Another shortie I know, but I should have the next chapter up sometime tomorrow! Enjoy!

~CHAPTER 18~

It was hard enough to ride in the woods at night, but it was even harder when you weren't even following a trail. It took the brothers close to an hour to make it back to the spot where Adam had started to follow Jesse. Soundlessly they dismounted and tied their horses in the brush, far from any path, and just as Adam had done the night before, the three crept up the hillside. Another half hour found them looking at the same corral where the gang's horses were kept. And there they would wait. They sat in the dark and cold for close to another hour before voices were heard up the path and one by one, four men appeared. The brothers tensed and sank deeper into the shadows. Adam recognized two of the three he had seen last night, along with two others. Short calls were made amongst them while they quickly set to work saddling five of the seven beasts in the corral. They had just completed the task when they were joined by one more, undoubtedly the leader. They all strained to get a better glimpse of him, but in the dark they were unable to make out anything more than his size which would've been formidable to all except Hoss perhaps. He mounted, ordering the others to do likewise before all five started down the path that led to the ranch house.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Once they were clear away without even their horses' hoof beats to be heard anymore, Hoss blew a sigh out through his teeth. "So far, so good."

Joe nodded. "What are we waiting for?"

"Nothing," Adam replied, glancing first at Joe, then at Hoss. "Let's go."

It'd been around two hours since they left. Adam, Hoss and Joe should've arrived at their destination. Some of the men Roy stationed in the hayloft listened for any sound of approaching footsteps. The ranch's foreman peered around the side of the house, the entire barn in his field of vision. Roy gazed at the unsuspecting yard that seemed satisfied to remain quiet for the rest of the night. The hoot of a nearby owl sounded through the air and fell on unresponsive ears. The murmur of the tall pines was so constant and steady that the watchers barely took notice of it anymore. Fast-moving clouds had begun to roll in overhead to blot out even the tiny light provided by the few stars. The time had to be getting close...

There was the lone guard pacing out in front of the cave. With a silent nod from Adam, Hoss and Joe parted, Joe coming around from the left, Hoss from the right, both being as silent as the grave. As the guard reached the end of his walk and turned to strut back the other way, he felt the cold, hard mouth of a gun at his neck. "Don't move unless you want your head blown off," Joe warned quietly, surprised at how deadly calm his voice sounded. The man froze, not budging an inch while Joe wrenched the rifle from his grasp. Hoss appeared from the other side with a coil of rope while Adam started out across the clearing. By the time he reached the cave opening, the two had the man effectively hogtied and gagged.

With the guard taken care of, it seemed as if the last obstacle between them and their prize was removed. Turning together, the three ran into the cave. Barely any light was coming from outside anymore, and they could hardly see their hands in front of their faces. Joe caught sight of some lanterns at the cave opening, and he rushed over to them. He struck a match and lighted two, giving one to Adam while he lifted the other high above his head. Much to their horror, they found the cave empty.

"Spread out. Look everywhere," Adam said as the other two already started looking into the darker corners. Lifting his own light high above, Adam started for a second opening he spotted further back in the recesses of the cave. There he found an old grimy cot and a set of manacles fastened to a metal ring embedded into the rock wall. Adam's heart seemed to stop, his mouth open in utter shock. Where was he? Where was his father? He was supposed to be here his mind screamed as he deftly walked over and knelt down to pick up one of the manacles. He immediately noticed it was spotted with long-dried blood.

Suddenly a soft thump, followed by a groan from the adjoining room reached his befuddled mind. He just started turning, when something hard was smashed into the side of his face, creating a plethora of light before he slumped to the cold floor.

How long had it been? It had to be close to daybreak by now. The sky had already taken on that unnatural darkness customary of the hour or two before dawn, and still there was no sign of any movement from the path. Roy took off his hat and wiped the inside band with his neckerchief, belying the frigid temperatures by the fact that he was sweating like a horse that had just run a mile. Where were they? He tried to keep it out of his thoughts, but the needling idea that something had gone terribly wrong returned to strike him again and again.

The thick cloud cover that had rolled in now choked off the sun's rays as they first started to show themselves on the eastern horizon. And yet the woods that surrounded the barn and the barn itself were so still... unsettlingly still. Something must've happened. They should've come by now. Somebody should've come by that time. Roy slammed his clenched first into the palm of his other hand, self-reproach evident on his face at not acting sooner on a situation obviously gone awry.

He turned to the three men beside him. "Go tell Charlie and Hoyt to stay where they are and keep watch. Have the rest get their horses and meet me here." He spoke hurriedly, knowing they didn't have a minute to lose as he admonished himself for waiting as long as he had. He knew what needed to be done now though, and tried to make that his only concern, blocking from his mind all the possible reasons for the inactivity at the Cartwright ranch, none of them having a calming or reassuring effect upon the wise and experienced lawman. In no time at all, the men and Roy set out for the mountain. Just as a precaution, Adam had told him where the cave was located in case something should happen. Well, Roy felt sure that "something" had happened, and they didn't spare the horses in traveling up the steep hillside. They came upon a clearing where an empty corral was situated among the rock, its door swinging freely with the wind. Roy put his hand up to stop. "He said it wasn't too far from here. Dismount." Once the horses were sufficiently hidden, Roy spread his men out in both directions to flank the cave he knew to be a bit farther up the hill.

The entire situation felt wrong. Why were the horses all gone if they hadn't come to the barn that night? Could Adam have gotten his information wrong about where the hit was to take place? But even if they had gone somewhere else, the boys still should've gotten back to the ranch by then.

The cave front slowly came into view as the first traces of light broke the morning fog. There was still no sign of anyone. Roy motioned to his men and they all abruptly stepped into the clearing to find it completely empty, with no sign of anyone ever having been there. Roy stepped up to the mouth of the cave and motioned another man to the opposite side. At the same time they swung around into the large cavern, empty as far as the natural light would allow them to see. There was something dark on the floor, but he couldn't quite make it out. Spying a lantern on its side near the entrance, Roy knelt and lit it before looking around the interior again. The dark spots on the floor instantly showed their crimson color in the light. Blood. Roy looked quickly around the rest of the cave and it proved empty except for the long cold remains of a campfire evident on the stone floor. Seeing another room towards the back, Roy rushed into it, swinging his gun in all directions, but it too was empty except for an abandoned cot in the corner.

"Sheriff! Come look at this," one of his deputies shouted to him through the cave entrance. Rushing back outside, the deputy handed him a small object. "We found it sitting on a rock over there," he motioned to a pile of boulders on the edge of the clearing. Fear instantly gripped Roy's heart as he turned the silver watch over and read the engraved initials A.C. on the front of it. Now they had all of them...

I'm very sorry for all of the cliffhangers; it's bad of me I know, but it's so much fun to write them! Thank you all so much for the reviews.

Guest - Even though Adam missing his watch might seem very un-Adamlike, I tried really bringing out the fact that he himself probably hasn't slept much in the past 3 days, and even good ol' Adam can't carry on like that.

BJ2 - You're so funny. No, I really have nothing against your nails! lol Stop biting! I know this chapter didn't help much, but all will hopefully be revealed and straightened out soon. ;)

BettyHT - Sorry for the delay in posting. LIke I said hopefully tomorrow I'll have 19 up. :)

LukeBryanFan - I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Thank you for the review and the favorite!

Tauna - Thank you for your review! Yes, it would be a hard blow indeed if they've come this far just to lose him for real. Stay tuned to find out!

AureaD - I don't think the realization came to Adam early enough. That dastardly watch just had to get lost! lol