Chapter 63: The End of Mac’s Happy Life
Davey and Trelawny headed to the saloon to find Mac.
All the way there, Trelawny talked endlessly, as if he couldn’t help himself.
“You know Cole Stoudemire, right? That arrogant, self-important bounty hunter? He leads a crew that takes contracts from the Federal government.”
“The ones who caught Sean MacGuire this time were his men. Greedy Stoudemire thought the government’s bounty wasn’t enough to share, so he demanded two thousand dollars up front.”
“Poor little Sean—he probably doesn’t even realize he’s worth that much.”
“Because of all the public noise over what happened in Blackwater—maybe because people couldn’t stop talking about that $150,000 bounty—the government’s been under heavy pressure. Not long ago, they made a deal with Stoudemire, paying him $1,500 for Sean.”
“Sean’s being sent to Saint Denis Prison. Once he gets there, they’ll hang him on the gallows. Maybe the Feds think that’ll help restore their reputation, so people will stop calling them useless.”
“There are plenty of U.S. marshals and Pinkerton detectives patrolling around Blackwater. We’ll have to wait until the transport ship’s far enough away before making our move.”
“That arrogant bastard Stoudemire’s in charge of the escort this time—he’s much easier to deal with than the marshals or Pinkertons.”
The name Cole Stoudemire had appeared only once in the game’s original story—when Trelawny was captured by bounty hunters. Clearly, he knew far more about the man than most.
As an information broker, Trelawny had his own special channels.
In the original timeline, when he sensed the Van der Linde Gang was on the brink of collapse, Trelawny left without hesitation—and that decision ultimately saved his life.
...
Before long, Davey and Trelawny arrived at the Smithfield Saloon.
“Mr. Callander.”
“Mr. Callander.”
As soon as they walked in, greetings echoed from all around.
Some of them were Donal’s men—Davey was their big boss. Others were locals who knew or had dealt with him before.
In truth, Davey now commanded more than fifty men, and that was even with Donal being selective about who he took in.
Trelawny, walking just behind him, finally realized the extent of Davey’s influence in Valentine.
Even the lawmen outside had saluted him as they passed the saloon door earlier.
“Oh, Mac, you bastard—can’t you show a little restraint?”
“Ladies, would you mind giving us a moment? I need to have a word with this fellow.”
At the table in the corner, Mac sat with two women clinging to him, hands wandering everywhere. Davey could only shake his head in disbelief.
As Davey’s twin brother, Mac was naturally the closest person to him.
But with more brawn than brains, Mac wasn’t exactly cut out for business.
Davey wouldn’t dream of sending him out to peddle moonshine.
Now that he was making money hand over fist, Davey didn’t care how much Mac spent. Whenever his brother needed cash, he’d just tell him to pick it up from Donal.
After years of living on the run, it was only natural to enjoy the comfort that came with stability and wealth. Davey had never tried to stop him before.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Mac in over a week—the man disappeared whenever the fun started. His bedroom in Donal’s house had been empty for days.
“Oh, Davey, my brother—it’s good to see you.”
The two women recognized Davey immediately. Once he spoke, they rose and slipped away without a word.
Deprived of his “comfort,” Mac finally lifted his head.
“Fuck, Mac, you bastard! You planning to die on a woman’s belly?”
“Starting now, you’re not touching a woman for at least five days. I’ll tell every lady in Valentine—if any of them so much as shares a hot cup of coffee with you during that time, she’ll answer to me.”
Davey’s voice rang through the saloon.
He wasn’t just warning Mac—he was warning every working girl in Valentine.
Mac, already pale and bleary-eyed from sleepless nights and too much indulgence, looked like a man drained dry by drink and women alike.
“Oh, come on, Davey! You can’t do this to me! We’re brothers! Can’t you let me enjoy myself a little longer?” Mac protested, raising his voice.
“I’m not planning to bury you, Mac.”
“Valentine isn’t the place for you right now. You need rest. Trelawny—take him back to camp.”
“Mac, I’m warning you—if I find out you snuck back here, I swear I’ll tie you up and hang you from the big tree at Valentine’s gate.”
Davey’s shout echoed through the room.
Mac could tell from his tone—his brother wasn’t joking.
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.