𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘳

Chapter 4. Slip

I sit down on a bar stool, squeezing myself between two gruff men. They obviously weren't very happy about it but I could care less. I am parched!

"Just water, mister. That's all, please," I ask, taking my hat off and placing it on the bar.

"Hey! It's..." There's a voice calling to me, and I turn around. It's Millie, but she trails off without remembering my name. Not that I ever gave it.

"Hey, insurance girls!" I call back, grabbing the water and heading over to their table, without sitting. "How's the search for Vash going?" Then without really listening, I down the water vigorously and wipe my mouth clean with a sparkling smile.

"We're going without rumours... which isn't going to well..." Meryl sighs. "How about you?"

"Had him, lost him. C'mon, you have to admit Vash matches all the descriptions we've seen so far," I say. "I lost him back in Marlon's, sped off before I could grab his coat again. And I thought I finally had him..."

"You know, you don't seem like a very good bounty hunter..."

"The man is slippery, I tell you! It's cause I'm being all friendly and shit, I don't really know if I wanna take him to the Feds or what."

"Hey there, wanna play a round?" a girl behind us asks. She dressed up an awful lot, with a fancy dress and gloves. She could be the mayor's daughter, or the owner of the saloon.

"Oh, I like card games." I mean, I do if I don't have to bet money. I love it when I bet it all.

"So do I. I'll play and we'll be betting your life." A man pulls out his gun from behind her, one of the gruff ones I was sitting beside before.

I gasp in alarm before pulling out my pistol, firing at his gun so it flings over the bar. The moment my bullet leaves the barrel, there are three other guns pointed at me, "Oh, ha-ha. Looks like I'm outmatched this time... AAH! Put me down!"

They haul me off behind the bar while others ran away, tying me up and throwing me on the ground with Millie, Meryl, and one of the card woman's butlers.

Card woman herself was tied up exclusively from us, force to hang from the ceiling by her hands. Guess she is one special snowflake to these bandits...

"Don't touch me! What the hell?!" I bluff, as I guess the 'leader' is patting me down. He reaches my breasts and reaches inside my blouse to pull out the grenades, "What? There are all sorts of ways for girls to be distracting there, alright?"

"Really?" He pulls out my knife and revolver. Then my pistol and Katana.

"Hey-- be careful with that, it was custom made as a gift!" I say, indicating the revolver.

"You pack a lot of fire power for a kid. I don't know what's in your job description."

"Hunt down maniacal murderers and bring them in dead or alive," I reply, even though he was not asking a question.

"You think you're real funny, don't you, kid?" He crouches down so he's eye-level with me, pointing a gun in my forehead. "I reckon you wanna make it through alive, but you could be the discipline. I don't like bounty hunters like you, shooting whoever to get money on your plate."

"Got mouths to feed," I scoff.

"Keep yours shut."

Next thing I know, they're  shooting outside at a man singing. As soon as he steps inside, they all point guns at his face. He pulls off his glasses and his gum pops on his face. Money.

I beam as soon as they haul him off to tie him with ropes, almost drooling with hunger to take out my target. I don't care now, I'm just about ready to shoot the guy.