigilantes

Chapter 2

The First Hit

Lyndon hugged her uncle tight. She had thought it would take much more convincing than it did for her to stay. She retrieved Abby who was a few yards away, having been spooked by the sudden commotion.

"Good lookin' animal you got there…where'd you get it?" Kevin asked, looking at her accusingly.

"Listen, I don't steal, I'm not my fath…" Lyndon began, but stopped, "I don't steal. I worked all year, here and there for whatever I could get. I bought her, and I got supplies too. There was just one thing I couldn't seem to get." Lyndon admitted after showing the men her wares that were packed on the horse, "I couldn't get a gun, I tried, but no one would sell me one.

"Well, we know where are next mark is, when we're finished with him, you can have his gun." Kevin said, walking back to the campsite, Scott following. Lyndon swallowed hard, she knew they killed men, but never had they so blatantly discussed it in her presence.

'You'd better get used to it…' She told herself, leading Abby to where the other steeds grazed.

She went back to the fire the two men were sitting around.

"Uncle, can I ask you something?" She said after a long silence.

"Sure, sweetheart, shoot." He answered, munching on the corncakes she'd packed.

"How many men have you…" she paused seeing their warning glares.

"found…so far." She finished, carefully choosing her words. There menacing looks vanished as they returned to eating.

"Well, it's been what…14, 15 years?" Kevin said.

"16, you count every one when you're locked away like a stabled animal." She mumbled, nibbling on her own cake.

"Now you listen here, I did that for your own good, it was somewhere I didn't have to worry about how you were being raised. It was the best I could do; I didn't want to drag a toddler around this country killing people." Kevin said, raising his voice.

Lyndon felt shocked, she'd never been scolded by her uncle in this manner. It was different, but she had to admit she liked it…it meant he was there, treating her like a normal person, not just some precious thing he locked up and visited once a year. She smiled, nibbling again on her bread.

"Well, we need to take shifts to keep an eye out…" Kevin said, cleaning up their supplies from the site, retrieving a blanket for him and Scott from their nearby horses.

"I'll keep first watch." Lyndon volunteered. She was too excited at this point to sleep anyway.

"You sure you ain't gonna fall asleep, no offense but you're gonna be kind of a lightweight out here, we don't have no cushy beds or pillows for you out here." Scott said as he lay down, resting his head on his saddle pack.

"I can do it, I'm not useless." She shot back.

She sat a few feet from him, against a nearby tree, so that she had no empty space behind her. She turned her head from left to right constantly watching for unwelcome guests. As the night wore on, every sound seemed to be magnified by a hundred times. The scampering of nearby squirrels was enough to raise the hairs on the back of her neck. The sky was clear, dotted with stars, a large rounded moon hung close to the earth in the sky. The nighttime orb lit the land enough to highlight any large disturbances of the flattened plain that lay in front of her. She didn't keep track of the path the moon took, keeping time in the night sky.

She was keeping watch to her left when she felt a tap on her right shoulder. The touch startled her as she jumped, her arm flying up instinctively. Her fist connected with a stubbly, fleshy target. Her eyes grew wide after she realized she'd just punched Scott.

"God Damn, girl!" Scott whispered loudly, his hand rubbing his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Scott! You just startled me…are you alright?" She asked, removing his hand as she placed hers against his cheek. She didn't feel any lumps or swelling. Scott had to admit he didn't exactly mind her touch on him. His mind came back to him after his momentary lapse. He pushed her hand away.

"I don't need no girl fussin' over me, you didn't hit worth a shit anyway." Scott said standing. Lyndon stood, hurt by his harsh words. It may be true she wasn't incredibly strong, but she'd managed plenty of black eyes and bruises in her time. She didn't understand his warm/cold reception of her either. She expected it, but still didn't understand it.

"Go get some shut eye; I'll take over from here." He said ushering her over to where the fire still faintly burned, "You can just use my stuff, don't bother unpackin' your horse this late." He said sitting against the tree.

Lyndon curled up under his blanket, periodically glancing at him. She had been so sheltered from so many things. If it hadn't been for Crazy Pete, the town drunk and his wife Millie, she probably still wouldn't know what sex was. It was true she'd never even experienced a kiss and she was still a virgin by a long shot, but she wasn't naïve.

Millie and Pete were almost always hammered and would answer questions without discretion of their ages or the subject matter. They were good and keeping quiet about it too. They didn't go blabbing all over town about whose kids asked what. She'd gone to them for answers when she accidentally walked in on one of the older boys at the convent masturbating. He was another one she ended up punching; he'd asked her to play with it, too. She was smart enough to know not to and almost knocked his lights out. None the less, Millie gave her plenty of information about men and what they were after…and also how to go about it, should she ever meet the right guy.

She couldn't help but glance at Scott's silhouette against the pale light of the moon, momentarily. His body was so rugged, his demeanor so masculine, she couldn't help but be intrigued. His moon towards her worked against him, but she was determined to get his approval…and Uncle Kevin's for that matter. She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep until she felt herself being shaken awake by Kevin.

"Rise and shine, girly, time to get a move on." He said returning to smothering the fire and packing up the remainder of the supplies.

Rachael stretched, sitting up. She stood, rubbing her eyes and took the tin cup of coffee Kevin handed her. It was thick and super strong but she didn't complain, it was no doubt she'd need the energy boost. Plus she didn't want to start their journey complaining or being prissy. She spent only a few moments at the creek just inside the forest line washing her face and wetting her hair. She hurried back out, tacking Abby for the ride.

The ride was hard that day, Lyndon's backside ached from its constant smacking against the saddle. She knew it was going to be uncomfortable, but she as unprepared for how jarring it really was. Once again, she didn't complain.

"Lyndon," Kevin said, "See that tree line up ahead?" He asked pointing ahead of them. She nodded.

"I want you to go scout it out." He said.

"Um…what does that mean?" She asked, her face scrunched in confusion.

"Jesus, are you kidding me?" Scott said, exasperated.

"Take it easy…" Kevin said, "It means just go on ahead of us and look for anything suspicious and give us an 'okay' signal if it's alright. If it's not, just come back to us and we'll go another way."

Lyndon heard her uncle, but was still miffed about Scott's comment. Kevin looked back to where she was riding behind Scott's horse.

"Think you can handle it?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, I can do that, besides I was getting tired of looking at the two horses' ass in front of me…" She said glaring at Scott's back before she reined Abby around Scott. She nudged the steed with her heels and Abby was all too happy to race quickly towards their destination.

"Well we're on horses, what else does she expect?" Scott sneered.

"Man, she was talking about you." Kevin said smirking slightly.

"That girl's got an attitude…" Scott snarled.

"Yeah, so do we, but she's with us now, gonna have to just get along…that's all there is to it." Kevin said, warningly.

Lyndon scanned the wide open countryside just on the other side of the thin tree line. She walked Abby up and down the line, searching for any hidden persons, and suspicious activity. When the only living creature she could find was a rabbit, she gave the signal to her uncle who returned it, signaling they would be joining her.

As dusk began to fall, Lyndon noticed they were approaching a modest town. It looked slightly bigger than Silverton, a little more populated. Lyndon had figured on camping out again, but fell back, following Kevin and Scott to the outskirts of town. They tethered their horses at a pole just on the city limits. As they began to walk away Abby whinnied in protest.

"Damn it, girl, you better keep that beast quiet!' Scott warned as Kevin had already begun walking down the line of buildings into town. Rachael petted the animal, soothing her and quickly jogged to catch up with Scott and Kevin. She quickly tucked her hair under her hat, trying to appear as manlike as possible.

"Timothy Rivers." Kevin whispered out of the side of his mouth to her.

"You hear that name, you tell us, find us, do whatever, but let us know." Scott said, as the two walked as nonchalantly as possible down the boarded sidewalks. She followed them as they turned into a rowdy saloon. The inebriated patrons did not seem fazed by the two strange, large men that entered their establishment.

"Whiskey, tw- make it three…" Kevin said to the waiting bartender.

"Doubles?" the bartender inquired.

"Yeah," said Scott nodding. Lyndon watched as they scanned the bar inconspicuously. She looked down as the bartender plunked down three glassed filled with an amber liquid. She'd never tasted alcohol outside of the occasional wine tasting at the convent. She felt a slight bit nervous, but lifted the glass to her lips as Kevin and Scott did. She took a large gulp feeling a slight burning sensation radiate from her tongue and continue down into her belly. The taste almost made her gag, but she held her urge, taking another gulp. This one went down slightly easier, becoming smoother.

"Okay, so she can drink." Kevin said winking at Lyndon. She joined them looking around the saloon, though she was slightly useless, she had no idea what the guy looked like, even after Kevin's description. All of the sudden Rachael heard the name. She tapped Kevin's elbow, using her head to signal him to the three men next to her at the bar.

"Yeah'd you hear about Rivers?" One man drawled.

"Naw, what'd that knuckle head do now?" Said another.

"Went and got drunk and raped the sheriffs daughter. Moron if I ever seen one." The first man said, "I told him, I said 'Tim, that drinking all the time, taking advantage of women gonna get cha in trouble.' Never listened."

"He over in the jail?" the second man asked.

The first man nodded, taking a long drink from his bottle.

"That's pretty easy, we just need to figure out how to get in there, probably got a deputy in there now." Scott said, as they exited the saloon. Scott tipped his hat at two ladies who were dolled up in enough paint and lace they could have been a painted pillow. Lyndon felt a little miffed, not knowing herself that she was feeling a little thing called jealousy. She wanted to know why he treated her with such disdain, but was willing to be courteous to a couple of floozies. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and tried to focus to the task on hand. She had no idea how she was going to help, but she was do whatever need be to avenge her mother's death.

That's when it finally dawned on her that that was exactly what she was doing. It gave her a renewed sense of purpose as they made their way toward the darkened, dormant jail.

Kevin peeked in the windows, seeing no guard inside, but he could see a palely lit face in one cell, a man sleeping. It was Timothy Rivers. Kevin nodded as Scott went around the side of the building to go in the back entrance. As he made his way up the stairs, a board creaked loudly. Scott froze, when a voice from inside the building rang out. Kevin watched as Rivers sat up.

"Whose there…" Rivers said, calling out, looking at the back door. It was then Lyndon had an epiphany. She dodged Kevin trying to hold her back and she went to the back door. She hushed Scott as she walked by where he stood unmoving. Kevin was panicking. What did she have up her sleeve?

"Who's that?" Rivers said.

"Are you Rivers?" Lyndon asked, determined, but still slightly nervous.

"Yeah, what you need, mister?" He asked accusingly, his arm hanging on the outside of his bars.

"I ain't a mister…" Lyndon said, removing her hat so that her long, chocolate hair cascaded around her. She tried her best to smile at him seductively as she had not had much practice, "Naysmith sent me, a job well done kinda gift…" Lyndon said, slowly walking towards him. She walked in a direction so that Scott would be able to walk in unnoticed. She tried to ignore the face she knew he uncle was watching. When she got with in five feet of him, she slowly began to unbutton her shirt. Rivers was so preoccupied with Lyndon, he didn't notice Scott creeping along the row of cells, getting with in point blank range.

She pulled her shirt as if she were going to expose her breasts and stopped.

"What you waiting for, girly, show me the goods…" Rivers said, drooling over the sign of feminine flesh. She looked at Scott, Rivers doing the same, surprised to see the gun only inches from his face.

"Hey man, take it easy, it's not that bad, I swear I'm innocent…." He said, holding up his hands.

"Yeah, sure, I know you had nothing to do with Naysmith's wife neither."

"Well, yeah, but that was a long time ago, besides that woman didn't know how to obey a husband like she's supposed to…that ain't right." He said attempting to get the men's sympathy.

"What don't you tell that story to his daughter here, it's because of you all she don't have a mother." Kevin growled as he came in the building.

"Daughter?" He said, looking wild eyed at Lyndon, who'd already buttoned her shirt back and replaced the hat on her head. She looked at him with distaste and unsympathetic eyes.

"Say goodnight, Rivers" Scott said. Lyndon was now back behind Scott, where Kevin had pulled her. She heart a loud shot ring out that rattled her ears. The next thing she knew, River's was laying on the floor a pool of blood forming under his head.

"C'mon we don't have a lot of time." Kevin said, urging her away from the sight of the dead body. Scott rummaged through a sack marked River's as Kevin and Lyndon left the building, briskly walking behind buildings. Scott caught up with them, thrusting a heavy item into her hands. She looked down. It was a large pistol.

"We'll get you a holster in the next town, hang on to that…it's all you got to protect yourself." Kevin warned as they finally reached their horses. It seemed that no one yet was the wiser of their deed as they reined their steeds around the town.

"We ride through the night, we'll stop early morning." Kevin said, kicking her horse to a fast gait. Scott followed, then Lyndon as they left the tow behind.

Lyndon had never remembered seeing death. There was her mother, but she was still a baby, practically, she didn't remember a bit about it. It was surreal almost. It was like it didn't happen, but it did. The proof was in the weighty hunk of metal and wood in her pocket that beat against her thigh with each gait of Abby.

They slowed their horses after they put a good distance between them and the town. Scott slowed his horse down enough till he was side by side with Lyndon.

"Good thinking back there…" Scott said, he was glad it was dark, she couldn't see the way he was looking at her.