Julia followed Arthur through the woods, her left hand on her wounded leg where she could feel her warm blood pouring out and soak her pants.
Before they crossed the road, Arthur made sure no one was near and then turned to look at her and nod. His eyes flew to her leg and then came back to her face, noticing her expression of pure pain.
He spurred Tundra, feeling his heart sink more into his chest. They had to hurry.
Once they passed the railway and reached the main road, Arthur led Julia down a path to the lake. In the distance, Julia could see a small building with a harbor, but it seemed abandoned.
"I'll take care of it. You sit down and try to stop the blood" Arthur said while getting down his horse.
"I can help…" said Julia while dismounting from Wind Catcher, but once her foot touched the ground, her legs failed her, and she fell down on the cool sand of the shore.
Arthur quickly reached her and helped her up.
"No, you can't" he said and helped her reach a log where to sit.
Julia looked at him the entire time he built the tents, collect some wood for the fire, tie the horses, and take some water from the lake.
"Okay, let me see it" he said kneeling at her feet.
Julia's hands moved and undone the knot of Arthur's neckerchief that was soaked with her blood as much her pants were.
Arthur tore the fabric around the wound and then poured some water on it, cleaning it from the blood so he could see it.
"Okay, we need to take out the bullet" he said taking out his knife.
He looked up at Julia as she stared at the knife and then at him.
"You have some whiskey?" she asked.
Arthur frowned.
"Err…yeah, I think so" he said.
"I could use some" Julia said brushing some hair from her face.
Arthur nodded and reached his satchel, taking out a bottle of whiskey and then came back, giving it to Julia who opened it with her teeth and spit the cap on the sand.
She took a large sip and then looked over at Arthur who was staring at her.
"Okay…do it" she said leaving the bottle on her side.
Arthur took his knife again, adjusting his grip on it.
After a couple of seconds, he sighed and dipped the tip of the knife into Julia's flesh.
Her hands gripped the log while she tried not to move her leg away from Arthur's hands. The pain was unbearable, she felt as her leg was on fire, every nerve of her body was awake and achy. She felt her sweat rolling down her temple as she strove not to scream into the night.
Arthur dipped the knife even more and this time Julia's hand moved on his shoulder and tighten. He looked up at her surprised, even shocked to find her staring at him with no emotion in her eyes.
She was in pain; he could tell that. He could feel her limbs tremble in his hands and even so, Julia's face was impassive.
"Please, take that son of a bitch out of my leg" she said in a whimper.
Arthur nodded and moved his eyes back on her wound.
He could feel the bullet now, he could feel the tip of his knife touch it, but a false move and it would go even deeper in Julia's flesh.
He gently dragged the bullet to the top until he could see its silver and smooth surface.
It fell onto the ground and there Arthur left it, looking at Julia instead.
She was looking at the sky, biting her lip so hard it started to bleed.
"I'm gonna cauterize it now, okay?" he asked, and she simply nodded.
He got up and kneeled in front of the fire warming up his knife. While he waited, he looked over at Julia who was continuing to sip the whiskey while watching her leg.
When he reached her again, Arthur looked at Julia once more waiting for her to give him the green light.
She let a trembling sigh out of her mouth and then nodded.
It was a moment and that fire spread all over her body, making her scream. Her hand found her place on Arthur's shoulder again and he felt her squeeze harder and harder while he pressed the hot blade against her pale and smooth flesh.
He left the knife on the ground and checked the wound before he moved his eyes on Julia who had her eyes closed and a painful expression on her face.
Her forehead was shiny by her sweat and the hair near her face was dumb. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Thank you" she murmured.
Arthur nodded and before he could say anything more, he saw Julia fell to the side. He moved quickly and grabbed her before she could reach the ground.
Her eyes were closed, but her breath was regular and her heartbeat quick. She had fainted.
Arthur took her in his arms and carried her into her tent. Then he looked for some bandages and wrapped them around Julia's leg as tight as he could.
He checked her every hour, maybe every half. He sat near the fire and touched his shoulder where he still could feel Julia's desperate grip, her nails deep into his flesh.
Arthur blamed himself for even have listened to what that old, careless man had been saying to him. He should have listened to Julia and tell the others to run away when they could. He risked their life, her life. And for what? A bunch of money?
Arthur took off his hat and sighed while rubbing his neck when he heard some steps behind him and turning around, he saw Julia standing there with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
"You should be resting" he said getting up.
"I'm hungry" she said looking at him.
Arthur smiled faintly at her and then helped her sit down near the fire. Then he walked towards his horse and took two cans of meat before he reached her and gave one to her.
"I got this" he said clearing his throat and sitting down.
"It's okay" she said in a low tone.
Arthur opened the can for her, and she thanked him before she began to eat. But just after a couple of spoonsful, Arthur noticed Julia had stopped eating and now was staring at her bandaged leg.
"Does it hurt?" he asked.
Julia nodded.
"It's gonna left a scar, doesn't it?" she asked.
Arthur looked at her leg and then scratched the bottom of the can with his spoon.
"Probably yes" he answered.
"Another scar…another damn scar added at my collection" Julia said leaving her still full can near her.
Arthur glanced at her noticing a veil of rage and shame on Julia's face.
"I hate them" she added in a whisper.
"I don't think someone will notice it anyway…"
"I don't hate them because they make me feel ugly, I don't care about that. Every time a look at them they remind me that I let someone hurt me. That I can't trust anyone even if sometimes I want to, I want to trust so bad. And then I look at them and remind myself that this it's the price to pay" she blurted out.
She could feel Arthur's eyes on her while she kept staring at her leg. Then she took the can again and continued to eat as if nothing happened.
But something had happened.
Julia's words had hit Arthur right in the face, making him realize why she kept diminishing Dutch and his choices, why she couldn't trust him. Unlike her, trust was the only thing that had given him strength and will to go on. That had taught him not to give up. While Julia learned not to grant it.
But that meant she didn't trust him either?
"You know…it doesn't have to be like that" he said looking at her.
Julia stopped eating and looked at him.
"I don't want it to be like that. But sometimes what we want and what it is are not the same thing" she answered.
"Well…maybe you just trusted the wrong people…maybe…ugh…you just need to try and find new people to trust" he said feeling so stupid as he did so while staring into his can.
Julia looked at him again and smiled finding his not-so-sneaky attempt to let her know she could trust him adorable.
"Yeah, maybe" she said leaving the can next to her once again and then she moved closer to Arthur who watched her as she leaned her head over his shoulder, staring at the fire.
He did not move or stiffened as he had done that time when they were on his horse, heading to Caliga Hall. He felt her warmth and instead relaxed as she did the same, feeling tired and overwhelmed by the happenings of the day.
When Julia opened her eyes again, the sun was high in the sky and the fire had gone off. She felt her head on something warm and hard and looking up she saw Arthur still fast asleep.
They had fallen asleep together.
Julia smiled feeling Arthur's arm loosely around her waist, but soon after she felt the harsh pain in her leg and the memory of the day before came up to her mind once again.
She sighed and did to move away from Arthur, trying not to wake him, but by the time she sat up, he had opened his eyes and looked over at her.
"Is everything alright?" he asked sitting up.
"Yeah, sorry…didn't want to wake you" she said, and Arthur shook his head to let her know it was alright.
"We need to get you to camp" he said getting up.
"I have to go to the Pinkertons. They expect me to meet with them" she said while Arthur helped her up.
"You still want to go there?" he asked in disbelief.
"If I don't go, they could get suspicious" Julia said trying to put down her leg.
She winced, but after a moment the pain became more bearable.
"What about your leg?" Arthur asked noticing her reaction.
"I'll try to cover it up. Maybe we can go to the camp first so I can change"
Arthur nodded and started to collect their things with Julia's aid who took the lighter things.
Once they got on their horses, they headed to camp in silence to Julia's pleasure. Her mind was so full of thought that she could feel them press against her head, starting a headache.
When they reached camp, Charles was the first one who approached them with a worried expression of his face.
"You alright?" he asked while Julia got down her horse.
"Yes. Arthur helped me taking out the bullet and cauterized the wound" she explained.
Charles looked over at Arthur who nodded, then with the palm of his hand touched Julia's forehead, making her smile.
He always worried about her.
"I don't feel any fever rising" he said in a calm voice.
"I'm fine, really" Julia said taking Charles hand in hers.
She smiled at him to convince him she was okay. Then she looked over at Arthur who was looking at her.
"I'm gonna change my clothes" she said before she walked towards her tent.
She wore a pair of brown pants, throwing away the ripped ones, and then got out her tent and limped to Pearson's wagon where she took some coffee and oatcakes.
"Well, looks who's here. Where have you been?" asked Sadie, passing by with a cup of coffee on her hand.
Julia smiled at her.
"Morning. I was with Arthur. Last night we did a job with…Uncle and we couldn't come back to camp, to risky" she explained and the took sip.
Sadie's face was crossed by a mischievous smile to which Julia rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help a little smile either.
"Again, it's not what you think it is. I got shot and he…he helped me…"
Sadie's eyes widened and looked over at Julia worried.
"Shot? Seriously?" she asked checking her body with her eyes.
"I'm fine, really. However, if it wasn't for Uncle, I wouldn't have to take a bullet out of my body" Julia said in a resentful tone.
Sadie huffed.
"That old bastard is good for nothing" she said still with her eyes on Julia, trying to understand where she had been shot.
Julia noticed that and decided it was time to leave. Also because the pain in her leg was becoming unbearable and she felt hot.
"I have to go. I'll catch with you later, okay?" she said leaving the cup still full on the table near her.
Sadie nodded, watching her the entire time as she limped across the camp and reached Wind Catcher.
"You alright boy? Sorry for disturbing you again" she said petting him and giving him a carrot that the animal accepted gratefully.
With a little bit of effort, Julia got on her horse, adjusting her grip on the reins as her leg started to itch a bit.
She ignored that and spurred Wind Catcher out of the camp.
Julia headed to the Pinkertons' camp, avoiding eye contact with everyone who passed by. She didn't know why, but she felt like looking at other people was like shouting that she was injured because she had been helping criminals rob a very powerful and rich man. Of course, it was stupid, she knew that, but she couldn't help that thought out of her head. And the fact that she had to tell everything to Milton made her even more nervous. What if someone had seen her? What if there were some agents the night before who recognized her and run to tell Milton? No, it couldn't be, they had killed everyone, or at least that was her excuse to calm down.
Moreover, the very problem was her injured leg and the fact that she couldn't walk straight. Surely, they would have noticed that. She could try and cover it or lie about it.
Julia sighed and rubbed her forehead, taking away a veil of sweat. Then, she opened a couple of buttons of her shirt, revealing her necklace, feeling the cooling air hit her neck and chest.
It was better.
When Julia reached the camp, she headed to the entry, but this time something strange happened. The men on guard always had let her through. But this time, they raised their rifles on her and urged her to stop where she was.
Julia looked over at them with a raised brow.
Were they novices? It could be, she never saw those men or at least she didn't think so. She never looked at the men on watch twice.
"I must meet with agent Milton. He requested me himself. If you want you can go ask him and make me waste precious time, or you can let me pass immediately" she said.
"You will not pass, Miss" said the man in the right.
Julia sighed and then got down her horse, trying not to make the men notice her limping. She walked as straight as possible towards them, so close that their rifles could almost touch her chest.
"I suggest you not to do anything foolish" she said in a low tone.
"I'm going to pass and talk with your boss. So, let me pass straight away or I'll make sure you get a good earful from your superior" she added.
The two men exchanged a look, but either of them moved.
Julia was about to punch them when she saw agent Abney in the distance, and she calmed down right away.
"Let her pass" he said to the two men who moved and lowered their rifles.
Julia took the reins of her horse, ready to guide it into the camp when agent Abney stopped her.
"You don't need to take your horse here, I'm afraid. You're not going to stay long" he said.
Julia looked at him confused but didn't insist and left Wind Catcher where it was, walking into the camp and towards agent Abney trying not to limp too much even if the pain was unbearable.
"You injured?" asked the man looking at her leg.
"Just a sprain" she quickly answered, maybe too quickly.
Agent Abney looked over at her, but Julia noticed that the friendly look of the day before had gone and now he was looking at her seriously and almost coolly.
"I need to talk with agent Milton" she said.
"I'm afraid this is not possible. Agent Milton is not here right now" said agent Abney, his hands behind his back.
"Oh, what about agent Ross?" asked Julia genuinely surprised while looking past the agent.
"I'm afraid he's not available too"
This time Julia moved her eyes on Abney, who was staring at her.
"I don't understand, agent Milton told me I had to report if something happened" she said frowning.
"You can tell me, and I'll report to him once he'll come back" said again agent Abney.
His voice was cold and professional, not at all as the other times he talked to Julia.
"Come back from where?" she asked now using the same cold tone.
"Come back from where, agent Abney?" she insisted taking as step ahead.
"Agent Milton has been summoned by his superiors last night. He will be not available for the next few days" the man explained.
Julia stared at him trying to understand if he was telling the truth or if it was an excuse to not let her talk with Milton. But why would he do something like this? And why was he so…
Maybe he knows something, whispered the voice in her head.
Julia stiffened in her place; her jaw clenched.
"You can report to me what you have discovered since I got the command until he or agent Ross will be back" he added.
"Yesterday a diligence with some payrolls for Cornwall's men had been assaulted by a group of criminals. I believe it was them. They hid in the barn of a house near the Ringneck river. It burned down when some men tried to catch them, but I'm afraid they escaped" Julia said trying to control her voice from quivering.
"Yeah, we know it already. The men trying to catch them were Cornwall's" said Abney looking away with an annoyed expression on his face
"So, what we do now?" asked Julia.
"We do nothing. I'll wait for agent Milton and agent Ross to come back" said Abney looking at her with a raised brow.
"I can continue the researches and report if something else happens" proposed Julia.
"Yes, you can. Unless someone else will report on time. In case, I suggest you find someone else to work with on your revenge"
He definitely knows something, said again the voice in her head.
"Good day, Miss dismissed agent Abney.
Julia didn't answer back, she simply turned her back at him and quickly left, not caring if the agent noticed her injured leg and realized she had lied about it.
She needed to go back to camp and talk to Dutch.
Once she reached Wind Catcher, she leaned against him while she felt her breath quickened and her head went dizzy.
A heatwave raised from her neck to her face, forcing Julia to take off her jacket.
"Are you alright, miss?" asked agent Abney who had walked closer to her.
Julia peered at him from her shoulder and noticed a genuine expression of concern on his face.
"Fine, I'm fine" she breathed out before she got on her horse.
She looked over at agent Abney, who again took the cool expression of before.
"Good day, agent" Julia said and spurred Wind Catcher.
Julia headed to camp without looking back once and when she arrived, she got down from Wind Catcher and limped towards Dutch's tent, but he wasn't there.
She looked around the camp, but she couldn't find him. Her eyes fell on Molly near the lake, so she limped towards her, pulling her leg with some effort.
The wound had started to itch again, and she felt hot, so hot she started to sweat.
"Molly, have you seen Dutch?" she asked.
Molly glanced over at her with an inquisitor look.
"No, I didn't see him. Why you looking for him anyway?" she asked.
Julia huffed and rubbed her forehead, rubbing away some sweat.
"Why it is so damn hot?" she asked under her breath.
Molly frowned.
"It's not" she said.
Julia looked at her and then her eyes moved to the camp where she saw Hosea walking towards Pearson's wagon.
"Hosea!" she yelled limping towards him.
The man, who was sipping some coffee, turned towards her and smiled when he saw her.
"Oh, my dear…" he said and soon after realized she was limping.
"What happened?" he asked putting down his cup.
"I've been to the Pinkertons…" she said.
"They did this to you?" asked the old man in a menacing tone.
Julia looked at him confused before she realized he was talking about her leg.
"What? Oh, no. No, no. This happened yesterday. Listen to me…"
"Yesterday? When? How?" interrupted Hosea more alarmed.
They heard someone approaching and turning her head Julia met eyes with Dutch.
"Hosea, what's happening here?" the man asked, he had a book in his hands.
"Dutch…Dutch look at her leg" said the old man pointing at Julia's wound.
"What happened?" asked Dutch looking at her.
"Listen to me! Something happened at the Pinkerton's camp" Julia said raising her voice.
There was a moment of silence during which Hosea and Dutch exchanged a look.
"What you mean?" asked the latter.
"I mean that Milton and Ross are not there anymore. Another agent, Abney told me he was called by his superiors but…he was different. I think they know something. Maybe something about the payrolls of Cornwall's men we robbed yesterday" explained Julia.
"You robbed Cornwall again?" Hosea asked in disbelief.
"We didn't know. It was Uncle's idea. I told him it was not worth it when we discovered it was Cornwall, but he didn't listen and now they suspect about me" said Julia.
"And you got shot?" asked Dutch pointing at her leg.
"Yes. Arthur helped me with the wound. I'm fine…" said Julia looking at the man who sighed.
"It doesn't seem like that. You're pale and sweaty" Hosea said.
"I got scared…I thought Milton and Ross would be here…" Julia said leaning against the table near Pearson's wagon.
Dutch noticed her lack of strength and helped her walk towards a chair.
"Here, sit down" he said.
Julia did as he told her, sitting down and feeling better. Now her leg was not hurting anymore and the other one, tired of support all her weight, relaxed.
"I think it's best if you don't go out with the others for a while. Avoid any job that can compromise your cover. Stay here and recover "said Dutch.
Then he looked at Hosea, who noticed his look and did the same.
"The sons of bitches have been called maybe it's something good. We wait and see what can be done" Dutch added.
"You're good?" asked Hosea at Julia.
"I think so" she nodded.
"Here, drink some water" said the hold man offering her a ladle full of water.
Julia drunk it and sighed as the cold liquid refreshed her.
"Better?" asked Dutch.
""A little bit. I think I'm gonna lie down for a while. This leg it's killing me" answered Julia.
"I'll come and see how you're doing later" said Hosea helping her up.
Julia thanked both of them with her eyes and then started to limp towards her tent. But she had just crossed half the camp when she saw Arthur talking with Bill, Karen, and Lenny near a wagon.
Her leg was screaming for rest, but she was too curious about what they were talking about. What if they had another killing expedition?
Julia shook her head and got closer to them trying to ignore the pain that at every step crossed her leg.
"I don't know, I just feel like it's unfinished business" said Bill in his usual angry tone.
"What unfinished business?" asked Julia leaning against a post.
Lenny turned and looked at her, noticing her pale face.
Arthur looked over at her, suddenly forgetting about Bill and what they were talking about. Also, he could tell she wasn't feeling right.
"We want to hit the bank of Valentine" said Karen.
Julia looked at her not sure about what to think of it. Robbing a bank was difficult and way too dangerous. But Valentine was a place full of idiots and not with a lot of local law.
"By the way, Bill that wasn't my fault. It was just one of them things" said Arthur catching Julia's attention.
"How come every time I get in trouble, I'm called a fool and an idiot! But when you get in trouble oh, it's just one of them things" said Bill.
Arthur chuckled.
"It's a good point, Arthur" said Lenny making Julia look at him.
"A very good point" added Karen looking at Arthur.
The man looked over at them, not sure what to say. Julia smiled at him and shook her head.
"Alright, well what do you all want me to do?" asked the man.
"Hit the goddamn bank with us" said Karen.
"You really think it's worth going back there?" asked Arthur.
Julia took a step ahead.
"It's not a bad idea" she said catching their attention.
"I mean, it's a bank, so the money it's usually good and in Valentine, there are a lot of ranchers that took there their savings. Moreover, there are not so many lawmen lolling around, just the sheriff and a couple of deputies. So, it makes the job much easier" Julia explained.
Arthur looked at her and then at the others.
"You all think it's worth the risk?" he asked.
"It's a bank, Arthur!" said Karen.
"And we could use some noise far from here so the Pinkertons get a little bit distracted from your business here in Rhodes. They would think you got back to Valentine or that you never left" added Julia.
Arthur thought about it for a moment while the others waited for him to say something.
"Okay, I suppose. It's worth taking a look at least" he said in the end.
"If I'm gonna be performing I better go get changed out of these rags. Gimme a minute, gentlemen" said Karen rushing towards her tent.
Arthur walked towards Julia who leaned against the post again.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Yeah. I was going to rest for a bit" she answered.
"So, you think it's worth it?" asked again Arthur.
"Arthur…there is something wrong with the Pinkertons. I talked to Dutch and Hosea and I think they know something. I need you to do this bank job so they can leave you alone for a bit. Until you're done with the Grays at least" Julia explained.
Arthur stared at her frowning and then he nodded.
"Okay. I'll do my best. You go and rest for a while" he said putting some hair behind her ear.
Julia nodded and smiled at him.
Arthur returned the smile and then did to go away, but Julia stopped him by his arm making him turn.
Arthur glanced at her with a questioning look before Julia moved closer staring in his eyes.
She moved quickly, kissing his cheek and then looked at him again.
"Be careful" she said.
Arthur, taken aback from what she had done, stared at Julia and after a couple of moments, he nodded and walked away, turning to look at her and smile before he reached the others.
Karen had come back and now they were all getting on their horses while Julia looked at them go out of the camp.
Once she couldn't see them anymore, Julia headed to her tent, but while she was limping towards it, she felt her head go dizzy again and another heatwave hit her face forceful. Her strength abandoned her, and she fell onto the ground. She tried to get up, but her leg was like on fire as much as the rest of her body.
"Julia, are you alright?" she heard someone say but couldn't actually understand who it was.
Her sight became blurrier and blurrier, her head so heavy she just wanted to let it fell on the ground under her.
And so, she closed her eyes and let herself go, feeling every part of her body give in.
...
HI EVERYONE!
Sorry for the late but yesterday the electricity had been cut off so I couldn't revise or publish the new chapter.
What do you think? Do Milton and Ross know something? Or Abney was having just a bad day?
Let me know in the comments and let me know if you liked the chapter as well!
I'm gonna have lunch now (I'm fricking starving )
If there won't be any monkey wrench, I'll post next Monday.
KISSES!