Unshaken

Shady Belle

Liam was up early that next morning keeping busy with camp chores to get his mind off of the past few weeks. He placed a hay bale down near the horses by the scout fire and was walking to Pearson's wagon. Arthur, John, Hosea and Dutch were having a conversation about what had happened with Jack.

"Hey Dutch! We got a problem." Lenny shouted. Liam turned around to see Lenny following Agents Milton and Ross into camp. Liam's stomach dropped. He knew it was from all the noise the gang had been making. "Not a problem, visitors. A solution. Good day, fine people. Mr. Van Der Linde. Mr. Matthews, I presume. And who are you?" Milton asked, looking to John. The gang started to circle around the agents. "Rip Van Winkle." John responded sarcastically. "Huh. Good day, sir. Agent Milton, Pinkerton Detective Agency. Agent Ross." He introduced himself. Arthur walked up to him, not saying anything. "Ah, Mr. Morgan. Nice to see you again. And where's your little friend?" Milton asked. He then looked at Liam, who kept a cold and stern face at him. "Nice to see you too, Mr. Parker." Milton said. "And to what do we owe the pleasure, Agent Moron?" Dutch shot at him, facing away from him, still sitting. The gang gathered around the agents.

"I don't know if you're aware but this, this is a civilized land now. We didn't kill all them savages only to allow the likes of you to act like human dignity and basic decency was outmoded or not yet invented. This thing... it's done." Agent Milton told the group. "This place, ain't no such thing as civilized. It's man so in love with greed, he has forgotten himself and found only appetites." Dutch said grimly, standing up and moving towards Milton. "And as a consequence, that lets you take what you please, kill whom you please, and hang the rest of us? Who made you the messiah to these lost souls you've led so horribly astray?" Milton asked Dutch. "I'm nothing but a seeker, Mr. Milton." Dutch said. "You ain't much of anything more than a killer, Mr. Van Der Linde. But I've come to make a deal. It's time you come with me, and I give the rest of ya three days to run off, disappear and go live like human beings someplace else!" Milton said to the group.

"You came for me? Risked life and limb in this den of lowlifes and murderers so that they might live and love? Ain't that fine?" Dutch said with a few of the gang members laughing. "I don't wanna kill all of these folk, Dutch, just you." Milton hissed. Dutch raised his hands in surrender and slowly walked towards Milton. "In that case, it'd be my honor to join you. Excuse me, friends, I have an appointment to keep with..." Dutch stopped when everyone who was holding a gun pulled theirs out. Liam cocked his hammer to make sure Milton heard. "I think your new friends should leave now, Dutch." Susan said to him, holding her shotgun.

Milton grew angry. "You're making a big mistake, all of you." He threatened. Dutch laughed. "Yeah, dreadful. We have got something, something to live and die for. How awful for us, Mr. Milton. Stop following us, we'll be gone, soon." Dutch threatened. "I'm afraid I can't. And when I return I'll be with fifty men. All of you will die! Run away from this place, you fools! Run!" Milton yelled to them. Lenny quickly went up to grab his arm. "Come on." Lenny said as Milton swatted his hand away. "Get your damn hands off me, boy." Milton said shoving through Charles and Molly, followed by Ross.

Liam watched them quickly walk back from where they came from, hoping he wouldn't see them through the trees in a few minutes. "What now?" Arthur asked. "We get outta here and quick. Any ideas?" Dutch asked. "I know a big old house, hidden in the swamps outside Saint Denis. I'm sure they'll find us eventually but it should buy us a few days." Arthur proposed. "A few days is all we need." Dutch agreed. "It's a spot out by Shady Belle. Lenny and I got into that dispute with the previous occupiers. Place is well hidden." Arthur informed him. Dutch looked behind Arthur to John. "You and Arthur ride out and make sure no one else has moved in. Lenny, you go follow those fools outta here, make sure that they leave. And John, we'll get Jack back, and we'll get gone." Dutch said to him as Arthur and John walked to their horses. "The rest of you get packing!" Dutch ordered as everyone dispersed to pack their things.

Liam quickly went to his tent to gather his things. He folded up his tent and bagged his personal items and stowed them on a wagon. He helped out anyone who needed it. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

John returned and planned on showing the gang the way to Shady Belle. Everyone loaded onto wagons and started off. Jack made sure Cain was in a wagon too. Liam looked back at the empty camp. He had some memories there. He was definitely gonna miss it now that they were moving into the swamps. "So long." He said turning back around facing forward on the wagon.

They rode past the old battlefield Liam had explored lots of times when he was younger. He'd even hid from some Raiders in one of the old wagons when he was around nine years old or so. They rode into the forest as the air grew muggier. Eventually, he saw the old plantation house Arthur had talked about. It was bigger than he'd expected. They pulled in as Arthur bursted through the big French doors. "Welcome home, all of ya, to my humble abode. We got fine living. Ignore the corpses and the alligators it's paradise." Arthur boasted jokingly. "I love it! Miss Grimshaw, Mr. Pearson would you two kindly work your magic?" Dutch asked excitedly.

He then walked up to Arthur and the two climbed on their horses. Molly ran up to talk to Dutch, but he quickly shut her down. She lowered her head and walked off. Liam felt bad for her.

He helped the group set up and got everything situated. Susan and the girls took the dining room and room by the stairs, Hosea took the back room, John and Abigail took a bedroom upstairs and Arthur took a smaller room upstairs. Dutch took the master. Liam quickly found that no one had set up his tent yet, and there was no room left for it. Susan came up behind him. "I'm sorry, son. That completely blindsided me. Here, let's put your things inside." She said to him, feeling bad that she had forgotten about him. Before he could even get hurt by them forgetting about his things, he'd gotten something even better. She put him in the entrance room inside. They pulled the piano away from the wall where Liam was about to lay his bedroll down. "No no no, not yet." Susan said motioning Liam to follow her. She showed him some extra cots she had found rummaging about. Liam smiled. They each picked up a cot and brought it to the front rooms. They set up Liam's first. They slid it in between the piano and wall near the fireplace. Susan placed the bedroll on the cot and put a small stool by it to set his things on. He nailed his bounty poster to the wall. "Beats the ground, huh?" She asked. "Sure does." He agreed as he helped her set hers up in the room the girls slept in on the couches. "Thanks, Miss Grimshaw. I appreciate it." Liam said. "It's nothing, now go and get yourself something to eat." She commanded. Liam realized he hadn't eaten all day and grabbed a bowl of stew and sat by the fire. The night crept on and he wondered if they would ever get Jack back from someone as powerful as Bronte.

As he was about to head inside to go to bed, Arthur rode in. Liam approached him, asking if they'd figured out anything. "I guess. Got hassled by some street kids, let me know where Bronte lived though. Dutch asked me to let you know that you need to leave with John tomorrow evening to meet him across the street from Bronte's mansion. He thinks you know this city well." Arthur said. "Uh, okay." Liam said surprised that Dutch had wanted him to go into Bronte's mansion with him. He was nervous though, and remembered what his Italian grandma had warned him about. "Arthur, Bronte is a slimy man. You make sure Dutch watches his back, especially considering he's got Jack." Liam warned.

"I know. How do you know anything about 'em anyway?" Arthur asked. "My mom's mom came from Italy with Bronte's dad and a bunch of bad Italians. He was corrupt and did horrible things to get where they are today. Runs a gang with the government and street kids." Liam said. "Bastard runs the city, huh? Well, I'll let Dutch know. Don't do anything stupid in that city, you hear?" Arthur told him. "Of course." Liam said walking inside the old plantation house to rest for the night.