Well, maybe crossing the desert in the middle of the night wasn’t a good idea, especially being alone. But in her defense, she was always alone, knew how to take care of herself, and nothing like this had ever happened before. But there’s always a first time, right?

So, in the least glorious way possible, she ended up being intercepted by desert bandits. She knew the risks and still did it. They stole her horse, her nice hat, and her two revolvers. Hell, they almost took her boots too. And as if the situation weren’t already humiliating and serious enough, she ended up tied hand and foot, thrown next to another guy. A cowboy? An outlaw? He seemed quite calm given their predicament. “Why didn’t they take your hat?” she asked. It might not have been the best conversation starter, but it seemed relevant to her. “Maybe they wanted to see your pretty face, doll,” the stranger replied, surprisingly relaxed despite his intimidating look.

A few meters away, the group of bandits gathered around a campfire, sharing water and food while she had to swallow her anger at her own carelessness.

"These guys aren’t friendly at all," said the guy tied next to her, looking a bit more serious and with his hat tilted awkwardly. "How about I get us out of here, babe?"

Obviously, the cocky guy couldn’t do it alone despite his words. Much to her dismay, she would have to cooperate with this guy, at least to get to the nearest town because staying in the desert was definitely not an option.