"Can I leave with you guys?"
Inside the police station, Michael leaned toward Leo and said quietly, "The beds here are harder than the floor in my office."
"That would expose our connection, Michael. It's not good for the plan," Leo replied calmly.
"And if anyone asks, just say I came to pick up Emily.
I'm already working on the lumber issue. As long as you're here, you'll continue to draw their attention.
That benefits us. Trust me—if you care about your safety, you'd better stay right here."
"…Alright. What about Patrick? He's as stubborn as a mule. Got any idea how to convince him?" Michael asked.
Leo looked him in the eye.
"There are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests."
When Leo and Emily stepped out of the police station, a crowd had already gathered at the entrance.
Most of them were witnesses to yesterday's stabbing at the movie theater.
They'd heard the police had arrested the murderer and were demanding a public trial.
It was an unexpected bonus, but Leo had no intention of sticking around.
He took Emily with him to explore Lynchburg's real estate market—both to complete early-stage research for the real estate business, and to throw off his enemies.
At the Meyer estate, Carlo and Johnny hadn't even been let inside.
The butler, expressionless, stepped out and gave them only a cold, questioning glance.
"Please inform Mr. Meyer that Michael is still in the police station. The mission has failed.
We would like to hear new instructions from Mr. Meyer and Mr. Benn."
The old butler, a longtime servant of the Meyers and deeply involved in this operation, didn't even turn to relay the message.
He simply replied coldly, "Mr. Meyer isn't interested in bad news. If you want to be let in again, you'd better come back with good news."
Johnny, impatient as always, couldn't stand being mocked by an old man.
He snapped, "What's wrong, old man? Deaf? Didn't you hear us say Michael is in the police station? How the hell are we supposed to bring good news?"
The butler gave Johnny a sideways glance but kept his attention on Carlo.
"Johnny, wait outside," Carlo said firmly.
He had caught the butler's meaning. Only when Johnny had walked away did the old man speak again.
"Carlo, I taught you how to shoot and introduced you to Mr. Meyer because I thought you had potential.
But I'm disappointed. Too much bloodshed has made you forget you still have a brain.
Figure out a way to get Michael out."
The reminder hit Carlo like a flash of inspiration.
He nodded gratefully. "Thank you, sir. I know what to do now."
The butler gave a slight nod and said in a flat voice, "I hope the next time you come back, it's with good news.
You know very well, your career exists only because of Mr. Meyer. Time is running out for you, Carlo."
"What did that old man say?"
Johnny asked when Carlo reappeared.
Carlo didn't answer him. Instead, he turned to another underling and said,
"I want to know where Emily is right now.
If we can get her, I don't believe Michael will keep hiding in the station."
But it wasn't Carlo's men who found Emily first.
Carlo himself spotted her—in the usual place, the noodle restaurant.
It was already approaching evening. Johnny, standing beside him, sneered,
"Look at that girl you chased for three years. Practically glued to Leo now. Haven't they been inseparable the last two days?"
The veins in Carlo's neck bulged, but he took a deep breath and held it in.
In his mind, though, Johnny had just signed his own death warrant.
As soon as this mess was over, Carlo planned to send Johnny a one-way trip to the bottom of a bridge.
Johnny whistled, disappointed that he couldn't get a rise out of Carlo.
"So what now?" he asked. "My guys told me Emily stayed at Leo's place last night.
Kidnapping her to pressure Michael doesn't seem all that realistic anymore."
Carlo thought in silence for a moment, then raised his head. A flash of cruelty crossed his eyes.
"That hitman you hired—wasn't he supposed to be able to take on ten men at once? What was his name? Ike? Aiken?"
Johnny's face twitched. He looked toward Leo, who had just entered the noodle shop, and grumbled,
"Don't bring him up. Turns out Leo beat the hell out of him—crippled him, practically.
Now he's begging me for medical money. I refused, and he threatened me.
So I buried him behind the factory, up on the hill."
"Why'd he fight Leo?" Carlo asked.
"He was a war nut. Always picking fights," Johnny replied.
Carlo pointed to Desmond and the others entering the restaurant behind Leo.
"Were those his buddies?"
"Yeah," Johnny said, nodding. "Aiken said they were no joke."
What Johnny said casually, Carlo took seriously.
He suddenly turned and stared at Johnny.
"You're saying Aiken—the guy who could take on ten men—said those guys weren't simple?"
Johnny looked confused, but nodded anyway.
Carlo's face changed. He murmured,
"Maybe it really was Leo who cleared out the sawmill…"
"Well then, you better convince Mr. Meyer and that young man it was him,"
Johnny said sarcastically, not believing it for a second.
In his opinion, Carlo's cousin Hassan had just taken the money and run.
The sawmill was way too clean. There were no signs of struggle—none.
Neither Johnny nor Benn believed anyone could eliminate over twenty men without leaving a single trace.
Johnny's mockery made Carlo feel even more defeated.
He realized Benn no longer trusted him.
Now, his only remaining option was to kidnap Emily to force Michael out of the police station—then kill him.
If that worked, maybe, just maybe, he could stay under Meyer's protection.
"You've always wanted to settle that childhood score," Carlo said coldly. "Tonight, take some men and deal with Leo. Then grab Emily."
"How many men?" Johnny asked. "Too many will draw attention. Too few and we can't pull it off.
You saw the guy at the theater—he took out four men in five seconds."
Johnny looked interested, but hesitated at the thought of Leo's combat skills.
"Bring the 'typewriters,'" Carlo said grimly.
"You're nuts," Johnny snapped. "Using guns in town? You want to get us run out of Lynchburg?"
Carlo grabbed Johnny by the collar and dragged him close, snarling into his face:
"Listen to me, Johnny. This is the last time I'm telling you.
If we fail this mission, we lose Meyer's protection. And without Meyer—we're nothing!"
Johnny didn't fully grasp the tangled web of relationships involved.
But faced with Carlo's manic fury, even the hulking Johnny backed down.
He shrugged and muttered,
"You're the boss. Four guys. Four Thompsons.
We'll turn your love rival into Swiss cheese—and bring your girl back."