Ch.188Crooked!

#188

“What’s this? I heard you were somewhat famous in Nevada, but aren’t you still young enough to be sucking milk from your mother’s breast?”

As the skinhead man snickered mockingly, Decker walked slowly with one eye slightly furrowed and replied.

“Ha. Ha. Real funny. Does being young mean I can’t move merchandise? Search all of California and Nevada, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a fence who can handle the volume I do.”

Dexter shot Decker a surprised look, not realizing he was such a well-known figure, but Decker, focused on his role and tense, couldn’t look back at him.

“Who’s that behind you?”

“My bodyguard.”

“Where’d you find such a big, dumb brute?”

The skinhead man sneered, but Dexter remained silent.

Given Dexter’s personality, he would normally have snapped back at such a comment, but Decker needed to buy more time.

Recalling his days as Elijah’s head of security, Dexter stood silently behind Decker, maintaining his silence.

“Lose interest in my bodyguard. So, what merchandise do you want me to handle?”

“It’s in the trailer. See for yourself.”

When Decker and Dexter approached the trailer and opened the door, the lights inside came on, revealing two cars.

“These bastards, where did they get these cars from?”

There were two identical yellow supercars, from a famous manufacturer that reportedly made only 100 units for their 50th anniversary.

Dexter kept his mouth shut, maintaining his silent bodyguard concept, but he knew well enough that ordinary gang members couldn’t easily acquire such supercars.

“This looks a bit risky to accept right away. What should I do?”

Decker said, looking at the cars with confused eyes.

And for good reason—the cars before him were limited editions with a retail price of at least $600,000 (about 700 million Korean won), making them worth whatever someone was willing to pay now.

“Are you asking me or talking to yourself?”

Dexter asked in a lowered voice, to which Decker responded with an incredulous expression, keeping his voice as low as possible.

“I’m obviously asking you!”

“I’m going to take these guys down anyway, so what does it matter? It’s stolen goods either way, and judging by how they operate, they can’t ask for it back. Besides, aren’t Emily’s cars more expensive?”

While some of the cars Emily steals are relatively inexpensive, many would fetch millions of dollars at auction.

“Emily steals cars because she genuinely wants them for herself. What she sells is relatively cheaper.”

“Just keep the money bag safe and swallow it.”

Prompted by Dexter’s suggestion—hardly befitting an honorary OSA agent—Decker nodded reluctantly, stepped down from the trailer, and turned to the skinhead man.

“Nice cars.”

Decker’s face showed moderate satisfaction as he spoke.

The skinhead man looked quite surprised; he had expected Decker to either tremble at the sight of the cars or refuse them as being beyond his means, but instead, he readily accepted them.

“You’ve got some nerve. So, how much can you offer?”

“Since you came to me, these are obviously hot goods, but do you think you can casually dispose of cars with only 100 units worldwide?”

Decker clicked his tongue and continued.

“You already know that stolen goods, especially ones that are easy to trace, can’t be sold at full price, right?”

“So, how much?”

The skinhead man asked curtly.

Decker and the skinhead man were about 5 meters apart, a distance that would make it difficult to counter if the skinhead drew a gun to threaten or shoot Decker.

Dexter was wearing his unassembled blaster like brass knuckles, ready to fire with just a flick of his hand to prevent any potential threats.

Decker calculated the depreciation in his head.

He decisively reached a conclusion and stated firmly.

“$450,000 per car. Non-negotiable.”

They were practically new cars with barely any miles on them.

Moreover, these cars could fetch $700,000 through other channels, so when the price was actually lower than expected, the skinhead man and his four companions hardened their expressions.

“You crazy bastard. These cars cost over $600,000 retail, and you’re cutting $150,000 off the price? Does that make any sense?”

“I said it’s non-negotiable. Or find a better fence than me. Anyone offering a higher price than mine is probably an amateur. And amateurs will likely promise to pay the balance after selling, then run off with your money—ten out of ten times. Or are you going to sell them to a Las Vegas pawnshop? The moment it’s revealed as stolen goods, all the mafias and gangs that have been quiet until now will definitely turn everything upside down.”

“……”

Dexter slightly shook his head in agreement with Decker, who was speaking fluently without showing any signs of tension.

“I know you’re running around like crazy trying to expand your territory these days, but Las Vegas has its own laws. There are already some hungry wolves out there—do you want to give them an excuse? There’ll be hyenas everywhere ready to tear you apart.”

The skinhead man seemed a bit surprised by Decker’s eloquence and smirked.

“Is that so?”

“Just take this price. I’ll be on your side, nice and clean.”

As Decker smiled lightly and turned around, the four men behind the skinhead immediately drew their guns.

Decker’s body trembled slightly for a moment, but the skinhead man didn’t notice.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To get the money, of course. Don’t you want it?”

Decker smirked nonchalantly and pointed at the car.

“You don’t think I’m going to pay that kind of money with a check, do you? Of course I have a separate money bag.”

“If you run, you die.”

“Kill me if you don’t want the money.”

Still displaying strong confidence, Decker headed toward the car, and Dexter followed behind him, asking in a low voice.

“You’ve got some guts.”

“Shut up. I’m fucking terrified right now… Can’t you feel their vibe? They’re at least from a named gang.”

“Well, I did sense that kind of atmosphere. Should I take this money bag?”

When Dexter pointed to a shabby briefcase in the trunk, Decker nodded.

“Take out $100,000 separately. I brought exactly $1 million.”

“It’s my first time seeing $1 million in cash.”

Decker chuckled at that and said.

“What, you’re not some country bumpkin. How did you end up with Emily?”

“I came from a place that doesn’t use dollars.”

Dexter shrugged.

After taking out 10 bundles of $10,000 each (100 $100 bills per bundle) from the money bag and closing the trunk, Dexter approached the skinhead man before Decker did.

“Check it.”

Dexter opened the money bag himself and spoke to the skinhead man, whose face bloomed with a smile.

“$900,000, impressive.”

“Can we go now?”

Decker asked, pointing to the trailer truck, but the skinhead man closed the money bag himself, handed it to the man next to him, and said.

“No, you can’t.”

“What?”

“These days, the person above us is a bit short on funds, so we’re going to need more money.”

It seemed they had grown greedy after seeing Decker’s money.

“You despicable bastards.”

“Thanks for the compliment. A fence wouldn’t just be carrying $900,000, would he? Isn’t that right?”

The skinhead man snickered, and the four men behind him raised their guns again, causing Decker to turn his head and squeeze his eyes shut.

Watching this situation, Dexter, with his hands in his loose pants pockets, said.

“These bastards are pointing guns at a kid barely over 20 and acting tough. Aren’t you grown men ashamed of yourselves?”

Finding Dexter’s words outrageous, the skinhead man tried to point his handgun at Dexter’s forehead.

In that moment, Dexter grabbed the skinhead man’s right hand firmly and took the gun with his other hand.

“Oops.”

While the skinhead man was bewildered at having his gun taken so suddenly, Dexter grabbed him by the collar and closed the distance.

Immediately restraining the man’s neck with his arm, Dexter pointed the gun at the skinhead’s temple and looked at the four men behind him, saying.

“Anyone else want to talk? The moment you do, this guy dies.”

“……”

“Ugh, hey! Five against two and you can’t win? Draw your guns and shoot—ARGH!”

Despite having a gun pointed at his head, the skinhead man kept trying to speak, spitting as he talked, which Dexter couldn’t tolerate and tried to resolve with force.

As if to remind him of the gun barrel pressed against his temple, Dexter applied pressure with his gun hand, pressing hard enough to draw blood from the temple, causing the skinhead man to scream and stop talking.

“When there’s a gun to your head, shut your mouth.”

As Dexter glanced back, he saw that Decker had used the commotion to hide behind his car, with only his head peeking out.

‘Well, if he wasn’t that perceptive, he couldn’t have lived a life where he casually throws $1 million in the trunk.’

It was more convenient for Dexter to have Decker quietly staying behind the car rather than hovering around trying to save him.

“Baldy, tell your men to back off.”

“As if I can just…”

“There’s a gun to your head, remember? Would you mind understanding our situation a bit? Huh?”

When Dexter applied full force with his gun hand again, the skinhead man’s temple couldn’t withstand the blunt metal gun barrel and began to tear, causing bleeding.

Seeing his own blood from the corner of his eye, the skinhead man screamed in pain and indignation.

“You fucking bastard, who uses a gun like this?!”

“Would you prefer I shoot?”

“Okay, okay! Ease up, damn it! Put your guns down and listen to this bastard—I mean, this gentleman!”

“You heard him? All of you, step back ten paces. Don’t make me split your boss’s head open again because you can’t count.”

The four men, who had seen guns pointed at heads as threats before but never someone using physical force to press a gun against someone’s head without shooting, backed away in bewilderment.

“And put that money bag down.”

When the man holding the money bag hesitated, Dexter not only applied pressure with his gun hand again but also tightened his left arm around the skinhead man’s neck, making it feel like his nape might break under the pressure.

With the burning pain at his temple and feeling like he might suffocate against Dexter’s chest—which was not a woman’s breast but impressive pectorals—the skinhead man screamed in pain.

“AAAAGH! Please, please just do what he says, you sons of bitches!!”

“Don’t you listen to your boss? Put the money bag down on the ground.”

“PLEASE!! Just listen, you motherfuckers!!”

Since the skinhead man would curse and order his subordinates with just a little pressure applied, Dexter felt like he was playing with a toy.

Of course, the skinhead man’s predicament of being mercilessly toyed with was not Dexter’s concern, so Dexter tried to send the four men home with just a look.

“All four of you, get lost. I’ll take care of your boss.”

“Then the truck…”

“Are you crazy?”

Like a high school student extorting money from a middle schooler, Dexter signaled with his eyes for them to get lost, but one of the four men couldn’t stand it anymore and pointed his gun at Dexter.

“You bastard, you’ve gone too far!”

-Click.

Dexter released the safety on the handgun.

In response to the man’s action, Dexter aimed the gun at the leg of the man who had stepped forward first and said.

“I gave you a chance.”

-Bang!

With Dexter’s gunshot as a signal, one of the four men collapsed to the ground, and the remaining three aimed their guns at Dexter.

“Urgh…”

The man who had been shot in the leg rolled on the ground, groaning.

Now the three men stood at a crossroads.

They hesitated to shoot recklessly because the skinhead man, who was covering 80% of Dexter’s body, might get hit, but if they didn’t shoot, they might get shot in the leg like what just happened.

It was truly a situation where they could neither retreat nor advance.

As the tense moment was about to pass, the man rolling on the ground tried to pick up the gun he had dropped, and Dexter shot his right arm.

-Bang!

“AAAGH…!”

Dexter looked at the man with the submachine gun and said.

“What are you going to do? Even though you’re close, it seems difficult to expect much.”

The man with the submachine gun blinked slowly once and said.

“Shoot.”

“Wait, what…!”

At that moment, Dexter released his restraining hand from the skinhead man and crouched down, using the man’s body as cover.

A 3:1 gunfight erupted at an extremely close range.