Young Guns: Fire and Steel

Chapter 21: The Wicked Outlaw Queen of the West

((Author Note!: Trigger warning! This chapter will have adult and mature themes such as mentions of abuse and sexual violence and/or rape. And as usual there will be violence, gore, and foul language. Just a word of warning in advance.))

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Sitting in the same small saloon in Santa Rosa that Kristal had ignored him at, Ace traced the wooden lines on the table with his eyes. After sending out his men to follow the younger Starr woman, he had tried to enjoy the company of a Senorita and a beer. Neither satisfied. Not like how he knew taking Kristal Starr would. He dreamed of her in his bed, calling out his name. Sitting at the table knowing his Kitten had been in that very same room hours before bothered him. If only he had arrived sooner.

As time passed, he realized he needed to move on, away from the place he had last seen her. He was obsessing over the fact that she had been within arms reach and he didn't take her. So, he had to move. His men would find him easy enough. That Indian bastard would find him anywhere and he knew it. And even if they had trouble, he had Dade stay at the saloon. The man was to keep an ear open for any information about Kristal and these Regulators she was running with, as well as to bring his men to his new location when they returned. He knew of a little town near the Colorado border that would be perfect to lay low and wait.

So, he had gone northwest towards the territory border. Stopping in Agua Negra Chiquita, a small town with Mexican settlers meant no one would know him and that was just how he liked it. It wasn't too far from his original stop, so when he got word of Kristal's whereabouts he could quickly go for her. He just hoped it would be by morning. He wasn't sure how long he could wait after being so damn close!

Agua Negra Chiquita barely had a saloon, a general store, a blacksmith and livery. But all Ace cared about in that moment was something to slake his thirst. The saloon would do just that and so would a woman. He needed to sate his lust until he had his Kitten in his arms again.

To his dismay, there were no working girls at the hole in the wall saloon. Angry, he ordered a bottle of whiskey and started drinking. A poker game was taking place in the corner of the small adobe hovel, but he took no notice. He was brooding and he knew it. The whiskey didn't help him forget about the last time he had been with the younger Starr woman. Damn, he couldn't get her out of his head. And not one woman could ever take her place. Mostly because they were all too accommodating. Kristal was a firecracker. Sharp, untouchable, dangerous... and yet he came so close. And he vowed to go all the way next time.

The more he thought about her, the darker his mood became. He really needed a woman to satisfy his urges. Maybe he could find one in the locals, he could pay them well enough.

As he sat contemplating his options, a shadow loomed over him but he took no notice. He was starting to grow a little tipsy, after downing his fifth glass of whiskey. Or was that the sixth? He couldn't keep track anymore.

"Aww, what's a' matter Ace. Can't find a girl to fuck?" A woman's gruff twang sounded from over his right shoulder. "They all finally get wise ta yer no-good ugly ass?"

Ace immediately recognized that voice. He'd never forget it. He laughed at the irony. Of course it would be her. He had heard she was searching for the same thing he was. "What's it to you, Starr?" He looked up to see a tall woman, with a long chestnut colored braid hanging casually over one shoulder.

The woman had a few wrinkles on her forehead and crow's feet at the corner of her eyes. She was dressed in a simple shirt, with a brown skirt and a gun belt hitched to her waist. Her skin was weather worn and chapped. Though it was her deep brown eyes that made her appear malicious and wicked. Many men feared her. Not because she looked scary, even though half the time she did appear down right terrifying. No, it was more so because of what the woman was capable of. Belle was quite deadly with a gun. Accurate and quick for a woman. But worse than that, she had Apache connections. And she knew much of the Apache ways herself that she could torture or scalp a man if she were so inclined.