Chapter 2: Big D

Seeing the thugs closing in, passersby quickly stepped aside. No one in the slum dared cross them. Swaggering and shoving people aside, the thugs marched straight to the Lynch family's stall. "Noah, time to pay up." The spiky-haired ringleader barked at Noah, oozing arrogance. "B-Big D, didn't I just pay you a few days ago?" Noah's voice trembled. The thug leader styled himself after the thugs in old gangster flicks. People called him Big D, and he was the local bully who threw his weight around in the slum. "What you paid then was then. I ask again, you pay again. You ate yesterday, so you still eat today, right? Took a dump yesterday. You gotta do it today too." Big D curled his lip. As he finished, his leering eyes slid over to Tiffany. "Well, well, Tiffany's looking prettier every time." Tiffany huffed and turned away. "But Big D, we really have no money. Look at this tiny stall, how much can it make? Please, cut us some slack. Let us make a living." Noticing Big D fixate on his daughter, Noah jumped in to distract him, trying to shift the focus away from Tiffany. But Big D had been eyeing Tiffany for a long time. Every few days, he came looking for trouble. Noah was fed up, but in the slum, Big D was top dog, and the other thugs followed his lead. Folks like the Lynch family couldn't afford to cross him. "Spare you?" Big D smirked, eyes roaming over Tiffany again. "I could let you off. Let Tiffany be my girlfriend. If you agree, I won't take another cent from you. I'll even look out for you. From now on, feel free to do whatever you want. Sound like a good deal?" Noah was at a loss. He had known the thugs were coming for Tiffany, but he didn't know what to do. Back when Tiffany had dropped by to help at the stall, Big D spotted her and demanded that she be his girlfriend. The Lynch family refused. Big D had been picking on them ever since, collecting protection money whenever he felt like it. The Lynch family depended on the food stall. Shutting down wasn't an option. Therefore, Noah had paid Big D twice. But the thugs came almost every day to harass and demand more. It was a bottomless pit. They didn't dare call the police.  The thugs would be gone the next day, only to return worse. Ordinary people kept their heads down. They tried to keep the peace, but no one could endure this kind of daily torment. Ariana's tongue could be sharp, but facing a pack of vicious thugs, she was out of options. "You paying or not? If not, turn their stall over!"  Seeing Noah hesitate, Big D waved his hand and signaled his men to trash the table. "Hold it. I'll pay their protection money." Wesley stepped in. He raised a hand and pulled out a few bills, offering them to the thugs. As one thug reached for the cash, Wesley drew it back and said in a calm, low voice, "You want the money, fine. One condition: don't come back. Give the Lynch family some peace." "Wesley, you've already helped us enough," Noah said, feeling guilty. "Mr. Noah, let me handle this." Wesley stopped him. He had wanted to settle things quietly, but Big D clearly wasn't satisfied. "This chump change is for beggars. Give the Lynch family some peace? Who do you think you are? It's two hundred bucks, not a penny less. Or Noah's daughter becomes my girlfriend." "So you've set your heart on making life hell for the Lynch family?" Wesley's eyes narrowed. "Damn right! I call the shots. Unless Tiffany becomes my girlfriend, not even God could change that." Big D tilted his chin, looking down at Wesley, full of swagger. Wesley watched him and let a smile creep in. "You know what I hate most?" "What?" "People who push their luck." Wham! Before Big D could react, Wesley's fist shot up and landed square on his nose. Big D's teeth got knocked loose. Blood burst from his nose and mouth as he flew backward. He crashed into the stinking runoff, where greasy water pooled with rotting vegetables and slimy fish scales. Filth soaked him from head to toe. Wesley hadn't wanted trouble. He had hoped to find Whitney and live a quiet life. But after Whitney's betrayal, that hope had drained away. "You… you dare hit me?"  Big D struggled up from the reeking water, humiliated and furious. As the bully of the slum, when had he ever been humiliated like this? "Guys, wipe him out!" He waved, shouting through his broken teeth. Four or five thugs charged at Wesley, fists and feet flying. Wesley squinted, watched them rush in, then sprang. His leg snapped out in an airborne sweep. Thwack! In seconds, they all went tumbling. Each thug landed on a patch of foul water mixed with rotten fish and shrimp. Faces dripping with muck, they kept howling nonstop. The bystanders, a cluster of stall owners and onlookers, stood with their mouths agape. No one had expected a broke delivery guy to fight like that. Ariana's face showed the same shock. She hadn't thought Wesley had skills like that. "Holy crap, the kid's that tough?"  Big D blurted, rattled. In the blink of an eye, Wesley had floored all of them. Big D realized his crew stood no chance. Cutting his losses, Big D waved his arm. "Go, move!" They scrambled up, hauling each other, and bolted. "Just you wait, kid. I won't let you off," Big D growled as he retreated, then turned and sprinted away. "Do they really think I'm that easy to scare?" Wesley sneered under his breath. He watched them go and didn't bother to chase. "Nice, well done!" "Those kicks were perfect!" With the thugs driven off, the nearby vendors clapped and cheered. These local thugs had bullied them for too long. Someone had finally stood up to them, and everyone felt a weight lift. Tiffany kept sneaking glances at Wesley. Her eyes were shining. Beside her, Ariana looked at Wesley in astonishment. What she had just seen was beyond anything she'd expected.