NOVEL NEXT Chapter 68: Chapter 67
Chapter 67: Javier and Bill
"Wait, are you telling me Bill wasn't in camp either? Why didn't you mention that earlier? I completely forgot about him," Arthur said, looking embarrassed as he turned to Lenny.
It seemed Hosea had forgotten to mention Bill too.
Lenny was certain he had told Arthur earlier. He explained again.
"Bill said he was going out hunting and never came back. Javier went out to look for him."
Hearing this, Arthur felt it made sense. Javier usually didn't leave camp without Dutch's orders, especially since his hand injury probably hadn't fully healed yet.
"Well, that works out. We can find both of them and bring them back together. This should be the place, right?" Arthur said, glancing around. To be honest, he was a bit stumped. They only had a rough idea of where Javier might be, and with the area full of small woods, Arthur wasn't sure where to start looking.
After searching for a while with no luck, it seemed they were about to leave empty-handed when Javier suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He had spotted Arthur and Lenny first and immediately rushed over, looking anxious.
"Arthur! It's good to see you here. Bill's been captured…"
"Yeah, I was just coming to get you… Wait, what? Bill's been captured?" Arthur's heart sank as he interrupted himself.
It was exactly what he had been worried about. Arthur's first thought was that Bill had fallen into the hands of the Pinkertons. He was about to panic when Javier continued.
"Bounty hunters. They somehow caught Bill. I came here looking for him and found a small bounty hunter camp. Bill's tied up there. I was about to head back to camp for help when I ran into you."
"Well, that's a relief…" Arthur said, instantly relaxing when he heard it was just bounty hunters and not the Pinkertons.
"Huh?" Javier looked confused.
Bill's been captured… and that's a relief?
"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that. Alright, let's go. Lead the way—we'll get him out."
Arthur couldn't understand how Bill had managed to get captured while out hunting. And not by the Pinkertons, but by bounty hunters…
On the way, Arthur didn't forget to tell Javier about the Pinkertons.
"Anyway… it looks like we've been spotted again," Arthur summarized.
Javier, however, didn't seem too concerned. He simply nodded and spoke.
"When has it ever been different, Arthur?"
"What do you think Dutch would do?" Javier asked casually, though there was a hint of something deeper in his tone.
Ever since the incident in Strawberry, Javier had been carrying a thorn in his side. Micah's actions, Dutch's strange attitude…
Arthur didn't think too much about Javier's question and simply replied.
"I'm not sure. But whatever Dutch decides, I don't think Bill would like it much."
Arthur couldn't think of a single decision Dutch might make that Bill would approve of. Javier nodded in agreement.
"I know Bill has his… issues. Is it okay to say that? We all know it, anyway. But back in Strawberry, he saved my life. If it weren't for him, I'd be more than just shot in the arm."
"I think it's okay to say that, Javier," Arthur affirmed.
Bill was… complicated. He loved the gang, that much was certain.
As for the rest? Arthur figured you couldn't expect too much from people in a time when just surviving was a struggle.
"Let's just focus on getting him out first," Lenny chimed in from behind.
Javier nodded and pointed ahead.
"It's just up there. Let's leave the horses here."
Arthur saw the small makeshift camp in the woods ahead.
The three of them tied their horses to a tree and crept toward the camp.
Before they even got close, they could hear Bill's voice booming.
"Hey! You idiots! Ever heard of the Van der Linde gang? You're gonna pay for this!"
Even from a distance, Bill's shouting was unmistakable.
After scouting the area, they counted only three bounty hunters in the camp.
Arthur signaled to Lenny and Javier—each of them would take one. At this distance, it should be an easy fight.
After the gunshots, only two bounty hunters fell. Javier had missed. It seemed his injured hand was still affecting his aim.
The three of them quickly took cover behind the nearest trees. Charging in would be stupid, and they weren't about to do that.
The remaining bounty hunter, Arthur wasn't sure whether to admire his courage or chalk it up to greed. Even after losing two companions, the man stubbornly returned fire from behind cover.
It was a testament to the toughness of the times. Then again, you had to be brave to be a bounty hunter in the first place. Come to think of it, the guy might even be relieved he didn't have to split the bounty with his partners anymore.
"Yeah! Take that, you sons of bitches!" Bill shouted excitedly, thrilled to see the two bounty hunters who had been mocking him now lying lifeless on the ground.
Arthur signaled for Javier to keep firing while Lenny circled around to the back of the camp. As for Bill's yelling, everyone chose to ignore it.
The shootout continued. The bounty hunter was well-hidden behind cover, not exposing himself at all.
Arthur and Javier kept up the act, firing occasionally to keep the man distracted. Finally, they heard a gunshot from the camp, followed by silence. Only then did Arthur and Javier emerge from their cover.
Some might consider shooting someone in the back dishonorable, but Arthur had no such qualms. Neither did Lenny.
These days, even duels were illegal in many places, so there was no point in worrying about such things. The safer the fight, the better.
"Boys! Hurry up and untie me!" Bill shouted, growing impatient now that the bounty hunters were dealt with.
***
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