Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1005

On the way back, Mira asked the driver, "If driving around here is so dangerous, why do you still do it?"

"It's better than slaving away in the compounds and letting someone else control my life. I have a big family to feed,"

the driver replied.

It was clear the locals had it rough. Compared to this, the citizens of Mavaria had it incredibly good—living without constant fear for their lives while enjoying food and warmth.

"I'm a local. As long as I keep my head down and stay sharp, I can make a living.

If I run into real trouble and get killed, like what almost happened earlier, then so be it. It's still better than being bled dry in those camps every single day."

"How much do you make in a day?"

Mira asked.

"On a good day, maybe thirty or forty dollars. On a bad day, less than fifteen. After gas, I can clear about three hundred dollars a month.

If we pinch pennies, it's enough to keep my family afloat."

When the driver dropped them off near the inn, Mira handed him a crisp hundred-dollar bill. "Take this for tonight's work.

We'll be chartering your car for a while, and we'll pay you daily.

Don't come out during the day tomorrow; get some rest at home. We'll need the car again tomorrow night."

The man didn't refuse. He bowed deeply in gratitude. "Yes, ma'am. I'll do whatever you need."

"Also, when you come out at night, take off your license plates. It'd be best to disguise the exterior of the car too, so no one recognizes it."

It was exactly five-thirty in the morning, the darkest hour right before dawn. Hank and his companion turned and headed in the direction of their own hotel.

"Wait, do you have the spray?"

Master Ellis called out to him.

"No,"

Hank replied.

"You're supposedly the boss of a terror syndicate, and you don't even have knockout spray? How did you even sneak out?"

Mira asked, a hint of disdain in her voice.

But Mira didn't care to dwell on it. Bad people existed everywhere, especially in the chaotic underbelly of the Javenaire Federation.

If they hadn't run into Mishka, they would have run into someone else just as vicious. When you operated at their level, envy and enemies were just part of the package.

With that, Mira and the team hurried back toward the inn.

The guards at the entrance were easily handled; a quick burst of the sedative spray put them out cold.

What they hadn't expected was for Warren Milton, the inn owner they had met yesterday, to be pacing restlessly by the front doors.

"Should we wait a bit and sneak in when he turns his back?"

Silas asked.

Master Ellis smacked him right on his bald head. "You're a top-tier bodyguard, and you have to ask about something this trivial?"

Annoyed, he barked,

"Hit him with the Phantasm Serum. Use a heavy dose, and take out the receptionist and the guard in one go.

Make sure you don't use the sedative, or they'll remember everything when they wake up."