Chapter 170: Davey Is Just a Small Fry
“Dutch, when I went to Davey’s place this time, I saw a lot of things I’d never seen before.”
“I want to have a real talk with you about it.”
Hosea sat down beside Dutch and spoke quietly.
The moment he heard it was about Davey, Dutch’s interest sparked.
“I knew Uncle was unreliable. When he left, he swore he’d keep me informed about Davey, but to this day I haven’t heard a single word.”
“That old drunk probably fell headfirst into Davey’s moonshine and forgot the whole world existed.”
“Hosea, I’m hoping you’ve brought me some good news—about Davey.”
Hosea nodded.
“Yes, Dutch. At Davey’s… I saw what the future might look like.”
“And it made me think our plan—especially what we’re doing with those two families—might need to change.”
“They’re not as simple as they look. Davey told me the Gray family already knows who we are. I don’t know when they figured it out, but they know now.”
“And they’re pretending they don’t. Dutch, they’re using us—same as we’re using them.”
“And the Braithwaite family… that old woman, Catherine. She may know too. Burning the Grays’ tobacco fields… I shouldn’t have agreed to that. It was a mistake.”
“It drew far too much attention. The Grays are the face of those old Southern families—the former slave owners. Even after the war took a lot of their power, they still have influence.”
“Dutch, I… I don’t know if the next step is going to go as smoothly as we planned.”
“Maybe… we need to do this differently.”
Dutch’s face soured. He’d already been in a foul mood after arguing with Molly, and now Hosea was piling this on top.
“So let me get this straight,” Dutch said coldly. “You went to Davey’s, stayed there for a day, and now you’re telling me our plan has a problem?”
“What exactly did Davey say to put those thoughts in your head?”
“Fine. Even if they know who we are—so what? Like you said, they’re using us, and we’re using them. We don’t need to be afraid of them. Not for a second.”
“Those two families have been at each other’s throats for a hundred years. Now they think we’re the gun in their hand.”
“But we’re not going where they want us to go. We’ve got our own plan.”
“By the time they realize it, we’ll already have what we came for—and we’ll be gone. And they’ll do what they’ve always done: blame each other.”
Dutch seemed to notice his tone had gotten too sharp. He paused, then forced his voice to soften.
“Hosea, don’t get so worked up. Relax. Nothing’s gone wrong with our plan so far.”
“Don’t overthink it. Trust your own judgment—and don’t let that kid Davey talk circles around you.”
Hosea hesitated, then finally said, “The truth is… we don’t have to live like this.”
“At Davey’s, I saw his moonshine business. He’s doing very well. He’s making a lot of money—more than we ever imagined.”
“He bought a big ranch north of Valentine—the big one. And he’s started a security company. He’s got a lot of men working for him now—dozens, maybe even over a hundred.”
“And among them… there are quite a few who used to be Pinkerton agents. Now they work for him.”
“It showed me something, Dutch. There are ways to get money besides robbery and conning people. We should try it.”
This trip had clearly shaken Hosea—especially the matter of those bonds. Someone else had made more money than they had, with ease, without risk, without warrants.
But Dutch showed no sign of agreeing with him.
Just like Uncle said, Dutch wanted to be his own king.
“Oh, Hosea,” Dutch said, his voice rising. “Do you even hear yourself? So now you want us to sell ourselves to the government, serve rich men—like Colm does. Is that it?”
“Just yesterday, Colm said nearly the same thing you’re saying. Working for the government, serving the rich, earning money that way. It’s ridiculous.”
“And now you’re standing here, Hosea, trying to convince me to do something that ridiculous.”
“Have you forgotten what we believed in? Forgotten what we stood for when we started? Are you telling me we should betray everything we ever were and become just another gang?”
“I think you need to calm down and really think, Hosea. Stop chasing those ideas.”
“What we need to do is follow the plan we set.”
“And don’t be fooled by Davey looking so high and mighty right now. The trouble he’s headed for is worse than anything we’ve got.”
“Pinkerton hasn’t gone after him because we’re still here. If we disappear, the government—and the Pinkertons—will turn their attention to Davey.”
“To Milton and his people, Davey is just a small fry.”
“But we… we’re the big fish.”
“Do you understand me, Hosea?”
Author's Note
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