Chapter 62 Bearing Others' Sins
Joe, with his ponytail, turned toward the alley upon hearing the phone ring and subtly raised two fingers.
Nearby, two young men were shoving Alex into a car, while the other two pulled guns from their jackets, racking them with a sharp, metallic click. The man in the black leather jacket glanced nervously at Joe and said, "If someone sees me, that'd be a problem."
"If anyone notices, take them out," Joe replied, gesturing to the two armed men.
Following orders, the two armed men immediately spread out and started advancing toward the alley, their guns at the ready.
Joe trailed behind them at a leisurely pace, exuding calm composure.
In the silent alley, their footsteps reverberated dully. The armed youths advanced about 20 feet, then turned a corner to their left, spotting a wooden door ajar at the back of a building, with a sliver of light seeping through.
Joe licked his lips and moved forward, signaling his companions to hold their position. He then peeked inside the door and abruptly grabbed the handle.
The door swung open, releasing a waft of greasy air. Joe glanced inside, noting it was the back kitchen of a small restaurant, where a chef was frying something. The chef turned around at the sound, his chubby cheeks creasing into a smile. "The main entrance is at the front."
Joe scrutinized the chef, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "We took a wrong turn."
The chef, seemingly unfazed, turned back to his frying.
Seeing nothing amiss, Joe closed the door and retreated with his companions.
As soon as they left, a storage room door within the kitchen quietly opened. Eric, pointing a gun at another chef, menaced fiercely, "Just keep cooking and don't get yourself killed."
"Got it, got it," the startled chef stammered, nodding vigorously.
"Let's head out through the front," Alexander urged Eric, tucking away his gun.
On the street, Joe climbed into his car, addressing the young man in the black jacket, "It was just a restaurant kitchen. Probably someone from the shop making a call. No big deal."
"That's a relief," the young man sighed, relaxing visibly.
"Call if there's anything else," Joe instructed, before closing the car door. "Let's go."
The driver put the car in gear and sped away.
The young man in the black jacket watched the car vanish down the road, then eagerly pulled out the money Joe had given him, moistening his thumb with spit to count it as he walked.
At the front entrance of the restaurant, Alexander walked briskly, his head down, muttering, "These guys have an insider; there's no other way this went down so smoothly."
"The one in the black jacket," Eric speculated, his mind racing. "Someone from the shop?"
"Definitely. He just took the money," Alexander confirmed with a curt nod.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll call Andrew and tell him to drive over," Alexander said, pulling out his phone and dialing Andrew's number.
A few seconds later, the call connected, and Alexander immediately cursed, "Are you stupid? You know we're working, but you still call, almost getting us killed!"
"Why so angry? Your friend can't take calls right now," Coco's voice came through, calm and unflinching.
Alexander was stunned for a moment. "Who are you?"
"I'm Alex's boss," Coco said curtly, "We met in the private room earlier."
Alexander, with a good memory, quickly recalled and asked, "You're the one who came back for the bag?"
"Yeah," Coco confirmed.
"What do you mean?" Alexander's confusion deepened.
"Paul is gone. We were set to abandon the Pine City, but Alex—out of the goodness of his heart—insisted on helping you guys. But you broke the rules," Coco explained with a frown. "If you don't return Alex, I'll take one of your friend's legs, and this will be over."
Alexander was dumbfounded and quickly protested, "You're making us take the fall for someone else's crime!"
"You know deep down if it's your responsibility."
"That's nonsense! Alex isn't with us. He was kidnapped by someone else," Alexander explained, wide-eyed. "We didn't even get to see him..."
"Alex had an appointment with you tonight. Only you and I knew the time and place. He got into trouble right after you went upstairs with guns. You expect me to believe it wasn't you?" Coco's voice was icy, dripping with skepticism.
Alexander was speechless, feeling his frustration boiling over.
"I don't care if you're with the Patricks or some drug company. If anything happens to Alex, I guarantee you won't even know where your friend is buried tomorrow."
"It really wasn't us!" Alexander almost shouted, "We came here to secure a supply channel."
Coco tapped her fingers lightly on her leg, holding the phone in her right hand. After a moment of silence, she responded, "We don't have a basis of trust. It's hard for me to believe you. How about this: if you say it wasn't you, come see me, and we'll talk face-to-face."
"Do you think I'm an idiot? You don't believe me now, but you'll believe me if I come to see you?" Alexander retorted, frowning. "If we fall into your hands, will we still have our heads?"
"You won't return the person, and you don't dare to meet. Do you think I'm just some bar hostess?" Coco sneered, "Then there's nothing to discuss. Tomorrow, I'll tell you where to collect your friend's body."
"Wait!" Alexander, sweating, pleaded. "Give me some time. I can prove it wasn't us."
Coco paused, thought for a moment, then looked at her watch. "If I don't hear from you before dawn, we won't need to contact each other again."
With that, the phone call ended abruptly.
"What happened?" Eric asked urgently when he saw Alexander lower the phone, his face paling.
Alexander cursed under his breath. "The woman with Andrew tonight is Alex's boss. She thinks we did something to Alex, so she captured Andrew."
"Fuck!" Eric kicked over a trash can on the side of the road. "Why is everything going wrong?"
On the street, Coco sat in the car with her legs crossed, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
"Boss, anyone daring to grab Alex in our territory must be desperate. Since they've already succeeded, they probably won't care about their companion anymore, so Alex is in real danger," the driver said, his face stern as he gripped the steering wheel.
"There could be other possibilities." Coco frowned slightly, shaking her head. "Find out if Alex has offended anyone recently."
"What do you mean?" the driver asked, puzzled.
"Ask less, do more," Coco replied, her face expressionless as she stared ahead.
"Got it. I'll make the call right away." the driver nodded repeatedly.
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