𝔴𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡 𝔰𝔲𝔫 ⟡ ʀɖʀ2

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 𝟽

A month or so dragged on at Clemens point. It was hard to even want to continue on within this entire gang issue. Hard to believe we've been in this hell hole for as long as we have. Selina and I, well, we made things official finally. Courting her was interesting, she was really excited to finally be something more than just two gang members with feelings. She was truly becoming a gang member too. She was building muscle, not a lot, but enough to be of use to some of us men. Her eyes had a bit of a crazy look behind them and though she was yet to take out anyone due to the entire issue with not being able to use weapons in Rhodes, I knew she was becoming more of a killer. We had her doing target practice for a while and we were swearing up and down that she could kill a fly with just a bullet. Nate and Lauren had gone the official route too, only through letters though. Said she was doing good in Annesburg and she hoped we'd be going her way soon enough.
That was doubtful though, never thinking on whether we'd be heading one way or another in these states. Lemoyne seemed like our place for now. Arthur went out with Bill, Micah, and Sean to see Sheriff Gray about a job. The Braithwaites and the Grays were the subject that everyone was talking about right now. Seeing as they were both the richest families who were enemies. It was hard to try to keep up with the drama that was going on between them and Dutch knew exactly how to be in between all of it.

I find Selina near the beach, sitting upon a rock as she's reading one of her many books she had brought with her. When Arthur, Karen, Lenny, and Bill had gone to rob the bank in Valentine, I chose to head to the hotel there and get some of her old things that she had been requesting. Books, some clothing items, just things that she knew she left. Hotel owner was fond of her and made sure to keep them at her request. Making myself a bit jealous about it but I wouldn't sit there and be a sour puss.
"Hey Sel."
"Oh, hello lover boy. What are you up to?" She asks while putting her book down upon her lap.
"Nothin'... Just bored I suppose."
"I understand, if you're not a reader or a singer, it must be a bit hard to find stuff to do. Why don't you and Nate go for a ride or go fishin' so Pearson has stuff for the stew tonight?"
I just shrugged, Nate was taking his little afternoon nap and I didn't want to disturb him.
"No, I think I'm alright here with you." We smile at one another before she shakes her head.
"Fine with it huh? You must really adore me, Mr. Sanders."
"Guess I just might, Ms. Hinton."
She leans in and places her lips upon mine. I'm swoon at this moment, this girl was sweet on me just as I was with her and it was amazing. Arthur really did deserve a reward for getting us together.
"Can I be transparent with you for a moment, Selina?"
"A transparent outlaw, sounds a bit like a lie but I'll take it. Let's hear it."
"When— I mean, if, one of us ever decides to leave the gang. I was thinking maybe we could try to... build a life together or something."

She bites her lesser lip for a moment, as if she's a bit stunned to hear what she is in fact hearing at the given moment. Here I was thinking that she was going to say something right away. Though, I knew how similar my words must've been to everything her ex had said to her before asking for her hand in marriage.

"I know that's probably askin' a hell of a lot considering you did just let go of that one guy a few months back and all. I don't know, guess I gotta say, I gotta feeling 'bout you, Ms. Hinton."
"You sure are sometin', Mr. Sanders. Really, you are. Here I was thinkin' you were about to ask me to marry you already or something, which, for obvious reasons, I'm not sure what I would say. Got a good heart on you though, being all honest with me."
"Yeah, I suppose I am."
"But--- I will say yes to that offer. Runnin' away one day finding out what we're good at, startin' a family together. Think that's a dream I can hold onto with you. Think maybe you've shown me more adventure than half the men I've met before."

I can only laugh before a shrug rolls through my shoulders. "Guess I try my best, though, never in my wildest dreams did I think this life would bring me to you, Sel. Never."
"God you're so full of shit, Asher. Give me a kiss you liar."
With that we lean in once more and our lips connect. Seriously, guess I didn't know that this was where life was going to take us, but I figured that we'd have it all planned out when the time did come around. I pull away before I start musing about the entire future itself.

"Just imagine alright, we leave this gang, we head back to West Elizabeth, get everything we need in order and then just go and live somewhere near Saint Denis, a nice ranch of our own. Got our four kids all running after the dogs and the cows and the chickens. The sheep. God, I don't even know. Something truly amazing such as that--"
"Four children huh? God, you better hope we have good doctor's, I'm not dyin' anytime soon."
"Shut up, you'll never die under my watch."
"Hmm, alright, I do like the sound of this entire future thing. No doubt about it."

We laugh once more before both our heads are quick to snap back to find Dutch yelling over a body. It looked like someone we knew and I was quick to stand and run over with Selina not far behind me. "Fuckin' pieces of shit. They know what we want to do!" Micah raves about the ambush they just through and now Sean is dead.
"Goddammit! Javier, Miss Grimshaw. Find a nice spot to bury our friend here. Please."
Next thing we now, Abigail is going mad about Jack being gone. The Braithwaites seem to have taken him. Both families were insanely pissed at us and this was all Dutch's idea. "This is all your fault, Dutch! If we hadn't tried to play both sides none of this would've happened." Arthur is quick to snap before Dutch sits there and shrugs it off. "We will find the boy, Catherine Braithwaite has to be behind all of this. I want all my men, tonight, we ride to Braithwaite manor and we find young Jack and bring him home. Understood? No one will die tonight, just all about getting that boy home." Nate was awoken from his slumber in that moment, looking dazed as ever as to what everyone was yelling about right now.

     Later that night, myself, Nate and the other men paid a trip to Braithwaite manor where we ended up finding Catherine. She was playing dumb at first and with some threats with our guns. She was quick to give up the information that she had given Jack to Angelo Bronte, her son's did that was, and now, all her son's were dead at the hands of our gang. Angelo Bronte was in Saint Denis and he was a very wealthy Italian businessman. It was tragic that it was going to take some time to get the boy back but I figured Dutch wouldn't hesitate to make sure that he was back within the arms of his mother in the coming week. Abigail wouldn't let it be longer than that anyhow. Catherine's manor burned to the ground minutes later and with it, so did she. Foolish woman. With the Gray's and the Braithwaite's down our backs, we knew we needed to find somewhere else to live. Though, we felt as though we were still safe at Clemens point.

Or so we thought we were.