I've upped the story's rating because of foul language in this chapter.
Ashe scrambled off her hoverbike almost as soon as she'd shut off its engine, relieved her drive from San Bernardino to Deadlock Gorge was finally over. Though it was by no means her longest drive, it still left her backside numb and her legs feeling like jelly from five hours of sitting on that bike seat. The Deadlock leader paused to stretch the travel kinks from her neck, back and legs before continuing on foot toward her gang's warehouse. Following close behind her was B.O.B., armed with a parasol, a tube of sunscreen, and a miniature fan in case his fair-skinned lady should need further protection other than her wide-brimmed hat from the blistering heat of the Southwestern sun.
"Peyote better not have let anythin' fall to pieces while I was gone," Ashe muttered to herself, remembering how nervous her sister-in-arms had sounded when the gang leader called to notify her crew of her arrival in the gorge. Peyote was normally the type to remain calm and collected even when everything seemed to go wrong, so it was unusual to hear her sound so uneasy, like she was trying to hide something. That sort of behavior Ashe could expect from some of the other gang members, especially Diamond and Hudsy, but never from Peyote.
Unless ...
Anxious to find out what had been going on during her absence, Ashe quickened her pace as she approached the warehouse, leaving B.O.B. scrambling to keep up with her. The fact that no one was there to greet her did nothing to calm her. Thoughts of possible mishaps raced through the bandit queen's mind. Was there a rabid animal loose in the hideout? What if it bit someone? What if Diamond and Hudsy got into her private stash of special drinks again...? Ashe's temper flared at the mere thought of those hoodlums helping themselves to her good liquor without her say-so.
I swear to God, if they touched even one drop of my Sapphire Revelation ...
A joyful bark echoed through the warehouse, interrupting Ashe's train of thought. The gang leader had barely walked through the door when she was tackled by a furry grey and white blur.
"Ummph!" Just seconds after landing butt-first on the floor, Ashe was being smothered in dog kisses by none other than Cooper, Natalie's one-year-old Siberian husky.
"Get off me, you damn mutt!" Ashe protested, trying to push Cooper off her. Having her daughter's dog climb all over her, smudging her make-up with his sticky pink tongue and getting his dirty paws on her clothes was not the 'Welcome Home' greeting the Deadlock leader had been hoping for. "Mmmmffph! B.O.B! Do somethin'!"
As soon as the massive Omnic made it to the warehouse he hurried to his lady's side and yanked Cooper off her. The dog immediately got the message and bounded away as B.O.B. helped Ashe to her feet and assisted her in dusting off her clothes.
"What was I thinkin' lettin' Natalie keep that unruly animal?" Ashe groaned as she brushed bits of Cooper's fur off her Deadlock jacket. "I already got her a horse. That should've been enough!" The bandit queen sighed, half in annoyance and half in dejection, pressing her palm against her forehead as she leaned against B.O.B. for support.
"Do you think I spoil her, B.O.B? Be honest with me."
B.O.B. placed his hand under Ashe's chin and carefully guided her head toward his face until her crimson eyes met his glowing green ones. Most people would've found the Omnic's seemingly unfeeling gaze unnerving, but ever since she was a little girl Ashe had found comfort in the calm, steady glow of those eyes.
"I'm tryin' my best to parent that girl, to be there for her and give her what she deserves," the Deadlock leader mused aloud, her voice cracking, "but considerin' my own miserable upbringin' I'm probably just takin' shots in the dark most of the time. There's so much I'm not sure I'm doin' right ..." She paused to sniff back the tears starting to form in her eyes, then added with a soft chuckle, "At least you seem to know what you're doin', huh, B.O.B? You did raise me, after all."
Ashe raised her arm and placed her hand against the side of B.O.B.'s face, then grinned as the Omnic responded by placing his hand against her back and pulling her into a metallic but comforting embrace.
"I'm just glad you're here for me - for both of us - every step of the way," Ashe whispered, pressing her cheek against her butler's metal chest. "I know Natalie can be a real pain in the butt when she wants, but I love her dearly, and I know you do, too. All I want is for my daughter to - "
"Um, boss ..?"
Ashe pulled herself from B.O.B.'s embrace, irritated that the moment she and her Omnic were sharing had been interrupted - and by Diamond, of all people!
"What is it now, Diamond?" the Deadlock leader growled.
The man shuffled his hands and stared at the floor, trying to avoid eye contact with either Ashe or B.O.B. Apparently the latter wasn't any more pleased by the gang member's interruption than the former was.
"I, um, heard Cooper bark and, uh, I was just wonderin' if ya needed me to bring in your luggage for ya," Diamond responded.
Ashe crossed her arms and arched her eyebrows quizzically. Diamond was not the kind of person who offered to carry out tasks so promptly and willingly. On most days, the lazy bum had to be dragged out of bed by B.O.B.
Something was definitely off here.
"Since when are you so eager so get somethin' done, Noah?" Ashe asked, using Diamond's real name to show she wasn't kidding around. "You and Lois aren't tryin' to distract me or anythin', are you? 'Cause I'm not in the mood for games!"
"Of course not, ma'am!" the Deadlock grunt answered nervously. "It's just that Bars and the triplets are still out scoutin', Flo's cleanin' up the kitchen, and Peyote's checkin' on her plants, so that leaves me and Hudsy. Unless, of course," he added, noticing B.O.B. was glaring suspiciously at him, "ya want B.O.B. to do it."
"Actually," hummed Ashe, tipping her head thoughtfully to one side and pressing a finger to her cheek, "B.O.B.'s pretty tired from that drive, too, so ..." Suddenly a sinister smirk appeared on her face. "Yeah, why don't you fetch my bags?"
Diamond felt the food he'd eaten for breakfast that morning threaten to burst from his stomach. He knew Ashe was on to him; he knew there was no underestimating her ability to find out something was up.
Why, oh why did Peyote make me stay here to deal with Ashe?
"Um, okay then," Diamond responded, grinning sheepishly as he scooted toward the door. "I'll just, um, go get those bags for you. Where do you want me to put 'em?"
"Just drop them off outside my office," Ashe answered. "B.O.B. and I'll take care of 'em later."
"Al-righty, then."
As Diamond hurried out of the warehouse to fetch Ashe's luggage, Hudsy, who had been observing the exchange between her cousin and boss from behind a shelf, emerged from her hiding place. Taking care not to be noticed right away, the Deadlock grunt quietly followed Ashe and B.O.B. as they left the storage area and made their way to the base's main living area.
"Get me somethin' to drink, will ya, B.O.B?" Ashe demanded as she took a seat on her favorite sofa, a charcoal-grey chaise lounge. "Somethin' from my private stash, I don't care what. Just surprise me."
Hudsy watched as B.O.B. strode down the hall leading to Ashe's office. As soon as the Omnic was out of sight, the woman casually entered the living room, pretending to not notice Ashe until she was about to walk pass the sofa where the Deadlock leader was sitting.
"Oh, Ashe, hello!" Hudsy exclaimed, pretending to be surprised to see her boss sitting right before her. "How was your trip? Did the Marauders give you any trouble?"
Ashe remained quiet, watching Hudsy through narrowed eyes like a cat might watch a mouse, waiting for the right moment to strike. After a minute of both women staring quietly at each other, Ashe rose from her seat.
"What kind of damn fool do you take me for, Lois?" the older woman hissed. "Do you still think I can't tell when you and Noah are tryin' to pull somethin' off? Do you still think I haven't wised up to your little tricks yet?"
"I, um, have no idea what you're talkin' about," Hudsy stuttered. Her gaze started to drift away from Ashe's face when the older woman grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look her in the face again.
"Don't you dare lie to me, Lois Mae Hudson!" Ashe snarled. "I know what you and your idiot cousin are tryin' to hide, and boy am I gonna do what I said I'd do last time I caught you clowns guzzlin' my good liquor like it was soda pop!"
Hudsy whimpered as her boss's fingernails dug into her cheeks. She honestly wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or relieved that Ashe was suspecting her of breaking into her private liquor stash and not of covering for Peyote and Natalie. But then again, there wasn't anything to be relieved about because either way she was screwed.
Just as the Deadlock leader was about to hand down Hudsy's punishment, she felt a firm tap on her shoulder.
"Wha -?" Ashe's head whipped over her shoulder as she let go of Hudsy, causing the younger woman to fall butt-first to the floor. Standing directly behind his lady was B.O.B., holding a silver tray on which rested a fancy but half-full bottle of bourbon and a glass filled with liquor from the bottle.
Ashe helped herself to the glass and seated herself once more on the sofa. "Thanks, B.O.B." The Omnic nodded in response and placed the tray on the small table in front of the sofa.
"One more thing, B.O.B.," said Ashe. "Was everything in my stash just the way I left it? Every bottle had the same amount of liquor as last time I checked?"
B.O.B. nodded.
"No signs of tamperin' with the security or anythin'?"
The Omnic shook his head.
"Well, then," Ashe remarked, swishing her drink back and forth in its glass as she turned her attention back to Hudsy, who by now had pulled herself from the floor and was dusting off her pants. "I guess I owe you an apology, Hudsy. No hard feelings?"
Hudsy shook her head. "No, ma'am."
"Want somethin' to drink? I can have B.O.B. fetch another glass."
"Um, no thanks, I'm good," Hudsy responded. "I'm, uh, gonna go see if Diamond needs any help with the luggage."
Ashe nodded, taking a sip of her bourbon as Hudsy hurried back toward the storage area, where Diamond was waiting for his cousin with Ashe's luggage in tow.
"That ... was close!" Hudsy wheezed. "I thought Ashe was gonna have B.O.B. wax the floor with my face fer sure!"
"Why? What happened?" Diamond asked as he handed Hudsy one of the bags to carry.
"She thought we got into her special drinks again," Hudsy responded, shuddering as she accepted the bag.
"Did she say anythin' 'bout Natalie?"
"Not yet." Hudsy glanced nervously back toward the living room. "But I'll bet she'll wanna check on her soon as she finishes her drink, so Terran and Flo better find her fast or we're dead!"
Diamond nodded in agreement. Bags in hand, the cousins were about to proceed back toward the living area when they heard Cooper barking again.
"Probably the others back from dealin' with McCree," Hudsy remarked when Diamond looked back toward the warehouse entrance, wondering what the dog's deal was this time. Diamond, however, wasn't convinced.
"I don't think so. Listen."
Hudsy rolled her eyes but agreed to listen if only to shut her cousin up. Sure enough, she could hear a human voice in addition to the excited yelps from the dog, but it didn't sound like Peyote, the triplets, or the Omnics. It sounded like a young girl's voice, almost like ...
Diamond and Hudsy threw down the bags and hurried into the storage area, eager to find out if their suspicions were correct. There, sitting on her butt on the warehouse floor, was Natalie, squirming and trying to shove Cooper away as he climbed all over her while licking her face.
"Cut it out, the others will hear!" the girl protested. "I'm fine, really!"
As soon as she managed to squirm free of Cooper, Natalie jumped to her feet. She was about to head into the living room when she noticed Hudsy and Diamond watching her. She immediately froze, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights of someone's car.
"Have a nice walk?" Diamond asked, eyes narrowed and arms folded across his chest.
"How are things at the diner?" Hudsy chimed in, narrowing her eyes like Diamond's as she placed her hands on her hips.
Natalie hung her head while grabbing her arm with her other hand, as she often did when she was about to be scolded.
"Do the others ... know I was at the diner?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"As a matter of fact, they do," Hudsy told her crossly. "Peyote sent Flo and Terran out to look for ya just before your momma got back."
Natalie gasped, her face turning pale. "Does Momma know, too?"
"Not yet," Diamond replied. "But we'll tell ya what. Just this once we won't tell your ma, but we will talk more 'bout this privately, soon as Peyote and the others take care of ol' Jesse McCr-"
"Diamond!" Hudsy warned.
Diamond rolled his eyes. "It's just gonna be a one-time only thing, Huds. Next time for sure we'll be tellin' her momma."
"I'm afraid her momma already knows."
Diamond shrieked, horrified that the responding voice was not his cousin's. Standing just behind the trio was Ashe, arms folded across her chest, an expression of fury upon her face and an equally infuriated B.O.B. at her side. Apparently the Deadlock leader had heard everything her daughter and fellow gang members just said.
"You three are gonna march right into my office," Ashe growled as the cousins and Natalie cowered before her, "and you're gonna tell me the truth, the whole truth, and nothin' but the truth, so help you God, about what the Sam Hill you're all tryin' to hide from me!" She jabbed her finger in the direction leading to her office. "Now march!"
"... Wish I could roll on back to that old town road, I wanna ride 'til I can't no more ..."
Jesse grinned as he listened to the song playing on the hoverbike's radio. "Old Town Road", by Lil Nas X. Such fond memories of youthful mischief that song brought back. A chuckle escaped the cowboy's mouth as he recalled himself singing that ridiculous but catchy tune while Ashe yelled and threatened to have B.O.B. toss him into the nearest volcano if he didn't shut up at once.
Oh, how Ashe hated that song! Absolutely despised it! There were plenty of songs that ground the Deadlock leader's gears, but "Old Town Road" was number one on her hate list, with Big And Rich's "Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy" coming in a close second. Sometimes Jesse would switch to singing the latter when Ashe told him to quit singing the former, but only if he really felt like getting under her skin.
As soon as the song ended, Jesse shut off the engine, swung his leg over the seat, and slid off the bike he'd just parked in an abandoned garage across the road from the clubhouse known as The High Side. After placing a note he'd written earlier on the bike's dashboard, next to the old photo of himself and Ashe, the cowboy stepped out of the shady garage and into the scorching warmth of the Arizona sun, squinting to keep the sunlight from stinging his eyes.
Though the winds of time had left their mark on most of the structures in the area, there was still quite a bit that remained unchanged. The Deadlock logo painted on the front of the clubhouse still stood out loud and proud despite having faded from its original pristine white to a pale brownish gray. The signs outside the Cave Inn continued to advertise the "best prices in town", as well as color TV and air conditioning, in spite of the building looking like it was about to literally cave in.
As much as he would have liked to stick around and reminisce about his days as a youthful and incorrigible outlaw, Jesse knew he had no time for that if he wanted to get himself and Jorge out of the gorge without the Deadlock Gang noticing either of them. The cowboy had hardly taken a step in the direction leading back to the diner when something whizzed past his ear, only to end up stuck in one of the eyes of the skull that made up part of the logo painted on the clubhouse.
Jesse froze, cautiously touching a hand to his Peacekeeper as his eyes swept over his surroundings in search of the person who threw the knife at him. It didn't take long to find her.
"Peyote," Jesse remarked as soon as he noticed the black-haired, bronze-skinned Navajo woman emerging from her hiding place. "Still handy with the knives, I see."
"Shut your damn mouth, Jesse McCree!" Peyote snarled. She retrieved another knife from a scabbard sewn into one of her boots. "You've got some nerve showing your ugly face here after humiliating us so bad!"
Jesse chuckled. "Don't tell me you're all still sore about that foiled train heist. That was twelve years ago."
"That foiled heist made us the laughingstock of a good chunk of the Southwest!" Peyote snapped back. "It was a miracle Ashe somehow managed to salvage our reputation after you almost destroyed it with that little stunt of yours!"
"Hey, it didn't have to be that way," Jesse protested. "I was tryin' to be reasonable, but she was lookin' for a fight."
Peyote continued to glare at Jesse for a few more seconds before raising her arm and snapping her fingers. Suddenly, P.T. and Zeke leaped from their hiding places and rushed toward Jesse. Before the cowboy could react both Deadlock goons grabbed his arms and forced him to the ground on both knees. Bars stepped on to the balcony surrounding the second story of the clubhouse and aimed his sniper rifle at Jesse's head.
Peyote grinned maliciously as she strode toward the struggling cowboy, twirling her knife in one hand. As soon as she reached him she, too, knelt to the ground so that the two of them made eye contact.
"You know," the woman mused aloud, placing the sharp edge of her knife against Jesse's throat, "I could just end you right now, save Ashe the trouble."
Jesse's breath hitched as the blade scraped his skin, but the cowboy remained calm.
"You're right, Peyote," Jesse responded matter-of-factly. "You could just end me here and now, and Ashe would never have to deal with me ever again." He closed his eyes and grinned smugly. "But if there's one thing I know about Ashe, it's that if anyone is gonna be killin' Jesse McCree, she wants that person to be her and no one else. If someone else, even a trusted brother or sister-in-arms, were to claim that honor, I imagine she'd make that person's life a livin' hell."
Jesse opened his eyes and continued to grin at Peyote, whose malicious expression had just been replaced with a hesitant one.
"So what's it gonna be, Peyote? You want to risk Ashe's wrath for the rest of your life or not? 'Cause trust me, it won't be any fun at all."
Suddenly, Peyote's mouth and throat felt drier than the scorching pavement beneath her feet. As someone who'd been one of Ashe's closest friends for years, she knew Jesse wasn't kidding around when he said the bandit queen wanted to be the one to do away with the ex-Deadlocker for good. If someone else were to beat her to it ... boy, would that person have ultimate hell to pay, no matter how close they were to the Deadlock leader!
"I ... uhhmm ..." Peyote slowly began to retract her knife, unsure of how to respond.
That moment of uncertainty was all Jesse needed. If there was one thing he remembered from his Deadlock days, it was that Rosalee "Peyote" Todicheene was a tough nut to crack most of the time, but once she did crack, her comrades would fall soon after, much like dominoes. As soon as he felt P.T.'s and Zeke's grips on him loosen in response to Peyote's hesitation, the cowboy flung his arms back with as much strength as he could muster, sending both brothers falling butt-first to the searing pavement.
Jesse jumped to his feet and quickly drew his Peacekeeper from its scabbard, dodging a bullet from Bars as he spun to the left and hurled one of his flashbang grenades at Zeke and P.T. as they tried to get up. Peyote, too, scrambled to her feet and prepared to throw her knife at Jesse, only for it to be shot out of her hand.
"Peyote! What the Sam Hill is goin' on here?!" Everyone immediately froze when they saw where the shot that deflected Peyote's knife came from. Standing on a ledge overlooking the clearing was Ashe, clutching her still-smoking Viper rifle. B.O.B. stood at her side, cracking his knuckles in eager anticipation.
"I can explain," Peyote called up to her boss.
Ashe, however, ignored her and turned her attention to Jesse.
"Well, well, if it isn't Jesse McCree," the crime queen purred venomously. "Didn't get enough last time, so ya came back for round two, eh?"
Jesse returned his gun to its scabbard and held up both hands as if in surrender.
"I'm just here to return somethin', Ashe," the cowboy explained. "I didn't want any trouble, but your goons here jumped me."
"Likely story!" Peyote sneered.
Ashe shot her a look that told her to be quiet.
"Heard you were in California meetin' with the Mojave Marauders," Jesse continued, "so I didn't think I'd run into you here."
"I decided to return a day early," Ashe responded. "That Marauders leader was bein' a pain in the ass. It was like tryin' to negotiate with a brick wall."
"Sorry to hear that," said Jesse, "but as much as I'd like to stay and chat, I'd best be on my way now, if ya don't mind."
As the ex-Deadlocker turned to head back to the diner, Ashe turned to B.O.B. and nodded sharply. The gargantuan Omnic sprang from his perch on the ledge, landed on the pavement with a thud, and sprinted toward Jesse, eager to catch the cowboy before he could escape. Just as Jesse was about to disappear around the corner, he was intercepted by Terran and Flo, who were returning from the diner after having failed to find Natalie there. The three of them collided and fell to the pavement, giving B.O.B. enough time to catch up with Jesse and grab him.
"Looks like we got here just in time," moaned Terran as he pulled himself to his feet. "You okay, Flo?"
"Fine," the medium Omnic responded. After Terran helped her to her feet, the two of them followed B.O.B. as he dragged a struggling Jesse back to Ashe, who by now had jumped from her ledge to the ground and was making her way toward her butler and captive.
"You're not goin' anywhere, Jesse," the gang leader sneered. "Not until you tell me exactly what it is you're 'returning'. I'll have you know no one leaves anythin' on my turf and then runs off without explainin' himself."
Jesse sighed. "There's no need to make a big deal outta this."
"Oh, I think there is," Ashe responded, her voice dripping acid. "You see, I've had people leave me gifts before, and more often than not those gifts turned out to be wolves in sheep's clothing. I can't afford to let my guard down, even for you." The woman's eyes narrowed into scarlet slits. "Now, we're gonna stay here until you tell me what you just left on my doorstep, even if it takes all day. So you best start talkin'!"
Jesse hung his head in dejection. He should've known Ashe would insist on doing things her way.
"Hope that kid of hers didn't inherit her ma's 'my way, no highway' attitude," he muttered. He must have said it louder than he meant to, because suddenly Ashe's eyes widened in shock as a sharp gasp escaped her mouth and her grip on her rifle released, causing the weapon to fall to the ground with a loud clack that echoed through the gorge.
"W-what did you just say?" Ashe stammered, her voice now full of fear instead of fury. "H-How did you-?" The realization that her old rival knew about her daughter had every neuron in the Deadlock leader's brain firing out of control, causing her to feel dizzy and nauseous.
"Ashe, what the heck -?" Peyote rushed toward her boss to calm her, then quickly stopped when the reason for Ashe's sudden change in demeanor dawned on her.
He knows about Natalie!
Jesse grunted as B.O.B. threw him to the ground in his haste to catch Ashe before she fainted. As the other Deadlockers began to cluster anxiously around their leader, the cowboy was about to get up when he felt a fist grab him by the hair on the back of his head and, once again, the sharp edge of a knife press against his throat.
"I'm warning you, Jesse McCree!" he heard Peyote's voice snarl in his ear. "If the law or Ashe's parents end up finding out about Natalie because of you, I will hunt you straight to hell!" The woman released her grip on the man, dropping him to the ground once more. "Now get out of here before one of us decides to kill you after all."
Not waiting to be told again, Jesse scrambled to his feet and hurried down the gorge, now more determined than ever to get himself and Jorge safely out of there.