Orion
I already had a dozen reasons to kill Sheriff Bunch, but now I have a true infinity of motivation. That sucker is going to be dead beyond dead when I get my hands on him. As soon as I have Josie off this planet, me and my men are going to slay our way through his men until nobody dares work for the Imperium. Atticus is going to die by my hand.
“You look mad,” Josie says. “Did I make you mad?”
“You did not make me mad,” I assure her. “I should have killed that man a long time ago. Would have saved a lot of people a lot of pain if I had. I’m sorry he lived to hurt you.”
“It’s not your fault. There’s a lot of bad men on this planet. That’s why I want to leave. Find somewhere… nice, if I can.”
“I don’t know if there’s many nice people anywhere,” I say. “Nice don’t get anybody very far.”
“I hope there is somewhere,” she says, her voice dipping into a rare wistful tone. “I just want to live a peaceful life and maybe, I don’t know, be loved or something. Is that stupid?”
“That is not stupid,” I say, my voice rough. I don’t often have conversations like this. My posse, Paris, none of us are brave enough to believe in that kind of future. We plan on robbin’, killin’ and maybe getting some free love from easy women from time to time, or paying for it if we really have to.
“Seems stupid to me, sometimes,” she admits. “I’ve ever been loved by a man, not in any way. I don’t know if I ever could be. That’s for other girls.”
“I don’t think it’s for other girls.”
“I don’t mean to make you feel sorry for me!” she says with a sudden flash of ferocity. “I’m not trying to get your pity or nothin’, don’t you feel sorry for me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, ma’am,” I smile.
“Don’t call me ma’am neither,” she says. “Makes me feel as though I’m old or fancy or something.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t mistake you for either of those things, missy.”
“I like missy better,” she smiles.
“Good. Now eat something. Didn’t catch all these to eat on my own.” I plate up the majority of the fish and hand it over to her. She needs to eat more than I do. I don’t know that I’ve been taking the best care of her. I guess I’ve never taken care of anyone before. The posse isn’t the same. Just got to knock a few heads together now and again, never have to worry about feelings, or romance or…
“This is really good,” she says as she starts eating. “Thank you for making it.”
“I haven’t been making you food this whole time?”
“You have not,” she smiles.
“Huh. Well, what kind of man am I?”
“The outlaw kind,” she says. “I don’t expect you to look after me, you’ve already done more than enough. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.”
“I hope I can do better than just keep you alive.”
“You do?” She looks at me curiously, and I realize I’m really close to letting the cat out of the bag with her. Would it be so bad to tell her that she’s wanted? I reckon so. This girl wants a new life far away, and I know I’d just be an anchor, dragging her down. Maybe one day she’ll find the sort of man she deserves. A good, law abiding man who can give her a home and a family, and make nights like this a story she tells her scandalized grandchildren dozens of decades from now.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t touch. Doesn’t mean we can’t get close, give each other a little comfort before fate takes us off in different directions. She’s looking at me with a curious longing I’ve seen before. I noticed how hard she blushed when I was swimming, how her eyes kept darting back to me, running over my body.
“C’mere,” I say, opening my arm in invitation. “Let me make you feel better.”
Josie hesitates, licking her fingers nervously, then sucking her lower lip into her mouth. “What do you mean, make me feel better?”
“I mean you’re looking mighty lonesome over there.”
She looks around, as if she’s half-afraid someone might be watching. I reckon that’s her own conscience getting in the way.
“What… um…”
“I’m not going to do nothing to you that you don’t want,” I promise her. “It’s just an offer. Nothing more. You can stay over there if you want. Doesn’t bother me none.”
She’s so hesitant, though I can see in her eyes that she wants to come over to me. It’s not a quick process. Takes her near quarter of an hour to edge her way around, stopping to make casual conversation and make sure I’m not about to strike out at her like a snake and wrap her up in my limbs.