It’s Not Easy Making Money In the Apocalypse - It’s Not Easy Making Money In the Apocalypse – V5 - Chapter 22

“Hey, if he was a real man, he wouldn’t leave a pretty thing like you high and dry…”

“That’s not…” Hazel’s eyes landed on me. “Daniel!”

The man looked around, and Hazel used the opportunity to duck away from him. She ran over to me, grabbing my arm. Her eyes were filled with fear and worry. She subtly pulled on my arm, a hint that she wanted me to escape the scene with her. She had always been my older sister, after all, and she wanted to look after me. If that meant running away, that was the safest option.

In the past, I wasn’t really able to do much to protect my sister. The times I had tried, I often ended up beaten up for it. I had stopped standing up for my sister when she was being harassed not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t look at their guilty faces as I bled for them. Yet, I wasn’t the same person I was before, and I didn’t need to fear this guy.

I ignored Hazel’s tugging and gently patted her hand. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She responded quickly, her eyes darting toward the man who was bothering her.

I turned to him. He was a guy in his mid-twenties, so he wasn’t that much older than Hazel that him hitting on her would seem odd. He had black hair and dark eyes, and could even be considered attractive. I didn’t like him at all.

“Are you the idiot that left such a beauty on her own?” The guy asked, and I could immediately hear the snobby voice as if he was looking down on me.

I grabbed Hazel and pulled her closer to me, wrapping my arm around her slim waist. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Hazel seemed just as surprised as the guy, but she didn’t resist and instead lowered her head onto my shoulder to hide her face. To someone who didn’t know we were brother and sister, the gesture would seem extremely intimate. The guy seemed to think so as rage crossed his face.

“You dare threaten me? Do you know who I am?”

“I didn’t threaten you.” The knife in my grip shifted slightly as I prepared to strike. “Yet.”

The guy looked at me from down his nose, and then let out an obnoxious laugh. “My father is extremely wealthy. Poor trash like you wouldn’t even have the right to threaten me.”

As he spoke, my eyes were already scanning the area outside the café. Our conversation didn’t seem particularly tense at the moment, so we were drawing very little notice from the establishment. However, we weren’t completely without an audience.

There was a camera that was recording the street. I could take care of that easily with Cecelia. The problem was that the man also seemed to have guards. There was three men watching our conversation with some interest, and at least two of them were armed. One guy was sitting on a nearby bench looking like he was reading a newspaper. There was another guy hiding around the corner, and then third across the street that was watching us.

Once Cecelia interfered with the video signal, I’d go for the man in the bench first. He seemed to be the biggest threat. After that, I’d have to worry about the sniper across the street. I’d use this blowhard as cover. If they were protecting him, I didn’t think they’d kill him to get to me. I also presumed they wouldn’t unnecessarily target my sister in the heat of the moment. As long as I took the initiative, I could bring it to one on one quickly. I didn’t consider the blowhard himself a threat at all. It was just the man around the corner that I had to worry about.

“I find that wealth has very little to do with how quickly someone dies.” I growled.

“You dare!” His eyes widened.

That was my opening, however, a moment before I made my move, the man with the newspaper suddenly spoke.

“Trevor, you’ve been warned by your father before about getting into trouble in public. You have an example to set.” The man spoke to the boy, but he gave me a sharp look, almost like he could see the knife I still had hidden up my sleeve.

I was surprised to see he wasn’t much older than the rich boy, somewhere in his twenties. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt a sense of pressure from him. I immediately realized he wasn’t so easy to deal with. He had the feel of someone who had a lot of experience fighting. My danger sense kicked in and I realized that my plan likely would have failed at the start. The look had been a warning look given for my sake. Not wanting to bring my sister danger, I quickly withdrew the knife.

Hazel didn’t’ realize any of this. She was still clinging to me with her face hidden. It was hard to detect her feelings, but I could feel her warm breath on my neck and it was kind of annoying.

“Anthony!” The boy spun like he had just thought of something. “You were with special forces. You can take care of these commoners for me.”

“You attempted to hit on a girl that wasn’t interested, and now you want me to fight your battles for you?” The other man finally looked away from me to give the other a look of disgust.

When his dark eyes finally left mine, I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Hazel seemed to notice the change in tension, and looked up. Her face was red for some reason, and she only looked at me through gap in her blonde hair.

“I-it’s not like that!” The rich kid protested, pointing a finger my direction. “H-he started it!”

The more he spoke, the more of an idiot the guy seemed like. He was a few years older than me, but he seemed to act like a child. This was someone who had lived an extremely sheltered life. I could tell that much instantly.

“You’re making a scene.” The other man didn’t seem moved by Trevor’s comments at all. “We only stopped here because you said you were hungry after the drive. We came to the city for a purpose…”

“Yes… I know…” Trevor responded irritably. “That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t protect my pride?”

“Pride?” The man named Anthony sneered. “What pride is there hitting on random women when you’re hear to meet your future fiancée!”

“Geh!” This time Trevor flinched like he had been struck. “That’s not a certain thing-“

He wanted to say more, but a stern look from Anthony silenced him. “Go to the limousine and wait for me.”

“But…”

“Do I have to ask again?” A strange kind of pressure started to emanate from Anthony, and Trevor finally had enough.

“Y-yes…” He nodded, but he still looked my direction. “This isn’t over!”

He spun around and practically fled. As far as I was concerned, this was completely over. I moved to take Hazel into the café, but that was when the Anthony suddenly appeared in front of me.

“I’d like to apologize for the trouble he caused.” Anthony gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “The young Master is impulsive and foolish sometimes. His father seeks to find him a bride. He believes it will calm him down.”

“Whatever bride he has won’t be my sister.” I responded.

“Your sister?” For the first time, he sounded genuinely surprised, and I cursed myself for accidently revealing even that much. “Well, do not worry, we will leave you and your… sister in peace.”

He brought his hand out, a business card in it.

“What’s this?” I asked cautiously, even while taking it.

“An apology. My boss’s business is fine art and photography…”

I glared at him. “My sister isn’t interested in posing as a model!”

He didn’t seem offended, and instead gave a sympathetic smile. “You misunderstand. I noticed the paint and ink stains on her fingertips. I can recognize an artist easily enough.”

Hazel gasped, covering her hands in embarrassment.  Although she had tried to clean up and look nice, she had neglected to clean her hands properly. Such an offer might seem like a dream, and I could see a look of hope in her eyes, but I was still extremely skeptical.

“You’ve never seen any of her art.” I responded flatly.

“Of course, that’s why I’ve given you the card.” He responded smoothly. “If you call the number, I can get her a meeting with one of our recruits. If we like her art, we may buy some of it and put it on display. That’s the best I can do for the previous… inconvenience.”

Although I still didn’t trust him, I couldn’t find anything wrong with what he said. I gave him a stiff nod.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Please do.” He gave a polite bow, and then turned and walked away.

The other men followed after him, heading to an expensive looking limousine parked on the other side of the street. That was where Trevor was now. He was glaring out the window at Anthony unhappily and impatiently, but he also seemed afraid to say anything more.

It wasn’t until they were gone that I realized I hadn’t even asked Hazel’s feelings. This had involved her, and I had been making the decisions right in front of her.

“Ah… Hazel… sorry I answered for you…” I stopped when I realized Hazel was shaking in my grip. “Are you okay?”

I pulled her away, only to hear Hazel panickly muttering under her breath. “Brother loves me. Brother loves me. Brother loves me.”

“Uh… you okay?” I reached out and poked her.

Hazel suddenly snapped out of her state and grabbed me. “Daniel, I love you.”

I blinked. “I love you too. You’re my sister.”

She blinked. “R-right… sister.” She suddenly looked downcast.

“You okay?”

“Let’s go inside already!” She suddenly became impatient, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the café.

I decided to ignore what happened. It wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last.