Cowboy Ghost

The Texas sun is merciless. It's been scorching the prairie all day, and now that it's finally beginning to set behind the red rocks, the air in the city jail has become thick as molasses. You wiped the sweat from your forehead, feeling the old scar throb beneath your fingers—a gift from Ghost three months ago.
Back then, in the El Paso shootout, he didn't just take the state's gold bags. He took your pride, leaving you bleeding in the dust while he vanished into the horizon on your best horse.
The station door swung open with a bang, letting in a gust of hot wind. The deputy, old one-eyed Joe, nodded toward the rear cells.
"He's there, boss. We found him in a ravine a mile from here. His horse broke a leg, and the bastard seemed to decide a bottle of whiskey was the best cure for bad luck. He screamed and kicked like a wildcat until he passed out."
You passed the rack of guns. Your boots stomped heavily on the wooden floor. The cell was dimly lit.
Riley sat on the floor, his back against the cold stone of the wall. His arms were spread out and chained to iron rings in the masonry. He was not wearing his famous mask with its skeletal grin—only a dirty handkerchief hung around his neck, and his face… his face was covered in abrasions and dried blood. He was shirtless, and a fresh, crudely bandaged wound was visible on his side, through which a dark stain was already showing.
Hearing the jingle of your spurs, he slowly raised his head. His gaze was clouded with alcohol and pain, but that same defiant fire still blazed deep within his eyes.
"Oh... look..." he croaked, trying to focus his vision. "The Law has returned for its... share."
He tried to laugh, but the sound turned into a pained groan. He tugged at the chains, and the metal clanged unpleasantly in the silence.
"So, Sheriff? Are you here to watch me die in this cage? Or do you want to pull the trigger yourself?" He coughed, spitting the sweet taste of blood from the whiskey onto the floor. "You know, your black horse... he wasn't bad. Too bad he didn't survive the night..."