Chapter 133: Robbing the Valentine Bank
Davey had obtained the intelligence on the O’Driscoll Gang.
To be honest, he hadn’t expected Old Gray to hand it over so easily. After all, they had been cooperating for quite some time.
Maybe it was because the O’Driscoll Gang had grown too bold lately, making Old Gray feel it was time to bring them down a notch.
The O’Driscolls had been extremely brazen these days, showing up in the newspapers constantly. Their main activities were centered in West Elizabeth and New Mexico.
In the previous life’s game storyline, New Mexico wasn’t part of the map. But here, in the real world, the land bordering New Austin and West Elizabeth truly was the state of New Mexico.
After their beating at Six-Point Cabin, Colm shifted most of his operations to West Elizabeth. He chose West Elizabeth because the Van der Linde Gang was wanted there as well.
Colm knew very well that despite the size of his gang, taking on the Van der Linde Gang was far from easy.
Arthur alone was enough to give them hell.
From Old Gray, Davey learned that the O’Driscolls’ temporary base lay at Mattock Pond, north of Rhodes, where they’d set up a makeshift camp.
After leaving the Gray family estate, Davey planned to find Arthur and discuss how to deal with the O’Driscolls.
...
Meanwhile, at Clemens Point Camp—
Bill walked over to Arthur, who was resting.
“Hey, Arthur, we’ve got a job. Something you might actually be interested in.”
Arthur was already in a bad mood because of Sadie. That woman was just too fierce, and she’d stirred up some minor trouble.
Fortunately, Arthur’s status as a deputy sheriff kept things from escalating—those people didn’t want trouble with law enforcement.
“You’d better say something worth my time,” Arthur muttered, his tone dismissive. He clearly didn’t expect Bill to have anything worthwhile.
Bill immediately bristled.
“Since Horseshoe Overlook, we’ve been cursed with nothing but bad luck—and all because of the mess you made in Valentine.”
“We were planning to rob that bank, until you went and screwed everything up.”
“And… I don’t know, everything just feels like a damn waste.”
Arthur shot back, “That wasn’t my fault. It was an accident.”
Bill’s temper flared. “Why is it that every time I screw up, I’m called an idiot or a moron?”
“But you, Arthur? Every time you mess up, it’s always ‘just an accident’?”
Lenny chimed in teasingly, “He’s got a point, Arthur.”
Karen backed him up, “A very good point.”
Feeling the pressure from all sides, Arthur let out a helpless sigh. He knew exactly what they were doing—they wanted him on board.
And as one of the Van der Linde Gang’s best gunmen, Arthur’s involvement would make any plan run far more smoothly. Everybody in the gang knew that.
“Alright… what do you want from me?” Arthur finally asked.
Karen answered immediately, “To rob that damn bank, of course.”
“The four of us can take it without much trouble—but if we stay too long, the law will be all over us. That’s why we need you, Arthur.”
“With you there, even if things go sideways, we’ll still manage to get out.”
“Of course, if we sneak in quietly, we can pull it off without a hitch.”
Hearing the plan, Arthur asked, “Do you all really think this is worth the risk?”
Karen nodded. “It’s a bank, Arthur.”
“So you think there’s that much money?” Arthur pressed.
Karen confirmed, “Yes, Arthur. From what my contact told me, the livestock trading season just ended. The bank is stuffed with cash—and people keep coming in to deposit more.”
“So trust me, Arthur, this is a big haul. Enough for us to live easy for a long while.”
Arthur was clearly tempted, but after a moment’s hesitation, he said, “But Valentine is Davey’s territory now. His men are everywhere—the streets, the saloon, all over town.”
“Last time, Hosea even had drinks with Davey and Valentine’s bank manager.”
“And remember those bearer bonds we stole from Cornwall? That same bank manager is helping us sell them.”
“And now we’re going to rob him? That’s a terrible idea.”
“If we piss him off, we might never be able to move those bonds.”
Bill exploded at that. “God damn it—fuck, Arthur! We worked so damn hard on this plan!”
“Karen put in so much effort, waited this long… and now you say we can’t rob the bank?”
Karen looked completely disappointed. “Oh come on, Arthur, why didn’t you say that earlier?”
Arthur knew how much time Karen and the others had invested in this. After thinking for a moment, he said:
“Maybe… we could ask Davey. If he thinks it’s fine…”
“It won’t take long. He’s right here in Rhodes.”
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