SIXTEEN

To sit there, helpless, and have to watch, have to endure it as those monsters hurt Kitty, forced themselves on her, took her away…. Doc had managed to keep up a strong façade for her, but as they propelled her out the door she'd turned to get one last look at him and mouthed the words "I love you," and he'd fallen apart as soon as the door slammed shut. "I love you." Like she didn't expect to see him again. Tears streamed down his bloody cheeks, the salt burning the cuts on his face, and his body shook with silent sobs. He was used to having to fear for Matt's life, but not Kitty's. Not his girl.

Doc dreaded to think about the moment Matt would return and discover what had happened. Neither of them would be able to forgive themselves for a long while, perhaps not ever if she didn't survive this. He dreaded having to force Matt to wait until sunrise to set out after Kitty. If Matt didn't wait, then those men would shoot him down like a dog, and then there would be absolutely no hope left for Kitty. He was sure of it. And yet waiting until dawn…. He couldn't bear to think what they might put Kitty through in the meantime.

Festus stirred on the exam table, and Doc called out to him, hopeful.

Nothing.

He'd likely have to wait for Matt to return to get untied. No one else had any reason to check in on them, except maybe Sam if he came looking for Kitty. But either way, with nothing to do, no way to get loose, no possibility of rescuing Kitty until the next day….

"Kitty…."

Matt had ridden north out of Dodge, following the road for nearly an hour with no results. With no obvious signs of someone going off the beaten path, there was nothing to confirm he was headed in the right direction—nothing to say he was headed in the wrong direction, either. And though the moon lit the road for him, he knew he could still easily miss a sign he'd otherwise see in the daylight.

On top of it all, a gnawing feeling had been growing steadily in his gut, his instincts telling him something was wrong. Something horrible was going to happen, and Matt didn't think he'd be able to stop it.

Matt came to a decision suddenly and swung Buck around, kicked him in the sides, and headed back to Dodge as quickly as he could, pushing the limits of safety on a dark night.

He'd made a terrible mistake leaving Dodge unprotected.

Caleb had saved Kitty, as much as a man can save a woman when he is kidnapping her. He had intervened and saved her from Harley back in Doc's office, but only for the time being. Kitty had a feeling it had been a one-time deal, solely because he didn't want to waste any more time in Dodge. And he may have saved her life a few nights ago at the Long Branch, but it seemed any goodwill he once held for her was gone. No, he had Kitty on his saddle in front of him to keep an eye on her now, but later he would hand her over to Harley and not give a damn what happened to her. And still, it hurt to think of how he'd treated her over the past few days, what must've happened in his life to drive him to this. She knew men, and he hadn't been completely false in his dealings with her.

The moon hung high in the sky and gave off enough light for the horses to pick their way through the trees. It would take longer than the road, but they were less likely to be seen this way. Harley led the way at a steady pace, and Ben brought up the rear, dropping back every now and then to make sure they weren't being followed.

Ben still hadn't said a single word. From the moment Kitty saw him enter Doc's office he'd remained quiet. His silence and the slightly off-kilter look in his eyes unnerved her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, and it made her uneasy. For someone who prided herself on being able to read men in any situation…. Was Ben the weakest link? The brother she might be able to somehow trick into assuring her safety? Or was he a wild card? An even greater threat to her or Matt than Caleb and Harley?

A breeze cut through the trees, and Kitty shivered, chilled to the bone. Thankfully, the cold also served to dull the pain in her face and injured hand to a throbbing ache. She could almost feel Caleb's body heat behind her, but she didn't dare lean back against him for warmth. She could feel her muscles tightening, protesting as she sat rigid, leaning away from him as much as possible.

Kitty readjusted her grip on the saddle horn, trying to ease the cramping in her hand – with her left hand sliced open the way it was, it was pretty much useless. Both hands were tacky with drying blood, and she figured she looked at least as bad as she felt. She could feel the pins falling out of her hair, knew her lip had bled and the kohl lining her eyes had probably run down her cheeks. And even if her clothes made it out of the ordeal in one piece, they'd still be ruined by all the blood soaking through the layers, clammy on the skin of her stomach and chest where she cradled her hand.

Ben caught up to them just then, and surprised Kitty by talking for the first time.

"Caleb, what're we goin' to do with Miss Russell when we—"

"Miss?" Harley scoffed, looking back over his shoulder. "Ben, she ain't nothin' but a two-bit whore."

Kitty's blood ran hot, and she struggled to control her temper, her fist white-knuckled on the saddle horn. Ben cast his eyes downward, studying his hands. Caleb remained silent behind her, ignoring Harley's comment, as far as Kitty could tell. Her face shaded to match her hair, her lips disappearing into a thin, white line. She should just ignore them altogether. She knew she should not give these men the satisfaction of seeing her lose control again. Not over something as asinine as childish name calling, something she dealt with on a regular basis.

But Harley looked back at her just then and opened his mouth again, laughing, "Look at her gettin' all mad like she's a lady."

Kitty's good sense lost to her pride, but as she opened her mouth to tell Harley just exactly what she thought of his breeding and what he could do with it, she felt Caleb shift behind her and her world went black.

Doc blinked hard a few times to keep the drying blood on his face from matting his eyelids shut. The splitting pain in his head beat out the burning ache in his side that throbbed with every breath, but just barely.

Cataloging his injuries kept him from thinking too long and hard about Kitty.

Doc had begun assessing the lower half of his body when footsteps sounded on the staircase outside his office door. He tensed and held his breath. The steps were heavy, but they were too even, too measured to be Matt returning. Finally, they reached the landing and Doc recognized Sam through the curtains on the door right before it opened.

"Doc!"

"Sam – Sam if you could untie me I—"

"Of course, Doc!" Sam rushed over and fumbled with the knot briefly before Doc felt the ropes go slack. He struggled not to crumple with them. Feeling flooded back into fingers that had slowly begun to go numb.

"What happened to you, Doc?" Sam looked around frantically. "Where's Miss Kitty? She was supposed to be over here with you."

Doc momentarily ignored the question, pulling himself to his feet. A hiss of pain slipped out through gritted teeth, but he poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher still, miraculously, intact on top of the shattered medicine cabinet, waiting until he'd had a few sips before even attempting to answer.

Sam hovered at his shoulder, and the questions hung heavily in the air, oppressive, suffocating. Painful.

When he couldn't stall any longer, Doc turned back to face Sam head on and had to force himself to hold his gaze. The hangdog look in the faithful barkeep's eyes was almost too much to bear.

Doc shook his head, searching for the words, not wanting to hurt Sam with the cold truth.

"They came for her, didn't they, Doc?"

And there it was.

Buck thundered to a halt outside Doc's office, Matt pulling up hard on the reins. Nothing in Dodge seemed obviously out of place or wrong, but Matt's gut twisted in knots. He couldn't deny the feeling that had steadily grown with every minute he was away from Dodge.

A hasty dismount, a careless toss of the reins over the nearest hitching rail, and Matt pounded up the stairs to Doc's office, hoping beyond hope that for once his intuition was wrong and he had worried himself sick over absolutely nothing. Bile rose in his throat, and he choked it down.

Bursting through the door, once look at Doc's battered face and Matt knew.

"Where is she?"

"Matt…."

"Where the hell is she?" Matt all but roared.

Doc flinched but Matt didn't care. His worst fears were being realized. He took a step closer, pleading now. "Where is she, Doc?"

"I want to tell you, Matt, but…." He shoved his hands in his pockets, glancing away for a few seconds. Matt flexed his fists, fidgeting, anxious. When Doc spoke again, his voice sounded strained. "You have to promise me you won't—you won't go after them until sunup."

"Doc—"

"Caleb said they'd kill her, Matt. I know that…." Doc dragged a hand over his face. "Well they'll kill her for sure if you don't just wait a few damn hours!"

Matt furiously pace a few steps away and back again. Then again. And again, fighting the urge to hit something, destroy something, trying to rein in his raging emotions. Trying to exhaust the adrenaline pumping through his veins and clouding his judgement.

He knew Doc would wait for him to pull himself together. Wait with him until dawn. He didn't deserve the man.

Matt spared a glance for Festus, lying peacefully on the exam table, and guilt flooded through him. How could he have shown so little care for his friend? For both of these men.

Finally, he pulled his hat off, hanging it wearily on the hat stand by the door, and crossed the room to Doc. Gingerly, he gripped his old friend's chin and turned his face to get a better look at the damage. Their eyes met in mutual understanding, and Matt's chest twinged with concern, with more guilt, over what Doc had gone through and what he'd had to witness, helpless to save the woman they both loved.

"What happened, Doc?"