Deals And Dangers (1)

It was Jack's second time leaving the police station within 24 hours. Only this time, the cops weren't hostile to him, at least not openly, and even treated him with basic decency.

He had to give a statement about what happened along with the girl who was then sent to the city hospital for a checkup. The Child Services would then help her settle somewhere else.

"Um… thank you for saving the girl," Angela said.

"No need for thanks," Jack replied. "Just make sure those fuckers get to spend a long time in prison."

Angela nodded, but it was a weak nod. She knew the system well and even knew the gang those people belonged to. Forget about prison, they'd at most get a slap on the wrist thanks to their connections, perhaps with some hour of community service.

However, she didn't have the heart to tell Jack that. The courts weren't at fault. It was the fear the Claw gang had among the locals. No one would dare to testify against them, and it was also the reason cops rarely ventured into their territory.

Even Angela only followed Jack there to spy on him. As he headed to the notorious area known for its crimes, she thought Jack was certainly not innocent. She followed him, hoping to find something incriminating against him and get rid of him.

That's why she was surprised when he rushed to protect a girl. For a moment, she wondered if Jack knew she was following him and wanted to lure her into the alley.

The suspicion lasted until she saw the gun pointed at Jack and his face drained of color. Angela realized it wasn't as she thought and rushed to his aid and now, she was in the middle of an investigation she never wanted to be a part of.

The fearless officer who arrested Jack without a second thought was afraid of what the Claws might do to her. That went to show the influence they held over the city.

As the two walked out, Angela kept stealing glances at Jack. She was worried the Claws might target him first and wanted him to stay safe, but not out of care.

She was worried the fool would lead the Claws to grandma. He hoped Jack would stay away from them. However, she also knew he didn't care about her opinion and would stay with Granny no matter what she said.

"This is where we part ways," she said as the taxi arrived. "Go straight home. Don't wander around because I won't be there to save your ass this time."

"Got it, mom!"

Jack rolled his eyes, stepping inside the taxi. He said that to annoy her, but to his displeasure, she immediately got into the role and patted his head.

"Be a good boy and mommy with treat you later, okay? Call me when you need and mommy will come running!"

Jack was speechless. How the hell could she behave like that without cringing once?

"Where to sir—oh, it's you!"

Jack looked up and noticed it was the same taxi driver who had dropped him off at the entertainment district.

"How's the business going?" the driver asked, winking at Jack.

After the strange interaction he had with Angela, the driver thought she was a customer of his, hence the wink.

"Just drive…" Jack said, sighing.

The day couldn't possibly get any worse for him.

Until Mehra called him.

"Sir, I found some local businesses interested in your offer," he said. "Should I—"

"That's great. Send me their location and accompany me if you have the time," Jack replied. "Obviously, it'll be worth your time."

Mehra pretended to think a bit before agreeing. He was getting money for acting like the middleman, thus there was no reason for him to decline the offer.

—x—

Mehra sent Jack the addresses of three businesses. First was a machining shop, then a garage, and finally a restaurant. Only the machining shop was willing to sell, while the other two desired investments in exchange for stake.

Jack had no interest in buying the machining shop since he knew nothing about them. As for the garage and restaurant, it was better to get some stakes because he didn't have enough money to hire capable personnel.

>> Let's meet at the garage first.

He quickly sent Mehra a message and received a thumbs up emoji in reply.

"Young man, you look different now," the driver commented. "You appear more confident than you did back then."

"Is that so? No wonder you fooled me back then."

"Ahem… let's not dwell on the past."

Jack smiled and shook his head.

It took half an hour for them to reach the garage, and true to his nature, the driver once again tried to overcharge Jack. However, one glare brought the price down to $20.

===

Current Balance: $32,064

===

The driver handed the card back, along with a piece of paper.

"That's my number, sir. Please call me if you need to go somewhere. I'll even give you a 10% discount!"

"Alright."

The car drove off, and Jack looked at Mehra's message. He got stuck in traffic, but had informed the owner about Jack and asked him to just go inside.

"…lazy ass wants commission with this kind of service?"

Jack rolled his eyes before turning towards the garage. Much like the rest of the neighborhood, even the garage could use some repairs.

The metal roof had more rust than metal, with numerous holes. The paint on the walls had faded long ago, even peeling in some parts. A flickering light illuminated the garage's name: Last Stop Garage.

They took their name too seriously.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle as he walked inside. If Jack thought the outside appearance was bad, the inside was much worse.

Cobwebs hung everywhere his eyes went. There were three service stations within, but only one old car remained in the middle while an old bike could be seen on the side.

Many tools were scattered on the floor. Most were covered in dust, while a few were rusted. Old oil stains and tyre marks were visible on the floor, perhaps the sign that the garage was once a popular spot.

The only saving grace of the place was that it wasn't covered in graffiti, otherwise, anyone would think the garage had been abandoned for a long time.

"Good, you're here."

A man with a white bushy beard appeared from behind the car.

"Hello, I'm Jack—"

"It doesn't matter," the man waved his hand dismissively, before pointing at the bike with his wrench. "Fix the bike and then we can talk about the money."

Without saying another word, the old man went back to fixing the car, leaving Jack utterly confused.

Did he mistake me for a mechanic?