Chapter 2: Path of the Gun
The sun was starting to slip down into the sky as the unusual pair made their way down the street of the tiny town of Rio Verde. To be honest, Reine wasn't sure what Joaquin hoped to gain by sticking so close, but he seemed set on fulfilling that goal. He'd tagged along with her ever since she'd cracked him over the head with a tequila bottle earlier in the day, why she couldn't figure out unless he was up to something. Although, what that was exactly, Reine was having a devil of a time figuring out. "You know, you really don't have to do this," Reine explained for about the fifth time in the past ten minutes. He was either very thick or very stubborn; in any case, Reine couldn't seem to persuade him that keeping her company wasn't a good idea. One would have thought being hit in the head with a bottle would've been enough, but perhaps she really had hit him too hard.
"I told you, senorita, I am here of my own accord," Joaquin retorted with a clever smile, glancing over at the young woman who still seemed a bit skeptical of his presence in general. "For what I did earlier," he began seriously, immediately seeming to get her attention. For someone who didn't want his company, she was at least very astute on keeping up with him. "I wanted to apologize and make it up to you. It is only fair after I caused you so much trouble," Joaquin admitted seriously. "Please, angel, it is a matter of honor," he added with a boyish grin, as if hoping to prevent her from turning him down right there and then. Not that he could've blamed her, but Joaquin was hoping she wouldn't be able to resist.
Reine's reaction though was clearly confusion, as she arched a brow in a bit of annoyance and irritation. After a few minutes of looking him over, she finally let out a long sigh in defeat. "I'm not going to get rid of you, am I?" She asked tiredly, receiving an answer as he shook his head. Clearly, he was intent on sticking around and she'd already tried losing him, which had failed, so perhaps it was better to just accept it. "Fine," Reine declared tiredly, rubbing her temples with her hands as she glanced back up at him. "If it's a matter of honor, then so be it, but we're setting some ground rules," she explained seriously, making sure he got at least this part through that thick skull of his.
"Ground rules?" Joaquin repeated, a bit confused by the notion. Honestly, most women would have been more than happy to have a young man follow them around and wait at their beck and call, but this one seemed to find the friendly company more annoying than enjoyable. "Very well, senorita." Joaquin let out a sigh. He really was going through a lot more to please this girl than he'd ever gone through before. "Such as, my angel?" he finished with a clever smile.
"Such as, don't call me Angel.... ever." Reine answered, her tone holding more than a bit of annoyance. She gave no more description than that though, and continued on in her steps, unaware that Joaquin had suddenly dropped off the pace.
Actually, he'd stopped, not that Reine would have noticed. She seemed far too focused on something Joaquin couldn't hope to figure out. However, her annoyance at the simple term had clearly piqued his interest. He had no clue why anyone would get annoyed by a simple nickname, especially one that was more of a compliment than common slang. "Why?" Joaquin blurted out without thinking very far ahead or considering the possibility that she might have a real reason for disliking the term.
Reine shot him back a stern look as he picked up his pace once more and caught up to her. "None of your business, I just don't like being called Angel, okay?" she explained, hoping to satisfy his curiosity and put the matter to rest. The second she'd glanced back up at Joaquin though, Reine started to regret telling him anything, let alone the fact that she didn't like it.
Joaquin flashed a smile, as if in understanding, but a sly devilish smirk hid just behind his steel gray eyes. He was not a man to be so easily deterred, certainly not by a single woman. "If you say so," he seemed to decide before a smirk crossed his face. "I'll just call you Gabriel then."
This time it was Reine's turn to stop dead in her tracks as Joaquin kept walking, closing her eyes in annoyance. "Don't call me that either. That might be the only thing worse." She attempted to catch up to him, keeping her eyes ahead this time. "Call me La Roux, Reine, anything. Just don't call me that," Reine added, shaking her head a bit in frustration.
"Anything else you'd like to add, my lady?" Joaquin spoke up with a devilish smile. He was intentionally picking his words to make every nickname worse than the last, teasing her a bit, but it was hard to resist at such a silly request. Of course, he'd already seen her dislike for him or anything that hinted at the two of them in a romantic sense, such as nicknames, so he was a bit on his toes, just in case she changed her mind and decided she really should have hit him harder back at the bar.
Reine was nearly about to pick up the conversation until she heard what he'd called her and somewhere it was the final breaking point. He really had a death wish; that was the only way to describe a man who would tempt his luck so many times in one day. She was starting to wonder where the hell he got off in annoying her this much. "You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" Reine asked tiredly with a sigh. She couldn't take any more games today. She just wanted to find a quiet place on the outskirts of town and be left alone for a while, but apparently, in this town, that was too much to ask for.
Joaquin watched the young woman, studying her expression curiously. "Yes," he answered straightly, barely managing to dodge as she swung a hand out to smack him in the arm. "Come on, I was only teasing," he attempted to explain before rejoining her at her side. He couldn't deny she had one heck of a right hook for a woman. "At the very least, you can tell me why you don't want me to call you such a thing, especially when it's so fitting." This he had to hear because none of her actions made sense to him. She was so strong, fiery, and yet there was such sadness behind those eyes of hers it just didn't seem to make any sense. Looking at her was more like looking at some sort of puzzle and Joaquin needed a few more pieces before he was going to be able to figure out any more about her.
Reine hesitated a moment, glancing over at Joaquin as if still searching for a motive before returning her gaze to the path ahead. They were nearing the edge of town as the last rays of the sunset faded, so it didn't make much sense to follow a stranger out to these parts. "It's a long story," Reine finally admitted, tugging her hat down a bit. "One I have no intention of explaining to someone I don't know," she added firmly.
Joaquin arched a curious brow, falling silent for a moment. "You really do not like people very much, do you?" he suddenly asked, a bit out of the blue, as if realizing something unnatural.
Reine shot him a dirty look in annoyance. "Gee, you figure that out on your own or did you have help?" she answered sarcastically.
He gave her an odd look but kept following, although his gaze had started to wander to the rocky hills around them. They were getting a good ways from the edge of town, not that Joaquin was all that worried; he was just having a difficult time figuring what anyone would come out her for. "Where are we going?" Joaquin suddenly piped up, holding back a grin as Reine's gaze trailed back to him in disbelief. If she assumed losing him would be this easy, clearly she had another thing coming.
Unfortunately, that had been Reine's exact plan. Most people weren't mad enough to walk out into the desert and sooner or later they'd get tired and go back. Something about Joaquin clearly wasn't sane, of that much Reine had proven already. "'We?" Reine repeated the phrase in a bit of shock. "Oh no, there is no 'we'. There is me and there is you, who can't take a hint even if it hits him upside the head with a tequila bottle," she corrected matter of factly, suddenly hesitating in her tracks.
The bandido could only let out a sudden laugh. "So you keep reminding me, but last time I checked you and me make a w-" His words stopped short when he noticed that she was no longer beside him. "Senorita?" Joaquin questioned aloud, turning around to find Reine as serious as death itself. A part of him wondered if he had finally pressed his luck too far, but before he could even speak, Reine made her move. Her hand was already on her belt, slipping leather as the shimmer of a gun appeared from its holster, glittering in the pale light of the full moon. The next sound was one Joaquin would never forget. As the barrel fell towards his figure, a crack of gunfire rang out in the darkness. The whiz of the bullet passed only inches from his head, far too close for comfort by any standard.
Before Joaquin could speak, a faint cry sounded from the rocks behind, causing him to whirl around sharply just in time to catch a figure plummet from the rocky outcropping about a hundred yards ahead of the direction they had been headed. Stunned didn't even begin to cover what he was feeling, but a small hand suddenly took hold of his arm and snapped him back to reality.
"Get down, you moron," Reine hissed, doing everything she could to drag him with her around the small outcropping of rocks to take cover. As soon as they'd dropped to the ground, several more shots rang out, ricocheting off the rocky ground around them and the boulder sized rocks behind them.
"What the hell is going on?" Joaquin cursed, searching Reine's face for an answer. For starters, why were they suddenly getting shot at? Why did she nearly shoot him and where in God's name had she learned to shoot like that? A million questions raced through his mind as the firing guns began to slow and then finally cease and everything fell quiet once more.
Reine kept her back pinned tightly to the rock, her thumb on the hammer of the gun as the shots came to a halt, not chancing to answer the man's question. She wished she could have, but Reine wasn't really all that sure of what was going on herself. If she hadn't seen the rifle barrel reflecting in the moonlight and reacted when she did, there was no doubt that they both wouldn't be breathing. They'd of both probably been gunned down, likely by sniper fire in the gully. Even so, for someone to go to the trouble of setting up an ambush and trying to gun them down out here wasn't a random act. Something about this clearly stunk. There were any number of culprits who could've had a desire to shoot someone in the desert, but whether it was Joaquin or herself they were after was hard to say. Not that it would've been odd; being a bounty hunter didn't make you many friends. Anyone who would've tracked Reine all the way to Mexico couldn't be acting randomly. Reine didn't have to wait long though before an old familiar voice cut through the silence of the night as a low chuckle echoed through the rocks around them.
"As sharp as ever, aye, La Roux?" Her eyes widened slightly, recalling the voice almost instantly and paling at the recollection. An inaudible curse slipped from under her breath as her hand reached into the other side of her coat, revealing a second pistol. Even in the shadows, Joaquin could still see her expression and the sudden look of anxiety that seemed to wash over her was not a comforting sight.
"Hey... Hey, what's wrong?" Joaquin asked in a hoarse whisper, but Reine didn't answer.
A low clank of steps echoed down the narrow gully, the click of spurs against the rocky ground grew deafening as they drew closer to the pair's hiding place, coming to a halt within about fifty feet. "You going to keep on hiding like a rat or are you going to come out and fight? You and me got some business to settle, Ms. La Roux," the male voice explained in an amused toned, allowing a wide smirk to spread across his face that Reine could already feel without even turning to face him.
"You came a long way to track down some has-been bounty hunter, didn't you?" Reine suddenly spoke up, quietly shoving the second pistol into Joaquin's hand and motioning for him to run.
"Bounty hunter?" Joaquin added under his breath in shock and utter disbelief. "You're a bounty hunter?!"
"Yes, but is this really the time to be discussing my occupational choices?" Reine hissed back as a bullet struck the top of the rocks above where they were sitting. "Would you quit firing that peashooter? You're going to hurt someone with that thing," she called back, before returning her gaze to Joaquin. "Get out of here, now," she hissed, pushing herself up from the ground slowly and stepping out from behind the rocks. Reine was hoping the man was smart enough to make a run for it, especially considering the reason for this mess was she. As her dark brown eyes fell to the figure in front of her, a somber look fell across her face. "Joshua Slade," she addressed with a low tone of disgust. "What do you want?"
Joshua was probably in his mid-twenties, with mess of dark brown hair and green eyes, looking every bit the rustler than he was in his long brown duster and hat. A soft laugh escaped him as she called his name, and he started forward slowly. "I'm surprised you remember me, darlin'." Joshua spoke with a cool smile, stopping in front of her. "After all, you only killed my brother and nearly put a rope around my neck," he recalled their last encounter, one even Reine hadn't been so easy to forget. Joshua had been a rustler in Texas; he, his brother and a few others had made up a small gang, one of several that had arisen during the years of the civil war. They'd earned themselves a small bounty when they'd stumbled into the half-breed young woman. In the end, Reine had killed Joshua's brother, Ezra, in self defense and arrested Joshua. Although, if the rumor she'd heard before crossing into Mexico was true, then Joshua had escaped jail and his appointment with the gallows for the murder and rape in El Paso.
"So, what do you want? Better yet, how'd you know where to find me?" Reine questioned skeptically, shifting a bit although the smile he was giving her was starting to make her a bit nervous. If he'd come here for a fight then perhaps she wouldn't have been as worried, but something still wasn't right about this whole matter. Had he really intended to kill her? If he wanted her dead, he could just as easily pull a gun on her, but Joshua looked as calm and content as could be. Actually, if she didn't know better, he looked a bit too happy to see her.
"Well, you see, rumors started spreading that you decided to 'give up the gun' as it were. Said you left the title, retired from bounty hunting, and headed south. To be honest, I couldn't believe anyone as talented with a gun would be so willing to turn over a new leaf, so I thought I'd come see for myself," he explained, lifting a hand to push Reine's cowboy hat up before removing it completely and tossing it on a nearby rock. Meanwhile, he allowed his free hand to come to her chin to raise it so that he could look her in the eye, letting out a sigh. "You always had such a pretty face. I'll never understand why you see fit to hide it under a hat." A slick smile flashed across his face as Reine flushed a bit and pulled her chin away, taking a few steps back. After watching her for a second, he quickly picked up the conversation once more, returning to the subject. "In any case, after a shot like that, I'd say you're still as sharp a gunslinger as ever. Luckily for you, sweetheart, I didn't come here to pick a fight."
Reine was too focused on Joshua to go for the hat, although this whole matter was starting to unnerve her now. Then again, his flirting always seemed to bother her, but even more so now. While it was a relief he hadn't come here for trouble, or revenge for that matter, it didn't serve to settle her mind any. "So...? What do you want then?" Reine began hesitantly, narrowing her gaze just a bit. "The two of us ain't friends, so why come this far? Did you really come here to simply confirm gossip and to mock me? Either way ... I'm in no mood for your games, Slade, so get to the point," she said a bit more sternly.
Once more a deep chuckle escaped the rustler's throat as he took a step forward, his long stride closing the gap between them. Instinctively, the bounty hunter started to back up before realizing that she'd run out of places to run and the cool feeling of stone hit her back, leaving her up against the rock face of a nearby cliff wall. Her eyes widened a bit, realizing what he'd done, but before she could get away Joshua's palms came to rest on the wall, one of each side of her head, blocking her in and making it impossible to get away. "Isn't it obvious?" Joshua asked seriously, leaning in a bit closer. "I told you, I came here for you," he answered with a devilish grin.
Reine wasn't sure she liked where this was going, but swallowing lightly to wet her dry throat, she found the nerve to speak. "I thought you said you didn't come here to fight?" she reminded skeptically.
Joshua flashed a clever smile at her words, leaning in just a bit. "I didn't. Afraid I had something else in mind, something far more... 'beneficial' to the both of us," he explained in whispered tone, emphasizing the term beneficial as one his hands slipped down and snaked it's way around Reine's waist, pinning her to his chest. The other slid down and took hold of her right wrist that still held tightly to the pistol, pulling her body closer to his own.
The second she felt his arm around her waist, Reine attempted to push away from Joshua, but considering the man's size over hers, that was easier said than done. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Let-" Before Reine had the chance to finish the protest, Joshua had lifted her a couple inches off the ground and slammed her forward. Unfortunately, with nowhere to go, Reine's back was the first thing to hit the stone wall and the suddenness and force behind the action served to knock the wind out of her. Likewise, the force and Joshua's placement of his hand had served to loosen her grip on the gun, causing it to fall and clatter onto the ground. Her back throbbed as she let out a few sharp coughs, searching for air through the pain in her back and abdomen, her eyes shut tightly. Somewhere in back of her mind, Reine was cursing at herself for not paying attention or realizing that Slade had been setting her up completely. Even worse, she was now alone, unarmed, and injured with an outlaw who had a good reason to kill her.
Kicking the gun away, Joshua returned his footing to keep her pinned. "I wouldn't get any ideas, darlin'. You and I both know why you're here, so why don't you stop your games and I'll stop mine?" Joshua explained, his tone becoming a bit more somber as he spoke.
Reine's eyes struggled to open as she fought back the pain that came with breathing. "What are you...?" Reine hesitated, noticing the smirk on his face. He said he'd known the real reason she was here, but she was convinced no one knew that reason, not the 'real' one.
"Come on, sugar, just admit it... You're as much an outlaw as I am. Otherwise, you'd of never left the reservation. Isn't that right?" Reine thought her heart had hit her throat at Joshua's words, her gaze shooting up at him in shock and disbelief. Up until now, she'd managed to fool everyone, so how the devil had he learned about that? It had been a couple years since the incident, something Reine thought she'd never have to think about now that she had finally reached Mexico. But it seemed the past had a way of catching up with her. Joshua's smile widened a bit at her surprise as he reached up to lift her chin once more. "I'm here to offer you a deal, Reine. Come back to Texas with us, help me and the boys and I guarantee it'll be worth your while," he said reassuringly, letting his fingers trace the edge of her cheek, brushing a few strands of hair from her face.
Lifting an eyebrow, everything suddenly seemed to connect. "You came here to blackmail me?" Reine questioned coldly in disgust. "Give me a break. Why the hell would I help someone like you? I killed your brother, remember? And given half a chance, I'd shoot you too without so much as a second-" Her words caught in her throat as the cold metal of a knife blade rested at her neck.
With a faint chuckle, Joshua shook his head before locking eyes one more. "I told you, darlin', I ain't concerned with the past. I'm offering you the chance of lifetime, Reine.... Do you really think you can get by, by simply hiding out in Mexico and laying low. Sooner or later, they'll get wise and when they do, they'll put a rope around that pretty little neck of yours." Joshua explained softly, letting his fingertips graze the skin of her neck from her jaw to her collarbone. "I'm giving you a chance to show them what true power is, to move up in the world. Do you really think I'm just going to let you turn it down?" There was a cold tone in his words, a clear threat to his true intention.
Bitting down on the inside of her mouth lightly, Reine had closed her eyes as his words and touch sent a shudder up her spine. She didn't have to question what he meant, she was smart enough to read between the lines. She was out here alone and no longer with a gun, she didn't stand a chance against him and his gang. There was no way, Reine could accept the offer, but if she didn't Joshua wasn't just going to let it go. Chances were, he would rape and kill her here. There wasn't a way out of this and that knowledge alone caused her to start shaking lightly as the fear welled up in her throat. "Nah, I guess not... But before I give you my answer, let me remind you of something." Her dark eyes flickered up in the moonlight as Joshua's expression sombered. "It'd take a lot more of man than you,... to beat me with a gun." As the words left her lips, her grip tightened on his shirt, pulling him forward as her knee shot forward and rammed hard into his groin.
The reaction was nearly immediate as Joshua slumped to his knees in pain, cursing as a glitter of metal found itself next to his throat. The old dagger was free of it's sheath and had found it's mark against Joshua's jugular vien as the cocking of a few guns could be heard in the darkness. "Call 'em of off," Reine ordered coldly as Joshua choaked out a curse.
"You'll never reach that gun, La Roux. You kill me and your as good as dead anyway." Joshua reminded with a nasty smirk. "Face it, you've got nothing left." He added before feeling the blade press a bit more tightly to his throat, smiling at the annoyance on Reine's face. She knew she was cornered and like any animal, there was a low sense of fear and hate burning behind those dark eyes as reality set it. After everything she'd done, this was finally how it was going to end.
With a faint chuckle, Joshua shook his head before locking eyes one more. "I told you, darlin', I ain't concerned with the past. I'm offering you the chance of lifetime, Reine.... Do you really think you can get by simply hiding out in Mexico and laying low? Sooner or later, they'll get wise and when they do, they'll put a rope around that pretty little neck of yours," Joshua explained softly, letting his fingertips graze the skin of her neck from her jaw to her collarbone. "I'm giving you a chance to show them what true power is, to move up in the world. Do you really think I'm just going to let you turn it down?" There was a cold tone beneath in his words; a clear threat that revealed his true intention.
Biting down on the inside of her mouth lightly, Reine closed her eyes as his words and touch sent a shudder up her spine. She didn't have to question what he meant; she was smart enough to read between the lines. She was out here alone and no longer had a gun; she didn't stand a chance against him and his gang. There was no way Reine could accept the offer, but if she didn't, Joshua wasn't just going to let it go. Chances were he would rape and kill her here. There wasn't a way out of this and that knowledge alone caused her to start shaking lightly as the fear welled up in her throat. "Nah, I guess not... But before I give you my answer, let me remind you of something." Her dark eyes flickered up in the moonlight as Joshua's expression sombered. "It'd take a lot more of man than you... to beat me with a gun." As the words left her lips, her grip tightened on his shirt, pulling him forward as her knee shot forward and rammed hard into his groin.
The reaction was nearly immediate as Joshua slumped to his knees in pain, cursing as a glitter of metal found itself next to his throat. The old dagger was free of its sheath and had found its mark against Joshua's jugular vein as the cocking of a few guns could be heard in the darkness. "Call 'em off," Reine ordered coldly as Joshua choked out a curse.
"You'll never reach that gun, La Roux. You kill me and you're as good as dead anyway," Joshua reminded with a nasty smirk. "Face it, you've got nothing left," he added before feeling the blade press a bit more tightly against his throat, smiling at the annoyance on Reine's face. She knew she was cornered and like any animal, there was a low sense of fear and hate burning behind those dark eyes as reality set in. After everything she'd done, this was finally how it was going to end.
Unfortunately, Joaquin had been too captivated by the whole matter to simply up and leave, a little worried leaving now would draw too much attention. Dumbfounded didn't even begin to describe his shock at everything he was hearing. As the conversation continued though, something about it caused a cool smirk to appear on his face in understanding. It all made sense now, why she was here, what she was, and why they were here. Oh, Miguel was never going to believe this story when he got back. Even so, it seemed the time for listening was over and unfortunately for them, Joaquin had no intention of returning alone. The gringos had come looking for a fight and it seemed fate had served to put him exactly where he needed to be.
"I wouldn't count on that, gringo," Joaquin called out, his voice echoing through the cliff walls, making it hard to tell how many people were talking or what direction they were coming from. The second a voice had joined in though, Joshua and his men started looking around in surprise. "She is with us and I'm afraid I can't let you interfere with that," Joaquin explained, the enigmatic voice echoing across the rocks.
"Who the hell...?" Joshua began cursing, attempting to get to his feet before a gunshot rang out and one of his men fell to the ground. The men instantly bolted back, but with no idea where the shot had come from, they were searching for a ghost as a target.
Reine wasn't as easily fooled by the refracted sound, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Of all the suicidal morons, that voice belonged to none other than Joaquin. Problem was, she'd told him to leave and stay out this. Not that she could fault him for not listening to her now. Actually, she was going to have to remind herself to thank him if they got out of this alive because he might have just saved her tail. Reaching over quickly, Reine retrieved the gun on the ground before straightening up and backing away from Joshua nervously.
A soft clicking sound in disappointment came before Joaquin picked up the conversation once more. "You move and every one of you will die before you ever get out of this canyon," he warned coldly. As another man went for his rifle, Reine reacted, whipping the end of the pistol around as the bullet hit its mark, before returning to the figure of Joshua Slade.
"Whoah. Take it easy, La Roux," Joshua began quickly, now on his feet and backing up slowly. He apparently understood the anger and desire for retribution that now lingered. "Come on, can't we talk this out? I got a few shots at you; you took out a few of my men. It's nothing to be sore over."
"You two-faced son of a jackal, I ought to bury you for what you were thinking of doing," Reine shot back coldly, beyond simple annoyance now. Her blood was boiling and nothing would've satisfied her more than to put a bullet in the man right then and there. Slade had stirred up a tornado, now it only seemed right he reap what he'd sown.
A few steps emerged from behind Reine and as her gaze whipped around to the tall figure at her rear, his dark gray eyes smiling, his hand came to rest on her shoulder. "That's enough, Gabriel. You made your point," Joaquin explained softly, leaning in just a bit. "It's shame enough that a man would beg for his life in such a manner, let alone after what he was trying to do. It's not worth the bullet," he said calmly, hoping to coax her down. Joaquin took note of that fire, that urge to kill, the desire to bring retribution, the rage in her expression. This was truly the bounty hunter they spoke of, as much a demon as an Angel.
"Who asked ya? Anyone who defends the likes of her is off his rocker," Joshua snapped sharply. He didn't get far though before withdrawing from the cold look Joaquin was giving him.
"Get out. Or I'll spare her the trouble and shoot you myself," Joaquin growled, revealing the pistol as Reine lowered her eyes beneath the hat and let the pistol in her hand slip down towards her side. Slade and his men had no clue Joaquin was alone or bluffing, so they quickly took the hint to get going while the getting was good. With a brief nod, Joshua let out a huff of annoyance. Clearly, he wasn't going to let it go this easily, but not many people were stupid enough to face a man with a load.
"Joaquin," Reine began, glancing over at him. She wanted to tell him thank you, yell at him for being idiotic, anything, but the words never came out. Rolling the gun once around his hand, Joaquin returned the gun to her free hand, letting his hand linger on her for a moment with a gentle smile.
Whatever thought Reine did have was quickly interrupted by Joshua when he shook his head, chuckling lightly. "This ain't over, La Roux, not by a long shot. I told you before, I don't intend to leave empty handed." He spoke, letting his hand fall to his coat and withdrawing his pistol.
Reine saw the movement as the moonlight hit the gun, recognizing it, but what happened next wasn't her doing. Instead of dodging, she suddenly found herself pulled to the side as the gun went off. Her right shoulder facing Joshua, she felt the trigger of the pistol in the hand nearest him lift and squeeze, returning the shot as if were second nature. The bullet hit its target straight on, striking Slade through the heart and killing him instantly. The second he hit the dirt, the outlaws on horseback that remained scattered and rode off, leaving Reine shocked and a little dumbfounded by the situation.
"'Are you alright, Angel?" Hearing the voice seemed to bring Reine back to her senses and she glanced over her shoulder at Joaquin. His chest was against her back and his arm around her waist tightly. It soon became obvious what had happened; he'd pulled her out of the line of fire. His own shoulder was facing where Slade had been and as close as Reine was to him now, she was fairly well defended. He let his right hand slip off of the gun and her hand, releasing his grip a bit. He was the one who'd really pulled the trigger.
"Y-You just... Why did you?" Reine couldn't get the words out, suddenly realizing just how close she was to Joaquin. He was still holding her, his arm around her waist.
"You've saved my life earlier. I couldn't simply let you leave - I had to repay my debt... Besides, there's no harm in a young man saving a damsel in distress, is there?" Joaquin explained with a cool smile, recalling that she had done the same for him earlier. Although, for some reason or another, Reine quickly decided to move his hand and step away. He'd grabbed her like that earlier, but at the very least, this time she did not hit him with anything for it.
Reine pulled away and shook her head. "You don't owe me anything and I'm not a damsel in distress." She answered a bit coldly, returning her guns to their holsters.
Joaquin suddenly seemed to get why she was so upset with him and he couldn't resist a soft chuckle. Seemed he'd offended her with that 'damsel in distress' remark. She really was a proud little thing, it seemed. "My apologies. You are a bounty hunter, yes?" he reminded her with a smile.
"Yes... I mean, no. I mean, I used to be before I came here," Reine explained a bit flustered in general. Worse, she was trying to hide the flush on her cheeks at the thought of just how close she and Joaquin had been in those tense moments. She should have hit him for being so insane, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to do it. If a tequila bottle didn't work, Reine was starting to think nothing would.
Joaquin recalled the conversation and let out an over-exaggerated, "Ah," as if in understanding. "Then why come here? The only sorts that venture this far south are outlaws, not former bounty hunters," he explained, nearly quoting Slade word for word.
"Or those that retire and give up the gun," Reine interjected, earning a curious look from Joaquin, who suddenly lifted his eyebrows curiously.
"Give up the gun? Gabriel, just in case you didn't notice, what you did with that gun was a gift," he explained seriously with a long sigh, shaking his head as he made his way over to where she was standing. Reaching over, Joaquin lifted Reine's chin lightly so that he could see her eyes, staring into them for a moment before he spoke. "The path of the gun isn't chosen, Angel. It chooses you and when that happens there's no going back. It's not something you can run away from so easily." Joaquin spoke as if hating to break the news.
Reine pulled her chin from his hands, stubbornly glancing to the side. "I'm not running," she answered, still too proud to admit that she was a coward or ran from anyone. Something suddenly caused her to glance back at Joaquin curiously, noticing he seemed a bit off all of a sudden. "Joaquin...? Joaquin!" The words seemed lost on the young man; he never answered. As soon as Reine had spoken, he swayed forward and his knees gave way. It was only by luck that Reine had been there to catch him from completely hitting the ground, but he was heavier than he looked. "Hey, snap out of it! What's wrong?" Reine questioned as she slipped to her knees with him, attempting to hold onto his shirt. Among the struggle, however, Reine suddenly felt something that caused her heart to hit the back of her throat. Across the backside of his shoulder was a warm, wet spot on her shirt that even in the darkness Reine knew to be blood.
"Joaquin... No." Reine's voice was so hoarse she could barely speak. He hadn't said anything, hadn't showed any signs, why? "You have to stay with me. Come on, please, you can't die." She pleaded desperately to no avail as the tears began to well up in her eyes. That was what he meant by repaying his debt. She'd saved his life and now... now he had saved hers. They were even, but it didn't seem to soothe her conscience. She stared down at the man as he slipped in an out of consciousness. "Joaquin.... Joaquin!"