A/N - Finally! Here's chapter 6! I'm sorry I havn't updated in a while, I haven't really had the chance to, what with exams and everything... Urgh. In this chapter we are introduced to the wonderful prostitute Cara Worthington! I hope you like her personality and... What-not. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter, and don't worry, there's plenty more to come. :D Thank you everyone who reads, reviews, alerts e.t.c..
DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor will I ever own Red Dead Redemption or anything related to it. This fanfiction is purely fan made and I only own characters and places that are new. I apologise if any of this material offends any one. I assure you I don't mean to offend in any way, shape or form. This story will contain coarse language and graphic violence.
Chapter 6 – Cara Worthington.
"Let's hitch out horses here and head in," Jack said as we stopped outside the saloon. We hitched our horses to a hitching post and entered the building. As soon as I entered the room the strong smell of whisky hit me like a bull. I looked around the saloon and saw that it was a lot quieter in the day than the night. Several card games were going on and only three people were sat at the bar drinking. Jack and I looked around a little more before Jack walked up to the bar. I quickly followed behind the man. Walking up to the bartender, Jack spoke, "Good afternoon sir." The bartender nodded politely.
"Good afternoon, what can I get ya?" The bartender was an ageing man, with a grey moustache and glasses. Jack turned to me and nodded towards my satchel. I reached in and pulled out the slip of paper we had retrieved from the body. I handed it to Jack, who unfolded it and held it out for the bartender to see. "We're looking for a Cara Worthington, does she work here?" Jack asked. The bartender examined the paper a little longer before adjusting his glasses.
"I know her. She works here, fine girl she is. I presume you've heard of her 'excellent services'," the bartender said, chuckling. I grimaced. Disgusting. I think I've lost my appetite. Jack shook his head. "No sir. I've got a letter to deliver to her, that's all." The bartender laughed loudly.
"That's all eh? Ya won't be sayin' that once you've seen her partner," he chuckled. I frowned, this time at the bartender. If looks could kill. The bartender laughed a while longer before addressing me and Jack. "If ya lookin' for Cara then ya need to come back at sundown, then I'll show ya to her," he said, looking over his glasses at us. I sighed. Sundown? That's a few good hours away! Jack also sighed, apparently thinking the same as me. "Sundown? Fine, we'll come back then. Thanks anyways," Jack said as he folded up the paper and walked away from the bar. I nodded to the bartender and murmured thanks. I sighed and walked away, following Jack as we weaved back through the card game tables. As I followed Jack out I strayed too close to a man who was playing cards. All of a sudden a hard smack was felt on my behind. I flinched and immediately my hands went to my rear. I frowned and turned back, glaring at the man who had slapped me. "Hiya sweet cheeks," he chuckled. I gritted my teeth, trying to hold back the string of insults that were desperate to burst past my lips. "How about it? You and me?" he asked, chuckling and raising his eyebrows suggestively while a provocative smirk spread across his chapped lips. I grimaced and clenched my fists. "I am not a prostitute, sir," I said in a strained voice. I was trying my best to keep calm. The man and his 'friends' laughed at me. By now Jack had paused, sensing I wasn't behind him, and was looking back into the saloon from the swinging doors. "Aw, sweet cheeks don't be like that, I'll pay yer," he said, smirking. I gritted my teeth again.
"That's the problem with men like you," I began as I slowly reached my hand behind me. "You always think with your groin rather than your head, don't ya?" My searching fingers touched cool glass and clasped around the neck of a bottle. The grubby man before me raised a brow before standing up from his chair, a confident smile smeared across his face. "Look, I'm willin' to pay top dollars, especially for a body like yer's," he said as his eyes slid over my figure. I cringed. "So, how about we go up stairs now?" he breathed, leaning in closer and grasping my upper arm.
"Let. Go. Of. Me," I growled viciously. I gripped the bottle tight and swung it round, hitting the man square in the left side of his head. A shower of alcohol and shards of green glass flew over the card table where the man's friends sat with their mouths agape. The man who had been hit with the bottle slumped to the ground; unconscious and soaked with alcohol and blood leaking from his temple. It mingled with the alcohol to create a fowl combination. The bar fell into a thick, choking silence as all eyes were on me. I straightened up cleared my throat, regaining my composure. I spun on my heel and marched from the bar, out past Jack and onto the dusty Armadillo street.
Jack was stood with wide eyes as he slowly closed the saloon doors and followed me to our hitched horses. "Eva, that was... wow," he stuttered, gazing at me. "Ya sure put him in his place." A wide grin spread across his face. I shrugged and tightened my bun.
"Well, I wasn't gonna stand for it... A prostitute," I scoffed, crossing my arms across my chest. "I don't even look like a prostitute! I mean... I-I don't, do I?" I said unsure, as I unfolded my arms and looked at Jack. Jack chuckled. "No, of course not. You look fine as you are," Jack answered. I smiled and sighed with relief.
"Thank you, Jack." I began to absent minded play with Dash's mane as I thought about our current predicament. "So, where we off to now, since we have to wait until sundown," I asked. Jack sighed and put his hands on his belt.
"We've got a while, but not enough to go back to the MacFarlane ranch. I'd suggest we go check in with the Marshall," Jack said, motioning with his head towards the other end of town. I nodded. "Maybe he'll give us an outlaw to hunt," I said hopefully. Jack laughed.
"An outlaw? Now why on earth would you wanna go after an outlaw for?" Jack asked. I raised an eyebrow.
"You go after outlaws, yes?" Jack nodded. "Then I'd like to go after an outlaw. I mean, it sounds interesting and exciting, and I am bringing justice and earning a few dollars all at the same time!" I explained enthusiastically and grinned at Jack. Jack smiled and shook his head.
"Bonnie was right, you are headstrong."
Jack and I walked to Marshall Arrington's office, leaving our horses hitched outside the saloon. We walked in and found his office empty, except for a woman who was sobbing loudly on a chair in the corner of the dark room. She shot up when she heard us enter. "O-oh my! Marshall, I-I." He sentence was cut short when she saw it was only Jack and me. Her eyes were bloodshot and blotchy and had black bags under them. Her face was as wet as a marsh and had a very stressed and tired look about it. The poor woman was trembling and could barely stand. "O-oh it's... have you seen the Marshall?" she asked. I glanced at Jack and shook my head.
"No," I said slowly. The woman nodded stiffly before bursting into another wave of fresh tears and collapsing back into the wooden chair.
"Hey, Miss, you alright?" Jack asked softly, stepping forward slightly.
The woman choked out through her tears, "I-it's my husband. My husband, he's been captured, and he's..." She trailed off and sobbed harder into her hands. Jack looked at me and I shrugged slightly while my eyebrows knitted together in worry for the woman. I walked forward and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "What's happened to your husband?" I asked just as softly as Jack. She gasped and latched onto my arm which was on her back. I jumped, startled by her sudden movements, and instantly became uncomfortable. "He's goin' to be killed!" she cried. I stared at her wide eyed. Jack frowned.
"Killed? By who?" he asked. The woman sniffed and wiped under her eyes.
"A gang; they say he cheated in poker and they've took him! They've took him out to Hanging Rock and they're gonna kill him!" she screamed the words out before collapsing into fresh tears. As she released my arm I stood up straight and look directly at Jack. Our eyes met. Jack nodded and turned to the woman, gently touching her shoulder. "We'll go find him, Miss. We'll bring him back, don't you worry." The woman's head shot up.
"Oh please! Please, please, please!" she begged, reaching out to Jack. Jack moved back and stood beside me. Slowly, we turned and walked out the office. "Please, save my husband!"
As we walked out into the sunlight I sighed heavily. I turned to Jack who was readjusting his hat. "Hanging Rock, is that far?" I asked. He shook his head.
"It ain't too far. We should be there in less than four minutes." I nodded and stuck two fingers into my mouth. I whistled and watched as Dash came cantering over. Jack also whistled and his horse followed. We mounted swiftly and I waited for Jack to go first, before following behind him. "That poor woman," I said as we cantered along the trail. "Does that happen often?" I asked. Jack nodded.
"Yep. There's always someone who need's my help." I giggled.
"Does it bother you?" Jack shrugged.
"Not really, I normally get paid so I ain't complaining," he answered. I raised an eyebrow.
"Money? I never pegged you for the money driven type." Jack chuckled.
"I ain't, it just pays to have a little cash with ya, ya know." I gulped and looked shyly at Jack.
"A-are you implying... Prostitutes?" Jack's eyes widened before he erupted into laughter.
"No Eva, most of them are too old for me, and if I did then I'm sure my ma would turn over in her grave," he answered, chuckling still. I nodded and giggled at my own rash thoughts. "Besides, I don't need to pay for it," Jack said, winking at me. I laughed at him and rolled my eyes.
"Whatever you say, Jack Marston, whatever you say."
Up ahead, amidst the cacti, loomed a cluster of large rocks. Atop the largest rock stood a bony tree, its branches like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky. "I take it that is Hanging Rock," I said to Jack as we slowed our horses. He nodded and pulled out his rifle from off his back.
"We'll leave our horses here," he said as he slid out of the saddle. I followed suit. I pulled out my Henry Repeater and held it ready, finger sitting close to the trigger. "Stay quiet," Jack whispered as we crept closer to Hanging Rock. We hid behind a large boulder and peered cautiously around it. Hanging from the skeletal tree was a long, thick rope; the end was looped and in that loop was a man whose hands were clawing desperately at the knot. Men surrounded the struggling man and were circling him like a pack of wolves. I frowned and looked at Jack. "Ready?" I asked. He nodded.
"Ready. I'll take out those bastards and you shoot the man down," he said. I nodded.
"Fine by me, though feel free to save a few for me," I whispered before crawling to the very edge of the rock.
"Ready... go!" Jack leapt from cover and began shooting; cutting down his opponents left and right. The men yelled with surprise and pointed their own guns towards us. I ran from cover and ran as close as I could in order to get a clear shot. A few bullets whizzed past me but I resisted the urge to flinch and aimed the gun steady. I pulled the trigger and a bullet shot out towards the rope. The bullet cut through the rope; causing the man to fall to earth and gasp like a fish out of water. "Damn you!" one man yelled, as he fired his gun at me. I yelped at it just missed me. I pointed my own gun at him and sent two burning bullets into his chest. He coughed in pain and shock before falling to the ground, blood gurgling up from his throat. I watched as the other men were shot down and soon, there was none. I glanced back at Jack who was jogging towards the rock and ran forward to the man's aid. I pulled out my brand new knife (which I still had yet to use) and easily cut through the ropes binding his legs together. The man was writhing on the ground; gasping for air. Jack came over and helped the man sit up. "You okay, partner?" Jack asked. The man nodded and managed to choke out a few words. "Yes... Yes, thank you..." The man coughed and rubbed his neck gingerly before stumbling to his feet. Jack helped him stay steady. "Thank you, so much... How..? What..?"
"We met your wife and she said you were out here," Jack explained. The man coughed again and rubbed at his eyes. They were watering.
"God bless her soul, I must! I must go see her!" he yelled, suddenly determined to get back to his wife. He began to stumble, almost blindly, around, trying to get to Armadillo. "Whoa there partner, you're in no condition to walk. I think it's best we give you a ride to town," Jack said. I nodded, whistled to call our horses over, and turned to Jack. "I think it best if you take him, Dash doesn't look too happy," I said, motioning towards my horse whose ears were laid back flat against his head with a wild look in his eye. Jack nodded and moved towards the man. "Come on, you can ride on my horse." Jack mounted his horse and helped the man up. I mounted Dash and together we cantered back to town.
We rode back along the dusty trail, past the tumbleweeds and into Armadillo. We took the man to the Marshall's office, where he all but fell off Jack's horse in a desperate attempt to be reunited with his wife. "Nancy! Na-Nancy! I-I'm back! I'm alive, honey!" he began yelling and scrambling at the dust as he staggered to his feet. The door to the Marshall's office swung open and the woman from before emerged, red eyed and sobbing. "Joe? Joe! Joe, dear! You're alive!" she cried, rushing forward and enveloping her husband in a hug. Jack and I sat on our horses, watching the two. I couldn't help but smile at the happy couple. After a few more hugs and sobs the man turned to us. "Thank you, thank you so much! Please, take this money, the both of you, please. I-it's not much but I want you to have it!" he begged as he walked forward towards me and Jack. He thumbed in his pockets before pulling out a small wad of cash. "Here." He handed it to Jack before rushing back to his wife's side. "Thank you!" she shouted one last time as Jack and I nodded and turned our horses away from them. We walked down the street and back to the saloon.
"That was kinda sweet," I said, nodding backwards to the husband and wife.
Jack shrugged, "I guess." He handed me half the money and I raised an eyebrow.
"You don't think it's sweet? How they were reunited?" I asked curiously as I stuffed the money away in my satchel. Jack shrugged again.
"I think it's sweet, jus' sweeter if it was me," he mumbled. I smiled slightly.
"You ain't got a sweet heart?" I asked. He shook his head.
"No. Ya thought I did?" I giggled and nodded.
"In all honesty, yes. I imagined you to be the type with a girl back home, waiting eagerly for you to return home for a few days before you head out again into the wild west," I explained dramatically, grinning. Jack chuckled.
"Well, I'm afraid that I'm very much alone," he said. I laughed slightly.
"You and me both," I replied. Jack looked at me.
"You haven't got a man either?" he asked. I shook my head and waved my hand dismissively.
"No, Pa would sometimes introduce me to his friend's sons but that never went anywhere..." Jack nodded slowly.
"You know, it gets awful lonely out there, on the trail all the time," Jack said softly. I could hear a hint of sadness in his voice.
"It is?" Jack nodded.
"I'm afraid so," he sighed. I looked down at the horn of my saddle then back up at Jack.
"You know, it wouldn't be so lonely if I was with you," I said slyly. Jack raised a brow.
"I'm not sure Miss MacFarlane would agree," he said, smiling.
"Aw, come on, please, I won't get in the way! You've seen how I handle a gun! Can't I come with you jus' for a while? Please?" I begged, leaning forward in the saddle. Jack chuckled. "It's Bonnie you should be talkin' to. If I had my way we'd be out exploring Mexico," he said. I gasped.
"Mexico?" Jack grinned and nodded. "That's so exotic! I'd love to go to Mexico!" I whined. Jack only laughed at me. I pouted and crossed my arms. "Jus' you wait, Jack Marston. I'll convince Bonnie to let me go, jus' you wait and see," I said firmly. Jack laughed and tipped his hat.
"I look forward to it," he said as we stopped outside the saloon. I looked at the sun. It was the very beginning of sundown and I sighed.
"Should we jus' go in and wait?" I suggested. Jack shrugged.
"Sure, ain't got anything else to do."
Jack and I walked in the saloon to find the mess I had created cleared up and the man and his friends missing. I suppressed a giggle. We walked to the bar and sat down; the bartender from before walked over while he wiped clean a glass. "Ah, you two again; Cara should be here in a while. How about a drink to wet ya whistles while ya wait?" he asked. Jack turned to me.
"You want a drink? They're on me," he asked. I chuckled nervously and shook my head.
"Alcohol doesn't exactly... agree with me. It's a long story, best saved for around the campfire," I replied, shifting my position on the stool. A very embarrassing story, one I hope to never share... Jack turned back to the bartender. "One whisky please," he said. The bartender nodded and walked off to fetch Jack's drink. He glanced at me. "So, alcohol?" he asked. I blushed slightly.
"Yep; we ain't the best of friends," I said. Jack chuckled.
"I can only imagine it."
"Please don't." The bartender returned with Jack's whisky and handed it to him. Jack thanked him and took a gulp.
"Jus' you two hang on, I'll go see if Cara's here," the bartender said before walking away into the back of the saloon. I watched Jack drink his whisky and felt my cheeks heat up. Now that I think about it, he is kinda handsome... Very handsome. Certainly more than some of Pa's friend's sons... And he's got a lovely personality too... No! Eva, you must not think like this! It's inappropriate! I frowned and shook my head, clearing my thoughts. It was then that I noticed Jack watching me. I blushed and adverted my eyes forwards onto the bar. "What?" I asked. Jack chuckled but said nothing. We sat in silence for a while longer before the barman emerged from the back of the bar. "Cara's here; come with me an' I'll take ya to her," he said, waving us over with his hand. I glanced at Jack as I pushed away from the bar; he swallowed the rest of his drink before laying the glass down and walking over to the barman with me.
We followed him away from the main saloon (which was steadily filling with more people) and into the back rooms. He lead us into a room that smelt very strongly of alcohol; so strongly that it made my nose burn and caused me to bring my hands up and cup them around it. I glanced at Jack to see him grinning at me. Apparently he had no problem with the smell. I looked forward and saw a group of women sitting on tatted sofa's with bottles of drink in their hands and some a cigarette. The barman cleared his throat and the giggling girls' attentions were snapped to us. Their heavily made up eyes scanned me quickly before gliding, and staying, on Jack. The barman coughed and spoke, "Cara, these two wish to speak to ya." The scantily clad women giggled and a few nudged a woman who was sat near the centre.
"Speak to me? Do they want my services?" Cara asked in a soft voice. The woman giggled again and I shifted nervously.
"No ma'am, we jus' wanna talk to you," Jack answered, ignoring the swooning and giggling woman that surrounded us. Cara nodded and stood up.
"Come with me, we can speak somewhere more quiet," she said, winking at us. I rolled my eyes and followed the woman out of the room. Her heels made a distinctive clip clop on the wood as we followed her into another room; one that smelt less like alcohol and smoke. She motioned to a table and chair. "Please, have a seat," she said as she lit a cigarette and sat haphazardly on a chair. Me and Jack pulled out seats and sat. It was now, when I was level with the woman that I fully took in her appearance. She had golden curls, tied up scruffily in a bun with lots of makeup around her icy blue eyes. Her lashes were long and she had a confident and suggestive smile on her rouge lips. She took a puff of her cigarette before exhaling and making small hoops. "What do ya wanna talk to me about? Are ya'll sure ya don't want my services, ya'll look a little lonely?" she asked, giving Jack a hungry look. I raised an eyebrow at the woman and couldn't help but feel a small pang of protectiveness. "No thank you ma'am, I'm alright. What we're here for is to ask you a few questions," Jack said. Cara gazed at him for a few seconds before speaking.
"Fire away," she said. Jack reached into his satchel and pulled out the slip of paper we found on the dead body. He unfolded it and handed it to Cara.
"Here, we were up in Tumbleweed checking the place out when we found this on a dead body." Clara stared at the paper, turned it over and looked at the back, before looking at us again. "It's just a piece of paper," she said, raising an eyebrow. I decided to speak.
"Well, we were wondering if anyone came in and asked for you specifically, maybe they used this paper?" I suggested. Cara glanced at me then scanned me up and down. I frowned slightly, feeling somewhat exposed; like being caught in the open in the middle of a gunfight. A small smile spread across her face. "Darlin' have ya'll ever thought about being a working girl?" she asked. My eyes widened with shock before I raised an eyebrow.
"Erm... No, prostitution is not a career I'd particularly enjoy," I answered carefully. Cara burst into a light laughter and began fanning herself slightly.
"Are ya'll sure? With looks like that you'd do well, especially with a body and bust like that," she said, her eyes gazing over my chest. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment and immediately folded my arms over my chest protectively. "No, I'm sure I don't want to be a prostitute," I said through gritted teeth. Cara laughed again. "Oh honey, no need to get so worked up. I was just makin' a suggestion, that's all," she said, taking another puff of her cigarette. I adverted my eyes and took to taking in my surroundings before I suddenly grew impatient. "Well?" Cara raised a brow.
"Well what?"
"Did someone use this piece of paper of not?" I asked, my voice rising slightly. She sighed and brushed away some dirt from her corset.
"Well, I think I can remember someone, but then again, Wednesday was a long time ago, and I'm havin' trouble remembering. Perhaps some proper stimulation would help bounce things along," she said in a soft, husky voice as she leant forwards on the table slightly. I felt myself grow angry at Cara and quickly looked at Jack. He moved backwards in his chair and looked slightly uncomfortable. I turned back to her and glared at the prostitute. "Listen lady, we didn't come all the way here from Hennigan's Stead just for you to lay with my friend here," I snapped, jabbing a thumb in Jack's direction. Cara raised a brow and sat back in her chair. "He's already said he don't want any... services, so are you gonna answer our questions or not!" I finished, feeling my sudden burst of anger slowly ebb away. Cara stared at me for a few moments, the silence suffocating us. She suddenly smiled at me with some sort of new found respect. "No woman's ever talked to me like that," she said with a smile. I shrugged and put my hands in my lap. "Well then you ain't ever met a woman with a backbone," I said. She giggled before extinguishing her cigarette.
"I will help ya if ya'll help me," she said. I raised an eyebrow.
"Help you how?"
"Ever since I was a lil' girl I've always wanted my own horse. Now, bein' a lady of the night, even though I make money I still don't have enough to buy my own horse, 'specially with that wretched old Herbert Moon running the store. He makes us whores pay extra! I would be mighty grateful if ya'll could get me a horse, but it can't be any old horse. See, at Ridgewood farm they have a beautiful Tobiano Pinto and I'd love him but I can't afford him. Maybe ya'll could... oh, I don't know, maybe steal him or buy him. 'Course if ya'll buy him I can pay ya back later with favours." She winked at Jack as she finished her explanation. Again I felt anger surface inside me and I decided to cut the meeting short. "We'll get you your horse by tomorrow," I said standing up. Jack also stood up. Cara grinned and nodded.
"I look forward to it," she sung cheerily. I nodded goodbye and stiffly walked out the room. Jack, however, politely tipped his hat.
"Good day ma'am, thank you for the help."
"Goodbye, handsome man, come see me next time you're in town," Cara said with a wink.
Jack and I quickly left the room and walked back out to the front of the saloon. On our way we passed a few prostitutes who gave us curious looks. Some even commented to Jack, "Hey handsome, are ya busy?" Very busy, too busy to waste his time with you, I thought sourly.
"What a lusty specimen you are, I like that!" By the time we had escaped the hookers and slid past the gamblers and drunks, I welcomed the fresh, night air with open arms. "Well... that was interesting," Jack said as we stood outside the saloon. By now the sun had almost disappeared behind the western horizon and the sky was painted a deep purple and blue, turning almost black. Stars were just beginning to peek through the clouds and I spent a few more seconds gazing at the sky before I sighed. "Very interesting..." I muttered. Jack chuckled.
"You did well though," he said. I raised an eyebrow.
"I did?" He nodded.
"You stood up to her and kept her from straying too far from subject," he said. I nodded.
"I guess so." A proud smile worked its way onto my face despite my best efforts to keep it hidden. Jack saw it and patted me on the shoulder.
"Now, I think it's about time we got back to Bonnie and explained to her what's happened," Jack said. I nodded and grinned up at him.
"She's probably gonna bite our heads off when we get back," I said. Jack chuckled.
"Probably." We both walked over to our horses and mounted. I settled myself in the saddle before yawning. "Let's get goin'," Jack said, spurring his horse. I spurred Dash and together we trotted through Armadillo, moving into a gallop once we cleared the buildings. We moved quickly under the silver moonlight which had now emerged through the clouds. I was beginning to grow more and more tired, longing for a warm, comfortable bed. I mentally sighed. I felt my eyelids grew heavier and heavier, my mind becoming cloudy. I yawned again and slackened my hold on the reins a little. Dash kept galloping while I sat still in the saddle. I looked up at the stars and saw there was thousands, millions, of them scattering the sky. I smiled and concentrated back onto the dusty road.
I and Jack soon arrived at the MacFarlane ranch, both of us feeling weary. I yawned for what felt like the millionth time and stretched as I dismounted near the stables. Jack stood nearby holding his horse's reins. I walked Dot Dot Dash into his stall and quickly took his saddle and bridle off. He immediately went to the hay and began chewing away. I smiled at my horse before walking out of the stall and following Jack to his cabin. "What're we gonna do about this horse then?" I asked as we walked. Jack shrugged and sighed. "Well, I suppose we're gonna have to go up to Ridgewood farm tomorrow and see how much they want for the horse," he said. I bit my lip in hesitation before I finally asked, "And what if it costs too much?" Jack paused before shrugging slightly.
"I don't know... we'll think of something," he answered. I nodded and yawned again. Jack chuckled. "Are you tired? You've been doin' a lot of that since we left Armadillo," Jack asked, laughter present in his deep, rich voice.
"Jus' a tad, no one, man or beast, can run forever," I said. Jack laughed again.
"Yes, but for someone who aint done a lot of running you sure are tired." I rolled my eyes but smiled at the man before slapping him lightly on the arm.
"Hush you," I said.
We walked up to Jack's cabin where he hitched his horse and left it some food to eat. Next we walked to Bonnie's house; it stood as impressively as it did this morning with its windows alive with the golden glow of lights. As soon as we walked in the front door we were greeted by Bonnie. "There you two are! I thought the coyotes had got ya," she said, with a smile on her face. I grinned back.
"I'm afraid not, but we did find ourselves a dead man and a hooker." Bonnie froze and stared at me.
"Pardon?" she asked. I giggled.
"Let me explain..." I then proceeded to explain the day's events; from finding the dead body in Tumbleweed to meeting with Cara in the dusk. Bonnie listened carefully but frowned as I finished my story. "So, I've been here all day, wondering about your wellbeing for you to come back and tell me you're leaving again first thing in the morning?" she asked, her voice rising slightly. I swallowed back the growing guilt as best I could.
"I'm sorry Bonnie if we made ya worried..." I trailed off and Bonnie's expression lightened.
"I'm sorry if I'm a lil' snappy, I was jus' worried for you, that's all. But, I guess I should trust you more Jack, especially if you take after your father," she said, smiling at us. I smiled back and looked at Jack to see him smiling slightly, but he had a pained look on his face. Does it still hurt for him to talk about his Pa like that? I thought as I studied his face carefully. I quickly shook my head and paid attention to Bonnie again. "Well, you better get off to bed, both of you. 'Specially if you're leaving in the morning," Bonnie said, bidding us goodnight and walked away up the stairs. I turned to Jack once the blonde woman disappeared out of sight.
"Well, that went better than expected," I said, smiling. He nodded.
"Yeah, it did," he said quietly. I frowned softly as I looked at Jack.
"Are you okay?" I asked. He seemed to snap out of some reverie before he looked at me.
"I-I'm fine," he said. I looked at him unconvinced.
"Are you sure? You don't look okay." I stepped forward and laid a hand on his broad shoulder, giving him a warm smile. "Why don't we get some shut eye? We got a big day ahead of us tomorrow," I said. Jack smiled at me and nodded.
"Good night Eva," he said, tipping his hat and walking out the room.
"Good night," I said. The door closed, leaving me alone. "Jack."