He wasn’t sure that he could trust Sarah, but in time, she would learn to appreciate everything he was going to do for her. Of course, there was no way he was going to leave her at home alone when he came to the cave or went on raids. She would haveto travel with him and stay at the cave while he and the boys went to do their business. There were always a couple of men who stayed behind, and they could keep an eye on her when he couldn’t.
They would spend most of their time at their house, but the cave could be like a little vacation once in a while. Quincy never wanted Sarah to see Isabelle again, though. He would have to make sure that she was gone by the time he brought Sarah back. He knew Sarah wouldn’t be happy about her mother’s demise at first, but he was sure that in time, she would come to realize that it was for the best as well.
Quincy had been angry at Sarah for suggesting that they take Isabelle with them, but now, after having spoken to his men, he felt much better. All he wanted was to be happy and to make his men happy as well. Being an outlaw wasn’t always easy, and sometimes things got tough, but if they all stuck together, he knew that they would be all right.
Since they were all worked up, they decided to eat what was left of the food and finish the bottle. Quincy felt eager to get his new life started, so he left the men to celebrate and went to fetch Sarah.
It was the middle of the night, but he didn’t care. As a man, he had needs, and it was up to his future wife to fulfill them. The room was quiet and dark when he entered. They were sleeping, so he tried not to make any noise as he walked over to Sarah’s bed, guided by the light of his lantern, and woke her.
She woke up, looking confused. “What—” she started asking, but he cut her off.
“You’re sleeping with me tonight, sweet thing,” he whispered, not wanting to wake Isabelle.
She glanced at the other bed where her mother was sleeping before slipping out from under the blanket. Quincy took her hand and almost dragged her out of the room, making sure to lock the door behind him. He did not trust Isabelle at all. He was sure it was her idea to try to escape when they had been traveling, and who knows what else she had been telling Sarah.
Once they were in his room, Quincy locked the door. He might be planning a future with Sarah, but that did not mean he trusted her. She was Isabelle’s daughter, after all. One day, hopefully, he would be able to, but for now, and the foreseeable future, he had to be careful.
“Go wait on the bed,” he instructed and waited until Sarah did as told.
Once she was far enough away so that she wouldn’t be able to see what he was doing, he opened his cupboard, which held his safe, and placed his key inside. It was a combination safe, so there was no way for Sarah to retrieve the key. With that done and satisfied that she wouldn’t be going anywhere, Quincy joined her in his bed. Tonight, he would be sleeping against a warm body and not just any warm body, but one that was growing his baby.
Chapter 32
Sometimes it took months to find an outlaw. Other times it took days. Deadshot knew that finding Quincy wasn’t going to be easy, but he was getting impatient. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t chasing somebody alone. He had never worked with anybody before, and having company was proving to be better than he had expected. The kid was actually pretty great and helpful.
Although they had not come across any concrete information, they hadn’t given up. Deadshot had made the kid a promise, and he had every intention of keeping it. Most days they spent traveling, but they had taken a few days for themselves to focus on the kid’s training. Deadshot had never before trained anybody and didn’t think he had the patience for it, but he was actually enjoying it.
The kid was a great student and was learning fast. They had wasted quite a few boxes of ammunition on target practice. Deadshot didn’t need the practice, but the kid did, and to be honest, it was fun. Atlas, the horse that the kid had stolen from Quincy, was proving to be extremely clever and was also learningall of the tricks really fast. Another thing that Deadshot was teaching the kid was how to simply survive in the world.
When traveling long distances, there weren’t always towns and shops to stop at, and sometimes it was necessary to hunt and forage. The kid was a natural when it came to shooting, and hunting had proven to be easy for him. Foraging did not come naturally to him. If it wasn’t for Deadshot, the kid would have eaten fruits and plants that weren’t edible. Learning the difference between some plants wasn’t easy. Many of the fruits looked similar, and a person had to really look closely to tell the difference.
Knowing these things could ensure a person’s survival, though, so it was necessary that the kid learned. While Deadshot taught the kid, they collected berries and fruits that were edible and added them to their diet. It was actually nice to eat something that wasn’t meat, bread, rice, or beans.
While this was all fun and necessary, Deadshot still desperately wanted some concrete information about Quincy and his gang. So far, all they had gotten was the same old rumors about Quincy having a secluded hideout somewhere. Nobody knew where this hideout was, and nobody had ever been able to find it. There were also the rumors about the desert. Apparently, Quincy had grown up living somewhere near or in the desert. It didn’t seem logical, but those rumors had been going on for as long as Deadshot could remember.
They had spent the previous day training, but now it was time to visit the next town. The kid was looking at the map. “So,we go to this one?” he asked, pointing to a town that Deadshot had circled.
Deadshot nodded. “Yes, and then we go here.” Deadshot drew a line to a seemingly open area.
The kid looked at him like he was insane. “There’s nothing there.”
Deadshot laughed at this. “Or that’s what they want you to believe.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it’s never been added on the map, but there’s always been a settlement there.” Deadshot knew this because he had stopped there multiple times before. “They survive by trading with each other. There are no shops and no sheriff, just a couple of families doing their best to survive.”
“Then why are we even going there?” There was no judgment in the kid’s voice, only curiosity.
“Mostly because I want to see if it is actually still there,” Deadshot admitted. “But who knows? They might have some information for us. It’s not like the bigger towns have proved fruitful.”
The kid folded the map, handed it to Deadshot, and then stood. “I think today is our day,” he said as he walked over to Atlas.
Deadshot placed the map in his bag and followed the kid. It was time to get going. “You have a feeling, or you’re just trying to be positive?”
“I had a dream,” the kid replied. “Can’t remember much, but I know that we learned something valuable about Quincy in it.”
“Let’s hope you’re right.” Deadshot mounted Bullseye. “Because we could really use a clue.”
