The Stolen 4

I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

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Tuesday

About the time that Matt sat down to eat, Kitty awoke to a strange room, with a scratchy throat and headache, nausea flooding her senses. Her surroundings swam into focus as she slowly turned her head. She appeared to be in a room of some sort, with the one window sporting boards nailed across it and a half wood, half dirt floor. From the angle of the light seeping through the slits between the boards, she guessed it to be late afternoon early evening.

Struggling to sit up, she barely got her head off to the side of the cot, before opening her mouth to retch. However there was nothing on her stomach to lose, as she hadn't eaten anything since the meal she had shared with Doc, whenever that had been.

Lying back for a moment, till her stomach settled, she started to rise again when a woman entered, crossed to the cot and pushed her back down.

"If'n ya know what's good fer ya, ya best stay asleep." The woman said. Judging by the woman's manner of speech, as well as her appearance, Kitty could tell she wasn't highly educated.

"What…..?" Kitty started to ask.

"Never you mind that right now." The woman whispered insistently. "You just lay back there, and close your eyes like you ain't never come to. And you keep your eyes closed, no matter what. You hear me?"

Kitty nodded. Something in the woman's voice registered as truth, and she decided it was in her best interest to comply, for now anyway. Besides, her nausea and headache, made it hard to do much else.

A moment after closing her eyes, Kitty heard what sounded like someone entering the room and coming close to her. Kitty fought the urge to open her eyes and look, when she heard a man's voice.

"She still out?" the rough male voice asked.

"Yeah," the woman answered, "guess the boys gave her a little more of that there ether than they had ta."

Silence, then, "she sure is a pretty thing," the man said. "I can see why Dillon claims her." Kitty's heart almost stopped at the mention of Matt's name.

"You sure about that Bob?" the woman asked, a little timidly. "I mean, all we got ta go on is rumors the boys say they heard. Ain't no guarantee she's his'n."

Silence again. Kitty felt someone sit down on the cot with her and then a hand taking her face and turning it to the side. "Oh, she's his alright," the man said, as he cupped her chin. "Woman like this is quality. Dillon wouldn't have nothing less."

"I thought you said you didn't know him?" The woman asked, a question clearly evident in her voice.

'I don't," the man replied. "But I know enough of him, to know this here's his women right enough."

The man's hand remained on her face for a second longer, before releasing it, and trailing his hand down her front, lingering on her chest. It took every ounce of will power she had, to remain motionless, as he artlessly pawed at her breast.

Just as she thought she could stand it no longer, he removed his hand, stood and moved away from the cot. "I got some more coming in, so I'm going to be busy for a while." She heard him say. "Let me know when she comes to."

Kitty heard the door open and close, but kept her eyes shut for a moment longer.

The woman crossed back to the side of the cot. "He's gone," she stated simply.

Kitty opened her eyes to regard the woman before her. Though haggard in her appearance, Kitty surmised she might've been pretty at one time in her life, but it was hard to tell when that might've been. The woman's age could've been anywhere from 40 to 60. With graying blond hair, soft brown eyes and a slight frame, guessing her age would be only that a guess. Apparently life had been tough for the woman to say the least.

"Who are you?" Kitty finally managed to ask, as she worked hard to keep the nausea at bay.

"Name's Annie," the woman answered. "Man that just left is Bob Manley. You're in his camp."

"Camp?" Kitty asked, trying to make sense of the situation she found herself in. "What… Why…."

The woman looked back towards the door for a moment, than back at Kitty. "You've been taken to sell," she said.

Kitty bolted upright at that. "Sell?"

"That's right," the woman stated, as though she was discussing the weather. "Bob's a slaver. Deals in white women mostly. Of course he don't care what color they are, if'n he can make a dollar off'n em'.

"No," Kitty protested trying to get up and away from the woman and her awful words.

But Annie pushed her back down. "Now don't go frettin' your self," she said. "Ain't nothing ya can do, and no wheres ya can run to. Bob's got armed men all over this place."

"But this isn't right," Kitty continued to protest. "It's illegal."

"Right or wrong, legal or not, don't matter none around here." Annie replied nonchalantly. "All that matters is what Bob wants. He sets the rules here, and whilst yur here, ya best not forget it."

"Sounded like you forgot it when you told him I was still out," Kitty pointed out to her.

"Yep I did do that," Annie agreed. "But that was cuz I didn't figure you was in any shape to have to take him on right now. Bob's a powerful strong man."

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked though she had an idea.

"I mean ya best lay back there and rest whilst ya can." Annie told her. "When Bob comes back, I won't be able to cover for ya no more. He'll probably want to spend some time with ya, and ya sure won't get no rest then."

Rising from her side, Annie frowned at the thought of what awaited Kitty as she headed towards the door, leaving her alone.

Kitty's first impulse was to get up and try to escape, even as sick as she currently was. But she didn't know where she was, and she had no doubt that Annie had been telling the truth about the armed men.

Her mind traveled back to Dodge. Though she didn't know long she had been there, she figured it couldn't have been more than a day, which meant Matt would be home Thursday. She knew when he found out she was missing, he would come looking for her. The ether she had been given, hadn't completely cleared her system and she felt it pulling her back into sleep. Her last conscious thought was of Matt.

"Oh Matt" she thought.

TBC