SWNOVELS Chapter 52
Chapter 52
The group of guys tiptoed around nervously, feeling like they were walking into a trap, but they stumbled in anyway. One scrawny dude even grabbed a glass, ready to hurl it to the floor, when Karla’s voice floated through the air. “You break anything in here, and I’ll break you.”
That skinny guy jumped, dropping the glass in a panic, but scrambled to catch it just in time.
“What the hell do you want from us?” The chubbier one couldn’t handle Karla’s psychological warfare and surrendered with a gloomy face.
Karla eyed them with frosty detachment. She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “Idiots!”
“Don’t you know how to improvise? To act on the fly?” Karla snapped, clearly annoyed.
As the words left her mouth, she saw their heads shaking like bobbleheads. Karla rubbed her temples with a sigh. Ditching subtlety, Karla laid it out plain and simple, “Listen up, when you go back, just say you’ve completed your task. Don’t mention seeing me. Just pretend I don’t exist.”
“And if I find out you’ve blabbed about me-” Karla tapped a baseball bat against her shoulder and smirked, “I’ll make sure you’ll be limping away.”
Minutes later, Karla peeked through the curtains, watching as the group fled the scene. She shook her head, disappointed. A little resistance would have given her a chance to warm up.
Suddenly, she noticed someone looking up from the street. Quick as a flash, she yanked the curtains closed.
Once hidden, Karla’s face twisted into a frown. The guy looking up at her seemed familiar. Had she seen him before?
Teddy had rushed to 17 St. Rose’s Street after catching wind of some news. He originally thought he was late, but he didn’t expect to see Joseph’s few lackeys rushing out of the building in panic.
Curious, Teddy looked up and saw a girl standing behind a window in Rowan’s apartment. His face showed utter bewilderment. Rowan lived alone, didn’t he? Who was this mystery girl in his place?
At 11 PM, Rowan pedaled his bike home, only to be intercepted again. The bike’s rear seat was grabbed forcefully, forcing Rowan to stop. He was in no mood for chitchat, not even bothering to glance back, “Teddy, let
go.”
Teddy was serious, stepping in front of him, “Rowan, you live alone, right?”
“So?”
“Then who’s that girl?” Teddy pressed, his gravity suggesting the matter was of utmost importance.
A glint of something passed through Rowan’s eyes, but his face remained stoic, “What woman?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I saw her.”
Rowan was unflappable, asking calmly, “And where did you see this girl?”
“This afternoon. I heard Joseph sent some goons to your place, so I rushed over. I got there just in time to see them running out scared. Then I saw a girl standing behind your window.” Teddy’s stern expression left no room for humor.
Rowan’s demeanor shifted, and he hopped on his bike and took off.
“Hey! I’m not done talking!” Teddy called out.
But Rowan was already too far gone. Teddy muttered to himself, suspecting Rowan might be hiding a woman at home, especially given his recent hurry to get back each night.
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Chapter 52
Teddy was about to chase after him for answers when a breathless figure approached, “Teddy! Wait up!”
Turning, Teddy saw his buddy Andres, “What’s the rush? What happened?”
Andres, gasping for air, leaned on his knees, “Thomas found out we’ve been helping Rowan. He beat our guys up, and sent them to the hospital. They’re bad, man, and there’s no money for the bills. It’s a mess, you gotta come quick.”
“Damn it!” Teddy cursed, his anger flaring. He pushed past Andres and sprinted away.
Andres stood there, sweating bullets, trying to catch his breath, “Teddy, wait for me…”