Cornell was in such a rush that he tumbled down from the roof, landing onto soone else’s rooftop and rolling onto a sun-drenched terrace.
The terrace was littered with clothes hanging on wooden pegs, and he landed in a pile of these, taking a while to regain his footing.
Rosemary was swift on his heels. Gordon was just about to warn her to be careful when he saw her leap from one rooftop to the next, sliding down to the terrace, hot on Cornell’s trail.
Gordon couldn’t believe it. The distance between the rooftops was substantial, yet Rosemary made the leap effortlessly. More unbelievably, she was incredibly fast.
Seeing that soone was actually pursuing him, Cornell was enraged and descended into the labyrinthine alleyway, desperately trying to evade capture.
Rosemary kept pace, and it seed like she was about to catch up.
Just then, a toddler, barely a year old, was toddling on the cobblestone path. Cornell picked up the child and threw him behind him.
The toddler’s mother let out a scream.
In the blink of an eye, Rosemary deftly leapt off a wall, catching the child in mid-air. The toddler, oblivious to the danger he was in, bead at Rosemary, seeming to find the whole episode amusing.
The mother, on the other hand, was terrified, rushing over, tears streaming down her face, as she took her child from Rosemary, thanking her profusely.
Noting the inhumanity of the man she was pursuing, Rosemary quickened her pace. There was an elderly woman sitting on a porch, and Cornell, without a hint of remorse, knocked her and her chair down. The woman fell to the ground, crying out in pain.
Rosemary rushed over to help her up. The woman was cursing, a gash on her chin.
"Ms. Rose, let handle this," Gordon quickly helped the elderly woman, pulling out his wallet and handing her so cash.
Seeing the generous amount of money, the woman’s first instinct was to pocket it quickly, before locking her door, fearing that soone might see and try to rob her.
Gordon didn’t offer any further assistance. Instead, he turned and caught up to Rosemary.
From a distance, he saw Rosemary hurl an alleyway bamboo pole like a javelin, hitting Cornell square in the back.
Cornell let out a cry of pain and fell face-forward. Rosemary quickly caught up, and a fight ensued.
Gordon rushed forward to lend a hand, but Cornell, outmatched and outskilled, pulled a knife and scattered so powder, but to no avail.
Rosemary grabbed his hair and slamd him against a wall. "Try moving again, see what happens."
"So can’t you guys from Mafia Rock keep your word? You said you’d spare , and now you’re trying to kill . What’s the aning of this?" Cornell, unable to break free from Rosemary’s grip, gritted his teeth and questioned.
Rosemary and Gordon exchanged glances. Mafia Rock?
Wasn’t Mr. Elliot also from Mafia Rock?
"Whoever made that promise to you, you should find him." Rosemary decided to play along, refusing to let go.
Cornell let out a cold laugh. "Why bother pretending? Wasn’t it your boss who made the promise to ?"
Rosemary wondered, was he talking about Mr. Elliot? Or soone else?
"I can spare you, but I need to know the whereabouts of the woman who played your wife," Rosemary stated coldly.
Cornell laughed mockingly. "Are you testing ? What, you suspect she’s not dead? Didn’t she die at your hands? And you didn’t even spare the child. Wasn’t that your style—to kill all the related people? Even when they died in front of your eyes, you still don’t believe. If she’s alive, she wouldn’t let this go so easily."
Rosemary hadn’t expected to get so much information from him. It seed that the woman and the child who played their son were indeed dead.
Cornell was indignant. "You promised, once we played out the act, each of us would receive twenty dollars, and you guaranteed you’d let us go. But you broke your promise, killing the two of them, and now hunting down."
He had thought they would honor their promise.
But seeing them hell-bent on wiping him out, he took to his heels in a frenzy.
Finally, having nowhere else to run, he sought refuge in the unlikeliest place—this intricate little town.
But not even a month in, they had found him again.
"I’m not with the Mafia Rock," Rosemary finally confessed. "I just want to know why you deceived my grandpa. If you spill what you know, I can spare your life."
At this, Cornell’s shock gave way to panic.
So, these two weren’t with the Mafia Rock. He was done for.
"Tell what I know? That’d be signing my death warrant. I know all too well how ruthless they can be. You might as well kill now than have spill!"
Either way, if the other side found out, he was a goner.
Gordon was at a loss when this stubborn mule refused to talk. Then, Rosemary cut in with her icy tone.
"Speak up, and I can keep you alive. If you don’t, I’ll use you as bait to lure them out. They’re after you—their bait—and will definitely show themselves. Then, nabbing any one of them would give us the truth. It’s just a matter of ti."
This made sense to Cornell.
Gordon hadn’t expected Rosemary’s sharp wit, threatening him into compliance.
"You know their thods. What would happen to you if they knew you’ve sung like a canary, I needn’t say. Whether you want to live or not, that’s up to you."
Cornell hadn’t imagined this young lass could be so ruthless.
"What good does my death do you?" Cornell asked, unwilling to give in.
"I’m not known for my patience. I’ll count to three. If you refuse, then you really won’t have any way out," Rosemary said, her face expressionless. "One, two."
Caught off guard by her quick counting, Cornell blurted out at "three," "I can tell you, but how can you guarantee my safety?"
"If the ones after my grandpa are them, not you, I’ll settle the score with them. And if they’re gone, who’s left to threaten you?"
"Your word ans nothing. How do I know you’re capable?"
It wasn’t that Cornell didn’t believe her, but she was too young—as was the boy by her side.
They were going to take down the other side, just the two of them?
Impossible!
"Your only choice is to believe."
And if he didn’t, what then?
Biting the bullet, Cornell finally said, "Alright, I’ll take your word for it, just this once."
He spilled all he knew, not for any other reason, but because he was done fleeing.
He wanted to live his life in the daylight, free and honest.
He would no longer be threatened by anyone or anything.
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