Total pages in book: 179
Estimated words: 165476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 827(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 827(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
“They’re real bad people, Mr. O’Leary,” Old Craig hummed, as he pushed his hand under his brown jacket and retrieved a flat tin box. Ned stared, his back growing colder as the man took out photographs and placed them on the table, right next to the cake and tea.
Dead bodies scattered on the road. Severed limbs. Burned houses. An elderly man, naked under the open cassock, with a wooden cross growing out of a deep gash in his belly.
“Those are the kind of people you befriended, Mr. O’Leary,” Craig continued. “They rob honest folk of their hard-earned money, they mutilate, kill, and destroy people’s lives. What kind of monster does such things to a man of cloth?” he asked in a firm voice, and tapped the picture of the murdered priest.
Ned clenched his jaw, his mind sinking into the depths of memories he’d all but forgotten about. “I know what they do. The Gotham Boys destroyed my family when I was just a boy. Killed my father, and—my mother couldn’t live with what the bastards had done.” Uncle Liam had found her hanging from a beam in the barn just days after she’d delivered Ned to the ranch.
He looked up at the Pinkertons with fresh fire in his belly. “Point me in the right direction, and I’ll help however I can. Their leader, Tom Teach—people call him Butcher Tom—he needs a bullet between the eyes!”
Homer Craig raised his hands. “Whoa there. We’re not vigilantes, but we did come here to bring justice. You can help us do that, Mr. O’Leary, but there’s more to the Gotham Boys than Butcher Tom. We need to apprehend them all if law is to prevail over outlawry.”
Ned bit his tongue when he realized he’d gotten ahead himself.
The younger Craig nodded and tapped his finger against the photos. “They travel with a whole bunch of crooks and degenerates, but those will be easily caught or they’ll disband and flee once we capture the core three members. That’s where you could step in, Mr. O’Leary. I understand that you didn’t know who you were helping yesterday, especially taking your tragic family past into account, but you have inadvertently put yourself in their good graces. We have a general idea of where the Gotham Boys’ camp is, but with just a few scraps of evidence against those… bastards, apprehending them will be worthless, because we’ll be forced to let most of them go anyway.”
Homer Craig cleared his throat, which instantly made Thaddeus straighten. He might have got more heated in his words than he should have.
“We need to catch them all in the act, Mr. O’Leary,” Homer Craig said. “If you want to do right by your family, if you want to see the Gotham Boys hang, we need your help. And once that scum’s dealt with, you’ll walk away from this with not only justice but also a wage for your efforts.”
“What do you need me to do?” Ned asked, meeting their gazes with growing determination. As much as he wanted to stick a knife in Butcher Tom’s belly and watch him bleed, the agents were right. His death wouldn’t be enough. He wanted them all to dangle at the end of a rope, and if he managed to make that happen, his life would mean something. Only then, would his father and mother get to rest in peace, their tormentors judged in court and their son recognized for his effort to assist the lawmen.
Old Craig smiled. “It’s rare to see a man as young as yourself so ready to serve this country for more than personal gain. However, if you work with us, you will not be left wanting,” he said and gestured at his son, who hurriedly pulled out a small bundle of greenbacks.
Ned’s eyes bulged. He hadn’t seen so much money in his life. His heartbeat picked up. His hands sweated, but he didn’t dare touch the bills. Not without express permission.
“That’s only a fraction of what you’ll be paid if we manage to pull off our scheme. You’ll seek them out. You’ll establish contact and join them. And then, once they trust you, you suggest they rob the bank in Iron Trail City.
“You tell them you know one of the guards—all of them will be replaced by our agents—and that he’s got a grudge against the owners. The payroll for the mine workers comes in every last Monday of the month. You tell them that, make them salivate for all that wealth, and we’ll make sure none of those scoundrels walks free when they make their attempt at a robbery.”
Ned’s head pounded with excitement. Just yesterday, his life was falling apart, but today he was being presented with a new purpose. One that would not only give him a chance for vengeance and closure, but also, money. And that meant freedom to choose his own path.