The sun had just made an appearance in the cloudless sky when Hank arrived at the checkpoint to spell Kyle. They had arrived back in Devil's Hole only two days ago after having pulled off a successful robbery in Copper Bend so when he spied a horse heading in their direction he stopped walking to keep an eye on it. From this distance it almost looked to be riderless. He squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes against the brightness as the horse slowly made its way toward the entrance to Devil's Hole and as it came closer the two men could make out the form slumped over on the animal. Holding his rifle in his left hand Hank pulled his pistol with his right, firing one shot to alert the rest of the gang that there could be trouble. The horse sidestepped, tossing its' head nervously at the sound of gunfire, dislodging the rider who fell heavily to the ground and lay unmoving. Hank and Kyle scanned the countryside trying to see if it might be a trap meant to lure some, if not all, of the gang out into the open, but they could see no sign of anyone else. They were both standing with rifles at the ready when they heard the sound of horses bringing members of the gang to see what the problem was. Hank raised his arm in recognition of the three men, Heyes acknowledging him with a brief wave as he and the two men with him made their way to the stranger.

Wheat stayed in the saddle, his hand resting on the butt of his gun, on high alert for any trouble as the Kid and Heyes knelt by the fallen man. Rolling him onto his back they both sucked in a sharp breath as they looked down onto the face of what appeared to be a young man who had been badly beaten. Both men frowned as they both tipped their hats back on their heads

"Damn, somebody beat the hell outta him..."

"Sure did… guess we'd best take him in and have Preacher take a look at him."

"Ya reckon that's a good idea Heyes? Him bein' able to tell where our hideout is?"

"He's hurt pretty bad Wheat…we can't just leave him out here. Besides he's out cold and we'll blindfold him when we escort him out."

Wheat scowled, because in his opinion this was not a good idea but, although Heyes had been leader for only a few months, he knew that arguing with him would not only be a waste of time, but could rile the young gunfighter at his side. He said nothing more as he watched the Kid start to straighten up one arm around the injured mans' shoulders the other sliding under his legs. Heyes reached out to help carry him stopping when the Kid froze.

He lifted his head giving his partner a shocked look…" I got him…Heyes I don't reckon he can weigh more than eighty pounds!"

Heyes shook his head, his face tightening, as he turned toward their horses.

They got the unconscious boy up onto a horse, the Kid easily holding him steady while Heyes quickly mounted behind him. Wheat leaned over snagging the trailing reins of the strangers' horse while the Kid pulled himself up into the saddle, all three of them making their way back into the safety of the hideout.

XXX

The rest of the gang were gathered outside the bunkhouse when they reined up in front of the leaders' cabin waiting to see what was going on and if they were going to be needed. Spotting Preacher Heyes called him over as he slid off the back of his horse, hurrying to open the door for the Kid who carried the boy into the cabin and to his own bed. Laying him down he stepped back allowing Preacher to start checking the man over while muttering so softly the two men could just barely make out what he was saying.

"Why he ain't no more'n a boy," he frowned, shaking his head before glancing up. "Best bring some hot water Heyes so's we can get him cleaned up."

He unbuttoned the ragged shirt, his hands stilling for a moment when he got a look at the boy as the shirt fell open. "Lord a'mighty," he gasped seeing the solid mass of bruises both old and fresh, as well as the prominent ribs. He quickly got himself back to the job at hand. "Sit 'im up Kid, let's get this shirt off him."

Sitting on the side of the bed the Kid put an arm around the boy's shoulders lifting him up so he could pull the shirt off. Heyes returned to the room carefully carrying a bowl of hot water just as the Kid finished removing the shirt.

"Heyes…" he said whispered.

He stopped, shooting a curious glance at his partner, then at what he was staring at, his face paling when he saw the scars on the boy's back. The Kid looked up slowly, his gaze meeting his cousin's, both recognizing scars made by a belt buckle. Preacher's voice brought them back to the present.

"Pretty sure some of these ribs are cracked, don't feel any movin' though. Shoulder's dislocated. You boys are gonna have to hold him while I put it back in, but let's get the rest of these clothes off him first."

It didn't take long for the shoulder to be adjusted, the two partners wincing at the sound of the joint settling back into place, but the young man remained completely oblivious to what was being done to him.

With the three men working together it took nearly an hour to get the patient cleaned up, stitched, bandaged and the ribs wrapped. They finally straightened up, all of them taking a deep breath as they stood looking down on the young man.

"Who would do somethin' like this to a boy?" Preacher wondered out loud. "He's dehydrated and it's pretty obvious he ain't bin eatin'. Looks like he was kept chained up by somebody for quite a while judgin' from the bloody marks and the scars on his wrists…" he shook his head as if in disbelief. "Sure hope you boys got some whiskey somewhere."

"I think we could all use some," Heyes said patting the 'doctor' on the shoulder. "C'mon."

Preacher took a couple steps toward the door, but stopped, turning to look back at the bed once again shaking his head. "Seein' somethin' like this surely does test a man's faith."

The Kid snagged his elbow, urging him through the door to the table where they sat while Heyes poured three healthy shots of whiskey, none of them speaking until they'd drained their glasses.

"You need to give him lots of water…and broth until he comes around enough to start eatin' solid food. Lord only knows how long it's bin since he had a real meal…a long while from the look of him."

"Ya reckon he's gonna be all right?"

"The wounds'll heal Kid but it's gonna take time… and someone needs to keep watch over him for a couple days at least."

XXX

Preacher entered the bunkhouse shortly after that hearing Wheat going on about letting a stranger they knew nothing about into their place of safety. He silently reached for the bottle of whiskey on the shelf, pulling the cork and taking a large swallow.

"I tell ya if'n I was leader o' this here gang I wouldn't have brought him in. Just lookin' for trouble if ya ask me."

"Wheat…"

The sharpness in Preachers' voice caused everyone's heads to snap around giving him their full attention, including Wheat.

"That boy can't be more than fifteen or sixteen at best and he's been beat near to death. The scars on him…" he lowered his head, closing his eyes still able to see the damage to the young body. "From the look of his wrists he's been chained up for a long time, and judgin' from how thin he is, he ain't had enough food in who knows how long."

There was silence in the bunkhouse as his angry words sank in.

"I didn't mean no disrespect Preacher but we gotta be careful who we let in."

"And you know as well as I do that Heyes and the Kid are real careful about that…but the boy woulda died if he'd been left out there…he still might."

"Who'd do somethin' like that to a youngin'?"

"I wish I knew Kyle. He didn't even have anything with him 'cept the horse and the clothes on his back…no gun, knife…nothin'."

Wheat sighed to himself, feeling a bit guilty about the things he'd been saying…but how was he to know the boy was that bad off.

XXX

The two men took turns sitting watching over their uninvited guest throughout the day and night with no sign of any movement other than the shallow rise and fall of his chest. It was almost dawn the following day when the Kid, his head beginning to nod as he sat in a chair beside the bed, heard a soft sound. Leaning forward he looked at the young man in his bed, seeing his hand twitch slightly as the one eye that wasn't swollen shut fluttered for a moment before opening. He filled the nearby glass with water and reached toward the boy.

"Just gonna lift your head so you can have a drink."

He knew that it probably hurt to swallow, but he had to get fluids into him. He pulled the glass away when the boy tried to gulp thirstily, earning another weak moan.

"Easy now, you gotta drink it slow or it'll make ya sick."

After several more swallows his head was lowered to the pillow again, the Kid setting the now empty glass back on the table before trying to ask some questions.

"What's your name son?"

"J…Joey," he whispered.

"Who done this to ya Joey?"

But he would have to wait for the answer as Joey had drifted off to sleep once more. He got to his feet heading to the kitchen for some of the much needed coffee he could smell brewing.

Heyes turned his head to look at his partner who was yawning and running a hand through his hair when he came out of his bedroom. He lifted the coffee pot questioningly and seeing his cousin nod, grabbed a second cup and filled it, carrying both to the table. Pulling a chair out he sat with his hands wrapped around the cup, his elbows on the table as he blew on the hot liquid before taking a sip then setting it down. He eyed his cousin who was staring wordlessly toward the window pretty sure he knew what he was remembering.

"How's he doin?"

The Kid returned to the present with a blink and turned his gaze to his partner. "Says his name's Joey, but that's all I got out of him before he went back to sleep. I did get a glass of water into him."

"Well that's good at least."

The Kid looked down at his cup. "Seein' them scars on his back…"

"Yeah I know."

"I won't never forget his name Heyes…Brody Miller…always felt guilty for not bein' able to do somethin' to stop that beatin' he…"

Heyes cut him off…"Stop it Kid. I felt guilty for a long time too, but there wasn't anything we could've done. We were just youngins'ourselves and it was just the two of us. We would have been no match for that headmaster…but that's what made me decide we had to get out of that place as soon as we could."

XXX

It was several hours later when Joey woke again. Things were blurry but the first thing he saw was a man standing over him and he tried to push himself further into the pillow.

"Howdy Joey, how ya feelin'?"

"Who…who are you?" he asked hoarsely as his vision began to clear.

"I'm Kyle…"

"Where am I?"

"This here's the Kid's room."

"Who? What town is this?"

"Ain't a town…yer in Devil's Hole…Oh yeah, I'm s'posed ta make ya drink if ya wake up."

Kyle picked up the glass and filled it, but turning around he recognized the look of sheer panic on Joey's face. Putting the glass back down, he hitched at his pants sighing as he quickly made a decision.

"I'll be right back."

Kyle stuck his head out into the kitchen where Heyes was peeling potatoes.

"Heyes?"

"What is it Kyle?"

"Young Joey's awake but he's got a look in his eye that kinda puts me in mind of a wild colt that's bin roped for the first time."

"Huh?" Heyes looked at him in confusion.

"Think ya'd best come take a look fer yerself," he said disappearing into the bedroom again.

Heyes rolled his eyes, Kyle had quite a way of describing things, but stopped what he was doing to enter his partner's room…and seeing Joey he understood what Kyle meant...the boy looked terrified. He walked over to the bed, making sure his hands were visible to the injured man and that he wasn't making any threatening moves.

"Kyle, go finish peelin' the potatoes will ya while me and Joey get to know one another…oh and later maybe see if you can rustle up a change of clothes for our young friend here."

Heyes smiled as he sat in the chair leaning forward with his forearms on his thighs and his hands clasped between his knees.

"Nice to see you awake, I'm Heyes. You wouldn't remember, but a couple of my men saw you fall off your horse just outside the entrance to Devil's Hole. You were hurt pretty bad so we brought you in here to try and get you fixed up. You come to a few hours ago, long enough to tell my partner your first name. I don't know who roughed you up so bad, but you're safe here…nobody gets in without our say so…lawmen or outlaws."

There was a moment of silence before Joey spoke hoarsely. "I ain't a lawman or…or an outlaw."

Heyes chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I already knew that. It's been decided that you're gonna stay in here as long as you need…but when you're able you'll have to give the Kid his room back and move into the bunkhouse with the rest of the men." He saw the flash of fear in the boys' eyes. "They're good fellas, I think you'll get along with them just fine, but for now you'll stay here until you get a bit stronger."

"I can leave…" he started, struggling to try to sit up.

Heyes quickly reached out putting a hand on the boy's chest, easily holding him down. "Hey, what do you think you're doin'? You stay put."

Just then the door opened and the Kid walked in carrying a cup of coffee for his partner along with a cup of broth for their guest. He took in the look of fear on Joey's face and Heyes with a restraining hand on his chest. He held the coffee out to his cousin, setting the broth on the nearby table at the same time.

"Problem Heyes?"

"No, no problem…just young Joey here seems to feel a bit guilty about taking over your bed."

The gunman shrugged. "Ain't no cause to feel that way…you didn't take it I gave it. Me and Heyes have been taking turns sittin' with ya, so one of us sleeps in his room while the other is in here. If need be I can bunk in with the boys for a couple nights."

"I don't wanna cause no problems."

Both outlaws chuckled. "There's always some sort of problem around here, but it's never anything we can't take care of."

"Heyes is right…but tell ya what, you get that broth into ya and when you can walk by yourself to the bunkhouse I'll take my bed back. All right?"

"Sounds like a pretty good deal to me Joey," Heyes grinned.

The youngster looked at the two men finally realizing he was in no shape to leave."All right," he agreed tremulously.