In May, after spending more than a month in the detention center, Linden Schneider walked out of the steel gates carrying his luggage. The moment he stepped outside, he saw Dix leaning against a car across the street, smoking.
"Welcome home, Doctor!" Seeing Linden Schneider come out, Dix stubbed out his cigarette and casually tossed it away before walking up to him.
"Hey, Dix, how do you dare appear here so openly? Aren't you wanted?" Linden Schneider asked in surprise.
On the night he entered the detention center more than a month ago, he had personally seen the other accomplice Goss and the broker Colby being brought in by the police. He had also learned that Colby had betrayed everyone. Since that was the case, Dix should also be a wanted man. Yet now, here he was standing openly in front of the detention center—wasn't that too bold?
"Hahaha, wanted? That was ages ago. My warrant was withdrawn more than half a month ago," Dix replied with a smug smile as he took Linden Schneider's suitcase.
"What happened?" Linden Schneider asked, completely confused.
"It's actually quite simple. Colby recanted his confession, and Goss took all the blame. So I was cleared," Dix said with a hint of sadness.
Although he was off the hook, his good brother Goss now had to spend two more years in prison, which he still felt bad about.
"Was it Mr. Kane?" Upon hearing Dix' explanation, Linden Schneider immediately understood. The only person with that much influence had to be Josh, the one who had persuaded him to turn himself in.
In fact, he knew very well that his early release was due to Josh's help—plus, his time in the detention center had been quite comfortable.
Originally, he had thought it was because he was a friend of Josh's father and that was why Josh had looked after him.
But now, knowing that Dix was also under Josh's care, he realized there might be other reasons why this son of an old friend was helping him so much.
"Of course, who else but Mr. Kane? He's the one who asked me to pick you up today. Come on, get in the car—I'll take you to see your new home!" Dix said, slapping Linden Schneider on the shoulder and pulling him toward the car.
"New home? What new home?" Linden Schneider asked, puzzled.
"Of course, a warm apartment. Or did you think you'd be sleeping on the street?" Dix joked.
"This is arranged by Mr. Kane as well, isn't it?" said Linden Schneider. "So you're working for Mr. Kane now?"
"Absolutely. Bosses as generous as Mr. Kane are rare. Look at this car—Chrysler. How do you like it? Mr. Kane gave it to me!" Dix said proudly, patting the steering wheel.
"It's a very nice car." Linden Schneider nodded as he touched the leather seat.
It was a Chrysler Airflow—not exactly a luxury car, but definitely a good one.
"No need to be envious—you'll have one too!" Dix laughed heartily.
Dix drove fast, and in about half an hour, they arrived in front of an apartment building near the northern district.
It was only a few blocks away from Josh's old place, but the apartment was much more spacious—over 80 square meters. For a single man like Linden Schneider, it was quite large.
"Here are the keys. Get some rest for now—I'll come by later to pick you up. To celebrate your release, I've prepared a surprise for you—Night Rose. Heard of it? The girls there are seriously spicy!" Dix said.
"Dix, all this is arranged by Mr. Kane, right? Maybe I should thank him in person," said Linden Schneider. "After all, I just got out of detention, and here I am with a house and women—I'm not exactly feeling at ease."
"Don't worry, buddy. Just enjoy yourself today. You'll see Mr. Kane tomorrow," Dix reassured him.
But his words didn't bring much comfort to Linden Schneider.
Fortunately, Linden Schneider's unease didn't last long.
Just like Dix had said, the girls at Night Rose were spicy—spicy enough to make him forget all his troubles.
By the time he woke up, it was already close to noon the next day.
And at noon, led by Dix, he finally met Josh in a restaurant.
The restaurant wasn't large, but it was very clean.
The odd thing was that although it was lunchtime, there were no other customers in the restaurant besides Josh, and only one waitress was on duty.
"That's Anna, Louis's wife. After Louis died, it was just the two of them—mother and son. So I used my share of the money to take over this restaurant and let Anna run it. At least now they have some security," Dix explained after seeing Linden Schneider's confusion. "And today, the place is temporarily closed because Mr. Kane is coming."
Hearing Dix' explanation, Linden Schneider understood. But being a sharp man, he also noticed that Dix' care for the mother and son seemed more than just kindness.
Not that it had anything to do with him...
"Mr. Schneider looks much better now. I heard from Dix—four girls! Mr. Schneider, you're really still going strong," Josh greeted with a smile as he saw Linden Schneider walk in.
Linden Schneider couldn't help but blush at the teasing.
Although he was no longer young and, as a Bavarian, had a rather conservative nature, that didn't stop him from enjoying life.
After being locked up for so long, he had planned to go big and indulge himself afterward—but unexpected events landed him back in detention for another month. He'd been holding it in for way too long.
So last night, naturally, he'd gone a bit wild.
"Mr. Kane, you flatter me. I must thank you for your generous hospitality. I owe you so much, and I still don't know how to repay you. If there's anything you need me to do, Mr. Kane, please don't hesitate to ask!" Linden Schneider said respectfully.
At first, he had only seen Josh as a junior. But now, he fully regarded Josh as a big shot.
"Very good. It seems Mr. Schneider understands why I've done all this. In that case, I won't beat around the bush. What I need you to do isn't difficult—I have a lot of sensitive goods that need to be moved, and I also need to procure certain items. You know the current situation in America—so I need someone sharp enough to handle these matters," Josh said straightforwardly.
The moment Linden Schneider heard this, he immediately understood.
Sensitive goods to be moved, items to be procured — In plain terms, it was smuggling, wasn't it?
And honestly, he had found the right guy.
I'm very familiar with this job!