RDR: No Regrets - Chapter 289: Assassination (Patreon)

“Boss, there are quite a few of them.”

Juan looked at the heavily guarded harbor and frowned. “What are we supposed to do with that many people?”

Stephen stared at the dock and the ship without answering.

Seven or eight heavily armed gunmen were stationed around the dock, all of them alert and ready.

They couldn’t attack head-on.

Rhodes was too close. The moment a gunshot went off, everyone in town would hear it.

Stephen gritted his teeth as his mind raced.

He needed a way to take the dock without alerting anyone in town.

What could they do?

Time was running out. Kieran could arrive with the others at any moment, and once that happened, there would be too many unknowns.

“Boss, I’ve got an idea!”

Stephen turned toward Juan.

“What is it?”

“I can swim. Pretty damn well, too.”

Juan pointed toward the water.

“I’ll go underwater, come up behind them, and take them by surprise.”

Underwater?

Stephen looked toward the lake.

This was a harbor. If there was one thing a harbor needed, it was deep water.

As long as Juan could stay submerged long enough, getting behind those men should be easy enough.

Stephen nodded.

It could work.

“You sure you can do it?”

He looked at Juan seriously. “This isn’t something you can mess up. If you run out of breath and have to surface halfway there, I won’t be able to save you.”

At a time like this, Stephen was certain those guards would rather shoot first than risk letting anyone through.

If Juan made even the slightest noise and caught their attention, they wouldn’t bother asking questions. They would simply open fire.

Juan grinned confidently.

“Don’t worry, boss. I used to be a hunter. What kind of hunter would I be if I couldn’t handle myself in the water?”

In that case, they might as well try.

Stephen placed both hands on Juan’s shoulders.

“I’m counting on you.”

“It’s nothing. Just watch me.”

Juan grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, then quickly stripped off anything that would get in his way, keeping only two daggers and a revolver.

Moving underwater was hard enough already. Anything else would only weigh him down.

Carefully parting the weeds along the shoreline, Juan quietly slipped into the water while Stephen watched.

As the murky lake swallowed Juan little by little, Stephen couldn’t help growing tense.

Before long, Juan disappeared completely, leaving only faint ripples spreading across the surface.

But relying on Juan alone wasn’t enough.

Stephen knew exactly what Juan was capable of.

Even with the element of surprise, he could probably take out one or two before the others noticed him.

Stephen needed to create a distraction first.

He quickly stripped off his clothes and weapons, then clenched his teeth and ripped away all the bandages wrapped around his body.

His injuries were still far too severe, especially the wound on his back.

Even with his unusually fast recovery, there was still no sign that one had started closing properly.

As he roughly tore away the bandages, fresh blood began seeping from his back again.

Stephen discarded the rest of his weapons, picked up several branches, and used grass to tie them around his long knife.

Before long, the black blade was completely hidden beneath a layer of twigs and branches. From a distance, it looked like nothing more than a rough walking stick.

Once everything was ready, Stephen leaned on the disguised long knife and limped toward the dock.

Juan really was an excellent swimmer.

He cut through the water like a fish, moving quickly toward the harbor.

As he neared the dock, he slipped alongside the ship and used its hull as cover while he surfaced to take a breath.

A boarding ladder hung from the side.

Juan drew a dagger and clenched it between his teeth, then climbed barefoot up the ladder.

The ship had already been cleaned and looked almost brand new.

The blood and mangled remains that had once covered the deck were gone, and every decoration belonging to the Church of the Holy Lord had been removed.

Several crates were stacked on board as well.

They contained weapons obtained at Shady Belle.

Javier had moved all of them here, planning to deal with them once everything settled down.

A guard stood near the bow.

Juan crouched near the cabin and carefully looked around.

The cabin had been cleaned too. Inside were a few miscellaneous supplies, along with fresh water and food.

Javier had prepared thoroughly.

What a shame.

Juan grabbed a potato and tossed it into the water.

Splash!

The guard at the bow turned his head curiously but saw nothing.

When he didn’t take the bait, Juan grabbed another potato and threw it in.

This time, the guard came over.

He walked to the edge of the ship and leaned forward, peering down into the water.

Suddenly, a pair of hands clamped over his mouth from behind.

A dagger slashed hard across his throat.

Blood immediately poured from his neck, running down the side of the ship and dripping into the lake.

Before long, the water below had begun turning red.

Juan kept his hand pressed firmly over the man’s mouth, terrified that he might make even the slightest sound.

Slowly, the struggling stopped.

The man had nearly bled dry.

Juan dragged the body back and gently lowered it onto the deck.

Looking at the corpse, he suddenly felt weak in the knees.

It wasn’t his first time killing someone.

But it was the first time he had killed a man like this.

There was no time to dwell on it.

Juan swallowed hard.

He still had to deal with the rest.

“Who’s there?!”

A guard suddenly shouted.

Juan flinched.

Had they found him?

He immediately darted into the cabin, pressed himself beside the doorway, and drew his revolver.

Several moments passed.

No one came.

Only then did Juan realize the guard probably hadn’t been shouting at him.

“Damn near scared me to death.”

Juan finally let out a breath, his whole body going limp with relief.

If they weren’t calling out to him, then who were they talking to?

Curious, Juan moved to the other side of the cabin, where a window looked out over the dock.

He slowly raised his head and peeked outside.

Four or five gunmen were surrounding someone.

The man was covered in blood, lying motionless on the ground near the dock.

Juan narrowed his eyes.

Wasn’t that the boss?

He immediately understood.

Stephen was drawing their attention away from him.

With every guard focused on Stephen, this was the perfect chance to strike.

He had to move fast.

The boss was already badly wounded.

Juan couldn’t let him take any more risks.