Unlawfully Yours

Chapter XIV

Phil had encountered serious difficulties in Tombstone, when he requested that the authorities take custody of his prisoners. The Sheriff had fussed over just about every detail until Phil and his men found themselves faced with the frustration of having to wait until the morning before they could go after the gold. In the end, Phil had threatened to send a detachment of lawmen from Flagstaff to stay on a permanent basis in the Sheriff's town. This one had enough of this in recent history and finally agreed to take the prisoners on Phil's word alone. Phil gladly surrendered Reggie's men, who were all in very bad shape. The deputies eyed the prisoners with some curiosity as they came out of the wagon they had found to transport the lot. However, none of them commented while they took them inside the jailhouse.

Two of Phil's men had come along, while another stayed behind with the gangster who squealed on his boss. He also left the man behind in case Reggie, or the couple they were after showed up. Phil didn't truly expect this would happen however, and even less so after the red head he had just dropped off at the Madam's house came back with a brunette to meet them at the jailhouse.

The latter gave them an account of what she'd witnessed at the ranch. She actually began by asking if the nice couple who had saved their friend were ok. Then, when Phil questioned her further, he regretted having done so. The prostitute had stayed long enough to see Phoebe and Cole on their way with the gangsters. She proceeded to describe in gruesome details the way Reggie and his acolyte had been restrained when they left. Phil almost puked on the spot, while the other two men didn't know where to put themselves. They were made even more uncomfortable by the fact that the girls were giggling as they recalled this part of their misadventure and observed the men's embarrassment with obvious glee. Phil quickly thanked them for the information, and then, he and his men hurried out of town, suddenly eager to get as far away as possible from those girls and their laughter.

"God," Phil exclaimed as they rode back towards the ranch, "and I thought I was a tough customer. Remind me never to cross a girl…"

"Hey, Phil… you'd need to find yourself a girlfriend to begin with," his companion teased him with a big grin.

Phil sneered before questioning him.

"You don't seem all that bothered, Ray? How's that…?"

"Hell yes I am! Those images are gonna haunt me for quite a while…on the other hand, I think those shits deserved that and more. Although, who knows, maybe they liked it..." Ray finished with a wink and a wicked smile.

He started snickering when he saw Phil and the other almost gag.

"You're a sick man, Ray…" Phil reproached after taking a few deep breaths.

Ray didn't bother to reply, and instead, kicked his horse while still laughing.

Paul and his men had stopped for the night, but when this one woke up in the early morning, he found a disturbing spectacle. One of his men lay with his throat slashed open and the bounds which had held Reggie seemed to have been chewed off.. The man's weapons and boots were gone, along with one of their horses. He picked up the rope and examined it dejectedly, now understanding better why Phoebe felt the need to go to these extremes…

Pure hatred gripped Paul as he threw the rope to the ground. He regretted not having tortured the bastard until he begged for death. The poor boy Reggie killed had been a friend to Paul; just as much as the other two Reggie and his gang had slaughtered in the coach.

The rest of his men came around with the same horrified looks on their faces.

The youngest one went to their fallen comrade and grabbed his shoulders with tears of rage and sorrow in his eyes.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard!" He growled. Then he turned to Paul accusingly. "We should've finished the job that girl started…"

Paul felt so bad that he simply let him have his say, while he couldn't even look at the others. He was supposed to be their leader, their protector even. Yet twice already, Paul had survived while others had fallen to the same monster. The kid's rage was only an echo of his own. However, he knew that he had to stay calm and composed for them. The last thing McKail wanted was to be the leader of an unruly lynch mob. These men were supposed to be professionals.

He took a few deep breaths to quiet his own rage before facing them.

"Rick," he called to the young one still kneeling by the dead man, "I want you to bring Lewis to the nearest town and make sure that he's sent back to Flagstaff."

"No! I wanna go after this shit!" Rick shouted, as he got up and faced Paul irately.

"That's exactly why I want you gone. We don't need a hot head with us. This shit, as you call him, is way too dangerous… I won't have your death on my conscience too."

"What the hell makes you think I can't take care of myself?"

Paul hated to do this, but he knew that this boy could endanger them. His rage was too intense. Besides, the dead man had been Rick's best friend since childhood. This hit too close to home for Rick to remain efficient. Knowing that Rick was very proud of belonging to his team, he used the only argument he thought would sway him.

"Rick," Paul began severely, "I'm your boss…at least I still am unless you decide you're done with us. If you want to remain in this outfit, you'll do as I say…"

Rick glared at him for a long moment. Then, he seemed to resign himself, as he glanced back toward his best friend.

"Alright, I'll do this. But you've gotta promise me you'll get Reggie."

"I swear!" Paul simply said.

Rick nodded sadly and went to the grim task of preparing his friend for his last voyage.

Meanwhile, Paul assembled the others.

"We've got to go on. No matter what, Reggie's gonna go after Phoebe. Of that, I'm absolutely certain. Now, from what…" Paul hesitated, still shaken by the tragedy, "from what I can see, Lewis's been dead for a while… Reggie must've killed him right after he took his watch. This means he's got a big head start on us and we've got no time to lose."

Paul looked at each of the three men one by one with a very serious expression before he continued.

"We'll get him… and this time, we're not arresting him."

None of the others uttered a word; but the look in their eyes was eloquent.

Without the need for any more instructions, they climbed on their horses, and with one last glance toward Rick and their friend; they again launched on Phoebe and Cole's trail.

Contrary to all the others, Reggie knew exactly where he was going. He had made certain to remember the exact spot where the mine stood, and he knew that it wasn't an easy place to locate. This convinced him that he had a good chance of finding fresh tracks once he got there; if not Phoebe and Cole themselves, as they would surely have a hard time finding it. He had to bite back screams at the intense pain he still felt every time he forgot himself and dropped in the saddle. Yet, he pushed forward as fast as he could, even with the weak light of the moon as the only illumination. He was galvanized by his ever increasing hatred. Reggie thought back to that bastard McKail, whom he'd left behind when his finger began throbbing and he remembered how much he had wanted to cut his throat as well. However, he had refrained from it not only to keep his escape quiet, but also because he anticipated more satisfaction from torturing him at leisure in the future. In his half-crazed mind, he could hear all of their screams with a sick pleasure. Even as the idea formed in his head, he felt an arousal. However, this caused him more pain and it died almost as soon as it had started. His growl of frustration resounded in the night, and then he began cursing Phoebe under his breath as he pushed on.



At first, Cole got a weird sensation of déjà vu when he felt his pants being tugged upon. The little hint of worry soon transformed into a thrill however, as he helped her along… Phoebe's hands slowly came back up his thighs and he let himself enjoy the exquisite stirring. As she moved over his midsection, her hair brushed on his loins, causing a delightful tingle, while she began opening his shirt and depositing light kisses from his hip to his soon bare chest. Her naked skin against his alone was enough to provoke excitement; but her bold attitude was an added thrill he could never get tired of. This along with the strong emotions she evoked in him had made Cole crave her more with every passing moment since the day they met…

"Phoebe," he whispered softly, while trying to pull her toward him.

"Shush, baby…" she said then, as her hand came to rest on his loins and she began stroking him slowly. Cole vaguely realized that it was almost daybreak before the overpowering desire made him forget all about where or when they were. All that he knew was her caressing hand on him and her soft mouth trailing on his chest. Before knowing her, he had slept with many women; but none of them had been so comfortable with lovemaking. Her boundless sensuality was as much a part of her charms as was her voluptuous body. He began stroking her hair and soon his hand moved down her back, until he reached the soft curve of her buttocks. His hand lingered there, caressing and kneading in turn until she began rocking her hips and parted her legs invitingly. He then reached further into her loins and explored the warmth of her, eliciting little cries of excitement from Phoebe, which only augmented his own. When his caress intensified, so did hers… until he thought he couldn't wait any longer. Then, her hand suddenly left his loins, and he growled softly in frustration. She giggled against his chest before straddling him.

"Impatient, are we?" Phoebe questioned impishly. A vague smile formed on Cole's lips before he grabbed her hips firmly and pushed her down on him. As he entered her, she groaned and arched herself, obviously wanting of his caresses. His hands flew toward her breasts, which he began fondling enthusiastically. Her moaning intensified as she moved faster on him, apparently already nearing ecstasy. Even at this, it took all his self- control to wait for her, as he could already feel the first blissful sensations flooding from his loins. When Phoebe screamed in intense release, and he felt her pulsing around him, wave after wave of intense pleasure immediately spread through his whole body like wildfire. He pushed himself deeper inside of her even as he drew her to him and held her tightly against his chest. Then his mouth searched for hers impatiently, and they kissed deeply, hungrily, long after the last of the sensations was only a lingering memory. As their kiss finally became more of a languorous caress of each other's lips, Cole slowly rolled Phoebe on her back, and then his lips left hers while he continued caressing her body softly. In doing so, Cole was expressing his gratitude for the pleasure she'd given him as well as basking in the depth of his feelings for her.

Phoebe sighed deeply as she relaxed against him, obviously revelling in his touch.

"Phoebe," Cole uttered huskily, "I never wanna leave you…"

Phoebe's reaction shattered his moment of pure happiness, as she immediately tensed and bit her lips, while a slight frown formed on her forehead.

"Cole, could we not talk about this?"

"But I want to, Phoebe," he said intensely, kissing the frown on her forehead. "Baby, I can't stand the idea of not being with you. Every time I think it might happen, I feel like I'm choking."

Phoebe was still uncertain; her mind was clouded by the intensity of their lovemaking. At this moment, she wanted so much for it to be true. Yet, she couldn't help thinking that he would soon wake up and realize how different they really were. She took his face in her hands and gazed at him for a long moment, daring to hope for an instant, and the next knowing that if she gave into this and he left, it would hurt more than any wound she'd ever suffered.

"Cole, let's enjoy each other now…there's no need to make plans for the future, ok? Please?"

"Phoebe, what's so scary about the future?"

"Nothing," she replied too quickly, while she removed her hands and looked away.

"It doesn't sound like nothing," Cole uttered with a hint of reproach mixed in with the obvious apprehension he felt.

When he saw her tensing again, he feared she was about to reject him for good, but she suddenly exclaimed.

"Cole, we found it!"

"What?"

"Look!" Phoebe exclaimed again as she lifted herself on her elbow and turned her back to him.

Cole followed her gaze and suddenly saw what they had missed the night before. Unlike what they had been looking for, they could now see the entrance to the mine, not in a large rock formation, but rather in a mound that looked like any other. It stood about a hundred feet from them. As the morning sun illuminated it, they could even distinguish the wooden planks that were barring the access. The doorway was almost buried into the sand, and it wouldn't have taken much for them to miss it.

Phoebe turned back toward Cole with a smile of triumph and she kissed him enthusiastically before getting up and dressing hurriedly.

Cole watched her with a sinking feeling, and then he reluctantly did the same as he saw her already on her way toward the mine…

When Cole got to Phoebe, she was already pulling on the planks impatiently. She cursed loudly, as she realized that it wouldn't be as easy as she'd thought.

"Need a hand," Cole asked without much enthusiasm.

"Yeah, what were you doing?"

"Hardly enough, baby," he answered with a vague smile, "I thought it safer to put something on before going to work on those planks. I don't think the splinters would be any more pleasant than the spines of those cactuses."

In spite of the valid explanation, Phoebe guessed that his lack of enthusiasm had little to do with the prospect of splinters.

"Cole…I thought we were in agreement on this?"

His smile died off as he observed her uncertainly.

"I still don't know what you intend to do, Phoebe…"

Phoebe turned toward him completely and a frown formed again on her forehead.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Cole echoed.

"What are your intentions, Cowboy?"

Cole sighed as he took a few steps toward her.

"Look Phoebe…we can still walk away from this. All we have to do is leave here now. McKail's gonna find the mine and the gold, and then, if he still comes after you, I'll take care of it."

Phoebe let out a quick irritated sigh.

"You'll take care of it," she questioned sarcastically.

"Yes, Phoebe," Cole uttered intensely. "There's no need for you to worry anymore. We'll get your daughter back and I'll take care of everything. You'll never want for anything, I can promise you that…"

"What?" Phoebe suddenly exploded. "What the hell did you think was gonna happen, lover? You thought that because I gave you a few thrills, I became yours? You believed that you could keep me around and pay your way into my pants? Or better yet," she added when she saw the horrified expression on his face, "you thought you'd put a ring on my finger and show me off like a trophy? Maybe you think that's better…but it's the same damn thing …"

"Phoebe! Where the hell does that come from?"

"From the fact that you believe I need a man to lead my life for me. I didn't do all of this, suffered through all those months, to turn around now. The ticket to freedom for me and my daughter lies in this mine… and no man's ever gonna get between me and that… not even you."

"Phoebe, you don't realize…"

Phoebe turned around and furiously pulled on the planks while he tried again to convince her.

"I think I understand where you're coming from, Phoebe," he continued more sedately, doing his best not to show how hurtful she had sounded. "But that doesn't change the fact that this is wrong… Once you got the gold, they'll never stop trying to find you. You'll have to hide for many years, always fearful of being discovered. Not to mention that even if you managed to get you daughter before going in hiding, you would condemn her to the same fate."

Phoebe managed to dislodge the first plank and threw it angrily at Cole's feet before glaring at him. "Who the hell are you to preach to me? You've been lying to me every chance you got since the day we met. I still don't know why the hell you're here in the first place."

"I'm here for you!" Cole exclaimed as he grabbed her shoulders. "I love you!"

Phoebe closed her eyes, unable to sustain his stare as she said calmly:

"If there is an ounce of truth in what you just said, Cole…then you'll let me decide what's best for me… and then you'll let me go…"

"Phoebe, no…"

"Cole," she said as she looked up at last, "I…I'm not saying I feel nothing for you; I'd be lying if I did, but…"

"But what...?"

"I told you, I can never belong to anyone. It's not in my nature…"

There was something so definitive in her voice that for a moment, he truly couldn't breathe. He slowly let go of her shoulders and turned around without a word.

"Where are you going," Phoebe called half-heartedly.

"I'll get the carriage," he answered flatly without looking back.

Tears threatened to flow, and the unpleasant prickling behind her eyelids felt painful to Phoebe. She wasn't in the habit of crying and she wiped the moisture angrily away before turning back toward the entrance of the mine. She redoubled her efforts, and this soon paid off as more of the planks came off. This didn't keep the hurtful thoughts away however… In that instant when Cole had offered to take care of her, she'd had a moment of weakness, a need to give in. It had been the true reason for her anger. Now that the finality of her own words hit her, she feared that she would fall apart and yet, she felt that it would have been much worse had she risked it. Phoebe still couldn't believe that Cole truly loved her. Love didn't really exist. It was just a passing need, which had more to do with lust than any other emotion. She was certain that when he thought back on all that happened in the last few days, he would soon regret his offer. Phoebe had seen often enough how her behaviour had troubled Cole. So that even though for a few hours during the night, she had dared believing that this could last, she didn't believe it anymore… By the time she pulled off the last of the planks, she had managed to convince herself that the hurt that twisted her insides would go away like all the other wounds she'd ever suffered.

She peered inside the dark tunnel and noticed a sign on the ground near the entrance. She couldn't read it, but was convinced that it said Hogden's mine. She was just entering the tunnel when she heard the sound of the carriage coming. However, she didn't bother to look back. A vertical shaft opened about fifteen feet inside the mine letting in some light, but it was barely enough for her to guess at the surrounding walls. Then she heard steps behind her and the light from a torch illuminated a pile of saddlebags, obviously filled at capacity.

"We found it, Cole!" Phoebe exclaimed, as she surveyed their treasure with bright eyes and a renewed glee.

When Cole didn't answer, she became slightly apprehensive, as she slowly turned around.

In the back of the carriage, Cole was lying unconscious and his breathing was shallow and laborious. Blood was pouring from a deep gash in his forehead. Cole's eyes fluttered opened, but as he tried to push himself up, an intense dizziness washed over him and his surroundings seemed to be circling maddeningly until he saw the wooden floor of the carriage coming fast towards him. In the last moment, he remembered that Phoebe was in danger and tried to fight the whirlpool that threatened to swallow him whole. Then, when he fell back down, he knew that he had failed as the darkness enveloped him again…

Paul gave a dejected look at yet another trail crossing over the first one.

"Damn it! We've been going in circle for two hours…"

The man closest to him gave him a perplexed look.

"Do you think that Reggie lied to all of us? Maybe he sent them on a wild goose chase too?"

"Maybe so… but then, where the hell are they?"

In the distance, he could see a small mountain range and the tracks seemed to be leading that way. Moreover, even though they had followed those tracks to many other useless spots, Paul didn't see that they had much of a choice. Besides, whether or not the gold was there, he was still convinced that Reggie would try to find Phoebe and Cole. Until now however, they had not seen the tracks of his horse, telling them that if he had come this way, he must have used a different route. Paul signalled for the men to follow him towards the range but about a hundred feet hence, he stopped short. There the carriage tracks met with the elusive horse tracks he had been looking for and from then on, they mixed together toward the mountain range. He started back with renewed hope, but after following the tracks for a while he came upon something at once good and puzzling. The tracks seemed to go in two different directions: one with the carriage and horse tracks and another with only the carriage ones. At the intersection, the remnants of a campfire indicated that someone had spent the night there. His gaze followed the lone tracks of the carriage, which led away from the range, and he was surprised to find an artificial leading into a mound nearby.

As he moved closer, he saw planks on the ground. From the look of these, it had happened recently, as they lay on top rather than being buried in the sand. Paul dismounted slowly, wary of what might lie inside the mine shaft. He grabbed a torch from his saddlebag and lit it before walking toward the opening, pulling his gun and holding it at the ready with his free hand. His men dismounted behind him and they pulled their revolvers as well before following him inside…

Phil was beginning to think that Reggie's man was bullshitting him. They had been going for almost four hours and still found no signs of the mine shaft. Phil had brought him along but the guy was of no use, as he couldn't pinpoint the location to them. Phil began to regret not throwing him in the cells with the others so that he'd get his proper punishment. But then, as he was about to comment about it to Ray, his eyes caught sight of what he thought looked like tracks about twenty feet ahead. He had already kicked his horse and was on his way, when Ray called him back.

"Hey Phil, do you see what I'm seeing?"

Phil halted and gazed the way Ray was indicating. In the distance, he thought that he could distinguish a few horses, but as far as he could see, these were rider less.

"I see, I see," he called to Ray, but now he was uncertain as to the direction to take. The tracks appeared to have been left by a carriage, which would've fit with the girls' description. On the other hand, the presence of those horses might indicate that someone else was after the gold. Then again, it could have been unrelated. Ray came to join him with a questioning stare. He had also noticed the carriage tracks.

"Ok, what do we do?"

Phil hesitated, while looking back at their prisoner.

"I'm not sure…"

Cole emerged from the darkness, still dizzy, but a little clearer than the last time. Immediately, he knew that things had gone very wrong. He was tied with his arms over his head, while his ankles were also tied wide apart. The cold rocky floor he felt against his back and buttocks told him right away that he was naked even through the slight confusion caused by the head wound. Although it was obvious that they were in some sort of cave, he couldn't tell whether it was the mine shaft or some place else. Throughout his mounting apprehension, he also began to feel stupid. Earlier, he now remembered, he had been coming back to the carriage, still troubled by his argument with Phoebe. This was why he hadn't notice the lone sweaty horse that stood a short distance away until he was beside their conveyance. Then, he had stared at the animal in puzzlement for a few seconds but by the time the truth struck him, it had been too late. Reggie had come out from behind the carriage and before Cole could react, he'd hit him hard with his rifle. Afterward, Cole vaguely remembered waking up once and he wasn't even certain this happened either. When he heard the crackling from a fire, he tried to look aside, but had to take a few deep breaths as this movement alone worsened the dizziness and he was becoming noxious. Trying again, moving more slowly this time, he was mildly surprised to see Reggie staring back at him over the fire. This one was smiling cruelly.

"Well, look here, babe. Sleeping beauty is finally awake. Hell, I was starting to think I hit him too hard and he'd miss all the fun."

In saying so, Reggie looked behind him, and Cole got a sinking feeling. Again trying to keep the dizziness at bay, he turned his head the other way and found that Phoebe was there as he feared. She was just as undressed as he was, but she hung from her wrists, which were tied up over her head on a hook planted in the rocky wall. Reggie had gagged her, and as he watched her, Phoebe began mumbling angrily through the gag, while glaring at Reggie.

"Phoebe," Cole called hoarsely. He didn't know what was worse anymore; the fear of the pain to come for him, or the horror of seeing her suffering the same fate. "Phoebe, I'm so sorry…"

"Oh you better be sorry," Reggie taunted, as he got up and walked toward Phoebe. There, he turned to Cole with another cruel smile. "Well, this wouldn't be too much fun if she couldn't scream…" he uttered with a crazed expression. He then quickly removed the gag from Phoebe's mouth. She tried to bite him as he did, but her teeth closed a few inches from his fingers as he removed his hand quickly with a chuckle.

"You crazy son of a bitch, leave him out of this!" Phoebe screamed.

"Oh," Reggie uttered with obvious satisfaction, "this is gonna be even more fun than I thought. Wonder if it's the impressive package that turned my tiger into a kitten…hum. Not to worry Phoebe…I'll let you have another taste of it. I'll even cook 'em for you," Reggie chuckled again, as if to a very good joke.

"But hey," he continued, while Phoebe struggled madly against her bounds, "I'm going to do you the same courtesy you tried to do for me before I bite your clit off." In saying so, he reached between her legs and grabbed her groin hard.

"Come on kitten, you can't tell me you don't like it… you used to…"

Phoebe bit back a groan of pain as he brutally manipulated her while he grabbed one of her nipples and twisted it until she thought he'd tear it off.

"Let go of her, you piece of shit," Cole screamed angrily. Although Reggie did let go, Cole had to pay a toll in pain for it, as Reggie came toward him and kicked him hard in the kidney. Cole clenched his teeth to repress a scream and he felt the nausea coming back as well, which only added discomfort to his precarious situation.

"You seem in a hurry to get beaten," Reggie snickered, "but you'll have to wait for your turn, pretty boy. Meanwhile, let me give you something to think about while I pleasure the little lady." Reggie went around him and picked up a piece of wood still flaming from the fire. He then carelessly threw it between Cole's legs and this one jumped in anticipation of the pain. Fortunately, all he felt was the heat from the fire, but it was enough to tell him what Reggie had in mind for him. Indeed, Reggie confirmed his worst fears, as he came back and leaned over him. "When I start grilling your balls, it'll only be the beginning of your torments. Now, you shut up and watch," he added harshly before he hit him hard in the jaw with his fist, and then roughly put the gag he had taken from Phoebe in Cole's mouth.

Phoebe was becoming more scared by every moment; as much for Cole as for herself in fact, and it actually surprised her. Besides her baby girl, she had never felt that anyone else was deserving of her compassion or worry. No one had cared about what happened to her until now and she didn't see why she should bother to care about anyone else. Yet, the look of sadness in Cole's eyes, even in the face of his own ordeal to come, told her that he did care, just as much as she understood she cared for him. For the first time, she actually believed that in his own way, Cole did love her. Dejectedly, she reflected that this revelation came at the worst possible moment. Ever since she'd awakened in this cave, her fear for him had clouded her judgement, making her weak in her opinion. Even now that he had come to, the vague relief she had felt paled in comparison to how worse their situation had become because of it. Until now, Reggie had only toyed verbally with her. However, she knew that he had waited for this, while mentally savoring the torture he would inflict on both of them. And now, she had just given him another weapon to use against them.

Phoebe also felt terribly responsible for their predicament. She should've known better than risking for Reggie to come after them. She had no regrets for the pain she'd put him through. She only regretted not killing him when she had the chance.

In the mine shaft, she had not even made it around completely before she felt the hit behind her head and lost consciousness. Phoebe had no idea of where they were, or how long ago Reggie had gotten to them. She only knew that nearly an hour prior to this moment, she had awakened in this place; and if she feared the horrors Reggie had planned for her, the fact that Cole would suffer as well made it unbearable. Her only vague hope was that McKail might find them before it was too late. However, even this faint hope was quickly dying inside of her. It didn't keep her from casting nervous glances toward the entrance of the cave every so often. Until now, she thought that Reggie had not noticed. However, as he came toward her, she saw him following her gaze. Reggie almost laughed out loud at this.

"Oh, poor kitten," he uttered sarcastically. "You're not still hoping to be rescued, are you? Even if they could find this place, they'd have to want to. I made sure they got what they were truly after."

In spite of her anger, she stared at him questioningly.

"See, babe," he continued while grabbing one of her breasts again and painfully pulling her toward him with it, "I gave up my gold to them…just for the pleasure of taking care of you properly…you can bet your pretty little ass that they're gonna be more than happy to forget about him and you. At least long enough for me to finish the job and leave the country… So not to worry baby, we won't be interrupted," he added cruelly before bending toward her other breast and biting it hard. This time, Phoebe couldn't keep in the scream of agony. At this, Cole began fighting harder against his bounds and suddenly got the impression that one of his wrists might be loosening. Without hesitation, he pulled hard on that one, not caring about the burning caused by the rope abrading his wrist. He thought he was making progress, but another scream from Phoebe made him turn with a shudder. This time, he saw blood coming from the obvious bite mark on her breast. Galvanized by his fear for her, he pulled harder on the loosening bound until it finally gave. He quickly removed the gag but remained silent as he glanced back at Reggie, worried that he might have noticed, but this one was too busy roughly groping her belly to care what happened behind him. Cole managed to reach his other wrist and started pulling on the bound, but it was still way too slow, as he saw that Reggie's face was already between her legs in spite of Phoebe's struggle to get him off. When Phoebe saw what Cole was doing, she got distracted, and unfortunately, Reggie used this slackening in her struggle to manage a savage bite that drew blood again on the inside of her thigh. The blinding pain elicited another agonizing scream from her.

In that instant, Cole decided that even if his hand was torn from his arm in doing so, he would get himself out of his bounds, and he pulled as hard as he could until the second one gave at last. Quickly, and in spite of the dizziness, he sat up and grabbed the smoking stick that Reggie had dropped between his legs. Then he threw it as hard as he could against Reggie's back before bending further and trying to take off the ropes that still held his ankles.

The growl that came from Reggie told him that he at least got his attention, as Cole redoubled his efforts. Before he succeeded however, he felt a searing pain in his back. Looking back, he saw Reggie lifting up a short but mean looking knife and preparing to hit him again with it. Then, a gunshot echoed endlessly inside the cave and Reggie stepped away, his face contorted in what seemed an intense surprise. He looked up at his hand and screamed as much in frustration as in pain when he saw the blood profusely coming out of a gaping wound in his palm. The knife dropped to the rocky floor noisily as another gunshot was heard. This time, Reggie's kneecap was blown off and blood spurted from both wounds while he fell to the side, unable to hold his own weight anymore. Cole didn't even bother to look for the shooter. Instead, he grabbed the knife, and quickly cut his bounds with it. Then with the weapon firmly in hand, he jumped at Reggie, who tried to ward him off but without success.

"You god damn piece of crap," Cole said with blind rage. Without the slightest hesitation this time, he came down with the knife on Reggie's stomach and cut it opened. Reggie tried to get away, but Cole hit him again in the crotch this time, and the gangster began crying in abject fear and horror, as the knife had gone through the fabric and half severed his dick. Cole was about to hit him again, when he felt two pairs of strong arms pulling him away from Reggie.

"Let me finish him," Cole growled, as he tried to get out of their grasp. However, the two men were holding on tight, and Paul's voice finally got Cole's attention.

"Come on, Turner, he's done for…You don't need to dirty your hands anymore…"

Cole still struggled for a moment longer, but suddenly what he'd just done struck him and a violent bout of nausea shook him. He let the knife drop and threw up on the spot. Meanwhile, Reggie was pathetically trying to grab his insides and put them back in with one hand while the wounded one held his crotch, as if he could stop the inevitable. When Paul was certain that Cole would stay put, he let go of him and bent toward Reggie.

"You son of a bitch…I couldn't have done better myself. I hope it hurts like hell."

Reggie was drooling and coughing blood at the same time, while he cried like a child.

Paul pursued:

"My only regret is that you're gonna die too soon…"

Then, he got up and, picking up the knife still on the ground, he went toward Phoebe. Swiftly, he cut her bounds and as soon as she was free, she ran toward Reggie and kicked him repeatedly in the crotch. This one was already half dead and didn't have the strength to pull away as his screams of pain became whimpers.

Phoebe only stopped when Cole called to her.

"Phoebe, please…"

She looked up with sudden tears in her eyes and forgot all about Reggie as she went to him and hugged him.

"Cole…" she only uttered as his arms encircled her and held her tight against him.

Paul signalled for Phil to give him a hand as they dragged Reggie outside, even as this one was still whimpering.

Then Paul came back with blankets and said with a smirk:

"Would you cover yourself already?"

They took the offering gratefully, ignoring the smirk, while sitting on a large rock near the fire.

Phoebe looked at her hand then, which was bloody, and a sudden panic gripped her insides.

"Cole you're hurt!"

"It's nothing," he said as his fingers brushed over the bite mark on her left breast.

"I'm so sorry, Phoebe. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him fast enough…"

"Shush," she said while pressing her fingers against his lips. Then turning toward Paul, she added "you gotta do something about his wound."

Paul frowned as he pulled the blanket down in spite of Cole's protestations.

"You know what, Turner? You gotta be the luckiest son of a bitch. He barely scratched you."

"That's what I said…it's nothing…"

"Still, one of my men is a fairly good medic. I'll have him look at this and your forehead. Then we'll try to find you both something to wear. Seems that Reggie used your clothes to start his fire," he said while staring at a belt buckle that had been thrown beside the said fire. "What about you, Halliwell?"

"I'll live," she answered curtly. "Took you long enough," she added with mild reproach.

"As I said, you really are lucky. We almost didn't find you. Good thing Reggie had given a tour of this place to his men."

Paul glanced around and thought that this cave looked like a chamber of torture. It was part of a series of cave which were obviously Reggie's most secret hideout. There were hooks stuck on the walls and floors all over the cavern, which told him that he was using it as a deterrent to his men's betrayal. The one they had with them had indicated this place to them after they found the carriage, and he had looked terrified as they approached it… as if he still feared that Reggie could get to him.

"Lovely," Paul said sarcastically before returning his attention toward Cole and Phoebe.

"As I was saying…very lucky… although that won't keep me from arresting you…"

At this, Cole looked up with assurance.

"You can't do that…"

"Watch me!" Paul exclaimed. "You still tried to steal the gold and that's more than enough for me to arrest you. I'm not even talking about leaving me in the desert…again," he added, staring pointedly at Phoebe.

She stared back defiantly in silence.

"You still can't arrest me, McKail…I certainly can't be accused of stealing my own money…"

Phoebe flinched visibly while pulling away from him.

"What?"

Cole grimaced with slight embarrassment.

"What the hell are you talking about, Turner?" Paul questioned then.

Cole gathered the blanket around him and stood up.

"First of all, it's Mr. Turner to you… and I happen to be the co-owner of the mining company that lost this money in the first place."

"What kind of bullshit is that?"

"Didn't the name Turner and Son tell you anything? I've actually wondered why you didn't put it together already…"

"First off, I never knew the name of the company…it was immaterial to my work. Second, if you think you can just say that without any proof, you got another one coming…"

"If you would be kind enough to get me a pair of pants and help me find my pack…my credentials are in my suit pocket, along with a proof of ownership signed by one of the owners of the Wells Fargo."

Paul frowned uncertainly but still went outside and came back with one of his men, who immediately proceeded to bandage Cole's wounds before giving him some clothes. Meanwhile, Phoebe had taken the offered clothes herself, but had not said another word since Cole had revealed his latest secret. As they were preparing to leave, Cole tried to take her hand, but she removed it quickly as if he'd bit her.

"Phoebe?"

"You son of a bitch," she growled suddenly, startling him. "When I think I almost let myself believe you… For a moment back there, I actually thought you cared for me…you probably just pitied me…"

"No Phoebe, you know that's not true!" He said while trying to take her in his arms.

Again, Phoebe took a step back, staying out of his reach.

"I'm done listening to your lies, Turner! You're the same as all of them. You never cared about me! You just followed me to make sure I wouldn't take your precious money. Well, you can keep it!" She almost screamed before storming out of the cave.

Cole was so stunned that he didn't make a move to go after her at first. "How can she say that," he thought angrily. But then, he understood how bad this looked. A sinking feeling crept its way inside of him. After all this, the very fact that he was who he was again put up an almost insurmountable obstacle between them. However, even as the thought struck Cole, he made a firm decision. He wasn't about to give up that easily. He would make her see things his way, even if it took him a lifetime. Then he went out after her resolutely.

They had to walk down a tortuous trail, which branched in so many places that, if it hadn't been for Reggie's man, they might have ended up far from their destination. Meanwhile, two men were dragging Reggie the Slick's lifeless body. From the look of him, they had finished him by beating him up after he was dragged outside the cave. Cole gave one last disgusted look at the body before moving ahead. He tried to get to Phoebe and make her listen, but every time, she moved faster away. After a few more futile attempts, he decided to wait until she calmed down.

The trail went on for almost thirty minutes before they came upon a deep gorge. There, they found that Reggie had left the carriage and horses. He had loaded his own horse with Cole and Phoebe's packs and tied it to the carriage as well.

"Now, you better be telling the truth, Tur…Mr. Turner," Paul completed with obvious contempt.

"Oh you can call me whatever you want, McKail. Come to think of it, it doesn't matter all that much," Cole replied with a joyless smile. He then gave another look toward Phoebe, but she refused to meet his gaze. With a shrug, he went toward the horse which held the packs. There, he rummaged through his belongings, and as he was pulling out the suit jacket from his own pack, he noticed that Phoebe's seemed heavier than he remembered. He discreetly looked inside of it and then without giving away anything, he pulled his pack off that horse and came back toward the others. He dropped his bag on the ground and within a few seconds, handed two official looking papers to McKail.

"I trust you can read?"

Paul sneered as he proceeded to read the credentials attentively. Then, he gave them back to Cole with a slightly more respectful expression.

"Well…it looks like I owe you an apology," he uttered reluctantly.

"No need," Cole answered assuredly. "Just as long as we're clear…"

"Crystal clear," Paul added. "So…this is all yours," he questioned next.

"Well, mostly my father's," Cole admitted, "but it's all the same…"

"But that only clears you, however," Paul continued. "Phoebe is still very much guilty…"

Phoebe almost jumped at him, but Cole put himself between them.

"Look, McKail…since this is my money and I gather that it is all there, you can't hold it against her. She hasn't taken anything…"

"But…" Paul began and then stopped himself.

"Oh hell, who cares? She can go…"

Phoebe went around Cole and stood before Paul at this.

"What about our arrangement," she questioned, ignoring what Cole had just done for her.

"What arrangement?"

"I led you to the gold! I thought we had an agreement."

Paul couldn't believe how bold she was. Phoebe had just nearly gotten herself arrested and yet she was still demanding the reward.

"You know what, Halliwell? I think you should be grateful you're not hanging and leave it at that. At least, you got half the bargain…you walk free. Be content with that."

Phoebe growled unhappily and then with a look of utter contempt towards him and Cole, she stomped toward the horse still holding her pack.

"Hey, you can't…" Paul started, but Cole lifted a firm hand in front of him.

"Let her have it."

Phoebe sat in the saddle with a grunt of pain, but she clenched her teeth and was about to kick the horse when Cole called to her.

"Phoebe…you can still change your mind."

She hesitated only another moment, and then she went on her way out of the gorge without looking back.

Paul watched Cole and was surprised to see a smile forming on his lips.

"Wow, you don't look too broken up over it. Maybe Phoebe was right…"

Cole ignored the sarcasm and instead questioned Paul.

"McKail…How would you go about taming a wild horse?"

Paul gave him an astounded look.

"What the hell does it have to do with anything?"

"It's just a question… really, how?"

"Well, first of all, you'd need to catch it and make sure he won't escape…I guess that would be a good start."

"Right…" Cole trailed. "And…?"

"Then you would have to gain his trust…"

"Ouch…that might be the tough part…" Cole said mostly for himself with a frown.

"What else?"

"I guess that if you managed to get him to trust you enough for him to let you mount it, you'd straddle the beast and hope he wouldn't snap your neck before he's broken…"

"And how do you catch a wild horse," Cole uttered with increasing confidence.

"You need to know where he roams and then rope him…"

"Her, you mean…" Cole said, rather pleased with himself. "Alright," he then added impatiently, "let's get this gold back and go to the nearest town. I have a few telegraphs to send. Oh and by the way, I'll be lodging a formal complaint against Miss Halliwell."

"What? You just forced me let her go!" Paul exclaimed incredulously

"And that's my point…Until she left, she had done nothing wrong."

"What are you talking about?"

"Among other things, there's a substantial sum of money belonging to me in her pack. I'm assuming," Cole added with a corner smile, "that she took it from me with the intention of robbing me. This should be enough to get an arrest warrant."

"Then, let me get her back!"

"No!" Cole exclaimed. "No need…I know exactly where she'll be. Don't worry; she'll come to you in Flagstaff."

"Why…?"

"I just know she will…Since I'm the one who'll lodge the complaint; I can do it at my convenience can't I?"

Paul grunted in acquiescence.

"Then I choose to do so later on…"

"I don't know what ideas you put in this big head of yours, but if it's what I think it is, I'm gonna put my money on her and you better get protection for your nuts…"

"You'd be mistaken," Cole uttered more seriously, "I fully intend to win…or I'd lose something more precious than all the gold in the world if I didn't…"

Without another word, Cole grabbed his pack and went to the carriage, climbing on the front seat, ready to go. Paul shook his head dejectedly, but still signalled their departure…