It's been too long, I know… Sincere apologies. But! Here it (finally) is!

Warnings for worse language and rougher themes than usual. These are villains, after all. Specific trigger warning for references to an abusive sexual relationship but nothing is graphically described.

Enjoy!

Chasing Strays Ch 14

Slim sat helpless in his place as Elias loped toward them. He tried not to panic as his mind raced through their previous encounter. This was the man who had not only tried to destroy his bond with Jess, but was also set on taking Mike away from them forever. He'd almost been successful on both counts, Slim's mind unhelpfully reminded him. Slim desperately scrambled to clear his thoughts in spite of his concussion. He needed a firm hold on his bonds with Jess and Mike in order to defend them. He wasn't sure how much he could do under the circumstances, but damn it all, he wasn't going down without a fight.

He focused all the energy his foggy mind could muster into a single mantra of Protect, protect, protect. He pictured the defenses he'd spent years building around his own mind and tried to imagine them growing; stretching out until they could reach Mike inside the cabin and Jess… wherever he happened to be. He prayed it would make a difference.

Meanwhile, Willet turned his back to Slim and met the intruder in the middle of the cabin's small yard. Slim watched as he dismounted and looped his polished black reins casually around a fencepost as if he was just stopping by for a casual visit.

Elias Williams wasn't remarkably tall, but even Slim had to admit he had an imposing presence. It set Slim's teeth on edge. He wasn't the only one, he noted. Willet appeared calm on the outside, but focused as he was on using his gifts, Slim could feel the tension rising. The two men by the cabin stood up straight and shifted around uneasily. Slim didn't need to be a guide to know they were scared of this man.

"Mr. Williams," Willet started, keeping his hands on his hips rather than reaching out to shake. "Glad you could join us. Seems we're ready to conclude our business," he said. Clearly, he was trying to keep control of the situation, just like any other businessman greeting a customer.

Elias smiled the same cold smile Slim had seen before. His sharp gaze cut across straight to Slim, completely bypassing Willet, before drifting around the scene. Slim noticed a small tick in Elias's jaw as he finished his sweep.

"Perhaps," he finally said, his tone seemingly unbothered. "Don't tell me, Sam, that the boy slipped through your fingers a second time?"

"Of course not," came the answer. Slim couldn't see Willet's face from this angle, but his shoulders stiffened at the insult. "He's nearby and unhurt. We'll bring him by once we've settled our financial agreement."

The exaggeration seemed to have slipped by Elias, which surprised Slim. The man had been able to sense both Jess and Mike before, just as easily as Slim could sense a sentinel. Now, he apparently couldn't sense Mike just inside the cabin. Hope flared to life in Slim's chest as he doubled down on his mental projection.

Protect, protect, protect - He isn't here! Stop looking!

Elias's smile held firmly in place as Slim felt an eerie, slimy coating of placid indifference roll through the yard. He was hard pressed not to gag at the feeling. Elias's eyes cut over to Slim again, apparently well aware of Slim's reaction to his projection. He winked at him, as if the two of them were sharing a private joke at the rest of the group's expense. Slim fought the urge to spit at him.

With a sense of dread coiling in his chest, though, Slim noticed Willet and his men start to relax. Shoulders dropped and hands slipped nonchalantly into pockets. They were losing their edge.

Slim knew that play. Distract them with a sense of security. Make them feel safe until they drop their guard. It was a simple, dirty trick, but it was effective. He'd even used it himself, but never for what Elias had in mind. Slim knew he should call out to Sam Willet and his men, break the spell, fight back, but he couldn't risk taking his concentration off of shielding Mike and Jess.

"Whatever you say, Sam," Elias said, turning his attention away from Slim again. "Let's get down to business, then."

Slim flinched away just as Elias's pistol cleared his holster.

All three shots were off in less than a second.

The drop of three bodies followed a heartbeat later.

-Laramie-

Jess nearly bit clean through his lip as the gun went off, but he managed to hold his nerve.

He was flat on his belly on the small ridge behind the cabin, rifle in hand, watching and waiting for an opening. Jess had made it to his hiding place shortly before Slim started to come around. His partner was pretty woozy, Jess could tell, but he didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. Jess hadn't seen Mike yet, but he could hear his steady heartbeat and breathing inside the cabin. He'd recognize it anywhere.

Slim hadn't given any outward sign that he had any idea Jess was there. Soon enough, though, Jess had felt a steady, comforting warmth in his chest that he knew had to be coming from Slim. Surely, that meant Slim was aware of his presence.

From his perch, Jess had heard the entire conversation between Slim and Sam Willet clear as day. He'd watched as Elias Williams, Mike's father, if Willet was to be believed, had ridden up and dismounted. He'd caught every little twitch and powerplay between Willet and Elias, and most importantly, Jess had known Elias wouldn't be aiming for Slim. Not this round, anyway.

Jess had held still as stone and let Elias even the odds for them.

-Laramie-

"Apologies, Mr. Sherman," Elias said, breaking the unsettling silence, "for the theatrics. Tedious but necessary," he said, with a dismissive wave of his hand.

He stepped over Willet's still body as the dirt beneath his boots turned to deep, crimson mud.

Slim looked up at him in silent disbelief.

"Oh, come off it," Elias scoffed. "They were a means to an end. A trial would have hung them all anyway. They were nothing. Not like you and I," he said, once again smiling his cold, dead smile.

Slim still said nothing.

Elias cocked his head to the side. "You know, Sherman," he started, seeming to hesitate a moment before continuing, "In another lifetime, we might have made quite the pair."

The dust that had raised when the bodies fell seemed to hang in the air, threatening to suffocate Slim as he fought to find an answer. He decidedly ignored the steadily growing pool of blood and kept his mind on his main goal: Protect Mike and Jess.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Slim finally choked out.

Elias's eyes narrowed.

"Maybe the real problem is a lack of confidence," he considered allowed.

With each word, Slim was more vividly reminded of a cat that had cornered a mouse. He tensed his shoulders against his bonds, but they remained just as tight as before.

"That must be it. You know, it took me several years to realize my own power, to see all that I was capable of. Maybe you just never had the right example to follow," Elias continued, rubbing absently at the blond scruff along his jawline. "Take that dark haired sentinel you've got hanging around. I know you're bonded with him. Pretty tightly, too, from what I could tell," he said with a quirk of his eyebrow, clearly admonishing Slim for his relationship with Jess. "It's adorable, truly, how protective you are of him. Riding in to save the damsel," he said, his tone growing more sarcastic. His fake smile finally fell, replaced by a sneer. "Pathetic."

Slim was out of options. His only chance was to keep the man talking, and hope he got a chance to try something before it was too late. Slim cleared his throat.

"What should I have done instead?"

Elias opened his palms wide, his black leather gloves shining in the afternoon sunlight. "Whatever you wanted," he said simply. "You know, he'd do anything you told him to. Anything at all. You could make that man lie, cheat, and steal for you. He'd kill for you," Elias said, as if discussing the weather. "All he would need," he went on, the wicked grin sliding back into place, "is the right persuasion."

Slim closed his eyes hard for a moment, trying to block out the words.

"Ah, I see," Elias said softly. "You know exactly what I mean."

The sickening truth is that Slim did know. He'd known for years. He knew that with his gifts, he was capable of convincing anyone to do just about anything at all given enough time and effort. Jess would be one of the easiest to control, what with the bond between them, but Slim would never cross that line. He'd never take advantage of Jess, not in this lifetime or the next.

Elias was laughing at him now. "Held back by simple fear then," he concluded, his words like vinegar. "You'll never know what it's like, how freeing it is to have control over someone. Without that you have nothing."

The man is utterly insane.

Slim looked up, his blue eyes hard as steel. "I have loyalty."

"Loyalty? Ha!" Elias exclaimed, caught up in his own game now. "Unreliable," he countered. "Loyalty is nothing compared to total control."

"Total control?" Slim spit out, his own words bitter and dark. "Is that what you call it, when your wife hates you so much she runs the first chance she gets? When she evades you for years?"

"Don't you dare speak about that bitch to me!" Elias roared, his eyes wild. "She was too stupid to appreciate what she'd been given, to understand how she'd been blessed!"

Now it was Slim's turn to scoff. If these were his last moments in this world, he refused to spend it listening to the ravings of a lunatic without getting his own say in.

"Blessed?" Slim tossed back. "Blessed with what? A husband who couldn't even make a home for her?"

The sickly smile was back. "I never married her," Elias said, almost off hand. "I knew she wasn't worth my name the moment I met her. A precious, weak little sentinel, not even aware of her gifts yet. She was only good for one thing, and trust me, I took advantage of that."

Slim wanted to be sick.

"It was my sniveling stepbrother that married the stupid bitch. Joshua Park, before he was Williams," Elias sneered. "Gave her a name that wasn't even his own to give, then passed it on to that bastard too. Waited until I was gone with the army, making a name and a life for myself, before he snuck in and took what was mine. That coward got what he deserved." He spat on the ground.

"Then why even come after her? If she's so unworthy?"

"Principle," Elias answered, his eyes devoid of emotion. "I expect a man like you to understand a thing like that. She'd disrespected me in the worst way, and I wasn't going to stand idly by while she did it. And that boy, bastard or not, is my son," he hissed, leaning down into Slim's space.

Slim could feel the insane jealous rage boiling inside the man in front of him. He held his ground anyway.

When Slim refused to flinch away, Elias pulled back, collecting himself.

"Now, Mr. Sherman, enough stories for one day. I know you've bonded with Michael—Don't try to deny it," he said, as Slim opened his mouth to protest. "You've bonded with him, so I know you can find him. If you refuse, I'll shoot you. It's not the best way to sever a bond, but your death would certainly be the quickest. The choice is a simple one. Tell me where he is, and you keep breathing."

Slim set his jaw and raised his chin defiantly, trying to gather as much dignity as he could while sitting on the ground, tied to a tree. Ultimately, Slim knew that Elias would find Mike whether he gave away his location or not. He also knew that man would shoot him no matter what he did. His refusal to answer was for his own conscience alone. As soon as Slim was dead, his mental protection would fail, and Elias would know exactly where Mike was. Slim just prayed that Jess was alright, somewhere out there. He prayed that someday, somehow, Jess would catch up with this monster and bring Mike safely home again.

One last time, Slim channeled all his energy into his shields. He closed his eyes.

-Laramie-

The tiny creek of the cabin door was almost drowned out by three simultaneous gunshots.

-Laramie-

Jess was down the bank and rushing to Slim before the last echoes faded. Snagging his knife out of his boot, he knelt down and began sawing at the ropes, urgently asking Slim if he was alright, if he was hit, and when no answer came, if he could hear him.

As soon as the ropes fell away, Slim lurched sideways and threw up in the grass.

"It's alright, Pard, I'm here, we got 'em all," Jess said, gently holding Slim's shoulders. He retched again and Jess wrinkled his nose, letting his sense of smell fade to the background. "That's it," he soothed, snagging Slim's forgotten canteen and handing it to him. Once Jess was sure Slim wasn't going to fall face first into the puddle of sick, he jogged over to the cabin.

Laying in the doorway was the last member of the Willet gang, the one tasked with watching Mike. The man had been almost as silent as Jess, hidden away inside, watching and waiting. In the end, he'd decided to make his play when he thought Elias was fully distracted with Slim. He hadn't been quick enough. Jess had watched Elias's pistol pivot as the door opened. The gang member's bullet, aimed at Elias, had gone harmlessly wide while Elias's had found its mark between the man's eyes. Jess hadn't even hesitated to take his own shot. His aim had been just as true as Elias's.

Jess stepped over the corpse and immediately found Mike on a cot against the wall. Through all the shooting, he'd never stirred. One glimpse of his vacant stare confirmed Jess's suspicions. Mike was zoned, and for once, Jess was thankful for it. Mike didn't need to remember every gory detail of the day. Left-handed, Jess scooped Mike up in his arms and carried the silent boy out into the sunlight.

Slim had managed to sit up on his own. As soon as he saw Jess holding Mike, he struggled to get to his feet.

"Is he alright?" Slim rasped, swaying dangerously. Jess reached out to steady him on reflex but winced as soon as he tried to lift his arm. "Are you alright?" Slim amended, reaching out for Jess in return.

"We're both alright," Jess said, once he had his breath back. "He's zoned, I've got a few scratches, and I'd bet my last dollar that your head ain't feelin' the best. Anything I'm missin'?"

Slim just shrugged somewhat helplessly as he looked around at the carnage surrounding the usually peaceful cabin, at a total loss for words.

Jess understood the feeling. So much had gone on, but in a blink, it was over. His mind and his body hadn't quite caught up to the fact that the threat had passed, leaving him feeling untethered and on edge. He figured it would take them both the better part of a few days to settle down again.

Finally, Slim took a deep breath and turned back to Jess.

"Man, was I glad to see you," Slim said, a nervous laugh bubbling up at the end and choking off the words.

"Never one to miss a party," Jess quipped back. Slim laughed again, although it was still strained. If Jess noticed Slim's shaking hands and shimmering eyes, he wasn't about to mention it.

Slim paid him the same courtesy.

"C'mon, then," Jess said, hefting Mike a bit higher on his hip. "Let's grab the horses and head home. I'd rather this one didn't wake up and see all this."

Slim nodded. Since he still had two working arms, he untied Alamo and headed out to where Jess said he'd left Traveler. Jess, still carrying Mike, walked along the road until Slim caught up to him with both horses. Jess handed Mike up to Slim before dragging himself into his own saddle. Once they were far enough away that Jess couldn't smell the blood anymore, they paused.

A few gentle words and a little coaxing were all it took for Slim to bring Mike out of his zone.

Wide blue eyes blinked first up at Slim and then over to Jess.

"Are they gone?" Mike whispered, glancing between his two guardians.

"Yeah Tiger," Jess said, "They're gone and they aren't coming back. We're safe now."

Mike nodded solemnly. If Jess said they were safe, they were safe.

Slim squeezed his small shoulders. "What do you say we head home? And maybe rustle up some supper?"

Mike's answering nod was much more enthusiastic.

"You heard the man," Jess said, nudging Traveler toward the ranch house.

"Right behind ya, Pard."