"Javier! You busy?" Grace called out, pushing the doors open to see Javier by the fountain talking with Bill. They both looked over, Bill placed a hand on the Mexican's shoulder before picking up his gun that rested against the fountain base, leaving him and Grace to talk.
"No. You need a hand with something?" He asked as she joined him. Grace gave him a nod, motioning to the horses. He followed her action, stepping beside her as they walked together to the horses.
"I'm going into Saint Denis to check the mail, see if I've spiked anyone's interest in the horses. I would do it alone but with what Dutch has planned, it would be good to not go alone," Grace explained as they walked. Javier stopped, Grace stopping a few steps ahead of him and turning to look back at him.
"Good idea, we should bring someone else just to be on the safe side. Marston!" Javier called back into the camp, waving a hand over at John. John looked over from the scout fire. "Come on, we're going into Saint Denis!"
John joined them, looking at them both.
"What's going on?" John asked as they all continued to their horses. Grace explained what she was doing and why she thought it was a good idea to bring them along. Like Javier, John agreed. "Sounds good. So Dutch is going ahead with Bronte's plan?" John grunted, hating the Italian man. Grace nodded, causing John to sigh with annoyance. "I don't like him. Jack won't stop talking about how great he is."
"Javier and I don't trust him either, so at least ya secret safe with us," Grace winked as she reached her horse. She petted the steed's neck.
"si," Javier added as he swung up into the saddle on his horse.
"Ain't no secret, I don't know what Dutch sees in that son of a bitch," John grunted as he gathered his reins. Grace waved them to follow behind her which they did, trotting out of the camp and past the walls into the swamp.
"Dutch needs money so we can leave, that's what he sees. Bronte seemed to have a good lead on that train station," Grace explained, John muttering something about Bronte under his breath before speaking up again.
"Well, let's just say Bronte was lucky Dutch stayed with him when Arthur and I went and had a shootout in the graveyard. If it were me, the second Dutch and Arthur walked out the door my hands would've been squeezing the life out of that bastards eyes," John grunted as the group moved into a steady canter as they pushed out of the swamp and onto the main road, the Saint Denis bridge coming into view.
"Keep in mind amigo, you weren't able to get off the mountain alone in the snow. Perhaps it wouldn't have been that easy to take out Bronte," Javier chuckled. Grace laughed with him. "It's all a joke, I know you would kill him quick with that anger in you," Javier added, John then laughing.
"Alright you two, we're coming up to the bridge. Let's try and be in and out as quick as possible," Grace explained as her horse's hooves met the wood of the bridge, the sound changing. Javier and John both agreed, she knew John hated Saint Denis and was more than happy to leave.
"Oh come on, Grace! We've only had a few!" John chuckled. Grace rolled her eyes in annoyance, her elbow supporting her head in her hand as she watched over Javier and John who were drinking. She hadn't even managed to open the letter she had received before the two of them had dragged her off to the expensive Brothel. The only reason they were here was because coincidentally there had to be a sign outside the train station that said the drinks were cheaper than usual for a few days. A working girl with a pretty face and jet black hair approached Javier from behind, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. He looked at her hand from the seat he sat in before his eyes trailed up her arm and up to the face of the quite beautiful woman.
"Can I interest you in some company, sugar?" She cooed, her free hand twirling a strand of her hair. Grace rolled her eyes once again as Javier jumped out of his seat, John letting out a whistle for his friend as Javier shuffled through the pocket on his vest, handing the woman twenty dollars. She grinned, shoving the money into her corset, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the stairs. Javier laughed before stopping, the woman stopping on a step higher than him as he looked back at John and Grace.
"I'll be back," Javier finally addressed before he continued to follow the woman up the stairs. Grace groaned in annoyance, grabbing Javier's bottle he had left on the table and drinking it for herself.
"I thought we agreed to not staying for long," Grace muttered. John laughed, finding her comment funny which she did not intend for it to be funny at all.
"Well, how about we leave when Javier is done? You need to lighten up," John lightly punched her shoulder, Grace glaring at him causing him to hold his hands up dramatically.
"We agreed. And if you have forgotten," Grace began before lowering her voice. "Dutch is in Saint Denis. We don't need more unnecessary attention being drawn to us as well as him and also we don't know how smoothly his robbery will run."
"Relax, this is Dutch. It'll be fine! Now, you should open that letter," John changed the subject, motioning to the letter on the table. Grace's eyes flicked to the letter and back at him, now he was pointing at the letter. Grace picked up the letter, opening the envelope. She looked at him before unfolding the paper.
"To Miss Relinding. I happened to see your advertisement of four splendid horses. Of course, I will not put my money forward for any horse so I would have to see these horses for myself. If I am happy with them all, I am more than happy to purchase them all. Cost is not an issue as I'm sure we will discuss when we meet in person. I request to meet in two days time at my lovely property outside of Rhodes. You will surely know the one just by my name. Mr Tavish Gray," Grace read the letter allowed before slamming the letter on the table in annoyance.
"Shit," John muttered, the name he knew. Grace knew exactly who he was too. John, Javier and Arthur had robbed horses them the Braithwaites for him which they did not get the promised amount for the horses that he had told them.
"He will sure as shit recognise Arthur, I was going to bring him with me but now I don't think that's a good idea," Grace sighed, her hands clenched on top of the table.
"Take him still, perhaps he might not fuck around knowing what Arthur is capable of," John suggested. Grace gave a slow nod, it was a good idea but risky. She doesn't know this man for herself but if John believes that she should trust him.
"Okay. I could get a few more of you to ride with us and wait outside of the property with eyes on the barn as I'm sure that's where the deal will be going down. If they see anything that looks off, that's when they ride in," Grace planned, nodding to herself as she spoke. "That actually sounds good. Dutch will probably go ahead with it too," Grace grinned. John nodded with her.
"That's a good idea. I'm more than happy to help," John offered, picking up his bottle off of the table before taking another drink.
"Good, I'll put in your name when I tell Dutch. I'll talk to him tonight, see who he thinks I should bring with you," Grace explained to John as he placed the bottle down on the table, swallowing back his beer. John nodded once again, Grace frowning as her ears strained against the noise in the Brothel. She listened again closely, hearing faint gunshots. Well, she thought she did when they disappeared. Perhaps she was still on edge after yesterday.
"I heard it too," John muttered, noticing her expression. Grace's eyes darted to him as she shoved the letter into her coat pocket. "Do you think Javier heard?"
"No, he's busy. What do we do?" Grace asked as the gunshots became clearer as they grew near. Grace and John got up from their seats at the table, walking over to a window that looked out onto the main street. Grace looked down the street to see flashes of blue suits running around, Grace spotting a trolley roaring down the road at full speed, catching glimpse of Lenny hanging off the side, shooting wildly back at some lawmen in the distance. She knew it was him from the bright orange bandana. "Shit," Grace muttered, elbowing John to look in the direction she was looking in. He looked, muttering her exact words as well.
"Quick! Get down!" John shouted as he ducked down, Grace ducking as a wave of stray bullets fired into the brothel, shattering the windows as the trolley neared. Grace heard gasps and screams flood the brothel as people got to the floor, covering their heads or hiding under tables. Grace heard feet shuffling to her right, looking over she saw the bartender rushing over to the doors to lock them shut. Grace immediately stood up, drawing her revolver and aiming at at him. "Grace, no!" John hissed as she clicked a bullet into place.
"Don't you lock it," Grace ordered the man. The room fell quiet as onlookers watched in terror. The bartender threw his hands up, the keys dropping to the floor. "Get over there, now," Grace spat at him. The bartender obeyed, following the direction her revolver had pointed him in. Grace stepped forward, picking up the keys.
"What was that?" Javier called out from the top of the stairs, rushing down as he did up his belt. He joined John's side as John now had his revolver drawn, aiming around the room watching everyone as Grace picked up the key and unlocked the doors. Grace looked over her shoulder over at them both, Javier having his revolver drawn as well now. The men moved over to her, keeping their weapons drawn on the crowd as Grace pushed open the doors, the three of them getting out of the brothel. Grace threw the key back into the Brothel before closing the doors. Grace, John and Javier looked out on the street just in time to see the trolley fly past them.
"Follow my lead!" Grace yelled over the gunfire to them before shooting at the nearest lawmen. She shot him in the back, causing him to fall face first into the ground. A nearby lawman saw the scene.
"More by the Brothel!" He shouted just in time before John had pierced a bullet through his skull. The three of them quickly dodged bullets as they ran to their horses hitched nearby. Grace swung up into her saddle at lightning speed, shooting again at another lawman until he fell down. The three of them galloped there horses in the opposite direction of Dutch, Arthur and Lenny in hope to draw some of the law off of them. As they galloped away from the Brothel, Grace caught glimpse of a lawman running towards her from the side of the road. Grace kicked out at him, kicking him in the shoulder causing him to stumble back before falling onto his bottom. Grace giggled to herself as she heard him cuss as they galloped away. Grace looked over her shoulder to see half of them running after them on foot, she was glad they had managed to draw some of them away. Grace, John and Javier continued to shoot back at them, pushing them back before they galloped around a corner, finding themselves at the round-a-bout by the train station.
"Quick! Get on the train tracks and we can lose them through there!" Grace shouted at them. She stopped her horse, John and Javier running ahead of her as she fired back a few times again, hitting at least three of them. Once they had begun to slow down, she quickly pushed her horse into a gallop, running towards the train tracks. She reached down and patted her horse's neck as they passed an idle train, rushing to catch up to John and Javier. She hated running on train tracks but this was the only option they had right now. Grace spotted them ahead, waiting by the narrow train bridge for her. Once they saw her, they continued, running onto the small bridge that led out from Saint Denis. Javier first, then John and then finally her. Once they got off the bridge, they continued galloping down the main road before slowing down to a walk once they broke into the swamp. Exhausted, the three of them took deep breaths, catching their breath. "I don't think we were followed but we managed to cause a distraction. They will be fine," Grace assured. She knew they would be. John was frowning in anger. Grace turned to him, scolding at him. "John, we had to do something! We couldn't have just hid!"
"She is right, John. It was the right call and I'm glad she made it. Now, let's just get back to camp, tell everyone to stay alert in case they somehow know where we are hiding out," Javier defend Grace before turning his horse in the direction of camp. John said nothing else before following, keeping quiet.