Men enjoyed their warm alcohol while being kept company by prostitutes. The bedhouse not only served nightly services but also served alcohol. Emiliano knew about the bedhouse but was never interested in entering such a place. His Mother always taught him to respect a woman with or without virtue. "Dick is waiting for you."

"You mean Richard, right?"

"Yeah, we call him that for short. Come on." Emiliano was led toward a table where Robert and his men were drinking happily; some had prostitutes in hand. "Boss, the chap is here."

Richard looked up from his drink and smiled. "You came as I thought you would, although I did have some doubts."

One of the other men chuckled. "Nah, Dick was scared that ya weren't gonna come!" The other men laughed.

Richard rolled his eyes and stood up. "Follow me; you and I need to talk alone. Excuse me, ladies." The women moved away. Richard and Emiliano walked upstairs of the bedhouse and then to an empty room. Echos of men and women were heard; Emiliano felt his skin crawl when he listened to their moans of pleasure. Once inside the room and the door closed, Richard lit a candle lamp. "Thanks for coming here. It wasn't an easy decision, but you would be a great addition to the group and help us protect Tunstall. Now, I want to clear up some things before welcoming you to our group. Are you prepared to kill?"

The question didn't entirely surprise Emiliano. He imagined that taking another person's life would be involved. "Never killed a man. Don't know if I can."

"Since you decided to join us, you must be ready to kill to stay alive. Now, tell me the real reason why you joined us. I have a hunch it's not really for our cause."

The young man had to admit that Richard was intelligent. Richard was the second in command of the group and must have experienced facing other men in intense moments. "I joined because I want to keep the tribe safe from what I have done to the doctor. I also have another personal reason."

"May I ask what is this other reason?"

Emiliano was silent momentarily. He got the bag with his Mother's ashes. "I'm carrying my Mother's. My goal is to find the ranch she used to live in before it was sold off to the new owner. I want to lay her to rest in that specific ranch."

"Would you happen to know who now owns this land?"

The bag of ashes was put in the backpack. "My Father. I don't know who he is or where he is. My guess is that he mustn't be too far. Lincoln County has many ranch owners, so that would be a good start."

Richard nodded. "I appreciate your honesty. As long as you help us, we won't stop you." Richard motioned out his hand. "So, will you agree to join us, Regulators, to fight for John Tunstall and the good of Lincoln County?"

Emiliano grabbed the older man's hand. "I will."

"Good, let me go and introduce you to everyone before we get some shut-eye." The men walked out of the room and downstairs, where group members were having a good time. "Regulators, I would like to introduce our newest member, Emiliano Quinteras. I want you all to make him feel welcome."

The Regulators stared at their new member. One of them came forward and shook Emiliano's hand. "Heya, the name is Frank McNab, but you can call me Franky. Pleased to meet ya!"

"The name is Frank Coe, and this is my brother, George. We are the Coe brothers. Welcome." The two brothers lifted their drinks.

"I'm Yginio Salazar."

"I'm Jose Chavez y Chavez."

Emiliano felt a bit intimidated since they were older and experienced. However, they seemed respectful. "Nice to meet you all. I look forward to working with you all."

"Quite a respectful one he is," said George.

Franky chuckled as he took a final sip of his drink. "Ya were a slippery slicker with the doc. You'd make the group proud." The young man wondered what had happened with the doctor; he should have been awake. "I can tell by your look that yer curious about the doc. Don't worry; we paid him to keep his trap shut. We also threatened him until we left this town, so yer safe for now."

Richard nodded as he patted Emiliano on the back. "Alright, everyone, we will sleep here for the night. I already paid the Madame of this bedhouse, but we have to leave before sunrise. It will take us two days to get to Lincoln County. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "Emiliano, you will be roommates with Jose for the night. He's a quiet one, but as long you give him your respect, then all will be good."

The men walked toward their rooms; Jose and Emiliano were eye to eye. Jose motioned Emiliano to follow him. "Let's go." They went upstairs and walked toward the fourth door of the top floor. When Jose opened the door, he motioned Emiliano to enter first, which he did. A couple of candles dimly lighted the room; the door was closed. Jose sat on a wooden chair as he served himself whiskey. "You can sleep on the bed tonight. I'll sleep on the floor."

"No, I can sleep on the floor. You look like you have traveled a lot; your body needs rest."

Jose chuckled. "I can't sleep on the bed because it hurts my back. The floor is firm enough for me since I have blankets and mats. Besides, you're a newbie, so I insist." He motioned the young man on the bed. Emiliano relented as he lay on the bed with his backpack. Jose got out two brackets and laid them on the floor. He was given one of the pillows; his handmade bed was complete. Once the candles were turned off, Jose immediately dozed off. Emiliano was still awake; he took out the ring necklace. Everything went so fast; he lost his Mother, joined the Regulators, and searched for his father.

He wondered if he made the right decision; a tear formed and dripped to the pillow.