The Story Of Red Dead Redemption

Chapter 24: A Timely Opportunity

After enjoying a comfortable bath service, Arthur lay in the tub with his feet propped up, feeling relaxed. The whiskey provided by the hotel wasn't great, but the ice cubes were a pleasant surprise. Considering the railway passed by the town's entrance and the station was nearby, it made sense.

Selling ice was indeed a lucrative business.

As Arthur soaked in the tub, thinking about various things, he heard the innkeeper's voice outside: "Listen, don't do this here... I've already paid the protection money this month..."

Arthur quickly sat up in the tub, wanting to understand what was happening outside. He heard a commotion followed by a gruff voice saying, "Can we get the money now?"

It was a timely opportunity. Arthur's luck was better than expected. He quickly got out of the tub, hurriedly put on his clothes, and didn't even dry off, afraid he might miss something.

When Arthur came out from the back, the front desk of the hotel was in disarray. The innkeeper, Mr. Blake, was sitting on the floor with a bruised face and disheveled clothes, indicating he had just been roughed up.

"This doesn't concern you, cowboy. O'Driscoll gang business! You don't want to get involved." The burly man collecting protection money threatened Arthur and even introduced himself, showing some level of professionalism.

Arthur smiled and scratched his wet hair, speaking in what he considered a friendly tone: "Is there a misunderstanding here? Listen, don't rush to fight. I'm familiar with your boss, Colm O'Driscoll. Can't we talk things out instead of resorting to violence?"

The two O'Driscoll gang members looked at each other, sizing up Arthur, but couldn't recall him as one of Colm's friends.

Realizing they were hesitating, Arthur quickly punched the nearest man and grabbed an iron horse ornament from the front desk, smashing it over the head of the other man. Within ten seconds, both were unconscious on the floor.

Mr. Blake, watching from the side, was horrified. His face, already bruised, turned even paler as he wailed, "Fuck, you've gotten me into big trouble! They're from the O'Driscoll gang!"

Arthur looked at Mr. Blake, puzzled. "You knew they were from the O'Driscoll gang. Why didn't you go to the sheriff?"

Mr. Blake shook his head. "The sheriff is in on it! He's been bought off and doesn't care. They even have a secret base in town, though no one knows where. All the merchants pay protection money, and no one dares to defy them."

Hearing this, Arthur was delighted. It was a perfect opportunity. His gambling business was now halfway secured. It was fortunate that the sheriff was corrupt. Arthur could work out a deal with him, just as he had with others.

Arthur efficiently tied up the two unconscious men and gagged them. He then turned to Mr. Blake, who was anxiously pacing, and said, "Stop pacing and help me. We need to take these two to the sheriff's office."

Mr. Blake shook his head vigorously. "Are you joking? That's a death sentence! Once you're gone, they'll burn down the hotel and me with it."

Arthur smiled. "Don't worry, you're under my protection now. After this, I'll offer you a profitable business opportunity. Besides, it's too late to be afraid. They'll come after you no matter what. They're not known for being reasonable."

"And from what I overheard, they weren't collecting protection money. They were robbing you. Who pays protection money twice in a month?"

Mr. Blake thought about it. He was indeed scared, but Arthur's words made sense. Although this was an unexpected disaster and he hadn't done anything wrong, he knew he was already in trouble. Life often doesn't let you stay out of it just by avoiding it.

"Alright, you can call me Blake. At least let me know your name before I'm dragged into this mess."

"Arthur, Arthur Morgan."

"Although it's a bit late to say this, thank you for your help. The Saints Hotel welcomes you, Mr. Morgan."

They each hoisted one of the tied-up O'Driscoll members onto their shoulders and headed out. As soon as they stepped outside, they attracted the attention of idle onlookers. Word spread quickly, and soon, many townspeople followed them as they headed towards the sheriff's office.

By the time Arthur dumped the O'Driscoll members at the sheriff's office door, almost everyone in town had gathered there.

Sheriff Malloy was napping in his office, his feet up on the desk and a cowboy hat over his face. When his deputy woke him up urgently, he was dreaming about his beloved Moira and discussing God's salvation.

Startled awake, Sheriff Malloy shouted angrily, "What is it? Can't it wait until I wake up?" He thought it was another trivial complaint, like someone's lost dog.

The deputy said, "You need to see this. The townsfolk seem to be in revolt. There are people everywhere outside."

Alarmed, Sheriff Malloy grabbed his gun from the desk and ran outside without even picking up his fallen hat.

"Sheriff, good day. Mr. Blake and I caught these two wanted criminals. Please take them into custody."

Sheriff Malloy immediately recognized the two tied-up men. He was about to say they had made a mistake and should release them, but seeing the large crowd behind Arthur, he changed his tune.

"Yes, these two are indeed wanted criminals. Deputy, please take them inside and lock them up. Everyone, disperse. It's just two criminals. No need for all this commotion."

When the crowd didn't move, Sheriff Malloy wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued, "These two are O'Driscoll gang members, as you all know. I have no tolerance for criminals, especially such notorious gang members!"

The crowd still didn't disperse and began whispering among themselves. Sheriff Malloy even overheard someone saying he would let them go because he was in cahoots with them.

Gritting his teeth, Sheriff Malloy said, "Rest assured, as law enforcers, we will not tolerate any threat to the town's safety. Tomorrow noon, we will publicly hang them at the town's gallows!"

Finally, there were some cheers, which grew louder with Arthur's applause. Some brave or confused individuals even started cursing the O'Driscoll gang, but were quickly silenced by more sensible townsfolk. After all, they had only caught two members, not wiped out the entire gang.

With the situation under control, Sheriff Malloy managed to disperse the crowd. Afterward, he took Arthur and Blake into his office.

As soon as they entered, Sheriff Malloy angrily removed his gun belt, slammed it on the desk, and turned to them, shouting, "What do you think you're doing?"

***

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