𝐍𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ➳ 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝟐

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟭𝟬

The next morning Ruth found her body aching from yesterday's events but the day wasn't going to stop for her. She needed a lead on the gang so she can get to Dutch. Ruth sat beside Danny after preparing coffee for the both of them. They remained quiet while they enjoyed the hot liquid. 

Ruth kept pondering about what Danny said before she went to bed last night. They always argue, but not like this. Ruth broke his trust and she went behind his back. Danny had a hard childhood, he had no one but her. Her hurting him, it made her feel horrible. 

"Danny, I'm sorry," Ruth finally broke the silence that wrapped them. Danny looked at her before shaking his head slightly.

"I know. I just want you to stop going after Dutch," he noticed her mouth opening to defend herself but he quickly jumped in. "But I know you can't."

"If I could, I would. In a heartbeat I would. But you and I, we would become wanted. Me for the illegal side of my business and you for running with me until they figure out you also were a part of it. We're cut out for helping folk and taking down a few bastards but we ain't cut out for running from almost everyone in the damn country," Ruth explained before sipping her coffee. She raised an eyebrow before tilting her head towards him. "Well, maybe you are but I ain't."

"I know," Danny nodded. Danny was a lot quicker in combat and his gun skills than she was, guess that's what years of childhood abuse did to him. He cleared his throat after finishing his coffee. "I'll always be by you, Ruth. No matter what. You need anything, I'll-"

"I know, me too," Ruth smiled at him. The tension between the two of them wasn't as strong as yesterday, Ruth guessed sleeping helped clear his mind. If he even slept. When she left her room to put the coffee on he was sitting against the wall, lost in thought. He was starting to come to terms with the situation and he understood that they both didn't like it. 

"So, what's your plan for today?" Danny asked before standing up from his seat. He gathered their steel cups before placing them on the bench and turning back to face her. He leant back against the counter, arms folded over his chest as he looked at her.

"I'm going to head into Rhodes, get us some more supplies now that you're with me," Ruth explained to the blonde man. He nodded before she continued. "I had only packed for me."

"Well, I got a job to do for Mr Sheriff Gray," Danny announced. Ruth frowned, confused. 

"Already?" She sounded surprised. Danny nodded.

"Yep. He offered it while you were still pretty shaken up back in the Parlour House, you probably ain't even remember him coming in. I explained everything to him but he told me that he couldn't let it slide unless I do a job for him," Danny reminded. Ruth sighed, looking at him apologetically. He was already cleaning up the mess she was making. 

"Does it involve the Braithwaites?" Ruth questioned him. Danny remained quiet which she knew his silence provided her an answer. "No, you're-"

"You're in no position to tell me what job I can and can't do," Danny sounded hostile but it was the truth. He couldn't talk her out of going after Dutch so she had no right to talk him out of this. "All I got to do is escort some of the Gray's to the Braithwaite plantation while they discuss the destruction of one the of Braithwaite's moonshine distilleries hidden in the swamps. I'm just there as an extra gun if anything goes south," he shrugged to her like it was nothing. 

"It'll go south knowing the ongoing feud between those two families," Ruth pointed out. Danny looked aware as he nodded in agreement. 

"I'll be fine. I should probably get going to discuss it more with the Sheriff, have to meet his boys at the Gray's plantation afterwards," Danny announced. He pushed himself away from the counter and grabbed his brimmed dark brown hat that hung off of one of the chairs. Ruth watched as he swept back his hair with a hand before placing his hat on with his other. "I'll be back later today. Take care in Rhodes, alright? That Richard guy could still be hanging around," Danny reminded her. Ruth nodded before he left the kitchen, listening for the front door to close behind him. She heard the door shut behind him before she got up from her seat. Ruth walked herself to her room, changing out of her previous clothes from the day before into a fresh set. She tucked in her dusty grey shirt into a pair of dark brown jeans before rolling the sleeves up to her elbows. She pulled on her regular black boots before pulling he hair back into a sleek low pony tail and popping her black hat on her head. She swiftly tied a black bandana around her neck after looking out one of the windows up towards Rhodes to see red dust storms overrunning the streets. She fastened her worn brown gun holster on her hip and thighs before finally leaving their shack they claimed as their own. 

Ruth wandered around the General Store of Rhodes, gathering supplies such as canned foods, meats, carrots and apples for the horses as treats and medicine, plenty of it. When she placed it all on the counter in front of the shop owner, he looked amazed. She almost had picked up every item in the store. The man didn't question her however, he informed her about a woman who came in a few days earlier who also brought a lot. That she assumed was the woman who rode shotgun with Arthur Morgan. Ruth didn't keep the conversation going, she purchased the items and heading out, stuffing as much as she could into her saddle bags before rolling the rest of the items up inside her sleeping roll. As she pulled on the straps to fasten the material back to the saddle firmly, she heard footsteps approaching her. They stopped beside her. Looking with her peripheral vision, she noticed the person beside her was a man. The distinct blue shirt that was faded in some areas immediately announced to her who this man was.

"Looks like you're going to have to kill me now," Ruth sighed sarcastically before giving a final tug on the leather strap before turning on her heels to meet the with the blue eyes of Arthur Morgan. She rested an elbow against her saddle as she looked at him. Her eyes flickered down onto his gun in his holster before looking back at him. "Go on. Isn't that what your type does? Kill people and don't give a damn who sees?" Arthur rolled his eyes at the woman.

"I ain't going to kill you," Arthur grunted at her in annoyance. "I saw you and wanted to see how you were."

"Why?" Ruth scoffed at him, slightly startled by him. "Ain't I an enemy of yours?" Arthur nodded truthfully. Ruth raised her eyebrows at him before turning back to Devi, slightly lifting her foot to the stirrup but was interrupted when he began talking.

"You are. But that doesn't mean I can't be curious about some barfight that happened yesterday that describes a woman of your description," Arthur spoke up. Ruth paused before turning back to face him. "Micah hit you pretty hard yesterday and if that was you-"

"It was," Ruth answered him. "I'm fine if that's what you're wanting to know," she muttered. Arthur nodded slowly, she could see he didn't know what more to say. "I thought you said the next time you saw me you was going to kill me."

"We, not me," Arthur explained. "I only will if I have to Miss," he reminded her, she knew that he was threatening her discreetly. Many times Arthur had tried to scare her out of going after Dutch. "You were saying something yesterday about you having no choice to-"

"It ain't none of your business, Mister Morgan," Ruth snapped, stopping him from prying any further. Arthur's jaw clamped shut as he looked at her. "I'm not sure why you saved me yesterday and why you won't just kill me but I want you to know that if you continue to annoy me, I'll kill you myself," Ruth warned him, feeling courage flood through her. Ruth turned to her saddle when Arthur swiftly pulled her gun out of her holster. Ruth's lips pressed together tightly in anger as she spun around back to the man and tried reaching for her gun, Arthur simply dodging her hands as he examined the personalised weapon. 

"With this?" He asked, finally taking his eyes off of the gun. "I doubt it, ma'am." He judged her lack of reflex to him before handing her the gun. Ruth felt embarrassed but snatched the gun out of his hand anyway. She holstered the gun before he began talking again. 

"That sure is a lot of food for one person," Arthur commented, noticing the bulging saddle bags and sleeping roll. Ruth ignored his comment and quickly mounted her horse, glancing down at him. He looked up at her, almost a soft look glistened in his eyes before it was overpowered by anger. He grabbed her reins harshly, standing close to her. 

"Let go of my horse," Ruth hissed at him but Arthur ignored her. He stared at her with anger for a moment before finally speaking.

"If I was you, I would get far from here. Dutch and the others aren't people to mess with. But if you do hang around, you'll be lucky to live to see another week," Arthur warned her. "Just go, it ain't worth it." Ruth looked away from him, wishing she could take his advice. She shook her head before looking back down at him. 

"I can't," she mumbled. Her voice was so quiet it was almost nothing more than a whisper. Arthur sighed before letting go of her reins, allowing her to leave. Ruth didn't say another word to the man, turning away from the hitching post and leaving Arthur in the dust.