Hi everyone sorry for the delay in writing this and uploading - last of the three part for "The Collector"

Thank you again for the reviews and wishing everyone a happy new year

(C) The Magnificent 7 belong to themselves

Also I'm guilty of imagining 'Angel-Eyes' i.e. the late great Lee Van Cleef as Simm, so I thought "The Good, the bad and the Ugly" could play in a bit

Ten

Evelyn kept her eyes firmly closed, knowing that the kidnapper would not be paying her any mind. He'd slung her off his horse, convinced that the glancing blow he'd given her when she'd tried to fight back was enough to knock her completely knock her out. Behind her closed eyelids she could see light filtering downstairs into the root cellar where she had been thrown and tied up to a pole.

"Kid not dead?" growled Royal's from somewhere further down in the cellar. "I want her out of here by tomorrow... Larabee is likely to come searching."

"It's the least you can offer for me finding you Bob Spikes." The man was as oily as could be. His compatriot had taken his money and run – Arthur's threat still hanging in the air of what revenge would befall the man. "My client is paying a big fee for her capture, which when they receive her will bring her father to their door."

Evelyn fought back a gasp. The person who'd killed her mother and brother – killed a part of herself, her father and Uncle was still on the hunt and wanted to physically get her.

"What'll happen to the kid?" Royal asked, now concern lacing his tone. Evelyn nearly scoffed at that concern. Her father would kill him by association. "Perhaps I could pay you."

"The client has paid me a thousand to bring her to them. And another five hundred to kill anybody who tries to stop it from going on." There was a pause. For effect was what her books would say. "It's a shame that I follow through on all my jobs... now what were you saying?"

"Uh-uh nothing. But I want you gone by morning." Royal's voice headed back upstairs.

The man coughed and she remained eyes closed. "Nice try, kid."

Evelyn raised her chin defiantly, not caring now if she was caught out or anything. "When my Paw and Uncles' come for me they'll kill you."

"Nobody's comin' for you tonight?" chuckled the man darkly at the insolent glare thrown his way. "Don't think too hard on that, kid. You'll have to get used to me giving ya orders where you'll more than likely end up."

Evelyn merely jutted her chin out and glared.

Simm headed back up the stairs, already plotting his escape. His client had ordered the girl be unharmed when brought to them as they had their own plans for the brat. Simm almost, almost that was, regretted this contract. The kid had fire in her that was unmatched. Many would pay good many to snuff it out. People who wanted revenge on Larabee for sons lying dead in the street and husbands. He knew of the depravity of people too and, despite his main job of finding clients for nefarious doings , he knew that many a family would pay the price for an indentured servant and less honourable things. Perhaps he would be able to persuade his client to hand her over to him. He'd leave before first light when that little wild-cat had given in to her wish to sleep. A few doses of Laudanum and the kid'd be out of it for a peaceful journey.

Plenty of time for that.

The man had tied a loose knot around her wrist, assuming that Evelyn was too weak to untie herself. Admittedly she was, but her teeth were strong. She leaned down and began tugging on the knot with her teeth, thinking on the day she'd watched Chaucer undo his, listening to Yosemite mutter about the situation. If she could just loose, she'd be able to get out of here and run. But the ropes seemed to tighten.

Groaning in frustration, Evelyn shot a beseeching look heavenward. Instead she was met by the sound of some music playing in one of the rooms. Ugh, that stupid Beautiful Dreamer melody. She had heard it that much recently being hummed or practised or whatever she swore when she finally persuaded her father to give her a proper gun that she was going to shoot somebody in the leg if they hummed that song.

Her exasperation turned to concern, or rather allowed her true feelings of panic to come to surface. It felt like days since she was stuck down here in the dank cellar, although she knew it could only be a few short hours. But she'd fallen asleep briefly before this attempt so it might've been... maybe it was years. She looked down at her stomach. Nope not starving, definitely hungry though and definitely not a sleeping beauty affair. She tugged again on her wrist. Would her Pa and Uncles come for her? Well she knew they must be... but where were they? Should've been here by now... perhaps they were planning something and it was going wrong. With Ezra's recent spate of luck she had of no doubt something was going wrong...

Or maybe... they had decided she was too much trouble. Just like she'd always suspected.

Her father had explained his madness and grief for the last three years. Explained it wasn't her fault, that she couldn't do anything. But in the back of her mind she wondered if it wasn't her fault – the voice occasionally whispered in dreams and her father wasn't here. He wasn't here to hug her and promise it was ok. Because it wasn't. She gave a frustrated growl and began tugging again.

Suddenly, on the other side of the root cellar she heard yelling that brought her head up. Sounded like Josiah. Going old testament as Nathan was fond of saying.

She heard footsteps above her and the screams of a woman. Hopefully it was really Guy Royal. After all his foreman had let her get shoved in the root cellar and it was his friend that had promised to take her to the person who'd caused this all to begin with. She pulled at it with her teeth. She had to get out of here before her Paw did something he'd not regret. She could hear voices above now, and then a familiar roar.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAUGHTER?!"

Her father was there to bring her home. "PA! DADDY! I'M DOWN HERE!" When there was no immediate response she screamed louder. "HELP!"

Suddenly a light shone forth from above as she screamed, slamming her eyes shut and waiting for a gunshot in her direction after the threat of it earlier. Instead she felt a bowie knife against her wrist, and a familiar touch to the forehead. "Eve, it's jist me Vin."

Evelyn opened her eyes wide to the familiar blue eyes and she threw her arms around his neck. She let out a harsh sob and he clutched her tight against him for a few moments. "I knew you'd come. I knew it. Where's Paw?"

"Just upstairs, making sure no tricks." Vin's arms tightened around her for a moment before he returned to cutting her free and then looked her in the face. She flashed a grin although her lips quivered and she could feel herself shaking. "He hurt you?"

"Hit me over the head when I tried biting to get free managed to listen a bit to him." She admitted. "He's ridden off from what I gathered." She grasped his hand and he let her. "He said he'd kill Levi and Arthur?!"

"They're both safe." Vin reassured her. "Now let's get you upstairs to your father."

John Simm pressed himself further into the corner as he saw the blind rage written on Larabee's face through the crack in the door of the guest room. The bigger man named Josiah had stormed into the bedroom to the screams of Royal's paramour but then it had been dragged outside. Now Larabee here was crackling with rage.

The man looked ready to tear the home apart looking for her. Or at the very least... kill Royal. He'd have to slip into the root cellar somehow and get the kid out. He'd been promised a large bonus by his employer when he brought Evelyn Larabee to them. He wasn't about to lose it.

It was the heathen that paused upon hearing a faint screaming from just beyond his floorboards. Instantly the rug was thrown back and the entrance to the root cellar found. There were a few moments of silence before the child emerged from below, followed by the tracker who stepped in front of her. In that moment, Simm stepped out of the shadows, and grabbed the kid around the neck, holding her and smirking as he placed a derringer at her temple.

"One false step Mr Larabee and your daughters brains are blown from here to Kingdom come."

"Evie!" Chris stepped forward only for the man to step backward. He clicked the derringers hammer which stopped the man short. He smirked at Larabee. It paid to be holding all the cards in this conversation. Larabee scowled across. "Evie, close your eyes."

"Paw?" Evelyn asked, coughing when the man jerked her harder against himself. "Please Paw."

"Remember what I told you the other day?" he said. "During the game?"

Evelyn had to think hard but her eyes widened and then nodded. The game of catch for her birthday. All Evelyn's tactics had failed against Arthur and JD as a team. When she'd complained he'd told her to do what he said which was to ignore Buck's advice. When she'd questioned the tactic he'd just winked. Buck had been behind her father when he'd feinted left and thrown the ball to her, catching JD out. "You're always right about these kinds of things." With that she closed her eyes.

"Nice to see we have all common sense," Simm began, beginning to drag away Evelyn. "I'll take her and dump her Mr Larabee-"

Larabee seemed to stop and stare in confusion at him, as if relaying his chances before taking a step to the left. Simm smirked at the open invitation... then his smile faltered as a loud bang echoed around the room. He looked up at the moustached man in disbelief...the man who's joyful face had descended into a snarl. He looked down at the patch of red that was suddenly blossoming on his chest. Then his eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Evelyn stood stock-still eyes still closed although shaking. "Evie!" Chris called. The blonde threw himself on his knees beside his kidnapped daughter and pulled her into his arms with an inhalation that might have been interpreted by some as a sob. "Evie."

"Can I open my eyes Paw?" she asked softly.

Chris glanced at the body fouling up the floor. "No keep 'em closed, your Paw's got ya. I got ya." He heaved her up and carried her out of the room, to the fresh air to anything that didn't contain the same air of the man that had near stolen him from her. "Your paw's got ya." She grappled a tight hold of his shoulder blades. Once outside and a quick nod from Ezra telling him the coast was clear, he put her down and knelt in front of her. "Okay open-"

He'd barely got the words out when his daughter threw herself in his arms again, burying her face in his shoulder. "I knew you'd come Paw. He didn't believe me but I said I had six uncles and one Paw that'd get me back. I knew, I knew."

Chris held her tight thanking every being, that they reached the ranch in record time. It normally took a half days ride and it took all his strength to beat down the urge of charging into battle to protect his only child that breathed the same air as him. He knew a cool head was the only reason there hadn't been a blood bath.

Half of him. The half of him that burned quietly now wished there had been. He tightened his grip on her, then realised he was worryingly crushing her not that she'd said a word. "I will always... always come for you, Evie."

"And I'll always come for you, Pa."

A few days later Chris Larabee was not in a good mood. He was unsaddling his horse after another circuit around the town and the surrounding countryside. The countless hours he had put in riding had left him stiff and saddle sore, and hadn't accomplished anything as far as quieting the chaos that filled his mind and heart. The last few days had been a kind of lonely hell for him, thinking on how close that Evelyn had come to being stolen from him. He believed Marshall Spikes' story about not knowing the plans that Royals guest had had for his daughter, let alone the kidnapping happening in broad daylight. He also knew from Evelyn's own words that Royal had offered to buy the contract something he was begrudgingly grateful for.

The girl had flickered on a pokerface when it came to dealing with any recollections of the night her mother and brother were murdered although had given a more detailed account of what had happened with the kidnapping. She was unsure what direction she would've been taken if worst came to worst. She knew her original kidnapper, however, was already heading North. She'd determined that from her listened in horse ride. Now she sat beneath a tree watching as Mary looked at the items being given back to the varying ranchers Royal had managed to run off their land. She calmly opened a hardback book that she'd picked up from Royal's collection. Mary called her over and she sighed, running over to where Mary was showing her some receipts of some description. A small squint of the eyes and he was taken back to his beloved Sarah pulling the same face when looking at a telegram or the such-like.

I nearly lost her... they're still after her Sarah. He thought this darkly before he felt the icy darkness grip his heart in iron resolve. I'll protect her. I swear I'll protect her better than I protected you. I'll give my life like you tried to for Adam and what you gave for her.