Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have all had a great week.

This chapter took me a little longer than I had planned to get right, but I'm hoping that you'll agree that I got it right in the end and it was worth the wait; enjoy!

Chapter 5

The pair rode until the sun had melted away, the moon was their sole source of light, the girl's eyes had gradually adjusted but it was still difficult to see more than a few metres ahead of them. Thankfully, the horse seemed to manage just fine in the dim lighting. The temperature had quickly plummeted and she could no longer control the shivers that rocked through her body. Every now and then the bushes around them rustled as they disturbed something and it scattered away, and she was sure she had heard at least two coyotes a few miles back.

Whilst the girl was rigid, the man under her fingertips was relaxed and his body exuded tantalising warmth, the wool jacket she was clutching on to looked snug and felt soft beneath her fingertips. The young girl wanted to wrap herself around him and soak up his heat, but he did not strike her as a man that would welcome her touch. She wished she had her brown winter coat; she had not worn it since the day she had arrived in Placerville, and it would stay in Placerville forever now.

For the past hour or so they had been riding up into the mountains, travelling along narrow paths and tight passageways, Isabella had clenched her eyes shut as Madsen had expertly guided his horse along the treacherous trail.

She sighed in relief as her toes finally touched the ground again.

"We will camp here tonight." The moonlight illuminated the rocky floor of the valley far below them; the wind was persistent this high up, Isabella felt unstable on her feet. Although, that could be partly due to the fact that her legs were numb from gripping the horse so tightly.

Madsen removed the horse's saddle and bridle, placing them on the ground at the edge of their small clearing. He had chosen an ideal spot to rest; they were high up and very secluded, the chances of someone crossing their path up here was next to none. They were backed up against a wall that curved over their heads, providing them with some shelter against the natural elements.

"You know how to pitch a tent?" He asked, then immediately scoffed at her blank expression. "Of course not. Here, feed the horse." He thrust a sack of grain in the girl's direction, then shook the bag at her impatiently when she did not move to take it straight away.

She accepted the bag from his outstretched hand without a word and they switched places, whilst Madsen gathered the canvas tent from the back of the saddle and began to set it up. The horse, despite being a large, intimidating beast, was gentle with her as he dug his snout into the sack and munched on the corn and grain inside.

The stallion camouflaged well with the night sky, he was solid black, from his heel, to the tip of his muzzle to the end of his tail which swished around in the breeze.

As the grain gradually disappeared, her stomach rumbled in protest, she was starving and it was taking its toll on her physically and mentally; she was exhausted. She wondered if Madsen had anything in his saddlebag for them to eat, but did not voice her question. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as he built the tent, he had probably done this a hundred times she thought as he went through the action's seamlessly.

The horse snorted as he reached the bottom of the bag, drawing Isabella's attention back to her task. He sniffed around her hands, causing her to giggle, as he searched for food that she did not have.

"He'll take your fingers off if yer not careful." Isabella jumped; she had not been aware that Madsen had moved up close behind her now. He reached over her shoulder to pat the horse's nose affectionately. His proximity unsettled Isabella, who played with the edges of her sleeve nervously until he had stepped back. Clinging to him as they had ridden the horse had been a necessity, she had done so without thought; now without the changing scenery to distract her mind, she felt flustered by his presence.

She could not detect if Madsen had been joking or not, he was a difficult character to read, he was unlike any man she had ever come across in her seventeen years of life. She watched as he built the foundations for a fire, then light it with a couple of matches. The abrupt warmth was heavenly, and Isabella found herself gravitating towards it.

She crossed her legs underneath her as she sat and held her palms out to the open flame, her fingertips began to tingle as slowly, the sensation returned to them. Beyond the fire, Madsen was gathering some items from his saddle bag, as he brought them closer, she realised he held two blankets in one hand and some dried biscuits in the other.

"Here," he offered her a wool blanket and half of the biscuits.

"Thank you," she mumbled, as she gratefully welcomed them. With one hand she tugged the blanket around her shoulders, while at the same time she hungrily devoured one of the biscuits. It was hard, dry and brittle, but she did not complain as she took her time and nibbled on the second one.

Neither of them felt the need to talk whilst they ate, the wind whistled around them but otherwise, it was eerily silent.

"You can sleep in the tent," Madsen informed her when he had swallowed the last of his biscuits. She had wondered about their sleeping arrangements as he had constructed the tent, it could fit them both, though it would be snug. She felt awful as he leant back against the rocky wall, apparently settling in for the night. It looked dreadfully uncomfortable.

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I weren't." He snapped. He pulled his hat down to cover his eyes, evidently dismissing her. She chewed on her lip, watching him for a moment longer; he had a rifle resting across his knees and a pistol by his right side. The glow from the fire created shadows that danced across his face and the wall in an eternal whirl. Whilst he frightened her still, in that moment she felt incredibly safe.

She didn't bother climbing to her feet, instead she crawled to the tent with her blanket draped across her back and collapsed onto the bedroll Madsen had positioned inside. She was convinced that it would take her hours to fall asleep, considering where she was and whose company she was in; but to her great relief she passed out as soon as her body relaxed on the soft cotton. The smell of leather and wood overtaking her senses; it was not until sleep claimed her that she recognised the scent of the man she had clung to for most of the evening.

The moment the morning sunlight struck the side of the mountain Madsen was awake. He was used to sleeping inside his tent and the natural light not affecting him so greatly. As he slowly roused, he recalled yesterday's events leading all the way up to this moment in time. It was not how had seen his week going, he thought to himself. He dragged his hands over his face roughly then scratched his fingers through his hair, shrugging off the remnants of sleep.

As he stretched, he felt the muscles in his back object, he had not shifted all night, waking up in exactly the same position as he had fallen asleep in. He glared in the direction of the tent, why had he given her his bedroll again?

From his spot, he could see the top of the girl's head, her hair was a tousled mess of mahogany. Since she seemed to be completely out of it for now, Madsen holstered his pistol and hung his rifle from his shoulder as he rose to his feet. After their long journey yesterday, he ached for a bath, however the stream they had ridden past the previous night would have to suffice for now.

Before wandering off he poked the fire a little, adding another log to ensure that it remained burning whilst he ventured away.

His horse stirred behind him, his owner's activity pulling him from his sleep, Isabella remained undisturbed. Madsen retrieved a carrot from his saddle bag and offered the treat to Nexus, who gobbled it down in two bites.

"Stay here boy." He whispered, giving the horse a scratch on the neck as he moved away. The horse obeyed, watching as Madsen followed the cliff wall back in the direction they had come from.

It was a short stroll to the stream, he stripped and stepped into the water to clean himself; the water was refreshing and soothed his sore muscles. He finished up much sooner than he would have liked, but he was worried that the girl would wake up and wander off in his absence. He had gone through a lot of trouble to liberate Isabella and he would be damned if she managed to get herself caught straight away.

As he walked back, he spotted a chunky rabbit sitting just up the path, with a quick hand and deadly precision he drew his pistol and fired one round. It seemed they were having rabbit for breakfast.

As he turned the last corner, he noted that the girl was awake. She was standing close to Nexus; her back was pressed against the wall as her eyes scanned the path back and forth uneasily. When she caught sight of him, she appeared to relax to a certain extent until she noticed the dead rabbit swinging from his left hand, then she became visibly disgusted.

"I-I heard a gunshot," Isabella stuttered, explaining her tense and defensive posture.

"I was catching breakfast." He took delight in shaking the deceased rabbit in her direction and watching her flinch away.

The revulsion did not leave her face whilst he skinned the rabbit, nor whilst he impaled it on a stick and rotated it over the flames. Finally, as the meat turned brown and the delicious aroma of cooked meat tickled her nose she began to salivate.

He offered her a tiny leg, for her to taste; when she displayed signs of approval, he gave her some more along with a cup of coffee. Just like they had the night before, they ate in silence.

As Madsen picked his teeth with a small bone, he observed the girl. He swiftly came to the conclusion that she would not survive a day out here on her own, she was tiny, fragile and clearly in-experienced. Her pale skin was not used to the sun or the heat that engulfed the west, her hands although dirty, showed no signs of any past physical labour. Her clothes were filthy but he imagined that was due to where he had found her, and not to do with any personal choices.

Her brown curls, which had been secured at the top of her head the night before now veiled her heart-shaped face, her nose was petite and elegant, sloping down to blush-pink, pouty lips. Her eyebrows arched up in concentration as she devoured the meat in her hands. Her sweeping eyelashes framed champagne brown eyes.

But Madsen was oblivious to the young girl's early signs of promised beauty. He could not see past the fact that she was the problematic kid sister of a friend that he had been sent to get rid of.

"Once yer done, we will ride to the next town and get you on a train east." He said.

Her eyes flashed to his, he could sense her building frustration from across the fire. For one pleasant moment he thought his fearsome persona would stop her from retaliating, but it seemed that was not the case as she ultimately exploded.

"I can't go home! I don't have a home to go home to, I have to find Jasper!"

"Well, I hate t' break it to ya, but Jasper don't want you around." The girls mouth hung open; Madsen took her silence as an opportunity to dig the metaphorical knife in a little deeper. "Why do you think he sent me and didn't come himself? Besides the fact that ya got him shot?" Isabella winced at the casual reminder of her brother's injury. "Because he didn't want to see you. Now I spared that man's life last night for you, and you said yer weren't gonna give me no more trouble, so let me finish my job and get you away from here."

"But... I've lost all of my money and-" Madsen turned away from her to retrieve something from his satchel. Isabella was surprised when she recognised her small, beige bag.

"Here," he tossed it to her, she just managed to catch it before it struck her in the face. "I found the money behind the picture frame in your hotel room, nice hiding spot." He said sarcastically. "Now I believe you have something of mine too." He held his hand out expectantly.

Isabella instantly thought of the pocket watch tucked away in her shirt, it had dug uncomfortably into her stomach all night as she had slept. Her cheeks burned as she twisted away to discreetly remove it, as she peeked over her shoulder, she noticed Madsen staring at her, confused. She turned back around and held the watch out for him to reclaim, the ordinarily cold metal was warm from being pressed up against her skin all night. Once back in his possession, he inspected it with an eager eye, he opened the case, presumably checking that the photograph was still there.

"Who is she?" The overwhelming curiosity forced her to ask. She covered her mouth with her fingers, wishing she could retract the words almost straight away.

"No one." He muttered as he tucked the watch in to one of the pockets of his black leather vest.

"You have your money, now you go home." He ordered.

"I told you already; I can't go home."

"Well, you go somewhere else, anywhere else that ain't here. I mean it kid." He growled threateningly. Isabella recoiled from the man as he suddenly rose to his feet, tipping out the rest of his coffee over the fire to extinguish it. Isabella watched as he saddled up the horse, the annoyance and resentment she felt for this man blazing through her veins. She was getting nowhere with him, and she sensed that he could not be persuaded otherwise. She also could not forget his wanted poster hanging in the Placerville jail; MAD MADSEN. What had he done to deserve that nickname? Oh yeah, murder, kidnapping... She did not want to rile this man up too much, she reasoned with herself.

Reluctantly she helped pack away the rest of the camp, before she knew it, they were back on the horse and winding through the mountain paths. She had no clue as to where they were heading and was unwilling to ask the terrifying outlaw. She would have to think of a new way to locate her brother, one that didn't involve angering her resistant rescuer.

It took a couple of hours to reach the base of the mountain, and a further two hours until she could see a town materialising in the distance. The terrain had gradually transformed on their journey, they were no longer surrounded by the dried, barren desert. At first the sand and stones had given way to brown, crispy overgrown grass, then as the trees had grown higher around them, the grass appeared healthier and vibrant green. Breathing had become slightly easier as the air seemed fresher and less dense, with the temperature decreasing by a few degrees.

As they drew closer to the town, a rider approached them from the opposite direction. Isabella tensed, her fingers curling into Madsen's jacket as the man glanced fleetingly at the two riders.

"Relax, no one should recognise us here." Madsen muttered under his breath as the man passed by. His words did little to reassure her; it was not until they had entered the main street and multiple people had looked their way with little interest that she finally forced herself to calm down.

Although Madsen's unpredictability scared her, the sheriff's predictability terrified her more. The swelling bruise on her upper back was a stark reminder of their encounter. She did not wish to end up a prisoner back in the sheriff's office again, who knew what he would do to her now that the saloon had been burned to the ground and his office had been blown to pieces all for her sake?

They did not stop at all on the main street, instead heading straight for the train station on the far side of town. A train was sat idling at the platform, smoke spewed out of the smokestack polluting the air around them as passengers boarded the carriages. They both dismounted, Madsen lending a hand to Isabella, and approached the ticket desk.

"Where's this train going?" Madsen asked.

"Reno." Isabella noticed the creases around Madsen's eyes grow deeper as he narrowed his eyes slightly, if she had have blinked she would have completely missed the subtle movement.

"What about the next one?"

"Bridgers Fort, that one departs at three 'o'clock."

"She'll have one ticket." The ticket man briefly looked between the pair, then slid a single ticket towards them.

"That'll be six dollars." Isabella fixed her gaze on Madsen, she refused to pay for a ticket that she did not want, and was not going to use, she thought boldly. It took a moment for Madsen to register that she was not going to provide the money herself, he cursed under his breath but relented and placed the money on the counter.

As they stepped away from the window, Madsen thrust the ticket into Isabella's grudging hands.

"Right kid, get on the train. I don't ever wanna see yer face 'round here again. You got me?" Isabella swallowed her unease as she quickly began to develop a new plan. She schooled her expression into a muted smile, her eyes focusing on the ground by her feet so that he could not read the hope that was no doubt evident through her irises.

"Sure. You'll never see me again." Madsen thought it peculiar that she agreed so simply after the fuss she had been causing for the past twenty-four hours but shrugged it off, he just wanted the kid to not be his issue anymore.

He silently nodded at her and turned away, pulling a cigarette from a pocket in his vest and lighting it as he strode back towards his horse. He did not spare her a second glance as he kicked the horse into action and rode back out in the same direction they had arrived from.

As soon as he was out of sight Isabella hurried back over to the ticket man. At first the man did not seem to acknowledge her, then he stared at her bewildered, his eyes scanned the room for her intimidating friend but came up empty.

"Miss, your tr-"

"I need a ticket to Reno." She interrupted him.

"That train leaves in, well, now. There's another one tomorrow-"

"No, please, I need to be on that train, I don't have any luggage." She stared desperately at the man and held her breath as she waited for him to respond. He must have sensed her urgency as he eventually conceded and handed her a new ticket.

"Three dollars." She dropped the money into his open hand, then quickly snatched up her ticket and sprinted to the platform which was now vacant. Isabella grasped a handrail and pulled herself up the short distance and on to the train. A whistle sounded from the front end and suddenly the train jerked forward as the rods began to move, driving the wheels forward.

She exhaled heavily in relief when she dropped down into a seat, ignoring the curious looks she received from the other passengers and gazed out of the window. She really hoped that she was doing the right thing. Madsen had visibly reacted to the mention of the town, Reno, it was just a hunch but she was prepared to run with it and she sure hoped that it was worth it.

When the train pulled into Reno station, the first thing she noticed about the town was that it looked almost identical to the one she had just left behind. Although it was greener and there were more trees, but less people. She climbed down to the platform and exited through the station on to a street. The train hissed behind her as it begun to depart, the steam puffing from the stack causing a billow of black smoke to darken the sky temporarily.

Now that Isabella was stood in Reno, she started to doubt herself. She immediately tried to shake off the nervousness she felt, it was just like the day she had arrived in Placerville, only worse; she had only her canvas pouch across her body, the clothes on her back and there was no Seth around to help her.

Luck had been on her side in Placerville; her brother had stumbled across her after all. She did not have the patience to wait for fate to decide when they would meet again; she was going to make sure it happened sooner rather than later. She marched up to the saloon with her chin held high, if she acted suspiciously people would treat her so. She just hoped that no one here had heard of the girl who had escaped the jail in Placerville.

As it was getting late in to the afternoon, the majority of the patrons were well on their way to being drunk. A couple of men stumbled towards her, she just dodged to the left to avoid slamming into them as they left the bar.

Her eyes swept the room keenly looking for her first target. She zeroed in on a woman in the corner; she wore a ruby red corset over a dark marron dress which accentuated her hour-glass figure, the unblemished skin of her arms out for all to see in the sleeveless frock. She swayed gently in time with the music from where she was perched against a table, staring absent-mindedly at a group of men on another table.

"Excuse me miss?" The girl focused on Isabella, giving her an impatient once over.

"What?" Her voice was syrupy sweet, but her attitude towards Isabella was anything but. Isabella hardened her stare, not allowing the woman to discourage her.

"Do you know the Clayton gang?"

Ahuh! Isabella thought triumphantly as the red-haired woman's eyebrows drew high on her forehead, she quickly tried to rearrange her features but Isabella had already gotten the reaction she had desired. This woman knew something.

"What do you want with them?"

"They took something from me." Isabella did not divulge her relationship with the gang and one of its members in case she had misread the signals the girl was feeding her.

"Haa, well good luck getting it back. Now get lost." Isabella rapidly retreated, sensing the threat in the girl's body language. She had gotten what she had wanted regardless; she left the saloon altogether, figuring she didn't need to investigate further. She was sure this girl was going to lead her to where she wanted to be.

Sure enough, from Isabella's hiding spot down the side of a store, she watched as the hussy dragged a friend from the saloon. They both searched the length of the street, evidently looking for her. Isabella pulled herself tight against the wall, standing as still as possible, refusing to even breath.

The two women rushed towards a wagon where a man was waiting on the bench, the horse's reins held firmly in his hands. Once they were seated beside him the wagon instantly jumped into motion, steering away from the town.

Isabella recognised that this could possibly be her only chance; if the girls were potentially scurrying to alert the gang, then they may send Madsen out to attempt to remove her from the situation again. She might never see her brother if those girls reached him first. Isabella didn't even think about the fact that in an hour or two the sun would be setting. She gathered the materials of her filthy skirt in her hands and began to race after the wagon ensuring that she stayed within the cover that the trees provided.

Trying to keep up with them proved to be challenging, for every stride the horse made Isabella had to match it with three quick, long steps. A branch splintered beneath her foot causing her to tumble to the ground, she yelped and threw her palms out to try and break her fall. She looked up, they had not heard her, but they were very nearly gone.

No! Isabella clambered to her feet and made to go after them.

"You okay there, Miss?" She gasped; she had not been aware of anyone riding up behind her, having been so focused on her target. She shielded her eyes against the setting sun as she squinted at the man on horseback. He was handsome, darker skinned than she, with large, expressive, whisky brown eyes.

"I-" She glanced over her shoulder, realising that the wagon was no longer within sight. She huffed in disappointment, turning back to the man who had one eyebrow raised in uncertainty. "I need to follow that wagon; those people know where my brother is." The man tilted his head to one side as he considered her. "I'll pay you." She reached for her bag to pull out some dollars but the man interrupted her.

"I like that." He gestured at her hair. Isabella stroked the comb he had pointed at with her fingers, chewing on her lip hesitantly; she did not want to part with her mother's gold comb, but she was so close to her brother! She pulled the comb from her hair and a few locks fell free from her bun, framing her face.

"It's yours, if you get me to that wagon."

The man held his hand out to Isabella, who rushed forward and mounted his horse with his assistance. Once she was settled, she handed over her mother's comb, a piece of her heart broke as the man pocketed the heirloom. But she did not allow herself to overthink it as the horse began a steady trot in the direction the wagon had disappeared in.

"Name's Jacob Black."

"Isabella Sullivan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Sullivan." Isabella peered around Jacob's shoulder, she caught sight of the wagon, but now worried that the girls might glance back and see her.

"I- Jacob could you hang back from the wagon please?" He reduced their speed at once.

"Those aren't your friends on that wagon, are they?"

"Not exactly," She mumbled.

"I need to know if you're putting me in any danger, Miss Sullivan. Do you know who they are?"

"I think they know the Clayton gang." She anxiously waited for him to hurl her from the horse and abandon her, but to her amazement; he didn't.

"Huh, the Clayton gang you say?"

"Yes, you know of them?"

"I've heard things." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. Clearly, he had not heard enough, she supposed.

The proceeded in silence, consistently remaining just far enough back that if the wagon's occupants were to look back at them, they would not be able to recognise Isabella. It helped that Jacob was so broad; his body alone shielded her from any wandering eyes, she felt safe hidden behind him.

"You're not from around here." Jacob stated.

"No, I come from Virginia. How could you tell?"

"I know how to spot a fellow outsider."

"You're not from here either?" Isabella asked.

"Not exactly. My father was a black man, my mother was a part of the Alpache Tibe, I don't really fit in anywhere. Your friends have disappeared into the trees up ahead. Are you sure you want to carry on? I can take you back to town if you would prefer."

"No, I have to find them." Nothing was changing her mind now.

Isabella peeked over his shoulder and noticed that the pathway was indeed vacant now. The trees around them were dark and silent, no sign of them anywhere. Jacob guided them to the edge of the path and helped her down from the horse before joining her on foot.

"They went through there," Jacob pointed towards some undergrowth that had been pushed aside and trodden down, presumably by the wagon. Isabella cautiously stepped forward, taking the lead as they wandered into the bushes.

With the sun nearly gone and the tall trees sheltering their path, Isabella struggled to see where she was going, she shuffled forward, trying to avoid tripping over any loose roots. She could hear Jacob following her, she was so grateful for his presence in that moment, it felt empowering to have this hulking man and his rifle beside her.

After a couple of minutes of them hiking through the greenery, Isabella noticed a glow up ahead and the sound of chatter. She reached the trunk of a large tree and stopped to peer around; she was still too far away to make anything out clearly. But she could see the outline of people as they strolled around what appeared to be a camp. There were several tents and more than a dozen people that she could identify from her view point.

She cringed when she heard a growling howl from close behind; she had been so fixed on what was in front of her that she had blocked out her surroundings. It was not quite a dog's growl but it had been animalistic.

"What was that?" She whispered to Jacob; she turned her neck so that she could catch his attention. She stared apprehensively at Jacob, waiting for him to respond. Isabella's eyebrows screwed up in bemusement when he showed no signs of answering her, had he not heard her?

"Jaco-"

THUNK

The name hung unfinished in the air as the girl slumped to the ground, unconscious. She landed in a heap at Jacob's feet, who still had not broken eye contact with the man that had materialised behind Isabella. The gun still hovered in the air from where he had struck the girl across the back of her head.

"Did you have to hit her so hard?" Jacob cursed as he bent over and stroked a piece of hair away from the girl's gentle face. "Is she even still alive?" He muttered to himself, he sighed in relief when he noticed that she was, in fact still breathing, her chest rising and falling as he felt her exhale against his hand. He hoisted the girl into his arms as if she weighed nothing.

"We wouldn't even need to do this if you had done your job right in the first place." Jacob shoved the man aside, whistling for his horse to follow him towards the camp.

"Watch who yer talking to." Madsen snarled at Jacob.

He swore under his breath as he glared at the motionless girl in Jacob's arms as they travelled away from him. This girl was going to be the death of him, he just knew it, he promised as he stormed after the pair.

Thank you for reading, hope you liked it enough to add it to your follow/favourite list! I will hopefully have another update for you all by the end of this week so watch out for it! As always, reviews are appreciated :D