"Kid, don't be like that, it ain't like it's the first time I'm doin' this!" Lou spat angrily.
"Yeah, and we all know how well that turned out for ya the first time you did…" Jimmy answered sarcastically.
"So you sidin' with him now Hickock?" She cried out incredulously.
"I ain't siding with no-one Lou! I just think this is a really bad idea, and Kid ain't said nothing yet so what are you comin' down so hard on him for?" Jimmy said with a raised voice.
"He don't have to say nothin'. The expression on his face says it all…" Lou said as she looked at Kid with disgust and stomped off.
Jimmy sighed and took a good look at Kid who stared at nothing in particular with his jaws clenched tightly together. For a moment Jimmy suppressed the urge to smack his friend for not having said anything but at the same time he had a pretty good idea why he hadn't in the first place. He knew how he had promised to give her more space and to trust her capability to hold her own but to Jimmy in this instance it would have been better if Kid threw an overprotective tantrum in hopes she would back down from what she was about to do.
"Kid…" Jimmy started but wasn't allowed to finish his sentence.
"Don't start Jimmy… I promised her"
"I know you did, but this is insane and you know it. She's gonna get herself killed, Jackson don't have a pretty reputation when it comes to saloon girls, especially when he loses a big hand!"
"Don't you think I know that Hickock?! But she volunteered and Teaspoon accepted, no-one asked her to do this and I ain't tellin' her she can't! I've already lost her once, I sure as hell ain't gonna let that happen again" Kid hissed through gritted teeth.
"So… what…? You just gonna sit by and let that slime Jackson get his filthy hands on her?
"He won't have hands to touch her with if he even so much as looks at her the wrong way…." Kid growled. "Lou might have her heart set on doin' this, but she didn't set any terms"
Jimmy smiled and silently scolded himself for even thinking that Kid actually would sit back and do nothing while Lou willingly placed herself in harms way. He should have known better than that.
"Now that sounds more like the Kid I know" Jimmy smirked "So, what's the plan?"
"The plan is to talk to Noah to see if we even have a plan..." Kid answered. "If anyone knows anything about gamblers it's him."
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"You said Jackson's his name? Noah asked.
Both Kid and Jimmy nodded simultaneously.
"Then Lou's probably in for more than she bargained for" Noah stated.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kid asked with great concern.
Noah stood up from where he was seated and looked Kid straight in the face "It means that if he's havin' a bad day, he won't be playing with money… he'll be playing with her life."
Noah barely had had time to finish his sentence when Kid turned around on his heels and bolted out of the bunkhouse. Jimmy tried to grab his friend to prevent him from doing something stupid, but wasn't anywhere near fast enough. Infuriated he walked up to Noah and dug a finger in his chest.
"Nice goin' Noah, you sure have a way of bringin' bad news to a man who ain't exactly known to keep his thinkin' straight when it comes to Lou"
Noah was not impressed with Jimmy's threatening manner but did his best not to show. What he purposely left out of the conversation was that he knew Jackson personally and the only way to ensure Lou's safety was to tell the man that loved her more than life itself what he had just told him.
He took in a deep breath as he watched Jimmy leave the bunkhouse. The arrival of Jackson had ripped open old, deeply buried wounds. Thinking of the young lady he long ago was willing to give everything he owned, including his own life, to keep her safe made him sick to his stomach. It made him sick, because Jackson's involvement had forced him to see the truth, a truth that broke his heart into a thousand pieces and scattered his belief in true love.
Noah knew Jackson was a cold, hard, gambling murderer, but he also knew he was a complete sucker for love. True, honest, once in a lifetime love was the one thing that Jackson would spend a lifetime looking for after having been scorned by the woman he thought was the love if his life. That's why he killed Nancy, when in a twist of fate he won her from Noah and asked him if he was willing to lay down his life to win her back.
Noah's answer was yes. When Jackson has asked Nancy if she would be willing to stay with him in order to save the man she loved from getting killed she froze, not able to say a single word.
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"Well, go on girl. Say yes and you're lover lives to see another day. Say no, and you're free to go but you're man dies" Jackson explained for the second time.
Tears were running down Nancy's face as she stared at Noah.
"Nancy…" Noah pleaded.
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry…" She whispered while slowly backing up from the table where they were seated. "I'm so sorry, but I can't…"
As if in slow motion Noah watched Jackson pulls out his gun and shoot Nancy in the chest. Her eyes fluttered when the bullet ripped through her. She arched her back unwillingly as her body responded to the impact, looked down at the gaping wound in her chest and collapsed to the floor. She never took her eyes of him when she exhaled her last breath.
"You… you killed her…" Noah choked.
"I said she was free to go, I said nothing about safe to go." Jackson said and got up from his chair.
Noah felt himself unable to move, feelings of hate and betrayal consuming him, although he was unsure who he hated more. The man who had just moments ago killed the woman he loved or the woman who was not able or willing to love him as much in return in order to save his life. By the time what had happened had sunk in it was too late. Jackson had already left town.
When the Marshal had been called in to investigate the murder Noah had kept his lips sealed as did everyone who had witnessed what happened. Some were scared they might be next if they spoke up, others were scared of their own dark secrets being surfaced should they get involved, but Noah didn't speak up for a very different reason. He didn't want anyone to know he was willing to give all he owned for a woman that didn't love him enough to do the same in return. And so he remained silent and swore to take this secret to the grave.
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It didn't take long before Kid had found Jackson. He walked up to where Jackson and his crew were seated and threw his life's savings on the saloon table while he waited for Jackson to make the next move.
"What you do you want boy" Jackson asked not looking up from his cards
"I want in, I got the money to play" Kid answered
"If it's money you want to play for, go find yourself another table. I ain't playing for money and you don't have anything that interests me. "
Kid clenched his teeth together but was unwilling to move. Whatever it took he had to make sure Jackson stayed as far away from Lou as possible.
"Jackson, that's one of Hunter's boys" One of the crew whispered.
Finally Jackson looked up from his deck of cards and smiled at Kid. "Ah, so you're here on a mission now are ya?"
"I don't know what you're talkin' about" Kid answered without meeting Jackson's eyes.
"Well it don't matter anyway, seeing you're not welcome to sit at my table. You can tell go back and tell I ain't doin nothing illegal. In fact, I'm playing for love." He smirked. "Ain't anything illegal about love now is there boy?"
"I don't care about what you do or don't play for, I just want you out of this town" Kid growled.
"Then make me an offer I can't refuse" Jackson sneered.
Kid feverishly thought of a way to get Jackson to play when Lou walked in. Locking eyes with her Kid's heart stopped, even though he hated when she dressed up like a saloon girl, she looked absolutely breathtaking. Her womanhood normally hidden underneath male attire was now overwhelmingly present and Jackson did not fail to see the effect she had on Kid.
While shifting his eyes from Kid to Lou a foul smile appeared on Jackson's face "It seems you do have something that might interest me"
Kid abruptly turned his attention back to the gambler. "No! You leave her out of this!"
Jackson snapped his fingers and two of his men got up and to grab Louise. Kid tried reaching for his gun but Jackson was faster, while pointing the cocked gun at Kid he waited for his two men to bring Lou to the table.
"You finally have something I'm willing to play for, and you'll have your chance to turn me in at the same time boy"
Kid had no interest in what Jackson had to say. All he could look at where these two men that had their filthy hands on the woman he loved. One bad move, he thought, and they're dead.
"Well now… who do we have here? What's your name pretty?" Jackson cooed.
Lou exchanged a quick look with Kid and put on a seductive smile "It's anything you want it to be handsome…"
Jackson cackled a laugh, and pointed his gun at Lou. Kid tried reaching for his but quickly backed down when one of Jackson's men pushed the barrel of his gun in his side. Slowly Kid held up his hands in the air and let the man take his gun for its holster.
"Try again precious. What. Is. Your. Name?"
"I ain't tellin' you nothin'!" She spat angrily.
Jackson, who had gotten wildly annoyed snapped his neck and then gave the man holding a gun to Kid's back a curt nod. The man responded by immediately cocking his gun. Jackson slowly got up from his chair until he stood face to face with Lou and lifted her chin so her eyes would his with the tip of his gun.
"Name" He ordered in a menacing tone.
Lou swallowed before answering "Louise"
"And his."
"…Kid" She almost whispered.
Jackson leaned in closer and ran the back of his hand along her cheek.
"DON'T you touch her!" Kid yelled.
"Or what? You're not exactly in the position to make demands boy. You said you wanted to play, so let's play. If she's worth anything to you, you'll start dealing those cards"
"Why are you doin' this?!" Lou burst out
"Why? Because I can sugar, and because I know this boy needs to learn a lesson. He needs to learn that running to save the life of the woman he loves more than life itself will only end up destroying him" Jackson barked.
"He came here with his life's savings hoping it would be enough to get me to play an all or nothing game just to get me as far away from you as possible and I'm sure if I asked, like I'm about to, he'd be willing to lay down his life for you just to keep you safe… Are you willing to do the same little lady?"
"You know nothin' about love…" Lou hissed. "You think willin' to die for someone is what defines how much you love a person?"
While Lou spoke Jimmy, and Noah had silently entered the saloon and mingled amongst the people who had been brave enough to stay after guns had been pulled out. Everyone was silent, the only sounds filling the room were the faint noise of passing horses and buckboards and Lou's voice.
"You didn't answer my question Louise…." Jackson said taunting.
Lou noticed Jimmy standing by the door and watched him nod towards his right. There she saw Noah tipped the brim of his hat with his gun. She looked from Noah to Kid and back to Jackson, while she slowly moved her hand towards the back of her dress where she kept the small dagger she had borrowed from Buck.
"I'd die a thousand deaths for him" She finally answered and plunged the dagger in Jackson's throat.
In a split second Kid whirled around and grabbed the gun from the man who stood behind him and both Jimmy and Noah had catapulted themselves to a point where they had a good aim on the two men that surrounded Lou. She bent down to where Jackson had fallen to the floor and watched him struggle for air.
"In every… bet… there is… a fool and a… thief" He wheezed. "I've been… a fool to let… one woman rob me… from my faith…. in true love.
Lou watched Jackson breathe his last breath before she threw herself into Kid's embrace.
"I love you" She whispered into his chest. "And I'm sorry, I should've listened to you"
"Ssshhhh, don't say your sorry. All that matters is that you're safe" He answered as he held her closer.
When Noah, Jimmy and some other men still in the saloon had rounded up Jackson's crew Noah took a moment and looked at the still figure that lay on the floor. Jackson's last words still echoed through his mind, wondering how one woman could have such disastrous effects on one simple man. He also caught himself wondering if he loved Nancy as much as he thought he did. For he had moved on, and pretended Nancy had never played any part in his life. To die a thousand deaths for Nancy. Today the answer would have been no, but Noah wasn't sure if back then it would have been a yes either.
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FIN