Mark eased back down into the chair with a wince. Nathan eased his hand off Jack's mouth and started petting the little snake's head. Then turning his wrist to show off the coiled snake, Nathan informed them all seriously. "You'll want to keep this in mind, boys. Take a good look at his markings. When black touches red, he's a friend. If black touches yellow... you'll wear a halo. Milk snakes mimic the color of a coral snake to scare predators. They like caves and can be really sweet." Nathan booped the nose of the snake, watching it flick a tiny tongue out at him. Taking the snake over to a wooden cabinet, Nathan released it inside and added coolly. "I don't chase them away because they eat the mice that eat my food." Bob shifted uneasily, mumbling out. "So, you're just going to let snakes crawl around in here?" Closing the cabinet quietly, Nate answered simply. "I keep the population under control. I didn't say that I don't eat them. But I'm not always here. So, I'd rather them stay here, then to have something else move in." Wade moved up behind Bob, prepping some kindling for the fire when he interjected softly. "You should still be careful. Milk snakes are harmless, but they befriend and nest with venomous snakes for protection too."

All eyes turned to Wade, who didn't notice at first. The moment he did, he shrugged out anxiously. "What? I had friends that played with snakes. I learned vicariously through them." Clearing his throat, Wade moved to the fireplace and started setting up the logs and kindling. In the short silence that followed, Jack started to whine in pain. He tried to sit up, only to hiss and lay back down. Bob moved closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder in comfort. While Nathan approached to check Jack's wound. The second Nathan's fingers lightly moved over the stitches, Jack jerked and snapped out. "Don't!" Bob jerked, but Nathan didn't. Instead, Nathan asked Jack firmly. "You ever been shot before, kid?" Jack shook his head, his hand reaching down to push Nathan's hand away desperately. Mark huffed out to Nathan. "Of course not. I told you he's a good kid." Nate rolled his eyes, retrieving a bottle from a cabinet as he snapped back at Mark. "Ya, we were all good kids once." Popping the cork from the bottle, Nate told Bob lightly. "Sit him up for a minute."

Bob looked to Mark, before obeying. Jack protested with whines, but gripped Bob's arms for support. Bringing the bottle to his lips, Nathan told him seriously. "Here. Take a few swigs of this." Jack tried to push the bottle away, until Nathan snapped out sternly. "I haven't got meds for your pain, kid. This will burn going down, but it will numb the pain. We can't have you whining all night." Jack's hand shook when he touched the bottle and leaned in to gulp it down. Nathan tiled the heavy bottle for him and when Jack tried to stop after a small sip, Nate forced him to take at least a shot glass worth. Pulling the bottle from him, Jack coughed loudly and strained out with tears stinging his eyes. "Fuck! That burns... What... is that shite?!" Nathan brought the bottle to his own lips to gulp it down easily, before answering casually. "It's called White Lightning. You'd probably know it as Moonshine. Not my strongest stuff, but it has a nice burn." Taking another swig, Nathan moved closer to the fireplace where Wade was starting to make more smoke than fire with two sticks. Leaning over his shoulder, Nathan smirked, then spit the moonshine into the smoking kindling.

The second the moonshine hit the tiny spark of flame on the stick, the fire flared up inches from Wade's face. Falling back onto his ass, Wade yelped, and the others jumped as Nathan laughed. Mark shot a glare at Nathan, muttering out sternly. "That wasn't funny. You could have warned him. He could have gotten burned!" Nathan cooled his laughter, setting the bottle down on the counter as he dryly droned back. "Does scolding people for their bad behavior come naturally to you. Or did they train you to follow every rule?" Mark locked eyes with him, growling back. "Why do you care?" Sitting back up on the counter, Nathan bluntly retorted aloud. "I don't. I'm just curious how that stick got lounged up your ass. Was it voluntary, Lawman? Or shoved up there little by little as you reprimanded people around you to be on their best behavior." Mark leaned forward on his good leg, sneering out without humor. "You really want to know?" Nathan kept his eyes on him but said nothing. So, Mark continued a bit darkly. "That stick was put up there to protect innocent people from venom spitting vermin like yourself. People that grew up without parents to whip their spoiled rotten asses. So, you grew up thinking the world owes you something. Well, it doesn't. Your own choices made you into the oily snake you are. And people like me are paid to beat you to death with that stick to keep the rest of us from dying. All because the world wasn't fair to you."

Slowly sitting back, Mark added a bit bitterly now. "People depend on me to keep vermin like you from ruining their lives. You're an adult. ACT like one." Nathan lowered his eyes from Mark's, shifting to look out the open window again. For a minute or so, only the soft popping and crackling of the growing fire was heard. Then Nathan inhaled and stated out in a low distant voice. "You're wrong about me. I don't believe the world owes me anything. It didn't take people from me. People did." Nathan's guarded eyes met Mark's, before he continued icily. "I've seen things they don't write about in papers. I've seen lawmen board up brothels with women and children inside... and burn it to the ground. I've seen men beaten to death in the street... or worse... all because they were caught in the arms of another man." Tilting his head back on the wall, Nathan told Mark lifelessly. "You're a small town Sheriff. You fight oily snakes with sticks to make the world a better place. I'm the guy that hunts the beast that pretends to be one of the sheep you're protecting. I don't hunt men. I hunt monsters. I do the job your morals and rules can't stomach."

Tilting his jet-black hat over his eyes, Nathan added in a lighter smug tone. "And for your information. My mother isn't dead. She's a whore over in Fenton. And she thinks I'm special." Wade snorted, then blushed as Bob and Mark shot glares at him. Bob patted Jack's shoulder, then told everyone to break the silence. "I'll start cooking those beans." As silence threatened to creep back, Wade suddenly asked Nate cautiously. "The Marshal told us a lot about you. And I was wondering... Is it true that you killed your whole gang because they found out you were a..." Mark flashed Wade a stern look that made him drift off. Pushing the brim of his hat up, Nathan finished with lazy amusement. "A sodomite?" Mark's shoulders fell and he closed his eyes with defeat. Wade swallowed hard. Hefting a sigh, Nathan lowered his brim more, grumbling out flatly. "No. But I'm flattered that that is the lie he choice to spread. Despite what the papers tell you. I've only killed one person for calling me that. He was a fifteen year old kid. Him and his buddies were harassing me at a Saloon. Thought they were hot shit. I brushed them off until he pulled a gun on me. He did it for laughs. I didn't hesitate. I can't afford to hesitate."

Sitting up a little on his elbows, Jack slipped out lightly. "So? What really happened to them?" Nathan exhaled, tipping his hat up to look outside, before answering. "We were robbing a bank on the coast. Everything was going to plan... Until we got ambushed. It wasn't just lawmen and deputies. It was a small garrison of military men too. They shot us down and dragged up out like livestock into the street. Our gang was worth more alive... As the men were splitting up the profits for our capture. The man you know as the Marshal... got a good share too." Finally turning to look at them, Nathan grimly regaled. "Our leader had made a deal with the Governor. He'd get a full pardon for his crimes and a share of the money to start a new life. All he had to do was turn us in. He'd set us up, but that wasn't all he'd done. Some gold went missing from the bank. The lawmen believed they'd missed one of us. So, I watched these lawmen torture my friends. Butcher them like cattle with smiles on their faces... They never found the gold. And my friends are dead. I've spent the last few years hunting him down... and he knew I was coming for him. So, he kept running. But for some reason set himself up in your town. I guess he got tired of running from me."

Mark leaned back in his seat; his face distant as he lost himself in his thoughts. Jack raised and eyebrow, then hiccupped loudly before asking bluntly. "How did you survive?" Nathan's lips curled into a devilish smile as he locked eyes with Jack. Mark tensed as he looked between them, noticing the lusty tone of Nathan's voice when he answered teasingly. "They killed one of us a day. I was the last. I was the youngest. They thought watching my friends die would make me talk. When my day came... I made the sheriff and his deputy offer that they couldn't pass up." Jack's cheeks looked a little flushed from either the moonshine or the fire, Mark couldn't tell. Licking his dry lips, Jack whispered out with shy curiously. "What did you offer them?" Mark tensed, his hand going to his gun as Nathan slid off the counter and toward the foot of the bedframe. Gripping his gun, Mark growled out in warning. "Nathan." Nathan ignored Mark, gripping the wooden frame as he purred out to Jack with a grin. "My last request was to lose my virginity. The female deputy liked me... But I had my eyes on the Sheriff. So, I took them both to bed." Jack's breathing slowed; he couldn't look away from Nathan's dark shadowed eyes. Everything about him was giving him goosebumps.

Nathan's hands moved off the wooden rail to rest on either side of Jack's ankles. Instinctively, Jack closed his legs and meekly covered himself without touching his exposed leg wound. Nathan almost chuckled at how wide-eyed Jack was. He looked like a lamb that had just encountered a wolf and he liked that feeling. Without touching him though, Nathan told him honestly. "I let them use me... and when I had them right where I wanted them... I killed them." Jack gulped, prompting Mark to stand and growl out with his hand on his gun. "Nathan! Stop." Easing back away from Jack, Nathan sighed out calmly. "Sit your ass down before you fall down, Sheriff. The kid is fine. I was only teasing." Bob reached out from his crouched spot before the fireplace, coaxing Mark to sit back down. Reluctantly, Mark winced back down. Walking toward the cabinets, Nathan pulled out the jugs of water and some tin plates. Jack finally turned his eyes on Mark, who mouthed to him if he was alright with a concerned expression. Nodding, Jack pulled his moved pants closer, unable to stop himself from asking Nate. "Is that why you don't like lawmen? Because of what they did?"

Looking over his shoulder, Nathan briefly looked at Jack before his eyes stayed on Mark's and he answered honestly. "Partly. I know there are good lawmen out there. But I've made it my job to gun down the dirty ones. I would have killed the Marshal and been halfway to the next corrupted town on my list... Had someone not interfered." Mark lowered his eyes to the floor, mumbling out. "If it is any comfort... I shot me right after." Nathan snorted, retorting with a small chuckle. "Why would that be a comfort to me? The Marshal is still breathing. All you did was learn a lesson... maybe." Taking a little cup of water over to Mark, Nathan added softly. "What I wanna know is why the Marshal ran to your town to make his last stand. And if I get the chance to shoot him again... are you gonna stand in my way again?" Accepting the cup, Mark didn't drink it until he saw Nathan drink from his own cup. Then after his sip, Mark answered in a guarded voice. "Depends. If I get to him first. I'm going to arrest him." Shaking his head with a smirk, Nathan teased out to him. "Then I'll be sure to kill him before you reach him."

Jack's loud hiccup drew both Mark and Nate's attention, causing Jack to blush and mumble out. "Drinking gives me the hiccups... Sorry." Nathan chuckled, handing him the rest of his water as he told him nicely. "Leg feel better?" Jack took the cup, nodding as he gulped it down. From a spot by the bed, Wade cut in gently. "If the Marshal and the Mayor are working together... Then maybe he ran here knowing he'd get help? He's got all those young deputies now, right?" Bob stirred the beans over the fire absently, asking out over his shoulder. "The governor that gave the Marshal his pardon. Do you recall his name?" Nathan thought hard about it. He hadn't thought of the governor's name is a while. Clearing his throat reluctantly, Nathan pointed to the bag where all his stuff was and mumbled out. "I have his name written down in my journal." Wade scooted closer to the bag. While he dug around for it, Nathan shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want them to see the people still on his list but was curious if they knew something that he didn't. Finding the journal, Wade started flipping through pages, until he stated aloud. "Yep. Here it is. Governor Frank Tuttle."

Wade and Mark locked surprised eyes, while Bob told the others bluntly. "There is your connection, boys. Governor Frank Tuttle is Mayor Dave Tuttle's brother." Removing the pot of beans off the fire, Bob stood up and asked Nate seriously. "Let me guess. That bank you robbed... Was is called Fairway Banking Company?" Nathan took a step back, anxiously answering. "How did you know that...?" Bob turned to Mark, informing him coolly. "The Fairway family is the Tuttle family's rival. They've been competing against each other in the beef, banking, and mining industry for years. When the mine here dried up, Fairway pulled ahead. They started investing in oil. Tuttle didn't." Slumping back in his seat, Mark huffed out. "Tuttle hired the Marshal to rob the bank. That might be where the money came from to reopen the mine." Nathan perked up, asking a little greedily. "You think the gold he took is here in Iron hills?" Bob shrugged, but Mark blurted out defensively. "No. We are not going to rob Iron Hills!" Nathan shrugged, stating back dryly. "The money is already stolen. And whatever Mayor Tuttle plans to do with it won't help the people he's already chased out. Now will it?"

Mark pointed a stern finger at Nate, commanding seriously. "We're not robbing anything! We don't know if it's here. The mayor could have already spent it all for all we know." Nathan rolled his eyes, turning away until Wade asked him. "How much gold was taken?" Without flinching, Nathan answered promptly. "About four thousand and three hundred solid gold bars." A silence filled the room before Jack hiccupped out. "Sounds heavy." Nathan smirked and crossed his arms. Bob set the pot on the ground, informing Jack a bit shaken up by the news. "It is. With that much gold... you couldn't spend it all in just one lifetime. The worth alone is... I can't even imagine it." Nathan met Mark's eyes again, smugly stating out. "Still don't want to rob him? Afterall... As a lawman, aren't you curious why he wants to open a dry mine with stolen gold?" Mark turned away, muttering under his breathe. "Damn it..." Nathan grinned, then shrugged out to the others. "Ready to eat? We'll need to keep your strength up." To Be Continued...