The answer was no. It had always been going to be no.
He told Cord first, then called church for the next morning. He laid out the offer in full -- which he owed them, because eighteen men deserved to understand what was being refused on their behalf and why.
The room was quiet when he finished. Marco, to his credit, didn't push for the yes. Hatch looked at the table. Cord looked at Rafe.
"We keep the line. Rafe said. We've kept it this long. We're not moving it now for a peace that costs us who we are."
"Dutch isn't going to take no gracefully, Cord said."
"No. He's not."
"What does that mean for the next six months?"
"It means we're careful. We're smart. We don't give him anything to work with. And we watch the corridor."
He looked around the table. Twelve men, some of whom he'd
