Chapter 216: Hosea’s Persuasion
A flush of crimson, a night of wild passion…
The next day, the sun shone brightly.
“I’m sorry, Stella. I shouldn’t have done that. Maybe…”
“But you already did, didn’t you, Davey?”
“You’re right. It was a mistake. But… I want to make it again.”
“Mm—mm…”
The breakfast the cook had prepared downstairs was something the two of them clearly missed out on. By the time they finally came down, it was already lunchtime.
It was obvious their relationship had broken through its last barrier and officially entered the stage of passionate romance.
Fortunately, Uncle was still in Valentine and hadn’t come over yet—otherwise, he would definitely have teased them mercilessly.
“Davey, my brother, looks like you had a very wonderful night,”
“Ever since Blackwater, I haven’t seen you drink hot coffee anymore. It made me wonder if something happened to you back then. That really wasn’t like you.”
“Now it seems I was just overthinking it, wasn’t I?”
After lunch, watching Stella leave, Mac immediately spoke up to Davey.
“You think everyone’s like you, starving like a rabid dog, Mac?” Davey shot back.
Mac really was undiscriminating—he could drink any kind of coffee at all. That was something Davey truly couldn’t stand.
After the jab, Davey turned to business.
“How’s the situation at the slaughterhouse? The upper class of Saint Denis is already waiting for us to start operations. You know how much we lose for every day we delay. Don’t worry about the expenses—hire more people and clear that place out as fast as possible.”
Mac replied helplessly, “Davey, you have no idea how bad that place smells. It’s going to take some time.”
“But you’re right. We do need to speed things up. I’ll personally keep an eye on it.”
Davey nodded. “Our territory has expanded, so I’m planning to recruit another batch of employees.”
“I’ll assign you a hundred workers. I’ll leave the other matters to you. Stop thinking about hot coffee all the time. Now is the moment for us to truly establish ourselves in Saint Denis.”
“Mac, we can’t afford another failure. This isn’t like before. If we fail now, there won’t be any way to run.”
“In a big city, things are far more brutal than in the chaotic West. This is a war without gunfire—those who fall will be devoured until not even bones are left.”
“So focus on what matters, Mac. Especially our security—and your own.”
Mac sighed. “Looks like a lot of ladies are going to be heartbroken over this, Davey.”
“Of course. I’ll follow your arrangements.”
When it really mattered, Mac knew what was important.
...
Elsewhere.
Arthur and Charles finished clearing out the remaining Lemoyne Raiders at Shady Belle.
That place officially became the Van der Linde gang’s new camp.
Under Susan’s arrangements, Arthur was assigned a room on the second floor of the dilapidated mansion, the same as Dutch.
Hosea sought Arthur out, clearly troubled.
“Truth is, we didn’t really have to kill all of them, did we, Arthur? But now… we’ve completely become murderers.”
“Dutch wants to work with Bronte. In my view, that’s not a good idea. We do need money, but we could find other ways.”
“Maybe you should go talk to Davey. You know as well as I do—right now, we don’t really have anywhere else to go.”
“I failed in Rhodes. Maybe I’m getting old. It’s hard for me to accept new things. But you’re different.”
The failure of the Rhodes plan hit Hosea hard. Before this, he was often seen wearing a confident smile, even back in the snowy mountains, always maintaining an optimistic mindset.
But now, what filled him was worry about the future.
Arthur hesitated for a moment, then replied, “Hosea, I know this hit you hard, but who hasn’t failed before?”
“The Hosea I know isn’t someone who gives in so easily. We underestimated them this time, sure—but they underestimated us too, didn’t they?”
“Like Dutch said, no one can provoke us without paying a price. They paid what they deserved.”
“I heard from Mac that Davey also seems to be working with Bronte. Maybe we should change how we think. There might be something new in this. We’re not afraid of anyone, Hosea.”
“Trust me. Trust Dutch.”
Even now, Arthur still had confidence in Dutch, and he genuinely didn’t see anything inherently wrong with cooperating with Bronte.
Seeing the changes in Davey, Arthur also felt that the gang could afford to change a little, to better adapt to this era.
Arthur hadn’t thought this way before, but Davey’s situation had caused a significant shift in his mindset.
After all, seeing a brother from the past now successful and established naturally had an impact.
“Davey is different from us, Arthur. He’s no longer a wanted man. He won’t be hunted by the country’s authorities, and he’ll even be protected by the law.”
“But we’re not the same. We all carry bounties and warrants on our backs. People look down on us because of that. And you know Dutch—he’s extremely proud. I’m worried something will go wrong.”
Hosea spoke earnestly. After nearly twenty years living alongside Dutch, no one understood him better—his ambition, his aspirations.
Precisely because he understood him so well, Hosea wanted Arthur to persuade Dutch.
He could sense that Bronte didn’t see them as partners at all, but merely as tools to be used, even treating them like hired killers to eliminate his rivals, such as the Braithwaite family.
Author's Note
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