A/N: MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING ISSUED FOR THIS ONE, PROCEED WITH CAUTION
Chapter 9 - Money Lending and Other Sins
Arthur's heart sank as he watched her lips move as she read the name silently to herself, he watched her carefully, expecting a myriad of emotions to blossom on her delicate features. Instead, she nodded and passed the scrap of paper back, her dark eyes void.
"You ain't gotta be sorry, Arthur," She dropped her hand as soon as the outlaw had a grip on the paper, her voice hollow, "My daddy told me he won a good hand off of some Austrian fella in Blackwater before everythin' happened, and with what Strauss said to me back at camp…" She dipped her head low and hid her face beneath her hat, "I think, some part in me already knew."
The outlaw swallowed as he tucked the scrap back into his journal, "I wanted to keep you out of it, I didn't think after what the O'Driscoll's did you didn't have to find out."
"That ain't a choice for you to make," She kept her head down, not letting him read her face, "He's not your family, it ain't your debt to deal with."
"But it ain't yours, either," Arthur frowned, "You didn't drink an' gamble, rack up all this money with all these people."
Miss Bartlett chuckled darkly and glanced up at him, "You're right, I didn't. But here I am - with you, and we're gonna," She took a deep breath, "We're gonna get this finished. So we got my daddy, and someone else, who are we goin' to first?"
The outlaw watched her for a long moment before he finally spoke, "Was thinkin' of doin' that sick farmer - Thomas Downes, I think his name is… then goin' up to see Jack."
She nodded and her jaw clenched as she stared out West towards Mount Hagen's peaks in the night, "You already went and saw him though, right? That's how you knew what had happened - what he did to me."
Arthur's face twisted, "It ain't entirely like that, Effie. I was plannin' on ridin' out and seein' you when we got down here. And then Strauss gave me this damn list. And I spent two weeks away from camp wonderin' what I was gonna do about it." He looked away as he searched his pockets for his cigarettes, he needed something - anything to distract him right now, "And when I finally went up there… I was too late, you were gone, an' I could've done somethin' to stop it."
The girl looked back at him, her eyes shining, "That's why you were saying it was your fault."
Arthur took a deep breath as his hand finally closed around the packet in his pocket and pulled it out, "I can't tell you how much I think about it, I know what kind of a man I am - and it ain't a good one, that's for sure. But when I found you in that cabin in that O'Driscoll camp, seein' how you sleep at night because of it?" The outlaw shook his head and scoffed as he bent and furiously struck the match off his boot, the match glowed between them as he lit the cigarette hanging out his mouth, "There ain't nothin' in the world I can do to make up for it."
Effie remained quiet as he took desperate inhales on his cigarette, he refused to meet her eye in the dark as she stepped closer to him. He stayed still as she sighed and gingerly reached up to take the cigarette from his lips. If it had been anybody else, he'd have shoved them away, but when it came to the girl in front of him he found things were always different.
He felt different around her. The atmosphere he felt in her presence had him feeling like his emotions were in some sort of strange overdrive, everything was just beneath the surface, sparked so easily by just being around her.
His resolve crumbled as he took in her familiar scent of sweet herbs and rain, he looked deeply into her eyes as she put the cigarette to her lips, they were so dark, and betrayed her thoughts to him often. He could see her battling the tempest that swirled within them now as she smoked, studying him just as intently as he studied her.
She blew a plume of smoke out into the night air, "Arthur," The soft lilt had returned, replacing the brittle, empty tone and he felt his rage dissipate at the way she said his name, "I want you to know that I don't think you're responsible for anything that happened. I wish you'd told me sooner, but I can understand why you didn't," She took another toke and offered his cigarette back to him, "We should get some sleep, we can ride out in the mornin' and see that Downes fella before heading up to West Elizabeth."
Arthur accepted the rest of the cigarette and looked at the girl carefully, "Are you sure?" He asked quietly.
She nodded, her gaze hard, "Yeah, I'm actually quite glad I came with you. It's high time I went and saw him again."
The outlaw heaved a sigh and threw the cigarette, "Come on, then. Let's forget about the fire tonight, get as much sleep as we can and we'll ride out at first light," She took her hat off and turned back to the tent they'd set up, "Effie," He found himself grabbing her hand, trying to ignore the way his heart beat in his chest whenever they touched, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I was wrong for that. I just didn't wanna cause you any more pain."
"I know," She said quietly, and turned back to him with a small, sad smile as she gently pulled her hand away from his, "Let's get some rest."
Met up with Hosea with Effie and did a job with him for some crooked workhand at Emerald Ranch, Seamus. He didn't take much to me and Miss Bartlett, not that I cared too much, man like that runs a slippery side hustle, and keeping it under wraps is the thing men like that value the most - apart from the actual valuables they fence.
Hosea wanted to send Miss Bartlett in to sweep the house alone, but I wasn't gonna risk her going alone, not on her first time. The actual robbery went as well as we'd hoped, Miss Bartlett can move as quiet as a mouse, probably from all those years spent hunting and stalking game out in the woods. I think she had a moment when she saw the chimney in the house, I didn't need to ask her what it reminded her of. Still, it gave her the idea to search a chimney, and we found a score that made the whole job worthwhile.
Dutch collared me at camp, said Strauss had come and moaned to him about me avoiding him for jobs. I tried to make him see it my way, but Dutch ain't stupid, he knows how much it helps the camp. He's got me going out to see some ranch owner who's taken ill, then back out to Big Valley to see Effie's father again. I tried making Miss Bartlett ride back with Hosea after we finished at Emerald Ranch, but she's stubborn and wouldn't hear anything less than coming along with me.
That girl is too good to be riding out and helping me collect debts. And she's much too good to see how good I am at it. It's vile work, sure, but if I'm feeling certain ways about something, it sure makes it easier to take it out on some stupid idiot that turned to an Austrian snake for easy money and an easy way out of their problems. The way the world is, there ain't ever any easy way out of anything anymore.
Anyway, she found out that the debtor I'd been avoiding was her father. I expected her to run, to shout and kick and yell. At the very least try and put a bullet in me. Instead she's sleeping beside me resting up to help me go get what he owes. Every time I think I know that girl a little better, she does the opposite.
Still, I'm always grateful for her company. Dutch is sure impressed with her so far, and when Hosea gets back the camp'll be hearing about her robbing endeavours. I wonder if she knows how much of an outlaw she's become in the short time she's been with us.
"You've sure been writin' in that book for a while, Arthur," The outlaw snapped his head up at her voice, she was watching him from where she was laying in amusement, "You plannin' on gettin' any sleep tonight?"
Arthur scoffed, "Guess I had a lot to write about today." He muttered as he closed the journal shut.
"Anythin' you wanna talk about?"
The gunslinger shook his head as he tucked the book back into his satchel, "Nah, it's mostly nonsense, really. Nothin' you need to be worryin' about."
"A lot of nonsense to be worryin' about to yourself." She broke her smirk to yawn and shifted to get comfortable on the ground.
He rolled his eyes, but his voice was gentle, "Go back to sleep, Effie, we gotta be movin' on soon." She turned the other way and her slight frame curled up, she tucked her head down by her shoulder and he stared out at the canvas wall of the tent, listening to her breathing settle into a slow, relaxed pace as she fell back asleep. Arthur rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed; even after pouring over his journal, nothing was making him shake the deep foreboding he had deep within him as he considered what they were having to do in a few hours.
Miss Bartlett shifted in her sleep and he furrowed his brow, expecting her to be having nightmares again, his eyes dropped to her waist and saw she'd taken off her gunbelt and left it with her boots - probably as a precaution to avoid what happened the last time he'd tried waking her up from a bad dream. Instead she didn't jerk again, but her shoulders shook as she tried to curl up in on herself tighter and his jaw tightened; she was shivering.
As quiet as he could he reached over and grabbed his scout jacket and held it out wide to drape it over her, making a mental note to take her back to Valentine to get her a coat. Effie stirred slightly as he put the jacket over her carefully, but didn't wake, he smiled as she furrowed her brow slightly and her fist moved up underneath her chin; clearly her preferred sleeping position.
He carefully brushed her dark hair back, revealing more of her allure to him, "You should be sleepin' safe and sound in some house somewhere away from all this, not gettin' cold on the dirt with someone like me." He whispered, his voice barely audible to himself as he settled into his bedroll and snuffed the light of his oil lamp.
Effie rolled over and opened her eyes as she recognised a screeching of a hawk or eagle in the distance, she looked over to see Arthur's bedroll empty, and the outlaw nowhere to be seen. She sat up slowly and leaned on the palm of her hand, his scout jacket fell from her torso and onto her lap and she frowned; she didn't remember asking Arthur to borrow his jacket for a blanket last night. She stretched her arms above her head and arched her back as she rolled her neck between her shoulders, stiff after sleeping on the hard ground for hours, then she pulled her boots on, scowling at the chain around her ankle as she folded it carefully against her leg to allow her foot to slip in. She grabbed her gun belt and wrapped it around her waist as she stood, looping the leather into the buckle and pulling it tight to the notch she'd had to add to make it fit her properly. A yawn forced her jaw open wide as she brushed her fingers through her hair, feeling too lazy to braid it today, once she was ready she stooped and grabbed Arthur's jacket up and made her way outside.
The outlaw was stood brushing his mare, he'd taken her saddle off and was speaking to the horse in soothing tones as he eased the knots out of her mane, she watched him for a moment, smiling at his gentleness with her. He'd taken his hat off and left it on the saddle horn, his hair was starting to get a little long at the back, stopping just an inch or so above the collar of his black shirt. Ever the alert gunslinger, he sensed her behind him and turned, "Finally, I thought you were gonna sleep the day away."
"Why didn't you wake me?" She frowned as she blinked sleepily at him.
He shrugged and turned back to his mare, "Normally you're the first one out of the two of us to wake up, figured you must've needed it," He finished smoothing the last of his horse's mane and nodded to himself, satisfied, "There you go, girl. Ain't that better?" His mare nickered and he fished a peppermint out of his satchel, he chuckled as she snorted into his hand for the treat. "I went out and got some wood for a fire this mornin', I left you some coffee, and there's a can of food for you to eat. Once you're all done we can get goin'."
She blinked down at his jacket in her arms and swallowed, feeling the pink creeping up in her cheeks, "You didn't have to do that Arthur, thank you."
He shrugged again as he bent and grabbed his saddle, "Don't mention it, now go on now."
Effie smiled as she stepped over to him, she waited for him to finish cinching the saddle back on his mare before she pressed his jacket into his arms, looking up at him beneath her lashes shyly, "Thanks, Arthur."
He grunted and looked down at the jacket, "Don't thank me yet, you ain't tried the coffee I made." He mumbled and she laughed and started towards the fire, "And I wanna see that tin of peaches empty, I'll be coming over to make sure." He called out to her, she rolled her eyes but kept her back to him to hide the foolish grin on her face as she approached the campfire he'd made, still burning merrily.
He'd left the percolator by the logs to keep warm, and there was a tin cup with a can just a few feet away. She poured the coffee into the cup and hummed as she saw it was still warm, the steam rising and warming her face. A little way away there was a buck grazing idly, he raised his head to look at her as she drank from the cup, welcoming the warm liquid down her throat and ignoring the bitter taste. On another day that buck would've been in her rifle sight, or she'd be notching an arrow in her bow and preparing to go after it, but today wasn't for hunting and exploring, today was for something different, something darker. She drained her cup and shivered slightly; adrenaline coursing through her when she considered what they were going to do today. With the coffee drunk, she put the cup upside down over the top of the percolator and grabbed the tin and paused to study the can.
Back before she'd joined the Van Der Line gang, canned fruit like pineapples and peaches were too expensive for her to afford for her and her daddy, and she only had the faintest of memories of trying canned strawberries as a child. She dug her knife around the lid and eased it open with a soft metallic squeak, frowning as she peered at the contents curiously.
"It ain't poisonous, you know." Arthur said as he came up behind her, she looked up to the outlaw, watching her amusedly beneath his hat.
"I've never tried peaches." She admitted to him with a small smile.
His blue eyes widened, "Never?"
Effie shook her head, "No, couldn't ever afford 'em." She poked at one of the fruits with her knife, grunting at how soft the flesh was beneath her blade. She held the piece of fruit up, frowning as a thick, syrupy liquid dripped off of the golden segment.
"You'll like it, try some." Arthur nodded encouragingly, watching her dubious expression.
She took a small nibble, chewing experimentally as she savoured the fruit carefully before she swallowed, it was sweet. She took a bigger bite and almost moaned as the juices seeped out onto her tongue, "That's so good." She murmured as she dug her knife back into the can to get another fruit piece.
Arthur crossed his arms and nodded smugly as she ate, "Thought you'd like 'em." With the soft, velvety fruit eaten, she put the can to her lips and tipped it back to drink the juices, closing her eyes as she drank the sweet syrup down. She discarded the can on the fire and licked her lips, the outlaw smiled and pointed to her mouth, "You've got a bit there."
"Oh," She hid her face in her hand as she rubbed the side of her mouth, "Better?"
The outlaw reached out and wiped the other side of her mouth, her breath caught in her throat as he licked his finger, "Better." He murmured in a low voice and grabbed his percolator and tin cup, he poured the excess coffee out over fire, and flicked the logs apart with his boot before kicking some dirt over them, extinguishing the flames.
Effie swallowed thickly and cleared her throat, "How far is the ride to Mister Downes?"
"It ain't far, it's along the way somewhere to Cumberland Falls, we'll be there before noon if we leave now," Arthur replied as he straightened, "Are you ready?"
"Uh-huh, let's do this."
Another beautiful summer's day shone over New Hanover, and Arthur took his hat off for the umpteenth time and wiped the sweat off his brow as they passed by Citadel Rock, they rode their horses leisurely along the road, enjoying the beautiful scenery. "So one night when we was all in camp, Uncle comes back from the local town with this girl, said he'd rescued her from a bar fight or somethin', a fight he started, no doubt," Arthur chuckled as he put his hat back on, "Anyway, he brings this girl up to where were all sat, says to Dutch we gotta give her a place to stay for the night. We weren't gonna say no to the girl, so we get her some food, give her somethin' to drink, and she get's to talkin'. Turns out she was one of the working girls at the local saloon, she'd only been in town a couple weeks, got caught stealin' off some man she took for the night from the town over. Said her name was Abigail."
Effie frowned and leaned forward on her saddle in interest, "As in Miss Roberts?"
"The very same," Arthur chuckled, "She was just a kid at the time, no older than seventeen, eighteen, maybe. But she was sharp, couldn't read or write, but weren't no stranger to a good conversation. We took her in and she proved good on some jobs, Hosea took her out on his schemes a lot, said she had a good knack for character work, she wasn't a bad thief either," He sighed wistfully, "Seems like so long ago now, but back then we were ridin' high on a string of good jobs, hadn't had much nonsense come our way in a while. Not like how it is now," He paused and cleared his throat, "Anyway, Abigail took her place in the gang, but Dutch and her had this agreement about her working girl role; so long as nobody hurt her none, her other services could be bought."
Effie's smile faded, "Oh."
"Almost everybody had her at least the once," The outlaw continued, missing her expression, "Nearly everybody back at camp has a story with Miss Roberts, and who could blame 'em, Abigail sure was pretty back then."
"She's still pretty now." Effie frowned, thinking about the lady that had been so kind and reassuring to her when she'd first arrived at camp, how Abigail was the only one who could even begin to understand what those countless O'Driscoll men did to her.
"Sure," Arthur nodded, "But she's a mother now, an' she pretty much closed herself off the minute she met Marston."
"Marston? You mean John?" She shook her head as the gunslinger turned in his saddler to her with a knowing smile, "I didn't think they were together."
Arthur chuckled, "They are, kinda, John's just a fool. They met, started doin' jobs together, then one day they were away from camp for almost two weeks, when they came back she moved into John's tent, and that was pretty much it. Then she found out she was pregnant."
"Huh, and that's that little boy?" Effie was quiet for a moment before she turned back to Arthur, "Y'know, he doesn't look nothin' like John."
The outlaw scoffed, "Heh, you an' everybody else are sayin' or said the same thing. It took Abigail a while before she found out, she had the kid about five months after. Jack could be any one of ours, but that kid belongs to John."
She made a face, "So, you all paid to bed her before she and John got together."
"Some of us did, but she gave herself more freely with others, like Javier," He paused, "An' she and I had a few nights together after some long talks."
Effie gaped, "You did?"
He nodded seriously, "Uh-huh. That Abigail's a good woman, far too good for the likes of Marston. Man's a damn fool, treatin' her like he does."
"So wait, I had no idea they were still together. Why are they like that now?"
"John and Abigail were fine while she was pregnant, he even stayed with Miss Grimshaw and the girls to help her with the birth, then a week after Jack turned one, he took off in the middle of the night," Arthur's cheerful tone faded and he narrowed his eyes as he looked out into the distance, "He didn't tell no one, didn't leave a note, just took off and left."
"That's a shame," Effie frowned, "But he ended up coming back though, right?"
"Yeah. After a year," Arthur bit out, "Left poor Abigail to raise that kid by herself for a whole year. He didn't write, didn't try an' find us. He doesn't talk about where he went, either, real closed up about whatever it is he got up to. Me and Javier came back one mornin' after robbin' a stagecoach, and there he was, sat havin' coffee with Hosea an' Bill, like nothin' had happened."
"That must have been so hard for her," Effie murmured, "I had no idea that kid belonged to John."
"He'd tell you different too, I'm sure," He muttered, "He still tells Abigail he ain't sure he's his. He's a damn fool, though, he doesn't realise what he has."
She watched the gunslinger carefully, eyeing his fists clenched tightly onto his reins, his braced shoulders and his set jaw. There was something more to the story, but Arthur wasn't telling her, she licked her lips warily, not wanting to pry, "So tell me about Mister Escuella."
Arthur looked up, "Javier?"
"Yeah," She leaned down and patted her stallion's neck, they were coming up to the crossing before Valentine, and there was a lot of travellers and stages going up and down the roads. "What's the story with him?"
"Just another one Dutch picked up passin' through. Think he ran into him tryin' to steal some chickens from some farm. We took him in, clothed and fed him, then it turned out he was good with a gun, an' a big believer in freedom, same as Dutch," Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, "Think he was a freedom fighter, of sorts, back in Mexico, then he killed the wrong man, fled to America and found us soon after. He's a good enough of a fella though, proud of where he came from, big on loyalty," The outlaw hummed as they made their way down the road past Valentine, "He might be the most loyal out of all of us, come to think about it."
"He seems like a good guy," Effie nodded, "One you'd be able to trust, 'specially in a gang."
"He ain't done anythin' to make me doubt his intentions yet, doubt he ever will, either. He's big on Dutch's ideals and speeches, probably his biggest believer."
"Never had him pegged as a freedom fighter," She admitted, "I just figured he was the same as all of us."
Arthur smirked, "And what's that?"
"I dunno, all of us mistreated and down-trodden, nothin' else to do but survive while the world changes." Effie shrugged and the outlaw chuckled.
"Well, that's true too. But all of us have got our own stories, only way you're gonna get to know about somebody is if you ask 'em."
"Yeah, I guess."
They slipped into a comfortable silence with one another as they made their way across the wooden bridge overlooking a creek, a snake weaved its way across the path and Effie showered her Thoroughbred with praise as he'd merely nickered at it, entirely uninterested in the sinister reptile. Up ahead on the road there was a small group of men stood by a tree, watching them come down the road, Arthur leaned forward in his saddle, his eyes narrowed.
"Effie, take this, and put it on," He loosened the black bandanna from his neck and leaned to pass it to her, she frowned but took the bandanna and tied it around her neck, lifting the cloth to rest over her nose and cover the lower part of her face and he nodded, "Dip your hat low."
"Arthur, what is it?"
"Up ahead," He said quietly, "I think they're gonna stop us."
She looked out at the men ahead and leaned forward in her saddle, then shot him a look, "O'Driscoll's." She said in an edged tone, her hand reached behind her for her repeater and he shook his head.
"Don't! Not yet," He hissed, "We wanna catch 'em off guard, they're might be more of them hidden in the woods."
Her hand let go of the gun, but it wavered at her side, near the pistol holstered at her hip as they neared the three men. Arthur cursed quietly beside her when one of them waved his hands to them, "Hey! You two! Come here a minute, would yous?"
"Can we help you?" The outlaw narrowed his eyes as they slowed their horses.
"As a matter o' fact, you can," The man smiled, the tell-tale green bandanna hanging from his neck, he whipped out his pistol from his holster in a flash and they two men behind them aimed their guns at them, "Both of you, jump down off your horses, now." He ordered.
"Easy fellas, we're gettin' down." Arthur said coolly as he leaned forward and dismounted, shooting a look at Effie to do the same.
"Good," One of the men behind the leader flicked his rifle, "Now put them hands up, like you's witnessin' in church."
"You picked the wrong day to go out for a ride, Morgan," The third one sneered, "Not a thing happens around these parts without an O'Driscoll's say-so. We've been lookin' out for you."
Arthur sighed as he raised his hands above his head, "That so?"
"Oh yeah," The rival outlaw nodded, showing a toothy grin, "Colm ain't too happy with ya. Heard you and the boys stormed one of our camps, made off with somethin' of ours."
Arthur's teeth ground together, but he didn't look at Effie, he couldn't do anything blatant to expose her to them. She stood with her hands held up, her head down as she peered at the men before her underneath her hat, her heart raced in her chest but she felt an all too familiar cold seeping within her, she concentrated on breathing slowly through her nose.
"Is that right?" Arthur feigned nonchalance, his tone light.
"Oh, yes," The first man nodded, a cruel smirk on his dirty face, "We heard you took somethin' very dear to our leader, us boys have been just achin' to find out what you did to that whore of ours," He stepped closer to Effie and narrowed his eyes, "I ain't seen you with no Van Der Lindes before, girl."
She kept her head lowered as the man glanced back to his gangmates, "Boys, you remember the description Colm gave everybody?"
"Yup; early twenties, brunette, brown eyes, lookin' like a half starved lamb," Effie swallowed heavily, her pistol and knife hung heavy on her belt, but she didn't know how to quickdraw, and she didn't want to look at Arthur and risk giving them away, "Say, take that hat off for us girl, and take that cover off your face, lemme take a look at ya." She hesitated, glaring at the man for a moment before he tutted and flicked the hat off her head, she fought against flinching away as the sun pierced her eyes and the outlaw stepped closer with his eyes narrowed, "Come here."
He snagged the cloth and yanked it down, revealing her face to him, a predatory smile slowly grew on his face as he looked her up and down. His hand fisted the bandanna and her repeater was yanked off her and thrown to the floor, then the cold barrel of his revolver pressed against her temple and he yanked her forwards towards his fellow gang members, her hands dropped to her sides and wavered near her pistol and her knife, but the hammer flicked back, vibrating against her skull resolutely as she eyed the heavy duty rifles the two men were carrying.
"Hey now boys, we were cooperatin', what are you doing with her?" Arthur called behind them and she'd never so badly wanted to turn and meet his gaze.
"Shut up," The O'Driscoll gripping her by the neckerchief snapped over his shoulder as he dragged her over, "Whaddaya think? You reckon this is her?"
The third man tilted his head as he lazily pressed the barrel of his gun against her chin, forcing her head up, whilst the second kept his eyes on Arthur as he walked over to the outlaw and out of her line of sight behind her, "I dunno, she sure looks like what Colm and Patrick said, but I ain't sure, an' I don't wanna piss either of 'em off by bringin' back the wrong girl. Again."
"It's not her," Arthur called to them, to the O'Driscoll's he just sounded irritated and angry, but Effie could hear the fear flecking his tone, "The girl you're lookin' for got shot on the ride back, she died at the doctor's office in Valentine."
"Is that right?" The man clutching onto her bandanna let go, but the revolver remained planted firmly on her head, "We'll see about that. Take the shirt off, girl."
Effie glared at him, her mouth dry, "No."
"After we brought back the wrong girl Patrick told us there's somethin' on our whore specific to look for. You take your shirt off, and let us take a look, and we'll let you go - promise," He stole a smirk with the third gang mate, "If you don't, I'll beat you to the floor, and take off all your clothes, it's your choice." He shrugged as he held the gun to her temple, like this was the most natural thing in the world.
"Come on," Arthur pressed, "You gonna make me watch you boys torment some poor girl? Let her go, she's not the one. I told you, the one you boys are lookin' for died -"
"At the doctors in Valentine, we heard ya," The second one spat behind her and she heard his gun cocking, "The problem with your story, Morgan, is that doctor's office is run by us. If she had made it there we would've heard about it."
Oh, shit.
Effied breathed deeply, fighting the tears that stung her eyes as the first man turned back to her, that evil grin still wide on his face, "So what's it gonna be girl? You want me to help you outta them clothes."
Her jaw clenched as he pressed the gun harder against her head until she shook it slowly. The men chuckled and the gun was lifted away from her, he aimed it at her chest as her hands slowly came up to her torso, shaking uncontrollably as she began undoing the buttons, struggling with numb fingers as the shirt opened to reveal her chemise beneath. The first O'Driscoll hummed approvingly and gestured with his gun, "Now take it off." He ordered.
She hesitated and he rolled his eyes and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him. Her body locked up as his breath hit her face, but she soon began squirming in his tight grip as the uncontrollable panic began to set in, her mouth was bone dry and her heart was beating so hard she was convinced it was either going to burst out of her chest or just simply give out - right now either would have been preferable as he yanked her shirt sleeves off and untucked if from her trousers, freeing the shirt from her torso.
Effie flinched and he tutted again, "Stay still," He locked an arm around her in a tight chokehold and held her to him as he turned her to face Arthur, "One wrong move and my boy there'll blow a hole in Morgan's head, so stop fighting." He hissed in her ear as her wide eyes met Arthur's. The moment they did she stilled in the man's grip and she couldn't help it, the tears threatening her vision spilled down her cheeks and she gave a shameful whimper as she surrendered to him, "That's more like it, you gonna behave now, whore?" She dropped her gaze from Arthur's and nodded meekly, her brain felt like it was being reset, and she was merely just going back to who she was just a few weeks ago.
The only thing you're good for. Patrick's voice curled in her ear and it was all she could do to just keep nodding her head helplessly, her tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto her bare chest.
"Good girl," The O'Driscoll nodded, satisfied and released her, he pulled the straps of her chemise down and kicked the back of her knee, she buckled and fell to the dirt as a sob wrenched from her throat. Her arms moved to cover her breasts, but she jerked and dropped them to her sides when she heard him again.
Ah, ah, ah. Don't go tryin' to cover yourself, little bird. You know I'll be forced to punish ya if you make me mad. You don't wanna go makin' me mad, do ya? You've been so good for me so far…
"You take your hands off of her!" Arthur growled out ahead of her as he watched, there was a loud crack and she heard him groan in pain whilst the other men laughed.
"Shut your mouth, Morgan, just be glad we're lettin' you see the show." She didn't know which gang member was threatening him, she was squeezing her eyes shut as she felt foreign hands on her bare skin.
Fingers traced the scars across her shoulder blades and her back, "Well, these marks all up her back here certainly look like somethin' Patrick'd do, what are we lookin' for exactly?" The man let out a low whistle as looked back at his gang mate but his voice sounded distant to her, none of this felt real to her anymore, the only thing that did sound real was the dark voice coiling in her head, everything felt fuzzy as her mind spiralled away from her.
Hold still… that's it, don't you dare move, this buckle has to be pressed on just right. Don't worry, it'll only be for a little bit, then you can show me how thankful ya are for me even botherin' to put my name to someone as worthless as you.
"A brand, he said he left his belt buckle over the campfire one night and branded her with it," Another muffled voice, she vaguely recognised the sound of footsteps on the dirt behind her as someone else approached, a different pair of rough hands at her back as they felt the scars of the welts Patrick had indulged in giving her, "Must be lower down."
"What? On her ass?"
This is all you're ever gonna be good for, little bird.
"Probably."
Somewhere ahead of her, there was a garbled choking noise, like someone was fighting for air - and it wasn't her. A body slumped to the floor and two shots rang out, she barely reacted as the man that had forced her shirt off fell in front of her, his eyes glazing over as a thick rivulet of blood dripped from the bullet wound in his forehead. She heard wet gasping somewhere behind her, something in the back of her mind dully discerned it as the unmistakable sound of someone choking on their lungs filling with blood, but she couldn't even lift her head to look, her body locked up and refusing to listen to her as her mind closed everything around her.
After a while she heard another sound, more familiar to her, it was getting louder and louder.
"Effie? Effie! Effie Bartlett, are you with me?"
Arthur.
Somewhere within her she felt like she was trying to claw her way out to get back to him, something heavy draped over her bare shoulders and she felt like she was swimming through thick mud to get back to the surface, to get back to him.
"Mister Morgan." She finally managed to find her voice, it was breathless and sounded dull and distant to her, but it was hers.
"That's it darlin', it's me. It's okay, I've got you." She blinked as his voice sounded louder, clearer to her, one of her hands reached up and she recognised his jacket around her shoulders, she recognised his smell and swallowed thickly as she breathed it in.
"You killed them." She rasped, furrowing her brow as her voice became clearer to her, the cold, dark void slowly lifting from her as strong hands held her gently and pulled her up to her feet.
"I did."
"I wanted to," Effie breathed as she struggled to find her footing, stumbling slightly in his grip as she clung onto him.
"I know. I know you did, but I had to, there wasn't any other way," He said, she glanced down at the man that had disrobed her and she couldn't help it; a strangled sob ripped itself from throat and she buried her head into Arthur's chest.
His arms wrapped around her and pulled her into him as she cried, making a mess of his shirt as she shook in his grip. She didn't know how long he held her there like that on the roadside, but eventually she calmed down enough to look down at her discarded shirt.
"Here, I'll get it for you, are you okay to stand for a second?" He held onto her gently and looked down at her with his eyes strangely dark, a bruise was forming on his cheek from where he'd been hit with the butt of the rifle.
"Yes," She nodded and he stepped and snatched her shirt up off the floor, he dusted it off as best he could and held it back out to her, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," He grunted, "I'll wait here for you, go get yourself sorted behind the trees."
She eyed the trees and nodded as she took uncertain steps towards the woods and undergrowth, hugging his jacket tightly around her as she stepped out of view from the road. She breathed shakily as she let the jacket fall from her shoulders, scrabbling to pull her chemise back up on her shoulders and get her arms back through the sleeves and fasten the buttons back up, she tucked the shirt back into her pants and leant against a tree as her mind swirled, the whole encounter making her weak with dizziness.
"It's okay, you're okay," She whispered as her hands clutched at the bark of the tree trunk, "They're gone, and he's not here. He doesn't know where you are." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she pinched herself hard, counting to five slowly. She huffed and pushed herself off the tree, grabbing the jacket as she slowly made her way back, she rubbed her stained cheeks dry as Arthur smoked his cigarette, glaring down at the men he'd shot and killed.
He looked up at her as she approached, and his gaze softened as he looked at her, "Here, you want some of this?" He held out the bottle of whiskey in his other hand.
She nodded and took it, tilting her head right back as she welcomed the burning liquid down her throat, she gulped it down until there was only a little left and handed it back to him, blinking as the bottle was replaced with a cigarette, Arthur struck a match off his boot and she put it to her lips as he lit the end for her, then he pressed her hat gently back on her head.
"We should've just taken our chances when we were comin' up the road," He gritted out and kicked the corpse before them, "I'm so sorry, Effie, I didn't know that they'd do that."
She didn't say anything, it was all she could do to just stand there and smoke, waiting for the whiskey to wash over her and do its job.
"We should go back to camp, call it a day and I can head out and finish this tomorrow." He continued, the controlled anger he had getting wilder and wilder.
Effie shook her head, "No, I'm okay, nothin' happened. And they're dead now, so."
"Effie, we should go back, what they just did -"
"No," She repeated firmly, "I'm okay, Arthur, really. If anythin' they proved useful."
The outlaw's jaw dropped, "Useful?"
"Uh-huh, now we know they're operatin' the doctor's office in Valentine, we can tell Dutch when we get back to camp. After we finish these jobs for Strauss," She flicked ash from her cigarette and closed her eyes and she rolled her head from side to side, trying to ease the crook in her neck, "Come on, let's get outta here, that sick farmer's ranch has to be close, it's somewhere along this road." She pressed his jacket into his arms as he stared at her, dumbfounded, she held the cigarette between her teeth as she climbed her Thoroughbred, settling in the saddle and grabbing the repeater Arthur had retrieved for her and stowed under her saddle. Effie hummed as the familiar weight rested against her back comfortingly, and she finished her cigarette whilst he sagged and sighed. as he mounted his mare and joined her.
She clicked her tongue and urged her stallion forward, giving him a long pat on his neck as they continued down the road, then she sat back on her saddle and idly grabbed the pistol from her holster and checked the chamber to make sure it was fully loaded.
"When we get there, let me do the talkin', see if I can scare the fool without havin' to do too much of anythin' else." Arthur said from beside her, his tone had a biting edge to it that invited no room for any compromise.
Effie nodded, "Sure, however you wanna play it."
The outlaw grunted, "And I can't lie to you… it's not gonna be anythin' pretty, but you gotta remember that the money's for the gang, for the camp. It puts food in people's mouths, and keeps their guns full of bullets and the medicine stock full."
"Arthur," She shot him a glance, "Don't worry, I know you gotta do what you gotta do, I'm there to help you, not judge you," She dropped her tone as she looked out up the road, narrowing her eyes as some buildings came into view, just a little way up a small path off the main road, "I'd never judge you."
He didn't reply as the turned off the road and followed the path, leading out to a decent sized ranch, the stables and pen on the west side were empty, the huge farmhouse overlooked the rest of the land and there was a small paddock garden with some vegetables growing within it, there was a small man working the empty patch of land with a hoe. They man looked up at them as they slowed their horses and stopped near the garden, Arthur exhaled deeply as he jumped down, "Mister Thomas Downes," His voice boomed as he addressed the gentleman, "You owe me money."
Effie kept her face unreadable as she jumped down beside him, checking for her repeater as Arthur paused by the paddock gate, her eyes narrowed as she took in Mister Downes; she'd seen him before, he was the man that had stopped Arthur from beating that man-mountain to death in front of the Smithfield's Saloon in Valentine. Whilst he'd looked frail and sick even back then, he looked even worse now, especially as he quivered as he clung on to his hoe as he eyed the two of them fearfully.
"Oh, no, no! I'm - I'm - I'm-" He stammered and Arthur sighed annoyedly.
"Ah, come here, you maggot." He stalked to the paddock and swung open the gate, letting it slam shut behind the two of them as they entered the paddock with the farmer.
"Please sir - m'lady," He gushed as they both approached, Effie watched him dully as she took in his pale, almost mottled complexion, his bloodshot eyes and his underweight figure, "I'm… I'll -" He grunted as he gripped the hoe and desperately swung it at them in a wide sweep, she tensed to dodge, but Arthur brought his arm up and blocked his swing, then he grabbed the frail debtor by his shirt and lifted him up off the ground.
He didn't miss a beat as he gave the farmer a vicious punch, "Really?" He shoved him to the floor, and he hit the ground with a pained yelp, "Threaten me an' the lady, would ya?"
"Please," Thomas cowered on the floor pathetically, squinting at them up in the bright sunlight as they loomed over him, "I have a family, please."
The outlaw rolled his eyes, "I don't care about your family." He stepped forward and cocked the farmer against the jaw again and he fell back against the fence, Mister Downes stifled a pained sob as blood spurted from his clearly broken nose, his face was beginning to mar with bruises and cuts and he was gasping for breath, his blinked his glassy eyes up at Effie, his throat squeaking as his lungs struggled for air, "Please," He barely managed to get out as he looked up at her with wide eyes, "Make him stop." He begged.
Effie tilted her head and her jaw tightened; she forced herself to go back in her mind to the O'Driscoll's they'd met on the way here, the fear and panic they'd forced her to relive as they'd forced her to strip off and bare herself to them and Arthur, her fists clenched as she clutched onto the rage that swelled inside her.
She stepped up to the quivering man and crouched down, "He ain't gonna stop until you give us what's ours, you damn fool." She spat, her tone venomous as she leeched the hatred within her, the farmer heaved a sob and she sighed as she straightened and slammed her boot into his face, the back of his head cracked against the fence and he moaned, "Look at you, so pathetic," She sneered as she stepped back and glanced at her partner, "Keep going until he talks."
Arthur gave her a stiff nod and stepped towards the frail farmer as his wailed into the dirt in pain, "Your debt's caught you, Mister," The outlaw curled his lip, his tone mocking and cruel, "And it ain't lettin' go."
The farmer heaved into the dirt, "If you want the money, you'll have to wait!" He spluttered.
"If you'd been good, this wouldn't be happenin'!" Arthur hissed as he kicked him the same way Effie had, sending Mister Downes sprawling over the fence.
"Be reasonable!" He hacked out between desperate gasps, his shoulders quaked as he sobbed to get air. He held his arm out as Effie and Arthur closed in on him and coughed painfully as he heaved himself up to his feet and turned away from them, clutching onto the fence for dear life as his body doubled over with the force of his coughing.
Effie rolled her eyes at Arthur and grabbed his shoulders to spin him around to face them, "Don't think because you're sick and frail we're gonna walk away from this," She hissed and grabbed his shirt to shove him against the fence as his head lolled back, his eyes glassy, "You borrowed money from our business partner, Herr Strauss. You took the money, you owe him, so you owe us. You can cry and sob like a damn milkmaid all you want, but that's a debt you gotta repay."
"P-Please." His voice was hoarse and he coughed, blood splattered out and hit her in the face and she let him go and glanced back at Arthur, wincing in disgust as she wiped the farmer's blood from her mouth.
The outlaw grabbed her elbow and tugged her back so she could wipe the blood off her face, Arthur sighed as he took her place and prodded Mister Downes in the chest, hard. "I'm gettin' tired of this, Thomas, Herr Strauss wants that money back. What's not to understand? Where's our money?"
The farmer tried to stifle his next cough as he met Arthur's gaze meekly, "I don't have it."
"Sell your place." Arthur said coldly as he shrugged his shoulders.
Thomas spluttered again, blood sprayed out over the outlaw and he flinched away and spat, growling as he rubbed his mouth and turned back to the farmer, "We… already owe more than it's w-w-worth!" He hacked out.
Effie spat on the floor, "Then sell your wife," She hissed, Arthur's head whipped round to her but she kept her glare on the debtor, "Sell her to the highest fuckin' bidder, and get us the money."
"I couldn't." Mister Downes gasped, his eyes bugged in horror at Effie's suggestion and her teeth gritted as her heart panged in her chest; that should have been her daddy's reaction, he should have rather fought and begged for another way, any way.
But he didn't, instead he traded her as freely as he'd traded their livelihood.
"Oh yes you can," Her tone dripped with venom as she stepped closer, "You ain't got the money for someone you owe? You can sell her off, put her to work as a whore to get it back. You never know, she might turn the money up nice and quick for ya."
Her eyes flickered to Arthur as the farmer sobbed, she saw the sympathy swell in his azure depths before he turned back to Mister Downes with a deep scowl, "You heard the lady, we ain't your idea of charity, is that clear?" The farmer's sobs turned into another bout of violent coughs and Arthur sighed as more blood hit him in the face, he shoved the debtor to the floor and rubbed his face again, "Let's go." He muttered to her and she fell into step beside him as they made their way out the paddock.
"Thomas!" A woman and a young lad were running up to the fence, horrified as they took in Mister Downes curled up on the floor, his face a mess and moaning in pain.
"What you lookin' at?" The outlaw seethed at them as they made their way out of the paddock.
"Thomas!" She cried again, looking at the two of them with wide eyes as she ran to meet them outside the paddock.
"I said, what you lookin' at, woman?" Arthur snapped.
"My husband isn't well." She glared, her own anger rearing up to meet the gunslingers.
Effie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "Well or not; the man owes us money."
"Please," She turned to Effie with her eyes wide and pleading as she grabbed the young lad's hand, "If we could just have some more time."
"Like my partner said, we ain't nobody's idea of charity," She glared as the woman's face dropped, her eyes becoming filled with hatred as she looked at them both, "Just get us the fuckin' money." She bit out as they both turned and stalked off back to where they'd left their horses. She expected them to follow, to beg and plead and reason a little more, but when she mounted her Thoroughbred beside Arthur, the mother and son were couching down where Thomas Downes was laying in the paddock, fussing over his beaten face as the woman cried, the boy turned to stare at them as they rode off, everything was peaceful and quiet, the only sound Effie could hear as they left were the wife's broken wails.
The two of them rode in a morose silence as they took the road leading down to the Dakota River, Effie veered off the path and made her way down to the riverbank, then she pulled on her reins and dismounted. She could still taste Mister Downes' blood in her mouth and spat on the dirt before she bent and cupped some water from the river and splashed it over her face, rubbing her lips raw as she heard Arthur's footsteps behind her.
"I think that went as well as it could've gone." She murmured as she shook her head to flick away the excess water.
The outlaw scoffed as he knelt down beside her and washed his face too, she reached into his satchel and found the nearly empty bottle of whiskey from earlier and swilled some around her mouth before she spat it out, then took a drink, sighing at the harsh burn it left in her throat.
She held the bottle out to Arthur when he'd finished cleaning his face, he nodded in thanks as he took it and took a small sip before spitting it back out, then he drained the rest and threw the bottle, "That fuckin' Strauss," He muttered and shook his head, "Always borrowin' off people who ain't got anythin' to give back."
"Well, after our visit, I'm sure Mister Downes'll gather the debt quickly, never seen a man cry so damn much." She scoffed and straightened, "Speakin' of, we got one more to go."
"Effie," Arthur got up and turned to her, "Are you sure you wanna do this?"
She looked up at him for a long moment before she nodded, "Absolutely."
"I have fifty dollars on me, we can just go back and say he paid up, nobody has to know." The outlaw offered and she shook her head.
"Arthur, yesterday I donated almost the same amount to the tithing box. It ain't your debt, and if my daddy was foolish enough to borrow off of two fuckin' gangs of outlaws, then so be it. I already paid his debt to the O'Driscoll's for him, he ain't gettin' out of this one so easy." She turned back and climbed up to her saddle, "Come on, we'll get there before dark if we hurry. We can cross the river here and go up the road behind Strawberry, then cut down through the forest to get there."
He sighed and mounted his mare, "So long as you're sure."
She smiled as they crossed the river, "Anybody ever tell you you worry too much?"
Arthur didn't reply.
The outlaw sat stiffly in his saddle as he let Effie lead them up through the woods overlooking Strawberry. He'd had his teeth ground together for so long his jaw began to ache dully, his cheek throbbed where that O'Driscoll asshole had smacked him with the rifle when they were held up on the road. He swallowed as he looked at the girl ahead of him as she hummed idly to herself as she admired the scenery, the scars that bestrew her back when those bastards had forced her out of her shirt burned in his mind as he eyed her carefully.
She'd made him feel so off balance today; the slurry of emotions he'd seen her go through, what they'd gone through together made his stomach lurch and he closed his eyes; the way she'd struggled under that O'Driscoll's grip on her until he'd threatened her with his life, the way she'd looked at him when she'd relinquished herself to them rather than let him die. The way she'd succumbed to whatever plagued and haunted her so quickly when she realised what they were gonna do to her.
His chest panged.
He wasn't ever going to forget it.
But then, there came what happened afterwards; the sheer rage and hatred that practically seeped out of her when they'd confronted that sick farmer. He'd expected her to shy away, to beg the outlaw to stop and leave the man alone. But no, instead she'd joined in, egged him on, relished in it.
Then sell your wife.
He pulled a face as her words raced around his head and shook his head; he was a damn fool, he shouldn't have let her talk him into letting her come along. This was all beginning to feel like one huge, colossal mistake. He'd seen it before; decent, good people become absolute monsters, suffer hardships and unspeakable wrongdoings that make them completely shirk who they were. Sometimes all people need is one little push, one little misstep that caused them to drown in it. And Miss Bartlett had been surely shoved into it.
The girl stopped humming and twisted in her saddle to look at him, offering him a sweet smile that lit up her features, her dark eyes bright as they met his and his chest panged again, "You still with me back there?" She asked, her tone light and teasing.
Looking at her now, you'd never know her capability, or just how deep those scars went and how her suffering bled.
"Yeah," He nodded, mentally steeling himself, "I'm still with ya."
"You're awful quiet back there." She observed and pulled on her reins, slowing the Thoroughbred to match his mare's pace.
"Just thinkin' 'bout things," He muttered.
"You're always thinkin'."
He scoffed, "Someone's got to."
"I wanted to say, before we get there," He turned to look at her as they made their way through the trail in the woods, her dark eyes peered up at him beneath her hat, "Thank you. For lettin' me come along with you. You could have dragged me back to camp, kickin' and screamin' and made me wait for you to come back, I'm glad you didn't."
"I'm still debatin' it." He chuckled.
Miss Bartlett laughed and rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Arthur. It means a lot to me that I'm doin' this. With you."
A squirrel scampered across the overgrowth ahead of them and he nodded slowly, "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here with me too." He admitted quietly.
"Really?"
He sighed, "Yeah, I hate it, but you… did good back there. With Mister Downes."
She shrugged, "There ain't much to it, fear's always gonna get you what you want from people."
"That it is," He nodded grimly, "Doesn't mean I like doin' it, or seein' you do it."
"You should talk to Dutch, see if he can get someone else to share the jobs Strauss gets." She suggested.
He stiffened, "What? Like you?"
"If it'll help, sure," She shrugged, "But I didn't mean just me, there's gotta be someone else who can do it just as good."
He looked out ahead and stayed quiet; beginning to recognise the hidden path they were following, the dilapidated cabin slowly came into view and his eyes drifted to the ramshackled remains of the small shed beside it, the roof where he'd first saw her, all that time ago in that storm.
"Here we are." He murmured and he pulled on his reins to let her go down the path first. Her expression was unreadable as she passed by him, she gave a small fuss over her stallion before she checked her repeater, calmly snapping the chamber open and checking the bullets as he joined her, "You think you're gonna need that?" He frowned.
She chuckled lowly as she closed it and put it back over her shoulder, "Nah, just checkin' it. Come on." She leaned forward in her saddle and swung her legs over, dropping down to the ground with a huff before she turned and waited for him, taking off her daddy's stalker hat and brushing some lint from the brim, her lips pursed.
"You wanna go first?" He gestured to the door as he joined her.
"Sure." She said, her tone airy as she put her hat back on and approached the door and she paused, it was only for a split second, but the outlaw didn't miss it. She cleared her throat and kicked the door, it fell back and slammed against the wall with a loud crack as she stepped through, he followed her into the gloom, his jaw clenched.
Jack Bartlett raised his head from the table by the fire, the room was exactly how it looked the last time Arthur had stormed through; bottles and cigarette ends everywhere, some empty cans of food lay discarded to collect dust.
"My god," He rasped, "Effie. You're alive. I-I thought those O'Driscoll's-"
"You thought they what?" She tilted her head, "Killed me?" She chuckled and leaned down, her hands lay flat on the table as he stood over him, "Oh, I begged them to enough. I spent most nights prayin' one of 'em would be stupid enough to leave a gun, or a knife so I could do it. But you know what? They'd always leave 'em juuust outta reach."
Jack Bartlett paled and sat up in his seat, he was still as filthy as Arthur remembered, his shirt covered in stains and holes from where cigarette ends had burned through, his beard was straggly and knotted, his wet, bloodshot eyes swivelled to him and he swallowed as vague recognition glossed over, "Why are you here?" He asked nervously.
"Come on, Jack," The outlaw tutted, his voice quiet, "You thought I wasn't gonna come back? You still owe me."
"You mean?"
"That's right," Effie pushed off the table and crossed her arms, "Y'know, imagine my surprise; findin' out you didn't only borrow off one gang of outlaws and wanted folk, but you borrowed off another one too."
The old man raised off his chair slowly, his hands raised carefully, "I-I didn't have a choice, I owed a lot of money to a lot of people."
"You always had a choice," She spat, "You just picked the wrong one, every time. And I paid for it, you lost us the store, you lost us our house," She gestured around the dirty, bare cabin, "And I stuck by you, I went out every day tryin' to put food on the table, bring in what money I could to keep us goin', while you kept drinkin' and gamblin' it all."
"Effie, I know how hard you worked, how much you did for us." He stammered.
"No you don't," She shook her head and stalked over to him slowly, like a predator approaching it's injured prey, "You don't know much I struggled, how many times I went to bed hungry so you'd have somethin' to eat, how I had to go into that damn town every day and listen to people talk about you," He flinched as she leaned in close and Arthur gritted his teeth as he felt the atmosphere swell with the promise of dark intent, "But I ain't here to chat, daddy, you owe us money."
"Look around, Effie, you know - you know I ain't got nothin'." He gulped.
"Come on, old man," Effie straightened and leaned back, "After all that time you spent at them tables in those saloons? Don't tell me you ain't got anythin' to show for it."
He shook his head fearfully, "I don't," He insisted, "Same as what I said to this fella the last time he came here."
"I don't believe you." She hissed and brushed past him to his bedroom, wrenching the door open and started rifling through the chest of drawers.
Jack's gaze flickered to the outlaw and he chewed his lip, then scrambled for the door. Arthur stepped forward and shoved him back, "Where d'ya think you're goin'?"
"Please, Mister, I ain't got anythin', you two don't have to kill me." He whispered and cast a glance back at Effie searching the room.
He tilted his head, "We ain't gonna kill ya, not unless we have to. Just make this whole thing easier and tell us where the money is."
"You know what I did to her," The old drunk choked out, "I drank with the O'Driscoll's, I saw what some of 'em did to the woman that was with us when we played poker together."
The outlaw narrowed his eyes, "If you knew what they was gonna do to your daughter, why'd you let 'em have her?"
"I didn't know what else to do," He held his hands up uselessly, "I told 'em she was all I had, an' they saw her as fair payment, 'specially when they found out it was her who killed some of their men in some robbery."
Arthur shoved him back, his anger flaring, "You're a fuckin' parasite, a real piece of shit, you know that? That girl in there was decent, she was good, an' you tossed her to the damn wolves. I should kill you right here for what you did to her, the only reason I ain't is 'cause you're her only family." The older man cowered as the gunslinger towered over him, sobbing in fear.
Effie stepped back into the room and waved a cloth satchel, "Look what I found behind a loose board in the wall," Jack sagged as she opened it and stilled, "How long have you had this?" She asked quietly.
"I-I-"
He fell silent under her harsh gaze, she tossed the satchel to Arthur and walked back into the bedroom, the outlaw opened the satchel and peered in curiously, his eyes widened at the jewellery and bill clips, there was a piece of faded parchment with a map drawn onto it. Effie came back into the bedroom with Jack's rifle in her hands, "I'm takin' this too, no point in it bein' sat in there collectin' dust," She raised the gun and checked the scope, then made a small satisfied noise, "I always liked this rifle," She muttered and slung the strap over her back, "Is there enough in there to pay off this asshole's debt?"
"Oh yeah," Arthur nodded as he roughly counted the value of the satchel and smirked, "This'll cover it."
"Hmph. Right, let's get outta here." She nodded and headed for the door.
"You can't take my gun!" Jack protested, "Effie, please. You can't leave me out here with nothin'!"
She paused and turned slowly, her head tilted down so the brim of hat hid her face in the gloom of the cabin, "That's what you did to me, I'm just repayin' the favour."
"B-but I'll starve out here!" He pressed.
She raised her head and looked at her father figure coldly, "So starve. I don't care, you were dead to me the minute you let those men take me."
"Effie," He breathed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it."
She chuckled darkly, "You're sorry? You think that's gonna make everythin' you did better? The only reason I ain't put a bullet in you is 'cause you ain't worth the cartridge."
"So what, you're gonna leave me out here whilst you join this gang of reprobates? This man's a killer, Effie, I thought I raised you better than that." He gestured to Arthur and spat on the floor, "You know what the law does to criminals like him?"
"That gang of reprobates took me in, fed me, clothed me, and treat me more like family than you ever could," She snapped, "Hell, this man has done more for me in the few weeks I've known him than you ever did. He saved my life, more than once."
"Runnin' as an outlaw ain't no life," Jack shook his head pitifully, and Effie's lip curled, "You're gonna die at the end of a barrel like a dog in the street, or swingin' on a rope."
"That so? And what, you think you're gonna die an honourable man? Don't be so foolish." She hissed.
"Oh I'm a fool alright," He muttered, "But I'll die an honest fool. You walk out that door with this man, an' he an' his gang'll be your end, you mark my words, girl."
Effie nodded, "Y'know you're probably right, but I've never felt more alive runnin' with these people. If I end up dyin' with 'em, so be it. It's better than rottin' here with you. Come on Arthur, we're done here." He nodded and brushed past the debtor and joined her at the door, giving her a small smile, his heart fluttered as she returned it.
"I'll tell everyone about you, I'll have the law on you all so damn quick," Jack threatened behind them, "I'll go to Blackwater myself and find them Pinkertons, I know they're combin' the state lookin' for your lot."
"Doubt they're gonna believe some old drunk who ain't even allowed in half the saloons in town," Effie rolled her eyes and stepped out the cabin, "If I were you, I'd be worryin' 'bout those outstandin' tabs of yours, dunno how you're gonna pay 'em back now."
"You just took the one thing that makes sure I can't," Jack called after them as they made their way to their horses, "You're a no good low-life now, Effie, I can't believe you'd rob and leave your own flesh and blood like this."
"Just repayin' the same you did to me." She mounted her Thoroughbred and shrugged disinterestedly, she waited for Arthur to mount his mare beside her before she clicked her tongue and urged her stallion back down the trail.
"You fuckin' whore!" He screamed after her, "I'll make sure you regret this, girl!"
She ignored him as they rode off through the undergrowth, her daddy's screams and threats fading into the distance.
They rode back to camp in solemn silence, neither of them offering to break it with any kind of evening light was just fading over Ambarino as they cut through the Dakota River and up the valley to get to Horseshoe Overlook, Arthur finally broke the silence when they halted their horses by the hitching posts and glanced over to Miss Bartlett, her head was down as she tied the reins to the post and paused to make a fuss of her stallion.
"You wanna get somethin' to eat?" He asked quietly.
"Maybe later, I don't feel like eatin' right now, Arthur." She finished feeding the Thoroughbred and turned to him, she looked exhausted, completely drained, her eyes dull, "You should go an' find Mister Strauss, tell him the jobs are done, I'll see you later."
She gave him a small smile but it looked slightly strained and didn't meet her eyes, she brushed past him and walked off into camp and he watched her go, his jaw tight. Most of the gang had settled around the main campfire for the night, and he could hear some laughter over the sound of Javier's guitar as the group sat and enjoyed the warm night air. He wandered over to Pearson's wagon and spotted the Austrian sitting alone looking out over the ridge, engrossed in some book. He sighed inwardly as he approached the usurer, Mister Strauss turned to his footsteps and his face brightened, "Ah! How did you get on?" He asked, shutting his book as he turned to face the outlaw.
"Not so good," Arthur shook his head sombrely, "That Downes fella is almost dead, and that family seems more or less destitute, same as Jack Bartlett," He took his hat off and scoffed as he looked down at the Austrian, "You were a fool for lendin' them the money."
Mister Strauss leaned back and shrugged, "Well, people who aren't desperate don't seem so interested in my propositions."
The outlaw sighed; he'd had the same conversation with the Austrian nearly every time he went out on a job collecting for him, it was always the same; the greedy glint in the usurer's beady little eyes, the way he practically sneered at Arthur when he'd complain about the type of people Strauss had lent money to.
"Hosea came back and told us you took Miss Bartlett along with you to collect," The Austrian pushed his spectacles up on his nose, ignoring the outlaw's inner turmoil, "What was she like?"
He looked out at the main campfire at everyone gathered there enjoying themselves, Effie wasn't among them, "She did what she had to do, same as me. She got the money off of Jack." He said quietly.
"Really?" Mister Strauss sounded amused, "Very interesting, indeed. If she's willing to be ruthless against her own father, maybe she's more suited to this work than I thought…" Arthur glanced down at Strauss as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Maybe I can split any future jobs between your services and hers."
"You'll do no such thing," The outlaw bristled and narrowed his eyes, "She got the job done, sure. But that ain't work someone like her should be makin' a hobby of doin'," He leaned down close to the usurer, "I meant what I said earlier, I don't wanna see you talkin' to her. If I hear you've been tryin' to get her do any of your jobs, I'll show you what I do to some of 'em to give up the money."
Mister Strauss swallowed thickly, his eyes wide behind his spectacles and he leaned back, "Well, I have to get back to my reading, Herr Morgan," He said nervously and stood up briskly, "We'll talk more later." He threw over his shoulder as he walked off.
Arthur watched him go and clenched his fists, then he stalked to the tithing box and threw the lid open, then rummaged in his satchel for the cloth sack Effie had found in Jack's bedroom, he counted out the valuables and put what he needed in, then pulled out the map and studied it with interest; the map was a well drawn sketch of a map marker in the top left corner, in the middle there was a drawing of pond next to a ridge among the woods, titled Elysian Pool, on the far right of the page there was a sketch of a lone tree with a circled X on the tree trunk, Arthur narrowed his eyes as he read the cursive beneath it; Twenty steps North, and Five steps East. He hummed and slipped the map into his satchel, he'd show it to Effie later, see if she wanted to ride out that way and take a look around.
"Hey Arthur!" He turned towards the voice at the campfire and saw Hosea sat waving him over, "You care to join us?" Some of the group had turned to him and he gazed around the group again, looking for the one person who wasn't there.
"Nah, I'm not quite in the drinkin' mood," He shook his head and waved his hand, "I'll catch up with 'chu all later."
Some of the group collectively shrugged and turned back around, the older conman narrowed his eyes at the outlaw but Arthur wasn't in the mood for a long talk about his day. He turned on his heel and headed for his tent, his footsteps slowed as he reached the chest at the end of his cot, and it felt as if the weight of the day hit him all at once. He shrugged out of his jacket with a heavy sigh and glanced at the tents where the girls slept, his brow furrowed when he didn't see Effie curled up on her bedroll.
He wandered out his tent around his wagon and saw her sat in her favourite spot alone, her hat was on the floor beside her, her dark hair fanned out over her shoulders in soft curls as she sat with her knees up at her chest, sipping from a bottle of whiskey as she looked out at the view.
She didn't look up as he approached, "Drinkin' alone, huh?" He asked, she took another sip from the bottle and didn't respond. He groaned slightly as he sat next to her and shifted to get comfortable, they stared out at the view in a heavy silence, "I shouldn't have taken you with me, today, Effie."
"No," She shook her head, a voice barely above a whisper, "I'm glad I went with you, even if to just keep you company. Those jobs ain't somethin' you should do alone."
"Those jobs ain't somethin' you should be gettin' involved in. It ain't a good line of work to start doing." He patted his pockets looking for his cigarettes, and scowled when he realised they were still in his jacket at his tent, "I enjoy ridin' with you, but I don't wanna see you gettin' like this over the jobs we go on."
"It ain't the jobs," She muttered and sat back, offering him the bottle as she finally met his gaze, "It's what happened before the jobs that's got to me."
The outlaw took a long drink, "I know." He said quietly as he hissed at the harsh burn in his throat.
"I'm glad you were there."
"Yeah, me too," He nodded, "None of that should've happened like it did, though."
Miss Bartlett gave a small shrug.
"Do you still wanna talk to Dutch, tell him what they said about that doctor's office in Valentine?" He asked, trying to get her to keep talking.
"Yeah, I'll speak to him about it tomorrow, see what he says about goin' down there and checkin' it out," She yawned and rested her head on his shoulder, "Today was a long day."
He nodded and shifted to make sure she was comfortable, "It gets like that round here sometimes," She hummed tiredly, "We'll try and take it slow for a little bit, get our energy back in camp before we do much else. I still ain't heard anythin' from John about that job he's cookin' up, might be a while till that idiot gets everythin' worked out."
He took another long drink and watched an owl take flight from a tree below, swooping to the floor and flying off, in the dark Arthur could just about make out the prey in its talons. "Here, you best take it back before I finish your liquor." He turned his head slightly and saw Effie had drifted off asleep, she was breathing softly, looking almost peaceful with her head on his shoulder, his gaze softened and he moved his shoulder slowly, coaxing her head into his lap, she murmured something incoherent and curled up against him, her fist moved up to rest by her mouth and he smiled and took another drink.
"Hey Arthur," Hosea greeted behind him warmly as he approached, "Figured you two would be out over here," He smiled when he saw Effie's sleeping form curled up next to him, "Miss Bartlett done for the day, huh?"
"Yeah," The outlaw nodded, his voice quiet as Hosea settled beside him and offered him a cigarette, "Was a long day."
"How'd the debt collectin' go with her?"
He shrugged and eyed the older gunslinger out the corner of his eye, "She didn't shy away from it, that's for sure, think she scared that sick farmer more than me," He chuckled wryly for a moment, before he frowned, "We ran into some O'Driscoll's out on the road before we got there though."
Hosea's smile turned grim, "Everything okay?"
Arthur took a long inhale on his cigarette, unsure how to respond, "I don't know, they didn't hurt her, but it weren't pretty."
"You wanna talk about it?"
He shrugged, "Not really, they took us both at gunpoint, made her take her clothes off so they could check her forsomethin' to make sure it was her. Colm's got 'em out lookin' for her."
The conman's face darkened, "What were they lookin' for on her?"
The outlaw swallowed and turned his head to him, his jaw tight, "I saw her back, they hurt her real bad when she was at their camp. But one of 'em branded her with a belt buckle, that's what they were lookin' for."
Hosea threw his cigarette and sighed, "That's real bad business. And you still took the poor thing out on the job afterwards?"
"Wasn't by choice," Arthur scoffed and looked down at the girl, "She wanted to finish what we started, didn't wanna come back empty handed."
"Well, she's stubborn, and driven - probably just as much as the rest of us," Hosea nodded slowly, "She's lucky she's got you lookin' out for her."
"I ain't so sure," He admitted quietly, "You should've seen the way she looked at me when one of the bastards had her by the throat, I didn't know what to do."
"You kill them?"
He gave Hosea a dark look and nodded, "'Course, just a shame I didn't make 'em suffer before they stopped breathin'."
"We'll get them, Arthur, you know how Dutch is about Colm and his lackeys, you did the right thing. Can't have been easy, that poor girl's been through quite a lot." The older gunslinger sighed and peered down at Miss Bartlett as she slept.
"Yeah." Arthur nodded and yawned.
"You both need to get some rest, we can talk more later." Hosea patted his knee and stood up, "I'll see you both later. You're doin' a good job, keeping an eye out for her. She needs it after what she went through. Goodnight, Arthur."
The outlaw nodded to Hosea before the older man walked away, he finished the bottle and threw it out over the ridge, then turned and carefully eased Miss Bartlett's head off his lap, her brow furrowed in her sleep but she didn't stir. He stood up and shifted as the blood returned to his legs, then he stooped and gently took her into his arms, holding her tight as he carried her back to her bedroll. He lay her down gently and brushed some hair out of her face as she shifted in her sleep, "Arthur." He stilled as she murmured his name, her eyes still closed shut, her mouth opened slightly, "Arthur." She sighed and curled up.
He smiled softly; what he'd give to know what she was dreaming about. He placed her hat down next to her and wandered to his tent, all but collapsing in his cot as he kicked his boots off, he grabbed his journal from his satchel and blinked blearily as he opened it to a fresh page and began to write.
Effie came with me to call in the loans, some farmer, local do gooder. Think I'd seen him in Valentine before when I was fighting that big fella. He begged and coughed and spluttered and I beat him half to death with her.
Such is life. Such is the world.
His boy looked at us like we were the devil and perhaps, for him, we was. I ain't sure how Effie felt about the whole thing, but after we finished with the farmer she led the way to her old cabin to go see her daddy. We didn't have to do much with Jack, but somehow that made the whole thing worse, he cursed her and me as we were leaving. Miss Bartlett didn't seem too worried, but the whole thing confused me. Maybe that's wrong.
The whole thing revolted me, and I hope it revolted her too. These sad, desperate bastards, their silly expectations of life and their tawdry reality. The unkindness of existence - I can handle that just fine, I think. But I do not love it, nor those who try to make things otherwise, I guess.
What made the whole thing worse was that we got held up by some O'Driscoll's before we even got to the job. They pulled Effie away from me and forced her out her shirt, making her expose herself to them so they could look for a brand some sick bastard scarred her with back when she was their prisoner. I can't stop thinking about the way she looked at me in that man's arms, I saw the moment she broke, watched her recede into herself and accept what they were undoubtedly gonna do to her. I think that broke me a little, too. That there is a girl who's suffered the worst of humanity, and man.
It's all I can do to try and take care of her, try and keep her safe whilst she continues to run head first into this life. I'm gonna try and keep her in camp for a while, get some sense of something other than killing and violence.
Arthur stifled another yawn and rubbed his face as he finished his entry. He tossed the journal on the side table as he lay back on the cot, succumbing to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.