The jailhouse was quieter than the tavern but smelled almost the same. The wood floor was stained with sweat, and gods knew what else. You could even smell a bit of booze from the drunks that spent the night here after one too many ales.

Sheriff Stone’s desk was tucked away in a small room with a window looking out on the cells and another one looking onto the street. He laid the bills of Brill of out one by one on the table until the amount for the bounty was counted. I pocketed the money and tipped my hat toward him.

“Thank you kindly, sir. Pleasure doin’ business with you,” I said and turned to leave. Stone raised a hand to stop me.

“Hang on for a second Rowena, I’ve been actually meaning to talk to you privately,” he said, rubbing his dark eyes in fatigue. I kept my feet pointed toward the door but raised a brow at him. He looked up at me for a second, opened his mouth and then gazed down at the desk again. He took another moment before he raised his head once more, looking uneasy.

This should be good, I thought dryly.

“It doesn’t have a bounty, and it involves the deified, but I want you to--” Stone began but I was already shaking my head.

“I ain’t one of your guards, Sheriff and I don’t do the deified any favors. You know that.”

I pulled my hat more firmly over my brow as Stone’s expression hardened.

“That’s what you’re going to say to me after everything I’ve done for you? After all the blind eyes I’ve turned? You don’t even know what I’m going to ask,” he replied, standing up. He was a tall man and dwarfed me significantly.

“An easy favor wouldn’t have all the buildup. This must be a tall order-” I said as I set my worn duster more evenly on my shoulders, “-And I ain’t serving. Besides it ruins the whole point of our relationship,” I finished.

“A relationship, that would be over were it not for certain allowances I make, little lady,” Stone growled.

A moment passed in tense silence between us. I weighed my words, trying to pick the right ones for him.

“Don’t you dare pretend you don’t benefit from our little arrangement. I do all your dirty work sheriff, so the ‘public servant’ keeps his record clean,” I said stiffly as I thought I won’t get involved with the deified again on my dying breath.

“And I allow you to undermine the law when criminals threaten to crawl between the lines like worms in a dead body. I know that. I didn’t sign up to clean your messes though,” he said, and I felt the guilt settle in.

“But I do it anyway. I’ve kept my end of the bargain Rowena. I just thought you might take a moment care for someone other than yourself,” he replied, his voice deep and weighted. Each word he said hit the air between us like a stone in calm water. My mind told my feet to walk away, but they felt like boulders on the wood floor.

“I knew there was a catch when you stuck your neck out for me in Grimwater. You knew you were going to ask this of me, didn’t you?” I asked, getting angrier with each word. Stone took a breath, let it out and looked at me with heavy eyes.

“Did you forget whose pistols you carry? If she had asked you to do it--” he said but stopped at my glare. I saw the instant regret on his face.

“Don’t you dare use her to manipulate me sheriff,” I said, my tone sounding like lit gun powder. Stone held up his hands in surrender.

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“Alright, but consider this. You’ve always walked the line of the law Rowena. I’ve seen your type come and go, and I know for a fact they leave this world one of two ways,” he paused, his eyes going distant, “Carried by six, or on the end of a rope after being judged by twelve,” he said. He looked at me, not with the eyes of a sheriff, but that of my mentor.

“And I don’t want to see that happen to you. Believe it or not, I care about you, little lady. Or maybe I’m getting sentimental in my old age, I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head.

My hand was on the door, but my feet remained rooted to the spot. I kept my eyes trained on the scarred wood.

“Walking the line is where I belong,” I said quietly, and Stone shook his head.

“That isn’t true. Sooner or later, you have to choose a side of the law Rowena. You can’t walk the line forever,” he said. I glanced back over my shoulder at him.

“Sheriff, you of all people should know the law is like one of those balance beams. Lean too much to one side, and you’re going to fall,” I said. Stone sighed and shook his head at me again.

“The deified are dying. They are being murdered, Rowena,” he said making me spin on my heel, “That’s the short end of it.”

“That’s not possible,” I said, “They can’t. The mark protects them from murderous situations, but--”

“But they lose the mark afterward. Yes, I know that much about marks. But all I can tell you is for the past year, Deified are turning up dead, marks still intact on their skin,” Stone said. I stared at him incredulously, but he met my eyes. He was serious.

“So, I need an expert on marks, who also may be acquainted with a higher-level criminal capable of pulling it off. I’ve tried tracking the murderer down, but I can’t. I need someone more connected somehow. Like it or not, you’re the only one I know who fits that bill.”

My hand made a fist, then relaxed. I let it fall to my side and turned to Stone fully, so he could see the full extent of my impassive stare.

“So what if they’re dying? The world is getting overcrowded. Those rich pieces of--”

“Those people were chosen by the gods for a reason. They whole world knows that,” Stone interrupted. He groaned impatiently and scowled at me. I hated it when he did this, because it reduced me from the badass bounty hunter I knew I was, to the immature little girl I also knew I was.

“Moreso, Rowena, they are people,” Stone continued, waving a hand in the air, “Now I know you hate the deified. All deified. It’s no secret that includes yourself-”

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he paused abruptly. I clenched my jaw, the marks on my neck seeming to burn. I reached up to my rancher-style hat and ran my hand along the brim. I took an extra second to feel a burn hole near the left and front side. Stone met my eye again but softened his tone.

“When did you stop caring about people in general, Rowena?” Stone asked, voice low enough so I had to strain to hear it.

“I have never stopped caring about good people,” I scoffed, offended, pulling my hat further over my brow. I turned away from him as the flush in my face continued to build.

“Haven’t you though? Whenever I see a crime scene involving you, the collateral damage gets more and more intense. Do I need to remind you that in Grimwater we could have built a wall around the town with all the bodies you made?” Stone said in response, his tone sharp again.

“That wasn’t entirely my fault, Stone,” I said, though I could hear the petulance in my voice. Stone raised his brows at me but didn’t argue the point. He didn’t need to. I let out a shaky sigh.

“The one time-” I began but paused because I could feel the heat behind my eyes, the burning in my nose of tears I refused to shed. I pulled in a steadying breath before continuing, “The one time I got involved with the deified it cost me everything. Why should I do it again?” I asked, my voice thick. My gaze dropped to the tortured wood, and I felt Stone’s hand settle on my shoulder, his heavy steps echoing in the office.

“Stop trying to revenge yourself on something you can’t punch Rowena,” Stone’s other hand settled on my other shoulder, “Maybe try to start living for the good of other people. It’s what she would have wanted.”

I twisted my shoulders from his grasp. Pressure built insistently behind my eyes still. It was too much, and I couldn’t think straight. He had never been this insistent before. My mind felt muddled, like trying to see through a fog.

The dying deified.

The good of other people.

What she would have-

I clenched my jaw again and wrenched the door open.

“I told you before. I’m not a guard and I’m not interested. Let me know when you have another bounty for me.”

“Rowena-”

The door slammed behind me.