In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
That morning.
Dexter drove to the courthouse as usual.
From the parking booth, Mike saw Dexter's car approaching from a distance. His brow twitched slightly, and he took a deep breath.
When Dexter pulled up to the booth...
"Let's talk," Mike said proactively, his face as stoic and expressionless as ever.
Hearing this, Dexter knew it meant "yes." He flashed a brilliant smile.
In fact, when he first proposed the deal to Mike, he was ninety percent sure the old man would accept.
The reason was simple.
Mike didn't need much money for himself, but his daughter-in-law, Stacey, and his granddaughter, Kaylee, did. And they needed a lot.
Aside from Stacey and Kaylee, Mike had no other tethers to this life.
"Sure. When?" Dexter asked with a smile.
"When you're done with your work, come out," Mike replied calmly.
"You got it," Dexter agreed.
The brief exchange ended. Mike didn't say another word, and Dexter stepped on the gas and drove in.
having worked at the courthouse for a few days—combined with the fact that he wasn't short on cash and always brought donuts or coffee for people—Dexter had already gotten on good terms with most of the staff.
Not only that, but he had also become quite friendly with some of the lawyers from the District Attorney's office.
These Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) were public servants, and honestly, they were kind of pitiful. They made meager salaries, dealt with piles of crap all day, and had to handle brain-dead criminals...
Knowing this context, getting close to them wasn't hard.
Plus, aside from being generous, Dexter had one other advantage: he was incredibly handsome.
Case in point.
Just as Dexter walked into the courthouse lobby, a female lawyer from the DA's office saw him and greeted him with noticeable enthusiasm. "Dexter."
Dexter, who had been thinking about the Mike situation, turned his head. Seeing who it was, he immediately changed direction and walked over, coffee in hand. "Jennifer. I haven't seen you for one night, and you've already gotten prettier."
Women, regardless of nationality, like being told they look good.
It's like an innate trait.
Jennifer giggled. "Dexter, you too. Haven't seen you for a night, and your sweet talk has gotten even smoother."
"That's because I was practicing hard all night. Want to come see for yourself tonight?" Dexter said casually.
Hearing this, Jennifer blinked slyly. "Aren't you going to buy me dinner first?"
Oho.
He'd been flirting with her casually for days, and it looked like it was finally paying off.
"Of course I will. Seven o'clock tonight, [Restaurant Name]," Dexter said decisively with a smile.
Jennifer blinked again. "I'll think about it~~"
Saying that, she turned to leave.
"Jennifer, your coffee," Dexter deftly pulled a cup from his paper bag and handed it to her.
"Thanks," she smiled, taking it, and sashayed away, hips swaying.
Dexter took a sip of his own coffee, watching Jennifer's swaying figure with a grin.
Honestly, while Jennifer's face wasn't breathtakingly beautiful, her body was definitely top-tier.
She'd be a lot of fun to play with, Dexter thought with a smirk as he started walking again.
He had a great idea.
He planned to work his way through all the young female lawyers in the District Attorney's office.
---
He busied himself until a little past 11:00 AM. After reaching an agreement with the prosecutor and going through the motions in court, another public defense case was wrapped up. Dexter collected his seven-hundred-dollar fee, left the building, got in his car, and headed for the exit.
"Once you're out, turn right at the intersection. I'll get someone to cover my shift," Mike said directly, cutting the chatter.
Dexter nodded with a smile. "Okay."
He waited by the roadside for about ten minutes.
Mike pulled up in his beat-up vintage car and stopped next to Dexter. "I'll take the job you talked about. Where are we doing it?"
"Follow me." Dealing with a guy like Mike, chit-chat was detrimental. Simple and direct was best.
Soon, the two cars drove one after the other toward the destination—that little Mexican restaurant with the mustard-yellow sign.
They parked in the vacant lot diagonally across from the restaurant.
Dexter and Mike got out of their cars.
Dexter stretched, lit a cigarette, and began to brief Mike on the situation. " The day after tomorrow, which is next Tuesday, Tuco and his partner, a guy named Nacho, will be at that restaurant collecting money..."
There were quite a few details, so it took a moment for Dexter to finish.
"Don't make it too severe. No guns needed. I just need Tuco to get arrested and sit in jail for a few months," Dexter exhaled smoke and added.
Mike, who had been listening quietly until now, raised an eyebrow. "You're paying me fifty thousand dollars just to put him in jail for a few months?"
Dexter was waiting for that question. He grinned. "I want him in prison for years. But to achieve that in one go, you'd have to get involved too deeply."
"The Salamanca family would come looking for you. You'd be in huge trouble, and so would I."
"So, I decided to do this in two stages. You create a minor problem—for instance, let Tuco beat the crap out of you."
"Tuco gets arrested and does a few months. During that time, I'll find someone else inside the prison to mess with him. His sentence will turn from months into years, and it won't trace back to you."
Hearing this plan, Mike's expression shifted.
He pursed his lips, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Dexter. He was silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Doing it that way will cost you a lot more money. Why not let me solve it in one step?"
"Are you worried that when the Salamancas find me, I won't hold up and I'll rat you out?"
Dexter wasn't surprised by Mike's suspicion.
For a guy like Mike, thinking that way was perfectly normal.
Dexter laughed immediately and shook his head. "I know the Salamanca family very well. They pose no threat to me."
"I don't want you to have major trouble because, like I said before, I want you to work for me."
"If the Salamancas are hounding you, my wish won't come true."
Mike frowned. He studied Dexter for another two seconds, judging that while this might not be the whole truth, it wasn't a lie either.
But that wasn't an issue.
Half-truths were par for the course. Neither of them were naive idiots.
Mike didn't comment on that. He shifted his gaze to the ugly yellow restaurant across the street.
having been a cop for over twenty years, Mike already knew exactly how to handle this job.
He pondered for a few minutes.
"I know what to do. I'll handle it Tuesday," Mike returned to his stoic, poker-faced demeanor.
Having received a definitive answer, Dexter didn't stall. He turned around, reached into his car, took twenty-five thousand dollars out of his briefcase, put it in a paper bag, and handed it to Mike.
"I'll pay the other half when it's done," Dexter said. "Also, I hope you consider working for me. I can solve the problem of cleaning your money so it can be used in the light of day."
Hearing this.
Mike's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes suddenly turned sharp.
He knew exactly what that meant.
"You investigated me?" Mike asked.
Dexter shook his head. "No. Like I said, I know this city very well."
Mike stared at Dexter with a piercing gaze for a moment. He didn't say anything, just got in his car and drove away.