"Long time no see, Laramie. Never thought you'd end up in my hands, did you?"
Mac let out a low chuckle as he walked over and squatted beside Laramie, who was now kneeling on the ground.
By now, Laramie fully understood that he had walked straight into the Callander brothers' trap. This pig farm had been prepared in advance, their people already lying in wait.
The outcome was already decided.
"Forgive me, Mac. I truly never meant to oppose you or the Callander brothers."
"Back then… it was them. Those distillery managers. Oh—and the Braithwaite family. They were the ones who hired me. You know how it is, Mac—I just took the money and did the job. I never wanted to go against you."
"This is just how we survive. The employer pays, we do the work. There's no hatred between us that can't be resolved, right?"
"If you're willing to spare me, I can pay a ransom. A lot of money. Is that alright, Mac?"
"And I swear, I'll never provoke the Callander brothers again. Please… let me go."
At this moment, Laramie showed none of the bearing of a gang leader. His words were filled with nothing but desperate pleas.
He meant every word. After learning that Bronte had been defeated by Davey, he had already planned to apologize.
But before he ever had the chance, he was caught.
Regret gnawed at him—why hadn't he gone to Davey the moment he heard the news, instead of insisting on finishing one last job?
Mac showed nothing but contempt for Laramie's begging. He stood up and kicked him hard, sending him sprawling across the ground.
"Laramie, keep dreaming. The moment you killed my brothers, there was no chance of reconciliation."
"Gilka, Kam, and so many others—you killed them. Did you ever think about sparing their lives? About leaving yourself a way out?"
"No. You didn't. So get ready to die. I'll take you to Valentine and hang you on Valentine's gallows, so everyone can judge the crimes you've committed."
Mac spoke with raw hatred. This was also Davey's arrangement—if Laramie was captured alive, he would be handed over to the Valentine police and executed on Valentine's gallows.
Valentine was a livestock town, closely connected to farmers and ranchers across much of the western region.
Many of the Laramie Gang's dealings involved threatening those very farmers and ranchers. Compared to the Van der Linde Gang, the Laramie Gang's name carried even more infamy among them.
Before killing his enemy, Mac could still make a contribution to Valentine. Once the farmers and ranchers learned that Laramie had been hanged in Valentine, it would greatly improve the town's security and reputation.
"No—you can't do this! I have money! Lots of it! I have two houses and a shop in Saint Denis! I'll give you everything—just let me go!"
Mac ignored him completely. He stepped down on Laramie's head once more, then turned to the surrounding employees.
"Alright, boys. Our job here is done. Now we're taking them to Valentine, where they'll face the people and the law."
As Mac said this, he felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
At last, he understood what Davey had meant. Being the embodiment of justice was an incredibly gratifying thing.
...
The next day, Valentine Train Station.
Bronte's servant, Luca Napoli, stepped off the train.
He rented a carriage at the station and headed toward Land Farm.
"Oh, sir, are you a friend of Mr. Land?" the coachman asked with a smile after hearing the destination.
"Judging by how you're dressed, you must be from the city."
"Mr. Land is very busy. Without an appointment, it might be difficult to see him."
It was obvious that in Valentine, Davey's reputation was already widely known—especially among the locals.
Napoli's eyes shifted slightly as he asked, "Mr. Land seems to have considerable influence in Valentine?"
"Of course, sir," the coachman replied without hesitation.
"Mr. Land is a truly good man. There's hardly anyone in Valentine who doesn't know him."
"The most upscale café in town belongs to Mr. Land, and so does the most famous Veterans' Club. You know those drifters in military uniforms—they wander around begging. Mr. Land gives them free hot water, lodging, and food."
"Of course, that doesn't really affect most of us. Not everyone's a veteran, and not everyone can afford the café's cakes."
"But Mr. Land also founded an elementary school here in Valentine. That means our children finally have the chance to get an education. Any child whose parents work for Mr. Land can attend for free. That's something truly admirable."
"Even places like Annesburg and Van Horn Trade Port—more prosperous than Valentine—don't have schools. Can you imagine what it's like to study out here in the West?"
"My wife works for Mr. Land too. So after this Christmas, my son will finally be able to go to school. That's a wonderful thing, sir."
Without waiting for Napoli to ask anything further, the coachman poured his heart out.
From his words, Napoli sensed a deep and unsettling threat.
Davey Callander was clearly no ordinary gang figure—what kind of gangster would ever open a school?
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser