Miss Morgan

Seventeen

April 1894
-Ivy-

"Alright, here's my plan." Mac starts. "Ivy, you'll go in and play that lost little girl act. Make sure you get everyone's attention and get the situation under control. We'll give you a moment before we head in and hold things down so you can unlock the safes."

"So I'm doin' all the work?" I tease.

"Until the shootin' starts." He gives me a side eye and it makes me laugh. "The bank's due to close in an hour so we gotta be quick. Law ain't shit in Telluride but we should still get in and out before anyone sees us."

We leave the horses behind the saloon and I throw a skirt on over my jeans, tucking my pistol in my boot. I work up some convincing tears and sniffle. "What would momma say?" I cry. I hear the boys snickering behind me as I enter the bank.

"He's gone! I don't know what I'll do, I'm all alone!" I sob. Three customers and the banker. I take note of my exits as I throw my hands to my face and choke out some more tears.

"What's the matter, miss?" A customer asks me.

"My brother, he left me! He took the train to Boston and left me behind!" I wail.

"How could he do such a thing?" I grab the banker by the collar of his shirt, my face inches from his. "How could he leave me, am I not worthy of his love? I'm all he has!"

"Is there something I can help you with?" The banker asks nervously.

I sniffle and my tears come to a stop. "Now that you mention it, you can put your hands up, this is a god damn robbery!" I yell at him as I pull the pistol from my boot and press it to his temple. And he staggers back a step. I jump over the counter, still clinging onto his shirt collar. Arthur and the Callander boys burst through the door, their bandanas covering their noses and mouths.

They get everyone secured and Arthur takes over my hold on the banker so I can get to work cracking open the safes. I turn the dials left then right then left again, listening closely for the clicks before the latch cracks open.

I grab huge stacks of cash and gold bars until the safes are cleared. I fill a burlap sack with the money and join the boys back up front. "Alright, y'all stay quiet and count to a hundred. Don't make a god damn sound and we'll let ya live." Davey threatens and I follow Mac out the back door and out to the horses.

We mount up and kick the horses to gallop away from town. We make sure we're not being followed before riding back to camp.

I climb out of my saddle and we all walk into camp. We put half our take into the money box and split the other half among the four of us.

"Good job tonight, Ivy." Davey nudges my shoulder as we walk to the campfire.

Things are quiet. Javier still sits by the fire, deep in thought, Bill and Uncle are both passed out by the poker table. Everyone else seems to have gone to bed.

I walk to my tent, excited to get back inside and be with John. But as I reach for the canvas flap door of my tent, it whips open and sends me back a step.

Abigail steps out of the tent, buttoning her shirt and dropping her eyes to the ground before scurrying off into camp.

It takes me a moment to process what the hell just happened. My heart sinks. I look in the tent and my blood runs cold. My pulse pounds in my ears. I see John passed out on our bedroll and I'm too blind with rage. I don't think, I just react. I pull John up by his shirt and whip my hand across his face.

"How could you?!" I yell in his face. His eyes open and dart around. I pull my ring off my finger and throw it in his lap.

"Ivy?" He mumbles. I don't give him the chance to explain.