His Name Was Isaac (Completed)

3. End Of The Road

ONE WEEK LATER

OUTSKIRTS OF BLACKWATER

Steadily moving his line of sight just along the distant horizon, Shay Mackintosh kept a close eye on the bank in Blackwater as a number of customers went in and out, completely oblivious to the gang that lurked no more than a stone's throw away from them.

At the moment, the town seemed pretty calm. Normal. Ordinary. Not nearly as hostile as the last time Shay set foot there. That must've meant that the people had either grown too comfortable with their lives, or that there was someone else guarding the perimeter for them. And considering the rumors of Pinkertons roaming around Tall Trees, Shay assumed it was the latter.

...Dammit, he mentally cursed to himself.

The last thing the Van der Lindes needed to worry about right now were Pinkertons. Dutch was already close to losing his mind as it was, and with the Skinner Brothers' growing presence in West Elizabeth, Shay doubted the man would be calming down anytime soon.

If federal agents started going after them... well, he didn't even wanna think about the chaos they'd cause.

Though... this could've been a blessing in disguise, depending on how one looked at it. As money-hungry as their gang was, Shay could see that everyone was anxious to get out of West Elizabeth and move on somewhere safer. Somewhere that didn't have lawmen or rival gangs prowling around every corner.

A few of the other members had already expressed their concerns surrounding the upcoming robbery in Blackwater, and with the presence of Pinkertons now being an issue, Shay expected there would be even more infighting back at their hideout.

If too many threats presented themselves at the same time... perhaps Dutch would finally see sense and agree to relocate their camp.

But... then again, that could've just been wishful thinking on Shay's part. Dutch was known for his stubbornness, after all, and Mackintosh couldn't remember the last time their leader ever swayed his mind about something without raising hell about it first.

If he truly had his mind set on robbing this godforsaken bank, then... Shay supposed that was what they'd do. Dutch was the boss in the end of the day, and his word was practically law.

It didn't mean Shay wasn't worried, though.

"Mackintosh...!" A man's voice suddenly called out from behind, cutting off Shay's train of thought.

The outlaw whipped around in alarm and instantly reached for his pistol, only to come to a halt once he saw who it was.

"Jesus, Arthur...!" he whispered in a startled tone. "I nearly blew your goddamn head off. Thought you was one of them Skinner boys."

The older man chuckled, crouching down so that he was at the same level as Shay.

"I'll try not to take that as an insult. What're you doin' out here?"

Mackintosh returned to his binoculars, focusing the lenses. "Dutch asked me to scout the place out before we move in. He wanted to know what we're dealin' with."

Arthur leaned closer to Shay and squinted his eyes, trying to follow the man's gaze. "...And? You see anything worth noting? How many guards are at that bank?"

"Well... I've counted about a dozen so far, though there could be more I'm not seeing. They switch every once in a while, but it ain't often. Not many openings for us to charge in."

Shay lowered his binoculars for a second, turning to face Arthur. "...I won't lie to you, Morgan. It's gonna be difficult to rob this bank. The whole thing's under heavy guard, and there are Pinkertons wanderin' in the streets now. It'd be a huge risk to grab this score, even with all our men."