Chris walked out of Virginia's Hotel feeling sorrier for himself than ever. He had the chance to go back to Mary last night and finish what they started, but he had to remember that Mary was not just any woman. She was a woman of class, of responsibility, of honor and he would not ruin her by taking her then leaving her in the dust like he had done so many times with so many other women. Mary was different. He needed to give her his respect.

          And there would be plenty of time to be with her.

          Chris fixed his hat on his head and walked away from the hotel's main doors and started toward the jailhouse to see if their only resident was awake and talking yet.

          "Mr. Larabee?" a deep voice said, and his body stepping in Chris's way. Instantly, Chris was blinded by the sun's rays and he dipped his black hat down further on his forehead then looked up at the man who stopped him.

          "Who are you?" Chris asked when he settled on a clear vision of the man before him.

          Nicholas took a deep, shivery breath. "Mr. Larabee? Chris, right?" he said, trying to make his voice sound less nervous and more excited.

          "Yeah, but who are you?" Chris asked again.

          Nicholas stuck out his hand. "Chris, I can't believe you don't recognize me." He waited for Chris to take it, and when he did, he held on tight until Chris met his strong gaze.

          "Sorry, but I don't know who you are. I think I would-" Chris tried to get his hand back but the man wasn't letting up.

          "I wouldn't think you'd remember me." Nicholas said, sounding less thrilled. "I have been looking for you for a long time."

          Chris looked into the man's dark blue eyes, and saw no light there as he just had. "Give me back my hand."

          "You gotta listen to me, okay? Listen...." Nicholas looked over his shoulders, then off in the distance to make sure no one cared to bother him. Then his gaze shot toward the shack he left his brother in. "I have information on the explosion. Last night in the boy's birthday cake. I-"

          "You responsible?" This time it was Chris to tighten his grip on the man's hand.

          "Listen to me, Chris....you're damn lucky I am even doing this. Yeah, I did it but it's nothing what my brother plans on doing tonight. That's why I am came to you first."

          Chris studied the man with question. "Why you doing this? Why you going against your brother?"

          "Because he isn't well. You probably don't remember but in your teen years you shot and killed our father in cold-blood." Nicholas tightened his hand on his end. "Me and Trevor watched the whole thing. We were only boys then. Young boys and our father was only one left to protect us. Trevor wants to kill you with his bare hands, and so did I. But the way I grew up in this world I'd never wish that upon any child growing up now. You may have took my brother's innocence, but I won't let him rob another child of theirs."

          Chris's eyes grew wide with anticipation. He could not remember for the life of him why he had to kill a man in cold-blood. He would never do something like that, not unless he had reason to. "What did you say your name was?"

          "Mackey. Nicholas Mackey, and my brother is Trevor Mackey. Our father was Charles Mackey." Nicholas said and paused. "Do the names ring any bells, Mr. Larabee?"

          Mackey? Mackey? Charles Mackey? Charlie Mac? The bank robber. The thief, the murderer of two innocent young men. Killer of John Lipton, the bank owner.

          Chris worked for Mr. Lipton when he was a young man, just turned seventeen, trying to earn some extra money to help out his mother and baby sister. His mother had used all her money to bail him out of jail when he got in that brawl at the rail splitting contest. She slapped him on the back of the head over and over for costing his competent to lose an eye.

          But the money had nothing to do with what happened at the bank that rainy day back in Indiana. His friends, Brian Michaels and Luke Waters, were killed trying to protect the bank's money by Charles Mackey. And Mr. Lipton who resisted in giving the money away to some starving pig, hungry for money.

          That's right, now Chris remembered.

          "That's right," Chris snarled. "I killed your father." He found his father's old pistol under his mother's bed, went out to the Mackey land, and shot and killed Charles Mackey for revenge. The bastard deserved it. Chris felt no regret. Soon after the killing, Chris fled from the town, from his mother and sister, because he was a wanted man. That was his only regret. He had to leave his family behind.

          "I know you did," Nicholas growled. "But I'm willing to pass that for the sake of another soul that could be ruined."

          "What is your brother's plan, Nicholas?" Chris demanded to know. This was about business, not lost memories down guilty lane.

          Nicholas hesitated as he thought what he was about to reveal would betray his brother's trust, and might kill him. But the little brother was beyond caring. He knew what had to be done.

          "Trevor plans to take out the Clarion. He has already planted several explosives around the building. All he has to do is press the trigger and kaboom!"

          Nicholas tugged his hand away quickly and walked past Chris in the opposite direction from where he came from. Chris stood still in the middle of the block and held onto his breath. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. With all the strength his held in his legs, and Nicholas' words sticking to his brain like mud he rushed toward the Clarion and slammed open the door.

          Nicholas wasn't proud for what he did, but he was damn proud for the way he handled it. He didn't think he could control his cool around the man who so willingly killed his father twenty-years ago. When he was talking to Chris, all he could think about what getting the truth out behind his brother's plan, give Chris enough time to warn the mother and child, and then get the hell out of town while he still had the chance.

          He wouldn't take Trevor with him this time either. He was out on his own this time, officially. To start a new life with someone, maybe have some kids. Hell, he wasn't the kind of man to have a kid with. He was evil. He'd been jailed, beaten, taken for the worse kind there was in the world.

          He just needed to start over. Having a new life and share it with someone was to come later. All he needed to think about was to leave, and without Trevor.

          "Chris?" Mary exclaimed as she pushed out of her chair behind her desk from his sudden intrusion. "What is the matter?" she took one look at the look on his red-beaten face, and her eyes steadied. "Have you found the man who did that last night?"

          Chris nodded, then moved his foot in front of the other, but decided to not take any chances. He didn't know what Trevor Mackey looked like, or where he was. All he knew was to get Mary and Billy out of the Clarion and on safe pastures.

          "Mary, you have to get out of here. Where's Billy?" Chris barked.

          Stunned by his harsh voice after he was so gentle last night, Mary swallowed hard and wondered what the matter was. "Billy is with JD and Casey. I'm the only one here. Unless...." She lowered her voice and stopped what she was about to say when she saw Chris's switch from her to the ceiling. She followed his stare.

          "What is the matter, Chris?" Mary said, her worry showing in her strained voice.

          Chris shushed Mary right away, and told her to come toward him. When she hesitated, but suddenly anxious to get out of her office and follow him, she glided across the floorboards and Chris grabbed her by the waist and pushed her out of the Clarion.

          He closed the door, and guided her across the town to the Hardware store and stood under the balcony to block the hot sun. There where they were clear of the Clarion building, and Chris had his eyes locked good on the town to make sure no one looked out of place.

          Mary was worried, and scared as ever when she looked at Chris, and his hard gaze on the town, and his hand locked on her elbow.

          "Chris, what is going on? You haven't said a word why you are acting this way."

          "Something's wrong. Something will happen to the Clarion at any time today. I was warned." Chris said, not looking at her.

          "What are you talking about? Is it the same man who tried to hurt Billy?" Mary was confused.

          "Yes, it is the same man, but it's not one, it's two men. Two men are trying to hurt you and Billy to get back at me for killing their father twenty-years ago. It's revenge they're after, and somehow, someway, they saw you and Billy as my weaknesses."

          Mary was stunned again. She never suspected she and Billy were Chris's weaknesses. The man was down right perfect, and fearless. He didn't have weaknesses, and if he did it couldn't be her and her son.

          "Why do they think we are, Chris. Tell me."

          Chris was caught in the moment and looked down at her beautiful blue eyes full of concern for his well being as well as her own and Billy's. "You are my weakness, Mary. You have been for a long time now." He had to tell her the truth. "I just could never tell you. You two remind me so much of....Damnit! Now isn't the time to tell you all this. I have two murderers on the loose in town, and one ready to blow up your newspaper. I need you to get as far away from the Clarion as you can. Where's the Judge?"

          Mary exhaled from Chris's stubbornness, and the way a man expresses his feelings. And he was right. This wasn't the time, if she and Billy were in danger, she would have wanted to know about it and now before it was too late.

          "He left this morning. He had a trial to go to in Austin." Mary said, then grabbed the side of Chris's rough cheek and made him look at her. "I am not going anywhere. You have me. All you gotta tell me is for how long? Because I hope you'll keep me in your life forever. As for this," she gestured toward her building. "Get my things. I will not have my home blown up and everything inside blow up with it." She stood before him, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Or I will get it myself. I've worked real hard on this paper, and I can't afford a new wardrobe right now."

          Chris gritted his teeth, still locked on what she told him before about keeping her forever. He would, but not now. Not when he had unfinished business with Ella, and other enemies who would soon find him like the Mackey brothers had.

          "I will go get your things. Just leave here now." Chris urged and pushed her away from the Hardware store and she walked down the walkway to the jailhouse to alert the others of what Chris found out.

          Trevor woke up abruptly with a piece of Swiss cheese stuck to his fat cheek. He had his eyes closed still, and he sensed something not good in the shack Nicholas rented out for them. He smelled something foul close by, and he licked his lips and the tip of his tongue caught the edge of the old cheese, and he peeled it off his face.

          Trevor opened his eyes then and threw the cheese down on the ground and groaned out loud. When his focus cleared, he saw it was nearly dark, and the shack around him too quiet. He threw off his hat that lay lopsided on his head, and rubbed his eyes to get free of his throbbing hangover.

          How did it get to be so late, he wondered, and where was Nicholas?

          "Nick?" Trevor called, but no answer. He turned his big torso around, his belly getting in the way of what he tried to look for, and his little brother was no where to be found.

          He cursed under his breath, and took a deep breath then exhaled. It was getting too late. The sun would soon be all the way out and he wanted to see the looks on Chris Larabee and his men's faces when they saw that newspaper building blow to smithereens with the woman and boy inside. He wanted to see Chris fall to his knees and cry out in the night about why this had to happen. Why the woman he cared so much for had to die with her son. Why it all had to happen again just like his own wife and son.

          Trevor chuckled as he got to his feet. He was still a bit wobbly and he held his head with both hands to control the spinning in the small room. He still couldn't believe Nicholas was no where to be found. He wouldn't want to miss seeing Chris Larabee suffer yet again by another failed attempt to rescue a woman and her child.

          He searched his coat pocket for the matches he brought with him to start the explosives. He scratched his near balding head, jealous his brother still had the full head of hair, and then headed for the door to walk out in the cool, fresh night air.