For the second straight night in a row Kid didn't remember falling asleep. This time when he woke he found himself slumped over in the chair, his uneaten dinner congealed into a mess of brown and still in front of him. He wrinkled his nose at the odor of the spoiled food and pushed back from the table. Slowly rising, he tried to stretch his neck. Wincing in pain, he rubbed at the tender muscles and wondered if he would ever be able to straighten his neck again.

The clock on the mantel read six o'clock. Kid knew it was too early to start talking to any of the townspeople, but he still hurried to get out of the room. He hated being there without Lou. The room felt empty and made him feel more alone and alone wasn't so good. Alone gave him too much time to let thoughts, and even doubts, creep into his mind.

He ran his fingers through his hair, not caring what he looked like, and picked up his hat from the table where he'd left it the night before. Reaching for his gun belt hanging on the bedpost, he lost his balance. Grabbing the iron post to steady himself, the clink of his gold wedding ring hitting the solid metal made him draw back his hand as if he'd been burned.

Kid held out his left hand and looked down at the shiny slice of gold. He'd been so proud when Lou slipped it onto his finger and prouder still when Lou let him place hers on her hand. Pulling off the finely crafted ring he'd had handmade in Dixon, he angled it so he could read the riders lament 'Ride Safe' etched inside. The etching had been harder with Lou's ring, it was so tiny, but he'd been insistent with the jeweler and the man finally gave in when he realized Kid wouldn't leave until they matched. Kid ran the warm gold over his palm and wondered if somewhere Lou was looking at her ring and wondering where he was too.

Shaking his head, Kid put his ring back on and reached again for his gun. He knew he certainly wasn't going to find her by standing around the room and within minutes he was outside and looking up and down the main street of St. Joe. He didn't know where to start, he'd already talked to almost everyone in town and although many had seen her, no one recalled any foul play. He didn't want to spend another day with Wicks - he refused to call him his father - but he knew he'd find him later in the morning. One more day with Wicks and Marshal Weston and Kid thought he might punch one of them. He couldn't make them understand Lou would never run off on him, that something had to have happened to her.

Turning to the east, Kid walked towards the end of the street to watch the sunrise. There were only a few others out and about and every time a horse or buckboard approached he squinted his eyes to see if it was Lou. He was disappointed every time. At the edge of town, Kid found he was too restless to just stand and watch the sun brighten the sky. He turned to the west and began the walk back up the long thoroughfare.

He walked the length twice before he realized what he was doing. The pace he set was soothing, but it was pacing all the same. Stopping on the west edge of town he decided to go back to the hotel for some coffee so he would be ready when the shops and businesses opened. He was about to turn away when movement on the road caught his eye. He looked carefully, but didn't have to. He'd recognize the group of riders anywhere. Four horses thundered towards him and as they pulled to a stop in front of him, Kid felt immediate relief course through his body. His friends - his brothers - had arrived and now the search for Lou would really begin.

"Well, looks like you've saved us the trouble of having to search all the hotels," stated Jimmy as he stuck his hand out to shake Kid's.

"Thanks for coming."

"Kid, did you think we wouldn't?" asked Buck.

"No. I knew you'd come. Cody, sure didn't expect to see you though."

"Didn't expect to be here, Kid. I'm on leave and was on my way to Rachel's for some fine food and a real bed when I ran into these three on the trail. They told me about Lou and I knew I wasn't going home. I'm yours until the Army needs me again."

"The more the better."

"Kid, let's get over to your hotel and you can tell us what's goin' on over some coffee. We've been ridin' all night and I need to wake up." Teaspoon ran his hands over his dirty face. "A washbowl and some hot water wouldn't hurt either."

"It's right up there on the right," pointed Kid. "I've got something else you need to know too."

Teaspoon shook his head slightly before directing his horse to the hitching post. He wasn't sure he could take anymore bad news.

It didn't take Kid long to give them the details of his and Lou's trip and her disappearance, but telling his friends about meeting his father for the first time in over a decade took longer. Finally finished, Kid sat with his head bent and his hands in his lap. All of the men were speechless except for Cody.

"So you really do have a Pa? I always figured you were hatched. You know, like a baby chick," he joked.

Kid smiled briefly. He knew Cody was joking to lighten the mood and for once, he appreciated his mindless comments. Jimmy did swat at Cody though, never one to miss an opportunity to bat him around.

"What, Hickok?" he hissed.

"You know what, Cody." Jimmy tuned back to his forlorn friend. "So, Kid. What did you say his name was?"

"Wicks. Ethan Wicks."

"So that makes you Kid W-"

"Don't. Don't even say it!" Kid exploded. "That ain't my name. He changed it when he ran off on me and my Ma and Jed and although we once had the same name, neither of us uses it now. I'm Kid McCloud and that's all you ever need to know!"

"Okay, son, simmer down," ordered Teaspoon. "You ain't gotta call yourself by Wicks or any other name you don't want to." Teaspoon was worried about Kid's shaky mental state and didn't want him to get so overly upset that he lost control. "What do you know about him? Can we trust him?"

"I just don't know, Teaspoon. He's a business owner, but it's a wild saloon. It's a successful saloon mind you, but when I walked around town with him yesterday, I kept getting these bad looks from people. It seems many don't like him, many more fear him and those who do like him are just the same as him. I get a bad feeling off him, but my opinion of him wasn't very high before our reunion. Yet at the same time, I can't see why he wouldn't be honest in helpin' me."

Buck motioned for the waitress to refill their cups. "What I wonder about is, why he keeps telling you Lou ran off?"

"Yeah, it's both him and the Marshal. It's just not true! Y'all know Lou and you know she'd never do that!" Kid pleaded with his eyes for them to understand.

"We do know Lou, and we'll make the Marshal understand," Teaspoon answered for the group. "Why don't you show us around the town some, maybe tell us where you already been lookin' and once Marshal Weston's in, we'll have ourselves a nice little chat." Teaspoon believed he'd be able to tell if the Marshal was lying about seeing Lou with just one look at his face.

Kid nodded appreciatively, silently leading the way out of the hotel restaurant. He didn't notice Jimmy and Teaspoon hang back as Cody kept him occupied with a steady stream of questions.

"He don't look so good, Teaspoon."

"Would you if your wife were missin'? The boy likely ain't slept in days."

Jimmy thought about how he'd feel in Rosemary went missing and he couldn't pin down a feeling, but when he thought of Lou, a woman who wasn't even his, somewhere in harms way, his stomach did flip flops. "I reckon I would look that bad too, but between Lou missin' and meetin' up with his father again after all this time, I'm just hopin' he can hold it together."

"Me too, Jimmy, me too." As he closed the door behind them, Teaspoon wordlessly prayed for a quick end to their nightmare. Without one, he didn't know if he could keep any of his boys from going a bit crazy. Lou was the most important woman in all their lives. She was their sister, their friend, their confidant, and for Kid - his whole world. Without her, their lives would never be the same.

Kid led his friends back towards the east end of town. "It seems she started down here with her shopping and was makin' her way back towards the hotel. I talked to all these storekeeps," Kid pointed to a row of stores on his right. "And each can recall seein' her at later and later times of the day."

"She went to 'em all?" questioned Cody.

"She was buyin' a lot of stuff for her sister and brother and us and the house."

"What about the children? Have you gone and told 'em what's happening?" asked Jimmy. He remembered how scared and lonely Teresa was and how bitter Jeremiah was after their run in the previous year with the man who was their biological father. Neither could understand why Lou had to leave them at the orphanage while she worked to save money and Jimmy wondered what their reaction would be if they never got to leave the orphanage because of this.

Kid looked at his best friend, grateful he was there to help. "No, I don't wanna scare them. They ain't expectin' us back until tomorrow. We told them we needed a few days before we'd be ready to ride back to Rock Creek. This is just gonna kill 'em." He wiped his hands over his face, exhaustion starting to addle his brain. "What'll I do with them if." Kid stopped mid-sentence and his heart lurched in his chest. It was the first time he'd let himself think about Lou being gone for good, let alone spoken it out loud.

The slip hadn't gone unnoticed by the assembled men, but all consciously ignored it. Instead, Teaspoon took control of the conversation with an official tone to his questioning.

"Can you tell me which was the last store she went in?"

Kid nodded and tried to nonchalantly wipe at the tears that had formed in his eyes. He led them a little further up the road. "It was this toy store here. Seems she ordered that dollhouse for Teresa and some wooden trains for Jeremiah. They weren't something she could carry with her so she told the owner we would pick them up with the wagon before leaving town." Kid stared at the dollhouse with the 'sold' sign in the window. He could just see little Teresa's surprise and delight when she was given her new toy. "Lou was ready to spoil those kids to death to make up for bein' away so long."

"She'll still have the chance. We'll find her, son." Teaspoon clamped his hand on Kid's shoulder as they stood together and stared into the shop. "Nobody in these next stores saw her?"

"None of 'em, and no one closer to the hotel either. After here, she was just gone."

Teaspoon eyed the break in the buildings with the practiced eye of a seasoned lawman. "Did you look in all these alleys and side streets, Kid?"

Kid shook his head. "Nothing really down most of these. There are breaks in the buildings and a few offices, like for lawyers and doctors and stuff."

"Then I think it would be the perfect place to hide if you were waitin' for someone. Maybe your idea's right. Maybe someone saw her spendin' so much money and they grabbed her."

Cody looked down the narrow alley skeptically. "Teaspoon, there ain't even been a ransom note."

Teaspoon nodded his agreement, while a small smile danced across his lips. "Been thinkin' about that. If I know Lou, she's likely clamped her jaw closed tighter than a jam jar. I bet she won't tell these people anything and they don't know who to send a letter to."

"They have ways to make her talk," reminded Cody. He didn't elaborate when both Buck and Jimmy hit him with their hats.

Kid raised his shoulders, his hands in the air, and shook his head. "I just don't know, Teaspoon, but I'd like to think that. I guess it wouldn't hurt to look down here, pass the time until you can talk to Marshal Weston. At this point I'll do anything to avoid dealing with Wicks."

There was nothing unusual about the first alley, only old whiskey bottles and a torn Wanted poster. Searching the second alley, this one closer to the hotel, all of the former riders kept their eyes glued to the ground, hoping for a clue or possibly some tracks, hoping for anything that would lead them to Lou.

Buck saw it first. He crouched and quickly rubbed the loose dirt away from the glint of gold that caught his eye. "Hey! Look what I got. It's a woman's wedding ring!" Standing, he rubbed it clean on his shirt. Before he could examine it further, Kid ripped it out of his hands.

"It's Lou's!"

"Now, Kid, can you be sure?" Teaspoon's heart was beating too fast, fear inching in.

Kid angled it as he had his own, only an hour before. Inside the tiny gold band were the words he'd fought for an hour to have it engraved there. "Ride Safe," he said, but no voice came out; the only sound heard was the stilted cry he choked down. "It's hers. I'd know it anywhere." He wasn't ready to show them the personal message they each wore. His fist enveloped the ring as he closed his eyes and fell to his knees. With no further thought to his pride, his dignity or his manhood, he let the tears come. The tears led to body wracking sobs. The sobs led to pain. The pain led to fury and he stood and took it out on the side of the building with his available hand and his feet.

Teaspoon, Jimmy, Buck and Cody said nothing and did nothing. They let their friend - their brother - work through his pain and turn it to anger, because in that anger Kid would find the strength he needed to find Lou. They watched silently for over fifteen minutes until he finally slumped to the ground, exhausted.

Jimmy extended his hand to help him up. "You ready to go talk to the Marshal again?"

Kid took Jimmy's hand and allowed him to pull him to his feet. "Whether he helps us or not, I'm gonna find Lou. This proves that something happened to her. She left it here as a clue. I can't believe it took me so long to find it."

"Don't beat yourself up over that, Kid. It was way down here, covered up and all that."

"I know, Teaspoon, but maybe if I'd looked harder yesterday, I'd already have her back by now."

"Maybe, maybe not."

Before Sherman Weston had a chance to unlock his door, the Marshal knew it would be a very bad day. The entire group pounced on him, talking at once, demanding a search party and a posse and practically calling for his head because he hadn't found the girl they all called Lou. The verbal assault was led by the Marshal from Rock Creek and Ethan Wicks' long lost son, who'd suddenly found a spine. Weston knew Wicks had the girl, but also knew if he ever wanted to get paid again he'd have to keep his mouth shut.

"If you all found her ring way down in that alley, what's to say she didn't toss it there herself before running off?"

Jimmy had one hand around the Marshal's throat and a Navy Colt in his ribs before he could say another word. More guns were drawn as two deputies walked in and rushed to defend their boss. Teaspoon, Kid, Cody and Buck had the advantage over the two men and with a shove of the gun deeper into Weston's chest, Jimmy demanded he call off his men.

"Hank, Curtis, holster your weapons. These men here are just a little over excited this morning, ain't ya fellas? They ain't meanin' me no harm."

Weston breathed a sigh of relief as his deputies listened for once. Watching them holster their guns out of the corner of his eye, he saw the four men lower their weapons, but still keep them at the ready. "They did what you asked. Now might be the time to let up on me."

Jimmy reluctantly released the Marshal. He didn't like him. He could tell something wasn't right, but he wasn't sure what.

"You'll have to excuse my Deputy, Marshal Weston, but as you can see Louise's disappearance is of a personal nature."

"I can see that Marshal Hunter. Hank, you and Curtis go check in with some of our less desirable neighbors. Maybe Marshal Hunter's right and one of them grabbed her for the money."

"Well, I appreciate your change of thought, Marshal." Teaspoon didn't like man's furtive glances around the room. He wanted a man to look him in the eyes when he spoke to him. "My boys and I will keep looking. We'll meet back here in a few hours to discuss the progress. Sound good to you, Marshal?"

Rubbing at his throat where Jimmy had grabbed him, Weston nodded his head. "Sounds like a fine idea. The more people lookin' the better."

Sherman Weston watched as Wicks' son and the Marshal from Rock Creek, along with the rest of their friends crossed the street and divided up to go and talk to the people in the stores. Positive he wouldn't be seen, Weston slipped from the office through the back door and headed for the Diamond Saloon.

Waiting in the office on the first floor, Marshal Weston felt sorry for the poor girl who had to be the one to go wake Wicks. Never a morning person, just being ready to meet his son at nine the morning before had been taxing for Wicks. The two girls tending the empty bar had flipped a coin for it and the little blonde lost out. Weston could hear the angry footsteps overhead and Wicks' booming voice long before he saw him. Plenty of time to prepare for the wrath.

"Weston, you'd best have a mighty fine reason to have me woken at this ungodly hour!"

"It's about the girl, Ethan."

"I told you you're not to speak of her."

"I didn't forget, but your boy, he's looking for her again. Thinks she's been kidnapped and now he's got some friends helpin' him. One's the Marshal from Rock Creek, a fellow named Teaspoon Hunter and I don't know about the rest of them, but this here mark on my neck, it's from none other than Wild Bill Hickok himself." The Marshal was almost proud of the bruise since it was the marking of a legend.

"I don't care if my son has the entire Army lookin' for her. He ain't gonna find her." Wicks sat back in his chair and gloated. "Let 'em look. Just play the helpful Marshal and I'll make it worth your while."

"You always do," smiled Weston.

As the two men stood up to return to their morning business - Wicks to Louise and Weston to his wild goose chase of a search - the Marshal remembered a key detail to the morning.

"There's one other thing you need to know, Ethan. It's what got your boy and his friends all fired up this mornin'. They found the girl's weddin' ring."

Wicks stiffened, but tried to calm himself before tuning back to look at the Marshal. Speaking through clenched teeth, he felt fire burning within. "They sure it's hers? That sneaky whore!"

Weston backed away, fearful that he would be the target of Wicks' rage. "He's sure. Has the engravin' he put there for her. It was in the alley by Johnson's bookstore."

"What did you tell them?"

"That she likely threw it down there when she rode off with that other fella I saw her with."

"Good. Good answer. Just keep that up and they'll be gone in no time."

"Ethan, that answer is what put Hickok's hands around my throat and his gun in my gut. Boy nearly shot me on sight. Not a one of 'em believes she run off."

Grabbing his friend in the same spot that was already bruising, Wicks pulled the Marshal close. "Make 'em believe it."

Weston gasped for air when his throat was released. Rubbing at the aching skin, he dared to make a suggestion. "Might not be a bad idea if you got out of town for the day. Maybe go check on your investments in Kansas City. Just 'til they leave."

Wicks contemplated the idea and had to agree. "Have been neglecting the new place. The girl ain't fit for travel." Or at least she wouldn't be when he was done punishing her for dropping the ring.

"Just go for one day. I'll be rid of 'em by then. She'll be okay without you for a day won't she," Weston leered. He could only imagine the wild time Wicks was having with the young girl.

Wicks ignored Weston's comments and snapped, "Just get rid of 'em!" before heading back to his private rooms.

The walk up to the third floor did nothing to calm Ethan Wicks' anger. He'd spent the night in his own bedroom, leaving Louise to her unconsciousness in the second room when he was through with her, but now it was time for her wakeup call.

The sound of the door slamming open made Lou jump awake, but the sudden movement of her body sent shockwaves of pain coursing through her. Her head throbbed and her eye was still swollen shut, the wounds from the ropes were raw and likely on the verge of infection and her every movement reminded her that Wicks had been sexually assaulting her for almost two days now.

Her limbs still bound together, she curled into a ball as he stalked over to the bed. She gasped as he grabbed her hair and turned her face to his.

"What did I tell you about leaving things behind, Louise?" When she didn't answer, he grabbed her left hand and pulled her ring finger out to look at. "Never thought about the fact that you weren't wearing a ring when I brought you home, Louise. You're one sneaky bitch!"

Lou realized that if he knew about the ring, it could only mean one of two things, either he'd found it, or Kid had and was asking questions. Lou truly believed it was Kid who had the ring. If Wicks had it he would have been flaunting it. The knowledge that help was on the way made her speak up. "He'll find me, you know. He won't rest until he does." It was the only thing she had left to hold on to.

Wicks' arm snapped back and he slapped her with enough brute force to toss her across the bed. It was taking longer than he'd hoped to break her and more of his strength than he wanted to expend. He didn't like beating on her and marring the pretty face he'd desired for so long, but she just wouldn't learn. Maybe the trip to Kansas City would be good for him - give him a chance to relax. Yet, watching her try to wipe the blood off her re-split lip, he knew he couldn't leave without a proper goodbye.

Lou felt Wicks' hands on her legs as the ropes were untied. Not again! She couldn't take anymore. "Please don't," she whispered. She'd refused to beg before, but maybe if she did he'd leave her be.

"Too late for that now, Louise. You need to learn a lesson. Once you can learn to listen to me, this will all be different."

The sight of him removing his clothes through her one good eye was enough to push her over the edge. She opened up her fingers and using her bound hands like a rake she clawed her way down his cheek. She could tell by the resistance that she'd cut his skin, but the impact hadn't been enough and he never let up his grip enough for her to get away.

After he had his way with her, he beat her more savagely than he ever had before. By the time he was done, he was calmer, but still angry about his face. Looking back at the unconscious form on his bed he mumbled, "That'll teach the stupid bitch," and headed out the door. He knew she likely needed a doctor, but he'd worry about it when he got back.

Chapter 10