Chapter 4 4

Before the accident...

Xavier's eyes scanned the dimly lit room, his gaze lingering on the stack of unpaid bills on the kitchen counter. He let out a sigh, rubbing the weariness from his eyes. This was his reality – a never-ending cycle of scraping by, taking on odd jobs to make ends meet.

As a freelancer, Xavier didn't have the luxury of a steady paycheck or benefits. He worked when he could, taking on whatever jobs came his way. And that's how he built his business – a website where clients could post jobs that required... particular skills.

He thought back to how it all started. He had saved Mike's life one day, pulling him out of a sticky situation. As it turned out, Mike was a whiz with computers, and Xavier saw an opportunity. He put Mike in charge of handling the technical side of things, building the website, and managing the clients.

Now, they lived and worked together, taking on jobs that paid the bills. Xavier's phone buzzed, breaking the silence. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening. "This woman is pissing me off," he muttered, his voice low and menacing. "I've told her we're not doing that job. She should leave me the fuck alone."

Mike looked up from his computer, his eyes raised in inquiry. "Who's that?"

Xavier's gaze lingered on the phone, his jaw clenched. "The one who wanted us to swap her baby with another in the hospital."

Mike's expression turned skeptical. "Yeah, because that's exactly the kind of job we want to take on."

Xavier snorted, shaking his head. "I know we do anything, but we're not that cheap. She should just accept what she has."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "But the money is crazy, man."

Xavier's expression remained firm. "Regardless, it's a no. We'll see something good pretty soon."

He turned on the TV, flipping through the channels until he landed on the news. His eyes narrowed as he watched the report – Mr. Williams Brown getting married to his undisclosed wife.

Xavier's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. Mike looked at him, concerned. "Yo, man, what's up with your face? It looks like you're about to shoot lasers at the TV screen."

Xavier didn't respond, his gaze still fixed on the TV. Mike threw a can at him, hitting him on the arm. "What's with the look, man?"

Xavier finally turned to him, his expression neutral. "It's nothing."

Mike raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. The room fell silent, the only sound the hum of the TV.

Xavier finally broke the silence, his voice casual. "Dude, I'm starving. We should order something to eat."

Just as Xavier finished speaking, Mike's stomach growled loudly, and they both burst out laughing.

"Looks like someone's hungry!" Xavier chuckled.

Mike grinned. "What do you want, man?"

"Burger, chips, and chicken," Xavier replied.

Mike nodded, already typing away on his phone. "With some drinks, right?"

Xavier's eyes lit up. "Yeah."

Mike smiled, finishing up the order. "Sweet. Two sets of burgers, chips, and chicken with some cold drinks coming shortly."

Xavier nodded a satisfied smile on his face. "Okay!"

Xavier settled back into the couch, eyes fixed on the TV as Mike returned to his system. But just as suddenly, Mike shouted, "Yo man, we got a job! We got a job!"

Xavier rushed over to Mike's side, his eyes scanning the screen. "What's it about?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.

Mike's fingers flew across the keyboard. "It's about getting a video recording that's in a flash drive from one guy's house."

Xavier's eyes narrowed. "Okay, ask the person about the job in detail."

Mike typed away, and soon the details popped up on the screen. Xavier's eyes scanned the information, his expression intent.

"Okay, we're taking this," he said finally, a small smile playing on his lips.

Mike grinned, already typing away. "The price is $10,000. Account number: 1458760987, Zelle"

The client agreed, and Mike and Xavier let out a whoop of excitement. Just as they were celebrating, Xavier's phone buzzed with a notification.

"He paid in full!," Xavier exclaimed, holding up his phone.

Mike's eyes widened, and they screamed out in joy. Mike quickly typed away, sending a message to the client.

"Payment received, the job will be taken care of," he read out loud.

Just as they were basking in their excitement, there was a knock on the door. "Delivery!" a voice called out.

Mike rushed to the door, grinning. "Just in time!"

After taking the food, they dug in, savoring the flavors. As they ate, they began to discuss the details of the job.

Mike spoke up, "So, apparently, it's a recording in a flash drive, and we're to take it from this Marcell's house."

Xavier nodded, his eyes narrowing. "Yeah, find out everything about this Marcell."

Mike pushed his plate aside and headed to the system, his fingers flying across the keyboard. After a few minutes, he looked up, "All right, here's what I found. Marcell is a simple guy...he's a police officer."

As Mike read out "police officer", Xavier's eyes widened in alarm. "A police officer?! Oh man, we just handled one few weeks ago, and now another?"

Xavier nodded for Mike to continue. "Go on."

Mike's eyes scanned the screen. "It turns out Marcell works in the same jurisdiction as the one we handled previously."

Xavier let out a sigh. "Great. Just great."

But then a sly grin spread across his face. "Okay, it makes things easy for us though, since we know how they operate."

Mike made his way back to his plate, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, that's a good point."

He took a bite of his food, then continued, "Wait...today happens to be..."

Xavier and Mike said in unison, "The night they're always at work!"

They gave each other a high-five, and Xavier exclaimed, "Just perfect!"

Arrangements were made and as night fell, they made their way to Marcell's house, the night air shrouding their movements. Mike stayed back, keeping watch while Xavier slipped on his mask and entered the house.

"All right, I'm in," Xavier whispered into the airpods.

Mike's voice crackled back, "Roger that. Keep me posted."

Xavier moved cautiously, his eyes scanning the darkened rooms. He thought back to all the detective movies he'd watched, wondering where someone like Marcell would hide something as important as a flash drive.

After what felt like an eternity, Xavier spotted a small, hidden compartment in the bookshelf. His heart racing, he opened it and found a flash drive.

Just as he was about to tell Mike that he'd found it, Mike's urgent voice burst through the airpods. "Code red! Red!"

Xavier's heart skipped a beat. "Shit!" he muttered, quickly replacing the flash drive with a fake one.

He made a swift exit, jumping down from the window just as Marcell walked into the house. Marcell's eyes narrowed his police instincts on high alert and saw Xavier.

Xavier sprinted towards his motorbike, Marcell hot on his heels. "Shit!" Xavier yelled, firing up the engine.

He sped off into the night, Marcell's angry shouts fading into the distance. "Stop there! I'm going to shoot if you don't!"

Marcell got into his car and followed Xavier, determined to catch him. Xavier sped on, weaving through the streets with Mike checking up on him through the airpods.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked, his voice laced with concern.

Xavier's response was laced with sarcasm. "Am I supposed to be at this point, you dick?"

Mike burst out laughing. "Okay, okay! I got some map info about the road ahead. Make a U-turn down the road, and Marcell will be lost for a while. Then, burst out at the Shopping Mall Express."

Xavier's eyes flicked to the road ahead, his mind racing. "What's the plan after that?"

"There, Champ is waiting to change the plate number of the bike. Then, you can find your way home," Mike explained.

Xavier glanced back, seeing Marcell's car still hot on his heels. "Okay, see you soon!" he shouted, increasing his speed as he took the U-turn.

Xavier sped down the U-turn, his heart still racing from the close call. He glanced back, a mix of relief and excitement washing over him as he realized he'd lost Marcell.

"Woohoo! Lost him!" Xavier shouted, pumping his fist in triumph. "Sorry, pal!" He could see the lights of the shopping mall in the distance.

Just when he was about to take the exit, a collision occurred. Metal screeched against metal, and a car crashed into his motorbike, sending him tumbling to the ground...

Xavier sped down the U-turn, his heart still racing from the close call. He glanced back, a mix of relief and excitement washing over him as he realized he'd lost Marcell.

"Woohoo! Lost him!" Xavier shouted, pumping his fist in triumph. "Sorry, pal!" He could see the lights of the shopping mall in the distance.

Just when he was about to take the exit, a collision occurred. Metal screeched against metal, and a car crashed into his motorbike, sending him tumbling to the ground...