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Damon thought about it carefully.
Jimmy's performance this time was actually quite solid.
The only issue was—
"Jimmy," Damon asked, "did you check whether there were any surveillance cameras nearby?"
"Not really," Jimmy replied. "I didn't pay much attention."
Damon fell silent.
"…Next time, you must check the cameras first," he said. "I'll go take a look. If there were any, let's hope I can clean things up in time."
…
Damon returned quickly.
"You have to pay attention to surveillance next time," he said sternly. "Luckily, there were no cameras there. Otherwise, you would've failed this test outright."
"So… that means I passed this time?" Jimmy asked hopefully.
"Barely," Damon replied.
"Yes!" Jimmy pumped his fist.
…
Frank D'Amico had lost his mind.
Just when things were starting to stabilize, the man in charge of distribution was hacked to death in his own stronghold.
Frank exploded.
At least three pounds' worth of profanity poured out of his mouth in a nonstop tirade.
"No matter the cost, find him!" Frank roared. "I want to know who did this!"
"Frank," Joe said cautiously, "right now, finding him isn't your biggest problem, Your safety is."
He continued calmly.
"You should hire bodyguards, pull back your operations, and formally declare war on this so-called superhero."
"As for how," Joe added, "the best approach would be systematic retaliation. Hit everyone connected to him. One by one."
Joe really was a top-tier schemer.
Even though he had no idea who was attacking them, his guess had, by pure coincidence, hit the mark.
…
"Fine!" Frank snapped. "Find that rat as soon as possible. As for my safety, with them around, I'll be fine."
Frank's stubbornness was absolute.
"No," Joe insisted. "They can't guarantee your safety. You should really bring in a professional."
Frank ignored him.
Stubborn idiot, Joe thought. One day, that stubbornness will get you killed.
…
Before long, Frank's retaliation began.
And it came fast.
Everyone who had ever crossed him.
Everyone he had crossed.
Everyone who might cross him.
All were compiled into a single list.
Then, in alphabetical order, Frank began his revenge.
The police took notice immediately.
So many violent crimes in such a short span triggered an investigation.
Veteran detective Marcus quickly spotted the pattern.
Every victim was connected, in one way or another, to Frank D'Amico the city's major distributor.
Either they had offended Frank, or Frank had offended them.
Marcus reported his findings to his superior at once.
His superior reacted just as fast.
A warning call was placed.
When Frank hung up, his face was ashen.
"Joe," he growled, "any news on that bastard yet?"
"Frank," Joe replied, "I'm doing everything I can. But you know how it is. Searching blindly like this makes it hard to find the real culprit."
He paused, then added.
"Also, your retaliation plan is… somewhat unrealistic."
"Just the names starting with the letter 'A' already fill three full pages."
Joe sighed.
"In our line of work, we don't lack enemies, We have too many."
"Hunting them one by one will take forever."
"Did something go wrong?" Joe asked carefully. "Or should we consider changing tactics?"
"What choice do I have?" Frank snapped. "Our people are getting attacked nonstop. That old bastard at the precinct already called me."
"He told us to tone things down, or every so often, hand over a scapegoat."
Joe fell silent for a moment.
"Frank," he asked finally, "what do you want to do?"
Deep down, Joe wanted to stop the retaliation altogether and secure their defenses first.
Judging by that so-called superhero's pattern of action, he would likely reach headquarters soon.
When that happened, they could lie in wait, conserve their strength, and concentrate superior firepower to eliminate him in one strike.
"So, what do we do?" Frank asked. "Retaliation continues, We hand someone over."
"Who?" Joe replied.
The two of them thought for a moment, then spoke at the same time—
"Tony."
"Right... Tony," Joe said, slapping the armrest of the couch. "I hate Tony, That guy's a complete bastard."
"Yes," Frank agreed. "All Tonys deserve to die."
…
Of course, Frank hated Tony because of Iron Man. Without that so-called superhero, maybe there wouldn't be so many busybodies meddling in other people's affairs.
Joe hated Tony for a different reason.
Tony Romano.
Tony Romano was a real piece of trash.
That guy's brain was full of nothing but powder. Three words ruled his life—
Girls.
Fighting.
Snorting.
…
"…Breaking news. Tony Romano has been personally apprehended by an outstanding precinct chief from Queens. Over the past month, he carried out a series of violent retaliatory acts…"
Marcus turned off the television, his expression growing darker.
Others might not know, but he did.
Tony Romano was one of Frank D'Amico's rabid dogs.
This was clearly retaliation coming straight from Frank.
If that was the case…
Was Damon in danger?
Marcus's thoughts spiraled.
He had a suspicion.
What if the person retaliating against Frank was actually his former partner?
Thinking back, his old partner had truly been unlucky.
All because he looked into Frank D'Amico once. Arrested him once and issued a single warning.
That was enough to get him framed and sent to prison.
His wife couldn't bear the shock and took her own life. At least the child in her womb had survived.
"No," Marcus muttered. "I have to warn him."
He quickly found Damon's number and made the call.
"Hey, Damon," Marcus said. "I suddenly thought of Mindy. How is she? Can I come see her?"
"Marcus?" Damon replied, surprised. "Why are you calling now?"
"Mindy? She's fine. She's about to get out of school."
"It's not a full-day daycare, so I need to go pick her up."
He paused, then continued firmly.
"Oh, and one more thing. I'm doing well now. I don't want anything to do with the past anymore."
"I just want a peaceful life. So please, don't come bothering us."
"That's all, Marcus. Sorry, Marcus."
The call ended.
Marcus stared at the blinking location indicator on his screen and sighed.
"…If you really want to say goodbye to the past, why make your phone impossible to track?"
After all, Marcus was a cop.
Finding someone's temporary residence wasn't difficult.
Very quickly, he located Damon.
Damon hadn't even bothered to hide it.
During the day, he worked as a warehouse manager. At night, he was the night watchman at a scrapyard.
Two jobs.
A hardworking father trying to support his family.
Someone who, on the surface, had no time to commit crimes.
And the more Marcus looked, the more certain he became.
It had to be him.
There was just one thing Marcus couldn't figure out—
How exactly had Damon managed to anger Frank D'Amico again?
…
Soon, Marcus drove toward the warehouse where Damon worked during the day.
It was Sunday.
Mindy would be home.
With Mindy present, Marcus believed he could have a proper conversation with Damon.
Revenge?
What revenge was worth more than Mindy?
If Damon truly wanted revenge, shouldn't he at least wait until Mindy grew up?
And more than anything, Marcus was afraid—
Afraid that Damon would drag Mindy into it.
Police always worked in pairs.
You never saw the danger coming from behind.
That was why you needed someone watching your back.
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