Just a quick chapter. Next one coming up soon hopefully.

Man it's hard to write an unhinged character...

Thanks for the reviews everyone! I really appreciate all the support! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own GMW otherwise Maya would be kicking asses for real.

As Jedediah's horse approached the edge of the Summit, he narrowed his eyes. Most of his men had stopped well before they reached the edge and were sitting idly by waiting for him. They had bewildered and startled expressions on their faces.

He stopped his horse in the middle of the pack, eyes blazing with displeasure.

"Why is everyone standing around?" he said lowly.

One of his braver men swallowed thickly, recognizing that the mayor's outstanding temper's fuse had already snapped long ago, and he couldn't be held accountable to act in a calm manner.

"Well… they jumped into Death Valley, sir."

Jed's eyebrow twitched.

Before anyone could even see his hand reach for his gun, he had it cocked and shot the man in the chest. The man's horse whinnied in confusion and fright, rising to its hind legs at the loud noise and knocking the dead body on its back onto the ground.

"What the fuck do you mean they jumped…?" Jed muttered under his breath, glaring at the rest of them, daring them to respond.

Everyone backed their horses a bit away from the mayor. Clearly, he had lost any shreds of sanity he may have had left.

"Christ Jed!" someone courageously said, "Why the fuck did you have to shoot him? You can't kill everyone who pisses you off!"

"The next person who plays games with me will be tied to four horses and torn to shreds." He growled, green eyes glinting dangerously, "Now where the fuck are they?"

One of his advisers stared at him incredulously, "They really jumped Mayor Jed! Straight over the side of the cliff. Billy and the blonde whore did."

"I see…" Jed slipped his gun back in his holster. The men all visibly relaxed at the sight, slumping in their saddles at the decrease of immediate danger.

It must have been Katy's idea, no doubt. She'd always had a penchant for rebellious and crazy ideas on occasion. But this idea was plain ridiculous. They could have been dead for all he knew. But that was two less pains in his ass he had to worry about.

Besides, it didn't matter.

He had won.

Regardless of whether or not they survived, they could not dare come back to his town. They were wanted outlaws and criminals. The minute they stepped foot in the precipice of the town, he would have them shot to death or hanged.

It was a shame that he had lost proper leverage to ensnare Maya, but he knew she'd come back eventually. Her only family was here. And once she came back, he'd break her.

And then he'd destroy that little shit Lucas.

Jed's lip curled in disgust. He should have done away with him for real years ago. But he wouldn't make that mistake of letting him live again once he found him.

Clay, one of his chief advisers, rode up to the Summit a short while later, pulling up next to Jed with a grim look on his face.

"Did you capture the Matthews family?"

"They escaped Jed." Clay frowned, "They shot down Tommy and Kit. House was totally abandoned. Everything important taken."

Jed's jaw set in annoyance, and he let out a low growl.

"How the hell did an entire family manage to escape capture with all of their stuff without being seen?"

"I don't know."

Jed smirked. It was no matter anyway. He suspected Maya wouldn't know the Matthews escaped. And he had no doubt she would be coming back eventually because of that fact.

"…There's more Jed."

"What?" he snapped irritably.

Clay leaned back a little in his saddle, clearly unsettled by Jed's venomous expression and deranged glare.

He swallowed. "We inspected your office as you requested."

Jed rose a brow.

"And?"

All the men waited with baited breath.

"I don't know how she managed it, but Maya Matthews took every deed of land in the city. Every contract for the whores. All paperwork was stolen. Diagrams, maps. The plans for the mine. The plots of gold we swindled. Bank statements and contracts. Everything."

There were a couple beats of silence where the mayor stared at Clay without an expression, his breathing slow and even. And then his face slowly turned red in fury.

He opened his mouth and released a raw, animalistic, enraged scream that made everyone's blood chill in fright. If their mayor had been angry before, he was absolutely livid now. They all backed up some more, fearful for their own lives.

Jed gripped his reins so tightly, the leather imprinted itself in his skin.

Those damned criminals!

They had made a fool out of him.

They had sent him on a wild goose chase when they had already wreaked havoc and taken what they needed.

He didn't even know which person had what documents on them. They had already won before he had could have even picked up on the fact that he was playing their game.

His lips trembled in barely restrained rage as he addressed the group, "Gather your pistols and whatever shit you need and wait to see if that goddamned outlaw and whore climb back up. Take them into custody and bring them to me."

"And you." He turned to Clay, "Take the rest of your men and find Lucas and Maya. When you find them, don't kill them. I have plans for Lucas and his little bitch."

Clay nodded and headed on his way.

Jed watched the horizon, brows furrowed tight. He had tried to be pleasant and had been willing to allow them a quick, fairly painless death, but they had played him and tested his patience and now he was done with being benevolent.

He would make them all suffer.

He would rip off Billy's limbs and mangle Katy until she was unrecognizable and tear them both apart and make them wish they were dead. And when they couldn't fight anymore and were fighting for their life, he'd set them on fire.

And for Lucas? Oh, he had something special in mind for the cowboy.

He would fuck Maya right in front of Lucas until she couldn't move then decapitate the whore and put her head through a stake. He would take everything from Lucas. And when all was said and done, he would shove a bayonet into Lucas' chest and watch him bleed out slowly in crippling pain.

A maniacal, eager smile slowly grew on Jed's face.

He would show them no mercy.

They'd made the wrong decision to pick a fight with Jedediah Carson.