Eight

                                    

                                          
Arthur chuckled.
"Talk to Dutch?", he asked and looked up from his alcohol to gift you a look that could only be understood as mockery. "And what good would I tell about you?"
You shrugged.
"That the whiskey is good.", you grinned.
"Ah. I doubt that this would be enough for him."
Sighing, you couldn't help but roll your eyes.
"Listen, sir-..."
"Arthur."
"Arthur. I know who you people are and what your kind of business is, alright?"
Curling his lips, Arthur leaned back in his seat to eye you from top to bottom. He seemed a little offended, but more surprised that you were already in the picture about him and his gang.
"So?", he took another sip of whiskey. "Is that a threat?"
Your eyes jumped through the room.
The music of a piano mixed with the singing of a high woman's voice.
People were chatting and laughing while card games kept them busy and the alcohol flowed.
No one payed any attention to the two of you.
But you leaned in to meet Arthur closer eye to eye anyways.
"You do robberies and stuff, don't ya?", you asked with a smirk. "Don't deny it, I've seen my fair share of shady fellas and your Dutch is for sure one of the shadiest."
Arthur sucked in a sharp breath, held it for a moment and then leaned forward to let it back out again.
While doing so, his broad chest narrowed, only to spread again as the air left his lungs.
He really was a well build man, not just in size but also looks.
The smell of whiskey and tobacco lingered inside your nose.
He must have smoked before coming in.
"Listen, sweetheart...", he started in a warning way.
With a smirk, you shook your head.
"It's (Y/N)."
His eyes moved over your face.
"Alright. So listen here, (Y/N). We do our business, you do yours. As long as you keep your nose where it belongs we ain't got a problem, got it?"
You couldn't help but chuckle.
"I think we misunderstood each other, Arthur.", you lowered your head to look at him through pulled together eyebrows. "I don't care what your line of work is. As long as you don't get into my line of work."
"Gimme a reason to tell Dutch to leave you alone then."
"Well... I know my way around town. I know everything, to be exact."
His eyebrows rose. The plump lips of his opened a crack wide to let out a deep breath.
Now his attention was stirred.
"Go on."
"Hm. I could. But if you want me to have a huge mouth you'd need to get Dutch to give me his word that my business is off limits. And Ginny."
Arthur frowned.
"Ginny?", he asked. "Ah, that little fella I've scared at church."
"Yeah."
He eyes you again for a moment.
"Aren't you a bit young to have a child that age?"
A laugh escaped you.
"He's my brother.", you clarified and earned an understanding sound from him.
"Alright.", Arthur took a huge gulp of the whiskey bottle before smashing it on the counter with such force that it seemed to be a miracle it remained unbroken. "Let's get you to Dutch then."
He grabbed his hat and wanted to walk off, but stopped as he noticed you didn't move as well.
"I can't leave.", you said and gestured around. "Place doesn't run without me."
Arthur looked around.
"Don't you have people to do that?", he asked.
"Just me, myself and I."
"All that glamour and yet no one to keep it shiny."
A snort escaped you.
Somehow, he had a strange sense of humour. But the way he said it, in such a innocent kind of manner, with no judgment in his voice, it made him sound charming.
And maybe he was.
Maybe he was a charming fella, with those pretty eyes and thick accent, who managed to make a lot of people fall into his trap.
Maybe he was just playing dumb but was a bright mind with so much charisma, he made the people like him in an instant.
That was a dangerous thing about him. But the look on his face made clear that he was dangerous anyways, no matter if charming or not.
"I do things my own way.", you raised your chin, arms crossed. "This is a private business. No spies welcome."
With a gentle smirk on his bearded face, Arthur let his hands rest on the belt that was loosely hanging around his waist and returned the look you gave him.
"If you value control so much, you'll like Dutch.", he said. "He wants to pull all the strings as well."
"Ah. A business man."
He shook his head.
"Not always. He once was just a simple man like me."
"And what happened?"
He shrugged.
"Not sure. He changed. I didn't. Still am just a simple man who wants a simple life. Simple as that."
A smile appeared on your face.
"Simple as that?", you asked and grabbed a bottle of fine liquor from the shelf behind you.
"Simple as that."
You walked around the bar to meet him in the middle of the saloon.
Still, no one was laying any attention to the two of you.
Nobody would probably even notice that you were gone for a few minutes, maybe a good hour.
But you couldn't shake off the feeling that it would be better to wait for Ginny to return so that at least someone had an eye on everything.
"A simple life?", you asked him with a smile as your attention was consumed by that calm, shimmering blue of his wise appearing eyes. "How is it going with that?"
For a long, intimidatingly long moment, he just started at you.
His body was turned slightly sideways, not fully facing the exit nor fully facing away from you.
He was calm, it was easy to tell by his breathing and the way his shoulders were relaxed.
The sound of the door opening filled your ears.
Ginny returned.
"Well...", Arthur tore his gaze away to throw a glance over to your brother. "It ain't that simple."