Morning came all too soon. Of course I was never much of a morning person. Nothing good ever came of morning. Today was no exception.
We weren't alone.
Opening my eyes slowly I could almost feel the tension. Buck was already up. Tensely Buck was staring straight into the gun aimed at him. The stranger was doing the same to the gun Buck aimed at him. There seemed to be an impasse. Each was tense waiting for the other to make a move.
"Hello Hawke."
"Josie will you tell your friend here to drop his gun?", was the soft but steely reply. There was a hint of humor in the tone but it rang hollow.
Not feeling accommodating I instead raised my gun. Cocking the trigger I took aim at the unwelcomed visitor. There was a coldness to my tone when I asked, "What do you want?"
Keeping his eyes on Buck, Hawke never acknowledged my action. He probably didn't think I'd actually shoot him. At another place, in another stage of my life he might have been right but not here. Not now. Not with what Carter and the Gambler had forced me to become.
"I'm here to give you a message Josie."
"Spit it out Hawke. Before I forget my promise and kill you."
Laughing bitterly he responded in a mocking tone, "You're not the kind to forget a promise like that. Besides if you take a shot at me and your friend will end up full of lead too."
Without missing a beat I calmly responded, "Hurt one hair on his head and I'll kill everyone you care about."
"You used to be one of those people Josie", his tone remained calm but I knew him well enough to know better.
"That person is dead Hawke. It was far too long ago", pausing when my voice wavered. Showing weakness to Hawke was dangerous. So steadying my voice I said crisply, "State your business. I don't have the time or the patience to play your games anymore."
Again the bitter laughter, "I wonder Josie, when you say that person is dead… are you referring to you, me, or …?"
"Does it matter?"
Lowering his gun it seemed Hawke was growing tired of his game too. Turning to face he me, he all but dismissed Buck. I glanced between the two men. Before me were two mixed-bloods. Both were outsiders among white men. Though that is where their similarities end. Hawke was only one quarter Lakota. His skin was much lighter than Buck's. Yet his Indian features were undeniable. Just as good looking as Buck, Hawke's hair was longer and he was a bit taller. To me the biggest difference was the eyes. When I stared into Buck's brown eyes I felt a warmth. I saw his vulnerability. I saw the good within him. However Hawke's black eyes seemed almost empty. It was as if they stared right through me. Idly I wondered if his soul was now as black as his eyes.
Before me I see my present. Before me I see my past. Looking at Buck then back to Hawke I wondered. I wondered what had happened, how it had all gone so wrong. I wondered what could have been. The moment that door had shut behind him I had banished every memory. Now though I tried not to...I remembered. Through all of this I kept remembering. I remembered…
Lowering my gun I looked at Hawke. Though we had lowered our guns neither of us lowered our walls or defenses. We'd been forced to play this game too many times. Why now I wanted to ask. However the sun was quickly rising. Precious time was being wasted. I didn't bother to hide my annoyance, "You said there was a message?"
"Yes. I'm to tell you that Carter is meeting with the Territorial Judge in less than two days' time."
"And?", I pursued. There was more. His eyes said as much. Making me wait, making me pull it out of him was part of the game. We'd been playing it so long each had learned to play our part perfectly.
"No matter how far you run or where you go you will never be able to out run your past", Hawke responded somewhat cryptically. Then almost under his breath he added, "Or who you are."
With that he turned and walked back into the woods he came from. Rising very carefully to a standing position I felt a chill go down my spine.
Not wanting to give Buck a chance to ask questions I said, "We need to get going. Two days isn't much time. Hopefully this friend of Teaspoon's can come up with something. 'Cause whatever we're going to do we need to do it fast. Things have suddenly gotten a lot more complicated."
"Josie who was that?", Buck asked as I gathered our stuff.
My eyes looked back to the woods in which Hawke had disappeared as I whispered, "A ghost."