Davey couldn't personally kill Bronte.
That would break the rules.
After all, in the city—especially in the eastern United States—when gangs clashed, you didn't just go straight for the other side's boss.
Once someone became a boss, the whole point was to enjoy a better life. Why risk your neck in bloody fights when you had plenty of underlings to do that for you?
So over time, an unspoken understanding formed between gangs.
Most conflicts stayed at the level of the lower ranks and didn't reach the upper leadership.
Of course, that wasn't absolute. If two gangs reached a point of no return, then rules no longer mattered.
Davey had to follow the rules. The Italian Mafia was a massive force.
Though he was strong now, he was still far from being able to match them.
If he personally killed Bronte, the first consequence would be the backlash from much of Saint Denis's political circle. That would create serious obstacles for his later plans to control the city.
The second consequence would be retaliation from the Mafia.
When it came to cultivating die-hard assassins, the Mafia had a fearsome reputation.
So Davey had no intention of interfering in the tram station affair.
He would let Dutch, just like in the original story, give in to his anger, take revenge on Bronte, and kill him to vent his fury.
After Bronte's death, Dutch would continue with the bank robbery plan.
It was obvious that the Saint Denis Police Department—even with the Pinkertons added in—couldn't possibly wipe out all of Dutch's people.
When those gun-wielding outlaws pulled off another major job,
Police Chief Benjamin of Saint Denis would have no choice but to resign and take responsibility.
Meanwhile.
Dutch had returned.
He had already scouted the route and found someone willing to help.
With everything arranged, Dutch laid out his revenge plan to Hosea.
On the second-floor balcony of Shady Belle.
Hosea sat in a chair while Dutch stood beside him, trying to persuade him.
Hosea opposed Dutch's desire for revenge.
The two began to argue.
Hearing the raised voices, Arthur came over as well.
Seeing Arthur, Hosea said, "Arthur, the deciding vote's yours."
Arthur, still unaware of what was going on, instinctively asked, "Deciding what?"
Dutch said, "Do we swallow this humiliation and scatter like cockroaches?"
"Or do we settle the score properly?"
Hosea shot back, "We don't need revenge. We barely even know the man."
Dutch immediately replied, "This isn't about revenge, Hosea."
"Angelo Bronte doesn't mean a damn thing to me."
"We're talking about robbing a bank on his turf."
"A bank he's clearly protecting…"
"In a place where his men will be shooting at us. Before we make a move, we have to cripple him."
It was obvious Dutch was blurring the line, tying the Lemoyne bank robbery together with revenge.
"I'm against it!" Hosea cut him off firmly.
"There has to be an easier way."
Dutch continued pressing his case. "There isn't. I know his kind. A grudge-holding fixer with just enough power to throw his weight around, controlling everything through fear."
"If we stir up trouble on his turf, we're dead."
"If we want to leave this place—leave this country—we need that money."
Hosea shook his head. "It just doesn't feel right, Dutch."
Dutch tried to soothe him. "All right. This will be our last job."
"By the end of the year, we'll be harvesting mangoes in Tahiti."
"Living as farmers."
"But we need money for seeds, and money for the trip out of here."
"You know it, I know it—this has to be done. Isn't that right, Hosea?"
Hosea was growing frustrated. "Sorry, Dutch."
"I'm in no mood to think about harvesting mangoes."
Dutch cut him off. "Enough."
He turned to Arthur. "Trust me, Arthur."
Arthur felt uneasy under Dutch's gaze. Hosea looked at him with expectation, hoping he would take his side.
They had argued back and forth long enough. The deciding vote was Arthur's.
After a brief hesitation, Arthur said, "If this is business… then business is business."
Clearly, Dutch's tactic had worked.
He had successfully convinced Arthur that taking revenge on Bronte and robbing the bank were the same thing.
If they didn't eliminate Bronte first, he might interfere again—just like he had during the tram station robbery—and sabotage their plan.
So killing Bronte became part of the bank robbery itself.
Hosea's expression turned helpless.
Dutch tried to reassure him. "Angelo Bronte is standing between us and our future."
But Hosea wasn't convinced.
Though he hadn't witnessed the tram station robbery in person, he already knew that Dutch, Arthur, and Lenny had killed a number of officers while escaping Saint Denis.
That was bound to cause a major uproar in the city.
Striking at Bronte now would push the Van der Linde Gang from the edge of the storm straight into its center.
One wrong move, and they would be doomed beyond recovery.
Bronte's death would only make the bank robbery even harder.
Not to mention the Pinkerton detectives who had already appeared in Saint Denis.
Before robbing the bank, they should be keeping their heads down—not committing such a brazen murder, especially of a highly influential figure in Saint Denis.
It would make them enemies of the entire city.
"You're going to get us all killed, Dutch!"
Dutch glanced at Hosea calmly, then turned away. "Come on, Arthur."
Arthur could no longer tell right from wrong.
All he could say was, "You'd better be right this time, Dutch."
Dutch replied, "I will be."
Arthur couldn't help but answer with a trace of sarcasm, "That's what you always say—'I'm always right.'"
Dutch was used to Arthur's sharp tongue. "If that's what you think."
"Don't question me, Arthur. It won't do you any good."
...
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