Know My Name - a RDR2 Story

Blackmail or Trust?

Let me tell you a story about a woman who fell into two crowds: the good and the bad.
Of course, there are pros and cons to each category, but I suppose it only depends on the way you look at it...

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"Come on now, partner! I'm sure we can talk this out! I can give you money! Anything!" Yonel Black's voice was annoying and loud; it gave Dante a massive headache that he could describe as thunderous. It throbbed and prodded his brain like hot pokers to skin. Needless to say, it hurt.

It was around 2pm when Dante had just gotten done tracking down his second bounty of the day. The first bounty, whose name he could barely recall, was fairly easy to track down and take in. He came willingly with his hands above his head. Dante didn't find his first chase of the day very thrilling. His second bounty, however, stole a nearby horse and ran like hell was after him. He wasn't wrong; Hell caught up to him rather quickly.

It took thirty minutes just to catch the bastard, and when he did, it was another struggle to hogtie him. Altogether, the hassle of a second bounty took nearly 3 hours to complete; including the time it took to track him down. Dante eventually got the hang of it and threw Mr. Black on the back of Brutus. He trotted up to the Sheriff's office, hitched his stallion, and dragged Yonel off the horse. The bounty hit the ground with his pelvis as Dante's grip tightened around the ropes confining his wrists. He dragged the man around the Shire, up the stairs, and through the Sheriff's department. Yonel struggled as his feet dragged across the ground, trying to kick at the dust to gain leverage. He was unsuccessful.

"Well now, look at what we have here!" Sheriff Gray exclaimed, his feet propped up on the desk just as they were when he and Dante first met. "Good to see you again, Mr. Black!"

"Piss off, Gray." Yonel choked out before being chucked into a cell by the bounty hunter. Dante closed the metal bar doors with a loud 'clank' and sat down in the chair across from the Sheriff. He sighed tiredly, taking off his hat to air out his black hair. The clean, fading shave definitely helped with the heat; Dante was very grateful for the haircut.

"Long day?" Leigh asked and offered Dante a cigarette, who took it after a moment of hesitation and a roll of his neck. His joints cracked with every turn of his head, making Sheriff Gray snicker at his exhaustion.

"Like you wouldn' believe." he answered, lighting their cigarettes with his lighter.

"Oh, hey, those twins came in looking for you. Or, at least, the one you rode with yesterday did. He told me to tell you to find him at the southern saloon." Dante let out an exhausted breath of smoke from his mouth before taking the stick out of his teeth and holding it between his index and middle finger.

"That so?"
"He didn't say much, just to meet him when you can."

Dante stood up from the wooden chair, his ankles popping slightly, and nodded to the Sheriff. "Here's your payment for Mr. Black. I don't think we'll have any bounties for a while, but I've always got work piled up for my deputies and you, Mister Beckett, are a legal deputy so that means-"

"I'll be here t'morrow t' help you out." Dante cut Leigh off with a smile and a tip of his hat. He didn't want to seem sarcastic or angry at the Sheriff, he was just extremely tired, and the lack of sleep was catching up to him quickly. Dante took the $25 from the desk in a calm and collected manor before speaking again. "Don' worry, Sheriff, I won' ever get bored o' helpin' you out."

"That's what I like to hear!" With a tap on the doorframe, Dante left the Sheriff's office and made a beeline for the saloon.

It's a good thing Brock asked to meet at a saloon, Dante needed a drink real bad. Or rather, Kam needed a drink. She couldn't wait to tell him all about Dutch's deal. Brock was trustworthy, Kam decided, and she felt like she could tell him everything. In simple terms, Kam considered the West Brothers to be illegitimate brothers. She would've hated being related to them by blood, but she loved the idea of being an older sister. It sounded weird to her the moment she thought about it. Kam, a murderer who killed people in cold blood, considered two outlaws to be family. From daughter of Colm O'Driscoll to big sister of the West Brothers.
She sure does know how to choose them, doesn't she?