"You gonna finish that?"
Jorge looked up from his partially eaten slice of apple pie and turned his attention to the speaker who asked him the question. A tall, freckle-nosed girl stood next to the booth in the small diner where he sat, arms folded across her chest and her green eyes half-closed as if in boredom.
Jorge pulled the plate with his pie on it close to his chest. "Yeah, I'm gonna finish it. Just not right now."
The girl snorted in reply. "Relax, squirt, I ain't gonna take your stupid pie. I was just checkin' if you were gonna finish it, is all. 'Cause it'd be a shame to waste it."
Jorge scowled at the word 'squirt' as it left the girl's mouth. Though it was true he was small for his age of eight years, he always hated it when strangers commented on his size. Still, the boy kept his temper in check.
"I just get nervous in restaurants," he said after a minute of silence. "I don't like eating when there's lotsa people around."
"Well, there's hardly anyone here today, so no sense usin' that excuse," the girl told him.
She was right. The small roadside diner where Jesse McCree and his son Jorge had stopped for lunch was empty except for themselves, a few waitresses, the kitchen staff, and this unpleasant visitor. There also wasn't much sound except for the soft whirr of the only working ceiling fan in the building and that old jukebox in the corner playing the same songs over and over.
Sighing, Jorge took a bite of his pie, hoping it would get this pesky stranger to stop bothering him about it. The girl remained where she was, but luckily she didn't say another word about finishing the pie.
"So d'ya come here often?"
Grateful that the girl was changing the subject, Jorge began to relax.
"My dad and I are on our way to Flagstaff to meet someone, but he wanted to stop here to 'settle some business'," the boy answered, "This is the first time I've ever come here, but Dad's been here lots of times. He says this place serves the best apple pie, but the coffee's awful."
The tiniest of smiles crossed the girl's face. "I agree; that stuff tastes like mud. But their apple pie's the best you can get around here, though their key lime's pretty good, too."
The two children chuckled.
"How about you?" Jorge asked. "Do you come here a lot?"
The girl turned her gaze to the window.
"Yeah, every once in a while," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "My family travels a lot, mostly across this part of the country, but here is where we usually stay."
"Here in Deadlock Gorge?"
"Yep."
"But what about-?"
The girl held up her hand to quiet the boy. "If you're talkin' about the Deadlock Gang, don't worry. They don't bother us long as we stay out of their way." Her eyes lit up in surprise as if she just remembered something, then she held out her hand. "By the way, sorry for not introducin' myself. I'm Natalie."
"Nice to meet you," Jorge replied, accepting the girl's hand into his own. "My name's Jorge."
"Cool. Mind if I join you? I might get somethin' myself."
Jorge shook his head.
As Natalie took a seat in the booth across from Jorge, she glanced out the window, eyes narrowed, as if looking for something - or someone. Jorge noticed her lips moving, but he couldn't make out any words except "bars". Curious as to who or what Natalie could be talking about, the boy looked out the window as well, but he couldn't see anything save for the pick-up truck he and his father had arrived in and the trailer attached to it. Other than that, there was only the rust-colored walls of Deadlock Gorge and the long-abandoned road that wound its way through it. A lone tumbleweed rolled across the road as a breeze swept through the gorge, stirring up a bit of dust.
"Good, he didn't follow me here," Natalie muttered as she looked away from the window and turned her attention to the menu on the table before her. She was about to flip it open when her gaze fell upon Jesse, who was seated at the counter a couple yards from the booth, chatting with the waitress who had come to refill his coffee. Jorge watched as his companion snatched up the menu and began leafing hastily through it, wondering why she was behaving so strangely.
"Is something-?" he began to ask, but fell silent when Natalie waved her hand in a shushing gesture. Jesse looked their way for a few seconds, then returned to his conversation with the waitress as if he hadn't noticed anything.
Five minutes of puzzled silence followed, ending only when another waitress came to the children's table to take their order.
"Could I get some root beer, please?" Jorge asked. The apple pie he'd just eaten was delicious, but the crust made him thirsty.
The waitress nodded as she wrote Jorge's request in her order book, then turned her attention to Natalie. "And how about you, young lady?"
Natalie looked over the last few pages of her menu before making up her mind. "Strawberry ice cream soda, please."
The waitress added Natalie's order to her book, then marched briskly toward the kitchen window, heels clacking against the floor. As soon as she was out of earshot, Natalie leaned across the table toward Jorge, hand cupped over one side of her mouth.
"Can you keep a secret?" she whispered
Sensing the seriousness in the girl's voice, Jorge took his time before responding, also in a whisper. "Yeah. What is it?"
Natalie jabbed her thumb in Jesse's direction. "See him?"
"Yeah, that's my dad. What about him?"
Natalie leaned further forward so that her lips were just inches from Jorge's ear.
"My mother has his picture on her dart board."
Jorge stared at Natalie, unable to believe what he'd just heard. "R-really?" he stammered.
Natalie nodded. "I swear to God that's him, the guy in Momma's picture." She glanced in Jesse's direction once more, making sure the cowboy wasn't paying attention to her and Jorge's whispered conversation before continuing. "She's had that picture since before I was born, but for some reason she never walks past it without flingin' a dart, shakin' her fist or flippin' her finger at it. What's really strange is that she won't let anyone else touch it, not even me." The girl sighed in disbelief. "I just don't understand. If that guy makes her so angry, why'd she hold on to his picture for so long?"
"What does your dad or anyone else in your family think about this?" Jorge asked.
"Dad hasn't noticed yet 'cause he ain't around much," Natalie replied. "As for the rest of the family, they don't like to talk about it 'cause they're afraid of 'feedin' me false information', as Momma puts it." The girl paused to brush her feathery bangs out of her face. "But I'm curious about him. He looks like an interesting guy."
Jorge wasn't sure what to say or think. He couldn't believe what this stranger he'd just met in the diner had told him. Shortly before their arrival at the diner, his father had mentioned there were a few old 'friends' of his still hanging around Deadlock Gorge. Could Natalie's mother have been one of those 'friends'? What did his father do that made her so angry? Did it have anything to do with that 'business' he came here to settle?
What if she ... wanted ... to kill him ..?
"Hey, Jorge, you okay?" Natalie asked, noticing her companion's face had turned unusually pale.
"I... um ..." Jorge fiddled with a loose thread on his poncho as he tried to think of an acceptable answer for Natalie. "I'm fine," he answered lamely. "It's just ... this is making me uncomfortable. Can we please talk about something else?"
Seeing that the waitress from earlier was approaching the kids' booth with their order, Natalie decided changing the subject was a wise decision. "Al-righty, then. How about ..." The girl paused to search her brain for a topic Jorge would be comfortable with. "...trains! Ever been on a train?"
Jorge nodded. "A couple of times."
Natalie smiled. "Well then, let tell ya about this one time ..."
As the two children continued to talk, Jesse McCree continued to observe them from his perch at the counter. Though he was pleased his shy and skittish son had made a new friend, the cowboy found himself intrigued by Jorge's new companion. The girl looked friendly enough, though a tad on the bossy side; but her behavior seemed suspicious. She'd often glance out the window as if she was expecting someone to meet her here, and once or twice she'd snatched up her menu and flipped through it as if it were a dictionary, a tactic Jesse had seen plenty of times before.
She was clearly trying to hide something, but what it was Jesse couldn't quite put his finger on it; however, he couldn't help but feel the reason for the girl's behavior should be obvious to him.
I wonder if ... nah, couldn't be. The cowboy closed his eyes as he took a sip of his coffee; some time ago he'd discovered it didn't taste so bad if he couldn't see it. Ashe never liked kids much, and I doubt any man who wasn't outright insane would even think of gettin' that close to her ...
Still, Jesse had to admit the resemblance between Jorge's new friend and his former partner-in-crime, especially in her younger years, was remarkable. Many of the girl's facial expressions, especially the way she scowled and arched her eyebrows, gave off a vibe that had Ashe written all over it. Not to mention she possessed the same fluffy, white-blonde hair the Deadlock leader had as a young girl, though the girl's was a tad more yellow.
"Those your kids?"
The waitress who'd brought the children their sodas had stopped by Jesse's seat at the counter on her way back to the kitchen, wondering if the man was the one in charge of the youngsters.
"Why d'ya ask?" the cowboy drawled.
"Well, it's just that until now I've always seen the girl come here by herself, but this is the first time I've seen the boy," the waitress responded. "They yours?"
Jesse placed his cup of coffee on the counter, keeping his grip on the handle. He remained silent for a minute, taking his sweet time before answering.
"The boy's mine. As for the girl, this is the first time I've seen her." Jesse started to raise his cup to his mouth, but placed it back on the counter as he remembered something the waitress had mentioned. "You said you've seen her come here alone before; what else can you tell me about her? Do you know her parents or what her family's like?"
The waitress glanced uneasily toward the kids, then toward the floor.
"She's ... pretty closed-mouthed about that particular subject," the waitress stammered. "All she's ever told us about her folks is that they live down the gorge somewhere, but I have no idea why anyone would be crazy enough to live this close to the Deadlock Gang's main headquarters." The woman shook her head and grunted in disbelief. "I'd hate to think she might even be connected to those creeps somehow - especially to that Ashe woman - but so far all signs seem to point in that direction, especially considering how she's only around when they are."
Jesse looked once more toward Jorge and his mysterious friend. He'd heard enough to confirm his suspicions.
"I see," he responded. The cowboy rose from his seat and placed a generous tip into the perplexed waitress's hand as he strode past her on his way to his son's table. "Keep the change."
"... Luckily, I didn't break any bones, but I still scared Momma half to death!"
Jorge listened, eyes wide in awe, as Natalie told her story over their sodas. The boy couldn't believe what he was hearing. Though the girl's tale of attempting to jump on a passing train as a small child sounded incredible, Jorge had to admit his new friend had quite the nerve.
I wonder what Dad would think of this, he thought to himself. He never did have much luck with trains, especially while they were going over bridges. Speaking of ...
"Aren't they ever gonna fix that bridge?" The question had left Jorge's mouth as soon as it crossed his mind.
Natalie's eyebrows arched in a questioning manner. "You mean the one that crosses the gorge up ahead?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
Natalie shook her head. "I don't think so. Last I heard that railway was re-routed after the Deadlock Gang blew up a freighter as it crossed the gorge, so there's no point fixin' the bridge now." The girl stared at her soda as she stirred it with a straw. "Come to think of it, a number of railways passin' through the Southwest might be re-routed or outright discontinued as part of the government's new plan to crack down on gangs like Deadlock. Some of the smaller gang leaders are already jumpin' ship, but my mother says it'll be a cold day in hell before Calamity Ashe hangs up her hat."
"Really, now? Is that what she told you?"
Natalie gasped and jumped in her seat, startled that the voice that responded was not Jorge's. Apparently the kids were so into their conversation they failed to hear the jingle of Jesse's spurs as the man approached their table.
"You and your little friend doin' okay there, buddy?" Jesse asked Jorge.
"Sure, Dad," the boy replied. "I think you scared Natalie, though."
Sure enough, the girl was backed into a corner of the booth, looking like she'd just been caught with her hand in the church collection plate. Jesse smiled sympathetically as he extended his hand to her.
"Mighty sorry I scared you, young lady; need some help?"
Natalie stared in stunned silence at the cowboy for a few seconds; suddenly her face darkened with anger as she swatted his hand away.
"I don't need your help!" she snapped.
Jorge was shocked at his friend's rudeness. "Hey! He was just trying to help!"
Jesse, however, just laughed as if he'd been expecting Natalie's reaction all along.
"Charmin' personality you've got there," he remarked. "I don't suppose your parents know you're here by yourself, do they? Pretty little gal like you shouldn't be on Deadlock turf without someone to watch over you."
Natalie crossed her arms and glared at the man.
"For your information, Momma knows I can take care of myself just fine. Those Deadlock creeps don't dare lay a finger on me 'cause they know she'll give 'em hell if they do."
Jesse shook his head and chuckled softly.
"Your ma sounds like quite the intimidating gal, alright." The cowboy placed his mechanical hand on the seat to steady himself as he leaned into the booth. "In fact, I think I might even know her. Is her middle name Caledonia, by any chance?"
Natalie's expression quickly turned from anger to shock, but the girl remained silent.
"I take it that's a yes, then." Jesse stood up straight again and adjusted his hat. "It just so happens I've got a little somethin' for her. I, uhhhhhhhh, borrowed it from her awhile back, but I've been kinda busy for awhile so I never got a chance to properly return it 'til now."
"Wait, what'dya mean 'borrowed'?" Natalie asked, eyebrows cocked questioningly.
"Well, what do you think it means, young lady?" Jesse responded slyly.
Natalie slouched in her seat, rolling her eyes. Good gravy, this man was irritating! No wonder her mother put his picture on the dartboard. He must have earned that spot if she found him that annoying back when they knew each other. Still scowling, the girl was about to take a sip of her soda when her eyes fell upon the four arrogant letters etched on the cowboy's belt buckle, causing her to sputter into her glass as an equally arrogant laugh bubbled its way out of her mouth.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Natalie scoffed. "You? Really? Yeah, right!"
"Oh, I think you'd be surprised," was Jesse's cryptic response.
"Wait, what?" asked a confused Jorge, who up until now had remained quiet as he witnessed the exchange between Jesse and Natalie. "What's so funny?"
Every time Jorge asked his father what the letters on his belt buckle meant, Jesse would answer, "Maybe when you're older." It made no sense to him how Natalie, who they'd just met, figured out what those letters stood for just by looking at them. Perhaps she'd seen them before, on something else ...
Wondering what the time was, Jesse turned his attention away from Jorge and Natalie just long enough to check the clock on the wall.
Eight minutes 'til high noon, the cowboy thought to himself. It's now or never; best get this over with so Jorge and I can get goin'.
"Well then, I'll just let you two finish your sodas while I make a little delivery up the gorge," said Jesse. "Jorge, you stay here with your friend and wait 'til I get back. I won't be long."
Jorge nodded. "Okay, Dad."
Jesse was about to make his way to the sliding doors marking the entrance to the diner when he felt a tug. As he looked back toward the table he noticed a concerned Natalie clutching the end of his serape. A rosy blush crept across the girl's face as the man's eyes met hers.
"What's wrong, Natalie?" Jorge asked.
Jesse, however, immediately guessed the reason for Natalie's behavior.
"I've taken on those Deadlock chumps before," he said, his face serious but his eyes holding the tiniest twinkle of amusement. "Single-handedly, I might add. I'll be fine. Just gonna drop somethin' off at the clubhouse up the road and I'll be right back. They probably won't even notice me."
Natalie remained silent but let go of the cowboy's serape.
Both children watched quietly as Jesse walked out of the diner, whistling a solemn tune. As soon as the sliding doors closed behind him, Natalie leaned across the table toward Jorge once more.
"I'm gonna tell you another secret," she said, "but you must swear not to tell anyone. Not your dad, not your mom, not even your closest friend." The girl paused to glance around the diner, making sure the waitresses weren't paying any attention before continuing. "Now put your hand over your heart and repeat after me."
Jorge obeyed, not even bothering to ask why he was being entrusted with such a serious-sounding secret.
"On Mama's grave and Pa's deathbed ..." Natalie chanted the first part of the oath.
"On Mama's grave and Pa's deathbed ..." Jorge repeated, his voice wavering slightly.
"If I tell a soul, may I choke 'til I'm dead!"
Jorge hesitated for a moment, then repeated the second half of the oath with as much confidence as he could muster, "If I tell a soul, may I choke 'til I'm dead."
Natalie gestured for Jorge to lean across the table toward her, which he did. The boy felt the air grow cold and heavy as the girl whispered the secret she'd entrusted to him into his ear.
"My mother is the leader of the Deadlock Gang."