Cassidy's newfound freedom amongst the Van der Linde Gang made life at camp much more bearable. Miss Grimshaw was quick to force her to work, sternly assigning her to washing duty, which was the least popular chore. Cassidy didn't particularly enjoy cleaning clothes that belonged to people who mostly hated or ignored her. Still, it was better than nothing, so she didn't resist.
She was hard at work one cloudy, cool afternoon when Tilly, Mary-Beth and Karen gathered in a circle nearby, keeping themselves busy with sewing. Their conversation was rather dull until they lowered their voices, whispering excitedly since it was their designated time for gossip.
"You hear Molly losing it at Dutch last night?" Karen asked, looking out for the redhead as she spoke.
Tilly hummed knowingly. "That girl is a fool… I think Dutch is gonna find himself a new lady soon."
Mary-Beth audibly gasped as if she was reading one of her dramatic novels. "Really? I wonder who it'll be…"
"If he had half the brain that he says he's got then he would fuck the O'Driscoll girl. Imagine how pissed Colm would be!" Karen exclaimed, snickering cruelly.
Cassidy stopped what she was doing, contemplating what would happen if she made herself known after that comment. Another major part of her wanted to punch Karen until she shut her loudmouth.
"Nah, that ain't Dutch's style. Besides, I think Micah is already taming that wild horse," Tilly added. The three of them giggled.
"What about Arthur? He seems to be looking at her whenever he thinks no one's watching," Mary-Beth said softly, her eyes on him as he scribbled away in his mysterious notebook.
Karen narrowed her eyes, picturing her suggestion. "There sure are alike… but I got a feeling that Arthur ain't interested in wooing an O'Driscoll. They fight like he's a big bad wolf and she's a conniving little cat!" Her observation was followed by another round of high-pitched giggles.
Mary-Beth was the first to recover from her laughter. "I suppose you're right. Her and Micah, I dunno… seems like a disaster waiting to happen. And she'd be wasting her pretty face on him," she said.
Cassidy grew tired of their childish conversation. She strode boldly by them, letting them know she had heard everything. They went dead silent, only continuing once she was far enough. She sat down by the fire, pinching the bridge of her nose. Cassidy had overworked herself today with little food in her stomach. Sleep was calling to her, but rest would get her in trouble at this time of the day. With the O'Driscolls, she could sleep, drink and lounge around whenever she felt like it, even though she hardly chose to do that. She was beginning to miss that part of her lifestyle. This thought put her in a foul mood.
Her moment of rest was short-lived, someone was rigidly standing in front of her, their arms crossed against their petite frame. She looked up to see Sadie scowling down at her, her dirty blonde hair didn't match her unpleasant expression.
"You and me got some talking to do," Sadie blurted out, still not moving.
Cassidy sighed, dreading whatever lecture was coming. "If that's the case then you best make your point."
Her attitude didn't sit well with Sadie, she huffed before speaking, digging her fingernails into her palms. "I wanna know why that gang of yours goes after innocent folks. I need to know why those bastards ruined my life!" She stepped closer now, pointing an accusatory finger at Cassidy.
Cassidy took back some control by standing up before she responded, a smug look on her face that would irritate any reasonably patient person. Sadie was not reasonable, she was a resentful widow who was out for revenge. "It's just how they do things, ain't personal. You got out alive, it could've been worse. It's been worse for others."
"You're a sick bitch, you know that? I'll make sure you're watching when I kill Colm," Sadie said, her voice trembling with rage.
Her threat didn't resonate with Cassidy, her posture was sturdy and her eyes had a hint of boredom in them. She never had much empathy for other women because the O'Driscolls had little use for them unless they were prostitutes. She was the only exception.
"Do what you will with Colm, he's never been a father to me so don't go expecting me to mourn that old bastard," she responded, lazily shrugging her right shoulder.
Sadie stifled a frustrated growl before walking off towards the trees, the only spot where you can find some privacy in camp. Abigail followed her, attempting to calm her with kind words. Cassidy watched as they embraced, startled by the sight of affection being shared between female friends. She felt a longing for change once more that strengthened whatever force was guiding her. Her worldviews were slowly crumbling in this new environment, still, she was trying her best to be the same stubborn O'Driscoll girl that she's always been.
Her moment of reflection ended when Micah approached her, offering her a cigarette with one of his own between his lips. She took it without a word, leaning down when he struck a match for her. The smoke coated her lungs like a familiar sense of relief, her tense shoulders dropped an inch and her jaw loosened. Their eyes finally met when she exhaled smoothly.
"That woman is angry at the world, I wouldn't take it personally," Micah said.
Cassidy raised her eyebrows. "Sure. I suppose I should've known those boys would screw around on that job. Colm's lackeys have a habit of getting… rowdy on a simple robbery." An image of their pre-robbery ritual popped into her mind. Lines of white powder that fueled an adrenaline rush and booze that fogged your mind, stripping you of humane behaviour. That's how Colm controlled his men; addiction. Cassidy stuck with a pinch of cocaine before running with the boys, just enough to keep her excited. Things were as civilized as they could be when she was around. When she wasn't there, deaths would happen painfully and slowly. They would've done much worse to Sadie if they hadn't found her when they did. She swallowed down an uncomfortable feeling in her throat.
Micah witnessed her growing distant, he wanted to bring her back to reality, where he was. He found himself aching for her company more after each conversation they shared. He managed to regain his sly attitude before speaking. "Getting rowdy makes things more interesting, don't you think?"
She looked at him with a blank expression. She was beginning to lose interest in this conversation and his company. It felt like he was too eager to capture her attention. Cassidy never liked men who came on too strong, it made the buildup of attraction less fun.
"Not really," she answered dryly.
Micah lost his smirk as he observed her putting out her cigarette on the ground and leaving his side without a word. He huffed in frustration, feeling defeated by her coldness. He was beginning to wonder if one woman was worth this much effort.
Meanwhile, Cassidy found herself absentmindedly chopping firewood as the sun was beginning to set. The sky was a comforting shade of orange as she wiped beads of sweat from her brow. Once she was done with her share of chores for the day, the gang was gathering for dinner around camp. It felt foreign to her, watching them eat as they chatted cheerfully about whatever came up naturally. The O'Driscolls never laughed this much or even ate together at all. She was tempted to grab a bowl of stew for herself, but she figured it'd be safer to do so once everyone had eaten. She didn't feel like dealing with another confrontation today. Instead, she took a seat at an empty table, lighting another cigarette to keep her company. She wasn't alone for long, Dutch, Hosea and Arthur of all people joined her. Hosea placed a bowl of stew in front of her along with a mug full of whiskey.
"Um… thanks," she said, obviously confused by the kind gesture.
"You been working since dawn, you earned it," Hosea answered, dismissing her thank you with a gesture.
She kept smoking as she leaned forward, placing her elbow on the table and her chin in her own hand. "I'm guessing you boys ain't here just cause you feel like sharing a meal with an O'Driscoll. Why don't we just get to it?" she asked, smiling every so slightly.
Dutch couldn't help himself from smiling back at her. He was beginning to enjoy how sharp she was, especially compared to her father. It was actually refreshing since he usually had to charm people before getting to his main point.
"Arthur here found a small camp of some O'Driscoll boys staying just outside of Valentine. We want you to be there when we ambush them. It'll send a message to Colm if we let one of them survive. I want him to know you're on our side now," Dutch said confidently as always. He was giddy at the thought of Colm's reaction to such an unexpected betrayal. Surely it would cut deeper than simply killing the girl.
There was a prolonged moment of silence as the information settled within Cassidy's mind. She knew there was no ideal choice to be made either way. Resisting meant getting herself killed and doing as she was told meant backstabbing her father. Admittedly, she figured Colm would get over it if she told him they threatened her. It's not like he'd even care about losing a few men anyways.
"I'll do it," she said firmly. They all looked at her, appearing shocked that she didn't immediately say no.
Arthur chuckled softly. "And here I was getting ready throw you off that cliff again. You got any conditions?"
She eyed his revolver that was tucked safely away. "Let me use your gun. I like its look." Everyone but Arthur shared a laugh at her single demand. He valued his gun as if being parted from it would somehow weaken his nearly perfect aim.
Arthur gave his gun a protective glance. "Fine, we've got a deal, O'Driscoll." He offered his hand to shake on it. Cassidy didn't hesitate, she gripped his big, calloused hand and shook it steadily. She was glad it was dark out when the warmth rushed to her cheeks. Arthur had the same thought when he felt the smooth skin of her slender hand that felt surprisingly delicate to touch.
"Can you handle yourself in a fight?" Dutch asked.
She held back the annoyance of being doubted by him. Cassidy was only used to Colm questioning her, though he always found a way to degrade her while he did it. Dutch seemed to be asking out of curiosity, not spite.
Hosea interrupted before she answered him. "This is Colm's only child we're talking to, Dutch. You really think she'd still be alive if she couldn't fight like the men she runs with?"
Dutch ignored his question, waiting for Cassidy to speak for herself instead of Hosea.
"You ever notice how Colm ain't never spotted at an O'Driscoll robbery?" she asked Dutch as she held his gaze.
"Of course," Dutch responded while Arthur and Hosea nodded in agreeance. His thick eyebrows were furrowed because he wasn't sure where she was going with this.
"It's cause I'm the one in charge during most of our jobs. So yeah, I can handle myself in a fight."
They all had different reactions to this that showed through their expressions. Hosea's lips parted and his eyes widened in horror. It was becoming clear to him that Colm really had put this girl through hell. Arthur stiffened his jaw. To him, this meant she'd be just as dangerous as Colm if she took over the O'Driscoll gang. Finally, Dutch was the only one who seemed pleased by this, he was resisting the urge to smile. This meant the O'Driscolls would be weaker without her and she would be an asset to his gang. He was beginning to think that finding Cassidy O'Driscoll in those snowy mountains was a gift from God, if God even exists.
Dutch asked her a question that he knew needed to be asked. "Why are you being so agreeable? Don't you have any sense of loyalty to your gang… to Colm?"
She looked down at her own hands. She had a freckle on her wedding ring finger that always seemed out of place to her. Dutch's question made her uncomfortable, still, she felt the urge to answer willingly and honestly. It felt like her inner feelings about Colm and her gang were coming to the surface after being buried deep for so long.
"Loyalty? I think you know Colm well enough to realize that loyalty don't mean shit to him. Survival is what matters to him. Hell, Colm won't give a damn if I kill a dozen of his men cause he'll figure I'm doing it to stay alive. I reckon he'll be furious that I didn't manage to escape my captors," she said, laughing morbidly.
Dutch nodded attentively. "I see… so, I can count on you to make yourself known when we ambush those O'Driscoll boys tomorrow?" he asked.
"You sure can," she responded.
A/N: Sooo it's been forever since I've updated this but I'm thinking I may continue this story or start a new one about a con artist who works with Trelawny and gets caught up with Dutch's gang. I've got a ton of free time now in quarantine, so I'll be doing more updates. Let me know your thoughts!
Disclaimer: I do not own RDR