Chapter 24: A Bounty
"It seems there was a bounty on those two," Sable said as he looked at Liam wolfing down pastries without a care in the world.
He still couldn’t understand how the kid had regained consciousness so quickly.
According to the grey-market doctor he had hired to treat him, Liam wasn’t supposed to wake up for another month.
After all, it was surprising that he had survived with that much venom in his veins in the first place.
"How much?" Liam looked up from the pastries before him and at Sable.
"Five hundred thousand dollars each," the agent responded, "it was posted anonymously a day before the kidnapping."
"That’s either an extreme coincidence or the person knew exactly what was going to happen," Liam said with a frown on his face.
Still, whether it was a coincidence or not, only one thing mattered, "do I also get the bounty on Iris’ head?"
Sable looked at the kid for a moment before letting out an amused chuckle and shaking his head, "Unfortunately, it was a kill bounty."
That meant he was only going to receive half a million since Riley had ended up submitting Iris to the HA.
A problem Zero needed to deal with, since Iris now knew far too much about him, and he couldn’t risk the HA getting hold of that information.
He didn’t let his thoughts surface on his face as he nodded, "I guess half a mil is not so bad."
He went back to eating while Sable silently watched him. For all the kid’s easygoing demeanor, Sable had once again seen just how terrifying he truly was.
His cleaners had sent him an image of the aftermath of Zero’s fight with the Gamma-ranked villain, and he could only wonder how the kid had gotten the corpse in that state.
Ophion had died with a grin still on his face, but it was equally clear that he had been in excruciating pain before his death.
According to the lab reports, however, the snake-man had died from poison, which was absurd considering the awakened human was specifically immune to it.
"Riley might get the wrong idea if you keep staring at me like that," Liam suddenly said as he picked up the last cupcake.
Before Sable had the chance to respond, Liam spoke up again, "Speaking of which, we’re currently crashing at her place, but I’d like to find something more permanent soon."
"You have enough to afford a house now, no?" Sable asked.
"Yes," Liam nodded before adding, "but I was hoping to use your money instead....after all, I’ve rescued your daughter twice already. "
Sable looked at the kid with narrowed eyes. He already knew the kid liked money, but he hadn’t realized he was this stingy.
"I almost lost my life trying to rescue her, and on top of that, my precious family was put in danger," Liam continued with what seemed to be a deeply aggrieved expression, "I at least deserve some compensation...right?"
His act would’ve been completely convincing if not for the fact that he was unwilling to let go of the last cupcake.
"Are you trying to extort me right now?" Sable asked, completely amused by the kid’s antics.
As much as the kid seemed to be different from the information gathered on him, it seemed one thing remained constant.
"I would never," Liam denied before leaning forward and asking, "Is it working?"
The grey market agent just chuckled in response before saying, "Contact me when you find a house."
"Sweet," Liam said as he leaned back and took his phone out of his hoodie’s pocket, "I already have one in mind."
Sable looked at the screen in surprise. He had expected the kid to pick some extravagant mansion, but his choice was far more modest than expected.
"Are you certain?" He put the phone down and asked.
"Yup," Liam responded with a smile.
Sable looked down at the screen again before nodding. The place was secure enough, and he could easily station his own people there, so he had no complaints.
"I’ll make the call," Sable said, taking out his phone as well.
Liam watched as his grey market agent secured the place with just a few simple words before putting the phone down.
"You’ll receive the documents through the mail," Sable said as he looked at the kid.
"That was fast," Liam muttered, genuinely surprised.
Then again, with enough money, one could do anything.
Sable nodded and handed him an envelope that he had gotten from the black coat behind him, one that contained a check for the bounty.
"Then I guess that’s all?" Liam said as he pocketed the envelope and was about to stand when Sable spoke again.
"There’s one more thing."
Liam sat back down and waited for the man to continue.
"I intend to send Noa abroad now that the tracker has been removed from her," Sable said, looking at Liam.
Liam was silent for a while before nodding.
Sending her out of the country would ensure her safety and keep the Ring from ever finding her.
Perhaps, there, she’d finally have a chance at living a normal life.
"Have you discussed this with her?" Liam asked.
"Yes," Sable nodded, "she didn’t seem against it."
"I see," the hitman nodded, "then there should be no problems."
With that, he stood up and turned toward the door, only to stop and look back at Sable.
"I need to visit my former landlord," he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, "Would you mind dropping me off?"
"Do I look like a chauffeur?" Sable asked as he looked at Liam with a deadpan expression.
Liam placed a hand on his chin as he seriously considered before replying, "You’d need a hat."
Sable stared at him for a moment before giving up, letting out a sigh and standing up.
"Get in the car," he said, reaching for his coat.
Liam smiled in response before walking towards the car.
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