"Come now, gentlemen," I said slowly as I turned around, "You have the wrong girl."
Three lawmen on horseback were behind me, their guns raised at my head. If it had been two, I would have just shot and run. Three, that was where the problem began. By the time I reloaded one revolver, he'd likely have shot me and that would have been it. Better to just try and blag my way out, I didn't even have the money on me! They couldn't prove anything.
"You just robbed our bank, we ain't wrong," the lawman said as I lowered myself off Roach, "You shoulda run further."
"Check my bag," I said, my arms raised, "I hardly have the sum that comes with robbing a bank on me."
"Check," the first lawman said to the second and he did.
"Fifty dollars, tops," he said, counting my cash.
"We're still taking you in," the first one growled, "We know it was you. You gave it to one of your little friends, and we'll get you to talk."
I was tied and basically dragged back to Valentine. I cursed my carelessness, how would I get out of this one?
They questioned me many times over the next few days, but I didn't budge on my stance. I didn't take part in any robbery, I knew nothing about any gang. They were growing tired, and the town's perspective was that I should hang for my crimes, proven or not.
They set the date, tired of questioning me. I prayed somehow I could get out before that happened. So much for justice, I'd done a lot to deserve a hanging but they had absolutely no proof this time!
Luck was with me, and the day I prayed for came.
"We're gonna hang you, missy," the one lawman watching me laughed and I rolled my eyes.
Suddenly, there was a flash and a loud bang, and I fell off the small bed, the lawman similarly going flying. I coughed, waving the dust away from my face as I stared at the man who had appeared in the new hole to my cell.
"You coming, missy?" Dutch said mockingly, a mask covering his face but I could see the grin in his eyes.
"What kept you?" I asked, pulling myself up and running to him.
"Thought we were finally gonna get to see you swing!" he laughed.
"Charming," I grumbled as he handed me my bag and guns.
"Bet you didn't even realise I snuck in and got them," he winked and I rolled my eyes.
"I ain't living this one down, am I?" I sighed, "The only one who was caught, and I got away fine in the first place."
"You always have been a fool, my girl," he laughed, leading me to where he left the Count and Roach, "We'd best get out of here, that made an awful lot of noise."
"Well, I ain't taking the blame for that part," I said, geeing Roach on.
A bit down the road, we stopped.
"I think we're in the clear," Dutch said.
"Thanks again, Dutch," I said, "How did you know where I was?"
"I've known you almost twenty years, Ann," he said, "When you go missing, I first check the saloon. When you're not there, I check the jail."
"Fair enough," I laughed.
"I'll see you back at camp, we should split up for now," he said, fishing in his pocket, "Stay out of trouble. Lenny gave me this, said it was your share? You're lucky I don't keep it as payment for saving you."
"Yes, dad," I said with a wink, and we parted ways.
I didn't head directly back to camp, I went to Saint Denis again. Mainly I was letting the mockery I was gonna get die down before I went back, but really I don't know what I was hoping for, I just headed straight for my old house.
To my surprise, another letter was waiting for me. I leapt over the fence, grabbed it, and sat down in my usual spot.
I scanned the letter, a small frown on my face as I took it in.
Ann,
We will say it again. We don't care who raised you, we don't care what you've done. Please come home to us.
We might not mourn your death, but we'll mourn the lost relationship. We want to know you!
Love
Your parents
I thought about my response when someone cleared their throat above me.
It was William, my father!
I jumped up, ready to run, when he grabbed my arm.
"Please, at least let us talk," he begged as I struggled from his grip.
I stopped fighting and sighed.
"Fine," I said in a quiet voice, "But please don't expect anything to come from it."
"We won't, just come inside and talk," he let go of me and I climbed over the wall, following him towards the house.
The inside of the house was even grander than the outside. It was magnificently decorated, with fancy wallpaper and proper carved wooden furniture. It was no secret that my parents were rich. I stared around in awe, not hiding how shocked I was at the interior. Everything was decorated with care, nothing looked like it had just been placed down. Maids bustled around, dusting cabinets, and I could frankly see my face in the shine of the floor.
"Sit down here," my dad said, signalling to a cushioned sofa.
He sat across from me with my mother, and they both stared at me in silence for a long minute. I felt very out of place, my father and mother were well-groomed and dressed nicely. I, on the other hand, was covered in mud, wearing clothes that had last been washed... well, who knows! I felt very self-conscious and frankly, I was terrified! I was meeting my parents for the first time!
"So..." my dad finally spoke, his voice shaking, my mother was just staring at me tearfully, "We finally meet. All these years, we... we assumed you were dead! What happened?"
"Well..." I took a deep breath, controlling the shakiness of my voice, "Dutch and Hosea were partners, outlaws, when they found me just outside of Saint Denis. They rescued me, they had no idea what had happened, but they took me in and raised me as their own, alongside Arthur, he's a few years older than me, I guess he raised me somewhat too. They taught me to read, write, how to use a gun... When I was old enough, they gave me an out. The rule of gang life is once you're in, that's it. You're stuck. But they gave me the opportunity to leave and do something else with my life.
"I refused, they were all I knew and I owed them. Eventually, the four of us turned to five, six, and eventually the notorious Van der Linde Gang," I continued, "I never knew anything about why I was abandoned, I always assumed you didn't want me, so when Dutch told me how to find you, I expected to hate you. Then, I learned the truth. I didn't want you to see me once I knew you were good people, but I obviously failed at that."
"But you've had a good life?" my father asked and I nodded, "Well, that at least makes us feel a little better. We might have missed you, but you not living as a complete orphan gives us some happiness."
"Dutch is a great man," I said, "He makes sure I'm never hurt. I wish you could meet him, but..."
"Stay with us, Ann," my mother burst out and I stared at her.
"I... want to, believe me," I fought to keep the tears off my face, "But I can't. It's not fair on you, I'm a wanted criminal. And I can't just leave everyone like that."
"But..." she stopped with a signal from my father.
"At your age, you'd be able to leave our home anyway," he said, "We can't keep you here, but know you always have a home with us. Please come and visit us, any time you want, as often as you want. Promise me, please?"
"I promise," I smiled, "You're good people. I wish I could stay with you, but I won't ruin your lives like that."
"Take this," he handed me a photo of them looking younger, holding a baby, "It's one of the few photos we have of us and you. We'd like you to have it."
"Thank you," I smiled then stopped, "What did happen to my grandmother?"
"When she admitted what she'd done," my father growled, "We cut her off completely. We couldn't ever face her again. She died a few years ago, but she never did apologise for her actions."
"And why didn't you have another child?" I asked.
"We couldn't," my father sighed, "Not after what happened. It was too heavy on our hearts."
"I understand," I nodded solemnly.
"Stay, for lunch, please?" My mother asked and I paused a moment.
"Why not," I smiled, and they both brightened up.
I had lunch with them that day, we spoke about our lives, my father had been in the mining business and got rich from it, my mother didn't work. They were friends with the mayor and everything! I told them all of the gang's escapades, and they were less impressed.
"Please, be careful," my father warned as I left, "There's a reason these gangs are dying out."
"Don't worry, I will be," I promised.
"You really trust this Dutch?" He pressed, "I mean, he sounds like a bit of a loose cannon. I understand your respect for him but..."
"Dutch is a good man," I said quietly.
"We just don't want you to get hurt," my mother said.
"I won't, he'd never do anything like that," I argued, "He protects me, I know he means well."
"The person you care for the most is the person you'll let hurt you the most," my father said, "They expect you to love and forgive them no matter what. I hope you're right about him, but just keep that in mind."
I didn't speak for a minute, considering what he said.
"I promise, I'll be careful," I finally said, "I'll try not to trust him blindly."
"And come see us again!" I nodded as I pulled myself up on Roach, feeling brighter than I had earlier that day.
I walked into camp, Javier catching my arm before I could greet anyone else.
"Hey, I've got a job lined up..." he said, "Robbing a homestead, simple, but I want another gun."
"You know I can never say no to a good robbery," I grinned, my mood still bright, "Lead the way, good sir."
"I knew I could rely on you, chula," he grinned back, "Follow me!"
We rode a little ways out of camp, heading back towards Valentine. Javier pulled off the path, I followed him and we dismounted. He signalled for me to keep it down, sneaking towards the house.
Darkness had long since fallen, whoever occupied the house was bound to be asleep. A quick in and out, easy money.
But that was not to be the case.
I never had any qualms about killing folk. Blood had been on my hands as long as I could remember, it was just the way an outlaw lived. People died, that was life. And if someone got in the way, threatened someone I loved, a bullet often found its way into their skull.
But I never set out to kill, especially not that night. The plan was to be as quiet as possible, we broke in and were rifling in drawers. I took upstairs, taking care to be silent, but luck was not on my side.
When I heard the click of a gun, I whipped around quickly. When I saw the man, hearing his words threatening me, turning me in or killing me, I didn't hesitate. When a small voice piped up at the sound of the gunshot, my stomach dropped.
"Daddy?" a small girl, probably around ten, was stood in the doorway to a bedroom, her eyes wide.
My eyes widened, Javier charged up the stairs to make sure I was alright. I stared at the girl, unable to speak, what had I done?
"Daddy?" she cried, running forward and dropping down beside him, "Wake up!"
"We need to go," there were footsteps coming from down the hallway, the commotion had woken others up.
"You monster! Daddy!" the little girl screamed as Javier dragged me down the stairs, a look of horror etched on my features. What had I done?
The next morning, I was sat on the small dock, my feet in the water, when Arthur approached. He didn't say a word, he just sat next to me, staring across the lake.
I looked down at my hands, struggling to keep my composure.
"Javier told me," Arthur eventually broke the silence, "If he pulled a gun on you first..."
"I've never thought much when I kill people," I replied, my voice empty, "They're just... bodies, you know? Nobodies to me. But last night... that kid... it made me realise, everyone I've done this to... they probably had a family, kids left behind."
"Ann, its not as though you kill for the sake of it," he said, "He threatened you, you defended yourself."
"I broke into his house to rob him blind!" I raised my voice angrily, "A house with children inside!"
"Ann, we all make mistakes," he said sternly, "Javier said there were other adults in the house, you didn't orphan the kid. This is... a learning curve. A harsh one, no doubt about it, but you can't let one mistake eat you up. Its awful, killing is awful, but its what we do. Its the life we chose, and we have to accept that bad things like this happen from time to time."
"But I..." I sighed, "I've never felt this... this disgusted by my actions."
"Ride out, take a break," he sighed, squeezing my shoulder, "Believe me, I could tell you stories that would make your skin crawl. What you did is nothing. And, unfortunately, it also won't be the last mistake you make."
I walked back into camp, my head clearer, sitting down by the campfire by the others. They were talking of love, of regrets they held, partners they had.
"Ann, have you never had anyone?" Karen asked me, and everyone glanced at me, intrigued.
"As far as Dutch is concerned, no," I laughed.
"Well, Dutch ain't here," Bill said, raising an eyebrow.
I frowned and looked into the fire, playing with the ring on my finger.
"Maybe once," I sighed, shaking my head, "There was a boy once, Edward Price. We were engaged to be married, he had even convinced me to leave the gang and be an honest woman but... I got there, only to discover he had been robbed and murdered."
"Wait, what? When was this?" Hosea was stood behind me, as everyone stared at me.
"Maybe a few months before Blackwater," I said slowly, "I don't know what I was thinking, now I would never leave the gang. But back then, I did waver. And I paid the price, don't think I didn't. I discovered sometime later it was O'Driscolls, but I paid them back in kind."
"How come we never heard of this?" Arthur asked, "How come Dutch never heard of it?"
"If I told you, or Dutch, that I was engaged to be married and was leaving the gang, how do you think that would have gone?" I laughed, "He was a rich man, there was no way he would leave his life to join mine. But I was mindlessly in love, still am if I'm honest."
"I've often wondered about that ring," Karen said sadly, "I never thought it would have such a tragic story with it."
"Love can be more lonely than death," I shrugged, "I've got all of you. I don't need anyone else."
"You're only young, stop acting three times your age," Hosea laughed, "You'll outlive us all eventually. You should find someone."
"I did find someone, and I don't think I'll find one like that again," I sighed, shaking my head, "I didn't come over here to be interrogated about my love life. I'm off."
Arthur moved to follow me, but I saw Hosea stop him. I didn't quite know why I decided to be honest with them, but I was regretting it slightly, and I didn't want to be questioned right then.
That conversation had brought back memories I would have rather forgotten. I had a boy once, his name was Edward Price. He was above my station, Dutch would never have approved due to his rich boy status, and his parents the same due to my outlaw status. But I loved him, and he loved me. If he hadn't died, I wouldn't be in this mess right now.
"Ann," Javier ran over to me as soon as he saw me, "Ann, I'm so sorry. That job..."
"Javier, its fine," I sighed, "Its done. I'm not gonna act as though I was a saint before I did that, Arthur spoke to me too. I won't forget it, it'll be there as a reminder for me to damn well think before I act... but you don't need to apologise, the job was sound. I was the one who messed it up."
"Don't beat yourself up, Ann," he clapped my shoulder and I offered him a smile, heading towards my own tent.
"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called," Micah said as I went to pass him, sitting in Dutch's tent.
"Hey, Molly, where's Dutch?" I asked, but she ignored me.
"Or however it goes," Micah finished.
"I'm not sure that line serves you or me very well," I said to him.
"Well, that's because you're a woman of profoundly limited intelligence," he replied.
"No doubt," I said, not rising to it.
"Well, while you were running around, digging us into deeper shit," he continued, "Mr Pearson might have lightened the load a little. Pearson! Ain't you curious?"
"Good day," Dutch approached us, Arthur joining too to see what the fuss was.
"Dutch," Micah said quickly, "You tell him, fat man."
"Its peace, Dutch," he said, "The O'Driscolls. I mean, I think there's a way."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Dutch walked straight past him.
"I met a couple of the O'Driscoll boys on the road into town," Pearson continued, "We got to talking... they suggested a parley, to end things, like gentlemen."
"Gentlemen?" Dutch advanced on Pearson, "Colm O'Driscoll? Have you lost your minds?"
"You're always telling us Dutch, do what has to be done," Micah said, "But don't fight wars not worth fighting."
"They want a parley?" Hosea called from across camp, "It's a trap!"
"Well, of course, its probably a trap," Micah said, "But what have we got to lose finding out?"
"Get shot," I said and Dutch pointed at me, agreeing.
"We ain't getting shot because you'll be protecting us," Micah stared at me, "It's a trap, you shoot the lot of them. If it ain't, that slim chance..."
"I don't see the point in any of this," Dutch pushed past us and towards Hosea.
"It's a chance we gotta take," Micah pushed, and there was silence for a while, Arthur and I shared an uneasy look.
"I killed Colm's brother," Dutch finally spoke, "Long time ago. Then he killed... a woman I loved dear."
"As you say, it's a long time ago, Dutch," Micah said quietly.
There was a pause as we all waited for his response.
"Let's go," he said, "You and me and Arthur with Ann protecting us. No one else."
We mounted up and rode out of camp, a sense of uneasiness in the air. Arthur and I were blatantly unhappy with the plan, but we didn't have much say in the matter. Dutch had been convinced and there was no such thing as unconvincing him.
"You know, I've been fighting Colm for so long now," said Dutch, "I can barely remember a time when it was different."
"You're still fighting him now, make no mistake of that," Arthur said sharply.
"Here he goes, Doubting Thomas," Micah said with heavy sarcasm, "Is there any plan you ain't sour on?"
"Maybe you're right," Arthur sighed, "I'm just nervous. Let's not waste any more lives needlessly."
"I ain't costing lives here, I'm saving them," Micah argued, "What did you say, we had Pinkertons coming after us?"
"Because of Blackwater," he nodded.
"And Leviticus Cornwall and his private army!" Micah continued, "Then, who knows when this local hillbilly thing will come to a head, hm? Can we really afford to be fighting on all these fronts, and O'Driscoll?"
"There is wisdom in that," Dutch agreed.
"I hope so, gentlemen," I sighed, "But, I'm nervous."
"Look, you ain't even going to be the one in danger," Micah argued, "We'll get on over there, find a nice perch for you to settle into. Then us three walk right into the lion's den, with you to cover us."
"Okay then, just keep calm. Unless I give you a reason not to," I said, my face set.
"Oh, we'll be fine," I heard the grin in Dutch's voice, "We've got you."
"I will do my best," I said, not impressed with all the weight being put on my shoulders.
"Oh, my dear and trusted friend, with you watching over me, I would walk into hell itself," Dutch said, hearing the doubt in my voice.
"As would I," Micah agreed as Arthur gave me a curt nod, the uneasiness clear on his face.
We rode on for a while longer, nearing the meeting point.
"Look, up there," Micah called, "Men on the ridge."
Sure enough, four men on horseback were staring down at us.
"O'Driscolls, from the look of them," Dutch said.
"I don't like having eyes on us," I muttered.
"We're close," Micah said, "You'll be the eyes soon enough."
There was a pause before Micah spoke again.
"Maybe he's right, Dutch," he said, "Maybe I have pushed too hard. Got us into situations that... could have been safer. I just... I see all these mouths we've got to feed, and I... I dream too big. Caring too much, that's my problem."
"Caring too much? There's no such thing," I couldn't believe Dutch was fooled by that little speech.
"This is horse shit. From both of you!" I cried out, Arthur's face mirroring mine.
"It might be," Dutch growled, "Micah might be full of shit. Colm O'Driscoll might be full of shit. The promise of this great nation, men created equal, liberty and justice for all, that might be nonsense too. But it's worth trying for. It's worth believing in. Can't you see that, friend?"
"I don't know," I sighed.
"Try. All I ask is you try," Dutch pleaded.
"Alright, cowpoke. You're gonna peel off up ahead," Micah said as we neared the meeting point, "We'll be meeting down on the plain. Find a spot just above us where you can keep an eye on things."
"Alright, alright," I said, "However this shakes out, let's aim to meet back at the fork in the road afterwards."
"We'll be there, partner," Micah said
"I'll stay with her," Arthur suddenly announced, and all eyes went to him, "I don't trust this. I don't want her here alone."
"Arthur-" Dutch started but I cut him off.
"Arthur, I ain't the one in danger," I said, "I'll be safe up here, and it'll be better having all three of you down there in case things go bad. Protect Dutch, I'm going to be fine."
"But-" he started but I cut him off with a look.
"No arguments," I said simply as I rode off.
I found a good perch where I could see Dutch, Arthur and Micah riding into the plane, dismounting their horses and walking forward a bit. I looked to my left and saw three horses riding towards them, which was a signal for me to pull out my rifle.
I took it out and looked through the scope, keeping it trained on Colm. Colm dismounted and walked towards Dutch, I could see he was speaking but couldn't hear from where I was.
Neither man seemed particularly happy to be talking to the other, it certainly wasn't a friendly conversation. Dutch's face was growing gradually darker as Colm spoke, and they advanced on one another.
I got ready, things looked like they might blow up, when I heard footsteps running towards me.
I turned around quickly, just in time to see the barrel of a shotgun heading for my face.