"I can't do it."
Bobula stepped back from Bruno and shook his head once.
"I've got something important to handle. Not this."
For a second, Bruno only stared at him.
That answer did not fit at all.
Bobula was usually the first one to stay close, the first one to circle around Bruno's side, the first one to act like following him was a privilege. Even when the others got lazy or careless, Bobula normally tried to remain visible near him, as if he wanted Bruno to notice his loyalty every hour of the day.
So why was he pulling away now?
'Hm? Bobula always tries to stay near me. What changed today?' Bruno thought.
A small alarm bell rang in his head.
For one brief moment, Bruno wondered if Bobula had picked up something strange around these recent side deals. But he pushed that concern down, because his main target right now was still the old man.
No matter what, he had to catch Old man.
If that old man truly belonged to some hidden organization, then Bruno had only one route left. Grab him, break him, interrogate him, and find out who stood behind him and how much they knew.
Only after that would he decide whether to run, bargain, or strike first.
Besides, by now, almost seventy-eight million dollars had already passed through his hands from these deals.
That amount alone made stopping feel impossible.
On the other side of the city, Adam stood inside a telephone booth with a paper in his hand.
He looked at the number written there and stayed still for a moment.
'Bruno, you were useful enough. But it's time to dispose of you.' Adam thought.
He had not used his own phone for this on purpose. A public booth gave him distance, anonymity, and enough freedom to cut the line and move before Bruno's men could lock onto one fixed trail.
Then he dialed.
Bruno had just turned away from Bobula's direction when his phone started ringing.
Another unknown number.
He looked at the screen and understood at once.
It was that old man again.
Bruno moved a little away from the remaining two men and lifted one finger.
"Give me a minute."
Then he answered.
Adam did not waste even one second.
He spoke the name of a specific cafe, then added, "Five minutes."
The call ended immediately.
Bruno lowered the phone, checked the time, and saw that it was only ten in the morning.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
To him, that early timing felt perfect. The streets would be active enough to hide movement, but not so crowded that grabbing one old man would become impossible.
He turned back to the two men and said, "Take your guys and go to this cafe. Pick up the old man matching the description I gave you. I'll be right behind you in a minute or two."
The two men looked at each other and grinned.
"Looks like that old man is finished today."
Adam, meanwhile, had stepped out of the booth and moved to a newspaper stall nearby.
He opened a paper in front of his face and stood there like a normal reader, but his eyes were not on the printed lines.
They were fixed on the cafe a short distance away.
After waiting for a while, he saw Bruno arrive.
Then he checked the street around him, the people near the entrance, and the men who had already gone inside.
He noted their shoulders, their walking rhythm, and the way two of them scanned the room before pretending to relax.
That was enough.
One thing became very clear.
Bruno had crossed into the stage where he would no longer let Adam walk away if he got a hand on him.
Adam had already sensed that warning sign when Bruno sent men ahead of the last meeting, even after being threatened.
He had not known exactly how long Bruno could still be used.
Now he did.
In the end, Bruno was still a gangster.
He would not hesitate to put hands on Adam if he thought he had the advantage.
And Adam had no real defense ready yet.
His skill existed, yes, but he still did not know how smoothly he could use it in a direct fight. Against several men at close range, one hesitation could ruin everything.
'I can't gamble my body on an untested use of Copy and Paste.' Adam thought.
So Adam folded the newspaper, returned to the telephone booth, and went inside again.
Inside the cafe, Bruno was already looking around every table with his jaw tightening second by second.
One of his men came up beside him and spoke in a low voice.
"There's no one here matching that description."
Bruno repeated almost under his breath, "How is that possible?"
'Did he realize what I was doing?' Bruno thought.
For the first time that morning, fear touched his face.
Then his phone rang again, same unknown number.
Bruno answered at once.
Adam's voice came through again, but this time there was no anger in it, no hurry, and no visible emotion at all.
"Change of plan," Adam said. "Come to this cafe instead."
He gave another location.
Bruno was so surprised he almost failed to answer.
He held the reaction down and said quietly, "Of course. I'm coming."
Then the call ended.
Bruno turned to his men and lifted the large bag in one hand.
"Let's go. He's at this cafe."
The two close men and a few others with them looked at the big bag in Bruno's hand with some surprise, but none of them questioned it.
Inside the gang, Bruno's rank was still too high for that kind of casual doubt.
On the other side, Adam was still standing in the telephone booth.
But this time, he was not wearing the old-man disguise.
Adam stood there in his real appearance.