Landlord in the Arctic

Sheriff Sean was already on edge. The recent cold snap and blizzard had caused disagreements with the Outlaws over their shipping routes.

Now, with his nephew in danger, he was like a powder keg about to explode.

He shot up from his chair.

The legs of the chair screeched against the floor.

His eyes scanned the desk, and he snatched up the gun belt lying there.

He yanked the belt tight around his slightly bulging stomach, the force of his movements making it seem as if the belt itself were the target of his anger.

After buckling the belt, Sheriff Sean’s gaze swept over the two deputy sheriffs standing frozen in place.

The rage he’d been suppressing could no longer be contained, erupting like a volcano.

"Fuck!"

"What the hell are you two still standing around gawking for? Are you waiting for a Christmas turkey to fall out of the sky? Get moving, now! What, are you planning on waiting to attend Little Tom’s funeral?"

His words made the two deputies’ faces turn deathly pale.

Realizing his words might have been too harsh, Sheriff Sean softened his tone slightly and added another sentence.

"Those guys didn’t shoot at Little Tom, which means we can negotiate. I’ve already notified the Outlaws biker gang to back us up. They should be on their way now."

’So the boss already called for backup.’

Hearing the sheriff’s words, the two middle-aged deputy sheriffs’ frayed nerves relaxed a little.

The color returned to their pale, frightened faces.

Although asking gang members for help was frankly embarrassing if word got out.

After all, as sheriffs, they were supposed to protect the town’s order, but now they had to rely on the power of a gang.

But right now, they were facing a group of more than ten heavily armed, out-of-town thugs.

There really was no better way.

If a firefight really broke out...

One more person meant more firepower, one more body to draw a bullet, and a greater chance of survival.

Soon, a police car with a somewhat battered body, its siren wailing sharply, tore out of the sheriff’s office parking lot.

...

The downtown area of West Yellowstone City wasn’t very big to begin with.

The streets were laid out in a neat grid, like a chessboard.

Plus, Sheriff Sean and his men knew the roads like the back of their hands and took all the shortcuts.

In less than five minutes, the police car screeched to a halt at the location Little Tom had reported over the radio.

At the scene, the patrol car was still parked sideways across the middle of the road.

Its lights were still flashing.

Sheriff Sean and his deputies cautiously approached, guns drawn. When a visual sweep revealed no sign of Little Tom, the hearts of all three men sank.

In a situation like this, it was highly likely that Little Tom had been killed in the line of duty.

At this thought, Sheriff Sean’s stomach churned. On the one hand, his nephew was dead; on the other, how could he possibly go back and explain this to his family?

Little Tom was the apple of his sister’s eye.

’If something happened to that boy...’

’My sister’s rage would be enough to skin me alive.’

He had beaten his chest and sworn he would guarantee his nephew’s safety.

But now...

When the three of them reached the police car blocking the road, they found no body. In fact, there wasn’t even a single bullet hole.

’What happened?’

’Where is he?’

Sheriff Sean didn’t see his nephew’s body.

He felt a slight sense of relief. No body meant he was okay.

But a new question arose.

Where did Little Tom go? Could he have been kidnapped by those outsiders too?

Just then, the rumbling roar of motorcycles echoed from the end of the street.

The sound grew closer, approaching like a howling gale.

Then, a dozen or so Harley motorcycles tore toward them at full speed.

Every bike exuded an aura of violence and arrogance.

Leading the pack was a burly, bald-headed man.

Tattooed on his bare forehead were two bold Chinese characters: ’Loyalty’ and ’Righteousness’.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Both of his ears were covered in a dense cluster of studs, making them particularly eye-catching.

The line of motorcycles stopped next to the police car.

The roar of the engines cut out abruptly, leaving only a low hum reverberating in the air.

The bald giant sat on his motorcycle and glanced at the fuming Sheriff Sean.

The corners of his mouth turned up in an undisguised, gloating smile, mocking the sheriff’s sorry state.

"Mr. Sheriff," the bald man deliberately drew out his words, his tone full of ridicule, "do you need some help from a concerned citizen?"

"Fuck, Quinn, who the hell are those guys? Did you Outlaws stir this up?"

Sheriff Sean’s face was flushed with anger.

He snatched off his hat, revealing thinning, gray-white hair.

His gray-blue eyes burned with rage as he stared fixedly at the bald giant.

But the bald giant was completely unfazed.

He kicked the stand down with the tip of his boot, steadying the bike.

He dismounted unhurriedly.

His black leather jacket, covered in all sorts of metal ornaments, jingled as he walked.

Then he brushed non-existent snowflakes from his clothes and spoke with a relaxed expression.

"Hey, Sean, this doesn’t have half a cent to do with us Outlaws. The boys say Gaston stirred up this trouble. The one they took from the Blue Cloud House was Gruus from Melon Ranch."

"Gaston. Gruus."

Sheriff Sean narrowed his eyes.

His gaze was wary as he stared intently at Bald Quinn.

He spoke, enunciating each word.

"This had better have nothing to do with you. If I find out you’re mixed up in this, I’ll wipe out all your delivery routes, burn all your ’leaves,’ and throw every last one of you scumbags in prison. You know I have the power to do it."

Hearing the menacing warning, Bald Quinn froze for a moment.

The gloating expression on his face instantly stiffened.

But soon, he managed to squeeze out a placating smile.

He patted Sheriff Sean’s shoulder gently as he spoke.

"Buddy, you have a piece of this business too. I want to keep West Yellowstone stable even more than you do. I swear to God, this has nothing to do with me."

The two of them stood there in the middle of the street, talking as if no one else was around.

The two deputy sheriffs standing by exchanged a look, and with a tacit understanding, quietly turned and walked away, pretending to search for clues.

They knew full well that their boss and this biker gang leader were secretly cooperating.

Not only did they know, but they also received an extra paycheck every month because of it.

Thanks to this extra income, they had a little more security in their otherwise difficult lives.

Sheriff Sean pulled a cigarette from the pack the bald man offered him.

Bald Quinn quickly took out a lighter and expertly lit it for him.

He took a deep drag. The sharp taste of tobacco spread down his throat, slightly easing the anxiety in his chest.

"Who the hell are those guys? Have you figured it out yet?"

’If they were just passing through, not here specifically to mess with our business, then everyone could just pretend they didn’t see anything, and the matter would be over.’

But now his nephew, Little Tom, was in their hands, his fate unknown.

This was a huge problem.

He had to figure out who these people were as quickly as possible.

Only then could he figure out a way to rescue his nephew.

At this thought, Sheriff Sean’s brow furrowed deeply.

Bald Quinn knew that Little Tom was Sheriff Sean’s nephew.

The kid was a regular at the Blue Cloud House, drinking and chasing women.

Over time, everyone had gotten to know his face.

To appease his partner, who was burning with anxiety, he quickly blurted out all the information he had gathered.

"Don’t worry, Little Tom should be safe. Those guys are from Alaska."

"You remember Jenny from Melon Ranch, right? Penny’s younger daughter. She works in Alaska. Came back a few days ago for Christmas, and it looks like she made a lot of money."

"Gruus got drunk at the Blue Cloud House and started running his mouth. Gaston happened to overhear him, and that bastard went and kidnapped Jenny."

As Bald Quinn spoke, he watched Sheriff Sean’s expression.

He was afraid that what he was saying wasn’t detailed or accurate enough.

"Just a little while ago, those guys stormed the Blue Cloud House with AR-15s, took Gruus, and even beat up a few of my boys."

After saying this, Bald Quinn sighed, a look of helplessness and irritation on his face. "My boys were really unlucky, getting beaten up for no reason."

"But from the looks of it, their target seems to be Gruus. Tom might really not be in any danger."

...