Mayex lay on the floor.
Boran stared at the boy. Then he stepped forward.
"Me." His voice was flat. "You fucking monkey."
The boy glanced over him and smiled.
"Alright then. Come and try to—"
He never finished.
Boran's fist came straight and fast — no wind-up, no warning. It landed clean across the boy's face and crashed him into the ground.
Benny watched from where she sat, tears still running down her face.
"...Is it over?"
"Yes," Boran said. "His weakness is expecting a fair fight."
Adam moved to Benny first. He untied her hands, checked her arm, then used the rope to tie the boy. Then he looked at Boran.
"...What now? Is this done?"
"No." Boran looked at the boy on the floor. "He isn't Johan. He's someone else." He paused. "We take him to the basement. Boss will want to see him." He looked around. "So — who's carrying him?"
A cough.
Mayex pushed himself up slowly, one hand on the floor. He stared at the boy for a moment.
"...Damn. I lost pathetically."
"Yeah you did," Adam said. "Guess I'm calling you loser from now on."
"For God's sake — he wasn't normal." Mayex straightened up. "Who takes a kick just to grab the leg? He didn't dodge it, didn't counter it — he took it on purpose so he could throw me off balance. Who does that?"
"That's exactly what a loser would say."
"Both of you." Boran's voice cut through the room. "Stop. Benny got hurt. Did you forget that already?"
A beat of silence.
"...They definitely did, Boran," Benny said quietly. "They definitely did."
Mayex turned. His expression went blank.
"I... kind of forgot. Shit."
He crossed the room and lifted her carefully.
"I'll take her back. She needs treatment." He glanced at the boy. "But — how exactly are we supposed to move him in broad daylight?"
Adam slapped the back of his head.
"Are you serious? The old man has a car. He drives us. Simple."
Everyone looked toward the corner where the old man had been standing.
He was gone.
---
No one moved.
The silence stretched.
"For God's sake," Boran said quietly. "That fucking old bastard."
---
Old Man's POV
He'd watched Mayex lose.
That was enough. He left through the front door without a word, walked to the street, and didn't look back. If the Brown Organisation wanted results, they could send someone who could actually deliver them. Not children.
What was that woman even thinking.
He pictured her face — that slow, knowing smile she always had, like she already knew the ending to every story before it started.
He pushed the thought away.
Don't think about her.
He reached his car, hand on the door handle —
Something cold pressed against his back.
"Don't move, old man."
Johan's voice. Quiet. Calm.
"You're going to open the car. Then you're going to drive wherever I tell you. Understood?"
The old man's hand trembled on the handle.
"...Wh... where?"
"Somewhere. Not the basement — not yet." A pause. "Nothing happens to you as long as you cooperate."
He opened the door. Sat down. Johan took the keys, slid into the driver's seat, and started the engine without hesitation.
"Don't worry." He checked the mirror. "I know how to drive." He pulled out into the street. "Nothing will happen. As long as you don't try jumping out, of course."
---
Back to Mayex's POV
He stood with Benny in his arms, staring at the empty space where the old man had been.
"...Guys."
No one answered.
"I think we fucked up the mission."