The drive to the hospital was only about ten miles, not too far.
But the route cut straight through the West End.
The entire West End was currently a chaotic mess of urban redevelopment.
Dewitt ran into a minor headache.
The narrow street ahead of them was gridlocked. Two cars were blocking the way.
He frowned and rolled down his window. "Hey man, what's the hold-up?"
He asked a bystander standing on the curb.
"Just an argument blocking traffic. Neither guy wants to back down. You better find a detour, or you're gonna be stuck here a while."
An argument?
Dewitt's mind instantly jumped to the possibility that someone was deliberately trapping them.
"What else is there to argue about? The whole West End is being torn up and rebuilt. This road was already tight, but it's the fastest shortcut, so everyone tries to squeeze through."
"Add in all the people coming back for the holidays parking wherever they want, and boom-two cars meet in the middle, and neither driver wants to throw it in reverse."
"These two guys definitely aren't the peaceful type, either. Look at them, both tatted up."
Dewitt stared down the road. "How long have they been at it?"
"About fifteen minutes."
"They're both calling their buddies now. Probably gonna turn into a brawl."
The man sighed.
From the passenger seat, Claire piped up, "Why hasn't anyone called the cops?"
Call the cops?
The man's face soured even more. "People did call, but it's taking them forever to get here."
It wasn't that the police were ignoring it, but with the construction tearing up the roads, access was a nightmare.
And honestly, what good would the cops do?
Both these guys were clearly street thugs. You didn't mess with them.
Sure, the cops could clear the road today, but what about tomorrow? What if they started harassing the neighborhood out of spite?
Most of the residents in the West End were old neighbors who had known each other for years, and they were all getting relocated to the same housing complexes
eventually.
They'd still be seeing these guys every single day.
Better to just keep their heads down and avoid the drama.
Eventually, one of the hotheads would run out of steam and move their car.
Dewitt looked over at Claire. "Stay in the car. I'll go check it out."
Claire nodded. "Okay. Be careful, Dewitt."
Claire had also suspected it might be a trap, but this was the West End. She had
been here several times without any trouble.
And the two guys screaming at each other looked like genuine locals.
Even if it was a trap set specifically for her, sometimes the smartest move was to play along. Stepping
straight into the enemy's snare was the easiest way to figure out what out what they actually wanted.
Claire pressed her nails lightly against her palms.
In truth, she was hoping this was a setup.
It was the only way she might uncover more clues about her parents.
Whether they were dead or alive, she needed to bring answers back to the elders of both families before it was too late.
Claire sighed silently. Just another day hunting for clues about my real parents.
Dewitt thought about the loaded look Claire had just given him and let out a sigh of his own.
Whether someone was about to make a move or not, it was his job to keep his sister safe.
"Hey! Can you guys move your cars? If you're not going anywhere, at least let the rest of us through!"
Dewitt's tone was relatively polite, but his imposing stature suggested otherwise.
"Who cares about the people behind us?! I can't get through! If he doesn't back up, I'm not backing up either!"
The driver immediately in front of Dewitt yelled righteously.
Dewitt wanted to slap the guy. If you're not going to move, can't you at least swallow your pride and let the other guy pass?
"Look, buddy, it's not that I don't want to move, but this guy's got a filthy mouth! Do you know what the first thing he said to me when he got out of his car was?" fo FindNovel.net
The guy in the opposite car had a green dragon tattooed down his arm. Surprisingly, he was speaking to Dewitt quite politely.
Well, "politely" only meant he wasn't screaming as loudly as the first guy.