When the Devil Cries (Arthur Morgan X Male OC)

26. Tame the Beast

From Arthur's POV

LATER THAT DAY

SHADY BELLE

Hitching our horses at the posts outside of camp, Eddie went off to get somethin' to eat while I searched for Dutch, eager to give him all the info Trelawny had told us the previous day.

It looked like the gang was a bit more agitated than usual -- aside from little Jack who was mindin' his own business and playin' in the grass -- and not too far away from me, I could hear Bill and Javier arguing while Kieran got trapped in the middle, unsure of how to handle the situation like the innocent bystander he was.

What really concerned me though -- outta all this unrest -- was of course, Micah...who seemed intent on hammerin' his boot-licking rhetoric into Dutch's head at the moment as they spoke on the manor's front porch, hidden away from the rest of the gang.

For whatever reason, they was talkin' in hushed tones and making sure to keep their voices low, almost as if they didn't want no one else to know what they were saying. Normally, I wouldn't have thought much of it -- Dutch had private conversations with the gang's members all the time, after all -- but the fact that it was Micah made me suspect something was off, and I didn't like it one bit.

Approachin' the two of them at a casual pace, I interrupted their little secret meeting, just barely picking up the last sentences of their conversation.

"--you really believe that?" Dutch questioned, sounding slightly dismissive, but also strangely intrigued.

"It's just somethin' to bear in mind." Micah suggested, holding his hands up in a diplomatic manner.

His eyes wandered over to me, making him drop the subject. "Ah, but look who it is. Mister Morgan. You certainly know how to show up at the most inconvenient times, don't you?"

I scoffed. "Nothing's convenient when you're around."

Micah rolled his eyes at that and leaned against a pillar, makin' himself right at home as Dutch brought his attention to me. "A real gentleman, as always."

"Arthur!" Dutch called out, lighting a cigar. "You're back. What've you learned?"

"We met with Trelawny," I replied. "He says the party's in four days. Well-- three, now."

Dutch tossed the match away. "Three days. That should give us enough time, but we'll have to move quick. So, what's the situation lookin' like? What can we expect?"

"About the same as any party. Accordin' to Trelawny, there'll be lots of rich folk, lots of money, and lots of security."

The other man grinned. "Sounds good."

I hesitated. "...And there's also the fact that guests ain't allowed to carry weapons on the boat."

He quirked a brow. "What? How are we supposed to rob people without any guns?"

"Josiah reckons we can cheat in the Poker games," I explained. "One of us'll act all prim and proper, slip our way in, and another person will tell them what moves to make from a distance. I think Strauss would be best for that job."

Dutch nodded. "I agree. This is definitely up Strauss' alley. And what about the person who'll be playin' Poker? Any ideas who should do that?"

I rubbed my chin. "...I say Eddie."

He breathed out a puff of smoke. "Not Micah?"

A sarcastic chuckle escaped me. "Well, that depends on if you actually want the money or not."

The sleazy man frowned at that. "Oh...very funny, Morgan--"

"--Enough!" Dutch stepped in almost instantly, scowling at us. "Don't you two start now." He let out a fatigued sigh, goin' along with my recommendation. "Very well. Since Arthur's the one been investigatin' this, I'll go with what he says. Eddie will do the job. In the meantime..."