Sign of the Times (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

Chapter Twenty Six

"How did things transpire with Rains Fall?" Dutch asked, sliding his hands into his pockets as we entered the house, and stepped into the dining room area.

"It went well, all things considering... helped his son retrieve an important document from Cornwall Kerosene and Tar... somethin' about mining for oil near the Wapiti reservation." I explained, crossing my arms across my chest before resting my back against the wall.

"Here..." I mumbled, before reaching into my satchel and pulling out the money that Eagle Flies had given me.

"I told them I didn't want the money... they insisted. Figured you could put it to better use." I said, holding the money out for him to take. He stared at the money in my hand with a confused expression as though he weren't sure what it even was.

"Keep it... you did the work. You keep the money." He said, his brow furrowing slightly in thought.

"If you say so..." I sighed and slid the money back into my satchel.

"So... Bronte?" I asked, and Dutch remained quiet, stroking his beard before giving me a sideways glance.

"Dead." He said simply, and I felt a lump form in my throat. I wasn't sure of how to feel.

"Well? You gonna say somethin'?" Dutch asked, a hint of annoyance to his tone as he was attempting to gauge my reaction.

"You're askin' as if my opinion matters." I said, trying to watch what I said very carefully.

"He..." Dutch stepped away for a moment as though to compose himself before positioning himself in front of me and grabbing both of my arms in a tight grip.

"He disrespected ya, (F/N)." Dutch said, his eyes growing dark. My eyes widened and I felt a chill run up my spine at the venom laced in his tone. I attempted to pull away from him, but his grip only tightened after my attempt.

"Dutch-" Hosea had stepped into the room, and I hadn't even noticed. Dutch immediately released his grip on my arms and pushed back a bit of hair that had fallen into his face.

"Dutch... we have a bank robbery to plan..." Hosea said, looking back and forth between the two of us before stepping out of the room. Dutch hesitated before walking out of the room to follow Hosea.

I was still frozen in disbelief at the way Dutch had just acted. I had never seen him lose his cool like that. I lightly rubbed my arms where he had grabbed me and felt my brow furrow at the slight aching sensation within the muscle.

"Hey, when'd you get back?" Arthur's voice cut through my thoughts, and I suddenly felt more at ease.

"Arthur..." I sighed, moving myself into his chest as his arms enclosed around me in a warm embrace.

"You alright? Figured you'd come talk to me right after ya got back..." He said, sounding somewhat worried.

"I was... Dutch needed to talk to me." I said, swallowing after saying his name.

"Oh? What'd he want?" Arthur asked, and I shook my head.

"Nothin' really... you know Dutch." I said, biting my lip after speaking.

Arthur became very quiet suddenly as his blue eyes searched mine as they often did. His eyes fell to the floor briefly before meeting mine again with a more serious air.

"You think after all this time I can't tell when you're bluffin'...?" He asked, reaching up and tugging downward on my chin to stop me from biting my lip.

"Can we talk about this later?" I asked, pleading with my eyes. I wasn't trying to keep anything from Arthur. This just wasn't the time or place for such a conversation.