Blessed are the Peacemakers {[RDR2 Arthur X Reader]}

chapter 16; favor for bronte

Arthur's POV

Riding up to the large mansion in the center of Saint Denis, Arthur follows Dutch's lead, stopping in front of the enormous front gate. A guard steps up, asking what their business is, a large shotgun set in his hands.

"We have an appointment with Mr. Angelo Bronte!" Dutch's charismatic skills come out yet again.

"Who are you?" The guard raises an eyebrow at the trio of men.

"You get your boss down here and now, so we can talk about this like gentlemen. Run along now, boy." Dutch demands, losing patience.

"There's the classic Dutch charm everyone talks about." John jokes.

The guard slowly opens the large metal gate, holding the men at gunpoint. Cautiously they enter with hands stretched to the sky. The guard walks behind them, holding the shotgun steady at their backs as they approach the front door. Inside, Angelo Bronte sits in a luxurious chair, dressed in a velvet red robe and reading a newspaper while puffing on a cigar.

"Who are you?" He spits out a heavy Italian accent while folding the paper up and standing.

Angelo Bronte - Crime Lord

"I am Dutch Van der Linde and these are my associates, Arthur Morgan and John Marston." Dutch gestures to each man as they tip their hats at the fancy gentleman.

His posture is tense, watching over the strangers and trying to read them. "And what is you want Mr. Van der Linde?"

"We're looking to become business partners. It is not what you can do for us, Mr. Bronte, but what we can do for you." Dutch says it in his usual charming voice.

Bronte waves the leader into a separate room to discuss things, leaving John and Arthur in the sitting room. The guard had rested his gun but was still blocking the door. After nearly two hours, the two came back out, laughing and talking together as if they were old friends.

"He's got a job for us boys. In return, he's invited us and our wives to a garden party tomorrow night so we can make some local connections! Let's head out and I'll explain on the way." Dutch's face is beaming with a smile as he brushes past the mean looking guard to return to the horses. John and Arthur follow, Angelo not far behind them.

"Pleasure doing business with you boys. Do this job quick and clean and I will see you all at the party tomorrow night." The Italian says. The men mount up and begin down the road.

"Arrivederci! Idioti..."

~~~~~~

Once down the street the men look to Dutch for an explanation, particularly for the part about the wives they apparently have.

"Bronte believes we are business men with wives and families of our own. He's tasked us with getting rid of some grave robbers down at the city cemetery. We go in fast and keep it clean. All goes well, tomorrow evening could potentially be a big night for us boys." Dutch pronounces.

"Dutch, we ain't got no wives." John points out the obvious.

"I figured Abigail wouldn't mind playing the part for one evening. Arthur, Miss [Y/N] could be your wife and we'll pair up few of the other women with Bill and Hosea." Dutch states.

By this time, the sun had gone down and they'd arrived at the dark cemetery. They dismount, readying their knives and lighting a few lanterns. Climbing over a wall, they creep past a few tombstones keeping silent as church mice. They split ways to cover more ground.

The tall tombs create a creepy, melancholy maze. Arthur crouches down, keeping his head below the tall headstones and his knife at the ready. Ahead he spies a man with a shovel, setting his own light down to begin digging. Following Dutch's instructions of quick and clean, Arthur swings around a tombstone to come up behind the nasty man. He grabs his mouth and chin, silencing him and quickly sliding his knife across his exposed throat. Blood spews from the open gash in his neck as he gurgles and falls to the ground dead.

Arthur throws the body into a bush nearby, puts out the lantern and goes on to find the next one. Weaving through the tombs, he sees a bright golden light in the center of the graveyard. Once he gets closer, he comes into an opening, spotting John directly on the opposite side. He gestures for him to stop where he is. Looking to his left, he sees the source of the light of several lanterns along with three slimy men. They all had filthy clothes and scraggly facial hair, looking as if they haven't bathed in weeks. Dutch comes into sight just beyond the grave robbers. He gives a few hand signals to his men and immediately, Arthur knows the plan. They would each take the robber closest to them, making a stealthy kill and ending this job.

For several moments, they are frozen watching and listening for the perfect timing. Dutch makes eye contact with John and Arthur and then gives a nod, sending the men flying into action. Quickly they dive in, fluidly practicing the motions that Arthur had previously done on the first man. Dutch's man drops, along with Arthur's. The man John had a grip on throws his elbow back into John's crotch, throwing him off balance and breaking his hold. He grabs his pistol and fires a poorly aimed shot, putting a bullet hole in a 'Mrs. Callahan's' gravestone.

"You bastar-" he begins to shout before Arthur's knife digs into his chest, twisting and rearranging his organs. Immediately he drops dead. Arthur shakes the blood off of his knife and reaches a hand out to John. The second gunslinger groans and mutters something resembling the words "thank you". A police siren sounds in the distant, alerted by the gunfire and the three men look to each other.

"Let's go!" Dutch shouts.

They all make a run for it, putting out their lanterns and diving through the cemetery. Hopping over the wall, they find and quickly mount their horses, speeding away from the rising situation. Once a safe distance away, they slow down to blend in with the casually moving traffic. Two police men on horseback fly past them. Arthur and John look to one another with sly smirks at their well timed escape.

The job had been successful, quiet and clean. Looks like it was time to visit the tailor for some suits and dresses.