Birds of a Feather II

Bill

"And, what? You trust Arthur not to get roped in by a pretty face?"

The cogs started turning. Bill pointed out, "She did try to separate us."

"Now you're getting it, Bill," Micah said, oozing with condescension.

"You're crazy," Javier said decidedly. "She's just one girl."

"'Just one girl'," Micah mocked. "I thought you boys were smarter than that. Hell, I bet you said the same thing about Miss O'Shea and then she landed herself on the side of the Pinkertons."

Remembering Grimshaw's bitching at him, Bill muttered, "The way I see it, none of the women 'round here been showing us enough respect."

It wasn't only Grimshaw who had been pissing on them. Abigail about yelled at Marston through the night. Mrs. Adler had more of a mouth on her than Bill could tolerate. Mary-Beth, before she'd ungratefully abandoned them, had never drawn much in except for a few tips here and there.

As long as Tilly had been with them, Bill had never fully trusted her. She'd run with the Foreman Boys too damn long for there not to be some backstabbing on her part at some point. Molly ain't done shit for them except sell them out.

Karen...Bill grudgingly had to accept she was useful when she wasn't plastered. She'd been the one to coordinate the Valentine bank hit and she'd done others back when they were out west. But, if Bill had been allowed the information, it wasn't like he couldn't have done better.

"You two are talking out of your ass," Javier told them. "Dutch is the better judge of character and he wouldn't allow Charlotte to remain if she was ratting on us."

As if talking about the women summoned one over, Karen showed up into camp, sauntering straight towards them after a short greeting to the other girls. Her skirt was dusted and she sported her black hat, a rifle thrown over her shoulder.

"Hello, gentlemen." Karen paused and added cheekily, "Micah."

"Real funny, Miss Jones," Micah replied. "I think I prefer you drunk out of your mind."

"I bet you do," she shot back, "you sick bastard."

"You up for some poker, Karen?" Javier offered.

Bill scowled. He was already losing hands left and right since Micah joined. With Karen in, he'd lose more because she had a sharper nose when it came to bluffs.

Karen grinned directly at him, as if she knew what he was thinking. "Nah, I'll let you boys keep your money this time. I gotta head out straight away with Sadie. We're finishing off the O'Driscolls once and for all. There's a particular one she wants dead real bad."

"Didn't you just get in?" Javier asked curiously.

"Yeah, but Lenny and John can handle moving them horses through the hills. It's single-file up there and boring as shit riding that slow." Her eyes moved to Morgan's tent, where he was still snoring the day away. "You wanna tell Arthur when he wakes to meet us over in Little Creek?"

"Sure," Javier said.

"And any one of you willing to take over for Sadie on guard duty?"

Bill avoided her eyes because his arm was still tore open from that Murfree savage. He could hold his revolver, but a rifle was out of the question.

"I don't do guard duty," Micah said.

Karen rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you're above grunt work."

"Unlike you, I work to my strengths. While standing around, mindlessly staring at nothing for hours is one of yours, it ain't mine."

Javier stood and dropped his cards on the table. "I'll do it. These fellas haven't been much of a challenge this morning anyway."