Good evening everyone!

Hope you enjoy this chapter, things are really going to start to kick off now :D

Also; I have had a few ask and I just wanted to clarify;

This IS an Edward/Bella story!

And finally there is some mild violence in this chapter, so consider yourself warned!

Chapter Four

Isabella refused to cry anymore. She had been locked in her cell for two days now, with barely an ounce of food, little rest and certainly no peace of mind; she was worried that it was going to drive her insane. The sheriff had left her completely alone the first day, she had heard him outside through her window though, arguing with Charles.

He had appeared briefly yesterday, but when he had realised that the frightened girl was still not ready to talk, he had stormed away. Mike had taken that opportunity to sneak her some food and give her water whilst the sheriff was not present.

Today she felt like her luck was about to run out. She was not certain where the feeling stemmed from, but she sensed it in her bones, she was on edge from the moment her eyes opened that morning.

The cell had a small barred window at head height that allowed a teensy ray of sunshine to warm the room. Despite the average temperature being about 96 degrees most days the cell felt chilly all of the time, for the past two days Isabella had followed the sunshine across the room using the heat to comfort her. The wooden floor was splintering in places make it difficult to rest on but so far, she had refused to even touch the stained cot in the corner, selecting instead to sleep upright with her back against the far wall.

Her lips were parched and cracking, it felt like sand had gotten beneath her eyelids as blinking irritated her tired eyes. Her stomach growled and her neck ached. Two days and she already wanted to give in, but what could she say to the sheriff that would appease him? She couldn't provide him with any of the answers to his questions even if she wanted to.

The sheriff was currently perched on his desk, his eyes were brimming with rage and suspicion as he regarded the girl silently. He had denied her any food and knew that it was taking its toll, as girlish and inexperienced as she was in the world, he had expected her to crack by now.

From her cell Isabella watched as Mike walked through the door, she awaited his usual look of pity but was surprised when he cast a distrustful glance her way. He strode up to the sheriff and presented a piece of paper to the older man.

"Found this in her room in the hotel across the street. I think you were right." Isabella held her breath as the sheriff quickly scanned the paper, his eyes shifted to her and narrowed. The girl could not see what was on the paper but from the menacing looks she was receiving she knew that it spelled trouble for her.

The sheriff licked his lips as he approached the cell. Finally, he revealed what Mike had brought him from her room, Isabella's heart sank as she recognised the wanted poster.

"You know we had a poster just like this one, but it disappeared a couple o' weeks ago. Right after your visit. Why did Mike find this in your room?" The sheriff did not raise his voice, but he did not need to. Isabella swallowed as she tried to moisten her dry mouth.

From her spot on the ground she anxiously watched as the sheriff unlocked the door and stepped inside, she was already pressed up against the wall so she had nowhere to retreat to as he invaded her personal space. His fist closed around the front of her blouse and he heaved her to her feet. Her fingers closed around his hand as she struggled to pry his grip from her top.

Isabella gritted her teeth against the pain and terror that engulfed her, as she stared into the eyes of this devil she genuinely feared for her life. After everything she had witnessed since arriving here, she had not expected to die at the hands of the sheriff!

She suddenly yearned for her older brother. He had sheltered her from their father's actions when they had been growing up, he had defended her from potential bullies and had consistently treated her with so much respect. Under the sheriff's eye she felt like dirt, the lowest of the low. Reluctantly, a tear rolled down her cheek, Isabella wished to wipe away the proof of her weakness, but dare not move in case the man reacted violently.

He snarled in disgust as he rattled her, her head crashed against the wall a couple of times and her neck hurt where her blouse was cutting in to her skin from his unyielding grip.

"Start talking or I'll-" He pulled his free arm back, his open palm raised as a warning. Isabella closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable pain.

"Sheriff-" Mike began.

"If you can't stomach it boy, then leave." He ordered.

"But sheriff," Mike trailed off. The sheriff glimpsed over his shoulder; from Isabella's position she could see the silhouette of someone in the doorway. Without turning back to her, he released her from his hold, she was not expecting it and stumbled as she struggled to remain on her feet.

As the man moved forward Isabella became aware that there were two of them. She did not recognise either of them, but from the similar style of clothing and deputy pins on their chests Isabella understood that these were lawmen. For a moment she had hoped that they were here to put an end to the sheriff's vicious treatment, but when she saw Nelson step up behind them, she realised that these men were the 'backup'.

"Gentlemen," the sheriff wandered out of her cell, the door clanging shut. "I'm Henry, I'm the sheriff in these parts." The two men approached the sheriff, each taking turns to clasp Henry's hand and introduce themselves.

"Thanks Nelson, that will be all." Nelson hesitated in the doorway as he noticed Isabella cowering in the corner of her cell.

"I said that will be all Nelson." The sheriff's voice was hard, leaving no room for argument. Isabella felt defeated as Nelson left without another word or glance in her direction.

"We heard you had yerself a robbery. The Clayton gang? They hit our town a couple of months back, killed our sheriff."

"Sorry to hear that boys, seems we have a common enemy right now." The two deputies nodded their heads in agreement.

"Who's the girl?" One of them questioned, Isabella tried to shrink into herself as all four pairs of eyes in the room focused on her.

"That girl right there, she's the key to us finding them. She's been hiding out here for a month or so now but she spoke with one o' em. Couple of folks around town said she'd been asking about a young man, but we think that was just a cover story whilst she scoped out the town. They waited 'til my other deputy's wife gave birth to attack so that we would be one man short, she must have fed them the information so they knew when to carry out their plan."

The newcomer's blank expressions transformed into looks of disgust and loathing as they regarded her, believing the sheriff's version of events.

"They used a rat to sniff around our town before striking too, but not this girl."

"Well at the very least, she'll make good bait." Henry smirked. "But for now, let me show you around town. Mike stay here." The sheriff herded the other two deputies out of the office, Isabella let out a little sigh of relief, at least she would be left alone for a little while longer.

From below her lashes she discreetly looked at Mike who had his hands on his hips and a dejected expression on his face. As he twisted to face her cell, she quickly looked back to her hands which were nervously fiddling with the material of her dirty skirt. She flinched as something clanged against the bars of her cell but relaxed when she registered Mike was offering her a cup of water.

She didn't hesitate to accept it, swallowing greedily as the cooling liquid hit the back of her throat.

"Thanks," she whispered as she held the cup out for him to take back.

"It's only going to get worse Isabella; you need to tell the sheriff what you know. Think about yourself, your brother is probably already dead." As he mentioned her sibling her eyebrows creased over her eyes in confusion. "I overheard you asking around about your brother, I put two and two together." He muttered.

"So, you don't believe I'm the rat? Why haven't you told the sheriff?" Isabella wanted to know.

"You ain't no rat. And I didn't see the point. If your brother is dead, no one needs to know, if he ain't then it will only be worse for you when the sheriff finds out who you are to him." He retreated back to the desk in the corner, took a seat and rested his feet up on the desk, leaving Isabella to her thoughts.

It was not long before another body appeared in the doorway, casting a shadow across the room. Isabella was stunned when she recognised Abigail from the saloon, the young harlot discreetly winked in Isabella's direction before moving toward the desk. Mike peered at the woman.

"Oh Mike, I miss Wes so much." The woman instantly turned on the tears, if Isabella wasn't in such a dire situation she would have probably laughed at the display. Mike looked visibly disturbed as the emotional woman continued to approach him. She threw herself across his lap and buried her head in his shoulder as her body shook. Mike hesitantly placed his arms around the weeping woman.

"I miss being held." Isabella nearly snorted. She knew what Abigail did for a living, she was in and out of different men's arms multiple times a day. "I miss his strong arms." She continued. "I miss the warmth; will you warm me up deputy Mike?" Even whilst crying she sounded so seductive, Isabella felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment as she witnessed the painted lady in her element.

"Will you hold me?" Abigail caressed Mike's lips with her fingertips, then gently cupped his cheek and guided it up so she could use the power of her eyes to convince him. Mike did not need any more persuading, he stood with Abigail still in his arms and disappeared out the back door. Isabella wondered what it must feel like to have such a hold over men that you could control their actions, she supposed she would have to have a body like Abigail's to accomplish anything; whilst Abigail had a voluptuous, full figure with a tiny waist, round hips and an ample bust. Isabella still had the body of an awkward teenager.

"Pstt," Isabella's head jerked at the unknown sound. "Up here." Isabella forced herself to her feet and wandered over to the barred window.

"Argg," She exclaimed as a face suddenly popped up. "Seth!"

He grinned at her, but the smile quickly vanished as he scanned her appearance.

"Miss Bella, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine Seth. I'm fine." She willed him to believe her, but it sounded false even to her own ears. "What are you standing on?" She questioned; Isabella had to tiptoe to reach the window.

"Just a box," Seth dismissed quickly. "I need to give you something," he held a closed hand out threw the bars. Isabella offered both her hands to the boy, cupping them together to catch the object, he released it into her waiting palms. The object was heavier than she had been expecting, and cold.

"Charles told me to give it to you. I better go now Miss Bella, before anyone sees me. Good luck!"

"Wait, Seth-" But the boy had already disappeared, the interaction over before it had even really started. A part of Isabella yearned for the boy to come back, she wanted to see his friendly, boyish face again. She pressed herself closer to the window but the alleyway was now vacant except for a couple of rats which were chowing down on an abandoned apple core.

What had he meant when he had said good luck? She wondered.

After settling back into her spot on the ground in the corner she opened her hands to inspect the cool, metal object. It fit perfectly into one of her palms; the outer case was littered with a few light scratches but overall, it seemed in perfect condition; the swirling engravements were incredible she noted. Isabella slid her nails between the seams on the side and pried the little pocket watch open, it no longer worked. The hands were forever frozen on half past twelve. On the inside of the case was a picture of a beautiful lady, she was alone with her hands folded in front of her. Her hair was curly, half of it piled on top of her head, the other half flowing around her shoulders.

Isabella carefully removed the picture from the case, there was nothing written on the back, but beneath the picture a name had been etched on the interior of the pocket watch.

MADSEN

The name was familiar to Isabella, but why? With the watch still in her hand she climbed to her feet and walked towards the door of her cell.

MAD MADSEN

WANTED FOR MURDER, KIDNAPPING, BANK ROBBERY

STAGE COACH ROBBERY, HORSE THEFT

WANTED ALIVE FOR QUESTIONING

KNOWN CLAYTON GANG MEMBER

REWARD $4000

This was what had fallen from the man's brown leather pouch two days prior; the shiny object that Seth had been so quick to claim. She studied the face of the man she had overlooked two weeks ago in favour for her brothers wanted poster, his eyes pierced her soul from across the room. He had bushy eyebrows on a pleasing face, a marble jaw that was rugged and masculine, Isabella found the man to be attractive.

She could not recall the colour of his eyes, she supposed that in the heat of the moment it was the last thing she had thought to take note of. Looking back at the photograph of the stunning lady in her hand she could visualise the two together, she bet they made a striking pair when stood side by side.

Isabella quickly placed the picture back where it belonged and stowed the pocket watch down the front of her blouse as she heard Mike returning through the back door. He looked concerned to see her standing at the front of her cell apparently staring into space, but shrugged it off and sat back at the desk as he readjusted his belt.

Why had Charles instructed Seth to give her the pocket watch? She supposed he was behind Abigail's distraction too, to give Seth the opening he needed to hand it over. There was no way Abigail would bed Mike for free, it went against her morals. What was Charles up to?

The light from the sun passed from the left side of her cell to the right, signalling the passing hours. Isabella was mind-numbingly bored as she tried to distract herself with her thoughts, she recalled memories from her childhood, both happy and sad.

When Henry and the deputies returned to the office Isabella knew instantly that they were coming for her. The sheriff strode directly to her cell, using his key to unlock the door.

"Right girl, you've had enough time to daydream, now I want some information." Isabella trembled as the sheriff unfastened his belt and detached the buckle. He folded it in two and snapped the belt against the bars, the sound was enough to fill Isabella's eyes with tears, she remembered her father using the belt on Jasper. Her brother had always pretended it was fine afterwards but Isabella knew that it caused him great pain.

Isabella screamed as the belt collided with the wall above her.

"Where are they camped?" The sheriff asked. Isabella kept her head low against her knees, she did not want to see the belt coming for her. She screeched as the belt connected with her left shoulder blade. The pain was worse than anything she had ever experienced.

"Sheriff, she doesn't know anything." Mike was on the other side of the bars pleading with the sheriff.

"She does, you just have to be willing to do what it takes to get the answers you want."

He drew his arm back, preparing to strike her again when the main door slammed open, ricocheting off of the wall it crashed against.

"Sheriff, the saloon is on fire!" Charles bellowed. The sheriff cursed under his breath as he backed out of the cell, replacing his belt and buckle. Charles who was already making his way back out of the building, did not see the girl weeping in the corner.

When Isabella finally looked up, she realised that she was completely alone. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and stroked the tender skin on her back in an effort to sooth the burning area.

As she strained her ears, she could detect the faint crackling of a fire. Just then, there was a mighty explosion and a couple of responding screams.

By Jim, what was going on?! The girl prayed that her friends were safe, Abigail and Sharon, Seth and Charles, whose saloon was burning to the ground! Isabella paced the length of her cell, frustrated that she could not see what was happening three doors down, the pain in her shoulder nearly forgotten as she feared for the lives of her friends.

Suddenly there was a scuffling sound coming from her window, she turned to the noise and slowly approached it, lifting her chin to get a better look. She flinched when a horse's muzzle sniffed at the bars before shuffling slightly away. Now all she could see was someone's wool covered knee and a tall black boot cutting off at the top of the shin.

"Hello?" She called.

"You might want to stand back." Isabella watched on in confusion as a lit match appeared at the bars, immediately something begun to sizzle as the spark travelled down the length of a wire. The horse and rider quickly scattered leaving her alone once again with the ignited dynamite.

Her lips parted in revelation, she had only seconds to seize the filthy mattress from the cot and position it in front of her, she folded herself into a tiny, tight ball on the ground and hoped for the best.

The explosion was deafening, the echoing ring in her ears disorientating, she uncoiled her fingers from the destroyed mattress and let it fall to the ground. It had done its job in protecting her from the blast. The edges of her vision seemed fuzzy as she looked to the window. Only there was no window now, there was a gaping hole, the bars that had held her in were bent at awkward angles.

She stumbled over to the hole and rested her hands on either side so she could peer out, shrieking as a hand materialised in her face.

"Get on," Isabella looked at the hand, her eyes trailed upwards until she was staring into a pair of dazzling, forest green eyes. She could not see any more of the man's covered face but from the eyes alone she knew who this man was. She had been staring at his wanted poster just hours earlier. So, that was the colour of his eyes.

"Or I can leave you here to die, it's up to you." He grunted; his hand was still hovering in front of her.

The girl threw caution to the wind and extended her hand, he snatched hold of her forearm and hauled her up onto the horse behind him. Her legs falling either side of the horse, her front pressed to his back, she awkwardly clung to his shoulders as he kicked the horse into motion. As they reached the mouth of the alleyway Isabella finally saw the tornado of flames that had claimed the saloon, there was not much of the building remaining, the first floor had caved into the ground floor, the decking was very nearly gone.

Just as they turned their backs on the chaos a shot rang out over the sound of the roaring flames. Isabella shrieked as she fisted the fabric of Madsen's jacket and buried her face into his back.

The sheriff and the deputies opened fire on the pair, but none of the bullets made contact as the horse sped away from the mayhem and away from Placerville.

They had only been riding for five or so minutes when the horse reduced its pace down to a steady trot and Isabella felt she could uncurl from her uncomfortable position, her fingers ached as she released her deathly grip on Madsen.

As she glanced behind them, she noticed that she could no longer see the town, but in the far distance there was an orange glow and billowing smoke where the fire was still raging on. She could detect the scent of burning wood and whiskey as the wind blew in their direction.

She hoped that everyone she cared about was safe and well. She had not seen Charles as they had charged away, but knew he would be distraught, she wondered if he had witnessed her escape.

The weight of the pocket watch was heavy against her stomach; Charles had arranged this, somehow. It was the only reason she could imagine why he would have instructed Seth to give her the pocket watch; the pocket watch that belonged to the man she was holding on to.

The silence between the pair was growing unbearable, and whilst Isabella was extremely grateful to be free of her jail cell, she was still terrified of the man she clung to. But a niggling question demanded that she break the silence.

"Where's my brother?"

Madsen turned his head slightly as he spoke over his shoulder.

"He's alive." Isabella breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are we going to him?"

"No, I am taking you to the nearest train station and you're going home."

Isabella pulled back slightly at his harsh tone and unbelievable words, she nearly lost her balance on the horse but Madsen gripped her thigh and held her in place.

"No, no, I can't go home, I don't have a home to go to!" She exclaimed.

Madsen exhaled irritably, yanking on the reins of his horse pulling them to a halt. He used her right hand, that was stilling resting on his shoulder to propel her off of the horse, with a yelp she landed clumsily on her feet.

He dismounted next to her, his feet landing heavily on the ground. She took a cautious step back, Madsen was tall; over six feet and making her feel like an ant compared to him. He tore the bandana from his face and shoved it into a pocket, then removed his hat to run his fingers through his dishevelled locks. Isabella was taken aback at the beauty of this man; his full pouty lips were open in an exhale; his eyelashes brushed his cheeks as he glared down at the ground. He fisted his free hand and his stubbled jaw grew taut as he gritted his teeth, obvious signs of his building frustrations with the young girl.

"Well you aren't coming with me." He bit out.

"I have nowhere else to go!"

"Not my problem." He responded.

"But Jasper-"

"Doesn't want you around kid." Isabella drew back at his words. That couldn't be true.

"I don't believe you." She said adamantly.

"Well, that's your problem." Isabella felt desperate now.

"I-" She was cut off by the now so familiar sound of a pistol. Her gut reaction sent her to the floor as her hands flew up to protect her head.

"What in the Sam Hill?" Madsen muttered. He withdrew a gun from his holster with deadly speed and fired of his own round. From a distance Isabella heard someone grunt as they crumbled to the ground. When no more bullets were discharged Isabella looked up to see Madsen walking over to the writhing man on the ground.

Sensing that it was safe, she rose to her feet and followed, pausing just a short distance away.

"Mike?! The deputy was clutching at his leg where blood was soaking through the material of his trousers, she moved a little closer.

Madsen raised his gun in Mikes direction and Isabella screamed as she rushed forward.

"No, no, no!" She stood in front of the loaded weapon, staring down Madsen.

"I only saved you as a favour to Jasper, if you get in the way of my bullet-"

"Please, spare him. He treated me well, I owe him." She turned to face Mike.

Mike's face had gone deathly pale despite the golden glow from the setting sun. He nodded his head, his face screwed up in pain and fear. Isabella looked back to Madsen.

"My god. You will not give me any more trouble, you hear me?" Isabella nodded her agreement. Madsen stowed his gun away. "You're lucky boy." He growled, the girl watched as he stepped around her and kicked Mike's gun away from his hand.

He clucked his tongue and the dark, brooding horse obediently strolled over to them, pausing by his master's side. Madsen mounted the beast then offered her his hand to help her up, she couldn't help admiring his strength as he effortlessly lifted her up in to her position behind him.

"Isabella, he's dangerous..." The girl peered back at the deputy.

"I feel safer now, here, than I have in the past two days." She retorted; her words felt true to her. She supposed in comparison to most, she had endured a very sheltered upbringing.

"The sheriff abused his power Mike. He's corrupted; but then, I guess the rules are different out here, I won't make the same mistake again."

She placed her hands on Madsen's shoulders, giving him a gentle squeeze to signal that she was ready to move on.

Enter Mad Madsen! *applause*

Whilst I am not working at the moment I am going to try and continue posting twice a week, so watch this space!

Hope you have a great weekend!