"So my Ma always said that Pa had been killed by bandits, said that they attacked our ranch and he went out fightin, killed em all and then died, bullet wound to the gut. Ma even had a headstone made and everything. Father was white, ma was black, so I'm thinkin Billy was a bit shamed havin laid down with a black woman and he left. My whole life I was told my daddy had been a slave and used his reparation money to buy our ranch, my ma was just a whore. Also didn't find that out till she was on her death bed, she didn't even tell me Billy was my dad either, took that one to her grave. I found out he was my pa before I put a bullet in his brain, he confessed everything, he said I had his eyes, and his grin." She spat off to the side and took a puff of her cigar. "Take it back a few years after I grew into my own, ninteen, ma was dead, ranchin wasn't somethin I ever wanted to do, sold the ranch, took what money I had and set out. Found a gang o' cattle rustlers and joined em, I was always good with a rope and horse, we stole entire herds under the moonlight, got filthy fuckin rich too, sellin stolen cattle was cheap easy money, you made less per head, but you could sell em quick on the black market." She walked over and stirred the stew then spooned a sip of the broth, "More salt." she said and put some in and stirred it.
"Few years of that and I was just about ready to retire, we had made a name for ourselves, killed many a law man comin after us too, I think I even went toe to toe with the Rough Riders, man himself took a shot at me. I took one right back!" she laughed, "Thats why he limps now, shot him right in the thigh, knocked him off his horse and broke his ankle, his boys cared too much, they woulda had me, but they turned back to save his life." Another puff of her cigar, "They came for me not two weeks later, tied me up, was gunna slit my throat and let me bleed out and become bobcat food, but I made em a deal. Told em I would come work for em as a bounty hunter. Who could turn down my wicked hands." She said holding up her hands as if to emphasize. "Gave me some small jobs first, then they tested my loyalty, wanted me to hunt down my old gang, kill em they said, kill em all, so I did." she walked over and stirred the pot again and tasted it, "Mmm, not much longer now." she said putting the spoon down.
Leaning back up against the tree she continued, "So I did, I killed em all, hunted all eight of em down, shot em where they stood, was pretty easy too, none of em fought, and the one that did, he was too damn slow. When an outlaw knows his number is up, he's ready to go. Then they gave me the big job, they wanted me to kill Billy, at the time I didn't know he was my pa, just another assholes bounty came across my saddle and I was gunna take him down. They told me there was a catch, the other gang members, I could kill em from afar, slit their throats in their sleep, didn't matter. With Billy, they wanted him to see the face of his killer. I didn't know why, I didn't care, man was gunna die nothin he could do if he saw my face, wasn't till he was lookin down the barrel of my colt that he said these words: Sonia, my daughter, I'm sorry I left you, I see you grew up strong, and you grew up mean, and you grew up hard." A tear ran down her cheek, "Then he told me where his stash o gold was, and I shot him, right between the eyes, shot him dead. Turned in my badge, dug up the gold, and bought this place here. I own two square miles of desert." she said solemnly. "Paid the nearest law, thats you, to keep my secret." She rubbed her back against the tree, scratching it and yawned, "Whelp, I guess that puts us right about here dunnit?"
Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
