Hi all,

Yep, it's me posting early for this week. Usually I try to post mid-week but I had 5 minuets today and thought I'd better post while I can. I've been lucky enough to get a little writing done this week on Chapter 39, we're moving along in the story but I have a feeling this is defiantly going to be a long one before it comes to an end. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being 80 or so chapters long, which I don't mind at all, as long as I have the time to write it all . I have a third story in the works also (mainly outline of story-lines) and it'll be a bit happier then the journey this one takes but we'll have some time to cover before we get to happier times for the Barkley family I'm afraid.

Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 13

Jingo was lathered with foam and sweat when Jarrod finally let him slow down on the outskirts of town, having ridden the horse as hard as he could back to Stockton. Cantering on into town, folks hurried to get out of his way as he made his way up the street to the Sheriff's Office. Halting him at the hitching post outside, the lawyer quickly dismounted and secured his horse then headed up the stairs two at a time.

"Jarrod. Didn't expect to see you back so soon." Fred remarked as the lawyer burst into his office, the sheriff placing down the newspaper he had been reading. "You got something on Audra's attacker?"

"We've got bigger problems than that right now Fred." Jarrod replied and the sheriff quickly removed his feet from off the table and sat upright. "Millie's been kidnapped."

"What?"

Taking a moment to catch his breath and calm himself, he started to explain. "No one's seen her since early this morning. Silas sent her out to go feed the chickens and that's the last we've seen of her. We didn't realize she was missing until only an hour ago when we went looking for her. There were signs of a struggle at the chicken coop and halfway across the lawn we found this-" He drew the cloth from his pocket and handed it over the desk to the sheriff. "it looks like her kidnapper used Chloroform on her to make it easier to get away with her."

Fred nodded, placing the cloth onto his table. "It's a likely conclusion. Doc Wilson's over on Fourth street was broken into three nights ago, not much was taken except a few bits and pieces, a bottle of Chloroform being one of them. Possibly that break in is connected with this."

"I'd say so. Whoever's taken her knows she wouldn't have gone willingly, Millie's quite the little spitfire. She'd have put up a hell of a fight."

"So you think that we're looking at her kidnapper being someone who knows her?"

Jarrod nodded. "It's the only logical explanation, I can't think of any other reason why someone would want to take her."

"Has she mentioned anyone in the past that would want to harm her?" Fred had gotten out a pad of paper and a pencil, beginning to take down notes. "Anything you can remember?"

The entire ride into town he'd been trying to remember if Millie had ever mentioned a name but he'd come up with nothing. Millie had always been overly cautious and wary of what information she shared about her past, she'd never told him the man's name. "Millie… It's always been a touchy subject when it comes to do with anything about her history." He started, finally taking a seat in the chair across the desk from Fred. "And well… I haven't been entirely honest with you and Judge Banner."

Hearing that, Fred raised an eyebrow as he continued writing something down. "Go on."

Jarrod took a deep breath. "Christmas night, Millie did finally open up to me. Now I don't know a whole lot, Millie's always given elusive answers and so I honestly don't know everything that's happened to her but I will tell you what I know. She was born in a mining town, she does have an older brother."

Hearing that Jarrod knew the girl had family and hadn't said anything, his eyebrow raised a little higher as he looked up at the lawyer. "Jarrod…"

"Let me finish."

"Alright."

"There was a mining accident, her father was killed when she was three. Her brother left when she was five and her mother fell sick after. With her mother unable to care for her, she was given away to a couple in another town. Their names were Hosea and Ruth, she didn't give me a last name for them. Hosea was killed when she was eleven and they had to move in with Ruth's brother. My understanding is that is who she's running from, he was abusive to both Ruth and her. Millie believes Ruth was murdered by her brother, apparently she died from him beating her up when she was twelve. After that, she said it got worse. He apparently was very cruel to her and she tried running once unsuccessfully from him after which he whipped her."

Fred took a deep breath. "Jarrod, you know as well as I that runaway kids can spin a yarn. How do I know this is true? What evidence do you have she was being mistreated?"

"You've got the report from Doc Merar, Fred. It mentions in there that she had scars likened to being whipped on her back. As for the rest, given how hard it was to actually get her to say anything, I'm inclined to believe it's true."

"Did she give a name for this man?"

"No. She never gave me a name either of him, her birth parents or of any towns."

"And her brother?"

"She said she didn't remember his name. Given she was only five the last time that she saw him, I believe that she is probably telling the truth with that."

"Why didn't you tell either myself or the Judge of this sooner? You know as well as I that willingly withholding this information from him may put obtaining permanent custody of her at risk."

"I know. That was the choice I made." He replied, maintaining eye contact with the sheriff. "I was trying to keep her safe. If I'd have told either of you, then you'd have to go and try to locate Ruth's brother, the man she'd run away from because he was abusing her. She believes that he adopted her after Ruth's death and if that's the case, you know that legally, I'd have had to give her back to him regardless of how he mistreated her. The law doesn't protect children like her." He paused for a moment, forcing down the rising lump in his throat. "What it comes down to is I was afraid of losing her, Fred. I love that girl like she was my own daughter."

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Fred sighed. "If this man has kidnapped her, Jarrod, we don't have much to go on."

"I know."

"Alright, well…" He sighed again as he dropped the pencil back onto the notepad. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack trying to track down Millie and her kidnapper given that there was barely anything for them to go on. "I-I'll see what I can do. We'll start with the stage and the train but if they're riding…"

"They could be anywhere by now." Jarrod finished. "I want Millie found Fred, I don't care what it costs to find her and bring her home. We have to find her."

"Mister Barkley!"

Nick stopped in his tracks at the shout, turning back as the young man who'd yelled at him hurried over. "What?" He questioned harshly, already in a foul mood given the current circumstances. With every moment that was wasted, their chances of finding Millie lessened. "Spit it out boy, I don't have all day."

"I-I heard what happened Boss, 'bout Millie bein' kidnapped and all." Jack quickly blurted out, hopping nervously from one foot to another. "I-I was hopin' to ride along with y'all, try 'n help findin' her."

"This is men's work boy-"

"I am a man!" He interrupted, angry that everyone kept referring to him as a boy. He was nineteen after all, he wasn't a boy anymore. Seeing the look in Nick's eyes, he swallowed. "S-sorry boss. I just wanna help. M-Millie's a nice girl 'n-"

"Alright, alright. Git saddled up and make it quick, we can't be waitin' on you."

"Yes, yes boss. Right away sir."

Jack ran back into the barn to get his horse and Nick mounted up, Coco tossing his head in protest as he turned him around. The other hands were ready, they were just waiting on Jack to join them and after a couple minutes, he had quickly reappeared. Jogging out of the barn with his cow-pony running alongside him, in one smooth motion the boy had vaulted into the saddle and with Nick at the front of the group, the men rode out of the yard.

Victoria watched them leaving from the window, her heart in her throat. Nick had come in earlier to inform her of what they had found, that it appeared Millie had been abducted. When he'd told her, her heart had been sunk with fear and worry for the poor girl. With what had happened to Audra the night before and now this also… She turned away as Nick and the hands disappeared, sending up a prayer as she returned to her daughter's room that they would find Millie.

It was late when two trail weary travelers rode into Pine Flats, having ridden by moonlight after night having fallen hours earlier. They had ridden their horses hard, Cade having set a fast pace in order to ensure that he got distance between himself and the Barkleys. The horses were exhausted and almost ridden into the ground but that didn't matter to him; they would purchase new horses here and move on in the morning. In a couple days, no matter how hard they tried, if they did come after him, they wouldn't have a chance of finding them. He'd made sure of that.

No one would be taking the girl away from him.

Urging her horse on to keep pace with Cade's gelding, Millie swallowed as she looked around the town. A man was thrown onto the boardwalk through the bat-wings of a saloon, another man coming after him to continue the fight. She shuddered as she turned her attention back to the street in front of her. This didn't appear to be a particularly appealing town.

Cade led the way to the livery at the end of the street, halting his horse outside and Millie stopped hers beside his. At him motioning for her to dismount she did so, her body aching from the long ride. The after effects of the chloroform she had been drugged with had slowly dissipated as the day had passed and with it, her mind had become clearer. If she had any chance of escaping, she had to keep her smarts about her and at the first opportunity, she knew she'd be making a run for it.

She'd spoken the truth all those months ago to Jarrod.

She'd rather kill herself then have to go through the abuse she had suffered at his hand again.

If she had the chance, perhaps it was the only way out.

It was either escape or death.

Almost like he had read her mind, Cade leaned down close to her ear. "I wouldn't bother even considering escaping, my dear." He purred menacingly. "You run, I'll have no choice but to kill you."

Millie glared back at him, anger flashing in her brown eyes. She'd be taking the first chance she was given to run, damn the consequences. "Go ahead. I'm not afraid of dying."

He chuckled as he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. It appeared that in the time she'd been absent from him, she'd gotten some of her spirit back. "Oh my dear Missie. Killing you would be too simple. Too easy. No. I've got other ways to make your life a misery and before I'm through, you'll be crying and begging me to grant you death. There's something worse than dying and do you know what that is? Having to live." With that, he turned back to the horses and removing the saddlebags, placed them over his shoulder. Footsteps were heard approaching and an old man appeared with a lantern.

"Thought I was hearin' horses comin' in." He croaked, limping over to them. "You be lookin' to board 'em for the night?"

As Cade took care of business, Millie couldn't help the shiver that ran up her spine as she thought over his words. She could feel it in her bones that he had plans for her but what yet, that remained to be seen. She knew what he was capable of. After the first time she had run and he'd caught her, that was the first time he'd whipped her. That experience had scarred her for life, physically and mentally. If past experiences were anything to go by, she knew whatever he had planned for her now would be worse. A hell of a lot worse.

Standing here, fixated to the ground in fear she knew she had to get away, regardless of the consequences.

She was terrified.

His business finished, Cade turned back to the girl as the old ostler led their horses into the barn. "Come along Missie."

Zoned out from her current situation, Millie didn't hear him.

Grasping her roughly by the arm, the girl jumped with a start and looked up at him with a faint flicker of fear in her eyes. "You hard of hearing girl?"

"No… No sir. I-I'm sorry."

"Move it."

"Yes sir."

The two of them started back along the street, Cade's grip tight around Millie's upper arm as they headed for the hotel. Nearing the hotel he lent down, hissing into her ear words only she heard. "You behave yourself. Don't think about trying anything funny, you so much as whisper and you'll be paying for it. Besides-" He motioned down to the pistol strapped onto his hip. "you wouldn't want more people dying on your account, do you?"

Millie's eyes widened a little and she swallowed, shaking her head. "No-no sir."

"Good. I'm glad we could come to this understanding."

Entering the lobby of the hotel, Millie looked around as he led the way over to the front desk. The lobby was empty given the hour but after a moment, a woman came to serve him. "Evening ma'am. Would you happen to have a room available for myself and my daughter?"

Flipping through the book opened on the desk in front of her, she nodded. "Room eleven. Costs a dollar and that's paid in advance. Name please?"

"William Bates." He replied, withdrawing his wallet from his pocket. Flicking through his fat wallet (compliments of his luck at the poker table in recent weeks) until he found his smallest bill he had on him, he handed her a five dollar note. "Keep the change ma'am."

"T-thank you." She stuttered in surprise as she took his payment. It was the largest tip she'd received in months. "Thank you sir. You'll find your room on the right at the top of the stairs, down the hallway." She said, handing him the key. "Breakfast is served from six till eight in the dining room to your left."

Cade smiled at her, tipping his hat at her as he left the desk, the two of them making their way up the stairs. "Well done Missie, I'd say we make a very convincing father and daughter, don't we?"

"Bout as convincing as an udder on a bull."

At that, he laughed. "Oh Missie, I've missed your sassing."

Millie glared at him, her fear morphing to hate as they came to their room, Cade unlocking the door before motioning for her to enter first. She walked in then turned back as he entered behind her.

Looking around the room, Cade nodded in satisfaction. The room would suffice for the night. "Well Missie, what do you think?"

Millie folded her arms across her chest in defiance. "You can go to Hell for all I care."

Cade smirked. "Oh Missie, we are going to have to do something with that attitude of yours."

"Oh yeah? If you can't stand my attitude, how about in the morning you turn around and take me back to folks who can?"

"Missie, don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Stepping closer to him, she looked up at him, hatred in her eyes. "You do not scare me." She said with more confidence than she felt. "Not anymore."

"Really now?" He began to laugh. "Oh Missie, this is going to be more fun than I thought it would be."

Watching him laugh at her, her rage simmered until it bubbled over.

"That's the funniest thing I've heard all week."

Millie spat in his face.

His laughter abruptly cutting off, Cade slapped her face with the back of his hand and sent the girl sprawling backwards onto the bed. "I wouldn't do that again, you little b****." He hissed as he stood over her. "It wouldn't be healthy for you."

Caressing her stinging cheek, Millie continued to glare at him. A slap was nothing compared to what he usually dished out on her and she knew she had pushed him too far. "You've got another thing coming if you think I'm going to go back with you willingly." She snarled.

"I don't care if you come willingly or fighting me every step of the way, you are coming back with me. Tonight though, just so I know you won't be getting any foolish ideas about running while I'm out-" He placed his saddlebags down onto a nearby chair and produced a pair of handcuffs from them. "I'll be putting these on you."

"You are not putting those on me."

"Correction, I am. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is yours."

Pick your battles. The reasoning part of her mind spoke up, its thought reinforced by her still stinging cheek. You can't run away if you end up hurt.

"Well?"

With a heavy sigh and down-casting her eyes, Millie offered him her right wrist, flinching as he tightened the metal cuff around it.

"I thought as much."

"What about food and water?" She questioned with hesitation. "Are you going to bring me back something?"

"With your behavior, I don't think so. You've had it too good for a little too long, it's time for you to start remembering those lessons you've been taught, my dear. You are nothing and that is all you'll ever be. You have to earn the privilege to be given food and water or have you forgotten that? Maybe this will teach you to start behaving again otherwise you're going to find yourself very hungry and thirsty."

Millie swallowed, regretting antagonizing Cade already as he cuffed her to the iron post of the bed's headboard. Her little outburst hadn't been worth it at all, even if it had made her feel better for all of two seconds.

Satisfied that she was secured, Cade quickly took a moment to make sure that there was nothing available to her she might be able to use to escape and grinning at her, he tipped his hat as he went to leave. "Sweet dreams Missie. See you in the morning."

"Wait please." Millie begged as he went to leave. "Can you at least pass me the chamber pot?" She hesitated for a moment. "Please, Uncle Cade?"

Retracing his steps he picked up the chamber pot from where it had been left at the washing stand and brought it over, leaving it within reach for her. Without another word he exited the room, locking the door behind himself again.

As his footsteps faded away, Millie was left in the darkened room. Yanking on the handcuffs a couple times to test their strength she gave up quickly. There was no escaping them and Cade knew it. Her earlier bravado faded away as despair came to take its place. Who was she kidding? Cade was too strong, too powerful. What could she do?

Alone, knowing that no one was coming to save her and that she was in this one her own, like many times in the past, Millie cried herself to sleep.

"Boy howdy, what a day." Heath exclaimed as he came to join the family in the study later that night, sore and exhausted from having spent the entire day out working riding and repairing fencing. Going over to the drink stand he poured himself a whiskey then turned back to his family. They were unusually sober and he backtracked, a shiver running up his spine. "Something happened to Audra?"

"No, Audra's fine." Victoria assured him. "But something has happened while you've been out." She paused for a moment. "Millie has been kidnapped."

"W... What?" He questioned with disbelief, having not been expecting that answer at all. "You're serious? Someone's kidnapped Millie?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"When?"

"Sometime this mornin'." Nick replied. "I was waitin' for her to show up at the corral this afternoon to put the colts through their paces, she never showed. Thought she was out with you but Silas said you were on your own when you came in for dinner."

"Mother was the last one to see her this morning, she went out to feed the chickens." Jarrod continued, Heath taking a seat. "When we went out to find her, we found boot prints outside the chicken coop and signs of a struggle. Not far away, I found a rag left on the ground that had faint traces of Chloroform."

"After we found that-" Nick took over relaying the events of the afternoon from their elder brother. "I headed out with the hands to find a trail and found traces of two horses havin' been tied up down in the gully out back. Followed the trail long as we could till we lost it, couldn't pick it up again when it turned dark and we had to come back."

"The sheriff has been notified-" Jarrod stood and went to top up his drink. "he's doing everything he can."

Heath found his mouth had gone dry and along with it, his desire for a drink vanishing also. "What are we gonna do?" He questioned softly after a moment.

"I'll be leavin' at first light to try n' pick up the trail again." Nick replied. "I can count on you joinin' me?"

Heath nodded. "Of course." He paused again, looking down at the drink he was swirling around in his glass. "Jarrod… What's the chances of us finding her?"

His eldest brother sighed heavily. "I don't know, Heath. Given the hours head-start they've got and the fact we've nothing more to go on, I hate to say it but I don't think they are great."

"It makes no sense though. Who would want to kidnap her? Why?"

"I think I know the answer to both." Jarrod took a deep breath, hating that he had to reveal also to his family that he had been keeping secrets from them about Millie also. "Sometime ago, Milllie confided in me about her past."

Victoria looked closely at her son. "Jarrod?"

"Her father died when she was three, when she was five her mother fell sick and relatives gave her away to another family. The only names I got from her were theirs, Hosea and Ruth. Both deceased also. Ruth had a brother, Millie never told me his name but he apparently adopted her after his sister's death."

Damn. "And he's the one who she's running from." Heath had quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Whoever this man is, he's been able to track her down then."

"Most likely from her picture being published in the newspaper from the race."

"So all we know-" Nick stood, struggling to hold back his temper. "is that you've known for months that there's been someone who's probably been lookin' for her and you just conveniently forgot to tell us that little piece of vital information, brother Jarrod."

"Nick-"

"Jarrod, you should have told us!" His voice rose as he slammed his empty glass down on the billiard table, turning back to his older brother. "Some son of a-"

"Nicholas."

"I'm sorry Nick." Jarrod replied after his mother's chastisement of his brother's choice of language, Nick beginning to pace the room. "I am. I was trying to keep her safe. You have to understand the predicament I've been placed in. My custody of her is void given she's adopted by someone else. I was only trying to do what was best for her."

"Best for who?" Audra questioned with curiosity, having appeared in the doorway. "What's going on?"

Victoria rose, going over to join her. "You shouldn't be out of bed, come on, back upstairs-"

"No!" Audra refused, looking at her mother first then back to her brothers. Both Jarrod and Heath were seated wearing serious expressions on their faces and Nick was still pacing the room angrily. Something was wrong, she could feel it. "I'm alright. I'm fine. I'm fine." She hoped she sounded convincing enough for her family to believe her as she turned back to Victoria. "What's going on? What aren't you telling me? I have a right to know."

With a heavy sigh, Victoria patted her daughter's arm and motioned for her to come join the family's discussion. "Audra…" She started gently as she sat down beside her on the couch. "Millie was kidnapped early this morning."

"Oh god no." She exclaimed, her hand coming to her mouth as her eyes began to fill with tears. "No, no, she can't have been taken."

Jarrod rose, coming over to sit down beside her and hesitating for a moment, placed his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry honey but she has, Millie's been taken by someone. You know we're going to do everything we can to find her and bring her back home."

"I-I told her she had to tell you."

Nick spun around on his heel upon hearing that. "Tell Jarrod what?" He questioned, louder than he intended and as his sister shrunk back at his yelling, he came over to kneel in front of her, lowering his voice. "Audra, what do you know? Did Millie tell you somethin'?"

Audra bit her lip.

"Please honey, if you know something, anything, you've got to tell us." Jarrod gently encouraged. "Millie was trying to speak to me last night and this morning and we didn't get the chance to talk. What was it that she wanted to tell me?"

She looked at her brothers then to her mother and back down to her hands. "She-she said yesterday she's been feeling someone's been watching her. She said the man she'd lived with before, the one she ran away from, she thought he might have found her. I-I told her she had to tell you Jarrod-" She turned back to her eldest brother. "I tried to get her to tell you but she was scared."

"Scared of what sweetheart?"

"She didn't want you getting hurt, she said he'd come after you. After us. She wasn't making much sense but she seemed really scared. Really really scared. I-I tried to tell her you needed to know but she got angry at me. She finally promised to tell you but obviously she wasn't able to." Audra was beginning to get herself worked up and Victoria began rubbing her back to calm her down. "I should have told you but I promised not to say anything. And now... Now she's gone…"

"Great, just great!" Nick exclaimed angrily as he stood again, resuming his pacing. "Someone's been stalking her this whole time and we didn't have a clue. Damn her to hell, that girl should have told us! We'd have been able to do something or we damn well could have tried!"

"Millie's not the kind of person to ask for help." Heath interjected quietly. "She's had to survive on her own for so long, she doesn't know how to ask for help."

"Heath's right Nick." Victoria agreed. "You know how long it took her to start trusting us. She doesn't know what it's like to have people who have her back and that she can rely on."

"It's my fault, I should have told you yesterday-"

"No Audra. Playing the blame game isn't going to help you, or any of us." Victoria interrupted before her daughter could finish, looking back up at her sons. "It's no one's fault. Yes, I will admit that I've noticed Millie has been acting strangely for the past few weeks and I did try to ask her if something was the matter but we all know what she's like. Try too hard with her and she just withdraws back into herself." At the point she made, they nodded. "Think about what she's been struggling with. She knows who this person is and what they're capable of but she didn't want to put us into danger. That's a huge burden for her to carry. What has happened has happened, we can't change that. All we can do now is try to find her... And do whatever it takes to bring her home."