It had to be said, the stable owner might have some strange tastes, but his craftsmanship was genuinely good.
The saddle had been custom-made to fit the white horse’s body, making it comfortable for both horse and rider.
With its clean coat and mane flying in the wind, the white horse galloping through the sunset looked like an elegant spirit.
When Stephen rode back to camp, the others had more or less finished setting everything up.
Karen was on guard duty.
When she saw Stephen ride into camp, she said in surprise, “Whoa.
Where did this Prince Charming come from?
Here to pick up your princess?”
“Princes aren’t the only ones who ride white horses.
Could be a preacher with expensive taste,” Stephen said with a laugh.
“A preacher?” Karen asked, raising an eyebrow.
Stephen shrugged.
“Never mind.
Bad joke.”
This was one of Stephen’s greatest regrets in this life.
No one ever understood his jokes.
“Nothing.
Don’t worry about it.”
With Karen pointing the way, Stephen tied the horse to the post that had been arranged for him.
Then he looked around the camp.
“Where’s Dutch?
I need to talk to him about something.”
“No idea.
He went out with Hosea.
Don’t know what they’re doing,” Karen said, shaking her head.
“What do you need him for?”
Out?
They had only just settled down, and those two had already gone off again?
Stephen scratched his head, speechless.
“Something about the O’Driscoll Gang.
Who else is here?
Where’s Arthur?”
“He’s drinking with Charles over by the cliff.” Karen pointed toward the cliff ahead.
Then she patted Stephen on the shoulder with a wicked grin and teased, “Come drink in my tent tonight, handsome.”
Stephen quickly declined three times in a row.
He was not that kind of man.
Pearson was already preparing dinner.
When he saw Stephen walk over, he called out with a smile, “Cowboy, you’re just in time.
The stew’s almost ready.”
Stephen walked over and looked curiously at the bubbling pot.
“What’s for dinner tonight?”
Pearson said proudly, “Charles got a deer this morning, and I caught two rabbits and a fat rat.
I’m stewing them with some vegetables.”
As he spoke, Pearson scooped up a spoonful of soup and took a pleased sip.
“I think it tastes fantastic.
Want a bowl?”
A rat…
could that thing really be eaten?
Stephen suddenly found the big pot in front of him hard to look at.
Whatever else could be said about the Van der Linde Gang, their stomachs were truly impressive.
“I’ll go find Arthur first.
There’s something I need to discuss with him, about the O’Driscoll Gang.
It’s important, you know.” Stephen hurriedly turned and left.
“Oh, that really is important.
Don’t worry, I’ll save some for you!” Pearson called after him.
Please just eat it all yourself!
Stephen wailed inwardly.
He hurried away from that culinary menace, feeling that this camp was far too terrifying.
Stephen went straight to the cliffside, where Arthur and Charles were sitting and drinking.
When Arthur saw Stephen arrive, he raised his bottle and invited him to drink.
Last night’s drinking had been too miserable.
Stephen still felt as if his stomach could not take it.
He quickly waved the offer away, lit a cigarette, and sat down beside them.
“Guess what I found?” Stephen said first, deliberately keeping them in suspense as he grinned at the two of them.
“Looking the way you do now, what could you have found?
A decent brothel?” Arthur said sarcastically, a cigarette hanging from his mouth.
“Look at you.
New clothes, new shoes, even the hat’s new.
Seems Valentine treated you pretty well.”
“Don’t mention it.
It was a complete nightmare.” Stephen covered his face, not wanting to remember what had happened last night.
That drunken, spur-of-the-moment idea from last night had been awful.
The more Stephen thought about it, the more he regretted it.
He took a hard drag on his cigarette, as if trying to smoke away the disgusting memory.
“I found the O’Driscoll Gang’s hideout in Valentine.”
“What?
The O’Driscoll Gang?
A hideout in Valentine?” Arthur looked shocked, and Charles beside him stared at Stephen with curiosity as well.
“They’ve taken over the clinic in Valentine, and they’ve bribed the sheriff and deputy sheriff.
If any of our people go into Valentine and get recognized by them, what do you think will happen?”
Stephen said it with a smile, but Arthur could no longer smile.
He had dealt with the O’Driscoll Gang for half his life, so of course he knew exactly what kind of people they were.
Charles took a sip of liquor, then asked word by word, “What are you thinking?
We take them out?”
“Of course.
What else, leave that threat sitting there?” Stephen said as if it were only natural.
“They have the deputy sheriff protecting them.
One wrong move and we’ll draw the police.
I can’t do it alone, so I came to ask you for help.”
“We need to be careful with this,” Arthur said, somewhat worried.
“We’ve only just settled down.
We can’t go stirring up trouble.”
“Don’t worry.
I already checked the place.
There’s only the owner and three gunmen inside.
As long as we slip in quietly and don’t fire a shot, we can absolutely get out before they know what happened.”
Stephen said confidently, “And from what I know, they’re running a black market there and fencing their own stolen goods, so there’s definitely plenty of money inside…”
“Why didn’t you say something that important earlier?” Arthur looked at Stephen with disgust.
“It’s not too late to say it now.” Stephen spread his hands.
“It’s a clinic.
How could it not have money?
And we can grab a lot of medicine while we’re at it.”
“That’s true.
We do need that medicine.” Arthur nodded, then slapped his thigh.
“Alright.
Let’s go.”
“Are you serious?
Shouldn’t we wait for Dutch and the others to come back and discuss it?” Charles asked from the side, looking bewildered.
“No need.
They’re just a few O’Driscoll Gang bastards.” Arthur patted Charles on the shoulder excitedly.
“Come on.
We leave now and deal with them tonight.”
Since Arthur had already said that, Stephen and Charles naturally had no objections.
“You need any weapons?
We’d better not use guns this time.” Arthur looked at Stephen.
“I’ve got some weapons on my wagon.
You can pick something that suits you.”
“Oh, I have my own.” Stephen walked over to his bedroll, took out his long knife, and spun it through a few flourishes.
“Alright.” Seeing that long knife, Arthur was clearly reminded of the shadow it had left on him the first time he met Stephen.
Stephen tucked the bolt-action rifle he had gotten in the snowy mountains into his saddle, slung the long knife across his back, and considered himself ready.
Arthur and Charles each took a dagger and a bow.
Charles also grabbed an axe.
“So what’s the plan?
We do need one, right?” Charles asked calmly, looking at the two confident men.
“Simple.
I’ll go to the clinic and pretend to buy medicine while I check things out.
Stephen, you go to the police station and keep an eye on that deputy sheriff.
Charles, you wait outside for us.” Arthur laid out his plan directly.
“We’ll make our move at midnight.
Once the door is open, it’s just three pieces of trash.
One each, and we’re done.”
That really was Arthur’s style.
Simple and brutal, Stephen silently complained.
Or perhaps true masters just made everything look this straightforward.
…
Chapter 23: The Bounty Mission
Since they planned to move at midnight, it was still early, so the three of them rode slowly toward Valentine.
When they left, Pearson, who had already finished making dinner, looked at them with regret, as if lamenting that they would not get to eat the stew he had worked so hard to prepare.
Stephen’s response was that he never wanted to eat that stuff in his life.
To fill his stomach, he had no choice but to grab two cans from camp and use them as dinner.
The three of them were silent along the way.
Charles was a man of few words, and he had always spoken as little as possible.
If he could act, he would never waste time talking.
Stephen kept his head lowered, thinking about the O’Driscoll Gang the entire way.
Arthur, riding beside him, finally could not hold back anymore.
He was not the type to treat silence as golden.
“Hey, Stephen, where did you work as a bounty hunter before?” he asked, looking at Stephen.
“Strawberry Town.
Sometimes I wandered between Valentine and Rhodes, and I’ve been to Blackwater and Saint Denis too, but mostly Strawberry Town.” Stephen looked at Arthur in surprise.
“Why ask all of a sudden?”
“Ahem.” Arthur coughed twice and said somewhat awkwardly, “You, well, you haven’t joined us, but…
you’re still more or less one of us now.
We ought to know each other a little better, don’t you think?”
This was actually a task Dutch had given Arthur.
Dutch felt that Arthur got along fairly well with Stephen, so he wanted him to learn more about this mysterious fellow.
But Arthur had never been good at this sort of thing, so he could only ask directly.
Stephen knew nothing about that.
He simply thought Arthur was curious about his past, so he smiled and said, “There’s not much to say.
I took jobs, caught criminals, and when I made money, I ate, drank, and wandered around.
A dull life, and a pretty boring one.”
“No, that sounds like a good life,” Charles said, lifting his head as he rode.
“Haven’t you ever thought about settling down somewhere?”
Stephen sighed and said wistfully, “I used to.
Buy a decent farm or something.
But…
not anymore.”
“Dutch once told me revenge is a luxury we can’t afford,” Arthur said slowly, watching the birds flying in the distance.
“Maybe…
I mean maybe, letting some things go would let you live better.”
“No.
That’s impossible.” Stephen gritted his teeth.
“This isn’t revenge.
It’s the judgment those bastards deserve.”
As long as he remembered how terribly Mr.
Jake had died, Stephen could not possibly live a peaceful life as if nothing had happened.
Arthur looked at Stephen’s dark expression and suddenly laughed.
“Maybe we ought to talk about something lighter.
Like…
uh…
are the drinks in Strawberry Town any good?”
“Strawberry Town is a dry town.
If you drink there, you get arrested,” Stephen said, somewhat speechless.
What was wrong with Arthur?
Why did he keep forcing conversation like this?
“My God, that really is a cursed place.” Arthur slapped his forehead.
“How the hell did a ridiculous law like that ever pass?”
As the three of them chatted on and off, the sky gradually darkened, and they reached the outskirts of Valentine.
“Same plan.
I’ll go check the clinic.
Stephen, you go to the police station,” Arthur said, looking at the streets, where people were already growing scarce.
“Alright.
I’ll take a look at the back door,” Charles said lightly, then led his horse away.
After parting with the other two for the moment, Stephen led his horse to the police station and pushed the door open as if he belonged there.
“Sheriff Malloy, is there any evil that needs me to eliminate it lately?
I need work that pays.” As soon as he entered, Stephen called out to the sheriff sitting behind the desk.
The sheriff looked up and saw Stephen return, then could not help laughing.
“What, is your wallet already so empty you can’t even afford to rest for a few days?”
“Ah, don’t mention it.
It was a nightmare.” Stephen clutched his head with a pained expression.
“So, are there any fugitives on the run lately?”
“There is one, actually.” Sheriff Malloy grabbed a sheet of paper from the desk and tossed it to Stephen.
“A woman who killed her own mother.
Folks call her the Black Widow,” Sheriff Malloy said.
“Bring her back for trial, and you’ll get a twenty-five dollar bounty.”
“Remember, alive.
Captured alive.
Not chopped in half and dragged back.”
It seemed Stephen had left quite the shadow over the sheriff in the past.
Stephen picked up the wanted poster from the desk and looked it over.
“Ellie Anne Swan.
Killed her own mother, possibly near Cumberland Falls, and may be holding a man hostage.
Not bad prey.” Stephen nodded with satisfaction.
“Don’t worry.
I’ll bring her back so you can give her a fair trial,” Stephen said with full confidence.
“Let’s hope so.” Sheriff Malloy stood and stretched.
“I’m off duty now, so you can get lost.”
Stephen glanced around casually, then looked at the sheriff with curiosity.
“By the way, where is the deputy sheriff?
I remember he was the one who arrested me last night…”
“What, you planning to take revenge on my deputy right in front of me?” Malloy gave him a disdainful smile.
“Don’t cause trouble on my turf, understand?”
“OK, OK, don’t get so worked up, sir.
I was only asking.
I didn’t say I was going to do anything.
I still have to go make money!” Stephen spread his hands, looking completely innocent.
“He took half the officers to the refinery on business.
There was a murder over there.
So even if you wanted revenge, you wouldn’t find him.” Sheriff Malloy laughed.
“Now get out, bounty hunter.
I’m closing up.”
“Of course, sir.
I’ll leave right now.” Stephen turned and walked out of the police station.
He led his horse to the saloon entrance and tied it in front of the door.
Then he went inside, greeted Martin behind the bar, and asked him to prepare a meal and send it to the private room on the second floor.
After that, he headed straight for the back door.
Leaving through the saloon’s back door, he followed a narrow path all the way to the clinic’s rear entrance, where Charles and Arthur were already waiting.
“How is it?
What’s the situation inside?” Stephen asked Arthur, who looked relaxed, and Charles, who remained calm as ever.
“One owner and one woman.
Couldn’t see any deeper inside.” Arthur had a bag in his hand.
It seemed that to get a clear look, he had even spent some money.
Charles pointed toward the iron door in the distance.
“I listened at the door for a while.
If I’m not wrong, there should be three people inside.”
“Very good.
The deputy sheriff isn’t in town, and the sheriff has gone off duty.
That means as long as we’re careful, no one will come stop us,” Stephen said with a smile.
“Then we wait a little longer.
Once there are fewer people around, we move,” Arthur decided at once.
It looked like tonight would be another sleepless night.
…
Chapter 24: Cutting the Problem at the Root
The three of them discussed it briefly and soon settled on a plan.
Arthur would knock first.
He had already shown his face to the doctor, so the man would not be suspicious of him.
Then they would force the doctor to open the door in the back, and Stephen and Charles would rush in and finish the fight with their blades.
As for Arthur, he would guard the entrance and clear out the money at the counter while he was at it.
Once the plan succeeded, the three of them would leave separately, each finding his own way out.
They would lay low outside for a couple of days, then return to Horseshoe Overlook three days later to split the money.
The plan was simple and crude, but practical.
That was how things like this worked.
The more complicated the plan, the easier it was for something to go wrong, so simple was better.
The three found a corner and waited there until a little after ten before finally standing up and getting ready to work.
People in this era did not have much entertainment.
Aside from a few customers still drinking in the saloon, most ordinary folks had long since gone to bed.
The three moved their stiff bodies a little.
Thankfully, the weather had warmed up, or they might have frozen solid.
Following the plan, they crouched low and crept up to the clinic entrance.
The lights inside were out, and there was no one in the police station next door either.
Arthur nodded to the two men hiding beside the door, took a deep breath, and put on a deeply anxious, panicked expression.
“Doctor, open the door!
Doctor!
Help!”
He sounded as if he were shouting himself hoarse, but he was actually keeping his voice low to avoid letting too many people hear the commotion.
After a while, a voice came from behind the door.
“Who is it?
I’m closed.
If you want medicine, come back tomorrow.”
Arthur gave the other two a slight nod, meaning the person inside was indeed the doctor.
Charles and Stephen drew their weapons, ready to move at any moment.
Arthur continued calling to the doctor, “I…
I came this afternoon to buy medicine.
My brother was bitten by a wolf.
Do you remember?”
There was silence behind the door.
Only after quite some time did the doctor slowly say, “Oh, I remember.
I remember you.
What happened?
Was there something wrong with the medicine?”
“I…
I tried to stitch my brother’s wound, but…
but he’s bleeding badly.
I need medicine.
I need more to stop the bleeding.” Arthur’s voice was hoarse and desperate, and only then did Stephen realize that this man was the true actor among them.
“My God, you foolish farmers.” The doctor let out a despairing groan and slowly opened the door.
“I told you already, if someone is bitten by a wolf, the best thing is to take him to a hospital.
You’ll get your brother killed like this!”
The doctor’s voice sounded like a man who cared deeply for the suffering of the world.
Looking at Arthur’s despairing face, he seemed about to say something comforting.
Then Stephen rushed out of the shadows and pinned him to the floor.
“Mmmph!” The doctor struggled desperately.
Stephen leaned beside his ear and whispered softly, “Don’t move.
Don’t move.
Move, and you die.”
Charles and Arthur entered the clinic as well.
Arthur shut the door behind him and drew his pistol, standing guard.
“Dear Doctor, you have only one choice now.
Help us open the door in the back.
Otherwise…”
Stephen’s words sounded in the doctor’s ear like a demon’s whisper.
His eyes were full of terror, and he seemed to have something he wanted to say.
“I’ll let you go now, but don’t make a sound.
Otherwise…”
Stephen took out his long killing blade and waved it in front of the doctor a couple of times.
The doctor hurriedly nodded.
“I…
I’m innocent.
They’re all from the O’Driscoll Gang.
I was forced into this.
None of it has anything to do with me.” The doctor looked as if he was about to cry, and his pitiful state was truly miserable.
“Oh, we know exactly who they are.
That’s why we need your help, isn’t it?” Stephen continued.
“You don’t have a choice.
Either cooperate, or die.”
The doctor looked at Stephen, Arthur, and Charles, none of whom looked friendly, and could only nod helplessly.
“Alright, alright.
I’ll cooperate.”
Stephen forced the doctor toward the back, while Charles crouched low and followed behind them.
There was another iron door there.
Knock, knock, knock.
The doctor knocked on the iron door with trembling hands.
Before long, a small window on the door opened, and the person inside asked impatiently, “What is it?”
“Say the deputy sheriff is here and wants to see them,” Stephen whispered from the side.
The doctor repeated Stephen’s words in a trembling voice.
The person inside cursed impatiently a couple of times.
With a clang, the iron door opened.
Stephen made the decision on the spot.
His long knife swept across, sending the doctor straight to heaven.
Blood sprayed out, instantly staining the nearby white wall red.
The doctor stared at Stephen in disbelief, raising a trembling hand to point at him, as if asking why he had gone back on his word.
Stephen looked at him coldly and kicked him to the ground.
This doctor knew Arthur’s face.
There was no way they could leave him alive.
Besides, anyone mixed up with the O’Driscoll Gang had to die.
Charles had already rushed inside, and Stephen followed close behind.
There were four people inside, three men and one woman.
All three men wore the O’Driscoll Gang’s green scarves, while the woman was dressed provocatively and dancing.
It seemed she was a prostitute they had hired.
When the four saw two large men suddenly rush in, they were completely stunned and failed to react.
Charles led the charge, raising his dagger and stabbing it into the chest of the man in front.
Only then did the others realize that these two men had come with bad intentions.
They hurriedly reached toward the sofa nearby, trying to grab their weapons, but it was already too late.
Stephen had closed in.
The long knife in his hand cut through the air, reflecting a dazzling flash of light from the dim oil lamp in the room.
In the blink of an eye, the two men frantically trying to raise their guns were each sent to hell by one stroke from Stephen.
Only the woman was left.
When she saw the terrifying scene before her, she opened her mouth wide, about to scream.
Behind Stephen, Charles swept his right hand past his waist, and a bright Throwing Knife flew from his hand.
The blade plunged straight into the woman’s slender neck, forcing her terrified scream back into her throat.
At a time like this, Charles naturally would not show mercy.
They had to cut the weeds down to the roots.
“Done.” Stephen looked at the five bodies on the floor and whistled lightly, relaxed and pleased.
“Search the place, then get out fast.” Charles calmly put his weapon back into his bag.
Stephen opened a box on the table and could not help laughing.
“I told you there’d be plenty of money here.”
Inside the box lay a brand-new Schofield revolver, along with a full fifty or sixty dollars.
Arthur, who had been keeping watch outside, heard the movement and walked in with a smile.
“There’s a good amount outside too.
Must be several dozen dollars.”
Judging by the bundles in Arthur’s hands, he had found quite a few good things.
“Arthur, there’s a safe here.
Can you handle it?”
Charles had found a safe set into the wall and turned to ask Arthur.
“Of course.
This is what I’m good at.” Arthur grinned, set down the bundles in his hands, rubbed his palms together, and walked toward the safe.
He could do this too?
Stephen stared in confusion at Arthur, who was crouched in front of the safe and gently turning the combination dial.
For the first time, Stephen realized that this rough-looking brute was actually skilled with both brains and brawn.
….
Chapter 25: The Cruelest Heart
Valentine had not seen a murder case this big in a long time.
When the five bodies inside the clinic were discovered early the next morning, the whole town exploded into uproar.
What frightened people even more was that three of the five bodies belonged to members of the infamous O’Driscoll Gang.
People immediately began talking, wondering if those damned gang members were coming back again.
But none of that had anything to do with Stephen anymore.
He was already on his horse, leisurely riding west.
It had to be said, Arthur really was talented in all sorts of ways.
The man could actually crack a safe.
In less than three minutes, Arthur had opened it.
And it did not disappoint.
Inside the safe, they found more than two hundred dollars in cash.
Together with what Arthur had found at the front counter and what had been in the box on the table, the total came to a full three hundred dollars.
That was no small amount.
Just compare it to Stephen’s bounty work.
Capturing a fugitive murderer only paid twenty-five dollars.
When it came time to split the money, Arthur simply grabbed a stack of fresh bills and handed it to Stephen.
Only then did Stephen learn that the Van der Linde Gang had rules for dividing money.
Half went to the gang, and half went to the individuals.
Any money earned outside was divided that way.
For example, the three of them had made three hundred dollars this time, so one hundred and fifty went to the gang first.
Then the three of them split the remaining one hundred and fifty, which meant fifty dollars each.
That bizarre method of distribution made Stephen complain inwardly.
Even the taxmen did not take that much.
But since he had chosen to work with them, he might as well respect their way of doing things.
In the end, Stephen only received a pitiful fifty dollars.
Still, it did not matter.
Stephen had not done this job for the money anyway.
After splitting the money, Charles and Arthur went their separate ways, while Stephen wandered back to the saloon.
He ate dinner, then went into the hotel across the street and slept until broad daylight before finally leaving at a leisurely pace.
Cumberland Falls lay between Valentine and Strawberry Town, right within Stephen’s usual hunting grounds.
He knew the area well, so there was no need to look at a map.
He simply rode there at full speed.
The scenery there was quite beautiful.
Lush forests lined both sides, and the wide Dakota River flowed between them, dividing the land into two states.
One side was New Hanover, where Valentine was located.
The other was West Elizabeth, to which Strawberry Town belonged.
At this point, the river dropped sharply, forming a wide waterfall.
Stephen carefully rode his horse through the water.
Standing above the falls, he watched the river surge downward, sending up great clouds of mist below.
Rising together with the mist was a beautiful rainbow, dazzling under the sunlight.
Looking at such a beautiful scene, Stephen suddenly felt lighter inside.
Some of his troublesome thoughts vanished in an instant.
Sure enough, beautiful scenery could heal a person.
Once he crossed the waterfall, he had entered West Elizabeth.
If the information was correct, that woman should be hiding somewhere around here.
Following the mountain path downward, Stephen carefully searched through the woods.
The forest here was quite pleasant.
Unlike the woods farther north, it was not filled with beasts and difficult roads.
Nor was it like Rhodes, humid and hot, full of snakes, insects, rats, and ants, enough to make a man restless.
That was one of the important reasons Stephen liked staying around Strawberry Town.
Just like that, Stephen searched for an entire day without finding any satisfying clues, so he simply made camp by the river and rested.
That was how bounty hunting worked.
Catching someone often took only a few minutes, but finding them could take several days.
Stephen took out his small pot and boiled some water.
Then he took out his weapons and slowly cleaned his gun and knife.
These things were delicate tools and had to be maintained properly.
Otherwise, if something went wrong at a critical moment, what he lost would be his life.
Stephen continued searching the area for three full days.
Finally, on the evening of the third day, he found a trace.
“A woman’s clothes.
Heh, let’s see where you run this time.” Stephen picked up the pair of women’s shorts from the ground and muttered with a smile.
He carefully parted the grass on the ground and searched the area little by little for tracks.
Finally, by the riverbank, he found a line of footprints.
Once he had footprints, everything became simple.
Stephen followed the direction of the tracks, moving forward bit by bit.
At last, inside a cave not far away, he spotted a faint firelight.
Following his usual habit, he gripped his long knife in his right hand and his revolver in his left, then crept quietly toward the cave.
“I read the paper…
They said you’re the Black Widow…”
Stephen had just approached the cave when a somewhat timid male voice reached his ears.
“What does that mean?
Those people only know how to spread rumors.
You don’t need to listen to them.”
Then came a woman’s voice, loudly defending herself.
“You’re my lover.
How could I ever kill you?”
“I…
I believe you, but…”
“There is no but.” The woman was clearly getting irritated.
That confirmed it.
This woman was his target.
Seeing that, Stephen stepped out directly.
“Alright, alright.
Playtime’s over.” Stephen held up his long knife and gave the two of them a faint smile.
“Damn it, a bounty hunter!
Kill him!” The moment the woman saw Stephen, she knew exactly why he had come.
She shouted at the man beside her, trying to make him draw his gun and kill Stephen.
The man was clearly hesitant.
He looked at the woman, then at Stephen, and actually turned to the woman instead.
“You should go back with him.
If you keep running like this…”
Stephen looked at the man curiously.
In this era, there were not many people this law-abiding.
“Damn it, men really can’t be trusted!” the woman roared furiously.
Then she suddenly drew a knife and slashed at the man beside her.
“Shit.” Stephen was shocked.
He immediately raised his pistol and shot the woman in the leg.
Fortunately, the distance between them was not too great, and Stephen reacted quickly.
The shot struck the woman squarely in the thigh.
The intense pain threw off her movement, and the fatal blow she had aimed at her lover only cut across his back.
Stephen quickly stepped forward, took the rope from behind him, and tied the woman up tightly.
The man was still shaken.
He looked at the blood flowing from his back, his face full of disbelief.
Looking at the dazed and devastated man, Stephen slowly offered a timeless piece of wisdom.
“A woman’s heart really can be the cruelest thing.”
…
Author’s Note:
As mentioned before, the next chapter will continue directly from this point.
Because of the earlier numbering mistake, the next release will go back to Chapter 11 in the title, but that is only a label issue.
The story sequence is correct, and Chapter 11 continues directly after Chapter 25.