Longarm finds himself up Hell Creek without a paddle…Deputy U.S. Marshal Custis Long’s got no stomach for yellow-bellied killers—but when a gang of outlaws takes to decapitating deputies, it’s Longarm who loses his head. The worst of the bunch is a wild hellcat by the name of Bella Flowers, who’s going to be pushing up daisies just like her cold-blooded compadres if she keeps putting up a fight. Once he’s got Bella hogtied, handcuffed, and headed for hanging, Longarm runs afoul of a mysterious bushwhacker. But the shooter’s target may be someone else entirely—a lovely blonde on her way to Hell Creek to claim her uncle’s ranch. Once a boom town, Hell Creek is now a haven for hard cases, so Longarm aims to make sure the pretty lady isn’t riding blindly into a storm of trouble…