Buck was grateful he could make out Kid and Teaspoon's tracks from his horse. His chest hurt badly enough without having to climb on and off his horse to find where his friends had gone. Buck trusted Kid was following Cody, and he hoped Cody was really following Kat. He wished Kat would have taken a horse from the ranch that was familiar to him, then he wouldn't have as much trouble tracking her himself.

Buck sighed as he continued riding north as fast as his aching body and spinning head would let him. He was not going to let Kat go again, and he had promised her he would protect her. Now he knew though that he should have protected her heart a little better.

Dusk was beginning to fall and Buck knew he wasn't prepared for the night. He hoped to come across the others before nightfall, because he was not turning around with Kat still missing. He had broken enough promises to her.

Kat fought the pain in her head and forced her eyes open. She could tell she was sitting against a tree, and sensed she wasn't alone. Then she remembered her encounter with Joe on the trail. She moved her hand toward her head to brush away the hair in her eyes and immediately regretted it. She winced as her hand ran across her temple. Her forehead was warm and sticky with blood.

She focused through the pain and instantly closed her eyes against the brightness of a campfire not far from her. She moaned out loud at the discomfort.

"Glad to see you're up." She heard a gruff voice off to her right. Kat's eyes flew open and she focused quickly on Joe, who was sitting a few feet away. "I was beginning to worry I'd hit you too hard."

"You did." Kat said caustically as she glared hardly at Joe.

"Well I had to get you to come with me somehow." Joe said, almost too cheerfully.

"What do you want with me?" Kat asked venomously.

"You were the most convenient bait." Joe answered plainly as he got up and stepped toward Kat.

Kat instinctively struggled against him, as Joe grabbed her wrists. He quickly forced her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her. Kat continued to fight against him anyway.

"A feisty one, eh?" Joe commented almost happily as he pinned Kat's arms above her head. "You and I will get along just fine." He smiled dementedly as he leaned down and ran his tongue along Kat's cheek.

Kat screamed in fury as she tried to bring her legs up to push against him.

He already had her pinned to the ground though under the weight of his body.

Cody, Kid and Teaspoon heard Kat's scream and took off at breakneck pace toward the sound. The three had followed Joe's tracks back south toward Sweetwater, and realized Joe was probably using Kat to come after them. They hadn't stopped for the night in case Joe hadn't. They had quickly decided that they had to get back to the ranch as soon as they could.

Cody's heart was in his throat as he pulled his horse to a stop a ways off from a line of trees and took out his scope. He could see a small campfire and a horse near it, but no sign of Kat or anyone else.

"That's got to be them." Cody said as Kid and Teaspoon rode up next to him.

"Alright." Teaspoon began as he quickly worked out a plan. "Kid and I will go straight in. We know there's only one person over there with Kat. Cody, you go around. We'll try to take him peacefully, but if there's any trouble shoot him."

Cody nodded, grabbed his rifle and moved toward the opposite end of the campsite as quickly and quietly as he could. Teaspoon and Kid drew their guns and slowly crept toward the campfire.