Austin honestly wouldn’t have minded, but they had to be strategic with their raids, and that took a lot of planning. He’d gone years without being caught, and he wasn’t planning on risking his freedom. Things were good the way they were, and there was no reason to change them.
“No.” Austin shook his head. “It’s better this way. We make enough money, and not one of us has ever been caught or even suspected.”
Maxwell sighed. “I know. It’s not that I need more money—I just enjoy the thrill of it all.”
“You know I do too,” Austin agreed with a laugh. “That’s why I ensure that we do at least one big raid every couple of months.”
Maxwell turned his attention back to the big ranch house ahead of them, and Austin took a drag of his cigarette, inhaling deeply. It was almost time to start. The Grays were one of the wealthiest families in Nevada, and it was going to be a big payday for Austin and his men. Also, the women in the family were spectacularly beautiful, and he had promised his men some fun.
Austin finished his cigarette before addressing his gang. He had many men living all over the country working for him, but he had hand-selected the men standing in front of him. These were some of his closest friends and allies. He trusted these men with his life, and they trusted him.
“Are you all ready?”
“Yes, let’s do this,” Maxwell replied, causing the rest of the gang to voice their agreement.
“All right then, you know what to do.” Austin grabbed his rifle and stepped out from behind the tree line. They had been watching and waiting, but now the time had arrived.
Their horses and wagons were all hidden away out of sight on the Grays’ property. When they were done taking care of the men and women who lived and worked there, they would move their wagons closer so that they could load them.
Behind Austin, fourteen of his best men followed him to the house. They had waited for Mr. Gray and his son to return home for the day. Being wealthy meant that the two of themnever worked late; in fact, from what Austin had heard, the two of them hardly worked at all. They were the type of men who simply barked out orders and then sat back while the money rolled in. Austin didn’t judge them. Who didn’t want to be rich without having to do much work? Their luck had run out, though.
Austin waved at the front door, indicating for Maxwell to open it. With a smile and an evil glint in his eyes, Austin’s right-hand man kicked in the door. It wasn’t necessary, but Austin never minded some added theatrics.
“What was that?” a woman asked from inside.
“I don’t know,” a man replied.
“Stay here. We’ll go see,” another male voice stated.
Austin could hear approaching footsteps as he walked through the entrance hall. The house was unnecessarily big and must have cost them a fortune to build. Keeping his rifle pointed ahead of him, Austin stepped into the living room, coming face-to-face with the two Gray men. Both of them were armed, but only the son had his weapon drawn.
“Drop it,” Austin instructed, his voice smooth and steady. It took a lot to scare him, and it was clear that the young man in front of him was no threat.
“Now,” Maxwell added.
“Do as they say,” Mr. Gray said.
Both men looked terrified, and George dropped his pistol.
“You want money?” Mr. Gray asked, trying to control the situation.
“Of course,” Austin replied. “Who doesn’t?”
Mr. Gray nodded and took a deep breath. “I’ll give you everything you want if you agree not to hurt us.”
Austin laughed. “Now, where would the fun be in that?”
“Everybody knows us. We keep this town going. If you hurt us, they’ll come for you.”
Austin didn’t feel like talking anymore. Nobody was going to come for them because nobody was going to know who they were. The gang had many rules. That was how they had stayed anonymous for so long. One of the most important ones was to never leave any evidence behind. That included people. Nobody who saw their faces would live to tell the tale.
“That’s enough,” Austin said, stepping forward.
Without needing instructions, Maxwell picked up George’s pistol, and one of Austin’s other men removed Mr. Gray’s gun.
“Take us to the woman,” Austin instructed.
“They’re not here,” George replied.
