"So if we're supposed to be lying low," Mike Walker said, "why did you insist on robbing a private train owned by Cornwall knowing exactly whose it was?"
"We barely escaped Ambarino alive. We made it to New Hanover and didn't even get a chance to settle… yet you choose to provoke one of the biggest industrialists in the country?"
"Sure, we disguised it as an O'Driscoll hit. But Cornwall's not stupid. He can hire the Pinkertons hell, he can pressure the government to extend their authority into New Hanover. That alone is enough to doom us."
"And if the Pinkertons find us again, they won't let go. Remember… the money on the Blackwater ferry wasn't federal property. It belonged to rich people. Rich people with real power."
With every sentence Mike spoke, the worry on Tilly's, Mary-Beth's, and Abigail's faces deepened.
Out West, angering the federal government wasn't half as dangerous as angering the wealthy.
Each question landed like a hammer, and Dutch's face stiffened completely.
"But we needed the money!" Dutch deflected, trying to steer the conversation back to his favorite justification.
Many people nodded silently.
Money was necessary lawman or outlaw, survival required it.
Mike didn't let him escape.
"So can we spend the bonds immediately?"
"They're bearer bonds, yes. But in our current situation, how long will it take before we can turn them into actual currency?"
Everyone turned to Hosea. Even Micah shifted his eyes toward him.
Hosea had always handled fencing stolen goods. If anyone understood the process, it was him.
"Bearer bonds are usually easy to move," Hosea said slowly.
"But we need a trustworthy, well-connected buyer. And right now, we can't afford to draw attention."
"At minimum… two months before we can convert them."
A ripple passed through camp.
Two months.
For two whole months, the "money" Dutch bragged about was nothing but expensive paper.
Bill and Micah didn't seem too bothered it was still money eventually.
But Mary-Beth and Tilly thought differently.
If it couldn't be used now…
why risk enraging Cornwall and attracting the Pinkertons?
The Van der Linde gang was weakened.
Everyone knew that even if they weren't educated, they understood how dangerous powerful men could be.
They could simply wait for the heat to die down.
Just like they used to.
Everyone looked at Dutch with confusion, doubt… even a flicker of suspicion.
After Blackwater, they had lost friends, money, and safety.
And now this train robbery after all that danger wasn't giving them anything immediately useful.
No one wanted to say it aloud, but the thought was there.
Mike had only spoken what many already felt.
If no one voiced doubt, it would stay buried.
But once someone dared speak it especially someone respected, like Mike those doubts ignited like a fuse.
Dutch saw it.
He saw every single doubtful stare.
His face darkened.
Dutch valued loyalty above all else.
To him, this moment this public questioning was betrayal.
But he also knew he couldn't explode.
Not with the gang in such a fragile state.
So he raised his voice instead.
"I kept everyone alive!"
"We are still here alive!"
"And are we only thinking about the present? We must think of the future! Of the life ahead of us!"
"Mike broaden your vision."
Dutch's voice grew louder, more theatrical.
The old preacher tone returned.
Mike watched silently as Dutch used that practiced charisma again.
No wonder he manipulated Arthur so deeply.
Hosea, who'd known Dutch for decades…
Arthur, raised practically as Dutch's son…
Even when they disagreed, once Dutch put on his charm, they always softened.
Mike never intended to win them over entirely.
He only needed enough concern enough doubt to weaken Dutch's authority.
If this were any ordinary outlaw gang, Mike would've simply waited for Davey Walker to recover and quietly left during a mission.
But the Van der Linde gang wasn't typical.
Most weren't here for greed.
They followed Dutch for ideals misguided or not.
Javier sought revolution.
Sean fled a failed one.
Charles joined mostly to survive in a cruel world.
For them, money mattered.
But stability mattered more.
Mike spoke again, cutting through Dutch's speech like a cold knife:
"That's assuming we have a future."
"The O'Driscolls, the Blackwater bounty, the Pinkertons, the bounty hunters… and tomorrow we might even add Cornwall to that list."
A quiet dread spread through the camp.
They hadn't realized it before.
But hearing it laid out plainly
Their list of enemies was enormous.
And growing.
Even the once-feared O'Driscolls were now the least dangerous of the bunch.
"Mike, that's the worst-case scenario," Arthur said, stepping forward.
His loyalty to Dutch wouldn't let him stay silent.
"Dutch did this for the gang. It's a big score. Once things settle, the money will matter."
Dutch brightened slightly at Arthur's support.
Mike nodded calmly.
"Of course. I know Dutch wants the best for the gang."
"Just as he said we're all human. We make mistakes. Even big ones."
"I just want us safe. I want us alive. And that means planning for the worst."
He agreed with Arthur…
but subtly dug the knife deeper into Dutch's reputation.
Planting the seed that Dutch might be wrong again.
And everyone heard it.