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The Untamed ( Finnaholic & CrimsonMaster )

Lopez's eyes were looking for a way out but he couldn't find any. Everyone in the saloon knew how this would end....it was just a matter of time. Lopez & Milt finally glanced at each other nodding then their hands dropped down for the pistol that they wore on their hips. Their challenge was answered in less then a heart beat as JP was lighting fast pulling his colt 1873 revolver and firing twice. The two bullets hit their mark each one of the men was shot in their heads. They had pulled their pistols but didn't get off a shot until they had been hot already. Lopez & Milt fired into the wood floor near their feet as they dropped down dead. JP slipped his pistol back into the holster which hung low on his hip then he looked around seeing Katie had come down stairs but she had cut her hair.
 
Katie looked up when she heard the gunshots, fearing the worst. When she saw Lopez and the other man with him drop to the floor, she smiled. That was one less thing she would have to worry about. She gave a nod to JP, then went about her job.

Once the last customer had left, she headed back upstairs to her room to get her things together. If things went well when she and JP arrived in Victorville, it was unlikely that she would be returning to Barstow.
 
The gunshots brought the town's Sheriff rushing into the saloon....he saw JP standing there. The Sheriff who was an old friend of JP came up asking him about what happened which JP explained then the Sheriff told JP that both Lopez & Milt were wanted anyways. The Sheriff took charge of the dead bodies as JP went back upstairs...he stopped at Katie's room picking up his shotgun and the bottle of whiskey then he headed for his room. JP took a long hot bath then after dressing he sat down at the table in his room where he poured some whiskey into the glass. JP slowly sipped the whiskey as he thought about Katie....she was very pretty and he left the extra glass in her room in case she wanted to stop by for a drink....or two.
 
Katie noticed the glass sitting on the table in her room, smiling a bit. She picked up the glass and started to take it back downstairs but stopped as she walked past the door to JP's room. Figuring she had nothing to lose, she knocked once on the door. "JP, are you awake in there?" She waited a moment for an answer before slowly pushing the door open. "You left a glass in my room. Kind of hard for you to drink without it."
 
JP looked towards the door when he heard the knock then he heard Katie ask if he was awake. " Come in. " JP said as Katie opened the door saying that he forgot his glass and it would be hard for him to drink without it. JP smiled as he raised the second glass that he brought up with him. " I brought up two.......just in case you wanted to sit and have a few drinks with me. " JP said as he stood up pulling out the other chair at the table for Katie to sit on if she wanted to stay.
 
Katie stepped further into the room, shutting the door behind her. "I wanted to thank you for stopping me before. I let my anger and hatred get the better of me when I saw those men at the bar." She sat down, setting the glass on the table and reaching for the bottle of whiskey. "If you hadn't stopped me, I would have been no better than the men who killed my husband."
 
JP watched as Katie stepped inside closing the door behind her then came over and sat at the table. He went back to his chair sitting down so that they could look at each other while talking. JP listened as Katie thanked him for stopping her from killing Lopez & Milt. " I just didn't want you to get into more trouble.....if you had gone down and shot those men....the Sheriff would have taken you to jail.....then you would had to stand trail. " JP said as he reached acrossed the table taking Katie's hand into his. " Wanting revenge for what happened to your husband....whether you do it yourself or not.....doesn't make you any better or worse then those who hurt you.....but it could give you a sense of relief.....knowing they got what they deserved. " JP added as he picked up his glass taking a long drink then sat the glass back down. He couldn't help but look at Katie as he sat there...she was very pretty and he was beginning to find her more intoxicating than the whiskey.
 
Katie poured some whiskey into the unused glass, though she didn't drink it. Even though she worked in a saloon, she didn't often indulge in such things. She wanted her mind clear at all times for when the day came that she could finally let go of the past and move on with her life. "When we get to Victorville, I want to be the one who takes down Jack Crenshaw. He's the one I hate the most, since he's the one who ordered the death of my husband after raping me."
 
JP understood why Katie wanted Jack dead....but he couldn't understand how she thought that she could take down Jack Crenshaw. Black Jack Crenshaw was known throughout the west as a very fast gun. Like with JP many men were foolish enough to challenge Jack with the gun but each of those men died. JP didn't like the idea of Katie going up against Jack but he doubted that anything he could say would change her mind. " Well honey......if you challenge Jack with a gun.....you had better be fast.....or damn lucky. "
 
"I know my chances of winning against him in a gunfight are slim to none, but there are other ways to kill a man like him. And I will not rest until I see him and his brothers dead. I don't care if I never get back the land they stole from me, as long as they never hurt anyone again." She probably wouldn't accept the land if offered it, considering all the bad memories she now had of the property.
 
JP wasn't sure what she was planning but Katie was right when she said that there were other ways of killing someone. JP didn't expect Jack or Jimmy to surrender to him once he arrived in Victorville. Nor did he expect Victor to sit back and let his brothers be taken away for trail. JP knew that there would be a lot more death before this was over....but he wanted Katie to live and for her to finally find peace. " We'll leave first thing in the morning.....I hope you have a horse? " JP asked as he didn't know much about her life in Barstow.
 
Katie leaned back in her seat, already thinking of ways to get close enough to Jack to be able to kill him. When asked if she had a horse, she looked over at JP and nodded. "Yes, I have a horse. It is kept in the stables a few buildings down from here. It was the only horse they didn't run off two years ago."
 
JP could see that she was in deep thought....he was beginning to feel that no power on earth would keep her from killing Jack. JP drank down the last of the whiskey in his glass then stood up. " Well since we'll be hitting the trail early we better get some sleep. "
 
Katie nodded, getting up from her chair. "I'll see you in the morning then." She left the room, the glass of whiskey still untouched. She wasn't able to get much sleep that night, knowing she would soon have vengeance against Jack and his brothers. "I'm coming for you, Jack Crenshaw."

She was up before dawn, having already cleared out her room at the saloon. She glanced at the door to JP's room as she headed downstairs to get breakfast before they departed. She knew it would be a good while before she would get a proper meal, so she wanted to make the most of the time she had left in Barstow.
 
After Katie left JP laid down on his bed falling asleep quickly. Morning came fast and JP was up...breakfast had been delivered to his room by one of the other girls. Once he had finished eating JP stood up grabbing his gun belt then wrapping it around his waist then he tied the holster just above his right knee. JP slipped into his long black coat which completed his formal dress look then after placing his hat onto his head and grabbing his shotgun JP headed downstairs where Katie was waiting.

JP walked up to her then reached into his pocket pulling out a Deputy United States Marshal badge then laid it on the table. " Here.......this will make what ever you do legal.......you work for me now. "
 
Katie was just finishing up her breakfast when she heard JP come downstairs. It was still too early for any customers, and she'd already left a note for the saloon owner saying that she was leaving Barstow. She looked at the badge he had set down, nodding. "Let's go then." She picked up the badge and pinned it to the shirt she was wearing. Getting up, she took her dishes back to the kitchen so she could say goodbye to the other girls. It would probably be a long time before she saw any of them again, if at all.
 
Normal JP didn't ride with anyone....he always rode alone that way he wouldn't have to worry whether about someone else....but this time things were different. He knew that Katie would never stay behind and even if he had left her in Barstow....she would have followed him anyway. JP walked down to the stables where he had the boy saddle the horses then waited for Katie to say her goodbyes.
 
Katie had known when she had come to Barstow that her stay there was only temporary. She had been keeping tabs on the Crenshaws' activities from stories that were told in the saloon. Even if JP hadn't come when he did, she would have returned to Victorville soon anyways.

She smiled at the other girls, waving as she left the saloon. She headed for the stables, surprised to see that her horse was already saddled. She looked over at JP as she fastened her pack to the back of the saddle. "How long will it take to get to Victorville?"
 
JP was standing next to his big American stud while Katie asked how long will it take to get to Victorville. JP slipped his shotgun back into the large holster on his saddle. " We've got 75 miles to travel.......we'll make one stop just before the high desert.....I know a big creek that runs near a meadow where we can stay. " JP said then he climbed up onto his horse then he wheeled him around facing Katie. " We should be there by tomorrow night......we'll take a room in town then I'm sure by morning.....the Crenshaw's will know I'm in town. "
 
Katie swung herself into the saddle of her horse, nodding. "I would rather not actually enter the town itself. I'll probably find a place to sleep somewhere outside of Victorville. I don't want the Crenshaws to know I am in the area until I am ready to exact my revenge. You can do what you want with Victor and Jimmy Crenshaw, but Jack is mine to deal with."
 
JP nodded his head while letting out a sigh. She was a stubborn....but he wasn't going to let her sleep alone outside of Victorville. " Well I don't believe it will be safe for us to split up......so we'll camp outside of town.....they find out soon enough that I'm around. " JP said knowing that they wouldn't have enough food so he would go into to town after they found a place to camp. " Let's go little lady. " JP said as his horse bolted out of the stables then headed out of Barstow.
 
Katie followed after him, a little incensed at the tone of his voice when he called her little lady. But then again, she had never told him her name, not that he had asked. She would have to rectify that when they stopped for the night. Maybe once all this was over, and the Crenshaws were brought to justice, she would be able to move on and settle down again. As they rode, she couldn't help but watch the marshal as he sat in the saddle of his horse.
 
The rode for hours before reaching the area where JP planned on stopping for the night. " Just beyond those hill is the high desert......make sure that your canteen is filled tomorrow before we leave. " JP said as he dismounted his horse. " There's a creek over there.......you can wash up there.....or take a swim......the water is cool.....it runs down from the hillside. " JP said as pointed at a beautiful waterfall just a little ways from their camp site. JP quickly unpacked his horse then tied him to a nearby tree where he could feed and drink then JP set up a camp fire for cooking dinner
 
Katie got a change of clothes from her pack and went to the creek to wash up. As she washed the trail dirt off, she thought about what she was going to do when they finally reached Victorville, and whether or not the Crenshaw brothers even remembered her. Once she was done, she got dressed and headed back at camp. Sitting down on a fallen log, she glanced over at JP. "What did you bring for us to eat?"
 
While Katie was down washing up and changing JP finished setting up the camp then took care of both horses for the night. When she returned and asked about what he had brought to eat JP pulled a couple of cans of beans from his saddle bag then placed the cans on the ground. " Well we have these. " JP said with a smile on his face as he grabbed his Winchester rifle then stood up. " But give me a few minutes and I'll add to that. " JP said giving Katie a wink of his eye then headed out into the nearby woods. It wasn't long before he returned with a wild game bird which was missing it's head. After JP laid his rifle down he grabbed his knife then started cleaning the bird after which he placed the bird over the fire to roast. ' You know....we've never been introduced properly.....I'm JP Wright. " JP said as he was turning the bird over the fire so it would cook evenly over the fire. He knew that with everything going on he hadn't asked what her name was.
 
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