Chapter 166: Arthur Severely Wounded
When Arthur slowly opened his eyes, still half-dazed, the first thing he heard was laughter ringing in his ears.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“You’re not dead yet, are you?”
“He’s not dead. Not yet.”
Before he could react, several people around him started kicking and punching him. Pain exploded through his body, and Arthur quickly lost consciousness again.
When he came to once more, he heard members of the O’Driscoll Gang talking nearby.
“Handing him over to the cops… I just don’t get it.”
“They killed Seamus. To hell with all of them.”
“Colm’s right. With this guy, we can lure every last one of them out.”
Sensing that no one was watching him, Arthur dragged his battered body forward, inch by painful inch, trying to crawl away. He wanted to escape.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t gone far before someone noticed.
“He’s trying to run! Shoot him!”
“Easy! Easy… I’ll shoot. I’ll do it.”
Clearly, the O’Driscolls were afraid of killing Arthur outright. If he died, they’d lose their hostage.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed. White-hot pain tore through Arthur’s body, and he collapsed to the ground.
Footsteps rushed toward him as the O’Driscoll Gang closed in.
“Did I kill you?” someone mocked.
“Oh… not yet,” Arthur groaned.
“No, of course not… not yet. But I will.”
A rifle butt came crashing down, and Arthur blacked out again.
He drifted in and out of consciousness after that. The relentless pain, combined with the violent jolting of being carried on horseback, only made it worse.
Eventually, he was brought into a cellar and hoisted up, left hanging.
He didn’t know how much time passed before the cellar door creaked open. Colm stepped inside, holding a kerosene lamp.
“Arthur Morgan. Good to see you,” Colm said, carrying a tray of food, his tone almost friendly.
“Hey, Colm,” Arthur replied, his eyes half-lidded.
“How are your injuries?” Colm asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
“Can’t feel much of anything,” Arthur shot back stubbornly.
“Those wounds can get infected. That wouldn’t be good.”
“Tell me—why does a gunman like you still stick with Dutch? You could come with me. We’d make a fortune together.”
Colm tried to persuade him. He knew exactly how capable Arthur was. If someone like Arthur worked for him, it would be a huge boost to the gang.
Even so, Colm also knew the chances of Arthur defecting were close to zero.
“Colm, this isn’t about money,” Arthur said firmly.
“Oh, come on. Let me guess—Dutch’s well-known charm?” Colm sneered.
“And the Callander brothers. They took my turf in Valentine. Donal, that traitor—his betrayal was disgusting.”
“The only thing that makes me feel a little better is that the Callander brothers left Dutch. That’s truly good news.”
“And you, Arthur—you killed a bunch of my men at Six Points Cabin.”
Colm’s voice was thick with anger.
Six Points Cabin had housed many of his core members, and Donal had provided him with substantial funding. All of it had been ruined by the Van der Linde Gang.
He didn’t even dare to go after Davey anymore. He knew how powerful Davey had become.
More importantly, Davey was now working with the Valentine police. Even the Pinkertons couldn’t touch him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Arthur said, pretending ignorance.
“See? You’re lying, my friend. I thought Dutch’s preaching about truth would’ve made you more honest,” Colm mocked.
“Let me go, Colm. End everything between you and Dutch. We’ve got real trouble now,” Arthur said sincerely.
Both the Van der Linde Gang and the O’Driscoll Gang were being hunted by the Pinkertons and the federal marshals.
The marshals were one thing—the West was stretched thin—but the Pinkertons were the real threat.
Colm had also crossed Cornwall. The original plan to rob Cornwall’s train had been his, only for Dutch to swoop in and steal it. And afterward, Colm had continued robbing Cornwall’s assets elsewhere.
“As far as I’m concerned, once they catch Dutch, they’ll leave me alone,” Colm said calmly.
He’d already met with Milton. Unlike Arthur, Colm had agreed to cooperate with the Pinkertons.
After all, Colm still had ties to the Gray family, which gave him a line to the federal government.
“They won’t let anyone go so easily, Colm. If I were you, I’d take the money and disappear,” Arthur warned.
“Oh, I know you would. But you see, we’re going to use you to lure in an enraged Dutch. We’ll catch all of you in one net, hand you over, and then… vanish,” Colm said, clearly pleased with his plan.
“So this meeting with Dutch was just to catch me?” Arthur asked, finally understanding.
“Of course,” Colm said without hesitation. To him, Arthur was already trapped.
“He’ll lose his mind. He’ll charge in with your whole gang. And the police—along with the Pinkertons—will be waiting right here.”
“Oh, Arthur. I’ve missed you.”
As he spoke, Colm pulled the pistol from his waistband and smashed it hard into Arthur’s abdomen.
Only after a brutal beating did Colm finally leave, kerosene lamp in hand.
The cellar sank back into darkness.
At that very moment, on a nearby rocky rise, Davey stood with binoculars raised, watching Colm emerge from the cellar.
He’d been lying in wait there for half an hour already.
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