Jude strode out of the tent. Clemens was sitting on a log, still licking his wounds. He saw Jude walking towards him and stood. His insides began to twist with fear. No one betrays Jude Bonner and gets away with it. And no one does anything without his say so. Seeing the look in Jude's eyes, LaFete took his arm and pulled him back. "She's just a skirt, Jude, she's a pawn in this game, nothin' more." He said, trying to get Jude to calm down before he did something to make him look weak.

Calming down, he looked at Clemens. "No one was to touch her until I was through with her." He stated coldly. "K'Lingy, you go get her. Everyone seems to want a piece of that woman, lets see how badly. I'm gonna raffle her off to the highest bidder." K'Lingy smiled as he got up from his seat and entered the tent. Kitty lay on the ground, desperately trying to focus. Her head swam with confusion and pain. She didn't realize anyone was in the tent with her until he grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her to her feet. She desperately attempted to hold her blouse closed as he dragged her out of the tent and towards the center of camp. He shoved her and Jude caught her. She would not look up into his eyes. She kept her eyes lowered. Jude grabbed her by the chin.

"You know what, Reds, I was taught to share my toys." He said to her and this caused a reaction from her. She looked up and there was terror written in her eyes.

"Nooo." It came out as a long gasped whisper.

He smiles at her, his hand sliding down her throat, to her neck, then inside her blouse to grasp her bare breast. "Ye-siree, I'm gonna share my toy." He dragged her to the center of the campsite and shoved her to the ground. The men laughed and watched as she slowly sat up on the ground. Pulling her blouse closed.

"Gather round boys." He told them as they slowly stood and gathered in a large circle around Jude and his woman. He steps closer to her and looks down at her. She held her arm across her breast holding her blouse closed. "This here, is Marshall Dillon's woman, the same man who took m' brother and in a manner of speakin' hanged m' brother with his own hands." He looks at her, and walks around to the other side of her. Kitty kept her eyes down, but turned her head towards him, watching his feet, terrified of what was to come. "Now, she ain't no virgin bride," they laughed at him. "Least ways, not anymore." Again they busted out laughing. "And she ain't no spring chicken." They laughed at her again. "But what she does have is a warm body. Her breast are firm, makes a man's mouth water." He leaned into her and grabbed her hair, pulling her head back and pushing her blouse aside baring one breast, grabbing it and squeezing it for effect. Kitty immediately fought off his touch, shoving his hand away and pulling her blouse closed. "And thighs, smooth white thighs soft enough to cradle a man's body b'twixt 'em and make him feel at home. And even though she ain't no young bride," He pulls her face up, this time his hand under her chin. Tears ran freely down her cheeks. Her clear blue eyes silently begging him to stop. For a moment, he stammered, but he knew he could not turn back. "No, she ain't hard to look at a'tall. In fact she's mighty purdy for a mature woman. Mighty purdy indeed." He gently brushed the red locks out of her face and then kissed her hard on the mouth.

"Please don't do this." She whispered but he smiled and stood up. She hung her head back down.

"Now, who's gonna start the bidding. Afore you take her, there are some rules. One, I don't mind none if you're ta be a little rough, but I want her alive. I'm gonna be takin' her back to dodge in one piece. Two, no sharin' she ain't no whorehouse prize and she don't know more than one man at a time. I won't have you rippin' her apart just to have her die on the way back. And three, when I say enough, I mean it. Now, let's get this merchandise on the block." He said grabbing Kitty's arm and pulling her to her feet. He drags her to the center of the circle and holds on to her arm as he looks around, waiting for the bidding to start. Kitty held her hand tight against her breast, her hair hung in her face and she kept her gaze lowered.

"I'll give ya' two dollars." One of his men yelled in the back.

"Five dollars!" Yelled another man.

"Eight dollars and twenty five cents!" Yelled another.

"Twenty dollars!" K'Lingy yelled, as he pulled out some money from his pocket.

"Thirty!" LaFete yelled as he smiles at K'Lingy

"Thirty-five." K'Lingy returned

"Fifty dollars!" LaFete said pulling out the wad. K'Lingy looked down at his money and at the woman standing with Bonner. He then shook his head and put the money back in his pocket. She was something all right. He wanted a piece of her from the moment she had slapped Bonner in the saloon. He knew then that she was a fighter. And she would give him a run for his money. But he only had 47 dollars on him and that wasn't enough.

"Well, looks like you win, Lafete." Bonner said as he shoved Kitty to him. Kitty fell to the ground at his feet and slowly sat up on her hip.

"Git up!" He told her, but she was still dazed and confused from what had just happened. He angrily grabs her hair, pulling her head back. Kitty swung her clenched fist and hit him in the face, knocking him on his rear. The others laugh at him. She gets to her knees and tries to crawl away, but LaFete jumps up, grabbing her by the hair, he then proceeds to drag her towards the tent. Kitty was kicking and screaming, as she held onto his hand with both of her hands. He dragged her across the threshold of the tent and into the tent.

He strikes her hard across the face and she held her cheek as she cried. Lafete stood up and as he looked at her, he slowly began to undress. Taking his shirt off, then unzipping his pants. Kitty suddenly sat up, hitting him in the groin. He fell to the ground, his head and shoulder coming out of the tent. The others continued to laugh and watch, as she crawled right over him, and tried to get away. He reached for her, catching her ankle and she fell. He then got up and pulled her to her feet. Bonner just watched quietly. Watching this, he suddenly felt an unfamiliar pang of regret, but he couldn't intervene now. He gave her to LaFete, and he couldn't welch. She hit him in the nose, and got to her feet, running towards Bonner. Kitty was only a few feet away, when Lafete grabbed her about the waist.

"Nooooooo! No! Bonner, don't do this. Pleease! I'm beggin' you, pleeease!" She cried out as she kicked and fought Lafete all the way back into the tent.

Lafete threw her onto his cot, his body immediately covering hers and his hand clasping over her mouth as she tried to scream. Before she could stop him, he was between her legs and her skirt was shoved up to her hips. He was brutal. Pounding into her hard and fast. As he pounded into her, he felt the tightening in his belly. He pulled her blouse opened and sank his teeth into her breast, to stifle his own cry of completion. Kitty screamed in pain, through his hand before she passed out. He continued to lay there on top of her, not wanting to pull him self from the warmth of her body. It had been such a long time since he had been with a woman. And he did not want to let go just yet.

An hour later, Lafete came out of the tent, tucking his shirt into his britches as he did so. Bonner saw the look in K'Lingy's eyes and knew that the man wanted the woman. She had to be some kind of woman to make a man like K'Lingy try to pay for her.

"K'Lingy, you offered 35 for the woman. Pay me, and you can have your turn at her." He said as the big man stood and smiled, then walked over to him. "I'm doin' this, to put another nail in Marshall Dillon's coffin, knowing his woman was taken by another man, will be bad enough, but when he finds out she's been taken by a half-breed and a runaway x-slave, that'll stick in his crawl." K'Lingy just smiled as he handed his money over to Jude, then headed for the tent. Jude grabs his arm before he gets too far. "Don't kill her. I want her alive."

Standing 6'4", he weighed 210 lbs, his body was a mass of muscles, from working in the fields on the plantation. He nodded at Jude, acknowledging his request. He entered the tent and looked down at Kitty, Terrified, she crawls to the other side of the tent, but he grabs her by the ankle and pulls her under him, where he proceeds to rape her.

The sun came up and she lay on the ground, barely conscious. Duffy adjusted his trousers, as Jude entered the room. She lay on her side, facing the cot. Her clothing torn and tattered, but still wearable. "Leave!" Jude kneels down behind her. She was no longer crying.

Eleven of Jude Bonner's men had been allowed to enter his tent and they each took a turn at her. He grabs her by the back of the neck and pulls her to her feet. He throws her to the cot, face down and proceeds to take her again and again, until he had satisfied the fire burning in his loins. Or at best, gotten this woman out of his blood.

He didn't know what it was about this white woman, but there was something that drew him to her. Like a moth to a flame, and sooner or later, he'd get burned, he knew it was bound to happen.

As he sat at the table, with the lamp low, he drank down the last of the whiskey. She was asleep, or perhaps, she was unconscious. He wasn't too sure. She lay on the cot, naked, except for a blanket he had thrown over her buttocks. He watched as the light seemed to dance off of the red hair, making it look as though it were on fire. Or the way her skin glistened. Even with the bruises covering so much of her, she was still beautiful. 'No, she goes back! I don't want no white woman, no how.' Jude tried to convince himself.

Lafete came into the tent. He looked over at the practically naked woman lying on the cot and licked his lips.

"You want somethin'?" Jude asked.

"Dillon left Hayes two days ago. Even if he rides that animal into the ground he won't be back to Dodge for another 2 days. We can take the woman back and be miles away before he gets to Dodge."

"We leave tomorrow morning!" Jude said staring at the woman on the cot.

"But Jude, don't you think it best if'n we was to leave now." LaFete said walking around the cot to sit on the other side of the table. "If we was to leave tomorrow morning, it'd be cuttin' it too close. That Marshall will track us down for sure. He'll bring that whole dang town with him." LaFete said looking over at the still form on the cot. His fingers were itchin' to touch her smooth skin again. He was itchin' to be with her again. Jude could see the lust in LaFete's eyes.

"I don't care if he brings the whole of Kansas, we'll kill every last one of 'em." He said as he got to his feet.

"You can't keep her Jude, she ain't your'in." He told him.

"She don't belong to him either. If I wanted her, I'd keep her. But I'm gonna take her back. We leave at first light. Now leave me alone." He said without looking at LaFete. He continued to gaze at Kitty as she lay there on the cot. When Lafete left the tent, Jude turned down the lamp completely. He could still see her. The fire outside gave off a great deal of light. He could still see her pale skin which was mostly covered in bruises. Getting to his feet, he walked over to the cot and stood there. Kitty knew he was staring at her and she turned her head to look up at him. She saw the lust in his eyes and knew that he wanted her again. Her body ached from head to toe, but she knew that she would not get out of this place without satisfying him at least one more time. She lowered her head a moment as if to think on it. Slowly she turned her body over so that he was now gazing down at her naked breast. His gaze moved over the firmness of her bosom, down to the slight curve of her belly, over her bare hips. He was amazed that any woman, especially a white woman could make him feel so much. Lying back on the cot, she watched him staring at her nude body. He wanted her again, and she could see the powerful lust in his eyes. Jude reached up and unbuttoned his britches then slid them down his legs. He stepped out of them and climbed onto the cot between her wide spread thighs. This time, she would give him, what he wanted, no matter how much pain she was in. And the memory of her, would haunt him till his dying day. Of this, she was going to make certain. This time, he moved slowly into her, as though he were making love to his woman. Not humiliating another man's woman. She gave him her body and only her body. The deepest part of her soul would be kept for only one man in her life. This man could have her body, he could invade her body, but not her soul nor her heart. He began to move in earnest and she knew that he was close. Suddenly, his mouth covered hers and he cried out into her mouth as he came inside of her.

"What have you done to me, woman?" He said grabbing the sides of her face. But she just stared at him with blank eyes. He gasped for air and laid his head upon her shoulder as he forced the air back into his lungs, attempting to catch his breath. Lying there, still on top of her and inside of her.

to be continued…..