Chapter 4, Part One

No Honor Ch. 4 Pt. 1: The Set-Up;

I asked Carter, if the doctor gave him anything for his pain. He said he was given Laudanum, and he admitted to taking some, but he didn't look like he was keen on the idea. He was supposed to stay in bed as well, for at least several days, and he wasn't too keen on that either.

I think he's got a screw loose. He never mentioned what this Roy did, that upset him and his employer so much, but it can't be worth all this.

Get outta town! Go heal your ribs and your hip and your shoulder and save your hide while you're at it.

I said none of this to him; he is a grown man, after all, but - I jus' don't understand it.

I hadn't slept at all, so I took the rest of the day off. The next day was the start of a new month, and that meant givin' the devil 'is due. I went right up to what we call "First Street" and I entered the Receiving Office, where I'd leave Marco his twelve dollars in "rent".

Of course that's bullshit. He didn't build that bar, or my house, I did, and he didn't own the land neither. The Station stands on unclaimed territory; it's not in a state and it's not on Indian land. So the money wasn't for rent, it was for his so-called protection.

It's supposed to be protection from the Indians, but it's more like it's from Marco's goons. Back home, they'd call that robbery. Here, it's just the price of doin' business. It's funny how we all get in line, to the teller's booth, like the whole thing's legit.

I headed to the bar around 4 o'clock, to start my normal shift. The boys were both in by 7:30, and that's about when the crowd gets in. It was a smaller bunch than normal though, due to the thunderstorm we was havin'.

Millie still showed up, like every night, but this time she was in this big red dress, all lady-like. She told me Carter had already paid her what I owed, when she stopped by with the doctor. She also said he'd asked her plenty of questions, about The Station, about the people that live and visit here, and the man that's running the show.