Nina had a wide grin on her face as she approached him, her gun aimed at his forehead. Not that she gave a damn, but the good folk of Buffalo County could rest easy now. One of the most notorious outlaws in the region was soon to be behind bars.
"Blue-Eyed George, pleased to make your acquaintance," she spoke as she stopped in front of him. She pressed her gun into the skin of his forehead a little and studied his features. He looked worried even though he knew he was worth more to her alive.
He cursed under his breath, knowing it was useless to do anything other than comply now. Nobody got away from Black Nina unless they had deep pockets and even that was no guarantee. Currently, his own were as deep as a puddle unless you counted the gold coins he had hidden away. Of course, she wasn't going to find out about those. He would rather hang.
"The feeling is not mutual," he replied before her henchman began tying him. Soon enough, he was on the back of her horse and even more at her mercy. If such a thing even existed. "Could at least buy me dinner first," he muttered as he watched her climb onto the horse.
Nina settled into the saddle before she stroked the dark mane of her horse. He was a pure black stallion, part of the identity she projected to the world. As black as the clothes she wore and as black as she allowed her heart to be. Otherwise, people would only see a petite and attractive young woman. That was not an image well suited to the world she travelled in, although sometimes it came in handy. A change of clothes and she could walk through the largest cities without care. That was the power of a well-crafted facade.
"Comfortable, George? Long way to go," she spoke as they began making their way down the dusty path. It was the middle of the morning now, meaning that it would be night by the time they reached Buffalo Gulch. It was the county seat and not much else, a settlement in the middle of the Nevada wilderness.
George, who was trying his best not to be sick, squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to keep dust out of them. It was not going well for him in that endeavour. "How much are they paying you for this?" The Sheriff in Buffalo Gulch was stingy with bounties, so he had no idea why Black Nina was in any way involved. Her reputation alone should have made her way too expensive for that miser.
"Why does that concern you?" Nina replied, unwilling to tell him even the slightest detail. If the reasons became public, it would mean the end of the reputation she had spent years cultivating.
"Simple enough question, isn't it?"
"Enough to make this worthwhile," she replied in a tone that suggested he drop the subject.
Silence descended, lingering as the trio rode at the mercy of a boiling sun. After a few hours, they stopped underneath a large tree for a welcome rest. The henchman removed George from the horse, although he remained tied up.
"Drink some of this," Nina ordered as she pressed a canteen of water to his parched mouth. He drank as much as he could before she moved it away, watching as she sat down on a rock not too far from him. Despite the reputation and the bloodlust, she was a beautiful woman. Averting his gaze as she noticed him staring, she grinned.
"Might as well enjoy the view," she remarked. Turning her attention to the distant horizon, she contemplated her next move. Once this was all done, she was getting out of the state and had little intention of returning. Whilst she was in no way superstitious, she still felt the need not to tempt Fate.
Hours later, the trio rode into Buffalo Gulch. It was night time and Nina was more than happy to see the dusty streets deserted. They made a beeline for the sheriff's office, a small wooden structure close to the middle of the town.
"Good to see you, Nina," the Sheriff spoke as she and her henchman led George inside. Soon enough, the outlaw was in a cell and the henchman was outside tending to the horses.
"Looks like our deal is complete," he spoke as he handed her a document. Even though she had no desire to hang around inside his office, she still took the time to read it word by word. Moments later, her eyes moved upwards to meet his with a cold and determined stare.
"Nobody will take me alive again, Church," she informed him with a calm but firm voice.
"We'll have to see about that," he replied. Sheriff Ryan Church had been the first lawman to catch her, although he had resisted the urge to crow about it. Instead, he had given her an ultimatum - catch Blue-Eyed George or hang. In return, he would clear her of any crimes she had committed within his county. The idea would have sounded unthinkable to many, but he knew what he was doing. Unlike Black Nina, George was part of a network of outlaws that stretched across the West. His removal from the web would do far more in the long run.
As Nina walked out of the office, she glanced around before darting into the darkness of a nearby alley. The moment of her capture was on her mind. She had not expected Church and his men to come storming into the saloon in the middle of a poker game. Her associates hadn't either, but they weren't as clever as she was. They had all drawn their guns and begun shooting, and they were all dead within seconds. The only witnesses to her capture were the Sheriff's men, everyone else either dead or long gone.
"Hitch the horses over there for tonight then we can sleep," she spoke to her henchman. Heading towards a nearby house, she took care not to bring attention to herself. Even though her friend would be more than happy to have her stay for a while, she intended to be gone by dawn. She had a reputation to uphold, after all.