Chapter 105 Disappointment

"Start walking and act as if we're leaving," instructed Xavier to Eddie after hearing a racket from within the office they were standing outside.

Eddie didn't question it and just did as Xavier told him to, then moments after, Rachel Boyle rushed after them shouting at them to wait up.

As she did, Xavier gave Eddie a smile and turned around to face the woman who was breathing heavily.

Her face was flushed red and her hair all over the place, but she quickly regained composure.

"So, where are we off to?" she asked after catching up to them.

"We?"

"Yeah, didn't you come here both these times to hire me?"

"First of all, the first time I came was just to ask you some questions. And this time was just to observe you. We are unsure whether you're fit for the job yet," responded Xavier bluntly.

"Is that so? Well, I am suitable for the job. So let's go."

Eddie was confused by what had gone on, but everything was going just as Xavier was expecting, and since Eddie had confirmed to Xavier that she was suitable, he had no reason to hesitate when it came to recruiting her.

Unlike Eddie, she'd likely be a handful to deal with, but she was also very useful and Xavier liked taking risks.

"Alright, you can come with us. But, if you try to pull anything like you did back in the office, I'll have to..."

"Kill me? I get it, you're a scary little brat. But I can smell money from you, so as long as I get to work with a lot of money, I'm in."

It seemed as though being involved in something big was more important to her than actually making money, and she was driven more by ego than anything else, which made her quite unpredictable.

Money, power, influence, opportunities, and protection.

All of those were things that Xavier could offer those that joined the Outlaw Gang, but they seemed unimportant to Rachel, who appeared to truly have an inferiority complex just like Eddie had observed from her.

And her temper was certainly an additional factor to take into account, but Xavier decided to leave it to Zack and Eddie to handle.

"Follow us then," said Xavier plainly, and she did exactly that, abandoning anything she had been doing at her desk.

"Are you just going to drop everything, it seemed as though you had a lot of things you were working on?" asked Eddie as she joined them.

"Shut it, dirty lawyer. I hate guys like you the most, always making my life harder."

"What? It's scumbags like you that were always making my life harder. And who needs an accountant when I can basically do your job and more."

"You wanna fight buddy?"

"You see. A lawyer like me would never stoop so low as to fight for no reason."

"Is that so? You're such a good person, right? And yet you're working with this monster. If you're working with him, you can't be that good of a person can you?"

"Hey! Don't bring me into your stupid argument. You're both just as bad as each other."

The 3 of them continued bickering and it quickly started to get physical and confrontational between Rachel and Eddie.

It was like trying to mix fire and water, but a quick slap to the back of the head from Xavier was enough to tame the 2 beasts, who quickly fell quiet after being hit and silently followed after their young boss.

Both weren't completely sure what they were getting into but were willing to take risks, and trusting in the gut feeling that they had, they decided to trust in Xavier as they were led by him to a run-down building.

They weren't sure what to expect or where Xavier had been taking them, but upon arriving, it was slightly underwhelming.

"What's with that look? Did you really think we were going to have a major office in the city centre?" asked Xavier, seeing their looks of disappointment.

"Well I guess so," the 2 of them murmured as they followed Xavier inside.

And upon entering, they found a group of youths hanging around in what appeared to be an abandoned arcade.

-

Karim and his friends were immediately on edge as soon as someone touched the front door of the building that Xavier had told them they could hang around in.

Grabbing anything they could use as a weapon, they were ready to take on anybody that dared to come into their base without permission, but upon seeing Xavier, they all eased up.

Greeting him respectfully, Xavier told them to drop the formalities and introduced them to Eddie and Rachel.

"This is the guy that'll be handing any official stuff and is a lawyer, and this one will be our accountant. I can vouch for both of their skills, and you'll be working together once we begin distribution, so try to get along."

As he said that, Xavier had a smile on his face, but his eyes were stern, and he was almost forcing them to do so.

However, that didn't stop Rachel from popping off.

"Who are you staring at asshole? You got an issue with me?"

"..."

There was a moment of silence and confusion as they looked at the rowdy woman that was trying to pick a fight with someone that could clearly crush her.

"Is she serious right now?" asked Karim, who got his friend to calm down and not react to her provocation.

Xavier sighed and told Rachel and Eddie to head upstairs where they'd find the one they'd be working with and would also be leading them.

Curious as to who Xavier had chosen to lead them and who they'd be working with, they did as he said, and Eddie scurried off first, feeling the tension in the room between Rachel and the others.

And once they had gone, Xavier hung around with Karim and his friends for a while and checked in after apologising for Rachel's attitude.

Since they were important to the gang, and in the future would have a massive part in the entire gang's operations, while they were also young, it was crucial that Xavier made sure they were all doing well.

But it seemed as though he had nothing to worry about, and they were all playing their part very well.

-

Karim informed Xavier about all he had been doing and how he had a network that spanned throughout the city, but obviously mostly around Brooklyn.

His connections were mostly made up of youths, but they were the ones that they needed anyway and could be used as distributors and money mules.

It was sad that they were involved in such things and Xavier knew that every single one of those youths had their own stories to tell.

However, he also knew that it wasn't his place to try and change the world or save everyone, which was simply impossible.

If it wasn't him, there'd be someone else using the desperate youths, and at least when it was him, he could make sure that Karim didn't exploit them and helped them out as much as he could.

150 billion dollars was spent on illegal drugs each year in America alone, and that's a conservative estimation.

Being able to have even a tiny amount of that market share would allow the Outlaw Gang to make millions with ease, and in the process, many people would be able to earn money and benefit from it.

The drugs were going to be bought and sold regardless, so why not get in on the profits, right?

And drugs were only a small part of what Xavier wanted to get involved in, and he was a firm believer in never putting all your eggs in one basket.

Of course, it was important to be thorough with everything he did, but he wanted the Outlaw Gang to be capable in every way and also be involved in anything that could make them money.

Illegal or legal, they were outlaws that would do all they could to succeed in life.

Or at least that was the premise of the gang that he formed.

But only time could tell whether they could make it past the hurdles that would come their way...