Chapter 13 Will You Wait for Me?

Their eyes locking onto Arlo as they charged forward.

Skyler screamed, instinctively squeezing into Arlo's embrace.

In that instant when the thugs rushed in, Arlo reacted.

He pushed Skyler into a corner and grabbed a chair leg, swinging it towards the head of the first thug.

In terms of fighting experience, Arlo was confident, especially in the layout of this rental, which was shaped like an "L".

There was only a narrow passage from the doorway to where Arlo stood, allowing for only two people to pass at a time, making it extremely crowded.

This undoubtedly gave Arlo a great advantage. The first thug who charged hadn't even reacted before getting hit hard on the head with the chair leg.

With one decisive blow, Arlo didn't stop there; he swung the chair in his hand backward and smashed it towards another thug.

This thug reacted a bit faster, but even so, the chair still landed on his shoulder.

A miserable cry filled the narrow passage as the two thugs fell to the ground, blocking the way.

The remaining thugs hesitated when they saw their companions down on the ground.

They weren't stupid; witnessing Arlo's decisive and fierce actions, they understood they had met their match.

But they were just hired hands. If they returned empty-handed and humiliated, how could they continue their thuggish ways in the future?

Arlo was furious; anyone preparing to do what he was interrupted from would be angry, especially when the interruption came in the form of a physical assault.

With one foot on the belly of one unlucky thug, Arlo asked icily, "Who sent you?"

The thug being stepped on felt like his insides were churning, nearly vomiting from the pain. He cried out, "It's Ruben! Ruben paid us fifty thousand to come beat you up!"

"Ruben?" Arlo suppressed his anger. He knew Ruben Wilson was wealthy and influential, but letting this matter slide wasn't something he could easily do.

Arlo stomped on that little thug's belly so hard, causing him to cry out in pain and beg for mercy, "Boss, please spare me!"

Arlo shifted his eyes to others around and icily demanded, "What's your decision? Do you want me to beat you up, or will you leave on your own?"

The thugs exchanged glances, then one with an earring spoke up, "We'll leave on our own, Boss. No need for you to get involved."

Saying that, he helped up a companion and tried to leave.

"Hold on!" Arlo sneered at them. "You're just going to walk away after breaking my door?"

Gritting his teeth, the thug with the earring pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it over. "Boss, take this for fixing your door."

Arlo took the money and weighed it in his hand. Though he didn't count it, he estimated it to be around twenty to thirty thousand.

"Didn't Ruben give you fifty thousand? Why is it only this much?" Without waiting for the thug's reply, he threatened, "Think carefully before you answer."

The thug looked embarrassed. "Boss, it's, it's all we have left."

"All you have left?" Arlo widened his eyes. "Wasn't it fifty thousand? Where did the other thirty thousand go?"

"We spent it on massages and gambling..."

Seeing the thug's avoiding gaze, Arlo understood he wasn't telling the truth.

He tightened his grip on the chair's handle slightly, causing the steel legs of the chair to warp instantly.

Squinting at the thug, Arlo asked, "Are you sure you spent it all on massages and gambling?"

The thug widened his eyes, swallowing hard. "Boss, please don't be hasty. We, we can pool our money together!"

Turning to the other thugs, he urged anxiously, "Quick, quick, take out the money from your pockets and give it to Boss for fixing the door!"

Though the other thugs were reluctant to part with their money, they had seen Arlo twist steel pipes with his bare hands. They became obedient immediately, fearing their legs would end up twisted if they didn't comply.

After emptying all their pockets, they managed to scrape together another ten thousand.

The thug with the earring presented the money to Arlo with a mournful face. "Boss, this is all we have left. There's truly nothing more."

Taking the money, Arlo waved his hand. "Get lost!"

The thugs fled like they had been granted a reprieve, scrambling out of the rented room.

"Arlo, are you... are you okay?"

Skyler hugged Arlo from behind, her heart still racing.

"I'm fine," Arlo shook his head. "You were scared, huh?"

Skyler pressed against his back, her hands tightly wrapped around his waist. Feeling the solid muscles beneath his clothes, she caressed him gently. "I was scared at first, but knowing you were there, I felt safe."

Arlo turned around, looking at Skyler's delicate face. He couldn't help but notice her great figure.

She was tall with a well-proportioned body, especially those long, shapely legs under her sundress, which nearly blinded Arlo.

"Those thugs said Ruben sent them. What do you think?"

Skyler looked a bit fearful. She pursed her lips apologetically. "I... I'm not sure, but from what I know of Ruben, he's cunning enough to do something like this."

After a moment of silence, Arlo asked, "Has he approached you these past few days?"

A flicker of unease passed over Skyler's face. She denied, "No, why?"

Arlo shook his head. "Nothing. Just to be safe, you shouldn't stay at the rented place these days. Go back to school."

Skyler lowered her head, her long hair falling over half of her face. Her watery eyes blinked rapidly. "But... but I don't want to be apart from you."

Arlo sighed. "But I work at the bar. I won't be home at night. If Ruben comes with his men while I'm away, what will you do?"

"Well, okay..."

It was evident that Skyler didn't want to go back to school, but for her safety, Arlo pretended not to notice.

Suddenly, Arlo remembered something. "By the way, where do you work?"

"In Vido District. I found a tutoring center there and work as a dance instructor."

"No one else knows about it except me, right?"

"Right."

"That's good. You have to go to work, right? Come on, I'll take you to catch the bus."

"Okay, fine..."

Throughout the journey, Skyler seemed downcast, but Arlo didn't say much.

He knew very well that if he softened his heart, in case Ruben brought people to find them and he wasn't around, Skyler would surely be in trouble.

The two stood silently at the bus stop, and soon the bus arrived.

Skyler boarded the bus at the back. Just before getting on, she looked back at Arlo and said, "You, you also need to be careful. Ruben is vengeful; he definitely won't let it go easily."

Arlo sighed inwardly and reassured her, "Don't worry, if I really get on his bad side, it might not end well for him either!"

Reluctantly boarding the bus, Skyler chose a window seat and leaned out, saying, "Arlo... could you please not fall for someone so quickly? Give me some time, I'll sort everything out! Will you wait for me?"

Arlo smiled and nodded, "Sure, I'll wait for you."