Chapter 18: Lost and Found
Where to even begin? The question burned in John's mind. He was growing more impatient and scared shit for [Y/N]'s safety, pacing back and forth as he awaited Dutch's instructions, while the others scurried around packing up their things upon their leader's announcement that it wasn't safe for them in Horseshoe Overlook anymore. If by some miracle, [Y/N] is able to escape on her own and come back here, the gang would be long gone, and the thought terrified John even more.
Dutch ordered Charles and Arthur to head south and scout for a good spot for their next hideout. He turned to John next. He instructed him to start, discreetly, in the neighbouring areas of Valentine – most likely folks there might have seen something. After all, there was nothing inconspicuous about a group of men carrying a girl hogtied to a horse.
Hosea was quite perturbed by the news, deeply regretting sending her out to town that morning. The news distressed Javier, knowing [Y/N] was with John when she rode out to Valentine, he was quick to catch on what Hosea's been trying to do. While the first and the easiest reaction would be to get lash out at John for not protecting her, Javier knew better than blame John and the others who were with her when she was taken. Instead, he insisted he rides with John to help look for her. Dutch agreed and informed them that Arthur would join them once things settled in their new hideout, wherever that may be. The Van der Linde gang leader then turned to the rest of them who were now starting to wonder where [Y/N] was, to break the sad news to them.
Amid the camp's restlessness and urgency, Abigail turned left and right to look for John whom she expected to at least help them with their things, not taking her watchful eye from Jack who sat on top of the crates nearby. She spotted John by Old Boy, who appeared to have other plans as he looked like he was preparing to leave in a rush without even a word to her or his son. She stomped her feet in John's direction.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Abigail demanded angrily when she stood next to him.
"Heading out to look for [Y/N]," John answered her.
"Why you!? We're being hunted down and your son—" infuriated by his answer, she raised her voice once more.
"Goddammit, Abigail. I don't have time for this." He snapped. He was tired – first off, he just stole a herd of sheep – for nothing, he was caught in an ambush back in Valentine, fought off several men, narrowly escaping, and lastly, he just watched helplessly [Y/N] being taken by Cornwall's men. Dealing with this immense guilt of not doing enough to protect her, to save her, and now this, John had reached his limit.
"Oh my god, so you love her now?" Abigail scoffed at him. She wasn't blind. Jilted lovers were often more perceptive about these things. When John spurned her over and over again, she started to see the little things. At first. it was just those innocent flirting, throwing [Y/N] a smile now and again, and asking if she needed any help with the lifting and such, some things that she's seen him do with other women at the camp, much to her annoyance, it became the reason behind their many heated arguments. But day in day out, when she's been receiving nothing from John but disdain, contempt, and many 'leave me alone,' 'I don't have time for this,' it was at that point that she knew that there was something more to those smiles and innocent flirting he threw at [Y/N]. More so, when she caught him sitting quietly in the corner, balling his fists, as he watched her welcome and revel in Javier's attention and seemingly friendly affection.
"Just fuck off will you -."
Clap! Abigail's hand met John's face. She stormed off as her slap left a red welt on where her hand landed. John rubbed it to ease the stinging, thinking he had nothing to say to her anymore. He was serious when he said he didn't have time for this, every minute he spends standing there is a minute wasted - and when it's someone's life on the life, every minute counted. Javier joined him a few minutes later. Together, they mounted their horses and rode off into the night. They made their way north as the rest of the gang, in their wagons, headed south. The two barely spoke a word to each other since they separated from their group; however, both knew each other long enough to know what the other had on mind at the very moment.
"No te preocupes. We'll get her back, brother." Javier said to him reassuringly, momentarily breaking the silence between them. John only responded with a nod. They picked up their pace while keeping a safe distance from Valentine and the main roads in the surrounding area, as Dutch specifically instructed them.
That evening's excursion and the next day's did not yield any results. It wasn't until the third day since [Y/N]'s kidnapping they learned, with the help of Trelawney and his network of discouraged men, that O'Driscoll's boys have intercepted the men who had the girl. Cornwall and Van der Linde's men stirred such a ruckus in Valentine. When Colm O' Driscoll caught wind of this as well as the interesting bit of information that Cornwall's men picked up one of Van der Linde's, he saw a window of opportunity for them to get even with Dutch he captured one of their own too back in Colter – the one who went by the name of Kieran Duffy.
Kieran, after all these weeks riding with the Van der Linde, was still tied in a tree, sustained with the few unconsumed bits of stew in the bottom of Pearson's pot from yesterday. At first, he insisted he didn't know anything, fearing for his own life should the O'Driscolls find out he so much as rat them out. However, his jumpiness and squirming were easily giving him away to his captor. After Arthur, Dutch, and Bill's 'persuading' and a pair of gelding tongs, Kieran finally squealed revealing that the girl, judging from the location where Cornwall's men were found, is most probably held up in Six Point Cabin, one of the O'Driscolls' hideouts strategically tucked away in the Cumberland Forest. The men carefully deliberated over this piece of information which was received with much suspicion and doubt. With having no other leads, Dutch took his knife and cut the boy loose, so he could lead Arthur to this hideout after they meet up with Javier and John. Before Kieran walked away with Arthur, the gang leader grabbed him by the collar and explicitly reminded him of what his boys will do with his balls should they find out he was lying and leading them into a trap. Bill morbidly demonstrated what their leader meant with the gelding tongs he held in his hand.
Arthur, with the O'Driscoll's errand boy in tow, departed their new hideout in Clemens Point and rode north once more. When he caught up with the pair, they were holed up in an abandoned cabin outside of Valentine and were surprised to see the O'Driscoll boy with him. Arthur, upon arriving, wasted no time in keeping the two up two speed with the information they just squeezed out from their O'Driscoll.
"I told you, I ain't an O'Driscoll," Kieran muttered, getting tired with having to repeat himself over and over that he wasn't one.
"So where exactly is this hideout you talking about?" John asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Kieran described the location to the best of his memory. His information was again received with the same suspicion and disbelief, but John and Javier couldn't go on another sleepless night of searching for her. They needed to find her and fast. The men climbed their horses, with Kieran now behind John, to give him further directions towards their destination.
Kieran sensed the agitation and apprehension in the three heavily armed men with him, and their determination to protect one of their own whatever the cost. His mind wandered for a bit, wondering if any of the O'Driscolls would do the same for him, or any gang member in dire need of help or rescuing.
"I'm sorry… about what happened to your girl." Kieran sincerely apologised.
"Oh, you will be, if they so much as lay a finger on her, pendejo." Javier threatened him with a scowl. It was the first time Arthur heard the Mexican talk since he caught up with them. Come to think of it, although Javier and John had always gotten along. The older cowboy couldn't shake the feeling of tension between them. Javier obviously, in John's words, smitten by [Y/N] and wasn't exactly discreet how he'd been showering her with his attention lately, and John, well thinking about what he just witnessed in the back of that barn in Valentine… his head started to hurt just thinking about how these two idiots are making their lives more complicated than they already are – John especially, the biggest idiot of them all, Arthur shook his head, as he silently judged John.
When they finally reached the side of the hill Kieran described earlier, they left their horses in the opposite side of the clearing and carefully followed Kieran to the top giving the group the vantage point to survey what they were up against. It was a camp alright, at least Kieran didn't lie about that. Wagons and tents lay strewn in the area, where a log cabin also stood. About twenty to thirty O'Driscolls were there formidably armed but lucky for the trio, their opponents were either lazing about, asleep, or drinking.
They were outnumbered, but Arthur, Javier, and John, fully utilising the element of surprise to their advantage, snuck around and easily took down a good number of the O'Driscolls holed out there. A short gunfight broke, and when they have killed almost all of them, and those who didn't get shot at, fled, Arthur reached the steps to the cabin, Javier and John were a few meters behind, followed him, desperate and anxious to see what's behind the door.
They had the same thing on their minds, including Kieran, 'Please let it be her… alive.'
When Arthur's hand brushed the knob, the cabin door flung open, revealing an O'Driscoll charging towards Arthur pinning him to the ground. The man, who seemed to be the last of the Six Cabin Point lot, aimed his rifle at Arthur ready to fire. The O'Driscoll's victory was short-lived as a bullet fatally landed on his chest, and his body flopped to the ground. John and Javier raced to his side. Arthur propped up his head and saw Kieran panting, his hand that held the gun was shaking – obviously, killing and shooting were two things he wasn't used to doing, Arthur suspected Kieran hasn't even done either before.
Having just been saved by O'Driscoll, he thanked him sincerely. He quickly picked himself up and together they entered the dimly lit room, and there they saw a familiar figure in one of the dark corners of the room, gagged and tied to the iron pipe bed frame; her exhausted whimpering muffled by the gag. John was the first one to rush to her. He knelt beside her and pulled out his hunting knife to cut her free, taking the gag off her mouth. She collapsed to him, her chest heaving and eyes bloodshot. As distressed John may be looking at the state she's in and thinking what she just went through for the past few days, a significant part of his fears immediately vanished when he finally found her and that she's alive and safe wrapped around his arms.
"John -" she whimpered, shaking like a leaf, and crying uncontrollably.
"It's okay. You're safe now. Let's get you home." He whispered to her ear. She missed his voice so much. She thought she'd never hear it again.