Chapter 5: TroubleUnder the sharp gaze of Harvey Harmon, the muscular bald man with a cruel expression, the younger man beside him quietly drew a pistol from his waist holster and moved stealthily toward the door.
Peering through the small peephole, the younger man saw an Asian young man standing outside, wearing a pizza delivery helmet and the familiar red-and-white overalls of Tony's Pizza, clutching a stack of steaming hot pizzas.
"Hello? Is anyone home? Your pizza has arrived!" Ethan Cole called out clearly as he pressed the doorbell button again, the chime ringing sharply through the tense silence.
Inside, despite the lights glowing brightly, no one moved to open the door. Ethan furrowed his brow, feeling a faint unease. Why would no one answer? The building looked inhabited.
At the door, Ma Zai, one of Harvey's henchmen, glanced back at his boss uncertainly. Harvey's glare was cold and impatient — he was itching to return to his brutal task of beating Joey Baker to death for his treachery. Yet this unexpected pizza delivery interrupted his rage, and the thought of having a stranger stumble onto their grim scene worried him.
The cold glint in Harvey Harmon's eyes flickered dangerously. He briefly considered eliminating Ethan right then and there to avoid any risk. But the voice of his elder brother, the calculating and ruthless gang leader who had cautioned him to avoid unnecessary trouble, restrained him.
"Hide. Send him away quickly, but don't show any tricks," Harvey instructed softly, signaling Ma Zai.
Ma Zai nodded obediently and, after ensuring the other men were hidden out of sight, slid the door open a crack.
"Wait a moment. Let me find some change," Ma Zai said with a feigned calmness.
He took the pizzas from Ethan's hands and placed them gently on the floor inside. Ethan, puzzled by the delay but trained to keep his tone professional, said softly, "Thank you for your trust. The total is thirty-two dollars. I'll include some coupons for your next order. Hope you enjoy your meal!"
Ma Zai pulled out four ten-dollar bills from his jacket pocket and handed them to Ethan. "Keep the change," he said brusquely.
Ethan smiled politely and replied, "Thank you for your generosity. Have a good day."
Just as Ma Zai moved to close the door, a sudden sound broke the tense quiet — a heavy thud accompanied by a dull, sickening noise.
The corpse Ma Zai was dragging suddenly slipped from his grasp, tumbling down four or five stairs. Its head struck the floor with a sickening thud.
Ma Zai's face instantly drained of color. He hurriedly grabbed the corpse's leg to lift it again, but the body — battered, bruised, and slick with blood — was heavier and slipperier than he had anticipated. The mixture of congealed blood and the corpse's weight made it difficult to hold, causing the accident.
Ethan and Ma Zai both heard the noise. Ma Zai quickly turned his body to shield Ethan's view from the open doorway.
Ethan instinctively turned his head toward the noise but quickly dismissed any suspicion. Probably a pet knocking something over, he thought quietly. He didn't ask questions, not wanting to risk drawing attention or getting involved.
Without delay, Ethan mounted his motorcycle and headed home, the city lights reflecting off the wet asphalt.
From inside, Ma Zai watched Ethan's motorcycle fade into the distance. Nothing appeared amiss to the casual observer, and a brief sigh of relief escaped him.
"I'm sorry, boss! I didn't mean to drop him! There was too much blood, and I lost my grip for a second," Ma Zai stammered nervously when Harvey's cold eyes bore into him.
"But I pulled him back up immediately. It couldn't have been more than two seconds before the kid outside heard the noise, and I blocked his view," Ma Zai hurried to assure his ruthless boss.
Harvey Harmon said nothing, his glare fixed on the man who had opened the door.
"Did that delivery kid see anything?" Harvey asked sharply.
Ma Zai hesitated, then shook his head. "No, I only opened the door halfway. When I heard the noise, I turned sideways to block the view. He probably didn't see anything."
Without a word, Harvey moved toward the window, checking carefully to confirm that no one was lurking outside.
He then returned to the door and stepped out where Ethan had just stood.
"Do exactly what you did before," Harvey ordered the younger man at the door, signaling him to reenact the delivery.
Ma Zai repeated his previous actions precisely, from the half-opened door to placing the pizza on the floor.
Harvey nodded slowly. The kid outside couldn't have seen a thing, he thought grimly. The large frame of Ma Zai had shielded the view like a wall.
Then Harvey stepped down the porch again, looked back, and ordered coldly, "Don't move."
Ma Zai froze as his boss scanned the doorway once more.
"You stood like this, right?" Harvey confirmed.
Ma Zai thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes, exactly like that."
Without warning, Harvey grabbed Ma Zai by the collar and slammed his head forcefully against the stair railing — Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ma Zai screamed in pain, confusion and fear clouding his eyes as Harvey released him.
"When the delivery kid turned around just now, he could've seen the blood on the stairs between your legs," Harvey hissed.
"If you'd pulled the corpse up any higher, the kid would've seen half the head."
Cold sweat broke out on Ma Zai's forehead, fearing that Harvey's wrath would soon fall on him.
"You did well earlier. This isn't your fault," Harvey said flatly, though his eyes burned with dark intent. "But that kid outside — he's trouble. I don't know if he saw anything."
"Figure out a way to get rid of him — an accident, or something quiet and reasonable."
Ma Zai's relief was palpable. As long as Harvey spared him punishment, arranging a quiet 'accident' was within his capacity.
"I understand. I'll keep a close eye on him for the next two days and make arrangements," Ma Zai promised swiftly.
Harvey nodded in approval. "After cleaning up the scene, evacuate. Take those two wastes back for the dogs."
"Yes, boss."
Half an hour later, the house flickered with an orange glow in the dark night. Flames licked the walls, gradually consuming everything, until only ashes and ruins remained — erasing all traces of the Bloodhead Gang's violent betrayal and murder.