**********

Abruptly, Vin brought his horse to a stop, signally the others to do the same. “The trail ahead is pretty washed away,” he called back to them. “I’m gonna walk it first.“

“But Badden must have used it,“ J.D. argued.

“Yeah, and she may have loosened it enough for the lot to go,“ Josiah pointed out.

Vin dismounted, patted Peso’s neck and then headed forward. The horse started after him. Vin turned and held his hand up in front of the animal’s nose. Without a word, he turned and walked along the path that had been badly washed away in the rain. Peso stayed dutifully.

The others watched as the tracker made the dangerous trek.

“What if he decides that it’s too dangerous?“ J.D. asked.

“We go on foot,“ Larabee yelled back to the youth.

Moments later, Tanner turned and jogged back. “It looks okay. Just take it real slow and stay away from the edge.”

Vin urged his horse forward, guiding Peso as close the face of the mountain as he could. To their right was a sheer drop.

**********

The brown leather frayed further. The saddle shifted.

**********

Vin glanced ahead and spotted a rider. “Chris!” Larabee peered around his best friend. The gunfighter’s chest tightened as he made out the unmistakable outline of a woman. Badden’s horse was struggling. She was not a good rider and was clinging to the animal desperately.

The gap between them closed.

**********

The last strands of leather tore!

**********

Abruptly, Ezra let out a cry! His saddle slid to the side. The gambler toppled to the right.

“EZRA!” Josiah yelled, watching horrified as his friend hit the ground and tumbled over the edge and out of sight!

Vin and Chris turned to look back. Nathan, J.D. and Buck looked ahead.

“He fell!” Josiah bellowed, leaping from his horse and rushing to the edge. “Dear, God! He fell!”

“Josiah, be careful! The edge is soft!” Nathan cried as he dismounted and squeezed by his and Josiah’s horses to get to the spot Ezra had disappeared. The last thing they needed was to lose two men!

“Ezra!” Josiah yelled frantically, leaning out as far as he dared.

“JOSIAH!” The big preacher lowered the line of his sight. Ezra was clinging to a projection out of the side of the mountain. Somehow, he’d had the presence of mind to grab it as he was tumbling by.

“He’s alive!“ Josiah yelled. “Thank the Lord! Nathan, hold me!” Sanchez ordered as he edged out further. “Hang on, Ezra!”

Standish could feel himself slipping. The branch he was holding was wet and slippery. “JOSIAH!”

Nathan grabbed Josiah’s belt to secure him. The rest of the group held their breath. There was nothing they could do. There wasn’t room for anyone else. They’d just be in the way.

Josiah reached down and grabbed Ezra’s arm. “I’ve got you!” The big preacher gritted his teeth, pulling backwards. Nathan did likewise. Relatively quickly, Ezra was hauled back to the top. The three men found themselves on their knees, panting.

“Okay?” Chris called.

Ezra raised his hand and waved his leader on. “Get her. I’m fine.” Chris and Vin lingered. “Go, my friends. Don’t let her get away. We will follow post haste!“ Tanner and Larabee exchanged a glance and then urged their horses on.

Standish, who was still on all fours, plonked down onto his backside in the mud. It was only then that he stopped to consider how close he had come to meeting his maker. Ezra glanced at Josiah and offered his hand. The huge man grinned and accepted the proffered fist. There was no need for words.

Nathan moved to his friend’s side and began a thorough examination. Standish was soaking wet and covered in both mud and scratches, but he was alive.

“He alright?” Buck called from behind them. It was impossible for the two men who had been bringing up the rear to join Vin and Chris because they couldn’t pass the stationary horses in front of them.

Nathan tilted Ezra’s head to the side. There was a growing lump. “You hit your head.”

“Did I? Yes, I guess I did,” Standish muttered, reached up to finger the swelling.

Josiah turned Ezra’s saddle over and picked up the severed strap. “It’s been cut part the way through.”

“Our friend, Mr. O’Brien, no doubt. Remind me to have another chat with him.”

“Can you get up?” Nathan asked. Ezra nodded and with his friend’s help, rose to his feet.

“Can you ride?” J.D. shouted.

“You aren’t going to be able to use this saddle. It will need a new strap.”

Ezra frowned. “Then bareback it will have to be.”

“Too dangerous. You’ll have to walk him.”

“Then let us not procrastinate further. Mr. Sanchez, place my saddle on Chaucer's back and we will tie it there. Then I will proceed on foot. We must catch up with our companions!”

Technically, Laura Badden was only one person, but she was as dangerous as ten men. Not because she was some an amazing shot or an outstanding fighter, but because of the fact that she was a woman. No matter how much Vin and Chris were likely to try and see past that, it gave her the advantage. The two men may not necessarily underestimate her, but they would unconsciously provide her with the type of leniency they would never afford a man.

**********

Ahead, Vin and Chris had closed the gap between themselves and Badden once again. The woman did not seem to be aware of their presence. She was totally focused on staying in the saddle.

Finally, the path levelled out and became wider.

Badden drew her panting horse to a stop and dismounted. Her back was aching and her arms tired after the treacherous climb. She couldn’t help feeling that she was finally safe.

As the woman came into view, Chris unsheathed his rifle. All of his emotions, which had been simmering and stewing below the surface, released into his system. The valve containing them burst in a single blinding flash. Chris Larabee had controlled all he’d been feeling until that moment. Now, as he came face to face with the person who had caused his family so much pain and suffering, he was flooded with emotions - so many different ones were released. All were vying, not only for his attention, but also for supremacy. In the end, it was rage that won the battle. Pure, unadulterated rage consumed the usually rational man.

Larabee raised the weapon. He shut one eye. He sighted Laura Badden. His blood ran cold. For a split second, he paused, studying her. She didn’t look like a monster, yet a monster she was.

Before Chris could consider pulling the trigger, a rope shot through the air, fell around the woman’s shoulders and slipped down to her waist. Vin yanked it tight. Laura Badden shrieked with surprise, stumbling to her knees. Chris didn’t lower his rifle. With every fibre of his existence he wanted to pull the trigger. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. As Chris and Vin brought their horses to a stop, Vin leapt from the saddle. Larabee kept his rifle trained on his quarry as he stepped down.

For several seconds, there was silence as the trio stared at one another.

“I told you we’d meet again,” Badden stated, smiling sarcastically. The chords in Larabee’s neck inflated and stuck out as his rage grew. Badden could see the visible reaction she was inciting in the man she hated. “I suppose you’re curious about how I beat the hangman’s noose? The judge did sentence me to hang. However, the people of Tentafield have a conscience. They could not quite bring themselves to hang a ‘woman‘. So they sentenced me to prison, instead. While I was being escorted to prison, the two guards, men I might add, showed me a great deal of kindness. They did not insist on keeping me tied. Unfortunately, they became ill.” Badden smiled. “Violently ill. I’m sure Vin would understand what I’m talking about.”

Tanner stared at the woman, but remained quiet.

Seeing no reaction from the tracker, Badden returned her icy gaze to Chris. “Not a single day has passed without me thinking of you, Larabee. Actually, I toast you every evening. ‘To the death of the great Chris Larabee’, I say.”

“Lady, you’re really sick,” Vin growled.

“Perhaps to someone like you, I may seem to be, Vin. But then, you are a good man. Chris and I are cut from the same cloth, though. I have no doubt that he will toast my death.”

“Yeah,” Chris snarled, lowering his rifle.

Badden reached down, loosened the rope around her waist and stepped out of it. Neither of the two men moved. However, both were watching her carefully.

“After I escaped, I came to a cabin just outside of Peter’s Gap. It had been abandoned. I had my money sent through. I decided on some assassins rather than trying to handle it myself. Barwick assured me that the ones he had hired were the best. You see, I am the person who was going to lease the land. I hired Macquarie to broker the deal for me. I knew that judge of yours would send you to ensure there wasn’t trouble. I just had to wait for you to arrive.”

Vin noted that Badden was gradually edging backwards, but she had nowhere to go. Behind her was a 1000-foot drop.

“We’re taking you back to Four Corners to hang,” Vin informed her in a hushed voice.

Laura shot him a look of shock. “I let you live!” she yelled. “I could have killed you in the room that night!”

“Why didn’t you?”

Badden’s face masked with true puzzlement. “I don’t know. Perhaps, I felt I owed you.”

“And then you decided to poison him again,” Chris snarled. His voice was so harsh, that Vin turned to study his face.

“Yes, I poisoned him. Because of you! I had no choice!”

“You had a choice,” Vin stated calmly, placing his left shoulder in front of Chris. Tanner could sense his friend’s rising rage. He found himself wishing Buck was here. Buck was the one person who could deal with Chris when the gunfighter’s temper blew. It was not something Vin had ever had to do.

“You still don’t get it, do you, Vin?” Laura asked, studying his face. “I never meant to hurt you. I...” She swallowed and then her face lined with cruelty. “It’s his fault!” she screamed, pointing at Chris. “Everything is his fault. He’s the reason you were poisoned! He’s the reason you almost died!”

“It’s over,” Vin stated firmly.

Laura Badden’s eyes crystallized with brutal hatred. “It will never be over. Not until the day Larabee is dead. And he will die, but not until he’s suffered. He’ll be the reason that you will die, Vin, because justice has to be served. You have to die, Vin. Just as my brother died. Because of Larabee, you both will die!”

Vin sensed Chris move. Tanner stepped further across in front on his friend. If Larabee was facing a man, Vin would have stepped out of the confrontation. Basically, this had nothing to do with him. For some reason, the fact that Badden was a woman made things different. Didn’t it?

Badden smiled. “Hiding behind Vin! Ha.”

Chris shoved Vin aside and drew his revolver in one motion. Tanner allowed himself to be thrust out of the way. This was between Chris and Badden. It always had been. He really had no right to interfere.

“Go ahead, Chris!” Laura screamed hysterically. “You want to! You’ve wanted to shoot me since you arrived. Do it!”

An image flashed in Tanner’s mind. “Larabee, don’t!”

“Go ahead,” Badden screamed at the top of her lungs “DO IT!”

Vin lunged at his friend. Chris reacted instinctively, pushing his attacker to the ground.

Badden seized the chance to try and escape. She took two quick steps backwards. Suddenly, the ground beneath her began to move. Vin and Chris froze. The entire side of the mountain was crumbling away! The rain had undermined the foundation at the edge. Badden stumbled backwards. Tanner and Larabee looked on in horror as the earth under Laura Badden literally fell way. She screamed. Both Chris and Vin threw themselves toward her. Reflex more than conscious thought prompted the action.

Vin’s right hand snapped around Badden’s left wrist. Her weight dragged him forward. Vin found himself sliding over the edge!

Abruptly, his momentum came to a halt. Chris had grabbed his legs. Vin had a hold of one of Laura Badden’s arms. Both Tanner and Badden were hanging over the edge of the mountain. Below them, 1000 feet of nothingness.

“Vin!” Chris ground out. He couldn’t hold both of them. The earth was slippery. Larabee couldn’t anchor his feet on anything solid and thus, he, too, was gradually sliding forward.

“Give me your other arm!” Vin shouted down to Badden.

Laura looked up at him, her face twisted with terror. “Don’t drop me!” she pleaded.

“Give me your other hand!”

“Vin! I can’t hold both of you!” Abruptly, Chris slid forward. Both Tanner and Badden dropped another foot, the woman shrieking with terror. “VIN!” Larabee bellowed, struggling to anchor himself.

“Chris?” Tanner glanced back up at his friend. Larabee’s face was strained as he fought to support the heavy load.

“Vin, I can’t hold you both!”

Tanner turned. He was staring into Laura Badden’s face. Again, Chris slipped forward. Vin and Laura jerked another few inches.

“VIN! We’ll all go over!” Larabee bellowed. The gunfighter knew he couldn’t hold on much longer, but he would never release the vice-like grip he had on his best friend. Never!

Tanner stared at Badden. She read the look of horror on his face.

“NOOO! Don’t drop me! God, don’t drop me! Please, Vin!”

“I’m sorry,” the tracker choked. He couldn’t pull Chris over. If it were just his own life, that would be different. Just as Vin was about to release the woman, he heard yelling from above.

“Chris!”

“God, grab him!”

“I’ve got him!”

“Hang on, brothers!”

“Try and drag them back!”

The boys! “Chris?” Vin shouted.

“Okay, pull her up!” Larabee yelled.

Above, Josiah and Nathan had taken hold of Chris, while Buck, J.D. and Ezra had knelt at the edge, waiting to grab some part of Vin’s legs as he was hauled back to safety.

“Give me your other hand!” Vin ordered. “They’ll pull us up!” Badden lifted her arm. Vin stapled his other hand around it. “Okay, boys! Pull!”

Muscles strained. Chris was hauled back from the edge. Buck grabbed a handful of Vin’s trousers and pulled with all his might.

Laura Badden felt her hands slipping. She stared into Vin’s face. “Don’t drop me!”

“Hang on!” Gradually, Vin was pulled back up to the edge. “She’s slipping!”

“DON’T DROP ME!!!!”

“J.D!” Ezra shouted. The boy grabbed the gambler’s belt and Ezra reached out and grasped the woman’s left arm. As one, all of the group was dragged back to safety in a tangle of arms and legs. Badden spilled to one side, free of the mess.

Laura shuddered. Her entire body was trembling. She reflected on what had happened. They had saved her. No! Chris Larabee had wanted to let her fall! Without warning, the woman leapt to her feet and began yelling at the top of her lungs. The words weren’t comprehendible. The boys began to untangle. Vin struggled free and started to climb to his feet.

Laura Badden lunged at Chris. The gunfighter was flat on his back. A deadly blade arched through the air. Larabee had no way of dodging the lethal dagger. The knife plunged into the gunfighter! Chris cried out with surprise.

“CHRIS!“ Vin screamed. Badden raised the bloodied weapon again. Tanner lashed out with his boot. The blow caught the woman’s thigh. She stumbled towards the edge, teetered on the brink, wide-eyed and then fell backwards. Her scream filled the air as she plummeted.

“CHRIS!” six voices cried as one. J.D. dived toward his leader, covering the wound with his hands to stem the blood flow. Nathan crawled forward, shouting for someone to get his bag. Now he thanked God he had brought it.

Buck shed his coat and spread it over his wounded friend’s legs. It seemed the right thing to do. Ezra and Josiah untangled themselves, both shocked by the attack. Vin dropped to his knees beside Chris. “Chris?”

Larabee blinked up at his men. He could hear blood rushing in his ears. His side was searing. “Badden?” he managed to get out.

“She couldn’t fly,” Vin whispered, picking up his friend’s clenched fist. “Nathan?”

“Give me a minute. Okay, J.D. Lift your hands a little. I need to see how much damage has been done.” Nathan’s brow furrowed. “You’re a lucky man, Chris. It missed your intestine. Where the hell is my bag?!”

Vin squeezed Chris’ hand. His friend glanced up at him blinking. “Easy, Cowboy. Nathan’s gonna fix you up.”

“You were right,” Larabee whispered.

“Huh?”

“She did change her tactics. I thought she’d go after you!”

“Reckon that was her intention, but she was real pissed with you this time.”

Chris smiled as he eyes closed.

“Pass me the laudanum. Chris, I need you to drink some of this. I have to pour some carbolic on the wound and it’s gonna sting like hell.”

Buck raised Larabee’s head as Nathan tipped the bottle to his lips. Chris swallowed with difficulty. Throughout the ordeal, Vin’s hand remained firmly around Larabee’s fist. Josiah, Ezra and J.D. looked on with concern.

“Shitty stuff, huh?” Vin chuckled. There was no mirth, but the tracker was trying to lighten the atmosphere for Chris‘ sake.

“She’s gone?” the wounded man asked again. Larabee had to be sure.

Ezra moved to the edge to investigate. “This time, the sentence was carried out.” All of the men froze for several seconds, considering the words. This time, justice had been done.