Quoted By:
Before getting out of the car, you grabbed a half empty beer bottle that’d been stashed in the car, just in case you needed a convenient excuse for your reckless driving if the cops caught you. On this side of town, the cops answered to Silas. Gloria paying them off would tip her hand, and there couldn’t be any obvious connection to this series of unfortunate events.
So, you grabbed the beer bottle, as well as the empty spare and checked yourself in the mirror for a second. Given the illusory nature of your current appearance, you were unable to make your hair appear as if it were disheveled. Your appearance was a bit too neat and orderly. Hopefully, your acting skills were enough to make up for that little hiccup.
Shakily, you threw a leg out of the car and staggered out of the vehicle, a half-empty beer bottle in hand. The empty had already rolled away towards the fountain out front.
<span class="mu-r">“I did it! I got revenge against Rollo for you, boss. That skinny gray bastard didn’t know what hit him!”</span>
Silas’ eyes flashed, and his nostrils seemed to flair at your declaration. When he next spoke, his words were slow, deliberate, and venomous as he delivered them through clenched teeth. <span class="mu-b">“Do you have any idea what you’ve done…!?”</span>
You scratched your head in confusion. <span class="mu-r">“Uh…no? Wait…didn’t you already ask me that a second ago?”</span>
The army of ninjas went dead silent, then. The rage that was radiating off of Silas was palpable, and everyone knew better than to speak up. Well…everyone except you, of course.
<span class="mu-r">“Whoa…I think I need to lay down.”</span> you groaned, staggering with each and every step you made towards the Forbidden City.
<span class="mu-b">“You will do no such thing.”</span> Silas growled. <span class="mu-b">“I don’t want you anywhere near my temple when Rollo’s gang arrives. I’ve had to scrap and fight for every inch of influence that I still hold over this city. And I won’t have you jeopardizing that.”</span>
You took another half-step towards Silas, and everyone’s breath caught. No one here knew what Silas was about to do. Surely, he wouldn’t just gun you down in broad daylight with all of these witnesses around. The spectacle that you were making had drawn quite the crowd.
Interestingly, you felt your spider sense tingling slightly around some of these fake ninjas. They hadn’t looked like they had any serious combat experience, but maybe a few of them actually knew how to use those swords strapped to their backs. Perhaps some of them were actually real, and sharp enough to behead you if you got too close to their boss. You sincerely doubted that any of them were fast enough to land a killing blow, but you didn’t want to risk it with this many people surrounding you.
(Cont.)
