Chapter 87

The middle-aged guy was strapped down tight, no way out. Panic hit him hard, his voice shaky with fear. "Hey, what's happening here? We had a deal, right?"

His eyes darted to Sophia, full of desperation. Sweat dripped down his forehead, shining in the dim light.

"You're not gonna screw me over, are you? I'm working for Nico DeLuca. If you mess with me, we're in deep trouble. This could get really ugly!" He waved his trembling hands around, trying to show Henry and Sophia how serious this was.

Then, like a lightbulb went off, he quickly added, "How about this, I'll give you more money. Just don't make things hard for me. Name your price!"

Nico DeLuca?

Sophia was confused. She'd never heard of this guy, which meant there was something bigger going on.

She watched the middle-aged guy closely, hoping to get more info from his face.

The guy's fear grew as he saw Henry and Sophia weren't budging, no sign of letting him go.

He couldn't hold it in anymore and started begging, "This is my first time doing something like this. I'm really desperate! Why else would I do something illegal? Please, have mercy and give me a way out. I'll do anything you ask; just let me go, okay?"

By the end, he was almost sobbing, like a trapped animal—desperate and helpless.

Henry, being a licensed psychologist, could see the guy was about to lose it.

If he didn't calm him down fast, things could get worse.

So, he lowered his voice and said firmly, "Shut up and answer my questions. Got it?"

Even though his voice was soft, it had a commanding tone.

The middle-aged guy, scared by Henry's attitude, nodded quickly, too scared to say anything else.

He still didn't know what Henry was planning, but tied up like this, he had no choice but to go along.

He looked up at Henry with scared eyes and said cautiously, "Ask away."

"We're with the police. Here's my badge. What's your name?" Sophia said, flashing her badge.

The middle-aged guy replied, "My name is Gary. This is my first time doing something like this. I've never done anything illegal before..."

Sophia, looking impatient, cut him off, "You said you're running errands for Nico, delivering something, right? What are you delivering?"

Realizing Henry and Sophia were cops, Gary was terrified.

He shook like he'd been electrocuted, his face frozen in fear.Gary knew he was in deep trouble. If he got convicted, it could ruin his life, maybe even end it.

Thinking about the punishment, Gary's fear grew. His legs buckled, and he fell to the ground, his voice shaking even more. "Drugs. It's in my bag. But it's my first time! Nico has my son. He said he'd kill him if I didn't do this. I had no choice."

He covered his face with his hands, sobbing. His hoarse voice echoed in the quiet alley. "How did I get so unlucky, getting caught on my first try?"

Henry didn't know what to say, listening to Gary's sobs.

Sophia stepped forward and grabbed the bag from his hands.

She opened it and checked inside. There was a bunch of white powder, definitely the drugs Gary mentioned.

Sophia's eyes turned cold. She cut off Gary's sobbing, "Crying won't help. You're in our hands now. Instead of crying, think about how you can make up for this."

Gary asked, "Can I really make up for it?"

He looked up, surprised, a bit of hope in his eyes.

Sophia's face was serious as she said, "That depends on how you cooperate. Start by telling us everything you know."

Gary nodded quickly and started explaining. "I'm a teacher at an elementary school in a poor neighborhood. I had no connection with Nico before. Life was simple but stable."

He went on, "But then my son Yale accidentally killed his dog while riding his motorcycle. After that, Nico became like a demon, demanding $200,000 in compensation. We didn't have that kind of money, so he kidnapped Yale."

Gary's eyes reddened as he remembered the painful past, tears welling up. His voice choked with emotion. "He said if we didn't pay, he'd kill my son. As a father, how could I let that happen? So…"

"So you agreed to deliver drugs for him?" Henry cut in, then, as if realizing something, asked, "You bought a gun because it's your first time doing this, and you wanted to protect yourself, right?"

"Yes." Gary kept his head down, not daring to meet their eyes, his voice barely a whisper.

Henry said, "The drugs are on you now, which means you're about to make a deal, right? Where and when is the meeting?"

Henry's gaze sharpened as he watched Gary's every expression.

"The poor neighborhood," Gary said, looking scared, his eyes full of terror.

Living in a poor neighborhood, he knew all too well the consequences of cooperating with the police.

But given the situation, he had no choice.

If it were just his own life at stake, he might accept it. But he couldn't bear to think about what might happen to Yale.