Chapter 1

The ropes around Jesse’s wrists chafed, but they’d be nothing compared to the one around her neck tomorrow. After three years of terrorizing the frontier and rubbing every rich bastard’s nose in her shit, they’d gotten her. Strangely enough, she wasn’t as bitter about it as she could’ve been. They’d wrapped her up like a christmas present in rope and chains, and now paraded her through town.

“The Outlaw Jesse Jane’s been caught!” A boy cried out, running out in front of their little parade, repeating it again and again for the people of Koda Junction. Everywhere he went, people paused, then dropped what they were doing to make for the procession down main street.

Sheriff Ricken’s men surrounded the cart, guns out and pointed at the ground. Not a one of them looked comfortable, and a couple seemed like they were unsure if they were dreaming or not. Well, Jesse snorted to herself, join the club.

“You see that, dead woman?” the Sheriff said. “That’s all the people who used to cheer you on. They’ll cheer even louder when they see you dangle.” He stood next to her on the moving cart, strong and steady despite his growing age.

“Maybe,” Jesse conceded, just loud enough for the two of them. “But they’ll celebrate your death louder and longer than they will mine. I’d put money on it.” Her sharp grin was downright feral.

Sheriff Rickens chuckled. “Your gambling days are over. They were over the moment you bet on the loyalty of criminals. How bad’s it sting, knowing your best friend sold you out?”

The cart turned the corner. They’d slowed to a crawl now that half the town had been told of her capture. Deputies shouted and shoved people who got too close. The jail was damned near the heart of the town, right next to City Hall, where Mayor Gandor ruled with an iron fist. She thought she saw movement out the second floor window, a shuffle of the blinds.

“That depends, Sheriff. Did you actually pay Samson and give him that promised amnesty?” Jesse Jane looked around, smiling at the crowd. If she’d hadn’t been bound, she would’ve waved and blown kisses as well. Anything to show she wasn’t scared. The public expected a certain level of showmanship, and it wouldn’t do to falter at the very end.

“Yeah, we paid him, and his slate’s wiped clean. Not gonna matter though. If one of my men doesn’t bag him, one of yours will.” The sheriff let out a wet, congested laugh. “Ain’t no rest for the wicked, ain’t no happy endings for your kind of scum.”

She took a long, deep breath, channeling the sharp, red hot anger into something measured and contained. “Funny, I’m the one making sure the people ‘round these parts can eat and not lose their land, and I’m wicked. The Mayor treats people like cattle and he’s the most virtuous sumbitch in town. Is that right?”

Sheriff Rickens elbowed Jesse in the stomach, driving the air from her in a thick woosh. As far as she was concerned, that just meant she had a point.

Smiling for the crowd, he said, “That’s exactly it. Mayor Gandor is a great man who’s brought order and prosperity to this territory. You’re nothing more than a flea, going from dog to dog and spreading your diseases among them. Those people, they’d get by if they put their heads down and worked instead of expecting handouts everytime life gets hard.”

After three years of being on the loose and causing chaos, Jesse wanted more than anything to just put a bullet in the bastard’s head. She nearly had on several occasions, and to be so close to him and so helpless…She took a deep breath and kept her attention on their audience.

“Howdy everyone!” Jesse called out. “Oh no, looks like that wily Sheriff finally caught me.” She yawned visibly, making some nearby children laugh.

That earned her a backhand from the sheriff. It silenced the audience but, Jesse was pleased to see, they weren’t on his side. Horror and hatred shown on the children’s faces. Somewhere along the line, she’d become a hero to them. Now, they were going to watch her die tomorrow, and know that the men of means had won.

They finally arrived at the jail, and the ring of deputies fanned out, clearing out some breathing room. The Sheriff stood up straight and cleared his throat.

“Today, on the ninth of March, in the year of our lord Eighteen eighty-nine, we’ve arrested the outlaw Jesse Jane on the following charges: robbery, theft, grand theft, burglary, murder, fraud, impersonating a US Marshal, treason, inciting treason, inciting riots, stampeding cattle, and indecent exposure.”

Jesse made a face at each charge, eyes wide and mouth open at the final charge. More people laughed, and she felt she fully earned the next strike. She tasted blood at the corner of her mouth.

“I have been authorized by the right honorable Judge Perry of the fourth circuit to sentence you to death, to be carried out tomorrow at dawn. Does the condemned have anything she wishes to say before lockup?”

This was her chance, though the Sheriff’s dark, beady eyes warned her against anything too outlandish. Too bad she’d never been cautious in her life.

“I absolutely deserve to die for my crimes,” Jesse cried. “Each mouth I’ve fed, each farm I’ve saved, each corrupt lawman I’ve put in the ground has been done so in defiance of the indifferent law. I should’ve just shut up and let people suffer rather than to soil the sanctity of --”

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Once more, his hand came for her mouth. This time it was hard enough to stagger her, and she would’ve tumbled from the cart if the Sheriff hadn’t caught her. A rumble went through the crowd, an angry, rebellious mutter.

“Enough!” Rickens barked. “We’ve had enough of your insolence. Take a good hard look at her, people! For three years it seemed like she got away with it, but the bill always comes due. You fight the law, and the law will always win.”

He grabbed Jesse by the robes around her and all but threw her off the cart. She was caught by two deputies before she could hit the ground nose-first. They quickly righted her and ushered her into the jail, and into one of the four holding cells. Only then were her bonds cut. The irons around her ankles stayed until her cell was locked with the lawmen safely on the other side.

“Seems like overkill,” she said, rubbing her raw wrists. “All of this just for one friendless woman?”

“Yeah, well, we’re not risking it. Take it as a compliment,” said Sheriff Rickens. He turned from her to his men and said, “I want ‘round the clock eyes in front and behind the jail. I don’t want anyone sneaking up and trying anything brave to get her out, you hear? When in doubt, arrest first, shoot if necessary, and don’t ever be alone.”

“Yessir,” one man said, as he and his buddy left the jail. And then so did another pair, and another, until it was only the Sheriff and one young man with a bad rash of acne pitting his face. The Sheriff sat behind his desk with a loud groan and retrieved a bottle of whiskey from his desk.

“Any chance of sharing that?” Jesse asked, sitting on the hard board jutting out of the wall that served as her bed. The cell was small and smelled of piss and fear. “You know, humor a dead woman.”

“Depends,” said Rickens, taking a small sip of his drink and sighing with the familiar burn. “Any chance of you telling me where your stash is?”

“My stash?” Jesse stiffened. “What would an honest man of the law want with stolen goods?”

He laughed harshly. “Don’t play stupid, girl. I don’t need your damned stolen money. I do well enough on a good salary and the occasional bonus from high profile scum. But a man brings back that much stolen jewelry and deeds and heirlooms, why, he’ll have friends in all kinds of high places.”

“I see,” she said. “High enough to maybe become mayor yourself, one day?”

“Well,” said the Sheriff, drawing the word out, “now that’s an idea, isn’t it? Not only did I put an end to your reign of terror, but I also recovered stolen wealth and led Koda Junction to a new era of prosperity? It only seems fitting, doesn’t it?”

Jesse thought about it and blew a raspberry. “You’re delusional, Sheriff. I don’t think you quite understand how much people hate your guts and want better. Sure, your and Gandor’s rich buddies are happy, but they’re outnumbered by all the people they shit on daily. I think you’re lucky you got me when you did. I think another few months and you and the Mayor would be in serious trouble.”

Rickens downed the rest of his tumbler with a hiss. “Might be you’re right,” he admitted. “Things haven’t been easy lately. But I guess we’ll never know, will we? Your gang’s splintered and turned on you, and there’s nobody coming to save you. The moment you’re dead and the remnants of those whoresons following you scatter to the winds…”

He exhaled and poured himself another glass. With a wry smile, he toasted her. “Well, then I’ll be able to clean up your mess. Things’ll get better for me and mine. Either way, you’ve got less than twelve hours of life left. I’ve got all my best men on security, and if it looks like there’s even a ghost of a chance of you escaping, I’m going to take my colt out and blow your brains out.”

“Well, shucks, Sheriff,” Jane said, brushing a strand of dirty-blonde hair out of her face. “I guess I’m cooked. Nothing to do but spend the rest of the night making sure you never forget me.”

He chuckled and took another sip. “Oh, no chance of that, Jesse Jane. I’m going to savor seeing your eyes bulge out of your head. Did you know most people shit themselves the moment they drop and the rope snaps?”

“I did,” she returned with a smile. “I found that out when Deputy Hauser tried to infiltrate us. You did find him right? I didn’t know it was possible to stink that badly.”

In a flash, Sheriff Rickens was on his feet, pistol drawn and aimed at the ground. His harsh, wrinkled face looked like a demon carved out of gnarled wood. “Jerry was a good man. Better than any of you ever dreamed of being. Say another word against him and I’ll -- “

“You’ll what, Sheriff? Kill me? Please.” Jesse stretched and yawned. “Do it. I dare you. Deny yourself that big public execution. Won’t be any skin off my back.”

Wordlessly, he put the gun away and sat back down. He made eye contact with the silent teen, and then grunted. “The words of a dead person can’t hurt me,” he said. “Your last words are meaningless. If they bring you any comfort, take them. Because in the morning, I’m handing you over to the devil myself.”

The outlaw smiled and settled in. It was going to be a long night. There was no telling what would happen over the next few hours. The only thing guaranteed was an execution of a criminal, and she wasn’t going to try to avoid that.

“Do you think the devil will be impressed by some of my antics?” She asked. “I know you had to be. Especially early on.”

The sheriff turned away from her. “Talk all you want, it’s not going to matter.”

“What about you, kid?” Jane asked the pimply kid with a silver star on his chest. “What’s your name?”

“William,” the kid said, voice cracking halfway through. He cleared his throat and said, “Bill to my friends.”

Jesse beamed at him. “Well ‘Bill-to-my-friends’, do you want a fun story of the first big time I embarrassed your boss?”

The teen looked to Rickens for guidance, but the Sheriff grunted and made a shooing motion. That was as good as permission. “What happened?”

“A wedding just outside of town,” said Jesse. “A year into my career of crime. I already had a bounty on my name, but it doubled after the Empty Wedding. Your good Sheriff declared war on me personally after that.”

Once more, Bill glanced at Rickens, but Jesse knew when she had his attention.

“What happened?” he asked.

The Outlaw Jesse Jane took a deep breath, and started her story.