Billy the Kid #21

Billy the Kid rides into Prairie Dawg Alley seeking Red Barnes, but gets the drop on him instead—only to wake up outnumbered and facing a kangaroo court of outlaws in the Badlands Saloon. When Red offers him a final meal before the hanging, Billy sees his chance, and a hidden derringer slipped into the plate by Ah Wing, the Chinese cook, changes everything.

Billy the Kid seeks refuge in the hills after a deadly confrontation with the feared gunslinger Dude Hauser, hoping to finally escape the violence that's haunted him—but Hauser won't let old grudges rest, and soon his gang catches wind of where Bill has gone. When sunrise brings an ambush and the gang's schemes threaten the peaceful rancher Joe Whitley, Billy realizes the only way to find peace is to face down Hauser once and for all.

Rocky Lane accepts a high-stakes wager with Chief Vittorio to prevent an Apache uprising: if the chief can ride Rocky's prized black horse, Vittorio keeps the animal and Rocky forfeits his life, but if he fails, the Apache must abandon the warpath and seek peace. With the frontier's fate hanging in the balance and treachery lurking within Fort Grant itself, Rocky must trust that his bond with the noble stallion is stronger than any man's will to break it.

Billy the Kid recovers a quarter-horse he bought in good faith, only to discover it was stolen from rancher Ben Avon—and when horse thieves Les Rusks and Sam take both the pony and his gun, Billy pursues them on foot across the dusty trail. Determined to bring the rustlers to justice, he tracks down their camp and forces a reckoning that will test his nerve and tenacity.