I rode down the high hills and across the brush flats into Justice. A rather ironic name for a town in such wild country. I wondered to myself if its name was to imply a town of unfettered equity, or if it was simply to discourage the unsavory ilk from stopping. My guess was the latter.

I swung down from my horse, and pushed my way through the wooden batwing saloon doors. I had never met any of the men sitting at the scattered tables and stools, but they were all familiar to me. It was the same faces in every bar. There were working cowboys slugging back excessive amounts of whiskey after a hard day's work under the merciless summer sun. A gambler sat off in a dark corner watching everyone coming and going, his eyes sharp as a hawks, and hands as fast as a rattler's strike. A loud boisterous man, who obviously envisioned himself as a cock in a hen house, bragged to a couple of young saloon girls, who pretended to be very interested in his escapades. I sat down at a stool right infront of the bartender, hoping to drown myself in whiskey to forget the last few day's events.

"What'll it be son." The graying man looked up from the glass he was wiping.

"Whiskey."

There must have been something in the way I said it, he scowled. "I don't want no trouble in here." He set a bottle and glass down in front of me.

"Much obliged." I poured a shot and quickly drained it. "As for the trouble. I ain't looking for any."

"I ain't seen you around here before." The barkeep started, cautiously.

"I reckon that's because I ain't been here before." I quipped.

"Just passing through?" He continued wiping the glass he was holding, then sat it down on the counter, picking up another. He scowled, receiving no reply. "Where you from?"

"Just the whiskey please, I ain't paying for the conversation." I didn't mean to be rude, I just wasn't in the mood for his banter.

"Suit yourself." The barkeep curtly replied.

"Leave the bottle." I requested, seeing his hand reach for it. He walked away and struck up a conversation with a fellow at the other end of the counter, stopping occasionally to shoot a disapproving look my direction.

I heard the clicking of spurs hitting the thick cedar floorboards. Without turning, I watched the man, in the mirror that ran along the wall behind the bar counter. He was tall, maybe six feet or so, with wild curly black locks and the scraggly beginnings of a beard. A worn sheriff's star stood out against his black leather vest. He stood behind me, waiting for me to acknowledge him.

"Can I do you for anything or do you just want to gawk at me?" I asked, letting insolence creep into my voice.

"I know who you are." The sheriff announced. The whole saloon suddenly quieted.

"And?" I asked, uninterested.

"And I just wanted to tell you Mister Hickok that I don't cotton to the likes of men like you. This here isn't a gunfighter's town. You might want to ride on after you finish your drink." His tone soured.

"Look," I rose from my stool to stand equal with the less than imposing sheriff. "I ain't a gunfighter, and I'll leave when I'm ready. I got just as much cause to be here as anyone else."

"I'll be watching you Hickok." The sheriff warned as he turned away.

I poured another whiskey, wondering what else could possibly go wrong. I felt like an entirely different man than thirty-six hours ago, maybe I was.

Rachel brought out a pot of bubbling stew. I filled my bowl hungrily. Teaspoon stood up, I could see in his eyes something was wrong. "Boys, I got an announcement to make." He had all of our attention but he paused, just to make sure.

"Your gonna give us a vacation and a raise in our salary?" Cody joked. I shot him a look that took all the mirth out of him.

"I'm afraid it's not great news." Teaspoon ignored him.

"What is it?" Lou piped in, worry evident in her tone.

"Our Rock Creek Station has been ambushed." He declared.

"Ambushed!" Noah rose from the table, outraged. "Ambushed by whom? Why?"

"Sit down. All of you just calm down." Teaspoon instructed.

"See, the station used to be owned by a mister David McCanles. Russel, Majors and Waddel's Overland stage company purchased it to add to our route." He realized most of the boys were probably already aware of the story thus far. "Anyways, McCanles was never paid in full by our employers.."

"Why didn't they pay him?" Cody inquired.

"Same reason you boys all never seen a raise. There ain't no money to pay with. They're broke. They have been for awhile now." Teaspoon admitted. That was a fact the boys hadn't been previously told. If they had, of course, there's always a chance that they would have left to find more rewarding careers, instead of wondering if they would even receive their full week's pay.

"What happened?" I asked, getting Teaspoon back on track.

"McCanles and his men got sick of waiting for payment I suppose. They tore the place inside out," Teaspoon knew the next part would be hard to tell, "They killed five of the station's riders in a bloody gun battle. I heard three managed to get away unharmed."

Shock hit the faces of the seven Sweetwater Express Station riders.

"Where's McCanles now?" I asked, feeling my blood beginning to boil in my veins.

"Slow down Jimmy. It's not our job to avenge this, I just need a few boys willing to go clean up the mess there and get the station going again. It will take some time I'm sure, and it won't be easy to find new riders right away, you may have to stay there until we do..."

"I'll go." Kid's voice was determined.

"Me too." Lou followed suit.

"Count me in." I announced. Rock Creek was the nearest station to ours, and since it's acquisition we had made many steady runs there, over the months forming a kind of kinship with their riders. Hearing of their death infuriated me. I wanted more than anything for McCanles to return while I was there.

"Teaspoon I'll go." Cody volunteered.

"I'll go to Rock Creek." Noah chimed in.

Ike motioned, and Buck translated for his mute friend. "Ike says he will go, and I will too."

"Now hold on just a second boys. I need some of you here, I gotta keep both stations going." Teaspoon explained. He rubbed his chin, "Alright, Jimmy, Kid and Cody. You boys can leave for Rock Creek in the morning. I need the rest of you here, and I'll have no complaining."

Lou stood up from the table and stormed off. She knew that Teaspoon didn't send her because she was female. The double standard she lived under sickened her, dispite the fact that she chose herself to be a woman in a man's job.

Cody looked at Teaspoon, "do we get to do the hiring?"

"You'll hire any boy that shows up willing to work. The sooner I can get you boys back the better."

"What if McCanles shows up again?" Kid asked what I was about to.

"You do what you have to." Teaspoon was grim.

Morning came quickly. I was the first to wake, Kid and Cody still deep in slumber. I strapped on my gunbelt, and slipped one of my Colt Navy revolvers out. The silver barrel shone brightly, reflecting the Nebraska morning's sunlight. I tried to imagine what had gone through the minds of the Rock Creek riders as McCanles methodically gunned them down, but I couldn't.

Teaspoon had obviously been pondering similar things too. As I walked over to the main house, I spotted him on the porch, he looked uneasy.

"McCanles is gonna pay for what he did to Rock Creek." I tried to comfort Teaspoon with that thought, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Jimmy I ain't gonna send you out there if all your gonna do is go bounty hunting." He clarified.

"But you can't just let a man get away with something like that." I reasoned. I could not understand the justice in innocent men's senseless deaths.

"It's not my call Jimmy, and it's not yours neither. Sometimes life isn't fair. That's just the way it goes."

I wasn't sure if Teaspoon was trying to convince himself or me. He was obviously struggling with the same demons I was fighting.

I walked back to the bunkhouse and saw Kid waking up. He saw me standing in the doorway and he shook at Cody's shoulder. Cody swatted at him, then opened his eyes. He had obviously been well into a dream. It took him a second to orient himself. "What's going on?" He looked from me to Kid.

"We gotta get going to Rock Creek soon." Kid reminded.

"Oh yeah, Rock Creek." Cody yawned and stretched.

I headed over to the stable. The palomino was well rested and full of energy, I was glad one of us was. "Hey Boy." I greeted him, patting his muzzle gently. He whinnied back at me. I placed the saddle on his back, securing the cinch around his girth.

Kid came in as I slipped the bridle over the horse's head. His horse `Katy' was in the next stall. "Cody will be right out. He's still shaking the cobwebs from his head."

"That sounds like quite a job." I joked.

"Hey!" Cody protested, coming into the barn. "I heard that!"

Kid and I both laughed.

The ride to Rock Creek went quickly, a devil of impatience riding me the whole way. A chill crept up my spine as we reined into the deserted station. I heard the soft click of a gun cocking, I slowly pulled one of my big silver Colts from it's holster. Sensing my caution, Kid pulled his gun out too, and Cody reached for his trusty rifle.

"Jimmy? Kid? Cody?" A voice from inside the station called.

"Yeah?" Kid hollered back.

The figure rose up and peered out one of the front windows. "Oh thank God, I thought it was you! Find I can't be too careful of late." The young rider explained, setting down his Henry rifle.

"Brink is that you?" Kid squinted at the figure in the window. "It is you!" Running over to him, Kid exclaimed, "Glad your okay J.W."

"Anyone else here?" I asked.

"No `fraid it's just me. Wellman and Bryan took off after the shooting. The other boys all died." Grief filled his face.

"Teaspoon send you?" J.W. Brink asked.

"Yeah, he asked us to stay a bit, till you're back on your feet." Cody answered.

"Thanks, I could sure use the help."

"No problem." Kid smiled. "It's the least we could do."

Stepping into the station office, I shook my head with disgust. "McCanles do this?" I looked at the papers sprawled over the desk and floor. A half eaten sandwich rotted on top of the disheveled cabinet.

"No actually, it's always like this." Brink explained. "Our Station master wasn't much one for cleanliness."

"I can see that."

"Well we got our work cut out for us." Kid bent to scoop up an armful of papers. "Might as well start here."

"You figure McCanles will come back?" I asked of Brink as he worked along side me.

"Nah, there ain't nothing here for him." J.W. seemed confident.

"Jimmy." Kid called.

"Yeah?"

"Look." Kid pointed out the window at a small group of riders heading towards us.

Brink came up behind me. "Oh my God." His face paled like he'd seen a ghost. "It's him." His voice trailed off.

"Who?" Kid and Cody asked simutinously.

The pallid boy choked out, "It's McCanles."

To be continued...

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