Chapter 2: Ian Worth, The Pain in the Ass

"Clang!" The sound of two cheap leather wallets being thrown by Ian into the trash container he passed by.

"Wow! Apparently, their lives are more miserable than mine, even though their styles are like celebrities." Ian cursed the two people he had pretended to bump into. The contents of the wallet with a nominal value of £30 had now moved into his hand and then lightly put it in his pants pocket. His steps were firmly carrying a briefcase and then turned towards the corner of the alley of Mayhem Road which was quiet and dark because his left and right were bordered by a very tall building wall.

He glanced at the fake watch in his hand; it was already 8:00 pm. He vigilantly glanced to either side until he found no one paying attention and then deftly opened the heavy manhole cover and entered. The sound of the metal stairs creaking as they rubbed against his cheap leather shoes as Ian descended them.

Reaching the bottom, he shook out his "work coat" to get rid of the dirt, smiling and shaking his head when he found Josh enjoying his drugs on the filthy sofa. The man was already in seventh heaven judging by his half-opened eyelids that revealed only the whites of his eyes.

With careful steps so as not to fall into the dirty water flowing quietly under his feet, Ian headed for the basin where he lived and found Roe there. "Hey, Ian. How did you do today?!" Roe greeted with a big laugh. He was a skinny 15-year-old boy with a cheerful expression, red hair stiff as a broom, and a face filled with freckles.

Ian flopped down on his used portable bed, making a loud noise as his body shifted its weight onto it. "Not much, looks like my luck sucks these days, how about you?" Actually, from Roe's wide smile and twinkling eyes, he could deduce that Roe won big tonight, and Ian was happy about it.

"Listen, listen... You won't believe it! I won big! Look!" Roe shifted the old sofa he used as a bed, under which there was a hole covered with an old carpet so as not to be seen. He took an old biscuit tin from inside and opened the contents.

Ian's eyes widened when he realized the amount of money Roe had earned that day. It was actually a storage can belonging to the two of them. All this time they had been saving up to be able to rent the cheap apartment above and leave their miserable life as mole people in this culvert below.

As he remembered, last night he and Roe counted the amount of money in the can to be £620, but now he saw hundreds of notes with £50 denominations there.

"Where did you get this?!!!" Ian's happiness was clouded by worry. Although he was happy that their dream was about to come true, he couldn't help but look at Roe suspiciously.

Their work was not good. The three of them were pickpockets. They worked individually in a scattered manner so as not to be suspected, and also with a random division of territory so as not to be easily traced. Dressed up like high society, they blended in, and when their targets were weak, they stole their valuables, be it watches, cell phones, or wallets. But they upheld the principle of caution, and what Roe got this time seemed wrong to Ian.

"Hey, calm down. I got it in the trunk of a parked car. So, I followed this guy all day. At first, I was interested because I saw his nervous movements. I heard him talking about hundreds of pounds in money by whispering on the phone with someone. This person said that he had brought the money his friend asked for and put it in the trunk of the car."

"And then?"

"When he passed me on his way to the bathroom, I stole his car keys, locked the bathroom from the outside, and... you know how it ends, right?" Roe spread his hands, and his eyebrows moved up and down, pointing at the can Ian was holding.

"Roe, it sounds too good to be true. Sounds very sus to me."

"Oh, come on Ian! I regret telling you, you're a party pooper!" Roe was disappointed to see Ian's reaction.

"Okay, okay fine. Is that what made Josh get high faster?!"

"I didn't tell him. If he finds out, he'll spend this money in the blink of an eye just for that useless smoking paper."

Ian ruffled Roe's hair. Although happy, something felt wrong, and he couldn't get rid of it.

"Hey, Roe, what do you think? Should we go for it tonight? I've got a feeling that I can bring some serious luck to the table," Ian suggested with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Definitely! But promise me one thing, Ian. Promise me you'll play smart and know when to call it quits," Roe replied, a hint of concern in his voice.

"You have my word, buddy. By the way, have you eaten yet?" Ian asked, his stomach growling in anticipation.

"Nah, I've been waiting for you. How about grabbing some pizza? There's this awesome Italian joint I've been craving. What do you say?" Roe pleaded, his eyes shining with excitement, despite having just earned a good amount of money.

"Absolutely! You deserve a treat, my friend!" Ian exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face. "Pizza it is!"

With a triumphant cheer, Roe skipped away into the night, clutching a £50 note in his hand. Meanwhile, Ian carefully emptied the contents of their loot into his worn-out backpack, a glimmer of determination in his eyes.

After changing into casual attire, Ian stealthily tip-toed past Josh, making his way to the surface. Tonight was the night. Tonight, Ian would stake everything on the gambling table, using Roe's hard-earned fortune. It was a risk he was willing to take, for better or for worse.

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