Outlaws for Life (Red Dead Redemption 2)

Chapter Sixteen: History Repeats Itself

"Hi beauty. It's been a while since I took good care of you, isn't it?"

Isabella's mantle is dusty and her hooves surely need a good clean too. I put myself to work without wasting time and when I'm done, I take a sugar cube and feed it to her.

"It's a beautiful animal."

I exchange a look with Javier before turning around again with a slight discomfort.

For how much time is he been staring at me? Why he has to stand there like one of those creepy figures? I just hope he won't do anything stupid now.

But he doesn't. When he understands I have no intentions to make conversation, he walks past me and reaches his horse.

"Where are you going?" I ask curious.

"I've got some work to do, with John."

What kind of job? I only ask that to myself, I don't want to ask him. No more than necessary contacts, that's what I promised myself. But there's no need for me to ask, the answer soon comes by itself.

"That job with the Braithwaite's horses, remember?" says John showing up silently from my left.

"You haven't done it yet? It's been days" I mock him.

"Hey, it's not an easy job. We need time and finesse."

Yeah, sure, because he is the type with finesse.

"Good luck, then" I reply with a shrug.

A moment of silence before the fateful question.

"Why don't you come with us?" he asks.

I look first at him and then at Javier. Am I sure I want to spend time in his presence? We are three after all, there's John with us, I don't take any risks.

"Yeah, why not?" I say in the end.

.....................

We follow the same road I made some days ago with Arthur and Hosea to get to the Braithwaite property, but when we reach the crossroad we take the right trail instead of the left.

We find ourselves in front of another big house surrounded by plantations. Passing through them I notice that some of the fields must have caught fire, and recently too. A thick smoke lays upon the burned plants and the overall image seems to be taken from one of those English novels that provoke terror to the readers.

"My God, what happened here?" murmurs Javier. I have the same question buzzing in my head.

Just like the Braithwaites, the Grays also have some guards at the entrance, and they make us stop studying carefully our appearance.

"How can I help you?" asks one.

"We're here to talk with Herbert Gray" says John with a funny official tone that makes me smile.

"Who sends you?"

"No-one, Mr. Gray asked for us."
The smile disappears from my lips as I look at John's back. Is this the truth or a very calculated lie?

The man turns around to exchange a word with his men and then makes us sign to keep going.

"Mr. Gray is at the stables. Follow the trail on the right."

I am truly surprised by John's quick tongue and iron nerves. He's been able to convince them in two seconds, whether he was telling the truth or not.

The stables in this place are huge. At least twenty horses, if not more, are fitting in there, all of different breed and color. It must be one of the biggest trades in the state and the Grays must be one of the biggest sellers.