The lawman slipped from his saddle, eyeing the broken town as he did so. Charred cinders, which once used to be Dolan Spring's jail house, lay before him, the smell of fire and death still hung in the dry summer air. Across the barren street, he noticed a man eyeing him warily from behind the bat doors of one of the many saloons to line the thoroughfare, his eyes just barely visible over the wooden doors. As Everett Steele approached, a door swung wide, revealing a shiny badge attached to a lanky frame and a uncertain frown on a long, slender face.

"You Marshal Steele?" the man asked, pushing the bowler hat back on his head.

"Yes I am." Steele nodded, noticing the badge read 'Deputy' as their distance decreased. "You must the man that wired me." he extended a hand in greeting, knowing his last statement wasn't true.

"No, sir. That was the sheriff. He's dead now. My name's Deputy Edward Christie." He accepted the handshake, his own limp and weak compared to Steele's strong shake.

"Well, Deputy Christie, my condolences." Steele said sincerely as he discreetly wiped the palm of his hand on his thigh. The Deputy certainly had some clammy hands, he thought.

"Yeah. Most the town dead, too. I came back from Tombstone yesterday to find it looking like this." Christie waved a hand haphazardly to the town behind him.

"Was Jessie County in there when it burned down?" Steele asked, motioning to the remains of the jail house.

"Nope. Folks left here saying she's the one that did it." Steele raised an eyebrow in surprise. As long as Jessie had been on the run, she had never been one to harm another's property, even if it was the jail. "And that brother of hers."

"Brisco County? He was here, too?"

"Yep. They were riding along with Jeremiah James and his gang. Came to bust Jessie out, I hear. Killed Sheriff Talbort and half the population in the process." The eyebrow raised even higher. It was certainly no secret Jessie County and Jeremiah James weren't on the friendliest of terms, especially after the death of her outlaw husband, George Sutton, who also happened to be Jeremiah's older cousin. To even think the two were riding together again was almost laughable. Especially, since one of the most famous bounty hunters in the West was supposedly riding along with them as well.

Steele took what the deputy said with a grain of salt, like he did most statements he received. In the heat of the moment, things were forgotten, timelines were erased, and when things settled back down again, the mind threw events and faces in where it damned well pleased.

"Where's they head off to after all this?" Steele asked.

"East. That's the best I got. Nobody went out riding after them. People were more concerned about the state of the town here."

"Understandable. You interviewed all the witnesses?" Steele asked, receiving a blank look in return. "You…talked to everyone who saw anything?"

"Oh, yes sir, I did." Christie stammered, straightening himself inside his grey cotton jacket. "Most of the folks that were here are inside the saloon, if'n you was wanting to talk to any of them." Everett hid a disappointed sigh and shook his head. A witness who's mind was already turned around was not much better drunk.

"No, Deputy. I think I'm going to head on out after Jessie County." Steele tipped his hat to the younger man and smiled. "Again, my condolences." Steele turned and unhooked the painted horse's reins from the hitching post before climbing back into the saddle.

"You bringing County back here when you catch her?" Christie asked as Steele began to ride away.

"No, Deputy Christie. Seeing as how Jessamyn County has a knack for escaping any trap she's in, a federal judge has ordered her first sentence to be carried out when caught by a federal lawman."

"Which means?" Christie prodded when Steele didn't continue.

"Which means, when I catch her, I get to hang her. Along with those who harbor her."

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James watched as the sun slowly rose above the sharp and uneven peaks of the Hualapai Mountains. The early morning sunlight splashed across the rocks, turning them a deep blood red. James finished the last of the harsh whiskey before tossing the empty glass bottle over the edge of the trail, eyeing it as it freefell to the earth and finally met it's end as it shattered against a pile of rocks.

James reached into his shirt's breast pocket, producing a freshly rolled cigarette. He brought it to his lips and dug deeper into the pocket, grasping the packet of matches he had taken from the saloon in that pathetic little town they had last roamed through. He struck the match and lit the cigarette, taking a deep drag of the nicotine before extinguishing the flame.

As the sun slowly began to warm the atmosphere, James let his thoughts center solely on Jessamyn and the past twenty-four hours. Seeing her in Arizona certainly surprised him. Ever since that robbery in Tucson she had kept her distance from Arizona, sticking to roaming California and Nevada, and every once in a while, New Mexico he heard. Arizona was his home, and he never left it. He wasn't scared of anyone catching up to him, as he was confident she was.

He should have shot her in the jail cell. Jessie was quite well known for slipping out of even the best laid traps. There was no doubt she had escaped that jail cell. And there was no doubt she would be after him.

James pulled himself to his feet and walked the half mile to the campsite, where his gang were still asleep, oblivious to the rising sun. He pulled his Colt from its holster and raised it high the in the air, firing once. The group, startled by the sudden gunshot, roused quickly, each grabbing for the weapons on their hips.

"Jeremiah?" Gregory asked, his eyes still unfocused and blurry from sleep.

"Get ready." Jeremiah ordered, holstering his weapon as he spoke.

"For what?"

"We're leaving." Gregory shared a confused look with Pete Hutter, who laid just a few feet from him before turning back to his cousin.

"Leaving? What the hell for?"

"Because I said so."

"Might I remind you, Brisco County Jr. and Lord Bowler were on our tail before we sent Miss County to the hereafter." Pete hissed.

"Attempted." James muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Jeremiah believes Jessie escaped." Gregory said quickly before focusing back on James. "And Pete's right. Brisco and Bowler are after us, and as long as we're in here…"

"Didn't you hear what the hell I said?" James yelled, causing the underlying mumbles to fall silent. "Get your thing together cause we're leaving. Anyone who doesn't follow gets a bullet in the eye. Understood?"

"Jeremiah." Gregory began, leaning in close as the rest of the gang began to pack their belongings. "You really think this is a good idea?"

"I do. Listen." James said when he caught the look of doubt in Gregory's eyes. "I know Jessie escaped, and she's not going to be too happy when she finally tracks us down, which she will do. I'd rather have that happen on my own terms. And I know exactly where she's going to be headed, because she's not stupid enough to try and come in here."

"Well, where could she be?"

"Think about it. There's only one place she could go and stay out of sight."