Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Playing the Bait
Alexander casually paid for his items, walked out of the store, and climbed back into the driver’s seat of the Tahoe. He didn’t try anything.
Through the deep tint of his windshield, his eyes locked onto the black sedan across the lot, the driver was still fueling up, but the passenger side window was rolled down an inch, and Alexander could see the silhouette of a second man sitting still in the front seat.
Realizing a direct approach at the pumps might cause a chaotic scene before he could get answers, Alexander decided to draw the game out just a tiny bit longer. He slid out of the cabin, walked into the convenience store, and grabbed a couple of cold cans of Monster energy and a premium vanilla ice cream bar from the freezer.
He strolled back out into the warm afternoon air, casually tearing the wrapper off the ice cream. Instead of getting back inside, he hopped up and sat on the hood of his Tahoe exposed in the middle of the station lot. He pulled out his phone, unlocked the screen, and dialed Amy’s number while taking a slow bite of the ice cream.
"Hey, Amy," said Alexander, his voice perfectly relaxed as the line connected. "Listen, I’m running a little bit late. I got held up with some errands around the city."
"Alexander! You are literally taking forever!" said Amy, her voice instantly bursting with dramatic impatience through the speaker. "I’ve been sitting by the window for an hour. My mom is already looking at me like I’m trying to escape through the vents."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m sorry," said Alexander, letting out a soft chuckle as his eyes remained fixed on the black sedan. "How are things holding up over there anyway? Are you doing alright?"
"I’m totally fine, just bored out of my mind," said Amy, sighing heavily. "Did you manage to get everything you needed?"
"Yeah, everything is fully taken care of," said Alexander, taking another bite of his ice cream. "By the way, did you already mention to Aunt Helen that I was coming over to pick you up?"
"Of course I did," said Amy, her tone turning slightly smug. "I told her we were just going to the main commercial district to grab a bite and look at some clothes. She complained for like twenty minutes about safety, but she finally agreed. So the coast is perfectly clear."
"Perfect," said Alexander, a cold, dangerous smirk forming on his face as he watched the passenger in the black sedan subtly adjust his side mirror to keep him in view. "Then I’ll be passing by your place in just a moment."
"You better hurry up!" said Amy, though her voice quickly softened into a teasing, playful rhythm. "And you promise you’re going to spoil me today, right? To make up for keeping me waiting like a hostage?"
"Yeah, I promise," said Alexander, laughing softly into the receiver. "I love you too, kid. And no, I hadn’t forgotten about the shopping."
"Good!" said Amy, a bright, giggly cheer echoing from the phone. "Because you know I’m literally the prettiest cousin you have, and you have to treat me right."
"Yeah, I know, hehehe," said Alexander, his voice dropping into a warm, familiar tone. "You’re definitely the prettiest of them all. Keep your phone close and stay inside. Take care, chao."
He hung up the phone and tossed it onto the dashboard through the open driver’s window. He finished the last bite of his ice cream, cracked open a can of Monster, and took a long, slow sip. The driver of the black sedan had finally finished fueling, clicking the nozzle back into the cradle and climbing back into the vehicle.
Alexander remained exactly where he was, leaning casually against the reinforced hood of the Tahoe as he finished his energy drink. Across the lot, the atmosphere inside the black sedan was turning tense. Through the clear windshield, he could see the two silhouettes shifting around, their posture radiating pure impatience. They were waiting for him to key the engine and hit the highway so they could resume a comfortable tail, but his refusal to move was actively ruining their protocol.
Realizing that idling at a pump for ten minutes looked incredibly conspicuous, the driver killed the engine. The two men exchanged a brief, tight word before both doors swung open. Deciding to use the convenience store as a cover to maintain their stakeout, they stepped onto the asphalt and began walking directly toward the main entrance.
As they approached, their path brought them within three feet of the silver SUV. Alexander kept his eyes fixed on his magazine, idly turning a page and taking a slow sip of his soda, feigning ignorance. He didn’t give them a single glance, acting like just another wealthy, carefree civilian oblivious to the world around him.
The two men passed right by him, the electronic doors of the station sliding open with a soft hiss as they stepped inside.
"Well, it looks like it’s definitely them," Alexander murmured under his breath, a dark, freezing glint returning to his eyes.
The moment they crossed the threshold into the building, that heavy, suffocating sensation of a hidden gaze drilling into his neck instantly vanished from the open lot. There were no other spotters in the perimeter; the target was isolated.
Alexander gave a small, effortless jump down from the hood, landing lightly on his feet. He casually tossed the empty aluminum can into a nearby bin, turned around, and walked right back toward the store.
Alex tracked the two trackers down the central aisle with his footsteps making zero sound against the polished floor. They were standing right in front of the beverage section, their backs turned as they idly scanned the rows of sodas convinced their target was still clueless outside.
Alexander closed the distance in a fraction of a second, his shadow swallowing them whole before they could even sense the sudden shift in the air.
Before the first man could turn his head, Alexander’s right hand shot out like a mechanical piston, locking his fingers into the back of the guy’s hair with a lethal, vice-like grip. With a force, he yanked the man backward and slammed his face straight into the thick glass of the commercial refrigerator at maximum speed.
