Chapter 10: Leave A Finger Behind

Three days later, around noon, Leo got a call from the retired lady. The girl from out of town was back at her rental.  After hanging up, he quickly left the Felton manor.  As Leo rushed out, Dustin looked a bit worried. He called his driver and told him to follow and protect Leo secretly. The driver used to be a special reconnaissance soldier, skilled and reliable. After retiring, he became Dustin's driver, but he was really more like a bodyguard. ***** Just as Leo stepped out of the villa gates, a taxi pulled up next to him. The driver leaned his head out the window. "Hey buddy, where to?" "Yanston Road." "Hop in!" Leo opened the door and got in. Once inside, he saw an unsightly man in the passenger seat. "Sorry, buddy," the taxi driver quickly explained, worried Leo might get upset. The taxi business is rough, so I pick up extra passengers. I hope you don't mind." Leo nodded, staying silent. After about ten minutes on the road, he realized the car was heading in the wrong direction, moving further away from his intended destination.  Being an assassin, he instinctively remembered the paths he had walked. "Mister, you're going the wrong way. We're getting farther from Yanston Road," Leo said sternly. "The place this gentleman lives is indeed quite far from your destination, so we had to take a longer route," the driver explained, trying to justify himself. "But with so many drivers and so few passengers these days, I just wanted to pick up one more fare—hope you understand." As he spoke, he kept complaining, "Our line of work is brutally competitive. We're up early and back late, and still barely make ends meet. And if anything goes wrong, we get hit with complaints from passengers." Leo said nothing, his face cold. Even after leaving the city, the car kept speeding along, showing no sign of slowing down. "Where exactly are you taking us?" Leo asked grimly. As a professional assassin, he had already noticed the two others in the car weren't acting right. Still, having come this far, he was curious to see what trick they had up their sleeve. "We're taking this guy home," the driver said with a grin. "He lives pretty far out." "We're going in opposite directions. Won't picking up this fare cost you?" Leo asked coolly. "Don't worry, buddy, it won't," the driver replied with a more creepy than friendly smile. "And who's gonna make up for my wasted time on this ride?" Leo demanded sharply, "Turn around and take me back!" "Chill out, buddy. We're almost there," the driver said. But "almost there" turned into nearly ten kilometers without stopping.  The driver had prepared to continue his chatter to fool Leo, but to his surprise, Leo remained silent throughout the journey.  "A naive fool, easily tricked by a few words," the driver thought contemptuously. By now, the taxi had left the city and entered a hilly area on the outskirts. The driver finally spoke, his tone slow and deliberate. "Kid, let me be straight with you—our boss wants to see you." Now that they were far from the city and in a sparsely populated area, even the way the driver addressed him had changed. "Who's your boss?" Leo asked coldly. The driver had expected him to panic and demand to get out of the car. His right hand was already hovering over the dagger at his waist, ready to use it to intimidate him. But to his surprise, Leo remained completely calm. "You'll know when we get there. Stop asking so many damn questions!" The ugly man in the passenger seat suddenly snapped, turning around and glaring at Leo with menacing eyes. Leo stayed silent. Only then did the ugly man's face show a hint of satisfaction. "What an idiot. He's so easy to scare. Sending both of us for this was a complete waste," they thought simultaneously. But Leo's silence wasn't out of fear—he simply wanted to see who this so-called boss really was. He had considered whether it might be connected to the group of kidnappers he'd taken out a few days ago but quickly ruled it out. Those men had all spoken with an out-of-town accent—they were drifters. These two, on the other hand, spoke in perfect local dialect. They clearly weren't from the same crew. The taxi finally stopped in front of a three-story house. It was a solitary residence, nearly a kilometer from the nearest village house. Yet, the location was scenic, surrounded by mountains and water—a perfect spot for leisure and retirement. "Get out!" the driver said, opening Leo's door. "Our boss is inside, head on in!" he said with a mocking grin. "Don't worry, as long as you behave, our boss won't harm you." Leo ignored the driver and walked right into the house. Inside, he found three young men. One, good-looking and refined, was in branded sportswear, holding a wine glass and lounging on the sofa. Another, bald with a dragon tattoo on his right arm, was in a black vest and headphones, into a mobile game, letting out excited laughter now and then. The last guy was burly, at least six-three, standing behind the refined dude, watching Leo with a sharp gaze. "Who are you? I don't know you," Leo said calmly, his face unperturbed. The refined man showed slight surprise at Leo's lack of fear. "You may not know us, but we know you. You're Iris' fiancé, the future son-in-law of the Felton family!" Gary emphasized the last words with a mocking tone. Leo instantly realized that the refined man in sportswear was likely Iris' fiancé, Gary. Having just arrived in Welton City and apart from killing those kidnappers a few days ago, he couldn't have other enemies, except Gary. "I know who you are." Leo remained calm. "So, tell me, why did you bring me here?" Gary didn't answer immediately. Instead, he scrutinized Leo with a sneer. "What makes you think you're worthy of Iris? If it weren't for Mr. Felton's old-fashioned ways and his promises, someone like you, a penniless nobody, wouldn't even find a wife." "Losing to someone like you is the greatest disgrace of my life!" Gary declared, his face filled with contempt. Leo's expression darkened, but he did not lose his composure. He quietly asked again, "Why did you bring me here?" Gary took a sip from his glass, looking at Leo with disdain. "We brought you here for a simple reason. Leave a finger behind, leave the Felton family, and go back to where you came from."