April comes to the rescue!

Isabelle took her time redressing herself as she stood in Texas's bathroom. She stared intently at her at the mirror above the sink, her hand running through the black wool above her head. The blazing heat had caused it to shrink ever so slightly. The difference was scarcely noticeable, but it was more than enough to make her self-conscious. As confident as was on the surface, Isabelle was an incredibly insecure woman. As she preened her wool, she thought of the sheriff's deputy and the jealous rage she felt upon realizing that Texas had another woman in her life. That, above all else, was what fueled her decision to whisk Texas away from her home. If they were to stay in Gold Springs, it would only be a manner of time before that redheaded floozie tried to take what rightfully belonged to her. The sheep's attention shifted to her breasts, her thoughts turning to her now pocket sized lover. She smiled and wrapped her arms around her waist, giving her bosom, and Texas by extension, an affectionate squeeze.

"Well, I'd say it's time we head on outta this disgusting mudhole of a town." she said happily, her chipper tone clashing heavily with her scathing remark. She exited the weasel's bedroom with a bit more pep in her step, a number of romantic fantasies running through her head involving her wife-to-be. They couldn't be married in a legal sense of course, what with the sheriff having been kidnapped against her will, but that was just a formality to Isabelle. Almost half of her spouses had been wedded through... less than reputable means. It usually involved tricking them into signing a a marriage certificate, though she found threats of **** to be just as effective at times. That was all in the past, though. She was confident that Texas Stanton was the woman she was meant to be with.

"Oi"

Isabelle stopped in her tracks, her eyes slowly rolling over to the holding cell beside her. Joe Cottonwood sat on the floor with his legs cross, smiling his big toothy smile as he looked up at the sheep. Isabelle didn't hide her contempt for the boorish gunman, her nose curling at the mere sight of him. She hated everything about him, from his shabby attire, to his musky odor, to his gaudy gold-plated teeth. Her hatred wasn't purely superficial though, as she had immediately recognized him upon entering the room. They were after the same thing and she half-expected him to out her in front of Texas.

"What're you gawking at?" she asked coldly. Her bitter tone brought a hearty laugh from the imprisoned dingo.

"The Black Sheep of the Claudette Family, Lady Isabelle." Joe said with a chuckle. "When I got the call to rub out the sheriff, I assumed that it was just some blue blooded snob with a score to settle. That lady must have a mean streak a mile wide to hire a nutter like you."

"So you've heard of me" Isabelle responded flatly.

"Of course. We are in the same business, ain't we? Although, I don't quite take a shine at how you go about things. Buttering em up, lowering their guard, getting intimate, and then you do em in. I'm no saint myself, but I can't see myself stringing someone along just to leave em high and dry. It ain't proper, and if you don't mind me sayin', it ain't very ladylike"

"Excuse me? Not ladylike?!" Isabelle growled. Her face contorted with a simmering rage, her eyes bulging manically as they seemed to stare into Joe's soul. Her petite for trembled for a moment before she mustered the willpower to calm herself down. She closed her eyes and took in deep breaths, her hands moving along with her chest as it heaved in and out. She opened her eyes and looked back over at the amused outlaw with a condescending smile. "I shouldn't expected guttersnipe trash like you to understand. You are correct about one thing: we are both in the same nasty business of ****, but there's a fundamental difference between us. Simply put, I have class and you do not."

"That right?" Joe asked as he rested his head on his palm.

"That's right" Isabelle repeated snidely. "I was born into high society and as such, there are certain principles that a lady like myself must adhere to. The first is that I never sully my delicate hands engaging in dirty work. Any lowlife simpleton can squeeze a trigger. All I need to get the job done are my wits... and my feminine wiles~"

"Oooh, pardon me m'lady!" Joe cried sarcastically. "I'm just a lowlife gunman from out west! I didn't know any better!" Isabelle snorted in annoyance. Why was she even wasting her time talking to this nobody? She had a long trip ahead of her and she couldn't afford to mess around. She turned her nose to the obnoxious outlaw as she started towards the door.

"Although... last time I checked, ya family has to actually have money for you to be born into it..." Joe muttered under his breath.

Isabelle stopped dead in her tracks. THAT was a bridge too far. Many things could set her off without warning, but bringing up the business of her family was what guaranteed her wrath. Try as she might to carry herself with the air of nobility, the awful truth was that she was born the middle child of a poor and struggling household. The land with which the estate stood had once been a small shack surrounded by poor quality soil. It wasn't until she found her calling in mercenary work that she was able to turn that pathetic hovel into the lavish mansion it was at present as she parleyed those funds into legitimate business. Most would take pride in being able to pull themselves up from the muck, that wasn't the life Isabelle wanted. From the moment she was born, her life was defined by a constant need for praise and validation from those around her. She wanted the veneration that came from being born privileged and once she amassed her wealth she set about transforming herself into the upper class belle she always wanted to be.

Joe's smirk wavered as Isabelle turned back around to face him. Once again her angelic face seemed to age just a bit with dark circles forming beneath her now empty looking eyes. He watched as she slowly hiked up the front of her dress and reached into the opening of her stocking to retrieve a small derringer. How this oaf managed to be in the know regarding her closely guarded secret was a mystery but it didn't matter. No one was to know of her humble upbringing, even if it meant getting her hands dirty.

"I might get in some trouble for this, but oh well" she said as she took aim at Joe's face. How this oaf managed to be in the know regarding her closely guarded secret was a mystery but it didn't matter. No one was to know of her humble upbringing, even if it meant getting her hands dirty.

"Whoa whoa, hey!" Joe said as he held his hands up. "What happened to bein all proper and what not?" his tone didn't convey much distress despite the imminent threat presented to him.

"No. You're right. I'm a dirty lowlife, just like you. It's about time I started acting like it" the sheep said in an almost deadpan manner. She cocked the hammer back, ready to take the dingo's life before something grabbed onto her wrist. The crazed sheep had no time to react as she was suddenly yanked by her arm with her gun falling to the ground as she was spun around. Standing before her was the sheriff's trusted deputy, April Briggs. Isabelle didn't hear her entering the room and was completely oblivious to her presence as she witnessed the the sheep's attempted ****.

"O-oh! Deputy! What an... what... are you doing here?" Isabelle asked nervously, her rage fading as the fox glared at her in suspicion.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. I come back to get some papers I forgot and I find you waving a loaded gun at our prisoner!" April replied as her hold tightened on the sheep's wrist.

Isabelle considered her next move carefully. She was no stranger to moments like this, having been caught more than a few times in her career. In the end, she fell back into one of her greatest skills: acting. April blinked in surprise as Isabelle's eyes began to tear up, her bottom lip quivering as she trembled in the foxes tight grip.

"Please... let go... Y-you're... hurting me..." the belle whined as she grabbed onto her forearm and gave it a feeble tug. Her helpless act appeared to do the job, as April gradually slackened her grip and allowed the sheep to go free. Isabelle didn't let up on her act as she rubbed her wrist and backed away. "T-thank you..."

"Alright. Explain yourself" April demanded as she folded her arms.

"T-this ruffian, h-he...!" Isabelle began, her speech devolving into unintelligent blubbering, her cheeks soaked with tears as snot dribbled from her nose. April was taken aback at the undignified display and flinched as the sheep buried her head into her shoulder. "H-he s-s-said... he was g-g-gonna... kill me and my family...!"

April couldn't help raise a brow at the accusation presented to her. It wasn't too much of a stretch for her to believe that a hitman would threaten someone's life, but something about it didn't quite jive with her. She had been **** to spend the better part of a week in Joe's company and while she wasn't exactly a fan of him and his lecherous ways, he didn't seem the type to just throw out threats on a whim. She looked over at the dingo expecting him to speak out on this matter but he didn't appear all that invested in defending himself as he sat with his head on his chin looking mildly annoyed. She looked down and met Isabelle's gaze, the sheep's lovely blue eyes shinning enticingly as she sniffled and hiccupped.

"You won't... you won't let him hurt me, will you? You'll protect me, right?" she asked as she wiped the water from her eyes.

April wasn't sure how to act in this situation. Her instinct was to offer comfort to the sheep but her intuition was telling her that something was amiss. In moments like this she would normally turn to Texas for answers... though come to think of it, where was Texas? There's no way she would just up and leave a stranger alone in a room with a dangerous criminal, even if he was locked up tight and it was far too early for her to have headed off to bed. Little did she know, her boss was trying desperately to communicate to her at that very moment, her muffled screams completely smothered by Isabelle's boobs.

Stuck with options, Texas was utterly helpless to stop Isabelle from manipulating her deputy. She could only pray that April would trust her gut and not buy into the crafty belle's act.