bullyxtreme Chapter 127 A homeless child on the street begs Tom for help
Chapter 127 A homeless child on the street begs Tom for help
Chapter 127 A homeless child on the street begs Tom for help
Tom suddenly offered a gentle smile: "This is our first time in Billings, we don't know anyone here. How about you take us to the bank? You'll have to pay us for the directions."
As he spoke, he slowly took out his wallet from his pocket.
The moment the wallet was exposed!
A dirty little hand quickly withdrew from the wallet opening!
"Okay!" The little boy's face quickly regained its color, and he nodded obediently, but he dared not meet Tom's eyes.
As the little boy disappeared around the street corner, Cooper couldn't help but scoff, "First time in Billings? Tom, that's a lame excuse!"
Tom didn't even bother to give him a second glance and strode straight toward the bank.
Inside the bank, the manager was more excited to see Tom and his group than if he had seen his own father!
"Sir! You've finally arrived!" He was almost in tears.
This huge sum of money has been sitting in their vault for far too long; it's a real hot potato!
Before the deadline had passed, they had to live in constant fear, for if the news leaked out and they were targeted by those desperate criminals, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Tom's arrival was a lifesaver!
"Please contact Pinkerton Detective Agency," Tom ordered crisply. "We need to get this shipment out of here safely."
"No problem! Absolutely no problem!" The manager nodded vigorously, wishing they would disappear immediately.
He arranged the communications with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
While waiting, Tom and his companions did not sit idle, but slowly and methodically took stock of their wealth.
The Pinkerton men arrived quickly.
The two sides finalized the details, and three reinforced carriages and three fully armed, sharp-eyed guards were ready.
"Tom, are we really not going to spend the night in town?" Cooper complained, rubbing his aching shoulders. "Sleeping in the fields all the time, my bones are about to fall apart!"
"No!" the guard captain interrupted decisively, his voice as cold and hard as iron. "We must set off immediately! We must reach the designated safe point before dark."
Tom didn't really care, but seeing the guards' tense expressions and thinking about the more than two hundred thousand US dollars in the car, he could only nod and say, "As the captain says, let's go!"
As the convoy approached the outskirts of Billings, at dusk, a small figure covered in blood suddenly lunged out from the roadside and clung tightly to the front legs of Tom's mount!
"Please! Save them!" The hoarse cries were filled with despair.
Startled, the loach pawed wildly, trying to shake off the troublesome little thing!
"Hold on!" Tom hissed, pulling on the reins. He looked down and his heart sank.
Isn't that the little boy who led the way earlier!
At this moment, his face was covered in blood, his clothes were torn, and his small body was covered with shocking wounds.
"Cough—cough cough cough—" The boy coughed violently, blood even oozing from the corner of his mouth. He clung tightly to Tom's trouser leg, shouting with his last breath, "My friends—have been—have been kidnapped! Please—save them!"
Before he could finish speaking, his head lolled to the side, and he completely lost consciousness.
Tom dismounted and quickly examined the boy's injuries, his brow furrowed.
Without turning his head, he ordered, "Thomas! Take him to the hospital!"
"Tom!" Thomas grabbed him, lowering his voice, "This is a terrible choice!"
The head guard's voice carried an undeniable warning: "Mr. Tom! Our duty is to deliver goods on time and safely! If you delay the journey due to unrelated personnel, you will bear all the consequences! It's getting dark, and we must reach the safe camp immediately!"
As dusk deepened, a cold wind blew, stirring up the dust on the ground.
On one side is a critically injured child and an unknown plea for help; on the other side are well-paid guards and an urgent schedule.
Tom crouched beside the unconscious child, the sunlight sweeping across the captain of the guard's cold face, then gazing at the blurry outline of Billings City in the twilight, falling into a deathly silence of dilemma.
Tom's sharp gaze suddenly locked onto the trembling little figure in the shadows of the street corner—the same child who had been running around at his feet with a panicked look in his eyes!
At this moment, that terrified gaze was once again exposed to him without any concealment.
Without a word, Tom strode over to the child, knelt down, and asked in a deep but undeniably authoritative voice, "Who was taken? Do you know where they were taken?"
The four- or five-year-old boy was trembling with fear, but under Tom's watchful eye, he finally stammered and sobbed as he poured out everything he knew.
Tom abruptly stood up and gave the order: "Thomas, Cooper, Zack! Take the goods and immediately return to Paradise Valley via the same route!"
"Tom! I'll stay and help you!" Zack shouted immediately.
"No!" Tom said, leaving no room for negotiation.
He abruptly turned to the captain of the guard, "I hope your Pinkerton reputation isn't ruined on this trip!"
The guard captain's face darkened, and he replied curtly, "Once we've taken the job, we'll deliver the goods!"
Tom gave Thomas a deep look.
Immediately, he picked up the seriously injured and unconscious child from the ground, took the hand of the terrified little boy with his other hand, and strode towards the nearest hospital without looking back!
"Go!" Thomas gritted his teeth and growled, flicking the reins, and the convoy started moving again, driving away from Billings in the twilight.
After handing the injured child over to the doctor, Tom left without a moment's hesitation.
The doctor's diagnosis brought him a slight sense of relief: the seven or eight-year-old child's injuries were not fatal; the fainting was mainly caused by hunger and fright.
Based on the boy's fragmented description before he lost consciousness, and combined with Tom's visual perception, he quickly identified his target.
The destination turned out to be a brightly lit and noisy brothel!
Tom's eyes turned cold, and he silently circled around to the back alley and slipped into the brothel through the back door.
In a smoke-filled room, an overweight, heavily made-up woman slumped in a chair, sharply berating several disheveled cowboys in front of her: "Look at the merchandise you brought this time! Small and skinny, shriveled like dehydrated beef jerky! How much are they worth?"
"Boss lady, there's really no one left!" A cowboy with a missing front tooth said with a bitter face. "Last winter, a bunch of people froze to death, and the recent rainy season saw another bunch drown and starve to death. There aren't any wild animals left on the streets! Unless—"
"Unless what?" The fat woman tapped her chubby fingers on the armrest, her cloudy eyes fixed on him.
"Unless—we go directly to their door to invite them!" The toothless cowboy licked his lips, a fierce glint in his eyes.
"Pah!" The fat woman spat a mouthful of phlegm on the ground, the spittle almost splashing onto the other person's face. "If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"
Get out! Don't come back if you don't have decent goods!
The cowboys grumbled as they weighed the few gold coins they had just received, then grumbled and went out to the front yard to have some fun.
"A bunch of worthless scum!" the fat woman spat again at their retreating backs.
Just then!
With a creak, the door behind her was silently pushed open.
The fat woman was startled and turned around abruptly, only to see a strange young man standing in the doorway.
"Who are you looking for?"
The fat woman tried to remain calm, but her plump fingers unconsciously clenched into fists.
"Looking for a child." Tom's voice was flat and even, yet carried a heavy sense of pressure. "He was just brought here today."