[h3]John Dusky[/h3]

Dusk stood there for a moment, taking in what the barman had said.

[i]Sheriff.[/i]

That was not what he had expected and it sure as hell was not what he wanted. He had no desire to tie himself to this town, much less become its lawman. All he wanted was to get himself, Kim, and whoever else could be trusted off this planet.

Still, the town needed someone. That much was obvious.

Without a sheriff there was no order, just rmed men in the hills doing whatever they wanted. That made any attempt to leave perilous. 

And it reminded him of why he had signed up for this deployment in the first place.

Whether he was the man for it, he did not know, but what he did know was that Castleton wasn’t.

Dusk watched the man saunter forward, smiling like he was selling something. The Marine’s eyes narrowed slightly at him as he vividly remembered what Castleton had suggested back in the desert. Fake bounty hunters acting as distraction to let the others steal what they needed and disappear before anyone was wiser.

That was not sheriff material. Castleton was exactly the kind of person who should not be handed a badge. Hell he might even hand the town to the bandits in the hills for all he knew, innocent people left undefended.

Dusk almost spoke up right there but held his tongue as he realized where he was. The saloon had barely stopped being a battleground and the last thing they needed was another argument in front of the locals.

Instead, he moved after Kim as she followed Castleton and the deputy out.

[quote=@Badarby]
[b]Saeyeon Kim[/b] 
She followed Castleton and Deputy Tarquin out down the street.
[/quote]

Once he was close enough, Dusk lowered his voice.

“Kim.”

He glanced ahead toward Castleton, then back to her.

“We can’t let him be the one they pick.”

A short pause.

“You heard him back in the desert. First plan he had was to lie, rob these people, and disappear before morning.”

Dusk’s jaw tightened.

“Man like that can't be trusted with a badge.”