Matters To Me

Chapter 25

Billy shot up with a start at the sound of something foreign in their room. He quickly grabbed his gun and pointed it straight, his other arm reached out, protecting Missie.

She woke up when Billy had, but she remained down, pulling the covers closer to her, her hand grabbing Billy's forearm.

"It's just me," Alias said, lighting his cigarette.

"What are you doing?" Billy asked, keeping his gun pointed at him, not trusting him. Why was he watching him and his wife sleeping?

"Watching you two sleep. Like a baby."

"Why?" Billy asked with a tilt of his head.

"'Cause I'm leaving."

Billy looked at him cautiously. "Now?"

He slowly lowered his gun, as Missie slowly sat up, careful to keep the covers on her as she hid behind Billy. Her hand slowly rested on his bicep.

"Yep. Me and Hooker fell out. He found out. So I shot him. That's why I'm moving on."

Alias smiled and placed his cigarette back in his mouth and walked out the door.

The two of them sat there a moment in silence before Billy slowly turned to her.

"Ya alright?" he asked, his hand finding her shoulder.

She slowly nodded, however she felt sick at the idea of that sick twisted man watching them sleep in their most vulnerable state.

"Billy, what are you going to do for work?" She whispered.

"Don't worry about that right now, I'll figure something out, alright?"

Missie nodded as he got up and quickly dressed, making his way to the front door and locking it. In the heat of the moment the two of them had forgotten to lock the door. A mistake Billy wouldn't make again.

He checked the house for any more possible unwanted guest before he made his way back to bed.

"Are you sure your alright?" He asked.

Missie nodded. "Just shaken up a bit."

He slowly kissed her forehead as the two of them slid back under the covers, however neither of them slept much, every sound keeping the two awake.

~

That morning Missie finished getting ready for the day, ready to head to the saloon. Billy joined her as the two walked together hand in hand.

Missie got Billy some coffee and a paper with some breakfast, kissing his cheek as she went to get to work.

Billy was reading the paper which already had the death of Hooker on the front page.

He slowly took a bite of his jerky as he heard a man enter, laughing like he was already drunk.

"Here's my girl," he said.

Alice gasped as the blacksmith wrapped his arms around her waist, making her jump away.

Billy slowly looked back, making sure he stayed away from Missie. Missie however was passing by his side, her hand rubbing his back as she passed. Once he knew she was alright, he returned back to his paper.

"Well, well, if it ain't Mr. William H. Bonney!" the blacksmith called out.

Billy ignored him, as he continued eating.

"I still reckon you stole that horse."

Billy didn't answer, he was only trying to get a reaction out of him, and prove that he was in fact a thief.

"Hope you folks don't ming playing with a horse thief!" he shouted.

"I told you I ain't no horse thief."

"You! Why don't you shut your fool mouth?" Benjamin, a friend of Missie and Billy spoke up.

"Or what? Huh? Fucking-" the blacksmith proceeded to call him a slur based on his skin tone.

Benjamin quickly pushed his chair back, standing up.

"All right, gentlemen. Settle down, settle down. Come on, come on. Settle down," a man quickly interfered.

Missie stood there in shock, her eyes darting between Billy, the blacksmith, and Benjamin.

"Hey," Billy said sharply. "What've you got against me?"

"Nothin'."

"Well, then, do as he says. Shut your mouth."

"How about you just leave this town?"

"I've got as much a right to be here as you do, Mr. Cahill. It's a free country."

"You're a horse-thief and a liar, boy."

Billy didn't say anything more but was quickly stunned when he grabbed his shirt and pulled him away from the bar. He felt a punch to the face as he was slammed into a table. Someone screamed, whether it was Alice or Missie, Billy couldn't tell as he grabbed Mr. Cahill's head and shoved him back into a post. He slammed his head against it, kneeing him.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Missie shouted.

Mr. Cahill reached and stole Billy's gun from his holster. Billy fought, pushing him back, the two falling to the ground. Billy shouted as he tried to get the gun away from him, feeling it between the two of them.

Suddenly a gunshot rang.

Missie stood there, the ringing of the gun in her ears. She didn't see either one of them moving. She felt her chest tighten.

"Billy?" She whispered.

Billy slowly laid there before he pushed Mr. Cahill off him, the gun in his hand, slowly sitting up.

He just shot a man.

Billy looked at Mr. Cahill beside him, blood starting to ooze onto the floor. He clumsily stood up.

He just killed a man.

He looked to Missie who was standing there. "It wasn't your fault, Billy. It was self desense, we all saw," she said.

Billy stared, the weight of everything crashing down on him.

"You might like to get outta here," a man said.

Billy dropped the gun, looking at everyone who was looking at him like how he felt. A murderer.
Billy stumbled back out of the saloon and ran off.

Missie stood there, glancing down at the blacksmith. The dead blacksmith. Billy was going to be charged with murder.

She suddenly felt her stomach flip and she ran out the back and disposed of the contents in her stomach. The thought of what would happen to Billy set her into a panic.

Alice quickly came out and took hold of her shoulders. "Go home, you're in shock."

Missie pressed her hand to her forehead, everything playing over and over in her head. She had seen death before, plenty of times, but this time it was at the hands of her husband. She didn't blame him, it wasn't his fault, but now he was gone and she didn't know where he went. She didn't know what would happen to him if he came back, if he was found. He already escaped Silver City jail, and now that would come back and be used against him.

If he came back.