The next day Ella finally awoke late in the day, Joey still slept beside her, snoring softly from the amount of drink he had put into his body. She slowly rose and glanced outside, her heart felt lighter this morning and the sun a little brighter as it shone its warm light down upon her. She glanced back at Joey; he looked the picture of innocence in slumber, like an angel that had lost his wings…
She gave a low yawn and smiled sleepily before snuggling closer to him. She nuzzled his neck and he gave a low sigh, his hand came to enclose hers that lay leisurely against his stomach. His fingers brushed absently against her skin and Ella felt a small shiver at the touch. She nuzzled his neck again and kissed his cheek.
"How do you feel? You drank quite a lot last night." Her tone was caring and her voice nothing more than a whisper in consideration of his aching head.
He did not answer, instead Ella felt his body stiffen; his hand stopped caressing hers and froze as if he had just realized something important that stopped all movement. His hand dropped away from hers and he shifted himself in the bed so that she was not pressed so close against him.
Ella furrowed her brow at his actions, "Are you okay?"
"Si," Joey replied in a harsh whisper, "your voice makes my head hurt." The words were meant to wound in their careless tone.
"I can get you some coffee" Ella said unsurely.
"Si, get me coffee and cook me food, you take up too much of the bed." He gave a low sigh as if speaking to her was annoying him more and more by the moment.
Ella rose from the bed trying to stop herself being pulled in two separate ways by confusion and anger. She smoothed her appearance in the mirror before splashing her face with cold water. She glanced at him, he hadn't moved other than to roll onto his other side so that he was not facing her. Ella pressed her lips together not knowing if she should shout at him or plead with him, she finally decided upon something that was middle ground.
"Why are you acting this way?" She was disgusted with herself that her voice bore pained emotion.
"I am not acting any way" Joey said after a moment of silence had passed. He gave a low sigh. "Do my laundry, I asked you to do it days ago and you still have not done it." He paused and Ella glared at his back. "Stay with the women today, I do not want you around talking and making me feel worse than I already do."
Ella gritted her teeth, more angry with herself than him. She knew full well why he was acting this way… he was ashamed of what he had told her last night, regretted it bitterly, but she should have known better than to expect him to change after a drunken confession, she was again fooling herself. The anger would not relent as she stood there staring at his back, the fact that he would not even deem to look at her made the sting all the more painful.
"Don't talk to me like I'm your whore!" she bellowed before she could check herself.
Joey shifted around to finally look at her, he winced at the movement, his head obviously troubled him. He shielded his eyes and then studied her with an uncaring gaze. He looked her up and down with a disgusted sneer.
"If you do not act like a whore I will not treat you like you are one" he said casually before turning back away from her and pulling the covers over his head. "Now get out, you are irritating me" he said, muffled by the material.
Ella stared at him and in her anger picked up a pitcher that held water and threw it against the adobe part of the room. It smashed with a satisfying amount of noise and not giving him a chance to reply or react in any way she stormed from the room. The three women were already awake and by the looks upon their faces they had been listening intently to the fight between herself and Joey. She glanced at the women feeling suddenly angry at them for no real reason, she was about to speak prickled, spiteful words, but her stomach gave an unpleasant tug as a cramp rippled through her body. As the realization of what this could mean made itself known in her mind she felt a small amount of relief. She would be glad to get out of the house for a while. She turned back to the three women.
"Joey wants something to eat and drink, I'm goin' to the outhouse."
She did not wait for them to reply but grabbed a strip of torn cloths from a nearby table and exited the building as quickly as she could while still maintaining her dignity. She was glad to be away from the stuffy house at least for a short amount of time; she could clear her head and think. She paused, her eyes checking the surrounding town for anyone she would not wish to bump into but seeing no one she made the short journey down to the outhouse and taking a deep breath of cleaner air she opened the door and entered. Although she tried to hold her breath it did not last long as the awful, gut wrenching smell invaded her senses. She would have to be quick if she wanted to keep her senses and her food from the night before.
She pulled out a few strips of cloth and pulled up her skirts, she closed her eyes a moment and prayed silently that she would see the stain of blood… she looked down and checked. Her heart sank with a sinking sickness that overpowered any stenches around her, the white of her pantaloons was all that her gaze found. She shoved the cloth back into her skirt pocket and covered her face with her hands, trying hard not to let the tears that threatened within her eyes spill over. She gave a small sniff and cursed under her breath. Why had she been so careless? She had always been careful at Jane's and before that, even with her own husband… she couldn't be pregnant not now… not by Joey. She gave an involuntary sob and let a few of the tears slip down her cheeks. She stilled her emotions, chiding herself for letting them get the best of her. She wiped away her tears and looked up into the spider web covered ceiling above her head before closing her eyes and letting her mind think.
She re-opened her eyes a long while later and knew that she had been over all her options at least a dozen times and there was only one that any sensible person would take. She sighed lowly ignoring the distress that beat harshly within her heart at the thought… she had to leave him, there was no other way…
She finally opened the door, the blast of clean air invading her senses and reminding her of the awful smells she had been encased in. She gave a spluttered cough before closing the door, glad to be out of the place. She took in a deep breath and readied herself for the task ahead.
"Hey Little Diamond." A calm drawl came from nearby and Ella spun around to face the man stood behind her.
Ella eyed John Wesley Hardin with dislike but remained silent.
Hardin grinned "That was your name right?" He waited a moment for her to answer but when she did not he continued. "Little Diamond Stella." He laughed, "I remember you well, kinda disappointed an' hurt you don't remember me."
Ella studied him a moment. "What do you want?"
"So you don't remember me?" he asked teasingly with a sly smile.
"No, not really." Ella's tone held defiance but his sharp eyes could tell she was lying. She remembered this man all too well, how could she forget that face, that voice… those eyes filled with a gleeful kind of madness.
"Oh come now, you must remember me!" He gave her a wink, "You always insisted on calling me Wesley, you said it was a genteel name." He was playing with her, it was all just a fun chase to him as it always was. He had looked younger and better dressed when she had known him all those years ago, time it seemed, had not been kind to him. He was scabby and worn looking, his clothes and skin were dirty and his eyes seemed to hold more of that unbalanced light. Ella recalled that she had at first liked Wesley as she had called him, he was a nice enough fellow with ready money who never beat upon a girl unless she was out of line. She also recalled that this man could read people, tell what they were thinking, it was useless lying to him…
"Yeah, I remember" Ella said finally.
"Don't think your pup would be too happy to hear I had his girl" he grinned.
Ella looked away quickly but it was too late to retrace her steps and cover up her body language and the look in her eyes - he had seen it all.
"Oh, so he doesn't know about your past, is that it?"
Ella glanced back at him, her expression half pleading and half enraged. "Are you going to tell him?"
Hardin gave a low chuckle, his eyes glinting with a crazy gleam. "Now why would I do that?" He paused, watching her reaction. "A gentleman never tells, Little Diamond."
Ella gave him a wary look. "What do you want?" She paused already knowing his answer. It seemed he hadn't changed all that much after all.
"I got a nice cot, not many pretty girls come through here as ya can imagine. How about you spend some time with me?"
Ella's expression darkened. "I don't think so, I ain't a whore no more, haven't been for years… I was married."
"Was?" Hardin raised an eyebrow, his eyes still holding that unstable light.
"He died" Ella said in a whisper.
"Died… or do you really mean killed?"
Ella glanced at him, disliking that this man seemed to be able to read her as easily as if she were an open book, turning the pages with one easy flick of his gaze. She didn't respond but again he seemed to gain an answer without her needing to speak of anything.
"The pup?" He gave out a chuckle, thoroughly amused. "You ran off with your husband's killer?" He smiled and squinted as the sun cast its light into his eyes. "Aw now Diamond that's cold."
Ella frowned, disliking Hardin more by the second. "It wasn't like that" she said, loathing the fact that she was explaining herself to him.
"Did he kill your husband cause he wanted you? I mean I can understand it." He winked, his lame attempt at charming her falling flat.
"No." Ella glanced away wishing the conversation was over. "Dave was goin' after a train Joey wanted, it had nothin' t' do with me." Hardin did not reply and this drew Ella's attention back to him, he was studying her with a stoic expression but his eyes were still shining with high amusement.
"You sure about that?" He stuck a cigar in his mouth and lit it before blowing out a puff of smoke.
Ella's frown deepened. "Of course, Joey had no interest in me till after Dave was long buried."
Hardin laughed. "You sure have a lot to learn Little Diamond, a pup like Joey Garza has more than one reason for doing the things he does, I know his sort." He grinned widely. "Hell, I am one." Ella felt his eyes traveling across her body. "I sure would have killed your husband if I wanted you."
Ella shifted, uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "Well, you're wrong" she said stubbornly. "An' stop calling me that, no one calls me that no more."
Hardin chuckled taking another draw upon his cigar. "Well, tell me what I should call you then."
"Just Ella is fine, though I prefer if ya didn't call me at all." Ella narrowed her eyes at him. "What you doin' hangin' around here anyhow? You got an outhouse down by the saloon that's just as bad as this one."
"I saw ya, thought I'd come and greet you good afternoon, only proper after all" he teased, enjoying this game.
Ella gave him a repulsed look. "Following women to outhouses, it ain't your strong point." She gave him a fake smile and made to finish the conversation by leaving.
"Ella."
She hadn't taken more than a few steps when the use of her name made her turn back to him.
"I got to wonderin' why you were in there so long."
Ella rolled her eyes in distaste at his words.
"See…" Hardin walked slowly down to her and Ella suddenly felt a slight pang of warning over this man, she'd heard tales from the three whores. Stories about him killing over fifty men during his life, one just for snoring too loudly, he was someone to beware of - a fact that she had forgotten in the surprise of finding him awaiting her just outside the outhouse. "I only know two reasons for a woman to stay in an outhouse in Crow Town so long, smells so bad an' all." He was only a few feet away now and still advancing. He came to a stop just to the side of her, Ella felt her heartbeat quicken in a tremor of unsure fear at his closeness. He leant in closer so his lips were mere inches from her ear; she could smell the stale scent of old sweat and whiskey upon him. "Either she's avoiding a beatin' or she's findin' that she ain't bleedin'." He paused and Ella felt his eyes gauging her reaction. "You see it a lot with all the whores that live here." He pulled back and took a few steps away from her making Ella feel a little relieved. "So which is it Ella?"
She glanced up at him, her eyes locking with his, her gaze blazing with disgust.
"Ah," he commented with a dry tone, "so it ain't a beatin'." He put his finger to his lips as if thinking long and hard. "Tut, tut should have been more careful Diamond, you know better, don't you" he mocked.
Ella's expression darkened further, she didn't think she'd wished anyone dead so hard in all her life.
"The young killer ain't gonna be happy is he?" Hardin said with a flick of his finger back in the direction of Joey's house. "An' by the looks of it you're not thrilled either." He grinned loving the pitiful drama going on about him. "Whatever will you do?" he mocked, taking another puff on his cigar.
Ella glanced back at the house she knew Joey still slept in and felt a tug within her gut. It didn't matter if this man, Hardin, enraged her - he was right… She suspected Joey was not going to be happy with the news and neither was she… Hesitantly she took a few small steps towards were Hardin stood; now pretending to ignore her and scan the surrounding land.
"Is there…" She paused as his sharp eyes fixed upon her, "anyone here that can help?"
"Help?" Hardin asked, smirking, knowing her meaning well.
"Anyone that has the knowledge to help me" Ella said, gritting her teeth, fully aware that he was playing with her.
Hardin laughed in his low long chuckle. "Some of the whores maybe, though I wouldn't trust any of them with my body but then I ain't a woman carrying a cold killer's child." He chuckled again, "Or if ya like…"
Ella eyes lit with a spark of hope, but before she could move Hardin stepped quickly forward, his arm circling her waist and pulling her to him, he smiled almost cruelly. "You could come back with me, I could find a way if you paid me back nicely." His eyes bore into hers. "You owe me remember?"
Ella's mouth turned down in revulsion before she violently pushed him from her. Hardin smiled, his look telling Ella he liked a woman that fought back. "I don't owe you anything, you're just as crazy as you always were!"
"I could treat you better than him if you treated me right Little Diamond." He continued ignoring her words. "We had fun remember… those nights when I'd make you squeal an' moan." He laughed lowly, "Yeah, you remember don't ya, always were my Little Diamond."
Ella knew he was only trying to rile her and she was angry to realize it was working all too well. "Stop callin' me that!" She glared at him, her eyes holding nothing but contempt for the man before her. "I was doin' my job, I moaned like that for everyone!"
Hardin's smile faded just a little and Ella knew that she had at least wounded him some, this man obviously remembered her fondly and she had just destroyed his precious, sweet memories, the notion felt good to her.
Hardin gave a dry laugh, his look saying he no longer wished to chase her. Ella turned from him and began to make her way back to the house, in an even worse mood than she been in when she left.
"You're just the pup's whore Diamond, you know that" Ella heard Hardin call after her. "Never be anythin' more to a boy like him." He gave a long winded laugh and Ella found that the sound stayed with her long after he had begun to wander back to the saloon.