Chapter 204: Deliberations
The enormous profits from Davey’s moonshine business were no longer much of a secret among Saint Denis’s upper circles.
Most of that attention came from Bronte’s involvement.
After all, people couldn’t help but wonder what kind of incentive would make someone like Bronte go so far as to help launder another man’s identity—going through court proceedings and newspaper announcements with such fanfare.
“Mr. Mayor,” Bronte said calmly, “you know that although Mr. Land has agreed to work with me, nothing has officially begun yet. I don’t have the authority to make decisions on these matters. Perhaps we can find an opportunity to discuss things in detail once he arrives in Saint Denis.”
Bronte wasn’t surprised in the least. Any business with outrageous profits would naturally attract people eager to claim a share.
In fact, much of the information about Davey had been deliberately leaked by Bronte himself. That way, once Davey set foot in Saint Denis, his business would either be heavily encroached upon—or he would end up offending many people.
It was a subtle warning to Davey, a reminder that a civilized city was far more complicated than the untamed frontier.
Mayor Lemieux was quite pleased. He raised his glass and said, “I trust Mr. Land will satisfy me.”
In Lemieux’s eyes, no matter how capable Davey was, this was Saint Denis—not some lawless western plain. The city was filled with armed police, and anyone who came here had to follow its rules.
Which meant Davey would have to hand over a portion of his moonshine profits.
...
Land Farm.
Mac was practically bursting with excitement.
“This is amazing—absolutely amazing! Davey, my brother, I thought you were just joking with me!”
“But now that joke’s become reality. Damn, this is unbelievable. I never thought I’d actually live to see the day I could stand in the sunlight.”
“So we’re the Land family now, right? And those damn criminal Callander brothers—they’ve already been hanged in Saint Denis!”
Mac shouted as he danced around the mansion’s grand hall. As he spoke, he casually snatched the bottle from Uncle’s hand and took a long swig.
Besides Mac and Uncle, John and Abigail were also there.
“Oh, Mac,” Uncle said helplessly, “don’t you know to respect your elders? That was my drink.”
He then stood up naturally and pulled another bottle from the liquor cabinet.
At Davey’s place, alcohol was practically the cheapest thing around.
Davey laughed as well. “It really is good news. Maybe we should hold a banquet to celebrate.”
“Of course, we should also thank Mr. Bronte. Without his help, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”
“John, don’t look at me like that. It won’t be long before I help you clear your criminal status too. Your situation is much simpler than mine—after all, not many people are watching you.”
Davey’s promises sounded far more reliable than Dutch’s plans, and John accepted them without hesitation.
“Thank you, Davey. I’ll work hard,” John said, his eyes lighting up. Abigail beside him was equally overjoyed.
She could finally see a future where they left the gang behind—becoming respectable people, having a normal family, maybe even crossing into high society.
People are never truly satisfied. Even though their life was already better than before, John was still a wanted criminal.
“Alright,” Davey said, “now we should talk about entering Saint Denis.”
“And the moonshine business as well. I imagine there are already plenty of people who can’t wait to work with me.”
“So if any of you have good ideas, speak up. We’ll discuss them together.”
Davey already had a plan in mind, but he didn’t like handling everything alone. He preferred sharing the load.
As the operation grew larger, it would take capable people to keep such a big enterprise running smoothly. Relying on himself alone would only invite trouble.
He didn’t want everyone to depend on him completely—he wanted them to be able to stand on their own.
Truthfully, the person Davey valued most was Hosea. But for now, it was obvious Hosea couldn’t leave the gang or break away from Dutch.
Still, there would be a chance someday.
At Davey’s question, Mac scratched the back of his head.
“You know me, Davey. Like you said, my brain’s all muscle. This kind of thing clearly isn’t for me.”
“If I had the choice, I’d rather wrestle a grizzly than think about stuff like this.”
Davey skipped over Mac and looked at Abigail.
Abigail avoided his gaze.
“Davey, I don’t really understand these matters. You should leave this to those who are better suited for it.”
Davey said nothing and turned to John instead.
John thought for a moment before saying hesitantly, “Maybe… we should start by gathering some information?”
Davey gave a slight nod, then finally looked at Uncle.
Uncle complained, “Davey, is this really something an old man like me should be deciding?”
“But if you want my opinion, I think we should first set up a base in Saint Denis—like your farm and ranch.”
“And as for the moonshine business, maybe we should ask the Braithwaite family how they handled it before. Their methods might be different from ours.”
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