Chapter 40 Never Take a Losing Deal
A cold, sharp knife pressed against the inside of Evelyn’s thigh.
Finished
No question about it-if the guy pushed even a little harder, it’d cut deep and hit a vein.
Whoever was holding that knife wasn’t some random thug off the street. The danger rolling off him was way too real.
Evelyn didn’t move an inch.
No fear showed in her eyes. She calmly picked vegetables from the pot and ate them.
Before long, a bunch of people stormed in.
There were quite a few of them.
Each one had a machete or something similar, dressed like a wannabe gangster—definitely up to no good.
Hangout spots for teens always seemed to pull in these little gangs.
They hadn’t done anything seriously bad, but they weren’t exactly innocent either.
Mostly, they were just trying to act like the gangsters they’d seen in old movies.
It seemed like they were after someone.
Evelyn thought about it, but didn’t stop eating.
The thugs looked around the place but didn’t spot a thing.
One of them slammed a baseball bat on her table. “Hey, girl! Did you see anyone come in here?”
“No,” Evelyn replied quietly.
With that, the group started heading out.
But one of the thugs froze for a second. “Boss, why isn’t she even scared of us?”
Normally, when these guys strutted around, people would dodge to the other side of the street just to stay clear.
But Evelyn didn’t even blink. She spoke calmly and kept eating.
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Chapter 40 Never Take a Losing Deal
That
got
the thug thinking something was off.
Finished
His question even made the gang leader stop and take notice.
Yeah, the girl looked gentle and fragile-so why wasn’t she afraid?
Was she part of it, waiting for someone?
“Are you sure you didn’t see anyone? Tell the truth, or I’ll kill you!” the gang leader growled, his tone full of menace.
Evelyn nodded. “Actually … I saw someone.”
The knife scraped her skin lightly, but she stayed calm. “He told me not to say anything, or he’d kill me too. What should I do?”
“Just tell me. I’ll protect you. He won’t get a chance—I’ll take care of him first,” the leader said.
Evelyn pointed at a wide-open window. “He ran out that way. Hurry, or he might come back and hurt me.”
Outside was a big wheat field, tall and thick-perfect for hiding.
It was an ideal escape path.
The gang leader believed her.
He shouted to his men, and they scrambled out the window, disappearing into the wheat.
The restaurant went quiet again.
Quade returned from the nearby restroom, looking confused. “I heard a noise outside. Did something happen?”
Evelyn shook her head. “Nothing, just a small mess.”
Then she tapped on the table. “You can come out now.”
“Huh?”
His jaw dropped as a guy slid out from under the table, still clutching a knife.
The blade was smeared with Evelyn’s blood, drops slipping down and hitting the floor.
“What the hell did you do to her?” Quade shouted, furious.
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Chapter 40 Never Take a Losing Deal
The guy stayed silent.
Finished
He fumbled around his body for a bit, then finally took the necklace from his neck and handed it to Evelyn. “I owe you big. Swing by the underground arcade and show them this necklace. They’ll take you to me, and I’ll repay your favor.”
Quade clenched his fists. “Repay her favor? Who the hell are you? You hurt my friend, there’s no way I’m letting you walk away from this!” he barked, rolling up his sleeves like he was about to throw down.
But the man had already left-fast and decisive.
Evelyn never gets involved in a deal that doesn’t benefit her.
When that guy rushed in, something about him felt oddly familiar.
It was like she’d known him in a previous life, even if they’d never crossed paths before.
Anyone who could leave that strong of an impression without ever meeting face-to-face definitely wasn’t just some average person.
So, Evelyn decided to cover for him.
After watching him leave, she looked at the necklace in her hand. It was nothing fancy—just a black cord with a bullet casing tied to it. But from how polished and shiny the casing was, you could tell he’d worn it for years.
She didn’t know who he was yet, but decided to keep it.
Quade was fired up and guilty at the same time.
All because Evelyn had gotten hurt.
The man had been so tense that when she spoke, he instinctively slashed her.
It wasn’t deep, but it bled a lot.
They went to a clinic to bandage it, bought medicine and gauze, and planned to change the dressing later.
After that, Evelyn called a cab and left.
Quade felt awful-he covered her cab fare and the cost of the meds, but the guilt stuck with him anyway.
He thought it over for a while, then finally pulled out his phone and called Philip.
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Chapter 40 Never Take a Losing Deal
Even if the boss yelled at him, he had to be honest.
Otherwise, he’d never forgive himself.
But to his surprise, Philip didn’t scold him.
1
Finished
He just asked if Evelyn was okay. When he heard she was home safe, he murmured and hung
Just like that?
Quade couldn’t believe it.
Did the boss care less about Evelyn than he thought?
Or worse-did the boss actually value him more than her?
The second thought made his skin crawl.
But what he didn’t see was Philip, the moment he hung up, his face turning serious as he marched back to the squad.
The new recruits whispered among themselves, confused.
“What’s wrong with Philip? He was fine when he took that call, but now his face went stiff, like he was worried about something.
“Did something happen?”
Before they could figure it out, Philip spoke up, “Training’s over. Everyone dismissed. Rest for the day.”
The guys hadn’t even had time to cheer before he was already in the pickup by the field, engine roaring. He hit the gas and tore off, vanishing from sight in seconds.
Evelyn had been home for a bit when the phone rang-it was Philip.
Somehow, he’d managed to dig up the Schmidt Residence’s landline number.
Yvonne picked up first, then headed upstairs to let Evelyn know, looking kind of uneasy about it.
Evelyn didn’t bother. She moved slowly downstairs, trying to keep Yvonne from noticing the injury she was hiding.
She lifted the receiver and said, “Hello?”
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Finished
On the line, Philip said, “I’m at the pay phone outside your place. Can you come out? I want to see you.”
It was short and straight to the point, but there was something gentle in his tone.
For a second, Evelyn didn’t even feel the sting in her leg anymore.
She answered without hesitation, “Yeah, I’ll be right there.”
After hanging up, she went to slip on her shoes by the door-only to find Yvonne standing there, blocking her way.
