The plane soared through the night sky, but Norris couldn't find any peace. No matter how hard he tried, sleep eluded him. Thoughts of Bowers, the man who had threatened him and forced his hand in selling the company to the nefarious Sean, weighed heavily on his mind. Bowers took the money and vanished, leaving Norris feeling deeply aggrieved.
As he glanced at Sean and the others, all peacefully asleep with their eyes closed, Norris felt a surge of frustration. It was maddening—if only they could understand his situation, perhaps they would be even angrier than he was.
Unbeknownst to Norris, Bowers was reveling in his newfound fortune. After his unexpected windfall, he was enjoying a night out at a nightclub, surrounded by friends and drinks.
Meanwhile, two individuals approached Bowers' house. Once inside, they donned shoe covers and white gloves, opting for a headlamp that cast a faint glow instead of turning on the lights. One of them began to organize their gear as if preparing for a long journey, while the other searched the premises with laser focus.
Their movements were professional and purposeful; they quickly located the safe that Bowers had hidden. Crouching in front of it, one of the men pulled specialized tools from a bag at his waist and began to work with the precision of an expert.
Their professionalism was evident. Armstrong had assembled a team of retired intelligence operatives, skilled in breaking and entering. Opening a safe required expertise, and this one was no exception. The complexity of the lock was determined by the number of dials, each representing a digit. As the dial turned, a drive cam activated a pin that engaged the adjacent wheel, continuing this process until all the wheels had turned.
Each wheel contained notches, and dialing the correct combination would align these notches perfectly. When aligned, a gap would form, allowing a latch to fall open under its weight, granting access to the safe.
With deft movements, the safe opened, revealing the neatly stacked cash that Sean had given to Bowers. After retrieving the money and stowing away the other items in the safe, the man stood up and surveyed the room once more.
Professionals often use safes to mislead potential intruders, hiding valuable items in unexpected places. Although Bowers lacked such cunning—being just an ordinary vampire with no moral limits—the man still conducted a thorough search out of habit.
As the other individual finished packing, both men ensured the room looked undisturbed, as if Bowers had simply gone on a trip. With their work complete, they slipped quietly into the night.
Bowers, drunk and unsteady, stood at the door of the nightclub, bidding farewell to a few friends. He then stumbled into a taxi, mumbled his address, and promptly fell asleep, leaning against the back seat.
Unbeknownst to Bowers, the taxi did not head to the address he provided but instead drove into a garage. Once the car stopped, the taxi driver exited, retrieved a glass bottle, and poured some liquid onto a handkerchief. He then covered Bowers' face with the handkerchief.
A minute later, Bowers was completely unconscious. At this point, the back door of a nearby van was opened. One person carried a long box to the entrance of the compartment, and together, they placed the unconscious Bowers inside the box.
Shortly after, two more people arrived at the garage. Once all of Bowers' belongings were loaded into the van, the four individuals began stacking other goods into the vehicle, layer by layer, before finally closing the van door.
After a brief conversation, the two newcomers headed to the airport. They were to fly to New Mexico and Oklahoma respectively, to await the arrival of the truck.
Upon the truck's arrival, the license plate would be replaced, and the vehicle repainted. The new driver would then continue towards the East Coast, while the original driver flew to Indiana and Pennsylvania for rest and waiting.
Switching drivers throughout the journey, but not the vehicle, they covered over 1,200 kilometers a day, arriving safely in Newark, New Jersey after three days.
...
Back in Newark, Sean assigned Norris to recuperate. Sean still had official duties to handle and reassured Norris that he would not be mistreated.
During his stay in Newark, Norris experienced Sean's significant influence firsthand. Sean owned a security company staffed with elite veterans. Even as a layman, Norris could tell they were far superior to gangsters or drug criminals. It was clear that Sean had no regard for drug criminals.
Additionally, all the underground forces around Newark respected Sean. Norris experienced this respect firsthand when he visited bars and nightclubs; everyone treated him with the utmost politeness, knowing he was Sean's partner.
Although the bars and nightclubs in Newark differed greatly from those in Hollywood, and the women were incomparable, the status and respect he received provided a different kind of satisfaction.
This led Norris to believe that following Sean might not be so bad. Slowly, he began to adopt Sean's mannerisms.
After three days of rest, Norris was informed that Sean would be taking him out to sea. Initially, Norris assumed it was just a simple yacht party. The past few days had even caused him to forget about his enemy, Bowers.
However, to his shock, once the yacht was at sea, Norris saw Bowers being dragged and thrown onto the deck. Sean, noticing Norris's astonishment, smiled and said, "I brought your greatest enemy. So, have you been cursing me these past few days?"
"Ah? No, no, no, how could I, my dear boss," Norris stammered, forcing a laugh. Seeing Bowers, who now looked like a dead dog on the deck, Norris felt a chill run from his feet to his head.
This man, who should have been living a life of luxury in Hollywood, was now here, looking utterly defeated. It seemed impossible.
Realizing that Bowers had likely been kidnapped, Norris wondered how he had been transported thousands of kilometers to their current location.