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chapter three, a cut that always bleeds
A FEW DAYS WENT BY AND SO FAR, everything seemed to be progressing as Elijah had promised. No conflict with the Van Der Lindes had come their way and as for the O'Driscolls, they were nowhere to be seen either. It was a huge relief to the lot of them but still, that never stopped Anna from feeling bad about any of this.
Stealing their money didn't feel right, especially from a man who had kindly stood up to her the other day (after all, it wasn't everyday a stranger would go out of their way to do that); just thinking about it caused Anna's guts to ache again and again. Hell, she already felt guilty for the way she had retaliated at him. But she knew Elijah better than anybody and if anything, a desperate outlaw like him was never going to return that money.
"Let's just hope they don't come looking for us; We can't afford to make new enemies at this rate." Anna remarked to her brother coldly one afternoon as she finished off patching up one of his frayed shirts with a needle and thread.
"Oh don't you worry, Anna, we're safe here." Elijah responded, attempting to dismiss her worries. He was sitting at a nearby stool, cleaning his rifle.
"If you say so." She mumbled. Though deep down, she had a bad feeling that the Van Der Lindes were bound to find them sooner or later. And boy, did it all sound to her like one big recipe for disaster.
"I'm sorry about Kieran, Anna." Elijah was quick to confess, his tone laced with compassion as she laid eyes on the sullen-looking girl. "I know how much he meant to you—"
"Don't worry." His sister said dismissively, shaking her head. "What happened between us is long gone. I'm over it."
"You know I'm here for you." Elijah continued nonetheless, squeezing her hand. "Always."
Anna smiled softly before diverting her attention back to her sewing. She made a few final stitches on the shirt and returned it to it's rightful owner once she was satisfied with the results. "There we are. Good as new."
"Thanks, Anna." Elijah smiled as he took the shirt off her, admiring her handiwork. He arose from his seat not long after, flinging his now pristine rifle over his shoulder. "I'm gonna ride out and meet Maverick."
"I take it you guys managed to get Alden talking?" She asked, referring to the clerk at Rhodes train station. Turns out Alden was very well-informed of any valuable stagecoaches that came passing by which, needless to say, had immediately piqued Elijah's interest.
"Took a small bribe, but we made it work." Elijah explained, mounting Cyrus.
The Thornhill girl grinned, wishing her brother good luck before he departed.
