Chapter 66: The Irritable Dutch
Though Davey now held great influence and control in Valentine, the moonshine business was still publicly tied to Donal’s name.
Very few people knew the truth—that the entire operation actually belonged to Davey.
Even though the gang members at camp gathered intelligence and often dealt with the moonshine themselves, none realized it was Davey’s business.
The only ones who knew were Arthur, John, Mac, and now Trelawny.
Davey had been well aware that once he told Trelawny, Dutch would inevitably find out.
But at this point, Davey no longer needed to hide anything. He’d achieved enough success to stand on his own.
Under Dutch’s persistent questioning, Trelawny eventually revealed everything he knew.
The news stunned the camp—everyone stood frozen in disbelief.
Only Uncle, leaning against a wagon with a bottle in hand, seemed amused, his eyes growing brighter as he listened.
“So, Arthur, my boy—you knew about this all along, didn’t you?”
“You helped Davey keep it from me.”
“Where’s your loyalty, Arthur? Is this what loyalty to me looks like?”
“I had a plan—a perfect plan—and now you’ve ruined it!”
Dutch’s furious roar shattered the silence. The moment he pieced it together, his anger flared even hotter.
He realized Arthur must have known back when Davey joined them to rescue Micah from Strawberry, yet he’d chosen not to tell him.
At the edge of camp, Lenny’s expression grew uneasy.
He knew too. The moonshine business hadn’t started back then, but once it exploded across New Hanover, he’d guessed it had to be Davey’s doing.
Still, he’d kept that from Dutch—a decision that had quietly weighed on him ever since.
“Dutch, Davey hasn’t done anything wrong. He hasn’t betrayed the gang, has he?”
“He just wanted a more stable life. He told me he had a plan—and now, his plan worked.”
Arthur stepped forward, speaking calmly. To him, there was nothing wrong with Davey chasing a different life.
But those words—he had a plan, his plan worked—
made Dutch’s blood boil.
He felt as if Arthur was mocking him. Davey’s plan had succeeded, while his own still hadn’t.
“So, Arthur,” Dutch asked coldly, his eyes narrowing, “are you planning to leave me too—just like Davey?”
Arthur sensed Dutch’s growing instability and quickly replied, “Dutch, I’ve always believed in you. I still believe in your plan.”
Dutch’s anger eased slightly at that, and he turned his gaze to the rest of the gang.
“So,” he said, voice hard, “is there anyone here who wants to follow Davey?”
Micah Bell stepped forward first.
“Dutch, I believe in you. The money we took from Blackwater is more than enough to live on for the rest of our lives.
If Davey’s off doing business, that means he’s giving up his share—and that’s a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
“No matter how well his little enterprise goes, he’ll never make that kind of money.”
“If we can just reclaim the Blackwater stash, we’ll have the freedom we’ve always dreamed of.”
Micah’s words immediately softened Dutch’s expression, and a flicker of satisfaction crossed his face.
At such a critical moment, Micah had just reinforced Dutch’s authority in front of everyone.
Sure enough, after Micah spoke, Bill, Javier, Charles, Lenny, and John all echoed one after another:
“Dutch, I believe in you.”
The only one absent was Mac, still fast asleep and snoring somewhere in camp.
But Dutch didn’t expect anything different—Mac was Davey’s twin brother, and he’d always side with him.
Feeling the gang’s support, Dutch suddenly thought life without Davey wasn’t so bad after all.
In fact, his own influence seemed even greater now.
“Good,” Dutch said, his tone steady again. “As Micah said, since Davey’s chosen to leave the gang, he forfeits his share of the Blackwater money—and the train bonds as well.”
“If he wants to play moonshiner in Valentine, let him. It’ll even help draw the Pinkertons’ attention away from us.”
“Sean MacGuire is my boy—my brother. I won’t stand by and let him be thrown into a federal prison and hanged on the gallows.”
“Trelawny, keep gathering intel in Blackwater. When they move Sean, we’ll strike and get him out. That poor lad’s probably been through hell in there.”
“I have a plan—once we rescue Sean and Hosea sells the bonds, we’ll find a way to recover the Blackwater money.”
“Then we’ll go to Tahiti. We’ll buy a big piece of land, plant some mangoes, and live free.”
Author's Note
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