The New Hand, Part Ninety-Eight

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13

LINK TO PART ONE

~

Gregory Miller sat in The Silver Dollar Saloon, weighing his options. David Griffin, as of right now, was still alive. He had no way of knowing in what state of health the man was, but there hadn’t been any funeral. The gossip from around town was grim—but Griffin had survived for quite a few days now.

The longer he survived, the less likely he was to die.

That left Miller with a choice. He would have gone back to Niles if Griffin were dead, even if his wife was still alive. He would have just told Niles that it was one thing to go after Griffin; quite another to go after some girl. As long as Griffin was out of the picture, Niles would have felt that his son was avenged.

For whatever that was worth. Miller still didn’t understand how Niles managed to place all the blame for the kid’s death on Griffin. But that wasn’t his concern. There was no possibility of going back to Niles with Griffin still alive and maybe even on the mend. He would have to kill Griffin first.

Miller sighed as he stared down into his beer. He wasn’t a killer—it was as simple as that. His hand had shook at the last moment when he took aim at Griffin. Maybe that meant he was a coward. Or maybe there more decency in him than he had suspected. But he knew that he wasn’t going to take a second shot at Griffin.

Why had Niles thought him capable of murder? Probably, Miller thought wryly, because he had beaten up one or two of the girls who worked in his cat house. Miller had done that and even enjoyed it. But those girls were paid to take a little beating now and then. It wasn’t the same as cold-blooded murder.

All the same, Miller doubted he’d have the stomach to strike a girl again. Something about nearly killing a man had cast everything in stark relief. If he could have kept his hand steady and shot Griffin in the heart, there would have been nothing he couldn’t sink to afterwards. But murder was something he just wasn’t cut out for. And in a strange sort of way, Miller was grateful for that fact.

Of course, that meant that he couldn’t return to Niles. But there was another option open to him.

He stared at Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright, who were sitting right across the room from him, deep in conversation over their beers. Neither man had ever seen Miller, so they had no reason to hassle him.

Miller came to a decision. He picked up his glass of beer and made his way over to the Cartwright table.

Hoss and Joe looked up at him with welcoming but curious smiles. He smiled back and, at their invitation, took a seat.

"I’m Little Joe and this is my brother Hoss," Joe said by way of greeting. "What can we do for you stranger?"

"My name is Gregory Miller," he replied evenly as he leaned back in his chair. "I’m the man who shot David Griffin."

LINK TO PART NINETY-NINE