This morning, Dexter wasn't idle either. He met with real estate agents, lawyers, and several high-end consultants connected to government affairs one after another. He signed contracts, wrote checks, and threw around quite a bit of money.
With the money spent, the shooting range project officially entered the process.
Next, the first task to complete was ensuring the land met relevant regulations to zone for a shooting range. Once this task was done, they could move to the next step: buying the land.
After buying the land, the rest was a mess of compliance issues—or, in other words, bribes!
Money in place, inspections passed.
Shooting range construction begins!
It was a lot of work, and very troublesome.
Dexter couldn't be bothered dealing with those bastard government officials, so he handed everything over to the lawyers and consultants. After writing the checks, he returned to Dex Restaurant to prepare for the lunch service.
He had just started working when Svetlana showed up.
Svetlana had found a storefront not too far away, still within the South Side, and planned to rent it to open the second Dex Fruit Stand. She needed Dexter to foot the bill.
Dexter thought about it. Since the storefront was in the South Side...
"Alright, I got it. I'll have the real estate agent negotiate to buy that storefront, then I'll contact you," Dexter said to Svetlana.
Hearing this, Svetlana had mixed feelings.
It's good to be rich!
Not even renting, just buying it outright!
Svetlana was envious. She wanted a life like that.
Carrying that ambition, Svetlana left, full of energy to return to the fruit stand and keep hustling.
---
In the Park.
Just like yesterday, Lip was selling goods from the dilapidated ice cream truck.
Business was good today; kids were coming in a steady stream.
Lip was raking in cash, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smug grin.
Beside him, watching Lip act like this, Karen felt increasingly disgusted.
Driven by that disgust.
Karen reached into her pocket and quietly fingered the few ribbed condoms inside.
These condoms were special. Karen had poked holes in all of them with a needle last night.
She had no choice.
Ever since the last pregnancy, Lip insisted on using protection.
So, if she wanted to get pregnant again, she had to resort to tricks and deception.
Karen had even prepared a speech about bringing her own condoms. She believed Lip would definitely fall for it. She started thinking about where they could go to do the deed.
Time ticked by.
Lunchtime arrived.
There happened to be a lull in customers. Karen moved closer to Lip, leaned into his ear, and whispered seductively, "Let's go fk. I want it."
As a sex addict, hearing this, Lip didn't hesitate for a second. He nodded with a smile. "Let's go!"
Moments later.
The beat-up truck parked in a secluded corner of the park.
Things got heated.
Seeing the time was right, Karen pulled out her prepared condom, tore it open, and smiled charmingly. "It's ribbed. Heard it feels great."
Lip didn't suspect a thing. "Hurry."
Soon.
The battle began.
The truck started rocking—squeak, squeak, squeak—the sound piercing the quiet air.
---
An empty lot somewhere.
Ian, having just finished his own session, took a sip of beer. Looking at Mickey, he hesitated again and again, but finally couldn't hold back the question he'd wanted to ask for a long time. "What are we?"
Mickey had just taken a drag of his cigarette. Hearing this, he choked, coughing violently. Then he glared at Ian. "Ask me a stupid ass question like that again, and I'll cut your tongue out!"
Ian wasn't surprised by Mickey's reaction. But this time, he didn't back down. Meeting Mickey's gaze, he asked again, "We've been together for months. Are we a couple?"
Mickey: "!!!!!"
Hearing the word "couple."
A vein popped on Mickey's forehead. He couldn't handle that word. He panicked and shouted, "What the fk is wrong with you?"
After yelling, Mickey turned to leave.
Faced with this reaction, honestly, Ian was getting frustrated.
Months together, and still no definition...
Ian, whose inner self was basically a teenage girl, couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Mickey's arm, stopping him. His expression was dead serious. "Mickey, I'm serious. Are we a couple or not?"
"You have to give me a straight answer. Otherwise, I'm going to find someone who wants to be my boyfriend."
Threats?
Mickey was too proud for that. He wouldn't take that shit. He immediately raised an eyebrow and looked fiercely at Ian. "I don't give a fk who you find. You're so damn annoying. Let go."
Ian hesitated, then let go.
Mickey stormed off immediately, got into his car, and drove away, leaving Ian behind.
Watching Mickey drive off...
Ian, with his love-struck brain and feminine heart, couldn't stop the sadness. Grief became clearly visible on his submissive face.
After a long time.
Ian shook his head hard, looked away, and turned to leave. He decided to meet other guys and stop seeing Mickey for a while.
Ian walked fast, his back looking lonely but resolute.
---
The Gallagher House.
Steve arrived at the door with coffee and lunch. Habitually, he reached out to turn the doorknob.
It didn't turn. Locked.
Steve had to knock.
Thump, thump, thump.
Upstairs, Debbie heard it and thought the police had come. Terrified, she ran to the window and peeked down.
From this angle, she couldn't see who was knocking, but she could see the street.
Debbie saw a luxury car, not a police cruiser. First, she sighed in relief. Then, realizing it must be Steve, she turned and went downstairs.
Reaching the door, Debbie stood on her tiptoes and peered cautiously through the peephole.
Seeing Steve's face, Debbie let out a long breath, finally relaxed, and opened the door.
"Debbie," Steve smiled in greeting. "What's going on? All the curtains are drawn."
"I like the dark," Debbie replied, sounding way older than her years.
Steve smiled, didn't comment, and asked, "Is Fiona asleep?"
"Yeah," Debbie nodded. Then, with a serious face, she asked, "Steve, are you going to leave again this time? If you're going to leave, do it soon. Don't disturb Fiona."
Hearing this.
Damn Gallaghers.
Steve was speechless. He cursed silently, then smiled and shook his head. "I hope I don't have to leave, but that's not a decision I can make alone. It depends on what Fiona does, you know?"
Debbie stared at Steve without blinking. "I know. But what I know is, if you really love her, you should love everything about her."
"Fiona is Fiona. That's just who she is."
"If you can't accept that, you don't really love her, and you should leave ASAP."
Hearing these incredibly shameless words clearly...
Steve, who hadn't planned on arguing with Debbie, couldn't hold back. He gave a speechless laugh. "So, according to you, even if Fiona fks other guys behind my back, I should forgive her?"
Debbie nodded immediately. "If you really love her, you would forgive her."
Steve: "..."
Debbie Gallagher, everybody!
Unbelievable!
Steve felt physically disgusted by the child in front of him. He didn't want to waste another half-sentence on her. He walked straight past her up the stairs to Fiona's door, ready to enter.
Just then.
From Debbie's room behind him, he heard a child's voice.
Steve heard it and turned his head in confusion. The next instant, he got nervous.
You have to understand...
For one, Liam was only two; he barely spoke, let alone full sentences.
For another, there was huge news outside. The suspected kidnapping of three-year-old Davis Brown was practically known to everyone.
Suspicion grew in Steve. He frowned slowly. He checked the stairs to make sure Debbie hadn't followed him up yet, hesitated for a moment, then quietly walked toward Debbie's room and gently pushed the door open.
One look inside...
"Fxxk!!" Steve had heard the police alerts on the way over and knew Davis Brown's description. He recognized him instantly and cursed.
The next second.
Steve's instinct was to run. Run far away from the Gallagher house, far away from this kidnapping case, to avoid getting any suspicion on himself if the cops traced it here.
But, thinking of Fiona...
Fxxk!
Steve cursed again. He dared not delay. He rushed into Fiona's room and shook her vigorously.
Shaken, Fiona woke up groggily, pulling off her sleep mask and earplugs. She looked at Steve in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Big trouble!" Steve said, his brow furrowed tight. "Debbie kidnapped a kid. There are at least a hundred cops outside looking for him!"
Thump!
Kidnapping?
Who could handle that?!
Fiona woke up completely in an instant. She bolted upright, her expression grave. "What the hell is going on?"
Steve knew exactly how serious this was. He didn't waste time and explained everything quickly.
Listening to him, Fiona couldn't believe Debbie could do such a thing. She scrambled out of bed and rushed to Debbie's room in her underwear.
Steve followed close behind.
In moments.
Both of them clearly saw the innocent-faced Davis Brown.
Instantly, Fiona swayed, feeling dizzy.
Steve caught her just in time.
"How could she do this..." Fiona asked, shocked to her core.
Steve gave a bitter laugh. "Calm down. We have to figure out how to send this kid back immediately. Otherwise, we're in huge trouble. You could be sent back to prison!"
Just as the words left his mouth.
Debbie appeared at the doorway, carrying some food she'd prepared downstairs. She asked unhappily, "What are you guys doing in my room?"
Hearing her voice.
Fiona and Steve turned together to look at Debbie.
Fiona was already frantic. She hurriedly asked Debbie, "Is this kid the Davis Brown the police are looking for?"
Scared by Fiona's reaction, Debbie nodded weakly and stayed silent.
Fiona sucked in a breath of cold air and asked again, "Did you steal him?"
Debbie shook her head. "Nobody was watching him, so I brought him back."
Fiona felt faint and almost collapsed. "Why??? Why would you steal a little boy?"
"Carl left. He's the new Carl!" Debbie said with total conviction.
Fiona: "..."
What the hell kind of logic is that?
Can't communicate! Really can't communicate!
Fiona wiped her face hard, desperate and wanting to cry.
Just then, another police car drove by outside, loudspeaker blaring.
All three of them clearly heard the message.
Then, Fiona realized something different about Davis Brown. She sucked in another breath and asked Debbie, "Debbie, where are his original clothes?"
"I washed them. Just put them in the dryer," Debbie said, seeing absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Fiona was speechless. She truly didn't know what to say. "..."
Moments later.
Fiona and Steve rushed downstairs to the dryer.
Fiona hurriedly pulled Davis Brown's clothes out.
She took one look.
Oh boy.
They shrank.
Instantly, Fiona's despair multiplied several times over.
"They shrank!!!" Fiona said with utter hopelessness. "We are screwed!"
Steve had never experienced a child kidnapping scenario in his life. He didn't immediately grasp the magnitude of shrunken clothes. "Why? Just put them on him and send him back, right?"
Fiona frowned deeply, panic all over her face. "His family will see the clothes shrank. They'll know someone washed them... Then they'll definitely think we did something to him..."
"Think about how serious that is!"
Steve got it!
Damn, that is serious.
"So should we... go buy a matching set of clothes?" Steve suggested uncertainly.
Fiona nodded immediately. "That's the only way. I'll call Lip and Ian back first. The two of us can't solve this alone. We have to return him perfectly, without arousing suspicion!"
Having said that, Fiona instinctively reached for her phone.
But she was only wearing underwear; her phone wasn't on her.
Fiona had to sprint back upstairs to grab her phone and make the call.
---
Dex Restaurant.
Dexter had just finished working. He wiped his hands and checked his phone.
In that instant.
Dexter was stunned, and then, amused.
On his screen was an Amber Alert.
Dexter smiled, tapped it open, and read it carefully.
Done reading, he walked quickly out of the kitchen to check the TV.
Sure enough, breaking news about Davis Brown's disappearance and suspected kidnapping was playing.
You have to understand...
Child kidnapping is a massive deal in America.
So...
Did Debbie do it?
Dexter thought for a moment, didn't hesitate, and briskly walked out of the restaurant. He squatted by the curb, lit a cigarette, and silently communicated with Xiao Wu—who was playing somewhere unknown—to go monitor the Gallagher house.
Xiao Wu was fast.
Before Dexter finished his cigarette, Xiao Wu sent back intel.
Confirmation received. Dexter flashed a brilliant smile.
Comrade Debbie Gallagher spending some time in juvenile detention—was that a bad thing?
Not necessarily!
Maybe a trip to juvie would change Debbie's life path, steering her away from the wreckage of the original show?
Dexter pondered silently, then got in his car and drove off to find a payphone.
Found one.
Called the police.
[I saw a little boy who looks just like Davis Brown being sneaked into the house at 2119 North Wallace. A girl about ten years old took him in. I suggest you go check it out immediately!]
Reviews
All reviews (0)