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58. Friend
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Here it is.” She said, handing him a bag that looked like a laptop case.
He opened it and began to take out various weapons from his jacket and pants. There was a taser, Glock and several magazines, nunchucks, brass knuckles, handcuffs and several different knives.
Mike and Matthew were truly amazed. They wondered silently where he had managed to put so many things. Who was he?
“Are you in a hurry, Nick?” Elen asked.
“No, I am fine, just finished for today.”
“Good, so I will take Jo and the guys home first.”
“Ok.” He nodded.
As Nick unpacked all his pockets and secured all his weapons in his laptop bag, he looked around the car.
"Have you got anything to eat? I'm very hungry." He asked casually but looked at the boxes with familiar logos.
Matthew almost immediately took out a croissant in the napkin and handed it to him.
“Only French croissants and
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The Bet 59. Disgrace
“Jo, you are aware of your own "I". You are self-confident and fiercely stick to your own opinions, views and convictions. You do not succumb to emotions and you are able to stay calm in low-key situations.” Nick said slowly. After taking a sip of water from his glass, he continued:“You are not afraid of changes, or taking challenges or risks. You are a typical, extremely strong personality who is superseded by the present and the future and does not remember the past and failures.”“Correct. Anything else, Mr. Wise?”“I could list your advantages for an hour if you wish, Miss.” He took another sip of water.“So what is the conclusion, Mr. Wise?” She asked mockingly.“You are fucking stubborn, even if you are wrong and you know it. Often even the strongest arguments cannot change your mind on some issues. So yes, I think you are a difficult person to deal with.” As Nick spoke,
The Bet 60. Misunderstanding
Jo was so irritated by the events of that evening that she couldn’t sleep. She wondered if Mike and Matt were driven by an urge to discredit Nick or if all the drinking ‘show’ was caused by the stress of the whole situation with Julian.Was it possible that they were really pissed off by the circumstances? Did they know something that she didn't? It was quite likely that they had hidden some knowledge from her to annoy her unnecessarily.She had so many questions, but she couldn't find a logical explanation so she decided to talk to them seriously the next day in case she missed some facts.Turning from side to side of her bed for at least an hour, she finally decided to get up. ‘There is no point in struggling when I can do something!’ She thought.
The Bet 61. Guilt
When she finally felt a stream of warm water on her neck, she felt relieved. She just closed her eyes and tried to calm down all her senses. She made the mess herself and will have to explain her irresponsible behaviour. She contemplated how much she was guilty of in all this. She was sure that Mike and Matthew were really drunk last night and she didn’t suppose that they would get up before noon. ‘Why do I worry about them? Were they only playing drunk yesterday? How is it possible that they recovered in a matter of hours?’ She had so many questions… She appeared in the kitchen after at least thirty minutes spent in the shower. She was so hungry and had no more intention of hiding. In addition, the smell that was wafting around the apartment indicated that they had
The Bet 62. Unnecessery honesty
Elen arrived at Jo’s apartment an hour earlier. She was shocked to see Mike, who opened the door for her. He was wearing a T-shirt and shorts which were so dirty that it appeared like he had rolled around in mud.“Aren't you going to have dinner with us?” She was confused. Were the guys planning to skip that day's event?“Of course, we’re going. We still have an hour.”She looked him up and down. He was unshaven and mercilessly disheveled. His hair was full of some kind of dust, and his arms and legs were also coated with a chalky powdery dust. He looked as if he was just working on a construction site.“I need twenty minutes to be ready, Elen.”“Oh… Really?”
The Bet 63. Attractions
They arrived almost in silence. The guys in the back seat were not eager to discuss, so Jo didn’t push them. She enjoyed the peace; she only exchanged insights on what was happening in the streets with Elen once in a while.They had a deal they would meet in front of the main entrance to the parking lot near the restaurant Jo had invited everyone to. Until the last moment, she had not revealed where she was taking everyone to dinner.When Eve and Rose saw Jo surrounded by her friends, they weren’t very pleased. It meant they had no way of getting the information they wanted from her.Peter was so happy to see Jo that he didn’t hide his enthusiasm. He had met her a few times on the plane, but had no chance to go out with her, because she was always busy.
The Bet 64. The Sin
Elen was indeed delighted. The Sin, one of the most posh places in the city, was more of a concert club focusing on intimate performances, mostly rock and pop. Also some artistic performances and themed events were organized there during the week.She knew that it would be possible to meet at least a dozen people from the front pages of gossip newspapers, especially over the weekend. She didn't like scandalmongers, but she didn't mind taking a close look at famous people.Elen had been in The Sin many times with Jo at some concerts. She never asked her how she managed to get admission tickets to these usually small, tucked-in parties or gigs with an audience of two or three hundred people, and not thousands, like in big concert halls.&ldq
The Bet 65. Perfect stranger
“Hi, sweetheart. Do you have a problem? Should I pound your comrade?”“Hello handsome. No, I am not in trouble this time.” Jo admitted honestly. “Yet…” She added after a moment of hesitation.“What are you doing here?”“Came for a few drinks with my friends.”“Why didn’t you call and tell me that you'll be coming. I missed you.”“Oh, really?”“Really.”“I don’t believe you! You missed messing around with me.”“That’s right, I missed that too. I want to g
The Bet 66. Lesson
Mike and Matthew immediately sobered up. They walked over to Elen, who was standing with an empty glass in her hand and looking in the direction where Julian was sitting on the floor. He was holding an ice bag to his swollen face. There were some traces of blood on his light blue shirt.His photographer was sitting next to him, in a similar condition with a swollen face and a bleeding nose. The remains of his camera lay beside him.“Wow!!! Excellent job!” Mike was excited seeing those two in such poor condition.“Elen, what happened suddenly?” Matthew asked, indeed interested in whatever new drama Julian had brought over.“Those two assholes just came across the thugs they are worthy of. Not surprised though, they deserved it.”
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The Bet 133. Under control
“We already had dinner; Martin took care of our meals today.” Jack informed them.“Good guy! He also brought food for us.” Patrick realized that they had such a good time that he didn't even call and thank them for the catering. “I should call and at least say thank you.”“I already did that. We will have the catering all week.”“Sounds good, but I wish I could make use of the kitchen here too.” Patrick had some plans.“Why don't you spend your holidays far away from the kitchen? There are so many beautiful places to visit around. Besides, I'll take care of Mike.” Jack really wished that they would have a good time.“We cannot burden you with caring for him. We have to get a nurse tomorrow. And you should travel with us.”Jack was glad to hear that he wouldn't have to babysit Mike even though that one didn’t cause him any problems throughout the day. He had a great time with the bunch of big kids, and he wanted to spend some time traveling around too.Besides, his boss had clearly mar
The Bet 132. Boring day
Jo was extremely happy to see the hammock outside in the beautiful surroundings. She immediately started walking towards it.Behind her were Patrick and Matthew. When they made sure that she was comfortable, they started to unpack and unfold the garden furniture.In the next half an hour, they had dealt with most of the setting up. The patio immediately changed its face to an elegant and, above all, a comfortable place to relax. A few wooden deck chairs with a low table and umbrellas were placed near the swimming pool.The guys also put a long wooden table with eight chairs under an electric marquise, parallel to the glass wall of the villa and of course near the kitchen and dining room doors.“The table looks so good!” Jo commented from the hammock.“I feel like I am on a boat.” Matthew joked.“The owner loves sailing, so you are right. Only the wooden steering wheel is missing.” Jo laughed. She also noticed so many things related to marine life.“A wooden steering wheel sounds good.
The Bet 131. Unexpected inconvenience
”Are you worrying about Mike?” Patrick asked, seeing consternation and some kind of sadness on Jo’s face.“No, I am not worried about that asshole. He deserved it.”“Nobody deserves anything like this, badass.”“That’s not what I meant.”Patrick looked at her expecting some more explanations.“He shouldn't have gone out with you the previous day. He knew it perfectly well, so it was one hundred percent his fault. So, in that sense, he deserves it.”“I agree, but still, he is a man. You don’t understand male pride, badass.”“I understand him more than you can imagine. It’s just his fucking character.”“All of us, we have ‘interesting’ personalities, badass. For most of the people around us, we are assholes.”“I am not questioning it, Pat.” She hesitated for a moment. “But this fucking macho is one of his kind...”Patrick was speechless. He couldn’t argue with that. While he had a lot of understanding of the people around him, Mike was still a special case to him. But still he tolerated
The Bet 130. A blow
Right after breakfast, Jack took Mike to the clinic. The atmosphere instantly relaxed inside the villa. They were still sitting at the kitchen table with tea and French pastries and discussing how to teach their dear friend a lesson.“You are a poor teacher, Matt.” Jo said, very disappointed with her friend. “These pancakes are awful.” She winced as she ate, wondering where Mike went wrong with that very simple task.“Am I really a poor teacher?” Matthew mocked in a slurping voice. “Or maybe our friend is a bad student? Did you consider that?”“Could we leave aside his cooking skills, guys?” Patrick exclaimed. “The main thing is that the guy can cook, so he will not die of hunger. That’s what matters!”“Really? Did you try that?” Jo pointed at the pancake.“No, and I'm not going to. I watched the anguish when Jack was consuming it. In general, he is not very picky about food so it must be eatable.”“Well, you have to try it.” Jo wanted to force him and put a piece of pancake on a fork
The Bet 129. A bitter morning
Mike was the first to get up. He was not able to accept ‘the doing nothing’ state and being attached to one place, to his bed, any longer.Slowly, without making any noise, he trodded downstairs. It wasn't too complicated with the help of crutches.He found the perfect order and plenty of food in the kitchen.‘These stocks were made, probably with me in mind. They want to leave me again." He assumed looking at the refrigerator full to the brim.He decided to prepare something for everyone. His skills were far from Matthew's, but after all, he could prepare something nonetheless.He made pancakes, and a typical continental breakfast: fried bacon, sausages, black pudding, some stewed mushrooms and tomatoes. He also made a smoothie out of whatever greens he could find in the refrigerator.“Good morning!” Patrick’s voice disrupted his work on the fruit salad.“Good morning.” He wasn’t happy to see him. “Did you sleep well, man?” Mike asked ironically. He really wanted to ask if he had goo
The Bet 128. Existential meditation
Mike felt much better after a nutritious lunch. There was no sign of a hangover; the only thing that bothered him, even after strong painkillers, was the ache in his ankle.He was changing the ice packs, and putting on more anti-inflammatory creams, but it didn’t help much. As soon as he was trying to put his foot flat on the floor, he saw ‘all the stars in the sky’ from pain.He didn't know if he would trigger the alarm again by opening the bedroom door, and he didn't feel like testing it.He went out onto the terrace a few times, but it was too hot to stay there.‘Why do I have to sit alone, in a deserted place like that?’ He thought. ‘I didn't have to travel so many kilometers to be accompanied only by empty walls. Did I?’ He wondered looking around the empty room.‘It is no different from my everyday life. Should holidays be like that? Do I deserve it?’ Hundreds of thoughts swirled in his head.Despite his exhaustion, he couldn’t sleep. There was no TV in the room, and watching mo
The Bet 127. Redemption
Mike was lying on his stomach with his head covered with a pillow, asking the heavens for silence. He had never imagined in his life that he would ask for such trivial things. He didn't know for how long he prayed, but he was at the end of his tether. Even if he wanted to leave the house to relocate somewhere in the garden or on the terrace, to not hear the alarm, he was not able to move that far jumping only on his uninjured leg.‘I know it's my fault, but why doesn't Jo have any pity on me? I always thought that she was an angel with a golden heart, but why is she heartless now?’ He made assumptions. ‘She knows I have a goddamn hangover. Plus, I smashed my ankle. Isn't it enough punishment for me to be here, in the middle of nowhere, alone?’Mike thought about so many things looking for a solution and he was really desperate. Finally, some clue appeared in his sore brain. He recalled that when Jo was taking a shower, there was absolutely no noise outside, so there must have been g
The Bet 126. Painful lesson
Mike was really pissed off. He screwed up his vacation, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had to accept and bear with it. As soon as he heard that the car drove away, he got up and jumped on one leg to his suitcase, and pulled out clothes which would be less obstructive in his general movements like, a loose T-shirt and short cotton shorts. He hung his ironed clothes on the armchair standing next to the bed. He returned to the bed and unwrapped the bandage. His ankle didn't look the best. The hematoma was visible on the entire surface of his ankle, despite the already quite large swelling. Considering the state of his injury, he was sure that the best solution after all was to stay at home. He lied down, tipping from side to side impatiently for a while, but couldn't fall asleep. Too many thoughts swirled in his aching head. He got up and decided to change the atmosphere of the semi-dark room a bit. ‘Damnit! It's so dark here!' He muttered under his breath and opene
The Bet 125. Apriopriate treatment
As soon as Jo realized what had happened, she lost her good mood. ‘It was predictable! Will this asshole ever grow up?’ She cursed under her breath. She felt guilty about letting him come out of the house in such a bad shape at all. She blew into Mike's bedroom, without even knocking the door beforehand, like a hurricane with a destructive force. She was ready to deal properly with her rebellious, bullish friend and all his faults, who tried to disguise from her the fact that he had sprained his leg. The image she saw right after opening the door made her feel sick, as she predicted. She was truly disgusted. Mike's hair was still wet after the shower, and his face was perfectly shaved. He was dressed in a white polo shirt, perfectly ironed, and baggy khaki cargo pants. He was sitting on the bed with his left leg propped up on the bed. His pants were rolled up as he was bandaging his ankle. On the bed, she also noticed a tube of very strong painkiller ointment. “What a fucking as
