The crack in the wall was the only flaw that the asesina was able to exploit, and upon climbing up and over to the other side after they ceased fire, the Marstons discovered with a start and a yelp of horror the two naked bodies of the soldiers who had been posted at that part of the wall. The men had been skillfully and silently dispatched with a throwing knife to their throats, then disposed over on the other side of the wall.

"Madre de Dios," Maddie gasped. She and her husband stood over the corpses with slack-jawed surprise, amazed at the large puddle of blood that had collected around the bodies. "The men she had with her took the uniforms right off these poor bastards' bodies. It's no wonder she was able to slip past all the soldiers and just walk right in." She shook her head, bewildered and furious at the same time. "That clever puta."

"She's got good aim, I'll give her that," Jack begrudgingly grumbled back as he knelt down over one of the bodies and examined the throwing knife that protruded out of the man's neck. With a jerk of his arm, he wrenched the knife out and held it aloft, studying the short, sharp blade.

Maddie snorted as she put her hands on her hips. "Shit, Jack, she could've killed a lot more people had we not've chased her out."

"Yeah, but we still lost a lot of people tonight," he murmured guiltily.

"I know."

Jack wiped the dead man's blood on his body before standing back up and handing it to Maddie. "Looks like they're gonna have to dig three more graves." He took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair with a ragged sigh. "We keep losing people, Maddie. This just pisses me off."

"I know." She pocketed the throwing knife and put a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder. "C'mon. We gotta tell the President about this…if he's still alive, that is."

He nodded and returned his hat to his head. He gestured for his wife to follow as he turned back to the wall. He stood by the crack with his hands down by his knees, cupping them into a step for Maddie. She gently placed her right boot in his hands, and as she grasped the cracked ledge, Jack hoisted her up and over with little effort. Once she was up and over, she turned back around and offered a hand to him, but he had already jumped up and crawled over to the other side, landing spritely beside her.

As fast as the bustling people around them would allow, the bounty hunters made their way through the mass hysteria that now choked El Presidio. The citizens of Mexico had resorted to huddling close to one another in the farthest corners of the fortress, crying out in terror and weeping openly. Most of the soldiers had rallied around them, their weapons at the ready should La Phantasma have any other schemes afoot in what they all thought was the safest place in the country. When they finally reached the President, they faltered in mid-step, shocked at what they saw.

Several blood splatters had stained the ground where Reyes had fallen during the assassination attempt; the ground was upturned and littered with scrambling boot prints and scrapes. Not ten feet away from the scene of the assault, Reyes was seated at a table. Blood from the wound he'd received from La Phantasma had trickled down the right sleeve of his shirt and soaked through the luxurious fabric. One of the doctors within his army was tending to his wound as fast as he could. While the bleeding had luckily been stanched, the remaining damage was more than Reyes could comprehend—the wounds he now carried were only partially seen. A confounded countenance had settled over his once arrogant and prideful visage; he watched with white-faced shock as his people scrambled about around him. His soldiers were hastily tending to those who could be saved…and those who couldn't. A group of his men were carrying the dead outside the walls; shovels were fetched, and the long, enervating task of digging graves began. Another group went from one injured citizen to the next, doing what they could with the wounds that the poor innocents had received in the onslaught of La Phantasma's outrageous stunt.

"Señor Presidente," Maddie said, softly approaching him, "are you all right?"

It took Abraham a long moment to focus his clouded eyes on her. He blinked and nodded numbly. Utter despair and shock bore down on him; he bowed his head and hunched over, breathing through the pain as the doctor tended to him. He knew he'd been bested in his own fortress and made a mockery in front of his people.

A brief moment of stunned silence fell over them before Jack looked to the doctor and asked, "Is he gonna be all right, mister?"

"He'll make it, though I'm amazed at how lucky he is," the man replied as he finished stitching up the President's wound. He tied the knot and snipped the remaining catgut with his knife. "La Asesina was really close to hitting his lungs. I'm amazed she didn't stay to finish him off."

"We made sure she wouldn't harm anyone else tonight," Maddie answered.

The man made eye contact with her and stared her down. "Did you kill her?"

Maddie bit down on her bottom lip and avoided his gaze. "She got away."

"Then chase after that puta! She tried to kill the President! She shouldn't get away with this!"

"It's too late," Jack pointed out. "By the time we'd get our horses ready, she'll be back at Torquemada, and I don't know 'bout you, but I'm not too keen on ridin' out there askin' for a death wish. Besides, she's probably got a posse out there waitin' for us."

The doctor scoffed at them. "And you call yourselves bounty hunters. Ha!"

Maddie bristled and stomped forward, shouting, "¡No me joda, tú hijo de puta! ¿Por lo menos sabe con quién está hablando, idiota? Voy a—"

Jack planted a firm hand to her shoulder and pulled her away from what he could only assume to be the beginning of a heated confrontation. Throwing his wife a chastising look, he looked back at the doctor and asked, "What do you want us to do, then? Risk our lives by going out there in pitch-black darkness and gettin' shot off our horses by that bitch and her band of renegades? You need us here just as much as you need Reyes and his soldiers to defend this fort."

"¿Qué diferencia hace?" the doctor demanded, growing red in the face with fury and fear. "This place is as unsafe as anywhere else in this godforsaken country!" He waved the bounty hunters away. "Go and make yourselves useful, maldita sea!"

As much as they wanted to further argue with the bereaved man, Maddie and Jack held their tongues and turned away from him. They knew he was right, and as they looked out at the scrambling, bustling, weeping citizens and soldiers, never had they felt as helpless and as useless as the man had made them out to be until that moment.

"This is insane," Jack murmured. He looked over at his wife. "What are we doin' here, Maddie?"

She shook her head, utterly clueless as to what to say. Tears welled in her eyes as she gawked at the madness around them.

In an effort to comfort her, Jack wrapped an arm around his wife and suggested, "C'mon. Let's prove that asshole wrong and make ourselves useful."

They helped tend to the citizens, mending what wounds they could and offering condolences to those who lost their loved ones. The sheer amount of effort it took to remain calm and positive around such anguish and panic was exhausting, and after several hours of helping the people regain their composure, the sun had begun to rise. Despite the urge to retire to their room and sleep, the bounty hunters felt it necessary to see how Reyes was fairing, and if he was planning a retaliation. After a much-needed cup of coffee, they made their way to the main building.

As they drew nearer and nearer, an indiscernible voice could be heard coming from the meeting room. It began as an indistinguishable mumble, then thunderous yelling, and finally, as they stopped before the door, it had matured to a vicious tirade. Jack and Maddie hesitated to enter and exchanged dubious looks.

"Sounds like our Presidente is back to his old tyrannical self," Maddie murmured, rolling her eyes.

Jack nodded in wary agreement. Readying himself, he cautiously opened the door and stepped through.

The Marstons were bombarded by a most disturbing scene: Reyes stood at the head of the conference table, standing up out of his chair and roaring obscenities in rapid Spanish, banging his left fist repeatedly down on the table and shouting at his generals, who all sat around the table in absolute silence, their jaws clamped shut for fear of setting off the President even further. Despite having just been attacked and wounded, with his right arm confined in a sling, the man was now full of life and lividity. No longer was Abraham's face pale; now, it was a deep shade of red. No longer was he in silent shock; now, he was viciously irate.

So overtaken by his rage was Reyes that he failed to notice the bounty hunters' presence—they slipped silently into the room and stood at the far corner. They, alongside with the fear-stricken generals, kept their tongues at bay and allowed the ranting man to curse and ramble on until he stood panting and glaring at each and every man at the table.

At last, one of the generals hesitantly spoke up. "Señor Presidente, si me lo permite—"

Reyes silenced him by banging his fist on the table and roaring, "¡NO! ¡NO HABLES!"

Bravely, Maddie took Jack's hand before stepping forward and asking, "¿Y nosotros? ¿Se nos permite hablar?"

Reyes' face flushed even deeper with a wash of outrage, surprise, and embarrassment. Still panting, he straightened up from his bent stance, cleared his throat, and ran a hand through his unkempt hair in an attempt to regain his composure.

Not knowing what was being said, Jack followed his wife's lead and came to stand beside her, looking from her to Reyes and back. He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "Maddie, what's goin' on?"

She ignored his inquiries but spoke in English so that he could understand. "Señor Presidente, I would like to speak, with your permission, of course."

"You have no right to speak here, gringa," Reyes hissed. "This discussion is of no importance to you."

A hot flame of rage flared up within Jack. He came to his wife's defense with no hesitation as he stepped forward and growled, "I'd watch what you say to my wife, Reyes." He stared the President down with a glare that could make an alpha wolf bow out. "You forget who you're talkin' to."

The men exchanged heated expressions, waiting for the other to back out of the stand-off. Jack steadfastly refused—he was tired of the way his wife was treated, and he wasn't about to let another man speak so low of her, regardless of his stature.

"And you forget who you're talking to, Marston," the President snarled back.

Not a single person in the room dared to breathe.

Before either man could say something truly damning, Maddie stepped forward and proclaimed, "I have information regarding how La Phantasma entered your fortress. If I may, señor, I think it would prove beneficial to you and your generales that I relay the knowledge my husband and I have discovered."

Every man at the table turned their heads from Maddie to Reyes and back, not daring to speak and curious as to how the conversation would further unfold. Red-faced and panting, Abraham stood glaring at the bounty hunters with a contempt snarl, looking hell-bent on demanding further silence from every single person in the room.

"Bien," the President grunted. He angrily beckoned her to speak on with a jerk of his upturned palm.

Maddie reached into her duster and withdrew the throwing knife from the inner pocket. She held it aloft so that all could clearly see it and said, "This was found in the neck of one of your soldiers stationed by the break in the wall. He and another unfortunate soldier were assassinated and stripped of their uniforms. I am certain you can figure out the rest."

"¡Eso es imposible!" one of the generals shouted. "Those men we had stationed there couldn't have let La Asesina take advantage! ¡No es posible!"

"Así, es posible si crees que es o no es," Maddie countered. "Out of all the places she could've gotten over, it was certainly that spot."

The rest of the generals sat in stunned silence. At the head of the table, however, Reyes stood quaking with outrage.

"How dare she!" Abraham shouted. "How dare she think she can outsmart my army and come into my fortress! She will pay for this!" He looked to his generals and ordered vehemently, "¡Prepárate para la batalla! ¡Mañana, vamos a conquistar!"

Maddie's jaw dropped. "Prepare for battle? ¡¿Estás loco?! This is exactly what that crazy bitch wants! She attacked you for a reason, and even though she didn't kill you, she still knew it would be the only thing needed to get this battle started. She's drawing you toward her for a reason—your arrogance will prove the death of you and your soldiers. You've underestimated her, as she knew you would, and now look where that got you. She exploited you right in your own fortress."

Reyes pointed vindictively at Maddie and roared, "I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL—"

"She already did that!" she countered. "She's got you right where she wants you."

"I WILL INVADE HER FORTRESS AND SLAUGHTER HER MYSELF! MY ARMY WILL SWEEP THROUGH TORQUEMADA LIKE THE PLAGUE! NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON WILL BE LEFT ALIVE, NO BRICK LEFT STANDING! NOT ONE PERSON WILL EVER DOUBT ME AGAIN AFTER I OBLITERATE HER!" Again, he looked to his generals and ordered, "¡PREPÁRATE PARA LA BATALLA!"

The men nodded in affirmation and chorused, "Sí, señor Presidente."

Maddie glared at Reyes and spat, "Usted es un tonto." With that, she spun on her heel and stormed out of building, shoving the door open aggressively and leaving Jack to stand awkwardly behind for a split second before jogging after her.

As he caught up to her, he grabbed her by the arm and turned her around to face him. "Are you insane?! What the hell's gotten into you?"

"I told that bastardo that he is a fool," she rectified. "And he is indeed a fool for attacking her without any preparation." She wrenched her arm out of his grasp before turning back around and stomping away back to their room.

"Preparation?" Jack exclaimed, falling into step beside her. "Maddie, you heard Reyes say to his men to get ready for war. What kind of preparation are you thinkin'?"

She abruptly turned around, and with a fiery determination in her eyes, said, "If Reyes won't properly find out what's awaiting him tomorrow, then I will."

Jack blinked. "What are you gettin' at here?"

She smiled mischievously up at him and beckoned him to follow her back to their room. "First, darlin', we're gonna get some much-needed rest. Then, at nightfall, I'll show you."

"This is insane, Maddie," Jack shouted over the thunder of hooves as he and his wife rode alongside each other down the road leading away from El Presidio at a fast canter. "We're gonna get ourselves killed. You know that, right?"

"Reyes is a fool for not scouting ahead," she argued back. "He's gonna lead his entire army to certain death if he thinks he can just march up to Torquemada without planning ahead. He may have the numbers to defeat La Phantasma, but she has the tactical advantage. She'll see him coming long before he even reaches her."

"Which is why I think this is suicide, Maddie! How the hell do you think we're gonna be able to sneak up to her without being seen? We almost didn't get out back there without all the bribing you somehow pulled off, so how are we gonna pull this off?"

"Just follow me."

Under a dark, moonless night sky, the bounty hunters rode away from El Presidio and down to Casa Madrugada. As swiftly as they could, they darted around the town—it was still under Reyes' control and guarded by a dozen soldiers, and they felt it necessary to not let their presence be known should the soldiers feel the need to alert the President of their disappearance. They headed northeast after they rode a safe distance away from Casa Madrugada, then rode on past Mesa de Sol. After crossing the train tracks, they continued on alongside the canyon wall.

Jack urged Sundance to keep pace with Gypsy, even though he had beckoned his horse to gallop the entire time. He knew the stallion was tired, but it couldn't be helped as he and Maddie rode alongside the canyon; they needed to get there as fast and as quietly as they could. He looked ahead at their destination. Sure enough, Torquemada loomed off in the distance like an unconquerable giant. Swallowing down his trepidation, Jack nudged the palomino's sweat-soaked sides with his spurs.

As the canyon wall curved south, Maddie pulled her rocky mountain mare to a stop. Jack pulled up Sundance beside her and looked to her for guidance. She beckoned him to follow before dismounting and ground-tying her exhausted horse to the thick brush that served as cover for their mounts. Jack did the same, and once his horse was tied, he followed her closely as she continued on foot following the curve of the wall. She had drawn her semi-automatic pistol for safe-keeping; he drew his high-powered pistol as well.

As the ground dropped off into a ravine, Maddie stopped at the edge of the wall before it curved back around and knelt down low. Jack pressed his left shoulder against the wall and knelt behind his wife, panting and shaking with adrenaline.

Before them, Torquemada sat proudly atop the cliff overlooking all of Mexico. Below them, the ravine curved upwards, turning east towards the fortress and supplying the only entrance to it. Littering the ground leading up to the fortress stood what looked like the ruins of a long-forgotten settlement—the bare stones and foundations of the buildings jutted out like fossils from the earth. Behind these rocky ruins, at least thirty of La Phantasma's men were stationed, their firearms strapped to their sides and their horses hitched nearby. It was nigh impossible to sneak past so many men without being detected; it was a suicide mission to dare try.

Silently, Maddie took out her binoculars from her satchel and surveyed the area. With no binoculars to speak of, Jack reached behind him and slung his Carcano rifle over his shoulder and looked through the scope. He frowned as he laid eyes on the rest of La Phantasma's men. The army had been stationed all along the road leading up to the fortress, becoming more and more impenetrable as the number of soldiers multiplied. The fortress itself was littered with well-armed soldiers, some stationed beside machine guns, others by cannons.

At the very top of the fortress, La Phantasma stood looking out at the land she had conquered. Her black robes and her long dark hair swayed in the breeze, looking like a proud banner. Her painted face looked as fearsome as ever. Without thinking, Jack slid his index finger through the trigger guard and held it ready, hugging the trigger slightly. It twitched with warmongering anticipation.

"Jack, what are you doing?!" Maddie whispered harshly, finally noticing what he was up to. "Don't shoot! We're here to scout, not get ourselves killed. Put the gun down!"

"She's in my sights. I can take her out."

"Jack, we're out of range."

"Bullshit, Maddie! She's well within range; I can kill her and be done with it!"

"Jack," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "if you shoot her, we'll be shot. All those men hiding behind those rocks and ruins will know exactly where we are and kill us." She put pressure on his shoulder, urging that he lower his firearm.

He continued to stare through the scope at the woman responsible for so much wanton death and destruction. It would be all too easy to pull the trigger and kill the anarquista right then and there, and there'd be no war to worry about, no more death brought to the innocent people, no more despair, and he and Maddie would be able to collect the bounty and be on their way home; he and Maddie could be home within a few days, living comfortably and perhaps discussing certain future prospects. Or he could hold back and ride safely back to El Presidio with the others and undoubtedly go to war and risk the lives of himself and his wife, fighting alongside Reyes and his army and probably die alongside them. He bit his lip hard in frustration; his hands trembled as he struggled to decide.

"Jack…"

He held La Phantasma in his sights a moment longer before he sighed greatly and lowered his rifle. "Goddamn it," he growled. Regrettably, he slung his rifle back over his shoulder.

Maddie's grip on his shoulder waned to a gentle squeeze. "We'll kill her, Jack. We will. Just not tonight." She tugged at the sleeve of his duster and beckoned him to follow her back around the canyon wall towards their hidden horses. "Come on, darlin'. Let's live to fight another day."

He hesitated another second longer before he turned and followed.