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Dutch told me to meet John and Javier at the Grays’ mansion. I saddled up and rode out there, wondering the whole way what those two were doing at that place. Dutch had not given me much to go on, and I hated when he kept me in the dark like this.

When I arrived, a guard stopped me. I told him I was meeting my partners about some business. He asked if I meant the man with the scar and the Mexican, and when I said yes, he pointed me toward the stables.

John was already talking with Tavish Gray when I found them. The man was suspicious about us but John told him we were just men who had bad luck out west, losing money on a failed railway deal, and were hoping to make something of ourselves here.

When John introduced me, I mentioned meeting the sheriff, Tavish’s son. Tavish turned the talk to the Braithwaites, a family he clearly despised. He called them degenerates who had ruined the county and even killed his uncle. He said the Grays could not move against them directly but hinted there was another way to hurt them.

The Braithwaites owned prized horses, he told us, and selling them could bring as much as five thousand dollars. John was wide-eyed at the number, while I stayed doubtful. Still, even a third of that would be good money for us. Tavish explained we could sell them at Clemens Cove for half their value. John agreed, and Tavish reminded us to keep his family’s name clear of it.

As we rode back, John kept marveling at the payout. I told him Tavish was talking nonsense, but even so, the job might be worth it. I laid out the plan. No point in storming the place; we would go in as buyers. Men spending that much on horses would naturally bring guns, so being armed would not draw suspicion.

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When we reached the Braithwaite estate, John convinced a guard to let us in by claiming we were there for a stable investment. The man was not sure at first but eventually waved us through.

Inside, I spoke with a stable hand, pressing him about their best stock. He grew suspicious, insulted Javier, and accused us of being officials.

I insisted we were just horse breeders from Saratoga. After a pause, he showed us around, pointing out fine animals with names like Cerberus... Before he could say more, I knocked him down and tied him with a lasso then we pulled our bandanas up and got to work.

We took three horses and started leading them out, but the theft did not stay quiet for long. Guards came running, workers shouted, and soon riders poured out of the fields. Gunfire cracked around us as we galloped through wagons and fences.

A little further, one of the stallions broke free and I had to break off to catch him while John and Javier pushed ahead. Somehow, we regrouped and lost our pursuers in the trees before making it to Clemens Cove.

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The buyers were waiting, two brothers named Clay and Clive Davies. Clay did all the talking. He was quick with crude jokes and made it clear he knew the horses were stolen. Still, he offered to buy them.

When John mentioned the promise of five thousand, Clay laughed and said that was foolish talk. The best he could do was seven hundred dollars, and he warned that if we wanted more we could ride the horses into town and risk being hanged. John accepted the deal, much to my frustration.

On the ride back, I could not shake the feeling that we had been played for fools. We let ourselves believe the Grays’ tale of gold and riches, only to end up with scraps.

(to be continued...)

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Disclaimer

^{Arthur Morgan and the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 might be fictional creations by Rockstar Games, but my love for this game? 100% real. This is a new kind of adventure I wanted to bring to Steemit. I’m narrating the story of RDR2 from the perspective of its protagonist, Arthur Morgan, offering a fresh and immersive take on his journey. Rather than directly copying the game’s dialogues, I’m weaving Arthur’s emotions and experiences into a creative and fictional retelling. You can also experience this story in a cinematic way. I play the game, record my gameplay, edit the footage in the best possible way, and upload it to my YouTube channel. This way, after reading each story episode, you can watch it unfold like a movie.}

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