CHAPTER 683: CHAPTER 721: COURTING DEATH

Brother Bob secretly took a deep breath, snuffed out the cigarette in his hand, pretended to shake his hand, and said, "Damn it, I accidentally burned my finger with the cigarette just now. It hurts like hell."

Robert Goodman rolled his eyes and said, "I thought something happened. You scared me to death."

Brother Bob chuckled and said, "It’s okay, go on with what you were saying."

"Hmm!" Robert Goodman, this guy is just a playboy, with no scheming at all. Even Brother Bob didn’t make him feel anything, so he continued, "That kid works at J Corporation, and now he’s a manager in the security department."

Brother Bob grinned and asked, "Just a small security department manager, then his woman probably isn’t anything significant either, right?"

"Here you are wrong." Speaking of this, Robert Goodman got even angrier, saying bitterly, "That kid’s wife is Gina Lopez, the general manager of J Corporation. What pisses me off the most is, I’ve been pursuing that Gina Lopez for a long time, and she not only rejected me but even married a damn security guard. Does she think I’m worse off than a security guard?"

At this moment, Brother Bob was 100% sure that the James Brown Robert Goodman was talking about was indeed the same James Brown he had always been worried about. Blackjack offended James Brown and got arrested immediately, with no way out. Now Brother Bob himself was afraid James Brown might come after him, so going out of his way to provoke James Brown was really suicidal.

But now Robert Goodman was also someone he couldn’t afford to offend. If he admitted he couldn’t mess with James Brown, Robert would most likely cut off a lot of business dealings, which would mean a significant loss for him.

For a moment, Brother Bob felt as if he was a man who married a tough wife, with a formidable mother-in-law at home, caught in the crossfire of their arguments.

"Hey, Brother Bob, what are you thinking about? Did you hear what I said?" Robert Goodman nudged Brother Bob, frowning.

"I heard you, I heard you." Brother Bob smiled, took a deep breath, and said, "Robert, have you investigated that James Brown thoroughly?"

"Why? For just a damn security guy, you want me to investigate him?" Robert Goodman looked at Brother Bob, puzzled, feeling that Brother Bob might be too cautious.

Brother Bob cleared his throat and said, "Robert, the James Brown you’re talking about, I’ve met him. A few days ago, he was dining at my restaurant and got into a conflict with one of Blackjack’s cousins. Blackjack then brought a group of people over, but they still couldn’t do anything to James Brown. Over a dozen people got knocked down by him."

Robert Goodman widened his eyes and said, "Just him alone?"

"No, he had some accomplices, but... that’s not the most important thing. What’s important is... Robert, you should know how Blackjack is. Do you think he’d just let it go easily after losing face?"

"Isn’t Blackjack locked up? Otherwise, wouldn’t he have taken James Brown out already? That guy is really lucky, but not this time. He pissed me off, and he won’t be so lucky now. I’ll make sure he goes down hard." Robert Goodman sneered.

Little Tiger’s face turned dark, and he said patiently, "Robert, don’t you find this whole thing strange? Blackjack just had a conflict with him and got arrested right after. I highly suspect that it has something to do with him."

Robert Goodman widened his eyes, staring straight at Brother Bob. After a while, he gave Brother Bob a hard slap on the shoulder and burst into laughter, his body shaking with it, as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world.

Brother Bob frowned tightly but didn’t stop Robert Goodman. A fool like him probably wouldn’t think too much, let alone realize that there are many powerful people out there who don’t flaunt their Power but are actually very capable.

Wiping away his tears, Robert Goodman finally stopped laughing, patted Brother Bob on the shoulder a few more times, and said, "Brother Bob, you’ve got quite the imagination. Are you saying the police station is run by James Brown? And that he can arrest whoever he wants? It’s just a coincidence. If James Brown were really that capable, would his wife still let him work as just a security manager in the company?"

The only doubt in Brother Bob’s mind was James Brown’s current position. He wasn’t unfamiliar with keeping a low profile. Some powerful people actually hide their identities and don’t want to be disturbed by others, contrary to what the world might think. But the investigation showed that after James Brown retired from the military, he never made much progress in YODC City. Now, being a small manager is his highest status. It doesn’t seem like he’s deliberately keeping a low profile; it appears to be the reality.

"And also, think about it—why do so few people know that James Brown is Gina Lopez’s husband? The reason is simple. She’s the boss while James Brown is just a security manager, which must have been arranged secretly by her. Otherwise, he’d just be a small-time security guard. They don’t match at all in any aspect. Although I don’t know how they ended up together, I’m sure Gina Lopez doesn’t want outsiders to know her husband is James Brown because she herself thinks James Brown is an embarrassment to her."

Robert Goodman’s analysis seemed quite reasonable, but Brother Bob, based on his years of experience, still felt it wasn’t that simple and said, "So, you’re saying this James Brown is just a nobody?"

Robert Goodman immediately slapped his thigh and said, "He is nothing! Just good at fighting. Damn it, if that weren’t the case, I could have easily found a few guys to deal with him. Why would I bother asking you for help, Brother Bob?"

"Alright, I’ll investigate further. Robert, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but the atmosphere in the city is quite tense right now. Authorities are cracking down hard on organized crime. If we want to deal with someone, we have to do it perfectly. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, it would be hard for us to get out of it."

Although Robert Goodman was a bit displeased with Brother Bob’s caution, he still needed Brother Bob and his people to handle James Brown, so he couldn’t push too hard. He said, "Fine, I’ll wait for your good news, Brother Bob."

Brother Bob laughed heartily and said, "Robert, don’t you trust me? Whatever you entrust to me, haven’t I always done right by you?"

Robert Goodman nodded with satisfaction and said, "I’ll be going now. After getting hijacked last time, I was scared out of my wits. Got to find a couple of girls tonight to ease the nerves."

After sending off Robert Goodman, Brother Bob sat down and thought carefully about the whole thing. He felt it was still very dangerous. Having dealt with James Brown a few times and given his influence, it shouldn’t have been difficult to handle James Brown, but he always felt James Brown was too dangerous, and that’s why he’d kept a lid on it.

He took out his phone and dialed a number. Once connected, he said, "Little Ben, investigate James Brown for me again, including everything he’s been doing during his time in YODC City. The more detailed, the better. And hurry."

James Brown had no idea that Robert Goodman was so persistently trying to cause him trouble. These kinds of rich brats were not the kind of people James Brown could afford to ignore, but he had a knack for resolving such matters. As long as these rich brats didn’t bother him directly, he couldn’t be bothered to care, but if they went too far, James Brown had plenty of ways to take care of them.

Today, he was helping Emily Berns move. Also coming along was Emily Lopez, who at that time was assuming the identity of his wife, Gina Lopez.

Emily Lopez was staying in a place not too far from the house she’d stayed in before, sharing the same neighborhood as James, although not in the same building. The so-called move was mainly about bringing over some of the clothes Emily Berns had with her and buying some necessary living supplies there. The apartment was fully furnished, and the former owner hadn’t moved in yet and had to sell it due to some issues. Emily Berns bought it just in time.

"I say, Gina, you’re a company executive with a lot on your plate. Do you really need to help with moving?" Emily Berns wasn’t too thrilled with Emily Lopez being there, although she mistook her for Gina. She couldn’t help but say it aloud.

Emily Lopez, imitating her sister’s tone, said, "How can that be? You’re Emily Jones’s biological mother, living here now. If I don’t help, how can I show my face?"

Emily Lopez had been practicing imitating Gina, to the point where even James could hardly tell the difference, let alone Emily Berns, who couldn’t tell at all.

Emily Berns said again, "What’s so special about that? Just a few things, and James and I can sort them out quickly. You should head back to the company."

"Why are you so eager to get rid of me? You don’t want to do something with James, do you?" Emily Lopez wasn’t like Gina, who would speak more reservedly about such matters, she pointed it out directly.

Emily Berns glanced at James and smiled, "What’s up, are you worried?"

"Why would I be worried? I’m just afraid you’d be taken advantage of. James is quite the rogue these days. If something happens between you two and you can’t be together in the future, wouldn’t that hurt you again?"

Emily Berns smiled sweetly and said, "What’s there to lose? It’s not like James and I haven’t done it before. Where do you think our daughter came from? And this kind of thing—you can’t really stop it."

Emily Lopez smiled brightly and said, "Look at you! Am I that petty? My own husband, if he gains some advantage, it’s the same as me gaining it. Alright, let’s hurry, or Emily Jones will be out of school soon."

Emily Berns gave Emily Lopez a sidelong glance and said, "You just run your mouth. I haven’t seen you lift a finger, you know?"

James instantly had a black line across his forehead. All this time, Emily Lopez, besides bickering with Emily Berns, hadn’t really helped with anything. But he didn’t want to mention it, as it would undoubtedly cause trouble. Emily Lopez now was even more watchful of him than Gina.