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Gentry had come home three weeks later to find Sydney living in the ruined remains of Gentry's home and half out of her mind with grief. Despite her own heartbreak, her own loss, Gentry had taken the girl under her wing. That had been more than two months ago, and the two had been inseparable ever since. I imagined all that was why they'd come to Ashland in the first place-Gentry had needed the bounty on Bria to get back on her feet and to provide a better life for Sydney.
Gentry nodded. "Fair enough. But what about the girl? Sydney's caused you quite a few problems as well. "
"I don't kill kids-ever. "
Sydney straightened her spine. "I'm not a kid. I'm sixteen years old. "
I gave her an amused look. "Sure you are, sweetheart. Enjoy it while it lasts. "
Sydney opened her mouth to protest, but one stern look from Gentry shushed her.
I gestured at their clothes. "Well, I see that you're treating yourselves to the nicer things in life, since you collected on your bounty. A million dollars can go a long way toward making life more comfortable. "
Gentry winced a little at my pointed barb. "I don't care so much for the money myself. I've never needed much. But the girl here is a different story. Her parents came to an unfortunate end, and I'm looking after her. Now I've got enough money to take care of her-even send her to college so she can get a real job. "
"But I want to be a bounty hunter like you, Gentry," Sydney protested.
Gentry gave her a fierce look. "You might be a fair enough shot for it, but a girl needs to know more than just how to shoot guns. There's book learning too, you know. "
Sydney didn't say anything, but I could see the determination in her face. No matter if Gentry sent her to a dozen colleges, she'd always want to be a bounty hunter, just like the old woman. I stared at the girl, and, once again, I saw myself at that age. With a dead family and a strange new mentor that I didn't know quite what to make of. I wondered where Sydney would be in seventeen years. If our roles would be reversed, and I'd be in Gentry's shoes by then.
The thought made me smile.
Still looking at the girl, Gentry stuck her hand into her jacket pocket.
"Gently," I cautioned her. "I'm feeling a might twitchy today. So is Sophia here. "
"Hmph. " Beside me, the dwarf grunted.
"Of course you are," Gentry murmured.
She grabbed something in her jacket pocket and came out with it slowly, keeping her movements small and steady. Then she handed me a business card with a cell phone number on it. A rune was also stamped on the card in black foil. A revolver. The symbol for deadly accuracy. Fitting, given what I knew about the bounty hunter.
"Sydney and I have decided to leave Ashland behind for a warmer climate. If you're ever down in Charleston, give me a call," Gentry said. "Because based on what I saw in that courtyard, I'd sure as hell like to buy you a drink someday. "
I probably should have ripped the card into pieces. Or better yet, stuck it on the end of my knife and then put them both through Gentry. After all, this was the woman who'd kidnapped my sister and carted her off to be tortured by Mab. But Gentry was also the reason that Bria was still breathing, which was something I just couldn't overlook. So I took the card and slid it into the pocket of my jeans.
"I just might do that. "
"Well, Gin, I can't say that it's been a pleasure doing business with you, but it's certainly been an experience. "
"I would say the same thing about you, Gentry. You certainly gave me a run for my money, and you earned every penny of that million that Mab paid you. "
"Ah, now you're just flattering an old woman," she said, but a pleased blush crept up her leathery neck.
"That's something else you should know about me. I don't flatter people-ever. "
A grin creased her wrinkled face. "Either way, Sydney and I need to be going. There's a bus that leaves for Charleston in an hour, and we plan to be on it. So you take care now, Gin. I hope we meet again someday. "
"You too, Gentry, Sydney," I said and meant it. "You take care too. "
Gentry nodded, before she and the girl turned and left the restaurant for the final time.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. People came and went, eating, talking, laughing, gossiping, but no one entered the restaurant looking like they wanted to do me immediate harm. I enjoyed the calm, even though I knew it wouldn't last.
Finally, about six that afternoon, more customers left than came in, and I thought about closing early. After being cooped up in Jo-Jo's house for the better part of a month, I found myself with a case of spring fever. I wanted to take a walk, do some yoga in the park, anything that would get me outside into the fresh air and sunshine. I'd just turned around to tell Sophia to shut off the stoves, when the front door opened, causing the bell to chime, and a young girl stepped inside.
I watched her, waiting for her mother or father to come inside after her, but no one did. After a moment, I realized that no one was going to. She was here all by her lonesome. She was twelve, maybe thirteen, far too young to be wandering around this close to Southtown by herself.
