"Yes… Hosea and Arthur already discussed it with everyone."
"No one is opposing you, Dutch!"
"They just think we should be more cautious."
Mike Walker spoke quickly, almost echoing Arthur.
But in Dutch's ears, that repeated phrase everyone stabbed like a needle.
Especially when Abigail, Pearson, and a few others, attracted by the commotion, approached.
In the freezing cold, Dutch's face turned red, and his voice grew louder.
"Kids, you have to trust my plan!"
"I know these days haven't been easy, but you need to believe me!"
"Blackwater was an exception. Just like before, we'll get through this!"
"And besides, we don't have a choice! We need the money!"
Dutch cut Mike off, his voice steadily rising.
"That's right! We should all trust Dutch! And didn't we already get the money in Blackwater?"
"Arthur, Mike, we should believe in Dutch!"
Micah chimed in with an oily tone, first glancing at Arthur the one who raised objections and then sneaking a look at Dutch.
Dutch's expression eased a bit at Micah's words.
"Micah, shut your filthy mouth. If you hadn't pushed the idea of robbing that ferry, we would've already settled down instead of running for our lives out of New Elizabeth."
Mike's voice was cold.
Hearing Mike openly snap back at Micah, Susan Grimshaw, Mary-Beth, Bill, Javier and others looked surprised.
They still remembered the Callander brothers' quiet reputation fighters, not talkers.
"But Mike, we succeeded! One hundred and fifty thousand dollars! Right, Dutch?"
Micah argued, eyes gleaming with greed.
"With Sean and Jenny's lives?" Mike shot back.
At those two names, everyone fell silent, their faces dimming.
"Sometimes gaining something requires sacrifice. And that was a lot of money," Micah continued, preaching his warped philosophy.
"Then why weren't you the one lying in the grave?" Mike's tone was icy.
"Mike, I'm doing this for the gang," Micah said, raising both hands slightly as he inched closer to Dutch, pretending to be conciliatory.
But Mike knew better.
Micah wasn't calm; he was just a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong.
In pure gun skill, Micah was indeed one of the top shooters in the gang, even rivaling Charles.
But close combat?
Aside from Bill, almost everyone could beat him senseless.
"Enough! Blackwater was just an accident!" Dutch snapped, face darkening.
"That's why we need to learn from it. We must be careful. We cannot fail again just like this time!" Dutch paused and looked around at the gathering camp members, many wearing uncomfortable expressions because of Micah's earlier words.
He immediately turned and scolded Micah:
"Micah, don't say things like that again! Everyone in this family matters! We don't abandon anyone! We are a family!"
"Of course families sometimes have misunderstandings or arguments, but everything can be resolved."
"But right now! We don't have time to deal with disagreements. I need your support. I will just like before lead us to survive!"
"Hosea! Mike! Arthur! You must trust me!"
"Now anyone willing to join this job, come with me!"
Although Dutch spoke calmly at the end, his tone was still ice-cold.
He swept a glance past Mike before walking toward the stables with Bill, Micah, and others.
"Of course, Dutch, your plan is absolutely right. This is a big score!"
Micah followed like a flattering lapdog.
Arthur hesitated, clearly wanting to say something, but eventually just shook his head and went along.
Hosea sighed softly, turning to help Susan, Tilly, and the others prepare to leave Colter soon.
"Mike, you're not going?"
Charles, who had intended to follow, froze when he noticed Mike staying put.
"No… Charles, what about you? Do you really want to join the train robbery?" Mike asked calmly.
"One day something bad will happen," Charles murmured, sighing. Then he added gently, "But Mike… you shouldn't have spoken to Dutch like that. Dutch… he'll hold it against you."
Despite being a mixed-race man half Black, half Native American Charles saw everything clearly.
But understanding something didn't mean he had choices.
His blood and skin decided much of his fate.
Whether in society or in the gang, prejudice was always there.
"I did it on purpose," Mike said quietly.
"Why?" Charles asked, surprised.
"One accident already cost us two people. What about the next time?" Mike replied.
"And even if Dutch gets those bonds, it'll take a long time to sell them. It won't fix our situation at all. I told Hosea this, but Dutch wouldn't consider it." Mike said plainly.
Charles stopped walking, expression turning thoughtful.
"He just wants to play hero with his knights become some kind of king of the West, leading the people into a new way of life."
"Hic… a life he thinks is good…"
Uncle drunk as always wandered past, bottle in hand, muttering nonsense.
But those "nonsense" words were heard clearly by both Charles and Mike.
Watching Uncle stagger away, the two stood quietly.
Charles said nothing.
Mike said nothing.
Only the cold mountain wind answered.