In his past life's game, Davey had always felt something for Kieran's character.
He was a pitiful man—ever since joining the Van der Linde Gang, he'd been stuck doing chores, always striving for recognition.
And in the end, he died in the most miserable way.
Kieran wasn't much of a fighter, but he knew how to handle horses, and his loyalty was unquestionable. Perhaps he could become a reliable ally.
After all, Davey's future plans didn't involve living with a gun constantly at his side.
Though both he and Mac were excellent marksmen, the age of the wild cowboy was already fading.
Civilization was pushing deeper into the West—this was the cowboys' last hurrah.
Even the best gunslinger couldn't stand up to the hail of a Maxim gun.
This wasn't a game. A bullet meant death—real death.
He wasn't the protagonist here, but a man fated to die. There would be no miraculous plot armor protecting him.
That was why Davey chose not to join the train robbery.
Arthur and the others might come out fine, but who could say a stray bullet wouldn't find him?
Better to stay cautious.
"Hey, Davey."
Hosea walked over.
"Davey, maybe we pushed Dutch too hard yesterday. It made him feel humiliated."
Hosea regretted how things had gone—yesterday's confrontation had shaken the gang, creating rifts among them.
Davey replied bluntly, "Hosea, what's more important—his pride, or my life? Should we risk everything just to protect his damn ego?"
"Hosea, your reasoning's sound. I've always agreed with you."
Hosea sighed helplessly. "Davey, we have to trust Dutch. He's impatient right now, but things will settle down."
Davey nodded slightly. "We'll see."
Mac, on the other hand, couldn't sit still. He genuinely wanted to go with the others to rob the train.
But he had no choice but to listen to Davey.
So instead, Mac dragged Davey out to hunt.
Maybe that was why Charles couldn't stand the Callander brothers—they hunted not out of need, but out of habit.
Davey wasn't particularly interested in hunting.
Still, he agreed, mostly because he wanted to make another trip to Lake Isabella to see if he could find that Arabian white horse.
He'd already been there several times, but this wasn't a game—the Arabian white wouldn't just be waiting in the same spot forever.
Lake Isabella was where many animals came to drink, and the Arabian white horse appeared there only occasionally.
With so many tracks around, spotting it was difficult.
Sure enough, though they bagged a few animals on this trip, they didn't find the horse.
By the time they returned to camp, it was already afternoon.
Dutch and his crew had made it back from the train robbery—successful.
"We have to hand it to Dutch—this job was a total success. We cleaned up good!"
"These bearer bonds are worth tens of thousands of dollars. We're rich, boys—really rich!"
"Oh, cigars, brandy—the kind of stuff only the big rich bastards get to enjoy."
"Thanks to Dutch, thanks to Cornwall, even a small-timer like me can taste luxury for once!"
In the middle of camp, Micah Bell strutted around, a cigar in one hand and a glass of brandy in the other, showing off like a fool.
Dutch only smiled beside him, clearly satisfied. He could feel his influence within the gang rising again.
Arthur, Bill, Javier, and Lenny were all grinning too—it was obvious they'd found plenty of good loot in Cornwall's private car.
That's when Dutch noticed the Callander brothers returning with their kills.
"Hey, Davey, we did it, didn't we?"
"No Pinkertons, no traps—we pulled in a huge haul of bearer bonds and plenty of fine goods."
"Now we just keep things quiet for a while, sell off the bonds, and we'll have a fortune. Then we can head to Tahiti, buy some land, grow mangoes—live easy."
Dutch walked over and handed Davey a glass of brandy.
Davey didn't refuse; he took it and drank deeply.
It was high-quality French brandy, smooth and rich—nothing like the cheap liquor they usually drank.
"Not bad at all," Davey said with a smile.
Seeing that, Dutch felt the tension between them easing away.
He knew he had to keep the Callander brothers close—without them, the Van der Linde Gang would lose its strongest guns.
"Listen, Davey," Dutch said, his tone measured. "Even though you didn't take part in this job, I haven't forgotten what you and your brother have done. What happened in Blackwater was just an accident—no one wanted that."
"Once we sell these bonds, you two will get your share."
"With that kind of money, we can go anywhere we want. Of course, I know it's still not enough. Once things calm down, we'll retrieve the cash we left hidden in Blackwater—and then we'll finally be free."
After finishing, Dutch turned and called out, "Micah! Bring those cigars and that brandy you took—give some to Davey and Mac!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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