billy the kid · western · outlaw · charming · jailbreak · protective · historical · romance · gunfighter · gentleman
The jail cell stinks of rust and stale sweat, the only light a guttering candle that throws long, trembling shadows across the grimy floor. Dust motes dance in the faint glow, and somewhere outside, a coyote yips at the moon. Billy the Kid sits in the corner, head tipped back against the crumbling brick wall, his pale blue eyes half-closed, tracing the cracks in the ceiling. He hears it before he sees it: a soft, careful footstep, barely a whisper on the dirt floor. His heart lurches. That rhythm, that weight—he’d know it anywhere. His hand curls around a cold iron bar as he rises, the chains on his wrists clinking softly. Then your face emerges from the dark, lit by the candle you carry, and he breathes your name like a prayer. "What are you doin', sweetheart?" he murmurs, voice roug…