Currently working on a cover for this fic. MAN getting the right colour tones for Nadie's hair is difficult. It's nothing special, as I'm far from having any artistic talent, so, whatever. Enjoy the chapter.
A few days went by and the boss of the bar had developed a fondness for Ellis, as people tended to, and decided to pay her and Nadie separately. Without having to share a paycheck, they'd save up more and be free of this small town sooner.
Blue finally learnt his lesson and stopped trying to get inside the bar, meaning he was no longer tied up and free to roam the town. If he was lucky, someone would throw him their scraps.
More customers dropped by, often just to tease Nadie or encourage a newbie to start a fight, only for him to be silenced by Nadie's fist. The men would laugh heartily, mock the downtrodden man beaten by a woman, while harbouring a sort of respect for the ex bounty hunter. Whenever someone asked where she learnt to fight, she'd give them a different story every time, each one as absurd as the last.
Her fairytales were so consistent that even when Ellis would tell them the exact truth, no one would believe her. The men would simply chuckle, mutter something like "That's Nadie for you!" and move on.
Things were okay for the time being. If their boss couldn't rustle up some free coupons for a night in a motel, the girls would camp out on the outskirts of town. With Blue around, Nadie could relax a little because his ears were sensitive and he'd react quicker to potential danger.
The bar provided meals as well and Nadie and Ellis were welcomed to have one free meal a day and, most times, it was their only meal. Ellis would sacrifice some of her food for Blue and Nadie for Ellis, so in the end it was only Nadie who was left hungry.
Working at the bar was starting to make her lazy, and she felt that there was some definite muscle loss in her legs and arms. Even her acrobatics were getting sloppy. Bothered by this, Nadie would leave Ellis alone for an hour after work and go for a jog and practice manoeuvring over fences, under railings and the like. She didn't want to get rusty when anything could happen.
And something did happen. The man who had bolted out of the bar upon seeing Nadie had returned. He looked even guiltier than he did before when he laid eyes on the girl.
"Did it take you two weeks to finally decide what to drink?" Nadie quipped good-naturedly, offering the man a drink menu. Her hospitality seemed to worsen his expression and he rejected the laminated rectangle.
"Tequila," he mumbled. Nadie poured him a shot and his eyes observed her thoroughly. She tried to ignore it as she wiped down the bar with a wet cloth. Ellis was watching them both as she took someone's order.
Originally, people were meant to order at the bar, but Ellis generously decided to cater to everyone and the customers seemed to respond better to the new service. Somehow, these two homeless dames had managed to make Mr. Lorenzo's business, in a way, thrive. He hadn't received so much praise or customer satisfaction before, maybe because past lousy workers were wounded after being fired and spread rumours about unsanitary conditions, such as spit seasoning the food and rats in the soup. None of it was true, of course.
"Sir, can I give these leftovers to Blue?" Ellis asked as she picked up a plate of half eaten food and Mr. Lorenzo nodded, smiling through his moustache at his favourite employee.
She strolled outside, no longer paying as much attention to the large man at the bar leering at Nadie.
A few shots later, the man was hunched over on the bar. He was a mess and Nadie tapped his shoulder.
"I think it's time to go home, amigo. You've had enough," she decided, ready to remind him she had a gun if he became aggressive or uncooperative. The man miserably lifted his head and peered at the woman, his eyes cloudy with tears, or a drunken haze, Nadie wasn't sure.
"It is you. It really is. There's no mistake," he said hopelessly, sounding more sober than six tequila shots should allow.
"Totally lost here..."
"I know who killed your parents."
Nadie's face fell. Her entire body froze, paralysed. The man did not flinch at her sudden change in demeanour.
"What?"
"I was there, I saw it. I should've stopped it, but I was a stupid kid. I can't believe you're still alive."
"My parents died in a fire along with the rest of my town," she informed gravely.
"That's not true. They were shot right in front of you. Right in front of me. The town fire happened a month after they died."
"But I would remember something like that," Nadie argued feebly.
"Not if it traumatised you enough," the man pointed out.
"If you were from my town, why aren't you dead?" she snapped coldly.
"You think I'd stick around after witnessing a murder? I was fucking traumatised myself. I cut ties with that asshole and hit the fucking road. Never looked back." He was getting louder now, his intoxication more obvious. Ellis was out of hearing range as she searched for Blue.
"How do you know it's me?"
"I could never forget those eyes. You glared at me and Florencio with so much hatred and pain. I ran as soon as I saw your folks fall and heard you screaming at him. I thought maybe he killed you, too, to shut you up, to spare you, but I guess not." His booming voice had become mumbles now.
"Where can I find him?"
"How should I know?" he grunted.
Nadie snatched her gun out of rest and pressed it against the man's head. Her gaze mirrored the one she wore after she watched her parents die, he observed.
"Okay, okay, I heard that he lives west of here with his wife. A place called Gallows. He cut off his mama's last name, so he's probably still known as Florencio Lopez. Ask around, I'm sure people will know him. I heard he's a sick man now."
"If he's a murderer, then that's obvious. Do you remember how it happened?"
"Uhhhh..." A drunken slur. Nadie slapped him across the face in an attempt to beat out the alcohol. He blinked rapidly, maybe seeing stars, then replied, "Not much else other than a gunshot and your face. I spent my whole life trying to forget that night. Drink enough and your memories will die eventually," he preached.
Nadie robotically put away her gun and left the bar and the pitiful man to find Ellis. She was in the kitchen helping the chefs. She'd most likely used the back entrance to return, otherwise she would have interrupted the commotion between Nadie and the drunk. Ellis greeted Nadie as the woman stormed towards her. Mr. Lorenzo, currently taking a break, peered over his newspaper at the girls.
"We're leaving," Nadie said, going into the storage room to change clothes. She returned, now dressed in her usual apparel, except she kept the black slacks loaned to her by one of Lorenzo's female employees on due to the late chill Autumn was bringing. She'd pay for them if requested. The milky brown blouse that was her uniform was folded over her arm and then she handed it to her boss, along with her nametag. Lorenzo appeared very shocked. Ellis mimicked her partner by removing her uniform; however, she was only wearing her bra under the top and Nadie hastily tossed her poncho over Ellis' still-developing body. Lorenzo and one of the male chefs blushed.
"Go get dressed in there," Nadie ordered, pointing to the storage room where Ellis had left her clothes also.
"Nadie, I don't understand. I thought you liked working here," Lorenzo said, evidently concerned and crestfallen.
"I do, sir, I really do. But something's come up; Ellis and I have to leave."
"What came up?"
"It's personal," she said distantly, but, despite her sombre manner, Nadie managed to smile in appreciation, resting a soft hand on his shoulder. "It's been great working for you, Lorenzo. Thank you for everything."
"When will you come back?" he questioned hopefully.
"Maybe never," she replied, almost inaudibly.
With no further explanation, Nadie nodded at Ellis, who was now dressed and dumping her uniform on Lorenzo's lap. She said goodbye to the chefs and seemed cheerfully oblivious to their sadness caused by seeing her go and she even continued to carry an air of indifference when Lorenzo snatched her hand, the uniforms tumbling out of his lap and onto the white tiles as he stood.
"Do you really have to go as well, Ellis?" He sounded so desperate, so hurt. He was a young man, owner of the business by default due to his father's inheritance, and his growing feelings for and advances towards Ellis went unnoticed, but he still tried to get her attention.
"I go wherever Nadie goes," she replied simply.
"But why?" he asked, aghast.
"Because I love her."
With that, she pulled out of Lorenzo's grasp and joined Nadie's side, who was waiting for her by the door. She hadn't taken off the maverick's poncho and wove her arms around one of Nadie's after checking that her pouch of memories was still in her pocket. Nadie carried her shorts and belt in her other hand and together, they walked outside.
Bringing her forefinger and thumb to her lips, the ex bounty hunter whistled. She stood at the tavern's entrance for a moment, Ellis still wrapped around her arm, waiting. Then with a loud bark, Blue came bounding down a dusty footpath, panting, and tail wagging as he jumped up onto Ellis, his paws dirtying her thighs. Somehow, he sensed that something was wrong with Nadie and didn't do anything to provoke her for once. Instead, he lowered himself to the ground and then licked her fingers. Nadie scratched his head and, now with the whole team present, she started walking towards the car parked next to the building.
Blue waited for Ellis to get in and then hopped on her lap, while Nadie wordlessly started the engine. Just before they left the car park, Lorenzo came running out. He held two envelopes in one hand and a bag in the other.
He piled the items into Nadie's arms, looking between the two girls before presenting them with a watery smile.
"I'll miss you both," he told them and Ellis reached over to take one of the envelopes he'd given them. "No, don't open them until you're out of town," he instructed. Ellis withdrew.
"You were good to us, Lorenzo. I'll never forget your kindness," Nadie said, sticking out a hand only for it to be taken between both of Lorenzo's. He shook feverishly, driven by sadness and gratitude, then flew to the passenger side and bent to bravely hug Ellis, only for her to peck his cheek. His face reddened and Ellis smiled. He did too.
Nadie then drove away, honking the horn. Blue barked and Ellis waved at Lorenzo until he was a dot.
She sat back down and Blue settled on her legs. He was bigger now and sagged onto the seat.
Ellis grabbed the things Lorenzo had given them and found a substantial amount of cash in the envelopes, enough to get them through a few weeks well-fed and with a full gas tank. In the bag, there were three containers. One was stuffed with burritos Ellis had been preparing for a customer before Nadie entered the kitchen. The second container was dripping with chilli that had been boiling on the stove for a while, as it was the special of the day. In the third container, there were bones for Blue. And to top it off, there was a bottle of decent wine.
Nadie scanned the contents and the money and her heart swelled with warmth. Lorenzo was as kind as he was strict. When they'd first started working for him a month ago, he'd been a real hard arse. He had both Ellis and Nadie memorise the menu and made them recite the prices of any meal or drink he named and if they made a mistake, he demanded that they reread the menu aloud three times. It was staggering, but effective.
Soon, the warmth was quickly eaten by an angry chill when Ellis asked around a burrito, "Why did we leave, Nadie?"
Nadie squeezed the steering wheel; the skin on her knuckles was drawn so tight that she thought her bones would pop out and fly through the windshield. Ellis, having no idea how to comfort a tense Nadie, offered her a burrito.
"We're going to find the man who killed my parents."
Ellis dropped the burrito.
That's some intense shit