Echo Canyon

Part 3

The narrow trail grew steeper as it wove between columns of stone. Without Colton, Jackie surely would have been lost. The cow piles had vanished, meaning either the outlaws had figured out they led straight to them or Colton was taking her the wrong way.

"If you betray me," she said. "I'll gut you."

"I wouldn't put it past you."

It was nice, she supposed, to have company, especially when that company didn't dismiss her every word or laugh at her threats. Colton hadn't laughed or scoffed or insisted she couldn't save Mercy and outsmart a gang of outlaws. She hoped she didn't have to gut him.

They rode in silence, not wanting to risk being discovered by the outlaws who lived somewhere in the canyon. This was their territory and with the name Echo Canyon, Jackie was sure they'd hear them and attack. She was used to riding in silence, but this silence was different than the silence of being alone. This silence was tense and nervous, and she wasn't alone. An ex-outlaw rode behind her, guided her.

She heard the voices just before Colton whispered into her ear, "We're here."

Then she heard sobbing and laughing. Mercy Owens was in here somewhere and only God knew what the outlaws had done to her.

"The main entrance to the hideout is heavily guarded, but there's another way in through the back. It's the escape route," Colton said. Jackie just passed the reigns to him and let him guide Bailey through the canyon. It was strange to surrender control like that. She was the only one who'd ever held those reigns and she'd expected handing them over to be harder than it had been. What's happening to me?

They came around a sharp bend and Jackie saw the planks of wood marking the entrance to the hideout, which had been built into a wide gap in the rocks. A large canvas with torn edges made up a roof covering the entrance and casting the interior in shadow. The doorway was more of a gap a the wall of rotting wood with a dirty blanket dangling from it. From a distance, the entrance would have been impossible to pick out from the surrounding rock. These outlaws may have left a trail, but at least they knew how to hide their hideout.

They dismounted, leaving Bailey untied and hidden behind some rocks.

"Aren't you worried she'll wander off?" Colton asked softly.

Jackie just laughed. "Bailey? Of course not. She and I stick together."

Bailey snorted, her head bobbing in agreement. Jackie smiled, patting her before walking towards the hideout. Colton walked ahead of her and knelt before the entrance way. When he stood, he held two guns and slipped a knife into his boot.

"Emergency weapons stash," he said simply.

Jackie shrugged and followed him inside. The air inside was cool, welcome after a day in the hot sun pressed against another person. They slunk around the edge, keeping to the shadows. Jackie's breath was tight and her palms sweaty. She wiped her hands against her pants and took a deep breath.

"Are you alright?" Colton whispered. She nodded. They kept moving, creeping towards the front. They rounded a corner and came face to face with a rugged looking man. Before the man could shout, Colton's elbow slammed into his throat, cutting off his air. Colton's other hand slammed into his head and the man went down. Jackie stared at him in shock. It was Colton's turn to shrug. The movement was so casual, as if he hadn't just effortlessly taken down an outlaw. Who had she saved out in the desert?

They kept moving until the stench of cattle reached her nose. Her stolen herd was crammed into a pen constructed in the walls. Beyond the cows, on the other side of their enclosure, a girl sat against the canyon wall, her face wet with tears.