Just Like Old Times

Life and Death

After grabbing ammo and gun oil for his wife at the gun store, Arthur went looking around for Micah and Dutch with Brian and James. He walked by some mining houses and suddenly was ambushed by Micah. Brian and James growled and went to pounce but Arthur held his hand up to them.

"Was you followed?" Micah demanded to know in a harsh voice as he pushed him against a house.

"No!" Arthur growled

"Was you followed?" Micah asked again.

"I said," Arthur pushed Micah off him, "no!" Arthur started wheezing and coughing.

Micah abruptly giggled. "Okay."

"What is your problem?" Arthur snapped, his eyes narrowed heavily.

Micah cocked his head and squinted his eyes. "What is your problem, partner?" Arthur started wheezing again. "You don't, uh, you don't look so good," Micah observed, shaking his head.

"What is wrong with you?" Arthur asked calmly but with a low, aggressive undertone.

"Nothin' wrong with me," Micah said cheerfully. "I'm fit as a fiddle," Micah spoke in an attempt to sound like Arthur.

"Not inside, you ain't," Arthur remarked with a swirling motion in the air.

Micah put his hands up. "I'm just a realist, friend."

Dutch approached them both and put one foot up on a stair step. Both the men looked at him, as did the boys. "So, you boys ready?"

"Ready for what?" Arthur asked.

"To make a simple social call," Dutch replied. Both him and Micah laughed a little too evily for Arthur's tastes.

"To who?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"Leviticus Cornwall."

Arthur smirked. "Hell yeah, let's do it."

Dutch pat Arthur's shoulder. "That's my boy. I told you, we are gonna get some answers."

The three men and the two wolves walked across the street. "So, how are we gonna do this?"

"We're gonna cut a deal, Arthur," said Micah with his hands going up.

Arthur caught up them. "What are you talkin' about?!"

"We want out, and Cornwall wants us to stop robbin' him, and we all know his money is what's keeping the Pinkertons on our tail. He's America, Arthur. And I want out. And he...he won't let us go," Dutch explained passionately.

"This ain't makin' a lot of sense, Dutch," Arthur said with doubt in his voice. "I thought we were here for Lilly?"

"We are, son."

"We're here for her and some money," Micah added.

"It will make sense, Arthur. A deal...some noise...and then we're gone." By the time the conversation was done, they were on the docks. "Cornwall's boat is due in soon. Let's get down here behind these crates."