Chapter 340: Unlucky Jimmy
Castle didn't respond to Jimmy's threat.
After dragging him out of the car, he casually shut the door and hauled Jimmy toward a nearby alley.
Jimmy struggled, grabbing at Castle's hand, trying to pry himself free—but Castle's grip was like a steel vise. Jimmy couldn't bend even a single finger.
Castle was immensely strong. Jimmy had no chance of resisting. He was practically dragged off his feet into the alley.
Bang!
Castle flung him aside. Jimmy hit the ground hard.
"What do you want? Robbery?" Jimmy scrambled up, trying to sound tough, though fear flickered in his eyes.
Castle said nothing. He simply stood there with his arms folded, staring at him.
"What the hell do you want?" Jimmy demanded again.
Still no answer.
Castle just stood there like a silent guardian statue.
"If you're not robbing me… then I'm leaving." Jimmy edged backward cautiously. Castle blocked one end of the alley, so Jimmy tried to slip out the other side.
He kept glancing over his shoulder as he walked. When Castle didn't stop him, Jimmy let out a breath of relief.
"Damn psycho…" he muttered, quickening his pace.
---
The attempt had failed—but Jimmy wasn't giving up.
Before long, he found another target.
Just as he was about to make his move, Castle appeared again—like a ghost.
A large hand clamped down on Jimmy's wrist, wrenching the tool from his grip.
"You again—"
Before Jimmy could finish, Castle drove a punch straight into his stomach.
"Ugh—!"
Jimmy's eyes bulged as he collapsed to his knees, dry-heaving.
After the single punch, Castle stepped back. No follow-up. No extra blows.
In the South Side, sudden violence was almost part of the scenery. Passersby instinctively avoided the area. No one gathered to watch. No one called the police. At most, a few people glanced over and whispered as they walked past.
"You—what do you want from me?!" Jimmy finally managed, voice shaking.
Castle folded his arms again.
Silent.
Watching.
Jimmy swallowed hard. The man clearly wasn't someone to mess with. Reluctantly, he backed off.
If he couldn't fight, he'd avoid.
But this time, Castle followed.
Wherever Jimmy went, Castle went.
Five meters at most between them.
The constant presence made Jimmy's skin crawl. The hairs on his arms stood up.
He tried shaking him using every counter-surveillance trick he'd learned—doubling back, weaving through crowds, abrupt turns.
Useless.
"Seriously, what do you want?!" Jimmy snapped, stopping in frustration.
Castle stared at him.
No answer.
Jimmy couldn't figure out his purpose. Robbery? No. Assault? Apparently not. Kidnapping? Then why wait?
Unease gnawed at him.
Afraid of something worse, Jimmy stayed in crowded areas. Stealing a car was out of the question now.
He lingered among people until nightfall.
Castle never left.
Even when Jimmy ducked into a restroom, hoping to escape through a window, climb a wall, or circle around—
The moment Jimmy landed outside—
Castle was already there.
Waiting.
And yet, he never truly harmed Jimmy again.
He just followed.
Silently.
Relentlessly.
Like a shadow that refused to disappear.
By the end of the day, Jimmy was completely broken.
"I'm going home. Are you seriously still following me? If you don't stop, I'm calling the cops!"
Jimmy drove back, and sure enough, Castle's car followed behind him the entire way. They pulled up in front of Frank's house, one after the other. When Jimmy saw Castle park as well, he nearly exploded.
"What's going on?" Fiona walked up carrying a plastic grocery bag, spotting the two men facing off outside the house.
"Don't come over here!" Jimmy quickly stepped between Fiona and Castle.
"What are you all doing out there?" Frank noticed the commotion and pushed open the window to shout.
Fiona and Jimmy went inside. Castle moved to follow them in. Jimmy tried to block him, but Castle casually gave him a light shove and pushed him aside.
"He tried to steal two cars. I stopped him both times," Castle reported to Frank in a flat, concise tone.
"Your performance is even better than I expected," Frank said, looking pleased as Jimmy glared daggers at Castle.
"I'm hiring you. Here's half the payment. You'll get the rest when the job's done." Frank handed Castle a thick envelope.
Castle didn't even check the contents. He simply tucked it into his jacket.
"Mm."
No small talk. No questions.
He turned and left, got back into his car, and parked outside like a sentry—watching the house.
---
"Babe, go upstairs and grab something for me," Jimmy said through clenched teeth, coaxing Fiona upstairs.
The moment she was gone, Jimmy spun around and stormed toward the couch.
"You set this up? He's your guy?!" Jimmy snapped, veins bulging on his forehead.
He wasn't stupid. In fact, he was very smart. Just from the brief exchange between Frank and Castle, he had pieced everything together.
"Yes," Frank admitted calmly. "He'll be watching you. No more stealing cars. Not just that—any illegal activity, he'll stop you. I told him no broken bones. Other than that, he has freedom."
"Jesus Christ!" Jimmy raked his hands through his hair. "How am I supposed to live like this? I'm almost out of money!"
After divorcing the Brazilian girl, he no longer had access to Nando's money. Everything tied to Nando—including the cash he had stashed—had been reclaimed. Now he was on his own.
And lately, he had been living off Nando's funds, barely stealing cars at all. He wasn't exactly flush with cash.
Worse, Jimmy had always spent money fast. Easy money meant easy spending. He was used to it.
Now he was nearly broke.
If he couldn't steal cars, he'd go bankrupt. He might even have to swallow his pride and borrow money from Fiona.
And now Frank had thrown this wrench into his life.
"I told you before—I won't let you keep stealing," Frank said evenly. "If you're out of money, do what everyone else does. Get a job. Go to work. That car wash job you used to fool me? I think that's a great place to start."
"Bullshit!" Jimmy barked. "You work for Heisenberg. What right do you have to lecture me about going straight?"
His head throbbed with anger.
Frank looked at him steadily.
"Because I'm dying," he said quietly.