Ryker, still in his spot with his smug smirk.
He raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the moment. "Did I say you were allowed to leave?"
Jackson clenched his jaw, his frustration building up by the second.
"What do you mean?" he demanded, as he looked from the goons to Ryker.
"I mean," Ryker replied with a smirk that stretched across his face.
"you won’t be going anywhere. I think it’s best if you stay right here until this little debt is settled."
Jackson’s face twisted in anger. "And how exactly am I supposed to get you the money if you won’t let me leave?"
His voice was barely more than a growl, his patience stretched thin.
Ryker shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes glinting with malicious glee. "Oh, I’m sure you can figure something out. Why don’t you call a friend to bring it over?"
Anger built up in Jackson’s chest, and he bit down a curse he was about to say, knowing that any sudden outburst would only make things worse.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, barely noticeable amidst the tense standoff.
"Alright, I will call someone now." He said with a dark look, as he checked the message.
Noah: Call me, and say to bring the money to this location. Don’t say anything that might make them suspect you’re calling for backup.
Jackson’s expression remained impassive as he scrolled through his contacts, acting as though he were simply looking for someone who could help.
Thoughts raced through his head, blending relief with caution. He hadn’t expected Noah to listen in, let alone try something like this.
As his finger hovered over Noah’s contact, he noticed the end of the message, almost as if Noah had anticipated his thoughts.
Noah: I won’t call the police, don’t worry. Just do as I said.
Keeping his face calm, Jackson pressed the call button.
Silence filled the warehouse as the phone rang, each beep reverberating through the walls.
Ryker, leaning forward with a self-satisfied grin, raised a hand to his ear.
"Put it on speaker, Mr.Jackson," he instructed, his voice smooth with false politeness.
Jackson nodded, as his fingers activated the speaker function.
The phone clicked, and Noah’s voice came through, calm and clear.
"Hello, Jackson?" Noah’s voice was calm but tinged with curiosity, a tone so casual it almost made Jackson laugh despite the tension.
"Hey, Noah," Jackson replied, his tone steady. "I need you to bring some cash. Got a deal here that can’t be missed."
"A deal?" Noah’s voice held an edge of interest. "How much do you need?"
Jackson glanced at Ryker’s smug face before answering. "A million."
Ryker’s smirk widened, his satisfaction evident as he watched Jackson make the request.
But Noah’s response was smooth, "A million? That’s too much money, Jackson. Is there any benefit for me?"
"It is," Jackson replied, not missing a beat. "Just bring it in cash, to the address I will send you. I’ll make sure you get your cut."
Noah chuckled softly, the sound cool and confident. "All right, I’ll be there as soon as possible."
With that, Jackson ended the call, his thumb pressing down on the phone.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on him. Ryker’s grin stretched even wider, curiosity in his eyes.
"Good boy," Ryker sneered, crossing his arms. "You know who to call when you’re in trouble, don’t you?"
Jackson met his gaze head-on, the rage barely concealed in his expression. "This isn’t over," he muttered the words a low, dangerous promise.
"Oh, I think it is," Ryker replied with a casual wave of his hand. "Now, we just wait for your little ’friend’ to bring the goods."
After looking at Jackson for some time, Ryker’s eyes narrowed as he felt something was wrong with the way he was acting.
Motioning to one of his goons to come closer, he whispered in his ears.
"I need you to quickly check around the warehouse, make sure you check carefully. Bring someone with you too, if you see anything suspicious report back immediately don’t try to investigate."
The goon nodded his head.
"Alright, boss."
Looking at the two of them both leave, Ryker’s gaze fell back on Jackson whose face still showed no reaction.
"He didn’t seem to have made any plans on the phone." Ryker thought.
"What if he made plans before..." He thought as he asked Jackson a question.
"Jackson, did you come here alone... or did a few rats come with you." He said with a grin on his face as if he knew what Jackson was hiding.
Jackson’s mind ran through the possibilities in a second, as his face remained neutral.
"He couldn’t have caught Noah, otherwise. He wouldn’t still be outside, he is trying to trick me." Jackson thought.
"No, I came here alone," Jackson said with an angry look on his face.
"Hmm, we will see," Ryker said with a small grin.
"Roger, Moustache. Both of you check the front of the warehouse." Ryker said, his gaze remaining on Jackson to check for any change.
"Yes, Boss!" they shouted as they made their way out.
A few minutes later...
"Boss, we found two of us unconscious outside." Said Roger, on the radio.
Ryker looked at Jackson who had a smug look on his face.
"Just drag these useless two inside then go back to the front, tsk." Spat Rkyer.
"Alright, boss," replied Roger, as he motioned for Moustache to help him drag them inside.
Meanwhile, behind the warehouse...
"Hey, what are we meant to be looking for exactly?" One of them said, with clear annoyance.
"Shut up, why are you being so loud? What if there is an ambush around here." The fat man said as he hushed at the man next to him.
"You are being too anxious, if Jackson brought someone to help him. He would’ve entered with him."
"Plus there is only one car in the area, it’s a lykan. It can only hold two people at a time, so if someone did come it would be only one person. What can one person do to 8 of us." The man continued.
"Bro, we already checked like three times around the warehouse, there is nobody here. Let’s go check out the lykan."
"I never expected Jackson the bastard to be able to afford it." He spat.