Unshaken

It All Makes Sense Now

Liam's mind raced about the Marston family as the gang rode back through the Grizzlies. They almost rode back into camp when a horse raced towards them down the hill. "They came and took Abigail! I saved Jack, we hid, but they took Abigail." Tilly said with Jack sitting in front of her, both of them out of breath. Liam felt another pit in his stomach.

"Who did?" Arthur asked. "Agent Milton and his men, took her to Van Horn to be put on a boat and tried for murder." Tilly told them as she rode up. Arthur looked back at Sadie and Liam. "I am sorry to hear that." Dutch said. "We gotta let her go. John's uh, well, sorry, son. Without John, she's just bait. We got a bunch of money, Dutch. She's just a girl, they won't do nothing to her. Me and the boys know, we need to keep riding on this one, Dutch. You know it, every man here knows it." Micah told Dutch. Liam held his tongue. "So we just gonna let the boy be made an orphan?" Arthur asked, angry. "It ain't like that." Dutch said, contemplating. "What is it like?" Arthur asked.

"I wanna live, Cowpoke. Dutch, it's just a girl." Micah enticed. "Dutch." Arthur pleaded desperately, jumping off his horse and running to Dutch's. "Micah... it pains me to say it, Arthur, but he is right." Dutch said. Liam couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Dutch!" Arthur yelled with a pain in his voice. "Come on boys." Dutch said as the group rode off.

Arthur, Liam, Sadie and Tilly didn't move. "Well I guess that's that then." Arthur said in anger and hurt as dust surrounded them from the horses hooves. Arthur looked at the ground for a moment. "All them goddamn years." He said to himself. "Come on, Arthur. Let's go get her. You, me and the boy is all we need." Sadie said. Arthur shook his head in agreement. He looked over to Tilly and Jack. "Miss Tilly, here, take this." Arthur said loading the bags of money onto her horse. "You take this money too. Take Jack, and you wait at Copperhead Landing, for Abigail, Liam and Mrs. Adler." Arthur said, handing her all of his money. "Thank you, Arthur." She said. "You're a good girl, you live a good life now, you hear?" He asked. "Alright Arthur, I'll, I'll miss-" Tilly said. "Me too, sweetheart, me too. Jack, come here. Be brave, son. I'm gonna go get your mama." He said, holding Jack's hand. "Mrs. Adler, Mr. Parker, ride with me!" He yelled as he reared his horse. They yelled in unison as they raced off towards Van Horn.

"If they're putting her on a boat, they'll probably dock at the North end of town. So I reckon we should go in the other way." Sadie said. Liam had never been to Van Horn. "Sure, I guess, I don't know." Arthur said, his mind racing. "Those goddamn bastards." He said in anger. "Look, just follow me, okay? We're gonna get this done, Arthur." She told him. "Now he don't care if he orphans his friend's child so long as he gets rich? All his goddamn talk all them years. Seems like it was always a lie. Or he went crazy, what a mess." Arthur grunted. "Sure, guess he began to believe he was God or something." Sadie said. "Or maybe he ain't the Dutch Van der Linde we all thought we knew." Liam added.

"I don't know. I'm sorry y'all got dragged into this. Into... us." Arthur told them as they passed Butcher Creek. "Listen, if you hadn't shown up at my house that night, I'd be dead. And even this bullshit beats dead." Sadie said. "And I would've gotten myself killed had I not ran into you that night, Arthur." Liam said. "I thought I could find a way to get John, Abigail and Jack out of this mess. To give them... a life. Seems I left it too late." Arthur said. "If we can still get Abigail, maybe her and Jack will be okay." Sadie encouraged. "John, Hosea, Mac, Davey, Jenny, Lenny, we have to put an end to this! And Eagle Flies, another angry fool he used, just like he did with the rest of us." Arthur said. It hurt Liam to hear the names of the fallen. "Like I said, Arthur. We don't need them. We're gonna make this right, me, you and the boy together, what's left of it. Now come on!" She yelled as they raced through Roanoke Ridge towards Van Horn.

As they rode, Liam decided he would risk his own life for Abigail. Jack needed her. They rode until they came onto the edge of town. "Okay, here we are. Let's ditch the horses and come up with a plan." Sadie said as they slowed down near the path to the lighthouse. They climbed off and fled their horses. "I think you should cover me and Liam and we'll go in there and get her." Sadie told Arthur. "Are you sure about that?" Arthur asked. Liam didn't know what to think of it. "There's gonna be Pinkerton snipers, I say we have one too. You're the better shot. Just do it my way, honey, it's for the best. Get up someplace high, like the lighthouse or something. And cover us." She said holding the rifle out to him. "Okay." He agreed, grabbing the rifle and running to the lighthouse.