I woke up, opened my eyes, and immediately searched for the whereabouts of Roe and Josh. But they were nowhere to be found in the room.
"What have you done to my friends?!" I stormed towards Bartwin, who was sitting casually in his chair. In my mind, I already suspected the worst, remembering how they brutally beat up Roe and Josh earlier.
But Connor and another guard intercepted my steps, forcing me to kneel on the floor and look up at Bartwin.
"Calm down, they are being taken care of by my men. So, what agreement did you make with Magenta?" he asked.
"I didn't agree to anything."
"Oh really? I heard her offer was better than mine. Why isn't a petty thief like you interested?" Bartwin squinted, trying to get a better look at me. He stood up from his chair and walked towards me, blowing smoke from his cigar directly into my face.
I closed my eyes and held my breath, letting the smoke dissipate. The smell of Bartwin's breath was unbearable.
"I have my principles."
"Hahaha!! Look at Connor, see how this little scoundrel dares to speak so highly!" One of Bartwin's hands gripped my chin, and he continued speaking, this time with his usual threatening tone, "You know I don't like being betrayed."
"Is this how you treat a partner? How can our cooperation work if you don't trust me? Besides, I have nothing to prove the truth of my words to you."
His grip on my chin was released harshly. "Since when did we become partners?! I said you will work for me! Fool!"
'Ah, of course. How could I expect more from my agreement with Bartwin yesterday? Especially when our agreement was only spoken words. He's probably more skilled at twisting situations to his advantage.'
"Of course, Mr. Bartwin. Thank you for agreeing to employ me."
If I thought my answer would please Bartwin, I was wrong. His trust in me was now as thin as a tissue. All because of Magenta. The new villainous figure.
In this small town, no one escapes Bartwin's surveillance. I should have known that and been more careful. Fortunately, my decision to reject Magenta was the right one, right?
From my observations, Bartwin still holds the power here. His men are everywhere, even within the police force. But I still have my doubts. I've never heard of Magenta before. Is she a mafia with a different level of influence?
Is it a higher level, or perhaps such a low level that it's not worth considering?
"Do you think your answer can calm me down? Do you think I'm a fool?!" Bartwin's words made me raise an eyebrow. Then what answer does he want to hear? I repeated our conversation in my mind to analyze the flaws in my response to him. Ah, of course, he's angry. Something was missing.
I dropped to the floor and pleaded, putting in great effort to appear convincing, though it was disgusting. But I had to survive. "Forgive me, sir. I didn't think through your best interests. Of course, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with you. I won't betray you, you can trust my words."
Bartwin's eyes narrowed again, and a corner of his mouth lifted in anger. His right hand raised high, ready to strike me!
I waited for the hard slap with my eyes closed, but something unexpected happened. Bartwin merely patted my cheek with his calloused palm.
"Good. You know what my reputation is, right? Don't expect to escape if you're caught betraying me. If I don't kill you myself, I'll make sure you're forcefully thrown into the game until you're killed by those predators!! Hahaha, at least your death will still benefit me!"
"Sly and greedy scum! So, he likes flatterers. Hm, it's quite easy. If last time I could act as I pleased, then today I have to adapt to survive."
"Very well, sir. Um, may we leave? I need to regain my strength to be able to fight at my best."
Bartwin didn't answer, he simply waved his hand at Connor. That meant I could leave his presence. Connor lifted one of my arms to help me stand and dragged me to where Roe and Josh were in the next room.
They were awake and waiting for me, despite their worrying condition.
"Ian!!" Roe greeted me first, running towards me and hugging me.
"Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry for involving you in my troubles, Roe."
"What are you saying, Ian?! This is not your fault! We're just unlucky."
"Roe is right, calm down and worry about yourself," Josh added, their words making me feel uneasy.
They were dragged into my problems with Bartwin. I knew that after this, they wouldn't escape Bartwin's target, and he would use them as my leash. I had to think of a strategy to break free from Bartwin's grip.
Our lives would never be peaceful as long as they were in his clutches! All because of that £15,000!
It feels like just yesterday our lives were peaceful and calm as pickpockets. Sure, we were chased by the police for getting caught stealing, but that was nothing compared to this!
It feels like the old sofas and the smell of household waste in the drains aren't so bad anymore... Our peaceful life is gone from now on.
"Let's go home," I invited them, offering my hand to Josh who was sitting on the floor, his eyes still squinted due to his swollen cheek.
Josh took my outstretched hand, and together we walked out of that underground room. Along the corridor towards the spiral staircase, Connor kept shadowing our steps. Perhaps he didn't want us to get lost.
Well, intentionally getting lost, to be more precise. Because my eyes were scanning every corner of the place. It seemed that here, the proceeds from his business octopus were being collected and counted. I caught a glimpse of trays filled with money.
"Keep walking! Don't dawdle!" Connor scolded me.
Oops, I got caught.
Arriving at the spiral staircase leading upwards, Roe went up first, followed by Josh, and then I pushed his bottom from below.
"Uuugh..." Josh groaned, struggling and panting as he squeezed through the stairs, while my remaining quarter of energy was also exhausted in pushing him up, with Roe having to help pull from above.
After enduring 10 grueling minutes, we finally made it to the top and out of the hidden door. People in the kitchen were watching us. Dawn had broken outside, scorching hot. Of course, I spent 8 hours in the system as well.
Our stomachs growled, and our energy was almost depleted. We walked, supporting each other, towards Ted's flat, which now became our place of residence.
"Should we just go to the diner straight away?" Roe suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea, I'm really hungry..."
"Yeah, let's go there."
So we turned towards the Diner across the intersection on Baker Street.
Ting!
The sound of the doorbell as we entered. There weren't many people here as breakfast time had passed. The remaining customers were either late risers or those with no particular purpose for the day. Some pairs of eyes watched us as we walked in.
We chose a table at the far back to avoid drawing attention. The waitress approached us.
"Hi, are you all okay? Do I need to call an ambulance?" The waitress asked with a concerned tone.
"No, no. We just need a lot of food. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT," Roe answered with swollen lips.
"Okay, what would you like to order?"
"I want the breakfast menu you have, but double the portion," Roe said.
"Me too, but make it three portions," Josh added.
The waitress quickly jotted it down, then turned to me. "And what about you?"
"Just one portion for me, but add 2 pieces of medium rare steak, smothered in thick sauce. I'll have soda for my drink."
"Alright, but I'm sorry, it seems I have to collect payment upfront. You know, business isn't doing so well these days, just being cautious," the waitress said.
I could have been offended by her remark since I saw other customers paying after finishing their meals, but I didn't. I simply handed her the money she asked for. After getting what she wanted, the waitress left us.
My head slumped onto the table, I was incredibly sleepy.
Roe and Josh did the same. I was on the verge of falling asleep when a pat on my shoulder snapped me back to consciousness.
"Tsk tsk tsk, turns out you're pathetic in the real world, Ian Worth."
"Yeah, that's right, weak from the get-go, what a loser."
"See, I told you, Magenta seems to have misjudged this one."
Upon hearing the voices, I immediately sat up and stared in confusion at the three people speaking.