Chapter 13-Criminal lessons
-"I hope you learned your lesson, keep your head down and everything will be alright for 'ya. 7 Years in the job and you keep forgetting your real place, I don' think you even deserve your fancy mid-rank title."-Rodney gave Blake a mocking piece of advice, if there's anything he liked to do- is to piss off other criminals for their own flaws.
Rodney wasn't any different than Blake in terms of ranks, just by a slight difference in numbers, nor by his attitude towards others. Both believe they are good enough, despite having big flaws around them. The only difference was Rodney's joining date, he only joined around 2 years ago, yet he already knows most of Blake's past actions-the stories spread like wildfire.
-"Don't act like you're any better either.."-Blake muttered.
-"At least I didn't get a 100$ penalty like you did, good luck getting that money back"-Rodney mocked Blake again, showing no kind of respect by spitting next to Blake's shoes. -"Here, I made 'ya some dinner"-Rodney chuckled gruffly.
Blake didn't respond, he just stood there with his brows lowered and his eyes staring at Rodney, seeing how he was leaving the area after spitting on the ground. Rodney, like many other criminals Blake met in his career, can act in a very brutal and a malicious way towards others with no sympathy. Of course if killing teammates wasn't against the rules of the gang, he would gladly do it to those same crooks. To criminals, violence is always the solution.
Instead of pulling out a pistol and getting this whole mess over with, he just left the HQ and took another annoyingly expensive cab, policy rules and all. With many other strict rules being placed on criminals for using public services, life as an average low to mid ranked criminal is very hard in San Paro. But with all the difficulties, it can still be enjoyable if there's enough money, no wonder why high ranked criminals are happier. Money may not buy happiness for everyone, but it does the trick for the richest crooks in the city.
He obviously wanted some kind of revenge, but at the same time the consequences could lead him to getting in serious trouble with Rodney's little friends. He didn't know what kind of friends Rodney might have, they could be high ranked bad boys looking to punch anything with a face on it.-"That asshole will pay for what he did..."-Blake frowned, walking upstairs to his apartment. The building as usual, was full of loud noises coming from neighboring doors- you can't expect silence in a place like that. He wished that he could make them shut up so he could think straight, he had to find a way to hurt Rodney in a way that won't risk his life. -"What if I...No, too risky. Maybe I could, no wait..Impossible without getting caught"-He kept thinking of a way, any way possible to hurt his enemy, it flew through his head the closer he got to the door.
Upon opening the door, a disgusting smell came from the kitchen. -"Probably something's rotten again.."-Blake said to himself, covering his nose with his arm the closer he got to the smell's source. Turns out that the smell in fact came from the trashcan and not from the fridge, he tends to forget to take care of the house, committing crimes is a bigger priority than cleaning up after himself. He sighed, too tired to go downstairs again, he placed the trash bag on his doorstep and locked the door after himself.
It was getting darker, the sun slowly began to set and the city lights started to show their light in Blake's window, he sighed and covered it with the drapes, taking a seat on the old couch. The first thing he did once sitting down is checking for messages, to make sure he doesn't have to get up for later. -"Huh, nothing..That's new"-He scratched his head, rolled his eyes and carelessly threw the phone on the other side of the couch. The only thing he wanted to do now is get some sleep for once, who knows when's the next call gonna happen. He gently lowered his head to the side, hoping to get some shut eye.
Only after 2 peaceful hours, a vibration came from his phone, another mission to do. -"Just when I thought this day was gettin' better"-He opened his eyes, couldn't go back to sleep from the irritating vibration. -"Let's see what is it this time.."-He added, stretching his arms and seeing who is it.
-"Sorry if I 'woke' you up, but you got another job to do and this time it's a little different. I got some folks who forget to pay back my loan.-"He knew who it was from first glance, Byron was in charge of loans in the Bloodroses, and isn't too happy when his clients don't pay it back. He then swiped down with his finger to see the rest. -"Follow this address and make sure they get the message"-Once receiving the message another popped up, revealing the street name. The address lead to the shopping district of the city, a whole boulevard full of shops and hangout spots.
-"Looks like somebody forgot to pay back.."-Blake sighed, standing up and taking a pistol with him, for self protection. It's common for Byron's clients to lose a few screws and start shooting out of fear, but at the same time, the loan must be paid back anyway. Without a choice, he left immediately, since it wasn't really urgent he walked to the destination instead of spending his cash of those damn cabs again. It was night time, the entire boulevard of the shopping district was crowded with people buying various trinkets and walking around with big plastic bags. Luckily for him, the store he's about to visit was just about to close for the day, the only people inside were the owners, the couple who took the loan from Byron. It was a little hard walking past the people blocking his path, yet with a few pushes and dodges, it didn't take him long before being a few steps away from the shop.
-"Come on Josh let's go home already, nobody's gonna show up at this hour"-A female voice was heard from the store, Blake leaning on the door and listening to the conversation.
-"Hold on, you'll never know when's the costumer's coming, it could be any time now"-Another voice was heard. Blake decided to enter the store at the last minute.
-"You should listen to him, you'd never when a costumer shows up"-Blake smirked, entering the store, moving around the shelves and checking what is this couple selling. From what he could get, they just sell mere San Paro souvenirs for tourists and other small trinkets.
-"Oh crap"-The man mouthed, getting nervous upon figuring out who Blake is and where he came from. -"Is this about the loan?"
-"Obviously, you think I'd spend my time shopping in this store, in the public eye? I may be a criminal, but I'm not stupid"-Blake frowned, walking to the owner, ready to pull a pistol to his face.
-"What loan?"-The woman heard the conversation, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
-"Oh don't tell me you kept this only to yourself..Bra-vo 'Josh', good luck explaining to her where you got the money from too"-Blake smirked and gave a little clap, surprised to see how Josh even dared to keep this thing a secret.
-"I'll explain later dear"-Josh turned his face to her, he felt guilty yet he knew that it was the only option. She was still shocked, her eyes focusing on the pistol sticking out from Blake's pocket.
-"Enough chit-chat, just give me Byron's money and I'll be on my way"-Blake walked stopped the little moment the two seemed to be having.
-"You didn't say anything about a loan"-The woman whispered to Josh
-"I had no choice Alex, the bank didn't give me any money..So I had to turn to the criminals, it's the only way I could pay our rent and bills.."-Josh whispered back, feeling ashamed of his actions, yet it is the only thing he could have done.
-"Ahem.. Perhaps you didn't hear me"-Blake approached the whispering couple, taking out the pistol and revealing it.- "Give. Me. Byron's. Money. Or else."-He angered, didn't have any time to play around with these two.
-"L-Look.. I know I have to pay it today but I just didn't earn enough yet, please give me at least another week"-Josh tried to convince the criminal.
-"I don't decide the loan dues, I only come to take the money back. If you want to extend the load speak to Byron, but I doubt he'd approve it. Trust me, he doesn't like it when people don't pay on time. Do yourself and your female friend here a favor and pay now..You wouldn't want to come back here tomorrow with nothing to sell"-Blake replied, continuing to frown at the worried couple.
-"I can't believe you did this to us.."-Alex whispered to Josh, feeling terrible from discovering about this lie.
-"I didn't have a choice.."-Josh turned his head, looking at his wife with a shamed expression on his face. -"Please.. can't you help us here? can't you convince him to wait?"-He turned back to Blake, hoping for a positive answer.
-"No can do. The only thing I can do now is report about you not paying your loan. You and your girl don't know who you're messing with."
-"W-Wait since when am I part of this?"-Alex panicked.
-"He signed a contract before taking a loan, since you both are the current owners of this store, you're both getting screwed. He used Byron's money to pay for the monthly bills of this place am I right? So, because he didn't pay it back, Byron has the right to take away anything valuable enough from this store to pay back the due. You should be feeling lucky, he sometimes ends up killing the people who forget to pay."-Blake answered, pointing the pistol at Josh and moving it slowly to Alex as he finished talking. -"It's a shame it has to end like this, but it's the only option"-He added.
-"Maybe we should speak to this Byron guy then"-Alex turned her face to Josh.
-"Are you nuts?! Byron will rip me to shreds if he finds out I didn't pay today!"
-"What if you explain to him about this?"
-"I doubt that he'll even give a damn.."- Josh sighed, instead of fully giving up he decided to get to the safe in the store and give Blake whatever sum may be in there.
-"Here, it's not all of it, but that's how much I managed to earn, the rest I'll provide later I promise! I'll contact him tomorrow morning"-Josh said, giving Blake a small package containing the money.
-"If he hunts you down for this, I won't be responsible for your death"-Blake replied, taking the money and heading to the exit. Another mission has been done tonight.
Once getting out of the store he took a turn to the HQ, on the way he dialed up Byron's number to tell him what happened.
-"Did he give you the money?"-Byron asked.
-"Only half, the guy said he'll talk to you tomorrow morning about the rest"-Blake replied, on his way to the HQ with the money in his hands.
-"He better have a good excuse for this.."-Byron muttered. -"Come back to the HQ and deliver what you got, I'll deal with Josh tomorrow"-He added, hanging up as soon as he finished talking.
-"Damn, that Josh guy is screwed"-Blake thought to himself as he headed to the HQ. -"Sucks to be him"-He added, releasing a small chuckle.
He still kept thinking of a way to get vengeance from what Rodney did to him, unfortunately nothing yet. Despite wanting to get some payback he also knew that he had other important matters to take care of, he hasn't forgot about the female cop from before. -"Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to kill them both and nobody will notice..Or maybe just let them go with a warning..Hmm"-
-"Yo sleeping beauty, watch where you're going!"-Blake bumped into someone from thinking too much, not focusing on who's walking.
-"Maxwell?"-Blake was surprised to see a familiar face. He him since day one, it's been a while since they got to meet as both had different jobs as criminals.
-"If it isn't Blake Price the mad machine gunner? Damn..Been a while huh?"-Maxwell chuckled, shaking Blake's hand.
-"The one and only. How's it going? Being a high rank must be awesome huh?"-Blake asked. Maxwell used to be a simple criminal, until he proved himself worthy to be one of the top criminals of the Bloodroses.
-"Good, good. Hard work but the money is worth it"-Maxwell smirked, revealing to Blake his car, it was parked right next to the HQ.
-"DAMN that's your ride? How many jobs did you do for that beauty?"
-"Around 7, when you're my rank..Getting this kind of car is a piece of cake"-Maxwell smirked, acting like a showoff but Blake didn't even care, he was staring at the car like a dog looking at his owner's plate.
-"Heh. You can't stop staring at my ride eh? Maybe one day I could give it to you once it gets too old for me to use, but for now I'll keep it."-Maxwell laughed at Blake's curiosity over his car. -"What are you doing here anyway?"
-"Delivering loan money, the usual"
-" 'Used to do that myself, until I got this promotion , been 7 years and you're still a mid-rank? Damn Blake"-Maxwell started to slightly mock him, though it was just for the laughs.
-"Slow progress is all what I'm about, you know me"-Blake replied, letting out a laugh.
-"Well I'm gonna go inside, check for any missions, you coming in too?"-Maxwell pointed at the door, waiting for a response.
-"Yeah, I need to deliver this to Byron, once I'm done with that I gotta get some sleep..I only slept for 2 hours"-He said, yawning.
-"After you"-Maxwell held the door for his old friend, following him inside.
Unlike Blake, Maxwell was actually much older, he was 10 years older than him in fact. Maxwell was one of the first criminals who joined the Bloodroses when they slowly gained power in San Paro, he first joined back in 1994. Of course getting to where he's at today, he had to work hard and prove himself worthy enough to become a high ranked criminal, and he did only after 5 years of being a Bloodrose member. The two met at the day Blake first joined, at the time Maxwell used to be a guide for new recruits- a side job that he took to earn some extra cash.
-"So what are you gonna do about Josh?"-Blake asked Byron ,giving him the money package.
-"I'll see what he has to say tomorrow, if he's just trying to fuck with me I'll make sure his store will burn..Stealing 100k from me and not giving it back makes me a little..Uneasy"-Byron frowned, he didn't like it when people don't pay back.
Loans from criminal gangs is something that many citizens do to survive, when the banks decide to stop providing them with the cash they need. However, it comes with a price. If the person hasn't returned the sum of money by the end of the given time, the criminal has the right to rob anything valuable enough from his or her private belongings. When somebody loans from a criminal gang, he or she sign a contract, and once signing it, their money is given but must be returned by due or else. Not to mention if it's a business building funded by criminal money, the contract states that when the loan isn't paid due- the criminal giving the loan has a right to do whatever he wishes with the building. Not a smart move to do, yet some not so fortunate citizens have no choice but to take a loan from such a risky source.
Since his job is done, Blake left the HQ, heading back home just like he always does. On the way home he continued to think of a way to teach Rodney a lesson he'll never forget, if he wants to kill him, he has to do some planning first. Luckily the long walk back gave him enough time to slowly build a plan to make sure nobody knows Rodney is killed by him, to make it look like he died in a mission instead. Downside is, he doesn't know where Rodney goes to or where he lives.
Rodney was taking a casual stroll with a shotgun on his shoulders, scanning the area for any good stores to rob tonight. Some were still open, but too crowded- too many witnesses. Luckily for him, one was isolated from the rest, an electronics store just about to close its doors to the public. -"Too easy"-He smirked, loading the shotgun and approaching the store, ready to fire if it will be necessary to.
Blake noticed Rodney, he wasn't too from him, instead of attacking he decided to hide for now and see what he's up to. -"No point of killing him now, I'll do it when he's least expectin' it"-Blake said to himself, taking cover behind a brick wall.
The store clerk noticed the criminal approaching him with a sinister smirk on his face. -"L-Look I don't want no trouble, you want money yes? Take all of it! Just don't hurt me!"-"Sorry but I don't believe in mercy"-Rodney replied, shooting the man on sight, the impact threw the body towards the wall. -"Now where was I? Oh yeah..Now I see"-Rodney whispered, turning his head and seeing the cash register still open inside the store.
Blake took a peek and was left speechless. -"Holy fucking shit"- He mouthed, he never saw Rodney so..Cruel. He then sighed, taking out the pistol from before out of his pocket. -"This should do the job"-.
-"Now this is what I call a profit!"-Rodney smiled, seeing some valuable electronics, their worth can double if you sell it to the right people. -"I don' have to obey those assholes anymore, with the money I get from these stores, I'll be swimmin' in cash!"-He added, taking the money from the cash register, then pulling out his phone to call for a pickup.
This is it. He won't notice Blake's silent approach, before it's too late. He took small steps, slowly getting close enough to have a direct shot. -"I can't let that bastard make a fool 'outta me and live". Rodney meanwhile started talking on the phone while scanning the store for more valuables.
-"Yeah I think I'll need a big one sent over here, I gots some quality stuff here, now I offer 20k for all of the merchandise in the store..Well of course I get to keep the money, I robbed the damn place!"-Rodney kept arguing with one of his contacts, not noticing Blake's silent approach. -"No, I'm not sharing it either...Well screw you too!..God what an asshole"-He hung up and placed the phone on the counter, letting out a deep sigh, trying to figure out what to do now.
Blake was just a few steps away, he stopped walking, pointing the gun and aiming it on Rodney's head. -"Hello asshole"-He smirked, revealing himself to Rodney-"Blake?"-Rodney turned around to see Blake aiming the pistol at him. -"What the hell are you doing?"-"A little something I like to call revenge"-Blake replied with a chuckle, pulling the trigger and seeing Rodney drop dead with blood coming out of his head. -"Nobody pisses me off and gets away with it"-He added, stepping on Rodney's chest with his shoe, pressing hard on it before letting go. He walked past the bleeding corpse, collecting the goods that Rodney planned to steal. -"Now if you excuse me, I got some money to collect".