The van der Linde gang has taken shelter deep in the snowy mountains in an old mining camp known as Colter, following their botched robbery in the town of Blackwater. They are cold, hungry and unsure of what their futures hold. As Arthur Morgan is o...
The next morning K was saddling up Andy and checking her gear in preparation to head out in the direction of Blackwater. Hosea walks up beside her.
"Are you sure about this? Getting in and around that town will be easy enough for you but the second you attempt to set foot on that boat or even go near it for that matter, from there on out you'll be connected to the rest of us. Well, if you're seen at least. Things won't go smoothly after that." He reasons in a hushed voice.
"I understand that, Hosea." She stops what she's doing and turns to face him. "I'll be careful. If I get there and scope everything out and it doesn't feel right, I'll turn around and come right back. I promise. This is strictly a mission to get a feel for the town. After that, if it feels safe, I'll do whatever's best for the conditions. Believe me, I have no desire to be in the same position as the rest of you guys. I like my anonymity and with my hair and eyes being as unique as they are, it's not an easy thing to maintain if I were to start acting out, right?" She laughs.
"My thoughts exactly. And I know you'll be careful. I have to remind myself who I'm talking to occasionally. You're not Bill or Sean or Micah, going off half cocked, shooting first and asking questions later. I know you'll look before you leap. You'd better, anyways. I'd hate to have to inform Dutch and Arthur that I gave you the details on Blackwater, just to have you end up dead or in jail." He states solemnly.
A moment passes in silence as she holds eye contact with the older man. "It won't come to that. I give you my word." She promises him before she turns and mounts the Andalusian stallion then guides him up the path leaving Shady Belle.
. . . . . a day and a half later-
K guides Andy around the outskirts of Blackwater until she reaches the shore of Flat Iron Lake along the southeastern side of the town. She pulls out her binoculars and scans the half sunken boat by the docks.
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When she first arrived she'd casually rode through the city streets to get a feel for the police and Pinkerton presence. There had been a few more than a typical town would have walking around but nothing too unmanageable and none actually on the boat.
She decides to wait until nightfall. Once it's dark she'll swim to the boat, climb up the anchor chain, sneak in and find her way to the galley then remove the grate to the exhaust vent above the stove. Once she grabs the money she'll sneak back out, grab one of the life rings to tie the money to so it'll be easier to manage in the water, then slide back down the chain and into the lake to swim back over to where Andy waits for her. Easy.
"You can handle this, K. No problem." She reassures herself, trying to calm her nerves.
. . . . . another day and a half later-
K had rode through the night and following day only stopping once for a few hours to rest Andy and get a short nap in for herself during the following night before riding the rest of the trip straight back to Shady Belle. It's early afternoon when she returns home but she immediately notices something is off. Nobody is standing watch to greet her and many of the gang members horses are gone. She also notices a horse at the horse station that she doesn't recognize. A beautiful golden Dutch Warmblood stallion with pale eyes. His coat shines brightly in the Lemoyne sun, giving him an almost regal or mythological appearance, like something out of an Ancient Greek tale about the gods.
