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Chapter Four
"Trust me, Ms. Evans, if you were a figment of my imagination, I would not be meetin' you for the first time in some dingy saloon," he winked, accepting my hand and pressing a kiss to my knuckles.
"Call me Millie. Do I even want to know where we would've met?" I inquired with a grin, resting my chin atop Daisy's head and thanking the heavily-painted woman as she returned with two glasses of water. Ensuring the little blonde girl in my lap drank hers before I touched mine, I offered Mr. Faraday a challenging glance, to which he stared for a moment and then smirked, "Maybe. Can't say it in present company, though. She your daughter?"
"She is."
"Her daddy around?" he inquired, gaze flitting around the saloon curiously.
"No," I replied, "I'm actually here with a few friends of mine. We're lookin' for some help. We-"
The swinging doors of the saloon burst open suddenly and the man in black strode in, a hard look on his face and his dark eyes on the bartender.
Faraday immediately frowned, his hazel eyes drifting over to Daisy and I; straightening in his chair, he jerked his head backwards and muttered, "Get behind me. The two o' you."
Without a word, I slipped from my chair, ushering Daisy before me, and drew the pair of us low to the ground. I pressed my finger to my lips as I curled myself around my daughter and whispered, "Be real quiet, Daisy, hear me?"
"It's a game, sweetie," the man tossed over his shoulder, his tone gruff, mumbled, "if you're quiet as a mouse, quieter than all these other people, you get a prize, alright?"
Daisy's eyes brightened at the prospect and she burrowed deeper into my arms, determined not to make a peep. Faraday winked at me when I offered him a grateful smile, shifting his chair ever so slightly to keep the pair of us hidden.
Still, I managed to watch under his arm as the dark-skinned man leaned over the counter, whispering into the barkeep's ear. No one could hear a word he said, but the man grew tenser by the moment.
Others in the saloon drew their guns, one of Faraday's own companions following suite. I reached for the pistol hidden deep in the pocket of my gown, intent on defending my daughter if need be. The gambler protecting us both drew his own revolver, aiming it at the other man at the table and shaking his head.
Several gunshots rang out in quick succession and I wrapped myself tighter around Daisy. She didn't make a sound despite my own gasp and, when I determined that neither of us had been hit, I peered beneath Faraday's arm once more.
The newcomer had shot several of the patrons, though none of them suffered anything near a fatal wound. The same could not be said for the bartender. He was gone from sight, the man in black staring down over the counter, presumably at his body.
"You shot Dan!"
"Murderer!"
"He's a killer!"
"Go on, now, go get the sheriff," the man announced, raising his hands in surrender, "tell 'em I just killed a wanted man outta Nebraska. Git!"
Everyone but Faraday, Daisy, and I fled the saloon, scrambling for safety and casting the man terrified glances. Faraday holstered his pistol, peering over his shoulder at the pair of us, "You two alright?"
Nodding, I chanced a smile before uncurling myself from around my daughter. She poked her head up, eyes wide and searching, before mouthing up at me, Did I win?
"You certainly did win, Daisy," I smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead and smoothing her hair from her face. Turning my attention to Faraday, I muttered, "We're fine. You think he might hurt us?"
Faraday hummed in thought before querying loudly, "Dan, you dead?"
There was no response, Dan the bartender having drawn his last breath; the other man turned his attention to us, eyes flitting curiously to me as I slowly rose to my feet.
Faraday sighed noisily, commenting disappointedly, "Pity; I had just ordered a drink from that man."
The man in black smirked, sliding the bottle of vodka and the small shot glass toward him, tipping his hat to me with a polite, "Ma'am."
Turning on a heel, he made for the doors, where it seemed a large crowd had formed on the other side. There were curses and screams and cries, calling for his man's blood. He raised his hands, pushing through the door, and announcing to the masses that he was a warrant officer and that Dan was known by another name, and had committed a handful of murders.
"You think you know someone," Faraday noted, pushing away from the table and sweeping his winnings into his hat. He turned to me, offering me a smirk, "Care for a drink? It's on, uh, him."
"I think I'm fine," I assured him, shaking my head and stifling a grin as he pouted, looking much like Daisy when she was in a foul mood. He turned to my daughter, ruffling her hair and querying, "You like candy, sweetie?"
She nodded fervently, peering up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. He mimicked her expression, though he turned it on me, and queried, "Well, Millie, darlin', if it's quite alright, I'd like to buy this little champion a piece of candy."
Daisy rounded on me, batting her lashes furiously; Faraday, catching sight of it, fluttered his own, clasping his hands beneath his chin, "Please?"
"How can I resist a pair of faces like that?" I inquired, gasping dramatically, pressing a hand to my chest, "well, I guess, if you must…"
"We must!" Daisy cheered, hugging him around a leg and then flinging herself into my arms, "thank you, Mama!"
"Of course, love," I kissed her curls and caught her hand, gesturing toward Faraday with a laugh, "lead the way, Mr. Faraday."
"Joshua," he stressed, offering an arm to me with a wink.
His boldness knew no bounds, but I found myself unable to mind too much. Linking my arm through his, I drew my lip into my mouth and conceded, "Joshua."
"Not too hard, was it?" he teased, guiding me toward the swinging double doors, latching onto the bottle the man had left behind on our way. He tipped it back, taking a quick swig, before pushing a door open and sweeping out his free arm, allowing me to pass.
I dipped into a quick curtsey, grinning, and led Daisy out. He followed, pointing out the general store and noting, "Now that's where you find the best candy in all the west. I'm tellin' ya, sweetie, it'll be the best thing you ever tasted."
Daisy squealed and jumped, tugging the pair of us along as she skipped toward the store.
"Why did you help that man?" I inquired curiously, peering over to where Emma had all but accosted the man in black. I grinned, hopeful that a man with his skill would be able to assist us in our fight against Bogue. With any luck, I could wrangle Joshua onto our lovely little team. "Seems like you knew Dan; you didn't know him. Why did you choose to protect him and not your friend?"
"Well, Dan wasn't my friend, per se," he replied, his face twisting in a grimace, "in all honesty, I didn't like him much. And this fella, well, I dunno. Seemed like the sort of man who knew what he was doing. He had an aught against Dan, musta been for a good reason. And I was right; man like that doesn't deserve to live. Killin' innocent people, terrorizin' 'em."
"So you're a man of principle, then?" I inquired, "I'd say morals, but-"
"You'd still be right," he replied, feigning affrontedness before smirking dangerously, "mostly."
A flush rose to my cheeks, though I refused to turn from him, quirking a brow in response, "You-"
The harsh click of a safety being released caused the pair of us to still, though I stumbled forward as Daisy tried to tug me along, unaware of the danger. Peering to my left, I inhaled sharply, watching Joshua's eyes slide to a pair of grungy-looking men, their guns both aimed at the man at my side.
"Faraday, you stupid, stinkin' thief," one seethed, "I want that money you stole from me back in Jonesville! You cheated me, an' I'm gonna take back what's mine!"
His companion nodded, offering me a sleazy grin before noting lazily, "You might wanna take your girl and get. What's about ta happen ta this schemin' bastard ain't nothin' a lady an' a little girl should see. Go on, now."
"You can't-"
"Millie, you should go," Joshua replied, his tone firm, his gaze meeting mine. He winked, a charming smile falling onto his face. "Don't you worry; I can handle myself. But what's gonna happen ta them… now, that really ain't somethin' you should see."
He slid his arm from mine, tipped his hat to me, and glanced down at Daisy, "You keep your mama comp'ny; I'll be back in a bit, alright? Then we'll get you that candy."
She nodded, eying the other men suspiciously as they shoved Faraday from sight. Heart in my throat, I glanced down at my perceptive daughter as she queried, "Mama, they're not gonna hurt him, are they?"
Rolling my shoulders, I slipped a hand into my pocket, fingers curling around the pistol, "No. Daisy, love, you see Emma right over there? Emma and Teddy? You go run to 'em. I'll be right back."
She glanced over her shoulder at our companions, who were still speaking adamantly to the man in black, chewing on her lip. Her eyes fell to the place where Joshua had disappeared before nodding silently to herself. "You go help him, Mama; I'll go to Ms. Emma."
Watching my daughter dash off down the dusty road, I made certain that Emma hauled her up into her arms, looking around curiously for me before hastening after Joshua and the men.
They hadn't gone out of sight, though they had moved quite a distance in the short time away from us. They stood near the entrance of a mine, Joshua's hands in the air, the men's guns trained on him. Hastening toward them, I slipped the gun from my pocket and knocked back the safety.
The gambler's eyes fell on me, widening fractionally, though he didn't say a word. He returned his attention to the other men while I crept closer, the gun steady at my side.
"Lemme show you boys a magic trick," he cajoled, slowly retrieving a deck of playing cards from his vest, "it's a good one. You won't wanna miss it."
They allowed it, though the one on my left was far more excited than his companion. Joshua coerced the other to pick a card, memorize it, and then replace it. With a few fancy maneuvers, he showed a card to the man, querying, "Was this your card?"
"Faraday, you stupid bastard, that ain't my card!"
"It's not?" He seemed surprised, examining it curiously, "Hang on, lemme-"
"We ain't got time for this!"
What was he even playing at? These men were going to kill him; if he-
"Hang on a second," he announced suddenly, "the trick's not over. Your card was the king of hearts, wasn't it?"
The men faltered a moment, sharing a look, before Joshua smirked, "It was never about the trick."
Without a word, he yanked a pistol from his belt and shot the man on my left; before his companion could draw on him again, I leveled my gun at his ankle and pulled the trigger. The man howled and crumpled to the ground, pleading for his life.
Joshua strode toward him, grabbing the gun from his hand and gathering the weapons from the other man's body.
"You killed my brother!"
My heart dropped to my stomach, but I jogged to Joshua's side, catching him arm as he grumbled, "He shouldn't'a touched my guns." He straightened, catching my chin with a finger and thumb, brow furrowed low over his eyes as he queried disconcertedly, "You alright?"
"I am," I replied shakily, pocketing my gun and twisting my fingers together, "they were gonna kill you."
"They were," he agreed, his gaze trailing over me appraisingly, "you were gonna save me."
"I think I mighta succeeded," I replied with a huff.
He glanced down at the mess of a man at his feet, brows high on his forehead. He offered me a sheepish smile and agreed, "I think you mighta. Sure I can't buy you a drink?"
/
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Felicia2235: that's my plan! I definitely am intending to change the ending! :D
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Dalonega Noquisi: thanks! Haha that's what I was hoping for! It seemed like such a Faraday-like line lol
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