FIFTEEN
An hour after Matt left, Doc finally gave Festus something to help with the pain and help him sleep for a while. Kitty and Doc lapsed back into silence, each searching separately for ways to occupy their time and thoughts. Eventually, Doc got up and started pacing around the room under the pretense of rearranging the new supplies he'd gotten after the fire. The constant movement set Kitty's teeth on edge, but she wasn't about to stop Doc from drawing on whatever comfort he could find in this situation. For her part, she moved her chair back over to Festus' side and sat holding his hand, willing him to feel her comforting touch even while he slept.
Kitty didn't know how Matt hoped to catch up to Caleb. The daylight was fading quickly now that the sun had set, and even Matt couldn't expect to track someone in the dark with as little information as he had. Hopefully he would turn back soon. Then he could either start the search properly in the morning—and with other men to help him—or he could figure out another plan of attack. Or defense, as the case may be.
Festus' hand twitched in Kitty's, startling her, and she shifted slightly in her chair, rearranging her heavy skirts to find a more comfortable position. She gazed out the window across from her at the vibrant stars appearing in the night sky and gave thanks for small blessings. At least the clouds had lifted and Matt had a clear night and the moon to help guide him.
A creak on the steps outside Doc's office caught Kitty's attention, and she strained to listen for more footsteps, her senses on high alert. At least two sets were slowly making their way up the stairs, too quiet and cautious to be anyone stopping by to check on Festus or ask for Doc's help. Her heart started racing, and she clutched Festus' hand tighter, fear washing over her like a cold rain. She looked to Doc – he'd heard it, too. As quiet as he could, he darted over to his desk and pulled his pistol out of the top drawer.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they waited for whoever was about to come through the door. What felt like an eternity was really only a matter of seconds. And just before the door crashed open, Kitty straightened in her seat, back erect and head held high, a fierce determination in her eyes. She wished to God Matt was with them and not on what was now some obviously wild goose chase, but she would not go down without a fight.
Caleb rushed through the door first, slamming it back against the wall, his brothers behind him, their guns already drawn. His green eyes were consumed with a rage that almost stole Kitty's breath away. The way he looked at her…so different from the friendly, well-mannered young man who'd saved her life only days earlier. His eyes raked over her, and a chill ran down her spine.
He trained his pistol on her and stepped closer, further into the room so his brothers could close the door behind them—the tallest kept one eye, and his gun, on Doc.
Caleb spared a quick glance for Doc, who still held his gun aloft, steel in his eyes belying his rumpled appearance. "Looks like we have a stand-off here, Doc," Caleb spoke deliberately, his voice cold and harsh.
Kitty couldn't take her eyes off him.
"Get away from her, Caleb. I'm not afraid to kill you if I have to. And if you touch her, I swear to God I will," he growled. Kitty clutched Festus' hand closer to her chest to keep her hands from trembling.
"You and I both know if you shoot me, then Harley here will kill you before I even hit the floor. And then he'll kill the deputy, and him and Ben will wait here to kill the Marshal, too." Caleb turned his head a fraction of an inch to stare Doc down and added, "And you won't be able to do a goddamn thing to stop my brothers from…touching her."
Kitty's stomach turned uneasily, bile rising in her throat.
Doc looked at Kitty, his gaze frighteningly vulnerable, and she nodded her head slightly. "It's alright, Doc." The strength of her voice surprised her.
Doc slowly lowered the gun, and Harley grabbed it out of his hand, tucking it into the waistband of his pants.
Kitty was still afraid, terrified even, but anger was growing inside her. This man had deceived them, terrorized the town, tormented them for days while Matt was away. She had all but fallen for his act – it couldn't have all been fake, could it? And now, while Matt was gone once again, he had come back with reinforcements to what? Kill them? Kidnap them? Use her and Doc and Festus against Matt, all the while trying to make him feel guilty over things that were never within his power to control in the first place.
Cowards, the lot of them.
Kitty gently placed Festus' hand back by his side under the blanket and stood up to face Caleb, eye to eye, the heat rising in her cheeks.
"You know something?" her voice all but shook with barely controlled anger. "You three comin' in here when you know the law isn't here to stop you…. You're pathetic."
Harley bristled, and Ben looked disconcertingly indifferent. A dark cloud passed over Caleb's face. He raised his hand and backhanded her across the face before she could react, the force of the blow sending her crashing into the cabinet. She cried out as her left hand broke through the glass and the entire pane shattered, raining down on her as she collapsed in a heap on the floor, stunned and gasping for breath.
Through the ringing in her ears, Kitty could hear Doc's outraged voice as he tried to rush to her side. "How dare y—" was all she heard before a sharp crack rang out through the room, followed by a muffled thump.
Fear spiked in her chest, and Kitty used her good hand to push herself up into a sitting position. Doc was on his hands and knees on the floor, and the back of his head was bleeding slightly. He groaned softly, probing the wound with gentle fingers that came away stained with blood.
"D-Doc?"
"On your feet, both of you!" Caleb barked.
Kitty glared at him but staggered to her feet, blood dripping from her split lip, her cheek throbbing, and her left hand tucked against her stomach. It burned something fierce, and she could feel the blood seeping into her blouse and thin corset, sticky and cloying against her stomach. She reached out and helped Doc gain his footing, staying close to his side.
Harley and Ben—the one with electric blue eyes that unnerved Kitty—hadn't said a word since they entered the office. Caleb was clearly in charge, and Kitty imagined him to be the oldest brother. A shadow of responsibility haunted his eyes in a way the other twos' eyes didn't reflect. She had noticed that air of burden around him the last time they'd talked, but she'd assumed it related to his mother.
The three brothers were spread in a semi-circle around her and Doc now, caging them in. They must not have seen Festus as a threat. Unfortunately, they were right. Kitty studied each brother, and as her gaze passed over Harley, he looked her over hungrily, cocksure and spoiling for a fight. She pointedly ignored him and held on to Doc's arm, trying to concentrate on something other than Harley and the pain she was in. The building silence only added to the tension.
The next second, Caleb nodded at Harley, and his brother moved forward and roughly tore Kitty away from Doc's side, dragging her to stand by him and Caleb. She bit the inside of her cheek against the pain, but as he jerked her around so that she faced Doc and twisted her arm behind her back she cried out.
"Hush up!" Harley hissed in her ear, wrenching her arm higher.
Doc took a step towards them but stopped abruptly when Harley leveled his gun at Kitty's head.
"I wouldn't make any more sudden moves if I was you, old man."
"Why don't you go ahead and tell us what you're plannin' on doing, hm?" Doc was seething.
"Maybe you're right, Doc," Caleb mused. "We need to get movin' before Dillon has a chance to get back. Ben?" He jerked his head in Doc's direction, and the third brother advanced on Doc while Harley holstered his gun and used both hands to hold Kitty.
"What are you—no!" Ben sucker punched Doc in the gut, and Kitty lunged forward, struggling to break free and help Doc. "Stop it! Stop, please!" Her heart galloped at a painful speed as she fought Harley's bruising grip, desperate to save her dearest friend.
Ben continued to beat Doc, pistol whipping him and kicking him in the side when he fell to the ground, no longer able to protect himself or fight back.
"You're going to kill him!" Kitty screamed, and Harley covered her mouth with his hand. Tears flowed down Kitty's cheeks, her breath shuddering and erratic, as she tried to throw Harley off of her and continued yelling, though his hand muffled the sound. This couldn't be happening…. Doc couldn't be dying right in front of her. If Doc died—
"Alright, enough."
Ben stopped immediately at Caleb's command, and Kitty sagged in Harley's grasp and tried to rein herself in, pull herself back together through halting, ragged breaths. He uncovered her mouth, and she found her footing again. Ben hauled Doc off the floor and into his chair. Thankfully, by some miracle, he was still conscious, and Kitty bit back a sob of relief. The way he held his side, though, as he breathed heavily, and the blood covering his face….
Ben took a coil of rope off his belt and began tying Doc up. He was strangely careful about it, as if he suddenly didn't want to cause the man any more pain, but Kitty could tell it still hurt Doc a great deal.
As Ben finished the last knot, Caleb walked over to the pair and leaned down to look Doc straight in the eye.
"Now, Doc, I need you to listen to me," he spoke slowly, like he was talking to a toddler, and Doc glared hazily at him through swollen eyes. "Sooner or later, Dillon's gonna realize he's headed the wrong direction, and he'll come back to Dodge for the night. You need to tell him where to find us." A beat. "And his woman."
Even though Kitty knew it was coming, her heart sank through the floor and she could feel the blood rushing from her face.
"Let her…go…you sonofabitch," Doc panted.
"Can't do it, old man." Caleb straightened back up. "You tell Dillon we'll be in that old, abandoned cabin about twenty miles south of town on Crooked Creek. And make sure he waits until dawn to leave Dodge. If he doesn't, we'll kill her at the first sign of him."
"Caleb?" Kitty flinched. She'd been so focused on Doc that Harley's voice so close to her ear caught her off guard. "What about the deputy?"
"No, please! Leave him alone. He-he's no danger to you, he won't follow us, I swear." Kitty thought quickly, her mind racing to come up with some excuse, praying Festus wouldn't wake up until they were gone. She let her eyes tear up again and swallowed thickly, hoping she could convince the bastards to leave Festus alone, unharmed and untied. "He hit his head when he fell off the ladder, and…and it did something to his brain." A tear rolled down her cheek. "Doc doesn't think he's going to wake up…."
Doc caught on quickly. "And even if he does he'll be permanently brain damaged," he growled.
"Well isn't that poetic justice…" Caleb muttered quietly, so quietly that Kitty wasn't sure she'd heard him right.
She didn't have time to dwell on it.
Caleb walked over to Festus, looking down at him, and Kitty held her breath.
"We'll leave him be. More evidence of the damage Dillon leaves behind."
"You're a monster!" Kitty spat.
Harley spun her around, pulling her close with a bruising grip on the back of her neck. She barely got her hands up in time to keep herself from being crushed against him.
"Watch your mouth, woman," he warned. His flint-cold green eyes told her he was deadly serious. She'd hit a nerve, insulting his brother. "Maybe," Harley smirked then, and Kitty's already pounding heart started doing triple-time, "I'll have to teach you to behave. Maybe teach the old man a thing or two, too."
Harley's hand on Kitty's neck moved into her hair, and he yanked on it, hard, forcing her head back. Her mouth opened in a cry of pain, and he took the opportunity to force himself on her, abruptly cutting off her air supply and practically gagging her.
"Stop it!" Doc's shouts were nothing more than white noise to Kitty, once again. She struggled to break Harley's hold on her and push herself away from him, the pain she felt fading into the background as her survival instincts took over and adrenaline coursed through her body. But he was just too strong. She was finding it more and more difficult to breathe when—
"Harley! Let go of her!" Caleb shouted. "Stop messin' around!"
Harley shoved her away but kept a tight grip on her left arm, jerking her around like a ragdoll. Air sawed in and out of her lungs, and the lightheaded feeling persisted. Her knees felt like jelly.
"Kitty, honey, breathe," Doc's soothing voice broke through her haze. "Just calm down, slow down, baby."
She looked into his swollen eyes, blood dripping down his battered face, and for his sake she'd do as he asked.
"That's it." He smiled encouragingly, and slowly Kitty's breathing evened out. But even so…. Matt could get himself killed trying to save her, Festus was hurt, Doc looked like hell, and his smile just about broke her heart.
"Alright, enough of this."
Caleb stalked to the door, Ben following close behind, and Harley dragged Kitty across the room after them. She didn't dare put up a fight at this point.
"Doc, you know what you're supposed to do. And you," he turned and advanced on Kitty until she backed up against Harley's broad chest. "If you don't come quietly, make no mistake, I will come back, and I will kill these men myself."